- Moon Valley High School
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Moon Valley high School Address 3625 W Cactus Rd
Phoenix, Arizona, Maricopa, 85029
United StatesCoordinates 33°35′43″N 112°08′14″W Information School type Public, Secondary Motto Success: Every Student, Every Day Established 1965 School district Glendale Union High School District Authority Arizona Department of Education School number 205 Principal Craig Mussi Vice principal Kris Willis, Eddie Lopez, Nathan Kleve Chief custodian Rick Wieferich Staff 58 Faculty 89 Grades 9-12 Age 14+ Age range 14-19 Number of students 1677 Classes 193 Average class size 22 Education system College Prep Medium of language English Classrooms 99 Campus size 1/4 sq. mi. Campus type Suburban School Colour(s) Scarlet Red, Royal Blue & White Song In salute to her glory, her honor and light. We of Moon Valley give praise to her might. Glory to our colors, honor to our team Spirit, knowledge, sportsmanship will always be our theme. As we go onward, throughout this land, long may she ever in grandeur stand. And o'er the years, as the time goes by we'll cherish forever our Moon Valley High.
Fight song We're from Moon Valley and we ought to know. It's Rockets, Rockets wherever we go. Come on, let's blast-off we're gonna fly. Let's get that victory Moon Valley High.
Athletics conference Arizona Interscholastic Association, Inc. Mascot Rockets Rival Greenway High School Accreditation(s) North Central Association of Colleges on Secondary Schools USNWR ranking Bronze School roll 1677 Newspaper Rocket Reporter Feeder schools Cholla Middle School, Desert Foothills Middle School, and Sweetwater Middle School Website http://moonvalley.guhsdaz.org/home/ Moon Valley High School is located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and is a part of the Glendale Union High School District. It is currently home to more than 1677 students and 100 faculty members. Moon Valley is one of Arizona's leading educational establishments and is an excelling school[1] according to the Arizona Department of Education. Moon Valley High School is located at 3625 W Cactus Rd., Phoenix, Arizona 85029.
Contents
History
Many of Moon Valley High School's original 565 students and 25 teachers will recall the unfinished buildings, blowing dirt, lack of grass and lack of facilities that caused the high school's delayed opening in September 1965. As the years went by, the faculty grew from the original 25 instructors to the current number of 100, and the enrollment boundaries are now from Peoria Avenue in the south, with the northern bound at Thunderbird Road between I-17 and 39th Avenue, and from 39th Avenue to 51st Avenue along Sweetwater Road. The major east and west boundaries of Black Canyon Freeway (Interstate 17) to 51st Avenue, with 39th Avenue as a minor bound between the northernmost bound of Thunderbird Road to 1/2 mile south at Sweetwater Road.[2] Student enrollment in 2010-11 is 1,677.
The new school was named "Moon Valley" because it was indicated on maps that the local area called Moon Valley area was near the new school. Many protest letters were written to the Board of Education stating that the school should be called either Deer Valley High (as the school was actually located in Deer Valley), Northwest High (being at the time the furthest NW school in the district), John F. Kennedy High (in honor of the late President) or Westown High (sharing the name with the local housing development which surrounded the school). The controversy raged for many months with petitions pouring in from the community, both for and against the name. The board, however, stuck with the original name, stating the Glendale Union High School District schools are neither named after people nor directions, since that was the fashion Phoenix Union High School District named its schools.[3]
Mr. Don Reed, an engineer at General Electric, contacted Hughes Aircraft and was able to have donated an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air guided missile shell for use as a mascot. In accordance with this, the student body chose the mascot name, "Rockets." The school colors are scarlet red, royal blue and white. Because there was no grass that first year, flower beds were planted around the school. Students refused to let janitors take out all the flowers, so the flowers have become a permanent fixture on the grounds.[3]
Mr. Victor E. Lowman was Moon Valley's first principal for three and a half years. Moon Valley's present principal is Mr. Craig Mussi. The Rockets' administration also consists of Kris Willis, assistant principal (AP) for student services; Eddie Lopez, AP of operations and resources; and Nathan Kleve, AP of discipline and attendance.[3]
Moon Valley became a closed campus in the fall of 2002, which means that students stay within campus grounds throughout the day. During the years of the "mini-skirt" and "sideburns," the dress code was a problem. The girls would roll up their skirts to make them shorter. When they were sent to the office, they would roll them down as if their skirts were never short. This didn't last very long. Things haven't changed so very much, but currently it is girls' short shirts that are getting pulled down, attempting to meet current dress code standards.[3]
In the 1972-73 school year Moon Valley was on double session due to a quickly growing metropolitan area, which placed a strain on many districts in the area. Thunderbird High School was under construction some two miles east of Moon Valley, but was not yet open. The Moon Valley students came in the morning, while the students who would be attending Thunderbird came for the afternoon session. According to Mr. Williams, the situation caused a great deal of confusion and many problems ensued during this year-long period; but once Thunderbird opened, things got back to normal.[3]
Remodeling took place on the campus in 1976-77. The automotive vocational education facility was expanded to allow for more equipment and technical instruction, and additions were made to the gym.[3]
Moon Valley High has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since its first graduating class in 1967.[3]
About The Students
Moon Valley's student population of approximately 1700 comes mainly from middle class homes drawing from professional, high technology, and general service and construction trades. Students come from feeder middle schools including Cholla Middle School, Desert Foothills Middle School, and Sweetwater.
SCHOOL AND CURRICULUM: Moon Valley is a comprehensive four-year public high school with a strong college preparatory curriculum, business partnerships and extensive general education programs. Accelerated courses are offered in mathematics, English, social studies, science, and foreign language. Glendale Community College is located five miles from the campus and provides concurrent enrollment for qualified students in qualifying programs. In addition, Gateway Community College offers dual enrollment credit for the many AP courses offered.
Moon Valley High School was awarded Healthiest School in Arizona by National Got Milk? Contest in September 2006. One award was granted in each of the 50 states, and was accompanied by a $1,000 USD grant for improving the health awareness of students.[4]
In 2010, MVHS was awarded the State Department of Education Spotlight on Success Award.[5]
Notable alumni
- Randy McClanahan, class of 1972, played for the Oakland Raiders and was in Super Bowl '82."Rookies Lead Way in in 32-31 win Over Seahawks". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927222103/http://www.raiders.com/common/article.aspx?id=1272. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- Ozzie Virgil, Jr., Class of 1976, played Major League Baseball for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. He was in the World Series in '84.
- Mark Kerlin, Class of 1980, played professional soccer for Phoenix Pride and the Dallas Sidekicks."Mark Kerlin". http://www.kicksfan.com/players/kerlin/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- Menno Wickey, Class of 1991, played professional baseball and is the Executive Director of Players Baseball Academy. He is also an associate scout for the MLB Washington Nationals. "Coach Wickey". http://eteamz.active.com/thecompleteplayer/news/index.cfm?cat=302277. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- Richard Jefferson, Class of 1998, currently a forward for NBA's San Antonio Spurs.
- Steve Garrabrants, Class of 2000, currently plays Minor League baseball for the Tennessee Smokies which is a Class AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- David Pruitt, Class of 2000, played Minor League baseball for the Mesa Angels which is a Rookie Class affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
State championships
Moon Valley High School has won 18 State championships[6] in its various athletic activities. Its most-winning program is the Girls Softball team who has won 6 State Championship[7] titles including two sets of back to back championships in the 1986-1987 and 1992-1993 seasons.
References
- ^ [1], AZ DoE School Report Cards, .pdf file, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ [2], MVHS official site, GUHSD attendance area map, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ a b c d e f g [3], MVHS official history page, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ [4], GUHSD announcements page, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ [5], MVHS news page, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ [6], Arizona Interscholastic Association, Inc., archives, state champion archives page, accessed January 28, 2011
- ^ [7], AIA state softball champions list, .pdf
External links
33°35′43″N 112°08′14″W / 33.595217°N 112.137258°WCoordinates: 33°35′43″N 112°08′14″W / 33.595217°N 112.137258°W
Apollo High School • Cortez High School • Glendale High School • Greenway High School • Independence High School • Moon Valley High School • Sunnyslope High School • Thunderbird High School • Washington High School • Metrocenter Academy
Categories:- Public high schools in Arizona
- High schools in Phoenix, Arizona
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