Pinole Valley High School

Infobox School
name = Pinole Valley High School


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motto =
established =
closed =
type = Public
affiliation =
district = WCCUSD
grades = 9-12
president =
principal = Sue Kahn
head of school =
dean =
faculty =
staff =
students = 1715 [ [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=063255005052&ID=063255005052 Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Pinole Valley High] . U.S. Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Data for 2005-2006 school year. Accessed on 2007-09-21.]
enrollment =
athletics =
conference = CIF North Coast Section - BSC - ACCAL
colors = blue and gold
colours =
mascot = Spartan
campus type = Suburban
campus size =
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location = 2900 Pinole Valley Road, Pinole, California
country = USA
coordinates = coord|-122.285664|37.992409|display=inline,title
website = http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/pinolevalley/

Pinole Valley High School is a high school in Pinole, California, which is located in Contra Costa County. First opened in 1967, the school is part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Pinole Valley High serves grades 9-12, and has approximately 1,750 students. The school's official mascot is the spartan.

The school is notable for their girls' basketball team. The coach, Dan O'Shea, was named "Coach of the Year" in May 2006 by the "Oakland Tribune". [http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/Communications/e-Weekly/2006/05_18.pdf]

Pinole Valley High offers several special programs for students, such as the Environmental Studies Academy, the Conservatory of the Arts, and Advanced Placement classes.

Green Day

Two of the original members of the band Green Day were childhood friends and attended Pinole Valley High School. Bass guitarist Mike Dirnt graduated in 1990, and lead singer/lead guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong dropped out halfway through his senior year, to concentrate on his music. While in school, Armstrong was known for selling marijuana joints for two dollars, and therefore had the nickname “Two Dollar Bill”. [cite web|url=http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/billiejoe.php | title=Billie Joe Armstrong |accessdate=2007-05-06|publisher=greendayauthority.com]

Bay Area Music Scene

Pinole Valley High School is known for its students and past alumni that produce bands and musical acts that are part of the Bay Area music scene. Current PHVS performing artists include: Common Human Traits (CHT), A Class Act, Diligentz, Facing New York, FLESHIES!, The Go-Gettaz, Lifelike Figures, and wallpaper.. Past bands include: Geeks & Squares, Locale A.M., Maxwell Adams, The Pencilnecks, The Pinole Ramblers, Skanonymous, Society’s Edge, Teriyaki Unknown, and Suburbs Vs. Cities.

Notable alumni

* Billie Joe Armstrong (dropped out in 1990), Green Day lead singer/lead guitarist
* Mike Dirnt (graduated 1990), Green Day bass guitarist
* Jocelyn Enriquez (graduated 1993), dance singer
* Darrick Brilz, NFL player
* Dale Sveum, MLB baseball player
* Gino Torretta (graduated 1988), 1992 Heisman Trophy winner
* Chris Singleton (graduated 1990), MLB baseball player
* Jim Rogan (dropped out), former U.S Congressman
* Jeff Harris, MLB Player (graduated 1992)
* Thomas DeCoud (graduated 2003), NFL player

Trivia

* There was a mention of the school in the movie "Coach Carter".
* Nathan Good, ex-drummer for indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie, teaches English at Pinole Valley.

Notes

References

* http://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/about/education.html
* http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/pinolevalley/
* http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ca/605/
* http://ca.localschooldirectory.com/schools_info.php/school_id/11529
* http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/11/MNGPV5IGBQ1.DTL