Central Valley High School (Spokane Valley, Washington)

Infobox Secondary school
name = Central Valley High School
picture =
principal = Mike Hittle
established = January, 1927
type = Secondary
grades = 9–12
city = Spokane Valley
state = Washington
country = USA
enrollment = 1,800+
faculty =
campus =
newspaper = The Examiner
yearbook = Voyager
mascot = Bears
colors = Columbia Blue, White
website = www.cvsd.org/centralvalley

Central Valley High School, or CV, is a high school located in Spokane Valley, Washington. Central Valley is one of the three high schools in Central Valley School District #356.

History

Central Valley High School opened in January 1927, and was popular because it offered free transportation to and from the school. It grew fast with the support of the surrounding community, and hosted its first track meet the following spring. Over the next years, the school had gained a gymnasium, art rooms, a furnace, and a library. The school experienced several remodelings over the years. In 2002, the school was rebuilt after passing a bond issue, including a larger gymnasium for 2,200 seats, a state-of-the-art performing arts center, an advanced technological media center, a new commons area, and an overall expansion of the school.

Location & Structure

The school is located at 821 S. Sullivan Rd. in Spokane Valley, WA. The building is built in a fairly rectangular design, with equal lengthed hallways on both sides of the central commons, and two smaller hallways in the back of the school for the technology and music wings. The track and football field are located north of the building, and the gyms are on the northeastern side of the school. A wide campus with two soccer fields and two baseball fields are located east and behind the school, and three parking lots and one soccer field are located west and in front of the building.

Extracurricular Activities

DECA
Central Valley's DECA program is considered one of the largest in Eastern Washington. The program sent over 40 delegates to the state conference in Bellevue in 2007.

Debate
Central Valley has had success with its debate team. The debate team participates in numerous competitions every year, and each yield many high-placing winners for CV's debate team. In 2007, CV sent several debaters to the national competition.

Knowledge Bowl
Central Valley's Knowledge Bowl program is regarded as the largest in the Inland Empire's Knowledge Bowl League. In 2007, the varsity team finished 27-1 in the regular season, and went on to win the regional competition at the Eastern Washington University Spokane campus. The team went on to take third place at state. In the 2007-08 season, them CV team has grown to over 24 people, with two varsity teams and three junior varsity teams, making it the biggest in the Inland Empire.

Other Clubs
Other clubs at Central Valley include ASB Leadership, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), First Priority, French Club, Honor Society, Junior Statesmen of America (JSA), Newspaper, Science Olympiad, Spectrum Club, TSA, Washington Drug Free Youth (WDFY), Animal Liberation, and Yearbook.

Music

Band
Central Valley's band program includes various ensembles, including Woodwind Performance, Brass Performance, Percussion Performance, and the premier Wind Ensemble. CV's band programs also includes two jazz bands. In the fall, a consistently successful marching band is fielded, accompanied by a large color guard. Until 2008, the color guard was the dance team in the spring. The marching band travels during weekends in the fall to competitions in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. In 2007, the marching band won their class at the Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships, and has many other notable awards. The winter yields a pep band and a winter drum line. In the spring, a pit orchestra is used for the school's spring musical, and a full scale marching band is coached for the city's Lilac Parade. The Central Valley band director is Eric Parker, and the color guard coaches are Cassie Malloy and Samantha Crilly.

Choir
The Central Valley choir program consists of an A Capella Choir, a Women's Chorus, a Freshman Chorale, a jazz choir known as Rhythm N'Blues, and a Symphonic Choir. The director is Mr. Elliot.

Orchestra
In addition to the band program, the school has an orchestra and chamber orchestra. The Central Valley Chamber Orchestra has experienced widespread success, taking 2nd place (1st alternate) at the EWMEA Solo and Ensemble festival in the Large Group Strings division. The concert orchestra has performed with the Spokane Symphony, and has annual performances in the Central Valley Performing Arts Center. The concertmaster of the chamber orchestra is David Wang, and the concertmaster of the orchestra is not yet decided. The director of both orchestras is Mason Flemmer.

Athletics

Cross Country
The CV Cross Country team has experienced success in recent years. In 2006, led by head coach James Berry and assistant coaches Lori Buratto and Coach Ernie Aguilar, the boys team finished third at the regional meet after powerhouses Mead Senior High School and Joel E. Ferris High School, and took third at state as well following the same teams. This was the first time the Bears had placed at state in over 40 years, and this earned them a ranking as 24th in the nation on Harrier's Super 25 [cite web |url=http://www.dyestat.com/3us/6xc/super25/index.htm#boys |title=2006 Harrier Top 25 |accessdate=2008-01-28 |author=Dyestat |date=October 2006] . In 2007, the team finished 8-1 in the GSL, and placed fourth at state. The girls team has finished undefeated both in 2006 and 2007, and has won the regional meet in both of those years as well.

Other Sports
Central Valley also competes in other GSL league sports: Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys Football, Boys and Girls Golf, Girls Gymnastics, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Track & Field, Girls Volleyball, and Boys and Girls Wrestling, Boys Baseball, Cheerleading and Girls Fast and Slow Pitch Softball.

Traditions

Athletics
Central Valley's rival is University High School. In January, the two schools compete in two popular spirit competitions, the Stinky Sneaker basketball game and the Battle of the Bone wrestling tournament. In either September or October, the schools engage in the Greasy Pig football game. Though lesser known, the schools also fight for domination in the Flying Cow volleyball game, the Wood Wars baseball game, and the Muddy Cleat soccer game. Track and gymnastics competitions do not have such competitions due to their meet format, and there are hardly ever dual meets between the schools.

It has been known among the AP and Knowledge Bowl community that if a team goes up against University during the January Knowledge Bowl meet, it is to be known as the "Stinky Thinker".

Other Traditions

Mr. CVHS
Every year, a coterie of young men from all grade levels participate in the male beauty pageant known as Mr. CVHS. The contest involves an opening number, a talent show, impromptu questions, and escorts.

Notes and References