American Canyon High School
Encyclopedia
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American Canyon High School is a public comprehensive high school
located in American Canyon
, CA and operated by the Napa Valley Unified School District
.
in the city of Napa
. Vintage High School is located 15 miles (24.1 km) to the north. Strong public support developed for locating a high school in American Canyon.
The school district purchased a 49.5 acres (200,319.6 m²) site for a new high school in 2003 for $4.5 million.
, CA, and the contractor was Lathrop Construction Associates of Benicia
, CA.
Classes began for 680 freshmen and sophomores on August 18, 2010. Enrollment reached 1000 students by autumn, 2011. The school will have a full four-year complement of students in the 2012 school year.
. The school's varsity football team played its first game in the campus stadium under the lights on September 2, 2011. The gymnasium, which seats 2500 people, is the largest in Napa County. The campus is accessible for use by the entire community, not just the high school students.
The school also has extensive science laboratories, a mirrored dance studio and a commercial kitchen for teaching culinary arts. The students will have access to the latest computer and communications technology.
The school has natural day lighting in all classrooms, as well as the gymnasium and the multi-purpose room, in order to save electricity used for lighting. Automatic controls turn off electrical lights when natural lighting is sufficient. It is equipped with low flow water fixtures and the sports fields are irrigated with reclaimed water. It is expected that it will use about half the potable water of a conventional school design of the same size.
Solar photovoltaic panels are integrated into many of the windows. Installation of a $5 million solar photovoltaic field was delayed because of state budget cutbacks, but was dedicated on November 16, 2011. The system generates 1 megawatt of electricity, and will produce between 60% and 80% of the school's energy needs when it reaches its full enrollment of 2,200 students.
The high school utilizes an energy efficient geothermal HVAC
system based on holes bored deep underground. There are about 300 bores, each 350 feet deep. Water circulates through piping, and exchanges heat with the earth underground, which maintains a stable temperature. The HVAC system was installed by Bell Products of Napa, CA.
The school district purchased 312 acres (1.3 km²) of vacant open space land for $4.6 million in December, 2008 to mitigate risks to the threatened species known as the California red-legged frog
, caused by the school construction.
American Canyon High School is a public comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
located in American Canyon
American Canyon, California
American Canyon is a city located in southern Napa County, California, northeast of San Francisco. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2010 census reported the city's population at 19,454. Its zip code is 94503, and its area code is 707...
, CA and operated by the Napa Valley Unified School District
Napa Valley Unified School District
The Napa Valley Unified School District is a school district located in Napa County, California. It was the first school district to purchase a plug-in hybrid diesel school bus....
.
Background
The city of American Canyon, located at the southern end of Napa County, is the fastest growing part of that county. For decades, high school students living in American Canyon were bussed to Vintage High SchoolVintage High School
Vintage High School is a comprehensive high school with a student body of over 2,300. It is one of three comprehensive high schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District. The other comprehensive high schools are Napa High School and American Canyon High School...
in the city of Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
. Vintage High School is located 15 miles (24.1 km) to the north. Strong public support developed for locating a high school in American Canyon.
The school district purchased a 49.5 acres (200,319.6 m²) site for a new high school in 2003 for $4.5 million.
Construction
Voters residing in the Napa Valley Unified School District approved Measure G in November 2006. This $183 million bond measure provided the funding that made construction of American Canyon High School possible, as well as other school improvement projects in the district. The school was designed to incorporate green building principles. Construction began in 2008, and the school was dedicated on June 18, 2010. The construction budget was $160 million. The architect was Quattrochi Kwok of Santa RosaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, CA, and the contractor was Lathrop Construction Associates of Benicia
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, CA.
Classes began for 680 freshmen and sophomores on August 18, 2010. Enrollment reached 1000 students by autumn, 2011. The school will have a full four-year complement of students in the 2012 school year.
Facilities
Eventually, American Canyon High School will accommodate 2,200 students. The school occupies a 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) campus on the northeast corner of American Canyon Road and Newell Drive, and includes seven two-story buildings arrayed around a central courtyard. It features a football stadium, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a 400 seat theater partially funded by the city of American Canyon for community use, and college classrooms funded and operated by Napa Valley CollegeNapa Valley College
Napa Valley College, formerly known as Napa Community College, is one of California's community colleges, located in Napa Valley. The main campus is in Napa, California, with an Upper Valley Campus in St. Helena and a Small Business Development Center in downtown Napa. In 2004-2005, the total...
. The school's varsity football team played its first game in the campus stadium under the lights on September 2, 2011. The gymnasium, which seats 2500 people, is the largest in Napa County. The campus is accessible for use by the entire community, not just the high school students.
The school also has extensive science laboratories, a mirrored dance studio and a commercial kitchen for teaching culinary arts. The students will have access to the latest computer and communications technology.
Green Features
The school is the first in the nation to complete the certification process of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, a green compliance standard.The school has natural day lighting in all classrooms, as well as the gymnasium and the multi-purpose room, in order to save electricity used for lighting. Automatic controls turn off electrical lights when natural lighting is sufficient. It is equipped with low flow water fixtures and the sports fields are irrigated with reclaimed water. It is expected that it will use about half the potable water of a conventional school design of the same size.
Solar photovoltaic panels are integrated into many of the windows. Installation of a $5 million solar photovoltaic field was delayed because of state budget cutbacks, but was dedicated on November 16, 2011. The system generates 1 megawatt of electricity, and will produce between 60% and 80% of the school's energy needs when it reaches its full enrollment of 2,200 students.
The high school utilizes an energy efficient geothermal HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
system based on holes bored deep underground. There are about 300 bores, each 350 feet deep. Water circulates through piping, and exchanges heat with the earth underground, which maintains a stable temperature. The HVAC system was installed by Bell Products of Napa, CA.
The school district purchased 312 acres (1.3 km²) of vacant open space land for $4.6 million in December, 2008 to mitigate risks to the threatened species known as the California red-legged frog
California Red-legged Frog
The California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, is a moderate to large species of frog. It is known under the scientific name Rana draytonii, after being long included with the northern red-legged frog The California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, is a moderate to large (4.4–14 cm) species...
, caused by the school construction.