Cactus High School
Encyclopedia
Cactus High School is a public secondary school located in Glendale
, Arizona
, United States
. The high school is currently a part of the Peoria Unified School District
. The school opened its doors in August 1977, since which it has maintained an Excelling academic status. Currently, approximately 1,300 students are enrolled, and because of this, Cactus is a Class 4A Division II school, as rated by the Arizona Interscholastic Association
. Their mascot is the Cobra
. Cactus is considered the smallest high school in the Peoria Unified School District, by student population. Cactus' sports and arts programs are referred to as the “Mighty Cobras”. The principal is Tad Bloss and vice principals include Holly Medina, Cedrica Hester, and Brian Duguid.
's fight song)
Go Cactus High School, On to Victory.
Hail the Blue and Silver, we'll defend our dignity
Fight mighty Cobras, keep our spirits high
Show all the rest, that we are the best
We'll fight forever, Cactus High
CHS! CHS! CHS! CHS!
Football: State Championship in 2005 after three straight appearances
State Championship in 2009, after losing in the playoffs for two years
Volleyball: State Championship in 2006 season
Runner-Up in 2008 and in 2009
Boys Swim and Dive
Girls Swim and Dive: 2009 4A II state champion diver Katie Dallman
Boys Cross Country: West Valley Region Championship in 2007 season (No losses but one tie during regular season 15-0-1). Individual region champion Brandon Taylor.
Girls Cross Country: West Valley Region Championship in 2007 season.
Boys Golf: 1987 State Campions as a team (the 1st in school history) and Robert Parker won the individual state championship after finishing fourth in the 1985 and 1986. 2009 State Runners up as a team and Individual Kale Davidson finished 2 in state.
Girls Golf
Winter Sports
Boys Basketball: State Championship in 1994, State Tournament Appearances in 2006 (12 seed—lost in first round) and 2008 (15 seed---upset 2 seed Sandra Day O'Connor High School but lost to 10 seed Paradise Valley High School
in second round)
Girls Basketball: 5 total State Championships under coach Jim Graham.
Boys Soccer: Six State Championships and Eighteen Region Championships under coach Jack Altersitz, a member of the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame.
Girls Soccer: Multiple State Championships
Wrestling:
Spring Sports
Baseball: 2009 region championship; lost in 4A-I state title game to Canyon del Oro High School
Softball: National Championship in 2006 season.
Boys Track
Girls Track: Back-to-back state championships in 2007 and 2008 (2008 title won with only 7 athletes participating in state meet)
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
, Key Club, Improv Club, Drama Club, 500 Mile Club, World Languages Club, FCCLA, Media Club, FBLA, Med Start, Key of C, Outdoor Adventure Club, Student Council
, NHS, AFJROTC, Athletic Training, Clay Club, Robotics, Environmental Club, Mind's Eye and many more.
Many of these organizations have received state and national recognition for their work.
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The high school is currently a part of the Peoria Unified School District
Peoria Unified School District
Peoria Unified School District #11 provides primary and secondary education for most of Peoria, Arizona, parts of Glendale and Youngtown, Arizona, and a small portion of Surprise, Arizona, and northwestern Maricopa County. With 39 schools, it is the third largest school district in Arizona.-Early...
. The school opened its doors in August 1977, since which it has maintained an Excelling academic status. Currently, approximately 1,300 students are enrolled, and because of this, Cactus is a Class 4A Division II school, as rated by the Arizona Interscholastic Association
Arizona Interscholastic Association
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is the major high school sports association in the state of Arizona. It comprises most of the state's public district high schools, various charter and private schools, plus one high school in California San Pasqual High School in Winterhaven, California,...
. Their mascot is the Cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
. Cactus is considered the smallest high school in the Peoria Unified School District, by student population. Cactus' sports and arts programs are referred to as the “Mighty Cobras”. The principal is Tad Bloss and vice principals include Holly Medina, Cedrica Hester, and Brian Duguid.
Fight song
(set to tune of Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
's fight song)
Go Cactus High School, On to Victory.
Hail the Blue and Silver, we'll defend our dignity
Fight mighty Cobras, keep our spirits high
Show all the rest, that we are the best
We'll fight forever, Cactus High
CHS! CHS! CHS! CHS!
Athletics
Fall SportsFootball: State Championship in 2005 after three straight appearances
State Championship in 2009, after losing in the playoffs for two years
Volleyball: State Championship in 2006 season
Runner-Up in 2008 and in 2009
Boys Swim and Dive
Girls Swim and Dive: 2009 4A II state champion diver Katie Dallman
Boys Cross Country: West Valley Region Championship in 2007 season (No losses but one tie during regular season 15-0-1). Individual region champion Brandon Taylor.
Girls Cross Country: West Valley Region Championship in 2007 season.
Boys Golf: 1987 State Campions as a team (the 1st in school history) and Robert Parker won the individual state championship after finishing fourth in the 1985 and 1986. 2009 State Runners up as a team and Individual Kale Davidson finished 2 in state.
Girls Golf
Winter Sports
Boys Basketball: State Championship in 1994, State Tournament Appearances in 2006 (12 seed—lost in first round) and 2008 (15 seed---upset 2 seed Sandra Day O'Connor High School but lost to 10 seed Paradise Valley High School
Paradise Valley High School
Paradise Valley High School, Phoenix, Arizona , was the first of five high schools built in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. Paradise Valley High School opened in 1957. The school's athletic teams are referred to as the Trojans. Featuring a Block Schedule, Paradise Valley teaches a wide...
in second round)
Girls Basketball: 5 total State Championships under coach Jim Graham.
Boys Soccer: Six State Championships and Eighteen Region Championships under coach Jack Altersitz, a member of the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame.
Girls Soccer: Multiple State Championships
Wrestling:
Spring Sports
Baseball: 2009 region championship; lost in 4A-I state title game to Canyon del Oro High School
Canyon del Oro High School
Canyon del Oro High School, also known as CDO, is a comprehensive public high school in Oro Valley, Arizona, located north of Tucson at the base of Pusch Ridge. Established as a high school in 1964, CDO is one of three high schools of Amphitheater Public Schools and serves about 1,800 students in...
Softball: National Championship in 2006 season.
Boys Track
Girls Track: Back-to-back state championships in 2007 and 2008 (2008 title won with only 7 athletes participating in state meet)
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
Extra Curricular Activities
Cactus is a proud supporter of all of its clubs and after school activities including Chess Club, DECADECA (organization)
DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...
, Key Club, Improv Club, Drama Club, 500 Mile Club, World Languages Club, FCCLA, Media Club, FBLA, Med Start, Key of C, Outdoor Adventure Club, Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, NHS, AFJROTC, Athletic Training, Clay Club, Robotics, Environmental Club, Mind's Eye and many more.
Many of these organizations have received state and national recognition for their work.
Notable alumni
- Kyle KosierKyle KosierKyle Blaine Kosier is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.He was originally selected with the 37th pick of the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Arizona State University. He has also played for the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco...
-OL, Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
(NFL) - Brandon McDonaldBrandon McDonald (soccer)Brandon McDonald is an American soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Amateur and College:...
- MF, San Jose EarthquakesSan Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
(Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
) - Joe RiggsJoe RiggsJoseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...
-WelterweightWelterweightWelterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
-UFC