Mendota High School is a public high school in Mendota, California

Mendota, California

Mendota is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 11,014 at the 2010 census. The State Routes 180 and 33 run through the agricultural city. Mendota is located south-southeast of Firebaugh, at an elevation of 174 feet ....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

In the 2008-2009 school year, the school contained 649 students. 99% were Hispanic, with the remainder Asian.

In 2011, the school's 12-person chess team, named the Knuckleheads, placed first in the Premier Division at the CalChess State Championships. They were honored not only by the City Council but also by the California State Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

, which caused the Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 remarked that the 180 miles (289.7 km) trip to Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

"was the farthest they had ever traveled from Mendota."