Pacific Christian on the Hill
Encyclopedia
| Pacific Christian on the Hill | |
 |
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| Mottos | In Christo Vera Educatio |
| Established | 1904 |
| Closed | 2004 |
| School type | Private Private school Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory... Christian Christian A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament... College preparatory |
| Campus | Urban Urban area An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further... |
| Location | Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Mascot(s) | "Panther Black panther A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is... " |
| Colors | Red Red Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye... and Black Black Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light... |
Pacific Christian on the Hill was a small private college preparatory school located in the Hermon
Hermon, Los Angeles, California
Hermon is a small district in the city of Los Angeles, California. It is situated in a half square-mile valley bordered by the Arroyo Seco and the historic 110 freeway to the west, Monterey Hills to the south, and South Pasadena to the north and east. The community has been part of Los Angeles...
area of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Los Angeles International Charter High School
Los Angeles International Charter High School
Los Angeles International Charter High School is a charter school in Hermon, Los Angeles, California, near Highland Park. It occupies the campus of the former Pacific Christian High School.-History:...
now occupies the former campus.
Origins
Pacific Christian on the Hill (PCH), originally Pacific Christian High School, was founded in 1965, but its roots go back to 1904 with the formation of Los Angeles Free Methodist Seminary (later Los Angeles Pacific CollegeLos Angeles Pacific College
Los Angeles Pacific College was a four-year liberal-arts college in Hermon, Los Angeles, California.It was founded in 1903 by a group of ministers and laymen of the Free Methodist Church...
) by the Free Methodist Church
Free Methodist Church
The Free Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement. It is evangelical in nature and has its roots in the Arminian-Wesleyan tradition....
. When the college was divested by the church and merged with another college, some property was left for the development of a high school under the guidance of an independent, interdenominational board of directors. A private college preparatory high school was created for grades 9-12. Later it added a junior high school, grades 7 and 8.
School description
The school provided a liberal arts education with a strong foundation in the Christian faith. There were no religious affiliation requirements for entry and the students came from many different Protestant denominations. However, true to its origins, chapel services for the students were held every Wednesday at the local Free Methodist church (Hermon Community Church) located close by.PCH was fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
(WASC), a member of the Association of Christian Schools International
Association of Christian Schools International
The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...
(ACSI), California Scholarship Federation
California Scholarship Federation
The California Scholarship Federation, or CSF, started in 1921 by Charles F. Seymour, seeks to recognize students living in the state of California who possess high standards in academic scholarship, community service and citizenship....
(CSF) and the California Interscholastic Federation
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
(CIF) for athletics.
The school mascot was the panther. This was reflected in the name of the school yearbook, Pardalis, Greek for panther.
Structures on campus (1970s-2000s):
Lingren Hall: the main building housed the class rooms, library, lab, darkroom, book storage, and lockers.
The Panther Den: housed yearbook and journalism classes, restrooms, and lunch sales.
The Office: used to be a 2 story building. Housed administration offices, teachers' lounge, computer lab, and girls' locker room.
Boy's Lockerroom: housed the lockerroom, weight room, athletic equipment storage, and general grounds storage.
The aphitheater: pictured on this page.
Observatory: as of the 1990s this was the oldest building remaining on campus.
Student population
In addition to supporting Hermon area children, PCH reached out to enroll students from other towns in the northeastern suburbs of Los Angeles. The school was attractive to Christian parents who preferred to have their children schooled in a Christian environment. Hence, PCH was able to attract students from towns such as neighboring Highland Park, California South PasadenaSouth Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
as well as towns further afield in the San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
such as Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, San Gabriel
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
, San Marino
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
, Rosemead
Rosemead, California
Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...
, Temple City
Temple City, California
Temple City is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a rapidly growing Asian population. Temple City also has a Cuban and Puerto Rican...
, Alhambra
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
and Eagle Rock, California. Many of the students were graduates of Christian middle schools based in Pasadena and San Gabriel. A rival Christian high school, Maranatha High School
Maranatha High School
Maranatha High School is a college preparatory Christian private school in Pasadena, California. The mission of Maranatha High School is to prepare students for living lives of purpose and distinction, as reflected by character, competency and community...
, originally based in Arcadia and now in Pasadena, provided healthy competition for the enrollment of these students. Coincidentally, the two schools were founded in the same year, 1965.
A junior high (middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, grades 7-8) was added in 1975.
Student population generally hovered between 175 and less than 200, from the late 1970s until a few years before the school closed. By 2003, student enrollment had declined to less than 100 overall, hastening the school's eventual financial demise. The graduating class of 1986 was the largest in many years at 28 students. In the late mid/late 1970s a class graduated with 13 students.
Closure
After the sale to Bethesda was completed, the new owners signed a multi-year lease of the historic campus to Los Angeles International Charter High School
Los Angeles International Charter High School
Los Angeles International Charter High School is a charter school in Hermon, Los Angeles, California, near Highland Park. It occupies the campus of the former Pacific Christian High School.-History:...
(LAICHS), beginning with the 2007-08 academic year. LAICHS operates as public secondary school under the umbrella of the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In 2009, LAICHS graduated its first senior class of approximately 40 students. Pre-enrollment for 2009-10 exceeded 200 for the first time in that school's history.
Since 1965 the school had only four principals:
- 1965-1983 - Gerald W. Harer
- 1984-1988 - Thomas Hagerty (Gerald W. Harer worked as superintendent)
- 1988-1989 - Dr. Donald E. Riggs
- 1989-2004 - Dr. Richard Riesen
Alma mater
Our Pacific Christian High SchoolThis I pledge to thee
Faithful students and alumni
We will ever be
Ours a school of highest honor
Rising now anew
Hail to thee our alma mater
Loyal, strong, and true
(sung to the tune of Annie Lisle
Annie Lisle
"Annie Lisle" is the name of an 1857 ballad by Boston, Massachusetts songwriter H. S. Thompson first published by Moulton & Clark of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and later by Oliver Ditson & Co. It is about the death of a young maiden, by what some have speculated to be tuberculosis, although the...
)