Santa Susana High School
Encyclopedia
Santa Susana High School is one of four high schools located in Simi Valley, California
. Built in 1970 the school campus was originally designed as a junior high campus formerly known as Sequoia Junior High School. However in June 1995 it was voted by the school board that one junior high campus be converted into a magnet high school to accommodate the move of 9th graders into regular high school campuses, and all remaining junior high campuses be converted into middle schools. The school board elected Sequoia Junior High over Hillside Junior High because of location, and in September 1996 it became Santa Susana High School.
Currently Santa Susana High School is configured with 3 major classroom blocks, surrounding a quad. A large open air auditorium divides the complex and the schools multipurpose room, Stagecraft workshop and a small theater. The Performing Arts Center and the student parking lot is located near the multipurpose room. The school is part of the Simi Valley Unified School District
. (SVUSD) The school colors are silver, black, white and teal, and the mascot is the Troubadour. Students, staff and parents say what they appreciate most about the school is the free atmosphere - Because the school is rather small, everyone knows a majority of the student body.
Within the Main Schools, students choose an Academy and/or Emphasis Area in which they focus on a specially designed four-year course of study. The academy-specific curricular paths combine interest-based courses with core academic foundations to guide students through their high school careers. This "school-within-a-school" model allows students to pursue their academic interests as they build skills for a post-secondary life. Depending on the academy of enrollment, students may take classes in music theory, photography, video production, instrumental music, vocal music, musical theater, dance, stagecraft, web design, drama, graphics design, or drawing/painting.
's C4 Bond measure, HMC
Architects initially delivered plans for a multipurpose room for which $8.6 million was allocated. Over time, the multipurpose room became an auditorium, and eventually became the 12730 square feet (1,182.7 m²) Performing Arts Center unveiled April 2011.
When construction began in January of 2009 construction costs were estimated at $10.6 million. To date actual construction costs stands at $12,452,913. Despite the official opening, the Performing Arts Center isn't quite finished. While the theater can and will be used, the center has not yet been certified by the state. Nor does it have sound or lighting systems, which can be costly to purchase and install.
to Weight Training
.
These classes are designed to train students for future careers, in their selected fields, and for any workplace environment with training in proper workplace etiquette.
All students will learn how to code dynamic websites from the ground up with a variety of Programming
and Markup
Languages. Every student works on or creates up to 8 large projects throughout the year. They range from coding Rock-Paper-Scissors in JavaScript and PHP with a database, to redoing local restaurant or business sites, to creating and maintaining the school's website. They are done "in-house" as most web designers rarely work at the business location that they are designing for.
Students of the ROP Web Design class are responsible for maintaining the schools independent website, http://santasusana.org.
“Battle for Milquarious, White Gold Milkdonkulous Giveaway.” The contest was designed to encourage teens to get creative with their video-making skills for a chance to win thousands of dollars for their public high schools’ art programs.
Simi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
. Built in 1970 the school campus was originally designed as a junior high campus formerly known as Sequoia Junior High School. However in June 1995 it was voted by the school board that one junior high campus be converted into a magnet high school to accommodate the move of 9th graders into regular high school campuses, and all remaining junior high campuses be converted into middle schools. The school board elected Sequoia Junior High over Hillside Junior High because of location, and in September 1996 it became Santa Susana High School.
Currently Santa Susana High School is configured with 3 major classroom blocks, surrounding a quad. A large open air auditorium divides the complex and the schools multipurpose room, Stagecraft workshop and a small theater. The Performing Arts Center and the student parking lot is located near the multipurpose room. The school is part of the Simi Valley Unified School District
Simi Valley Unified School District
Simi Valley Unified School District is a school district in Ventura County, California. It enrolls students from the city of Simi Valley...
. (SVUSD) The school colors are silver, black, white and teal, and the mascot is the Troubadour. Students, staff and parents say what they appreciate most about the school is the free atmosphere - Because the school is rather small, everyone knows a majority of the student body.
Academies
The school has three Schools which the students may belong to: the Arts, Technology, and Academics. Students may choose an emphasis inside the academy. For example, vocal music in the performing arts academy, humanities in the academic academy, or web design in the technology academy. It is also a school of choice, meaning that a student must fill out an application and be accepted before attending. This is a somewhat selective process because the school is small, with only about 1250 students enrolled and a total faculty of 54. The school is a "demonstration school", often visited by administrators from other districts, states, and countries. The school has been named as a silver medal winner in US News and World Report's "Top 500 Schools in America" for the last two years. In 2007 it received the Golden Bell Award from the California School Board Association for Invigorating High Schools. With an API (Academic Performance Index) score of 866, it remains as one of the highest ranking schools in the area.Within the Main Schools, students choose an Academy and/or Emphasis Area in which they focus on a specially designed four-year course of study. The academy-specific curricular paths combine interest-based courses with core academic foundations to guide students through their high school careers. This "school-within-a-school" model allows students to pursue their academic interests as they build skills for a post-secondary life. Depending on the academy of enrollment, students may take classes in music theory, photography, video production, instrumental music, vocal music, musical theater, dance, stagecraft, web design, drama, graphics design, or drawing/painting.
Law
Within the last couple years Santa Susana has also added several Law related classes, with a grant helping to create the new Law academy. The first year it received funding for the Mock Trial class, the team went to finals and finished in fourth place at the Ventura County Mock Trial competition, historically one of the most competitive counties in the state.Arts
Santa Susana is known for its fine and practical arts. Santa Susana High School received a state grant which enabled it to construct a state of the art Performing Arts Theater Center. First approved by voters in 2004 as part of the Simi Valley Unified School DistrictSimi Valley Unified School District
Simi Valley Unified School District is a school district in Ventura County, California. It enrolls students from the city of Simi Valley...
's C4 Bond measure, HMC
HMC
- Education :* Harris Manchester College, at Oxford University* Harvard Model Congress, the oldest and largest congressional simulation conference in the world...
Architects initially delivered plans for a multipurpose room for which $8.6 million was allocated. Over time, the multipurpose room became an auditorium, and eventually became the 12730 square feet (1,182.7 m²) Performing Arts Center unveiled April 2011.
When construction began in January of 2009 construction costs were estimated at $10.6 million. To date actual construction costs stands at $12,452,913. Despite the official opening, the Performing Arts Center isn't quite finished. While the theater can and will be used, the center has not yet been certified by the state. Nor does it have sound or lighting systems, which can be costly to purchase and install.
Information Technology
As one of Santa Susana's main focuses is Information Technology, SSHS offers several courses designed to help students pursue higher education or entry level careers in technology industries. Students of the ROP Web Design class develop and maintain the schools website, http://santasusana.org.Advanced Academics
As one of the highest ranking academic schools in the area, it provides a long list of challenging and rigorous courses of study. It offers many of the Advanced Placement classes sponsored by the College Board (AP English, Calculus AB and BC, Computer Science, Studio Art, World and U.S. History, Spanish, and Government/Economics just to name a few) as well as many Honors courses in addition.Schedule
Santa Susana offers a unique nine-period schedule facilitates the School and Academy structure, providing additional opportunities and alternatives, and caters to the specialization of SSHS students. Created to manage the student need to coordinate core academic classes with co-curricular programs and career preparation courses, extended day scheduling is a fundamental support system for student learning at Santa Susana High School. Selected courses are offered during our earliest period of the day (Period 1 from 6:55 am - 7:55 am), while others are offered after "normal school hours" (Periods 8 & 9 from 3:05 pm - 5:05 pm). This flexibility allows students to maximize their opportunities to learn at SSHS as they balance academics with interest-based electives. Two days per week, Santa Susana operates on a "Block Schedule", where each day has half the amount of classes for double the time. For example, Wednesday's class schedule will be 2-4-6 and Thursday will be 3-5-7.Extracurricular Activities
Santa Susana is different from other local schools in that it does not offer a competitive sports program, however, it does offer a vast array of clubs (many of which have won major awards in recent years), including Thespian Society, Leadership, Dance Team, Yearbook Staff, and other clubs concerning topics that range from Mock TrialMock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
to Weight Training
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
.
Regional Occupational Program
Santa Susana High School offers a number of classes from the Ventura County ROP program, including:- Web Design
- Photography
- Broadcasting
- Stagecraft
- Video Production
These classes are designed to train students for future careers, in their selected fields, and for any workplace environment with training in proper workplace etiquette.
Web Design
Santa Susana's ROP Web Design course's goal is to prepare students for entry level positions in the Internet Web Design industry. Students learn how to create and code web sites using an increasing array of programming languages and professional tools, all the while practicing good employability skills that would make them ideal candidates for starting a career as a professional web designer.All students will learn how to code dynamic websites from the ground up with a variety of Programming
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
and Markup
Markup language
A markup language is a modern system for annotating a text in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from that text. The idea and terminology evolved from the "marking up" of manuscripts, i.e. the revision instructions by editors, traditionally written with a blue pencil on authors' manuscripts...
Languages. Every student works on or creates up to 8 large projects throughout the year. They range from coding Rock-Paper-Scissors in JavaScript and PHP with a database, to redoing local restaurant or business sites, to creating and maintaining the school's website. They are done "in-house" as most web designers rarely work at the business location that they are designing for.
Students of the ROP Web Design class are responsible for maintaining the schools independent website, http://santasusana.org.
Graphic Design
ROP Graphic Design is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment in the advertising and graphic design industries. Students will develop a variety of two and three-dimensional projects. Students will learn about design and composition, principles of color, the fundamentals of type usage, and desktop publishing skills (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Flash) using a PC computer system. Students will also be required to complete a 40 hour internship in the field of graphic design during the last six weeks of the second semester. Upon successful completion of an ROP course, students will receive a certificate showing proficiency in the field of graphic design.Stagecraft
The Stagecraft Technology class is a member of the Regional Occupational Program administered by the Ventua County Superintendent of Schools and taught by professionals who continue to work in the entertainment industry. Over the course of the school year students gain hands-on experience in all facets of backstage production. Each student is afforded a chance to focus in on his or her area of interest, with an eye toward eventual placement in a professional internship and job.Broadcasting
The Broadcasting class consists of two components, journalism and production (often referred to as "tech.") The production/tech side is a part of the Regional Occupational Program, administered by the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. Over the course of the school year tech students are required to learn and participate in ALL aspects of studio production. Each student will eventually focus in on his or her area of interest, with an eye toward being placed in an on-going professional internship.Video Production
The Goal of ROP Video Production is to prepare students for entry level positions in the Film industry. Students learn how to create and edit films using Final Cut Pro on a numerous amount of Macs set up in a video development room, all the while practicing good employability skills that would make them ideal candidates for starting a career as a professional film maker.Battle for Milquarious
Santa Susana High School won the grand prize of $20,000 in the Got Milk?Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
“Battle for Milquarious, White Gold Milkdonkulous Giveaway.” The contest was designed to encourage teens to get creative with their video-making skills for a chance to win thousands of dollars for their public high schools’ art programs.