Wasco Union High School
Encyclopedia
| Wasco Union High School | |
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| Principal | Mr. Joe Elwood |
| Motto | "Raising Expectations...Broadening Horizons" |
| Established | 1915 |
| District | Wasco Union High School District |
| School Type | Public |
| Grades | 9th through 12th |
| Street Address | 1900 7th Street |
| Location | Wasco Wasco, California Wasco is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Wasco is located northwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 328 feet... , 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... , U.S. |
| Campus Type | Rural Rural Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture... |
| Student Body | Approximately 1,600 |
| Faculty/Staff | Approximately 65 |
| Mascot | Tigers |
| School Colors | 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... , Orange Orange (colour) The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The... , White White White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be... |
| Website | WUHS homepage |
Wasco Union High School (abbr. WUHS) is a public American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
senior high school set in Wasco
Wasco, California
Wasco is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Wasco is located northwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 328 feet...
, 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...
. The school is part of the Wasco Union High School District and takes in incoming freshman from the Wasco Union School District, Maple School District, Lost Hills Union School District, Semitropic School District, St. John’s Christian School, and North Kern Christian School.
The Auditorium is the City of Wasco's only listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
WUHS was established in 1915 when the voters of the Cleveland, Maple, Poplar, Wildwood, Semitropic, and Wasco elementary school districts approved the formation of a high school, to coincide the new addition of the Wasco Union High School District that year. 28 students were enrolled at WUHS for its inaugural year and classes were held in a rented auditorium-like building called Wasco Hall. In August 1916, a new high school building for WUHS was approved; it was completed within six months and cost about $50,000. 61 students were enrolled at the time of the dedication on March 3, 1917. After 1917, as new structures were added to the campus, the original building was referred to simply as the Main Building.In the years following the opening of the Main Building, a host of new buildings were added to the campus: an industrial arts building in 1925, an auditorium in 1929, a gymnasium in 1931, an agricultural addition to the industrial arts building in 1934, the first phase of the science building in 1935, then the second in 1939. A cafeteria and a language arts building were added in 1949, a library and a music building in 1953, a new classroom building and a bus garage in 1957, and a new administration building in 1959.
In recent history, WUHS has undergone tremendous change. For instance, the enrollment pattern from the 1925-1926 school year through the 2005-2006 school year showed the school’s student body expanding every decade (aside from the 1975-1976 school year through the 1985-1986 school year) and is revealed in the following figures, given in ten year increments: 1925-1926 (143 students); 1935-1936 (299 students); 1945-1946 (385 students); 1955-1956 (546 students); 1965-1966 (879 students); 1975-1976 (869 students); 1985-1986 (854 students); 1995-1996 (960 students) and 2005-2006 (1,551 students). This led to an increase in student enrollment and, should the Wasco Union High School District sustain its present rate of growth, projections indicate that the enrollment at WUHS will reach 2,200 students by the year 2010. This has led the district to begin preliminary planning for a second comprehensive high school to take in the influx of students within the district.
Administration
The following is a list of the administration department at WUHS:- Joe Elweed, Principal
- Robert Cobb, Vice-Principal (Curriculum and Instruction)
- Pat Rissi, Vice-Principal (Student Affairs)
- Raul Rangel, Athletic Director
Academics
All students enrolled at WUHS must at least meet the following criteria before graduation:- 4 years of English (40 credits)
- 3 years of Math (30 credits)
- 2 years of Science. (20 credits)
- 2 years of P.E. (20 credits)
- 1 year of U.S. History (10 credits)
- 1 year of World History (10 credits)
- 1 year of Government/Economics (10 credits)
- 1 year of Fine Arts (10 credits)
- 1 year of Freshman Reqs. (10 credits)
- 60 credits of electives
In total, 220 credits are necessary for a student at WUHS to graduate. Also, every student who graduates must pass the CAHSEE
California High School Exit Exam
The California High School Exit Exam is a requirement for high school graduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Education to improve the academic performance of California high school students, and especially of high school graduates, in the areas of reading,...
and an approved Algebra course.
Because WUHS is situated in a largely rural community, the school has for many years offered a program that places heavy emphasis on the development of both vocational and agricultural skills. Agriculture remains a major element of the school’s curriculum as evidenced by the fact that some 500 WUHS students take agriculture related course work. Agriculture students have an opportunity to learn the practical aspects of agriculture on the district’s 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) school farm which operates in conjunction with a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) farm lab where instruction is provided in welding, agricultural mechanics, plant science, and animal care.
In addition, WUHS provides the following "advanced" courses for those who want a challenge and/or want to get college credit:
- AP BiologyAP BiologyIn the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
- AP Calculus ABAP CalculusAdvanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
- AP English Language and CompositionAP English Language and CompositionAdvanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
- AP English Literature and CompositionAP English Literature and CompositionAdvanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The Course:This course is designated for motivated students with a command of standard English, an...
- AP Spanish LanguageAP Spanish LanguageAdvanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
- AP Spanish LiteratureAP Spanish LiteratureAdvanced Placement Spanish Literature is a high school course and examination offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
- AP World HistoryAP World HistoryAdvanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
- AP U.S. HistoryAP United States HistoryAdvanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
Athletics
The athletic director for WUHS is Raul Rangel. WUHS sports teams are called the Tigers, and have their home games on campus. The Tigers participate in the South Sequoia League (Div. IV, CIFCalifornia 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...
Central Section) and have varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
and JV
Junior varsity
Primarily in North America, junior varsity or JV players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition , usually at the high school and college levels in the United States and Canada. The main players comprise the varsity team...
teams. Below are all the sports that WUHS participates in and their respective season:
Fall
- Cross Country
- Football
- Women's Golf
- Women's Tennis
- Women's Volleyball
Winter
- Men's Basketball
- Men's Soccer
- Women's Basketball
- Women's Soccer
- Wrestling
Spring
- Baseball
- Men's Golf
- Men's Tennis
- Softball
- Swimming
- Track & Field
Clubs and organizations
Every year, WUHS has the following clubs and organizations that students can participate in:- ASBStudent councilStudent 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...
- Black Student Union
- CSFCalifornia Scholarship FederationThe 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....
- Class Representatives (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Chair, and Publicity Manager for each class)
- Club Ixchel
- Drama Club
- Academic Decathlon
- Drill / Color Guard
- Fellowship of Christian Students
- FFA
- High Class Catering
- Interact Club
- MAYA Club
- Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
- Migrant Club
- Racquet Club
- Rose Festival Tennis Club
- Uprising Artists Club
- Wasco Tiger Band Club
- Yearbook (a.k.a. "The Wasconian")
- Mock Trial*
Notable alumni
- Gordon L. ParkGordon L. ParkGordon Lesley Park was a petroleum engineer and geologist for the Chevron Oil Company, who served from 1993-1996 as a Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from District 49 in Uinta County....
(1937-2010), Class of 1955 -- Petroleum engineer and geologist who served as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Wyoming House of RepresentativesWyoming House of RepresentativesThe Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of at least 9,000. The House convenes at the Wyoming...
from 1993-1996