Adrian C. Wilcox High School
Encyclopedia
Adrian C. Wilcox High School is a public school located in Santa Clara, California
. It is one of five high school
s serving those living within the boundaries of the Santa Clara Unified School District
. The school
is named after Adrian C. Wilcox, who served on the Santa Clara Union High School Board of Trustees for over 30 years. Wilcox was first accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC) in 1966 and is accredited through 2009. In April 2005, Wilcox officially became a California Distinguished School.
class, the class of 1964, which entered as Sophomores. The first graduating class to attend Wilcox for all four years was the Class of 1965.
The student body was split when Peterson High School (named after Marian A. Peterson) opened in the district and then later recombined when Peterson and Buchser High School (named after Emil R. Buchser, School Superintendent when Buchser High School opened. His son, Emil R. Buchser, Jr. was the first principal of Wilcox) were converted into middle schools. At that time, the student body voted to change the name of the mascot, newspaper, and yearbook, along with the school colors, to be more inclusive of the new students. The original mascot for Wilcox was The Warrior, the school colors were Green and Gold, the newspaper was The War Chants, and the yearbook was The Promethean. Even though those have changed, the original school song (All Hail Our Alma Mater) and fight song (Fight On Wilcox) are still in use today. They were both composed by Mr. James Paris, the first music teacher at the school. (Mr. Mike Patterakis was not credited as a contributor to either song.)
The school saw a total of seven students, (either students at the time, former students, or alumni) Killed In Action (K.I.A.)during the Vietnam War
. They are Doyle W. Clark (Class of 1965, K.I.A. 12 Nov 68, age 21), Fredric B. Davis (Class of 1965, wounded in action during the 1968 Tet Offensive he died on 14 Jan 73 after being in a coma for several years, age 25), Alvin "John" Wesolowski (member of the Class of 1965 though he transferred to Homestead High School prior to graduation, K.I.A. 30 Jan 68, age 20), John R. Kunkel (Class of 1966, K.I.A. 3 Jan 69, age 21), Michael W. Issenmann (Class of 1967 K.I.A. 17 Sep 68, age 19), John E. Young (Class of 1968, K.I.A. 1 Apr 70, age 20), and Kenneth J. Auston (Class of 1969, K.I.A. 12 Mar 70, age 18). The body of each one was recovered and returned home.
In 2001, former head custodian Joe Miller undertook an ambitious project to honor the school's past. The idea came about when Miller located several panoramic
class pictures while clearing out a dusty cabinet. As a result of this discovery, he decided to make a wall consisting of the pictures of every graduating class in school
history. After successfully tracking down the nine pictures not in the cabinet (by way of e-mail
s and telephone
calls to past students), the Alumni Wall was completed and dedicated on 7 November 2003. Now, the panoramic
photo of each subsequent graduating
class is added to the wall, which is housed on walls on the inside of the school's main building, just outside the main offices.
Miller is also responsible for the Wilcox Vietnam Memorial Plaque, which lists only the six Killed In Action who actually graduated from Wilcox, and is currently working on a Walk of Fame in front of the flag pole honoring each graduating class. Additionally, Miller had a photo of each KIA enlarged and laminated. These photos are on permanent display in an American History classroom so that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
In recognition of his efforts, Miller was presented with a plaque and certificate by a representative of the Class of 1966 Reunion Committee making him an honorary class member and alumni in a special ceremony given as part of a student rally on January 26, 2007.
In February 2005, the Mission City Center for the Performing Arts, a building constructed adjacent to the school and across Calabazas Creek from the main campus, in an area that was the original Student Parking Lot, opened.
The school newspaper
is known as The Scribe and usually publishes eight issues per year.
The school yearbook
is known as The Phoenix.
Extracurricular groups include a marching band
(known as the Black and Gold Regiment), orchestra
, drill team
(Chargerettes), a step squad (Untouchables), cheerleaders (Spirit Squad), a theater troupe (Wilcox Stage Company,) Color guard
, a dance
team, a debate
team, and a choir
.
They also have a winterguard, which is solo colorguard, and a winter percussion program.
Some of the extracurricular clubs include Montebello Ridge Club (an environmental outdoors organization), Gay Straight Alliance, Chinese Club, 日本語 Club, Best Buddies, Thespian Club, Garbage Crew, Key Club, Interact Club, Cycling Club, Math Club, Ping Pong Club, Biology Club, Physics Club, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union, Art Club, Creative Writing Club, Travel Club, New Life Campus Outreach Club, Middle Eastern Club, Korean Club, Indian Club, Muslim Student Association (MSA), CSF (California Scholarship Foundation), Vietnamese Student Association, Martial Arts Club, PHHS (Pre-professional Health Honor Society)and WAC (World Affairs Club).
Each class is also designated a class color
. The current colors are:
Class of Year Class Color
2012 Seniors Green
2013 Juniors Yellow
2014 Sophomores Red
2015 Freshmen Blue
A way for the students to display class spirit and unity, the colors are mainly used for the annual battle of the classes, known as Fantastics. Fantastics was formed as a spirit activity first held in 1995. Held in March, all classes compete against each other in various physical contests (such as a tug of war
). The competitors wear shirts with the color of their class.
The colors are on a four-year rotation, with the color of the graduating seniors being handed off to the upcoming year's freshmen.
Also to show more unity, the following class colors are "sister" classes.
Yellow and Blue are Sister Classes and Red and Green are Sister Classes.
Sports offered at Wilcox include:
Fall: Football, Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Water Polo
Winter: Basketball, Wrestling, Soccer
Spring: Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Boys Volleyball, Golf, Badminton, Boys Tennis
Wilcox is known for their Baseball program, which has successfully won CCS multiple times now. Over the years they have had four CCS Player's of the Year: Roberto Lopez '91 and '92, Erik Dean '00, Daniel Romero '02, and Donald Brandt '04. In the 2008-2009, the girls Water Polo Team had their first ever perfect regular season before losing in CCS. In 2007, Wilcox's Badminton Team came third overall in their league. Players Max Jo and Matt Yim lost to Independence High School Team in the finals taking 2nd place in CCS. In the 2008-09 campaign, Wilcox sent Richard Jo and Kenyon Kubo Jr. to the Badminton CCS finals where they won the championships in two sets. The Wilcox wrestling team went undefeated in the El Camino League in 2007-2008 season, winning the League champions. In 2008-2009 Wilcox football team made it to the C.C.S Finals against Menlo Atherton. The Chargers fought hard but lost by three points. And in the 2009-2010 season, Wilcox played against Los Gatos in the CCS finals, and lost by 1 point in overtime. In 2008-2009 the Wilcox Track and Field Team made history, both the girls and boys team went undefeated in their League. In 2009-2010 the boys varsity team went undefeated once again, winning 2 years in a row. Pulling it off again, the boy's varsity team went undefeated once again in 2010-2011, making it a 3 win streak. The team went 6-0 and won majority of the races at League Finals. So far nineteen members of the Track and Field Team are in the SCVAL Finals. In 2010-11 The Wilcox football team had its best regular season with a record of 7-3 but lost in CCS Division II semifinals to Willow Glen, 49-34.
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
. It is one of five high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s serving those living within the boundaries of the Santa Clara Unified School District
Santa Clara Unified School District
The Santa Clara Unified School District operates sixteen elementary schools , three middle schools , three high schools , and one K-12 school in Santa Clara, California, the Alviso neighborhood of San Jose, and parts of Sunnyvale teaching 14451 students...
. The school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
is named after Adrian C. Wilcox, who served on the Santa Clara Union High School Board of Trustees for over 30 years. Wilcox was first 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) in 1966 and is accredited through 2009. In April 2005, Wilcox officially became a California Distinguished School.
History
Construction of the school began in the late 1950s. The school was named for the ranking member of the Santa Clara Union High School Board of Trustees, Adrian C. Wilcox. Contrary to popular belief the land for the school was not donated by Wilcox. The school opened its doors in the fall of 1961 to what would become its first graduatingGraduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
class, the class of 1964, which entered as Sophomores. The first graduating class to attend Wilcox for all four years was the Class of 1965.
The student body was split when Peterson High School (named after Marian A. Peterson) opened in the district and then later recombined when Peterson and Buchser High School (named after Emil R. Buchser, School Superintendent when Buchser High School opened. His son, Emil R. Buchser, Jr. was the first principal of Wilcox) were converted into middle schools. At that time, the student body voted to change the name of the mascot, newspaper, and yearbook, along with the school colors, to be more inclusive of the new students. The original mascot for Wilcox was The Warrior, the school colors were Green and Gold, the newspaper was The War Chants, and the yearbook was The Promethean. Even though those have changed, the original school song (All Hail Our Alma Mater) and fight song (Fight On Wilcox) are still in use today. They were both composed by Mr. James Paris, the first music teacher at the school. (Mr. Mike Patterakis was not credited as a contributor to either song.)
The school saw a total of seven students, (either students at the time, former students, or alumni) Killed In Action (K.I.A.)during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. They are Doyle W. Clark (Class of 1965, K.I.A. 12 Nov 68, age 21), Fredric B. Davis (Class of 1965, wounded in action during the 1968 Tet Offensive he died on 14 Jan 73 after being in a coma for several years, age 25), Alvin "John" Wesolowski (member of the Class of 1965 though he transferred to Homestead High School prior to graduation, K.I.A. 30 Jan 68, age 20), John R. Kunkel (Class of 1966, K.I.A. 3 Jan 69, age 21), Michael W. Issenmann (Class of 1967 K.I.A. 17 Sep 68, age 19), John E. Young (Class of 1968, K.I.A. 1 Apr 70, age 20), and Kenneth J. Auston (Class of 1969, K.I.A. 12 Mar 70, age 18). The body of each one was recovered and returned home.
In 2001, former head custodian Joe Miller undertook an ambitious project to honor the school's past. The idea came about when Miller located several panoramic
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
class pictures while clearing out a dusty cabinet. As a result of this discovery, he decided to make a wall consisting of the pictures of every graduating class in school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
history. After successfully tracking down the nine pictures not in the cabinet (by way of e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s and telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
calls to past students), the Alumni Wall was completed and dedicated on 7 November 2003. Now, the panoramic
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
photo of each subsequent graduating
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
class is added to the wall, which is housed on walls on the inside of the school's main building, just outside the main offices.
Miller is also responsible for the Wilcox Vietnam Memorial Plaque, which lists only the six Killed In Action who actually graduated from Wilcox, and is currently working on a Walk of Fame in front of the flag pole honoring each graduating class. Additionally, Miller had a photo of each KIA enlarged and laminated. These photos are on permanent display in an American History classroom so that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
In recognition of his efforts, Miller was presented with a plaque and certificate by a representative of the Class of 1966 Reunion Committee making him an honorary class member and alumni in a special ceremony given as part of a student rally on January 26, 2007.
In February 2005, the Mission City Center for the Performing Arts, a building constructed adjacent to the school and across Calabazas Creek from the main campus, in an area that was the original Student Parking Lot, opened.
Student life
The school year typically begins in late August, consists of 180 school days, and usually ends on the second Friday of June.The school newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
is known as The Scribe and usually publishes eight issues per year.
The school yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
is known as The Phoenix.
Extracurricular groups include a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
(known as the Black and Gold Regiment), orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, drill team
Drill team
A drill team can be one of four different entities:# A Military Drill Team is marching unit that performs routines based on military drill. Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed....
(Chargerettes), a step squad (Untouchables), cheerleaders (Spirit Squad), a theater troupe (Wilcox Stage Company,) Color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
, a dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
team, a debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
team, and a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
They also have a winterguard, which is solo colorguard, and a winter percussion program.
Some of the extracurricular clubs include Montebello Ridge Club (an environmental outdoors organization), Gay Straight Alliance, Chinese Club, 日本語 Club, Best Buddies, Thespian Club, Garbage Crew, Key Club, Interact Club, Cycling Club, Math Club, Ping Pong Club, Biology Club, Physics Club, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union, Art Club, Creative Writing Club, Travel Club, New Life Campus Outreach Club, Middle Eastern Club, Korean Club, Indian Club, Muslim Student Association (MSA), CSF (California Scholarship Foundation), Vietnamese Student Association, Martial Arts Club, PHHS (Pre-professional Health Honor Society)and WAC (World Affairs Club).
Each class is also designated a class color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
. The current colors are:
Class of Year Class Color
2012 Seniors Green
2013 Juniors Yellow
2014 Sophomores Red
2015 Freshmen Blue
A way for the students to display class spirit and unity, the colors are mainly used for the annual battle of the classes, known as Fantastics. Fantastics was formed as a spirit activity first held in 1995. Held in March, all classes compete against each other in various physical contests (such as a tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
). The competitors wear shirts with the color of their class.
The colors are on a four-year rotation, with the color of the graduating seniors being handed off to the upcoming year's freshmen.
Also to show more unity, the following class colors are "sister" classes.
Yellow and Blue are Sister Classes and Red and Green are Sister Classes.
Athletics
Wilcox competes in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL), a league which is split into two divisions: De Anza and El Camino.Sports offered at Wilcox include:
Fall: Football, Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Water Polo
Winter: Basketball, Wrestling, Soccer
Spring: Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Boys Volleyball, Golf, Badminton, Boys Tennis
Wilcox is known for their Baseball program, which has successfully won CCS multiple times now. Over the years they have had four CCS Player's of the Year: Roberto Lopez '91 and '92, Erik Dean '00, Daniel Romero '02, and Donald Brandt '04. In the 2008-2009, the girls Water Polo Team had their first ever perfect regular season before losing in CCS. In 2007, Wilcox's Badminton Team came third overall in their league. Players Max Jo and Matt Yim lost to Independence High School Team in the finals taking 2nd place in CCS. In the 2008-09 campaign, Wilcox sent Richard Jo and Kenyon Kubo Jr. to the Badminton CCS finals where they won the championships in two sets. The Wilcox wrestling team went undefeated in the El Camino League in 2007-2008 season, winning the League champions. In 2008-2009 Wilcox football team made it to the C.C.S Finals against Menlo Atherton. The Chargers fought hard but lost by three points. And in the 2009-2010 season, Wilcox played against Los Gatos in the CCS finals, and lost by 1 point in overtime. In 2008-2009 the Wilcox Track and Field Team made history, both the girls and boys team went undefeated in their League. In 2009-2010 the boys varsity team went undefeated once again, winning 2 years in a row. Pulling it off again, the boy's varsity team went undefeated once again in 2010-2011, making it a 3 win streak. The team went 6-0 and won majority of the races at League Finals. So far nineteen members of the Track and Field Team are in the SCVAL Finals. In 2010-11 The Wilcox football team had its best regular season with a record of 7-3 but lost in CCS Division II semifinals to Willow Glen, 49-34.
Notable alumni
- Lance K. Gordon, PhD., Class of 1966, President and CEO VaxGen, a developer and supplier of a new type of vaccine for inhalation Anthrax, inventor of ProHibit, a vaccineVaccineA vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
for infant meningitisMeningitisMeningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
. Gordon led efforts that, in turn, led to a new, more effective vaccine for Whooping Cough. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for ImmuneRegen.
- Kathy E. Thomas, Class of 1966, Major General, U.S.A.F. Reserve (highest ranking woman in the A.F. Reserves), crew qualified as an operational space operator.
- William H. Wade II, Class of 1966, Major General, Adjutant General California National Guard (Retired).
- Kenneth G. Nagel, Class of 1969, Commander, U.S. Navy (Retired), Grand Master-California Grand Lodge Free And Accepted Masons of California (2009–2010).
- Trent Keeble, Class of 1971, Graduate Air Force Academy, Astronaut qualified, inductee Santa Clara Unified School District Hall of Fame.
- Carney LansfordCarney LansfordCarney Ray Lansford is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball and the hitting coach of the Colorado Rockies...
, Class of 1975, 15-year Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
veteran (1978–1992). The baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
field at Wilcox is named after him. Sent both sons Jared and Josh to Saint Francis High School. Ironically, they ended up losing to Wilcox in the semifinals of the 2003 Division 1 Tournament.
- Carlos Noriega, Class of 1977, NASA astronaut, retired Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps.
- Robert Royston, Class of 1988, Dancer, Choreographer, US Open Swing Dance Championship and World Country Dance Championship four consecutive years (1995 to 1998), 2006 USA Grand National Cabaret Champion and the 2006 US National Champion, as well as winning many NASDE Showcase Swing Titles with wife, Nicola. In 2007 he became the youngest person to be inducted to the UCWDC Hall of Fame. Producer and creator of the critically acclaimed show "SWANGO: The Musical". He also co-choreographed the play and starred as the lead dancer. Produced and choreographed a movie titled "Love n’ Dancing" (starring Amy Smart). He also choreographed Lakeshore Entertainments two feature films “Game” (starring Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall) and “Crank 2” (Starring Jason Statham). Additional credits include performances on: The Today Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The View, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nash Bridges, and the 2000 Tony awards (all performing his own choreography). Choreographed Taylor Swift's "Love Story" video.
- Amin Abraham Paul Nikfar, Class of 1999, World Class Shotput, Asian Indoor Champion 2004.
- Mary M. Manley, Class of 2004, winner of the first V.V.G.S.Q. (Vietnam Veterans Group San Quentin) "Inspirational Scholarship Award" that they voted to rename the award, "Mary Manley Inspirational Scholarship Award". The "Mary Manley Inspirational Scholarship Award" is given out each year by the V.V.G.S.Q. prisoners in San Quentin Prison for an exceptional inspirational essay written by a college bound senior.