La Sierra High School
Encyclopedia
La Sierra High School, located in Riverside
, California
, United States
, is a public high school in the Alvord Unified School District that was founded on August 28, 1969. As of 2010, Mr. Craig Shiflett serves as the principal. La Sierra High School's official school colors are blue and white. Red is the accent color and has been since the school opened.
The two main feeder schools for La Sierra High are Arizona Intermediate and Villegas Intermediate schools. La Sierra's rival is Norte Vista High School
, the other public high school in Alvord Unified.
After Dr. Conlon left for a position at the district office, Mr. Menzia (who came from Norte Vista) became the second principal. After retiring, Dr. Marc Jackson became principal. After only two years, he left and interim principals were put into place. Dr. Don Austin became the next principal and has since moved on to Laguna Beach High School. The current principal at La Sierra High School is Mr. Craig Shiflett, who is also an alumnus and graduated in 1986.
Some other changes include student demographics. Although the majority of La Sierra students are still middle-class, 27% use free/reduced price lunch. 55% of the students are Hispanic, making up the majority of English-Learners.
In the 2008 Academic Decathlon competition, La Sierra's Red Team placed 2nd in the overall competition, falling to Hemet High School
.
As of the 2007-2008 school year, approximately 3200 students attend La Sierra High.
Hillcrest High School
is planned to open in 2011, and is being built in order to relieve crowding at La Sierra.
La Sierra won the Boys State Team Track title in June, 2009 - the first Boys Team Track title in Riverside County History.
In the 2009-2010 Winter sports season, the La Sierra Wrestling team took the CIF Southern Section Division II Dual Meet Championship. This team has made school history by being the second team at LSHS to capture a CIF Championship title, and the first wrestling team in the program's history to take the CIF team title.
In the 2009-2010 winter sports season, the La Sierra High School Wrestling team went undefeated to become the Inland Valley League Champions.
In the 2009-2010 Wrestling season, La Sierra's senior 119 pound wrestler Adam Grose took first in the CIF Individual Championships.
In 2010, La Sierra Sophomore wrestler Marina Sanchez took home the Girl's CIF, and National Title for Girl's Wrestling at 95lbs. She was also the runner up at the Girl's Wrestling State Tournament.
The 2009-2010 year will be the second year La Sierra Competes in the Inland Valley League with two other former Ivy League schools.
California State Boys Track Champions 2009 - 1st Boys State Track Title in Riverside County history.
La Sierra's cross country has been in CIF since 1993-Present.
La Sierra's Boys Distance Medley Relay won the National Championship in 2007(in North Carolina)
with a time of 10:01.79, the 3rd fastest DMR in California History, and the 12th fastest
in National History. Team members included Dylan Knight(1200), Jared Drinkard(400), Steven Norton(800) and Spencer Knight(1600). The time is also a Riverside County Record.
The 2008-2009 Baseball Team made it to the CIF Playoffs.
According to the California Department of Education
, the teachers at La Sierra have 11.1 average teaching experience and have spent an average of 10 years teaching in the Alvord Unified School District (as of 2005-2006 school year). The average class size is ~ 34.
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a public high school in the Alvord Unified School District that was founded on August 28, 1969. As of 2010, Mr. Craig Shiflett serves as the principal. La Sierra High School's official school colors are blue and white. Red is the accent color and has been since the school opened.
The two main feeder schools for La Sierra High are Arizona Intermediate and Villegas Intermediate schools. La Sierra's rival is Norte Vista High School
Norte Vista High School
Norte Vista High School is a high school in Riverside, California, part of the Alvord Unified School District, and the home of the Norte Vista Braves.-Institution:...
, the other public high school in Alvord Unified.
History
La Sierra High School is opened in 1969 with Dr. William Conlon as the first principal. It was a mainly white middle-class school with only about 1500 students. Arizona Middle School was the only feeder middle school.After Dr. Conlon left for a position at the district office, Mr. Menzia (who came from Norte Vista) became the second principal. After retiring, Dr. Marc Jackson became principal. After only two years, he left and interim principals were put into place. Dr. Don Austin became the next principal and has since moved on to Laguna Beach High School. The current principal at La Sierra High School is Mr. Craig Shiflett, who is also an alumnus and graduated in 1986.
Some other changes include student demographics. Although the majority of La Sierra students are still middle-class, 27% use free/reduced price lunch. 55% of the students are Hispanic, making up the majority of English-Learners.
Recent events
In 2005, La Sierra High was awarded a 6-year clear accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, making La Sierra High the first comprehensive high school in the entire Inland Empire to earn this distinction.In the 2008 Academic Decathlon competition, La Sierra's Red Team placed 2nd in the overall competition, falling to Hemet High School
Hemet High School
Hemet Senior High School is a public high school of approximately 2,500 students located in East Hemet, California and is part of the Hemet Unified School District. The school was first founded in 1894 and has been moved to different campus sites in the past. The school has been operating at its...
.
As of the 2007-2008 school year, approximately 3200 students attend La Sierra High.
Hillcrest High School
Hillcrest High School (Riverside, California)
Hillcrest High School is a public high school in Riverside, California, United States. It was completed in 2011 for $105 million and intended to relieve the overcrowded La Sierra High School, but will not open until at least 2012 because the school district is lacking the $4 million yearly...
is planned to open in 2011, and is being built in order to relieve crowding at La Sierra.
La Sierra won the Boys State Team Track title in June, 2009 - the first Boys Team Track title in Riverside County History.
In the 2009-2010 Winter sports season, the La Sierra Wrestling team took the CIF Southern Section Division II Dual Meet Championship. This team has made school history by being the second team at LSHS to capture a CIF Championship title, and the first wrestling team in the program's history to take the CIF team title.
In the 2009-2010 winter sports season, the La Sierra High School Wrestling team went undefeated to become the Inland Valley League Champions.
In the 2009-2010 Wrestling season, La Sierra's senior 119 pound wrestler Adam Grose took first in the CIF Individual Championships.
In 2010, La Sierra Sophomore wrestler Marina Sanchez took home the Girl's CIF, and National Title for Girl's Wrestling at 95lbs. She was also the runner up at the Girl's Wrestling State Tournament.
API
As of 2005, La Sierra High School has increased its API to 715 from the 2004 base score of 679. Although it met the schoolwide growth target, it did not meet the state subgroup growth targets. To encourage schools to improve achievement for all students, the state computes APIs and sets improvement targets for the different student subgroups at the school.| Subgroup | API Base |
|---|---|
| All Students | 715 |
| African-American | 690 |
| Asian | 791 |
| Hispanic | 676 |
| White/Caucasian | 761 |
| Socioeconomically disadvantaged |
664 |
| English Learners | 648 |
| Special Education | 487 |
CST results
As of 2005, La Sierra's students met or exceeded the state expectations on the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) as listed below:| Subject | Freshmen Pass rate (%) | Sophomore Pass rate (%) | Junior Pass rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Algebra 2 | 80 | 24 | 6 |
| Biology / Life Sciences | 20 | 14 | 12 |
| Chemistry | -- | 22 | 12 |
| Earth Sciences | 5 | 20 | 19 |
| English | 39 | 32 | 30 |
| Geometry | 46 | 10 | 6 |
| World History | -- | 29 | -- |
| U.S. History | -- | -- | 39 |
CAHSEE results
All data below reflect the percentage of sophomore, junior, and senior students who passed the CAHSEE sections.| Year | Percent Passed |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 65 |
| 2003 | 67 |
| 2004 | 71 |
| 2005 | 65 |
| 2006 | 61 |
| Year | Percent Passed |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 24 |
| 2003 | 40 |
| 2004 | 70 |
| 2005 | 67 |
| 2006 | 91 |
Athletics
La Sierra High School is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Inland Valley League.The 2009-2010 year will be the second year La Sierra Competes in the Inland Valley League with two other former Ivy League schools.
California State Boys Track Champions 2009 - 1st Boys State Track Title in Riverside County history.
La Sierra's cross country has been in CIF since 1993-Present.
La Sierra's Boys Distance Medley Relay won the National Championship in 2007(in North Carolina)
with a time of 10:01.79, the 3rd fastest DMR in California History, and the 12th fastest
in National History. Team members included Dylan Knight(1200), Jared Drinkard(400), Steven Norton(800) and Spencer Knight(1600). The time is also a Riverside County Record.
The 2008-2009 Baseball Team made it to the CIF Playoffs.
Teachers
| Category | Total # of Teachers |
|---|---|
| La Sierra | 120 |
| District | 899 |
| County | 18,164 |
| State | 307,864 |
| Type of Credential | Teachers (State) | Teachers (LSHS) |
|---|---|---|
| Full | 307,864 (94.2%) | 114 (95.0%) |
| University Intern | 7,668 (2.5%) | 3 (2.5%) |
| District Intern | 2,690 (0.9%) | 2 (1.7%) |
| Pre-Intern | 1,150 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Emergency | 9,922 (3.2%) | 1 (0.8%) |
| Waiver | 1,298 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) |
According to the California Department of Education
California Department of Education
The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The department oversees funding and testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement...
, the teachers at La Sierra have 11.1 average teaching experience and have spent an average of 10 years teaching in the Alvord Unified School District (as of 2005-2006 school year). The average class size is ~ 34.
Notable alumni
- Jesse G. JamesJesse G. JamesJesse Gregory James is an American television personality and CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles. James was the host of the reality TV shows Jesse James is a Dead Man on Spike TV and Monster Garage, on the Discovery Channel, and the focus of the documentary...
, founder of West Coast ChoppersWest Coast ChoppersWest Coast Choppers is a lifestyle brand that began selling screen-printed t-shirts and stickers with the company's Iron cross/Maltese cross logo while founder and "master marketer" Jesse G. James was finishing high school, packaging the accoutrements of the chopper lifestyle long before any... - Tyree WashingtonTyree WashingtonTyree Washington is a retired American sprinter.He attended both La Sierra High School and San Bernardino Valley College....
, athlete (track and field)