University of San Diego High School
Encyclopedia
The University of San Diego High School (USDHS), also known as The University High School (UHS) or "Uni", was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

, co-educational, college preparatory secondary school located in San Diego, 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...

. In 2005, the school was closed and reopened in Del Mar
Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...

 as Cathedral Catholic High School
Cathedral Catholic High School
Cathedral Catholic High School is a private coeducational Catholic High School in San Diego, California. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, and was originally founded as the University of San Diego High School in 1957...

.

History

The University High School, as the school was commonly known through the 1980s, was founded in 1957 on a site overlooking the Mission Bay
Mission Bay
Mission Bay may refer to:Australia*the former name of Minjilang, Northern TerritoryNew Zealand*Mission Bay, New Zealand, a suburb of Auckland...

 to the west and Mission Valley to the south, and dedicated to providing a value-centered education to San Diego's young men. In 1970, sister-school Cathedral Girls High School merged with UHS to become a co-educational school. It maintained its emphasis on teaching solid values and strong discipline, while at the same time, providing opportunities for each student to grow according to his/her individual potential. Over 10,000 students have graduated from the school.

Up until the transfer, the Linda Vista campus held 1,450 students who studied a college preparatory curriculum in fulfillment of the school mission "...to assist parents in the spiritual, intellectual and physical development of their children." Students were also afforded opportunities to participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities including fine arts, athletics, clubs, service organizations and leadership roles. Beginning with the 1998-99 school year, students were required to complete service hours for community organizations to fulfill their graduation requirements.

Alumni of USDHS and CGHS supported the educational process by sending their children to USDHS and enhancing the academic offerings. Brother Michael Wallgren, 1985–1991, assisted by a generous gift from the George Pflaum, Jr. Foundation, started the Learning Center at USDHS to provide necessary assistance for students with certified learning differences. Through the generous financial assistance of parents, this facility has increased its capacity to 90 students with two full-time and two part-time faculty.

Dr. Richard Kelly, Principal and President from 1991–2004, acted on the Strategic Plan prepared for USDHS with the assistance of the School Board, Parents Association, and Faculty. The Strategic Plan provides for academic, athletic, and social enhancement, often made possible only by physical plant improvements. Academically, there has been an expansion of the Fine Arts Program, the addition of eight new classrooms, and an increase of five Advanced Placement courses. The initial purchase of ten high-end research computers linked to the Internet and a new writing lab complemented the enhancement of the Campus Center building. The computer lab received all new iMac computers and all classrooms had a new computer and printer installed to allow teachers to write lessons, input grades, post homework and keep parents updated on student progress in 2000.

In 1999, the Diocese of San Diego proposed a plan to relocate University of San Diego High School. The plan was proposed due to a rising rate of student applicants to USDHS, and the current campus was becoming too small to handle such a number of students. The plan was approved, and the diocese, contracting with Sundt Inc., began construction on a brand new campus, in a location in Carmel Valley. The new school was to have larger facilities to accommodate up to 2000 students, and host many extra curricular activities and sports such as Football, Swim/Dive, Water Polo, Basketball, Sailing, Soccer, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Softball and Baseball. The majority of these activities have had to hold practices and events outside of the USDHS campus, such as at USD, or at improvised locations on campus, due to the lack of facilities.

The new campus was due to be completed in summer of 2005, and USDHS officially shut down after the 2004-2005 school year. The new school opened as Cathedral Catholic High School
Cathedral Catholic High School
Cathedral Catholic High School is a private coeducational Catholic High School in San Diego, California. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, and was originally founded as the University of San Diego High School in 1957...

 in August 2005, with all the same faculty and administration, and the remaining three classes who came from USDHS (Classes of 2006, 2007, and 2008). The new freshmen class of 2009 was the first to graduate from Cathedral Catholic after all four years at the new location.

Awards

In 1998, the then-Secretary of Education, Richard Riley
Richard Riley
Richard Wilson Riley , American politician, was United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton and the 111th Governor of South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

, named University of San Diego High School a Blue Ribbon School. USDHS, as well as two other San Diego area schools, are among 166 secondary schools nationwide being recognized for their excellence in teaching, student achievement and parental involvement.

Note: The first Principal of University of San Diego High School was Reverend Father James Cadden, a world class scholar of Church History. All of the faculty were ordained Priests for the first few years of Uni High's existence.

Cathedral Catholic High School

The transition to Cathedral Catholic High School has been challenging for students, teachers, and alumni. Cathedral Catholic has attempted to continue all of the traditions founded at USDHS, from the Dons mascot to the academic, athletic and social awareness standards.

USDHS 50th Anniversary and final graduating class

September 2007 marked the 50th year of operation for the University of San Diego High School (now known as Cathedral Catholic High School). To commemorate this, Cathedral Catholic declared that school year "The Golden Era of the Dons", which provided themes for many events throughout that school year, including the annual Star Gala which was held in April 2008.

In addition, the weekend of February 1–3, 2008 honored the 50 year legacy held by USDHS and now Cathedral Catholic, with a weekend of celebration for all alumni from all three institutions (USDHS, CGHS, CCHS).

The dedicated walk of fame that was interred on the quad at Uni was originally proposed to be moved and installed on the quad of CCHS around a new memorial fountain. But due to deterioration and costly efforts, the stones were not brought to CCHS. Those who had names there were honored with a memorial display, which was hung in the USDHS Library at CCHS during the 50th Anniversary Celebration.
More notable dedications for major Uni/CCHS contributors have been engraved into the stone benches and lamp posts around CCHS' quad as well.

On May 31, 2008, the final class to have ever walked the halls of USDHS graduated. The class of 2008 was the final freshman class from Uni. Starting with the class of 2009, all students will be fully CCHS students.

USDHS: The Official Documentary

In honor of the 50 year legacy of the University of San Diego High School, several students from Uni/CCHS worked together to produce a 45-minute documentary detailing the many decades that Uni and CCHS have celebrated so far. The documentary, which was fully student-written and produced, was a big hit at the 50th anniversary celebration.

The documentary featured over hundreds of photos from over the years at USDHS, as well as photos/videos from the campus in its final years. Interviews with many alumni, faculty, and staff were also filmed, and are included as well.

An extended version was proposed and work had begun on it in 2009, but the project was put on hold and eventually scrapped.

Notable alumni

  • Cindy Luis (1973), award-winning sports writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
    Honolulu Star-Bulletin
    The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii...

    ; she was the first female editor-in-chief of the USDHS El Cid and the first female sports editor in the Gannett newspaper chain in 1978 (The Pacific Daily News, Guam
    Guam
    Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

    )
  • Cameron Crowe
    Cameron Crowe
    Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....

     - Academy Award-winning writer-director (Fast Times at Ridgemont High
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...

    , Say Anything..., Jerry Maguire
    Jerry Maguire
    Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...

    and Almost Famous
    Almost Famous
    Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...

    )
  • Phil Mickelson
    Phil Mickelson
    Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...

     (1988) - PGA Tour golfer, winner of 4 majors, Masters
    The Masters Tournament
    The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...

     (2004, 2006, 2010) and PGA Championship
    PGA Championship
    The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...

     (2005), considered one of the best golfers of his generation
  • Scott Peterson
    Scott Peterson
    Scott Lee Peterson , an American, was convicted of murdering his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child in Modesto, California, in 2002. Peterson's arrest and subsequent trial dominated the American news media until 2005, when he was sentenced to death by lethal injection...

     (1990) - convicted of killing his wife Laci Peterson
    Laci Peterson
    Laci Denise Peterson was an American woman who was the subject of a highly discussed murder case after she went missing while seven and a half months pregnant with her first child. Peterson was reportedly last seen alive on December 24, 2002...

     and their unborn child in a widely publicized case; now on death row at San Quentin State Prison
    San Quentin State Prison
    San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...

  • Thomas K. Arnold (1976) - publisher of Home Media Magazine
    Home Media Magazine
    Home Media Magazine is a weekly trade publication that covers various aspects of the home entertainment industry, most notably DVD, Blu-ray Disc and digital distribution. Also covered is news relating to consumer electronics, video games, home video distributors, video-on-demand and Internet...

     and entertainment writer whose credits include USA Today
    USA Today
    USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

    , The Hollywood Reporter
    The Hollywood Reporter
    Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...

     and the Los Angeles Times
    Los Angeles Times
    The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

  • Taisa Banx (2008) - Adult Film Star (Terrah Sanborn)
  • Samora Morgan (2008) - Adult Film Star (Alex Holdman)
  • Gloria Calderon Kellett
    Gloria Calderon Kellett
    Gloria Calderon Kellett is an American writer and actress. Gloria Calderón Kellett is currently a writer and producer on the CBS series Rules of Engagement.-Early life and education:...

     (1993) - ALMA Award-nominated writer for How I Met Your Mother
    How I Met Your Mother
    How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...

    . She worked for Cameron Crowe
    Cameron Crowe
    Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....

     and married Dave Kellett
    Dave Kellett
    Dave Kellett is the creator and cartoonist of two webcomic titles, Sheldon and Drive, and the co-author of How To Make Webcomics. He is one of a small but growing group of webcomic artists who are self-sufficient.-Early Years and education:...

    , both fellow USDHS alumni.
  • Dave Kellett
    Dave Kellett
    Dave Kellett is the creator and cartoonist of two webcomic titles, Sheldon and Drive, and the co-author of How To Make Webcomics. He is one of a small but growing group of webcomic artists who are self-sufficient.-Early Years and education:...

     (1992) - cartoonist who created Sheldon (webcomic)
  • Mandy Stadtmiller
    Mandy Stadtmiller
    Mandy Stadtmiller is a writer for the New York Post and a comedian. She is best known for her dating column in the Post, called “About Last Night.” Her published exploits include a visit to Nevada’s first male prostitute....

     (1993) - New York Post
    New York Post
    The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...

    writer; comedian
  • Steven C. Hayes
    Steven C. Hayes
    Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is known for an analysis of human language and cognition , and its application to various psychological difficulties .Hayes' work is somewhat controversial, and in 2006 was the...

     (1966) - Psychologist; creator of a popular mindfulness
    Mindfulness (psychology)
    Modern clinical psychology and psychiatry since the 1970s have developed a number of therapeutic applications based on the concept of mindfulness in Buddhist meditation.-Definitions:...

     therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    Acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT is a cognitive–behavioral model of psychotherapy. It is an empirically-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies mixed in different ways with commitment and behavior-change strategies, to increase psychological...

     and its basic program in cognition, Relational Frame Theory
    Relational frame theory
    Relational frame theory, or RFT, is a psychological theory of human language and cognition. It was developed largely through the efforts of Steven C...

  • Luke Walton
    Luke Walton
    Luke Theodore Walton is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His primary position is at small forward. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the first and only father and son to...

     (1998) - Basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
    Los Angeles Lakers
    The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

     (2003–present).
  • Carlos Quentin
    Carlos Quentin
    Carlos Josè Quentin is an American outfielder who plays for the Chicago White Sox. In 2008 and in 2011, Quentin was selected as an All-Star.-Early career:...

     - Baseball player for the Chicago White Sox
    Chicago White Sox
    The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

  • Jerry Trainor
    Jerry Trainor
    Gerald William "Jerry" Trainor is an American actor, comedian and voice actor, widely known for playing Spencer Shay on iCarly. He is also known as Crazy Steve on Drake & Josh and the title character, Dudley Puppy, on T.U.F.F. Puppy...

     (1995) - Actor most notable for playing Spencer Shay on iCarly
    ICarly
    iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...

     and Crazy Steve on Drake and Josh; his mother has been a math teacher at the school since the 1980s, and continues to do so at the new school
  • Mark Prior
    Mark Prior
    Mark William Prior is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006. His repertoire of pitches includes a low to mid 90s fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup.-Amateur career:Prior graduated from the...

     (1998) - Baseball player in the New York Yankees system as he makes his comeback. Luke Walton, Prior, and Quentin were on the Dons Basketball team together
  • Barry Zito
    Barry Zito
    Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....

     - Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants
    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

    ; 2002 Cy Young Award Winner with the Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

  • Kelly Rulon
    Kelly Rulon
    Kelly Rulon is an American water polo player for the UCLA Bruins and the US National Team, who won the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics...

     - Water polo
    Water polo
    Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...

     player for the UCLA Bruins
    UCLA Bruins
    The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...

    , who won a bronze medal
    Bronze medal
    A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

     at the 2004 Athens Olympics
    Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
    Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Olympic Aquatic Centre where women competed for only the second time in the event at the Summer Olympics....

     and now plays for the UCLA Women's Water Polo team, winning the NCAA title in 2007, causing UCLA to be the first NCAA school to gain 100 national titles.
  • Moriah van Norman
    Moriah van Norman
    Moriah van Norman is an American water polo player for the University of Southern California, who won the Peter J. Cutino Award in 2004, recognized as the best female collegiate player in the nation...

     - Olympic silver medalist, Water polo
    Water polo
    Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...

    ; played for the USC Trojans
    USC Trojans
    The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...

    , who won the Peter J. Cutino Award
    Peter J. Cutino Award
    The Peter J. Cutino Award, named after former college water polo player and UC Berkeley coach Peter J. Cutino, is considered the most prestigious individual award in American collegiate water polo...

     in 2004, recognized as the best female collegiate player
  • Justin Green - Fullback for Baltimore Ravens
    Baltimore Ravens
    The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

  • Phil Lebherz - Founder and CEO of the non-profit, Foundation for Health Coverage Education
    Foundation for Health Coverage Education
    The Foundation for Health Coverage Education is a non-profit public organization founded in 2004 by Phil Lebherz in San Jose, California. Currently, one-third of the 46.3 million uninsured individuals in the U.S. are eligible for government-sponsored programs, but are not signed up...

  • Pete Adams
    Pete Adams
    Peter Anthony Adams is a former American football guard.-Pro career:Adams played four seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns.-College career:...

     - Guard for Cleveland Browns
    Cleveland Browns
    The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

     1973-1976
  • Steve Dunning
    Steve Dunning
    Steven John Dunning is a former professional baseball player who played seven seasons for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, California Angels, Montreal Expos, and Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball...

     - Pitcher for Indians/Expos/Athletics/Rangers/Angels  1970-1977
  • Bruce Binkowski - Executive Director, Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Long time stadium announcer for San Diego Padres
  • Mike Carey - NFL Side Judge (1990–1995), Referee 1995–Present, first black referee in Super Bowl history (Feb. 3 2008 - Super Bowl XLII)
  • Chris Richard - First USDHS graduate to make it to the Pros (baseball) and the 14th player in history to hit a home run on the 1st pitch on 7/17/2000. Started with Baltimore 2000-2003 before serious shoulder injury. Durham Bulls 2007-2010.

Linda Vista Campus

After the closing of USDHS in June 2005, the Linda Vista campus became the home of Notre Dame Academy (San Diego, California)
Notre Dame Academy (San Diego, California)
Notre Dame Academy is a Catholic school in Carmel Valley, San Diego, California. It is run by French nuns from Union Chretienne de Saint Chaumond. It currently holds classes from Preschool through the Eighth grade. All students can learn French or Spanish. The school has Mass every Friday....

, while their new campus, also in Carmel Valley, was being completed. NDA's campus was completed in winter 2005, and the school moved out of Linda Vista in January.

From 2006 to 2007, security around the campus was tightened due to gang vandalism and intruders. The portable classrooms which were added to USDHS were removed during the NDA period, leaving only the concrete buildings to remain. The statues and relics from the old campus, such as the Mary statue from the quad, were all moved to locations around the Cathedral Catholic campus. The campus sign that overlooked the entrance of the school was taken in 2006 by alumni and students, and donated back to CCHS. The sign continued to make appearances at Grad Nights for the past 3 years as a memorial, but is rumored to be auctioned off in 2009.

The Dons Athletic Hall of Fame was moved to the gymnasium at CCHS. The Walk of Fame that was interred on the quad at USDHS could not be brought over due to deterioration, and instead the names of all the contributors and donors were placed on a memorial wall in the USDHS Library at CCHS.

The former campus received much activity between 2007 and 2008. A cleaning crew sanctioned by CCHS and the Diocese came to the campus following the October 2007 Wildfires to sweep up ash and any garbage that remained. The campus was also a filming location for many students of CCHS Multimedia, who had gained permission to enter the remains of the school to shoot for short-film projects, as well as the 50th Anniversary video.

On February 23, 2008, The San Diego Union Tribune confirmed the sale of the USDHS Campus to The Irvine Company for $50 million. The company plans to build 533 apartments on the 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) site of the former University High School.

On May 5, 2008, demolition began on the site of the USDHS campus. The gym and the campus center were the first to be torn down, followed by the south side of the campus, then moved north towards the rest of the school. The last visitors to the school while it was still standing were alum and long-time Uni teacher, Danny Wilson, accompanied by two of the students who had worked on the school's official documentary in the past year. The remains of the campus and wall were destroyed in October 2008.

As of 2010, the land that the campus once stood upon has been leveled to the street. A new wood fence was put up, and small construction began in some parts, starting with what used to be the former school's basketball courts and faculty parking lot. Production was halted in April due to financing issues, and it is unsure when the project will resume.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK