Valhalla High School (El Cajon, California)
Encyclopedia
Valhalla High School is a public, comprehensive high school
located in Rancho San Diego
, a neighborhood near El Cajon, California
. It serves approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1974, Valhalla is the tenth of 12 high schools established by the Grossmont Union High School District
. Its motto upon opening was "Freedom with Responsibility" and was an experimental, open campus with a college-like class schedule. Many classrooms were open air, with few walls between work areas. Quiet areas were color indicated, and generally the school maintained an open space feeling within the large, round superstructure of the school. Although the school's unique indoor architecture remains, the open-campus policy changed significantly in the 1980s and it became like other schools in the Grossmont District.
Valhalla High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC), and is a 2001 and 2007 California Distinguished School Award
winner.
Sports facilities include a football
and soccer field, baseball
diamonds, basketball
, tennis
and volleyball
courts, and two swimming pools.
A new, freestanding building that will house 12 science classrooms is currently in use. They have state of the art science equipment. It was dedicated in May 2010.
Each year the senior class paints a mural that is permanently displayed and hung up inside the school building. Each mural is unique to the year in which that particular class attended including current events not normally related to the school itself.
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....
located in Rancho San Diego
Rancho San Diego, California
Rancho San Diego is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 21,208 at the 2010 census, up from 20,155 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rancho San Diego is located at ....
, a neighborhood near El Cajon, California
El Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
. It serves approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1974, Valhalla is the tenth of 12 high schools established by the Grossmont Union High School District
Grossmont Union High School District
The Grossmont Union High School District is a public school district located in eastern San Diego County, California, and serves high school, adult school, and Regional Occupational Program students in the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and Santee; and the unincorporated communities of...
. Its motto upon opening was "Freedom with Responsibility" and was an experimental, open campus with a college-like class schedule. Many classrooms were open air, with few walls between work areas. Quiet areas were color indicated, and generally the school maintained an open space feeling within the large, round superstructure of the school. Although the school's unique indoor architecture remains, the open-campus policy changed significantly in the 1980s and it became like other schools in the Grossmont District.
Valhalla High School is 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), and is a 2001 and 2007 California Distinguished School Award
California Distinguished School
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a selection...
winner.
Students
Valhalla's student body is composed of students from the following ethnic backgrounds (2009-2010 school year):- WhiteCaucasian raceThe term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
- 66.4% - Hispanic or Latino - 20.7%
- African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
- 5.2% - Asian - 2.2%
- FilipinoFilipino AmericanFilipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
- 2.2% - Chaldo-Assyrians - 16%
- American Indian - 1.0%
- Pacific Islander - 0.3%
- Two or More - 0.1%
- None Reported - 1.9%
Campus
Valhalla's main structure is a four-story, orange,blue, octagonal building. Classrooms are situated along the outside wall and center of the building. The gymnasiums are freestanding.Sports facilities include a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and soccer field, baseball
Baseball
Baseball 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...
diamonds, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
courts, and two swimming pools.
A new, freestanding building that will house 12 science classrooms is currently in use. They have state of the art science equipment. It was dedicated in May 2010.
Traditions
Odin's March is the initiation for any new students or faculty members entering Valhalla High School. They must march up the stairs, through the rainbow bridge, and touch Thor's Hammer . When a student graduates, he or she descends the stairs and once again touches Thor's Hammer.Each year the senior class paints a mural that is permanently displayed and hung up inside the school building. Each mural is unique to the year in which that particular class attended including current events not normally related to the school itself.
Vision statement
- "The vision of the staff and administration at Valhalla High School includes quality instruction and curriculum designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of all students. There also exists at Valhalla an ongoing commitment on the part of all stakeholders to continually assess the core curriculum to assure that, through academic offerings, the standards established by the State of California, the Valhalla Expected Schoolwide Learner Results, and our school's Core Values are met."
Notable alumni
- Tony ClarkTony ClarkAnthony Christopher Clark, known as Tony , is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current MLB Network studio analyst....
, 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...
player - Amy FinleyAmy FinleyAmy Finley is a cook and writer who was the winner of the third season of The Next Food Network Star and was thus awarded a commitment to host a cooking show on the Food Network...
, The Gourmet Next Door host on the Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent.... - Scott Burnworth, Motocross National Champion
- Broc GloverBroc GloverBroc Glover was a leading motocross racer in the 1970s and early 1980s. Glover earned six AMA National Motocross Championships, a record which stood for nearly 20 years until 2003, when Ricky Carmichael finally eclipsed the mark...
, Motocross National Champion - Dan GookinDan GookinDan Gookin is the author of the first ...For Dummies books including DOS for Dummies and PCs for Dummies. Writing the first Dummies books, he set forth the design to be used in the future Dummies books, incorporating humor and jokes into an easy-to-use format for beginners of any subject...
, author - Ryan HansenRyan HansenRyan Hansen is an American actor, best known for having portrayed Dick Casablancas on Veronica Mars and Nolan in Friday the 13th...
, actor - Greg LouganisGreg LouganisGregory "Greg" Efthimios Louganis is an American Olympic diver and author.He received the James E. Sullivan Award from the Amateur Athletic Union in 1984 as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States....
, 1976, four-time OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist in divingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one... - Peter ThomasPeter ThomasPeter John Mitchell Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir, PC, QC was a Welsh Conservative politician. He was the first Welshman to become Chairman of the Conservative Party, serving from 1970 to 1972, and the first Conservative politician to serve as Secretary of State for Wales, holding that office...
, NCAA quarterback, Colorado State - Sean O'SullivanSean O'Sullivan (baseball)Sean Daniel O'Sullivan is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals.-Professional career:...
, MLB pitcher - Harrison Haberkorn, host on Epic Meal TimeEpic Meal TimeEpic Meal Time is a YouTube cooking show known for creating extremely high-calorie meals, generally out of meat products and including alcohol . It debuted in October 2010, and since then has started to release an episode every Tuesday. It is hosted by Harley Morenstein and a group of his friends...
- Eric CloseEric CloseEric Close is an American film and television actor.-Early life:His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old.Close graduated with a B.A...
, actor - Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible ChildrenInvisible ChildrenInvisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
- Brad DaluisoBrad DaluisoBradley William Daluiso is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played twelve seasons, the majority of them with the New York Giants. In addition, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders...
, NFL kicker
Sports championships
- 1978-79,1981,1985–86,1990–91,1994–96, 2000 CIF Division Champions Men's Water Polo
- 1986-1988, 1998-1999 3A Division III CIF Champs - Boys Soccer
- 2009 Division II Champions - Boys Soccer
- 1987, 1993, 2004 3A/Division III CIF Champs - Girls Soccer
- 2003, 2005 CIF Champions Men's Swimming
- 1985 California State Champions - Wrestling
- 2006 Division III CIF Champs - Baseball
- 2005 CIF Champions - Volleyball
- 1985-2001, 2008 Men's Golf Champions
- 2009 Grossmont South League Champions-Football 1st and only title
- 2010 Grossmont Hills League Champions-Girls Waterpolo
- 2011 Grossmont Hills League Champions-Girls Waterpolo - Undefeated
- 2011 CIF SDS Division II Champions - Girls Water Polo - First ever for an East County School