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Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) is a California Distinguished high school[1] located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operating in its respective city in 1906. This school is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which includes several other area high schools. According to the school's website, "the attendance boundaries for HBHS stretch east from Brookhurst Street, north four miles to Warner Ave., and up the coast to a portion of Seal Beach." Their athletic teams are known as the Oilers and the school colors are orange and black. The school is located on Main Street between Utica and Yorktown. Huntington Beach High School is also the home of the Academy for the Performing Arts.
HistoryBeginnings: The School on WheelsHuntington Beach High School's founding was one of uncertainty and political opposition. Originally known as Las Bolsa High School, the school opened in Los Alamitos in 1902 and served as a secondary school for Westminster, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Bolsa, New Hope, Fountain Valley, Chica, Ocean View and Springdale elementary districts. However, after only one student showed up for class, the site was scrapped four days after its opening. After attempts to find a permanent location failed due to political opposition and controversy, the remaining districts of Ocean View, Springdale and Fountain Valley were joined by those of Huntington Beach and Newport Elementary. In 1906, the "school on wheels," as it was often called because of its inability to secure a permanent location, finally settled in Huntington Beach and began operation as Huntington Beach Union High School. Classes were initially held in the basement of an auditorium operated by the local Methodist church. Having received a land grant from the Huntington Beach Company, the high school completed construction of its first permanent buildings at its current location in 1908. By 1910, there were seven teachers and three clubs; Huntington Beach had a population of 815 people. By this time the four graduates had become an average of 14 graduates a year. The first graduating class consisted of six students, but expanded rapidly in the next decade into the hundreds. In 1921, the Huntington Beach Company increased mining in abundant oil fields around the city bringing a wave of prosperity to the area. In 1926, the school's architects, Allison and Allison (a Santa Ana firm), described the school's structure as a Lombard Romanesque Revival. The iconic bell tower and auditorium were the first buildings constructed, and seven other buildings were built between 1926 and 1952. 1970s: Earthquake damages HBHSIn the 1970s, Huntington Beach High School began construction of new facilities for a variety of reasons, the most previlant was the earthquake on February 9, 1971. Many of the older buildings (except the bell tower and auditorium) were demolished and rebuilt because of damage. They were not built up to current earthquake and fire codes. The quad was redesigned and landscaped with new trees. The older classrooms had large picture windows in the main building and the remodel changed the schools ambience forever. 2004: Measure CIn March 2004, Measure C passed, granting a massive bond for school funding. As HBHS was nearing its centennial and was the oldest in the district, it received a lion's share of the money. Construction began and the summer and has continued since. Infrastructure projects has elevated the school with up-to-date piping and rewiring. Handicap ramps were built in and around difficult places for ADA compilance. The D Building, which contains math and science classrooms, has been retrofitted with an elevator, the last of the academic buildings which requires such construction. However, no plans have been proposed for making the M building (which contains music and recording arts classrooms) handicap accessible. Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, a number of portables were be brought on campus and classes will be rotated on a yearly basis into the portables during construction. Also, the all-weather track in the Cap Sheue Stadium will be replaced beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year. CampusFacilities
Huntington Beach High School is known for its bell tower and auditorium. They were originally built in 1903 and were rebuilt in 1926.[2] Sports facilities
DemographicsThe demographics of the student body are as follows: CurriculumAcademy for the Performing ArtsHuntington Beach High School serves as the host campus for the District's magnet arts program, the Academy for the Performing Arts. This audition-only extracurricular school offers majors in six disciplines: Acting, Commercial Recording Arts, Dance, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, and Technical Theatre. All mainstage performances are shown in the historic Darrel Stillwagon Auditorium, an Orange County Historical Landmark.[citation needed] Originally formed under the name School of the Performing Arts (SPA), the program opened in the 1994-1995 season with Little Shop of Horrors. In 1997, the name was changed from SPA to the Academy for the Performing Arts. Model United NationsThe program began in the spring semester of 1973 when Social Studies teacher Lynn Aase coached a handful of students attending Model United Nations events at California State University, Fullerton and the University of California, Riverside. In December, 1973, 30 students attended the Harvard MUN conference, representing France and Cyprus. The program now consists of more than 300 students who attend conferences locally, nationally and internationally. HBHS MUN has sent winning delegations to New York, Rhode Island, Canada, Washington DC, Russia, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and they are considered one of the best and most competitive MUN programs in the country. At the UC Berkeley conference, a competition in which many top schools in the country attend, HBHS MUN delegates have won 27 out of the 28 delegation awards in years they've attended. Currently, Bill Harmicar and Shaun Haney serve as advisors for the MUN program. Arts
Vocational shops and other resources
Extracurricular activitiesSportsThe first high school varsity surfing team in the United States was founded at Huntington Beach High School by Bruce "Snake" Gabrielson.[4] In 1989, the Huntington Beach Oilers football team went 8-2, losing only to Mater Dei and Ocean View, winning first place in the Sunset League. The Oilers, however, had to forfeit all of their games because of an ineligible player. The starting tackle had moved from Maryland, however his mother had not sold their home in Maryland before moving to Huntington Beach. Because of this, CIF ruled that this was a case of dual residency, and he was ineligible. A school-wide walk-out ensued the following day, with students marching down Main St., up Yorktown Ave., and then settling on Sheue Field, the football field. Later that night, a candlelight vigil was held in front of the school. The Oilers appealed the CIF ruling in the court. Judge Thomas N Thrasher ruled in favor of Huntington Beach High School. As the team began to practice for the playoffs the next night, news broke that the judge's ruling had been overturned. Local televisions stations covered all the events. In 1992, with Coaches R. Rice and Mr. Smith, the Huntington Beach Oilers wrestling team went undefeated, winning its second Sunset League Championship, and the first back-to-back championship in the school's history. Seven members of the Varsity team took first place individually. The team went on to the CIF tournament taking second as a team (a first in the school's history) and medaling five athletes, with three of the five taking first place (Eric Escobedo - 171, Eric Williams - 189, Mike Bolster - 275). In 2008, the girl's softball team went to CIF for the first time in the program's history. All-Pro Tight End Tony Gonzalez is an alumnus of HBHS. Also notable is Eric Anderson, the first openly gay track coach. Anderson coached during the 1990s and wrote Trailblazing: The True Story of America's First Openly Gay Track Coach (ISBN 1-55583-524-4), a memoir about his battle to gain acceptance and teach at HBHS. Sacha Kljestan of Major League Soccer's CD Chivas USA in Los Angeles is a 2003 graduate of HBHS. Hank Conger, an Asian-American baseball player, was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the first round in 2006. UFC fighter Tito Ortiz also attended HBHS. The school competes in the Sea View League. Prior to the 2006-07 academic year, it competed in the Sunset League. Seasonal sports schedule
School Songs
The Alma MaterHail, hail to Huntington, thy pillars noble and strong, "School Song"In 1909, Ethel Crane composed a school song that is no longer recognized, but is preserved as historically significant to the school. In a land of glowing sunsets, H.B. High School, H.B. High School, Though future years divide us Notable alumniAthletes
Surfing
Media
Musicians
Music groups
References
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