Clovis High School (Clovis, California)

Clovis High School is a four-year high school founded in 1899. The school is located at 1055 Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California.

History

Clovis High School, 1908

San Joaquin College of Law, housed in the restored old Clovis High Building.

From the book, Images of an Age:^[1] "Community members tried unsuccessfully to form a high school district as early as 1889. At the time, families sent their sons to Santa Clara or Stockton to schools beyond eighth grade. Daughters went to San Jose, if they went at all. Then, on June 6, 1899, Lee Beal, a Jefferson Colony Farmer, and John Rutledge, a Clovis millman, led seven school districts to join in formation of one high school district. Each of the seven elected one trustee to the board. The school was named Clovis High School, although it was the union of Red Banks, Jefferson Colony, Garfield Colony, Mississippi Settlement, Wolters Colony, Temperance Colony, and Clovis.

Continuing: "Seventeen high school students enrolled in classes at the Clovis school. Louis K. Webb, principal and teacher, received $120 per month. Estelle Kellogg joined the staff in September. Two students, Emory Reyburn and R.E.L. Browne, graduated in the first class of 1902. A separate Clovis High School was financed by bonds in 1903, east of the railroad track between Fourth and Fifth Streets. It was replaced in 1918."

In 1920, Clovis High School moved into new facilities on Fifth Street built by William Weeks. The High School remained in that building until 1969, when it moved to its current facilities on Fowler Avenue. The building on Fifth Street gradually fell into a state of disrepair, despite its historical significance for the Clovis Community. This unique building had churrigueresque arches which were patterned after the detailed baroque architecture of Spain in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These arches were taken down by State mandate after the 1952 Bakersfield earthquake for safety reasons. In 1995, San Joaquin College of Law met with city leaders and negotiated a deal to bring the Law School, which was founded in 1969, to Clovis from its Fresno site. This resulted in a multimillion-dollar renovation which not only preserved the historic exterior of the building, but also preserved and reclaimed many of its unique and historic interior features.^[2]

Statistics

In the 2006–07 school year, Clovis High School had an enrollment of 2,518, which has probably increased, and an average class size between 22 and 33 people.^[3]

The graduation rate in 2005–06 was 94.4%.^[3]

Campus and facilities

Clovis High School

The current Clovis High campus opened in 1969.^[4] Clovis High has a library media center, choir and lecture halls, and a drama room built like a small black-box theater. Clovis High School has two gymnasiums, tennis courts (resurfaced in 2007), an aquatics center, baseball field (Merriman Field), and Lamonica Stadium, which is shared with Clovis East High School. Clovis High's Aquatics Center was dedicated to former coach and teacher Jim Coiner on November 5, 2008.^[5]

Clovis High School's facilities are 47 years old.^[4] When asked to grade how well the buildings and grounds are maintained at their child’s school, 78% of parents rated the grounds as “good” to “excellent”.^[6]

The campus is relatively technologically advanced, with a total of 349 computers, not all of which are available to students (most student-used computers are housed in the library and the computer lab), and 121 classrooms with internet.^[3]

Recently, CHS was awarded a Career Technical Grant to create a construction careers pathway and new facilities.

Staff

The current principal at Clovis High School is Denver Stairs. The deputy principal is Stephanie Hanks.^[7]

Academics

Clovis High School offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, as well as a variety of core and elective classes.

Athletics

The Clovis High pep squad won back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998.

Clovis High School is part of TRAC, the Tri-River Athletic Conference.

Clovis High baseball was voted #1 in the country by USA Today in 1997 and 1998.

The Cougars enjoy a higher level of success in the field of athletics, including 14 straight years of league championships won in Girls' Gymnastics. The Girls' Water Polo team claimed back-to-back Valley Titles in 2010 and 2011. Meanwhile, the Boys' Water Polo team won its second Valley title in school history in 2008.

CHS teams have also won League or Valley Championships in girls' soccer and baseball, and TRAC, Valley, Masters and State championships in wrestling. Boys' tennis won a valley championship in 1983. Baseball Central Section championship years include 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2014. National Championships include 1997 and 1998. The baseball team was also named California Team of the Year in 1997, 1998, and 2014. Baseball coach James Patrick celebrated his 500th career coaching win in 2008, as well as going 33-5 in 2014 and winning the CIF D-I Team of the Year.^[8]

Clovis High's football coach Rich Hammond of Gilroy High was hired in March 2009. Excluding the two disappointing years under former Coach Jerry Campbell, Clovis High has enjoyed a very high level of success. Arguably the premier program in the CIF Central Section during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s with Clovis West and Bakersfield High before the current slump. League championship or co-championship years include 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Central Section championship years include 1970, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1991, 1997, 1999, and 2002 with Clovis High being valley runner-up in 1985, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001 and 2015. Fresno High School alumnus Tim Simons joined the Clovis High coaching staff as an assistant in 1967 before becoming head coach in 1976. With the exception of a few, the nucleus of Coach Simon's coaching staff remained together throughout his tenure, with 20-year Assistant Coach Larry Kellom succeeding him after the 1999 season. The recent slump is attributed to redistricting which has slashed enrollment, along with the firing of Coach Larry Kellom and his long-time staff.

Alumni who play or did play in the NFL include Daryle Lamonica (for whom the Lamonica Stadium is named) Keith Poole,Damon Andrew Thomas, Stephen Spach, Tyler Clutts, and 2009 Detroit Lions draft pick from Cal, Zach Follett.

CHS wrestling is all well known with its astonishing 3 NCAA individual champions, 10 NCAA All-Americans, 32 individual state champions, 110 "Valley" champions, 13 CIF State championships, 24 Central Section championships, and 31 conference championships. Clovis High Wrestling championships by the years:

Conference: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980,1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Central Section (Valley): 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

State: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Clovis High wrestling broke the CIF State record in 2012 by scoring 256.5 team points and having 10 medalists. They also had 13 qualifiers, 4 finalists, and 2 individual state champions. CHS broke their previous record, set in 2012, this year (2015) with 14 qualifiers (all-time record), 276.5 points (all-time record), 10 placers (all-time record), 6 finalists (school record), and 3 individual state champions (school record). The Cougars placed every wrestler in the lineup from 138-285, with the last 5 coming as finalists. 8 of the 10 medal winners were 3rd place or higher. All 14 wrestlers won matches and contributed to the 58-18 record over the two-day event, including 35 bonus point victories.

Extracurricular and co-curricular activities

Clovis High students participate in a number of cocurricular activities, such as Science Fair, Science Olympiad, History Day, Forensics, Academic Decathlon, and Mock Trial. CHS also has a number of clubs. The majority of Clovis High's clubs meet rarely; however, among those extracurricularly active are the Interact Club, the Ecology club, and a number of others.

Clovis High also has an award-winning drama department, a dance repertory, and an active student leadership program.^[9]

Clovis High has multiple orchestras, two jazz bands, multiple concert bands, two indoor percussion ensembles, and a marching band. In 1983, the marching band traveled to Whitewater, Wisconsin and won second place in the Bands of America Grand National Championship, missing first place in the nation by only one-tenth of a point. The band also traveled to Washington, DC to march in the US President's Inaugural Parade in January 1977 (Jimmy Carter) and also January 1981 (Ronald Reagan). The marching band also performed in the 1986 Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2015 and 2016, the Clovis High Indoor Percussion Ensemble traveled to Dayton, Ohio to participate in the Winter Guard International World Championships. Clovis High also has numerous choirs.

Clovis High's Odyssey of the Mind team won 6th place in the world competition in 1989 and in 2002 won 10th place in the Destination Imagination (changed from Odyssey of the Mind) in the Global Competition.

Honors

• In 2008, Clovis High's API rating increased to 803, and has set a goal of gaining 10 more points to reach an API of 813.^[8]
• Recipient of the Sudler Shield, awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
• National Exemplary School, 1986–1987

Publications

The Cougar's Growl, Clovis High's student-produced newspaper, comes out eight times a year, and has won the International First Place Award in the Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation, 2007–2008.^[10]

The Cavalcade is Clovis High School's student-produced yearbook, and has existed for almost 100 years.^[11]

Notable alumni

• Ryan Cook, professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
• Zack Follett, professional football player
• Lloyd Merriman, professional baseball player
• Daryle Lamonica, NFL Raiders Quarterback (lived in Fresno while attending Clovis High)
• Johnny Estrada, All-star, pro-baseball player
• Chad McCarty, pro-soccer player, Olympian
• Mark Gardner, pro-baseball player,bullpen coach for San Francisco Giants
• Tyler Clutts, pro-football player for the Dallas Cowboys
• Stephen Spach, pro-football player for the St. Louis Rams
• Keith Poole, pro-football player
• Ryan Kenny, pro-soccer player
• Cody DePiano, USMC Iraq Purple Heart veteran
• Brandon Stricklin, US Army Iraq Bronze Star recipient
• Jenna Prandini, USA Olympian, sprinting ^[12]

Faculty, staff, or administrators

• Jim Criner, college football coach
• Steve Wapnick, pro-baseball player
• Dick Selma, pro-baseball player

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 36°49′2.9″N 119°40′48.2″W / 36.817472°N 119.680056°W / 36.817472; -119.680056