Pasadena High School (California)

Pasadena High School (PHS) is a public high school in Pasadena, California. It is one of four high schools in the Pasadena Unified School District.

Pasadena High School
Address
2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena , Los Angeles County , California 91107 United States
Coordinates	34.162005°N 118.091794°W / 34.162005; -118.091794
Information
Type	Public, secondary school
Opened	1884; 140 years ago (1884)[1]
School district	Pasadena Unified School District
NCES School ID	062994004684[2]
Principal	Robert Hernandez[3]
Teaching staff	78.81 (FTE) (2018-19)[2]
Grades	9-12
Gender	coeducational
Number of students	1,735 (2018-19)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	22.01 (2018-19)[2]
Color(s)	Red   White[4]
Athletics conference	CIF Southern Section Pacific League
Mascot	The Bulldogs
Rival	John Muir[5]
Accreditation	WASC[6]
Newspaper	The Chronicle
Website	phs.pusd.us
Last updated: April 22, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-04-22)

History

The school was first established as a district school in 1884 and became Pasadena High School in 1891.^[1] In 1928, the school merged into Pasadena Junior College and operated as a four-year school, grades 11, 12, 13 and 14. Pasadena realigned its 6-4-4 school system in 1954 with Pasadena High School regaining its separate identity. PHS, however, shared the Pasadena City College Colorado Boulevard campus through the graduating class of 1960 when PHS moved to its present campus on Sierra Madre Boulevard at Washington Boulevard.

The Rose Parade, post parade Showcase of Floats takes place in front of the high school utilizing some of the school grounds and parking lots.

Pasadena High School's athletic field was renovated, adding light towers, a new track and replacing the grass field with artificial turf. It opened at the start of the 2009-10 school year. The school's junior varsity and varsity football teams as well as the boys' and girls' soccer teams play their home games on the field. The school also is used for its track meets in the spring.

On January 8, 2019, Pasadena High School opened the renovated Tom Hamilton Gymnasium at the cost of $19 million. It is used for boys and girls junior varsity and varsity basketball teams and the girls volleyball team for their home games.

The school's auditorium is named after Gladiss Edwards, who was the principal during the late 1950s and into the 1960s.

Student profile

In the 2016-17 school year, Pasadena High School's student population consisted of 1,777 students, with 60.3% of students being Latino, 17% white, 11.8% African-American, and 5.8% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian/Alaska Native.^[2]

Academics

Pasadena High School offers several special unique programs. The Graphic Communications Academy was established in partnership with the Printing Industry of Southern California and Pasadena City College. The Visual Arts and Design Academy is linked with the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena City College and the Pasadena Art Armory. The Center for Independent Study program is a remedial program to help students who are behind in credits. PHS also offers a career pathway called the App Academy, which helps students learn about web design.

Sports

Turkey Tussle

Pasadena High School competes against John Muir High School at the Rose Bowl in a football game known as the Turkey Tussle. The tradition began in 1947, and Muir leads the series 42-18-2.^[7]

NJROTC

Pasadena High School also has a NNDCC unit, which is a non-funded version of the US Navy's NJROTC program.^[8] Pasadena High School has had a Reserves Officer's Training Corps since 1920 starting as Army but has also been Air Force and Marines as well in the past. They disbanded in 2017-2018 academic year.

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Pasadena High School (California) alumni

• Robert Armstrong, 1968, cartoonist, known for creating Mickey Rat who popularized the term "couch potato"
• Louise Beavers, 1920, Actress
• Walt Becker, 1986, film director, "Van Wilder," "Wild Dogs," "Old Dogs (film)"
• Armon Binns, 2011, NFL player
• Mario Clark, NFL cornerback
• Carol Cleveland, 1960, actress, associated with Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show^[9]
• Mike Connelly, 1952, NFL lineman, Dallas Cowboys
• Michael Cooper, 1974, basketball player and coach, 5-time NBA champion, WNBA head coach^[10]
• Donald D. Engen, 1941, US Navy Vice Admiral, former Administrator of Federal Aviation Administration and Director of National Air and Space Museum^[11]
• Bob Eubanks, 1955, radio-TV personality, host of The Newlywed Game and longtime broadcaster of Rose Parade^[12]
• Howard Hawks, 1914, Hollywood film director (Scarface, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Rio Bravo)^[13]
• Chris Holden, 1978, 53rd Mayor of Pasadena, city councilman (District 3) (1989–2012),^[14] California State Assemblyman, 41st District (2012–)
• Michael Holton, 1979, basketball player and ESPN analyst^[15]
• Chidi Iwuoma, 1996, NFL Player
• Payton Jordan, Hall of Fame Olympic track coach and Masters track and field world record holder^[16]
• Kathryn Le Veque, 1982, bestselling historical romance fiction author and publisher^[17]
• María de López, Californian suffragette
• Jim Matheny, UCLA and professional football player
• Chris McAlister, 1995, NFL Player^[18][19]
• Edwin McMillan, co-recipient of 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry^[20]
• Zephyr Moore Ramsey, African American lawyer
• Charley Paddock, two-time Olympic champion, "fastest man in the world"^[21]
• William H. Press, 1965, astrophysicist and 165th president of American Association for the Advancement of Science
• QUIÑ (Bianca Quiñones), singer^[22]
• James Sanford, 1980 world's fastest human
• Stan Smith, 1964, tennis player and two-time Grand Slam singles champion
• May Sutton, tennis player, winner of singles title at U.S. National Championships and Wimbledon^[23]
• Bill Sweek, 1964, basketball player and coach^[24]
• Jerry Tarkanian, ~1948, college basketball coach, NCAA champion and Hall of Famer^[25]
• Kevin Tighe, 1962, actor Emergency!^[26]
• Lester Towns, 1995, NFL player
• James Turrell, 1961, an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement^[27]
• Alex Van Halen, 1972, member of rock band Van Halen^[28]
• Eddie Van Halen, 1973, founding member of Van Halen^[28]
• Lee Walls, Major League Baseball outfielder
• Cynthia Whitcomb, 1969, television writer and playwright^[26]
• Dick Williams, 1947, former Major League Baseball player and manager

References

1. "2003-2004 School Accountability Report Card" (PDF). Pasadena Unified School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007.
2. "Search for Public Schools - Pasadena High (062994004684)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
3. "Mr. Robert Hernandez, Principal". Pasadena High School. Retrieved April 22, 2019 – via www.pusd.us.
4. "Pasadena High School (CA) Home | MaxPreps". maxpreps.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
5. Mario Villegas, A 'Classic' for many reasons, ESPN Los Angeles, November 4, 2010
6. "Western Association of Schools & Colleges - WASC ACS - Directory of Schools". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
7. "The Turkey Tussle". Pasadena High School Official Website. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
8. "Orientation to High School" (PDF). PUSD. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
9. "Carol Cleveland biography". Cardinal Fang's Python Site. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
10. Wright, Rick (November 10, 2005). "ABQjournal: From Childhood, Through UNM and the NBA, Michael Cooper Has Persevered". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
11. Wise, James (2014). At the Helm of USS America: The Aircraft Carrier and Its 23 Commanders, 1965-1996. McFarland. p. 17. ISBN 9780786476565.
12. Holt, Steve (December 9, 2010). "Bob Eubanks fullfills [sic] lifelong dream". The Acorn. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
13. McCarthy, Todd. Howard hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood. Grove Press. 1997. p. 36.
14. "City of Pasadena: Councilmember Chris Holden (1989–2012)". Retrieved April 17, 2011.
15. Player Bio: Michael Holton Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, UCLABruins.com
16. Tranquada, Jim. "Occidental College :: Legendary Track Coach Payton Jordan to be Honored at SCIAC Track Championships April 23". Occidental College. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
17. "Pasadena High School Yearbook 1982".
18. Hodges, Jim (September 25, 1997). "Would-Be Bruin Declares War on Westwood". Los Angeles Times.
19. "Welcome to Bulldog Athletics / NFL 50th Honor Roll Super Bowl". Pasadena High School. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
20. "Oral History Transcript — Dr. Edwin McMillan". American Institute of Physics. June 1, 1972.
21. Hogan, Marvin (July 29, 2008). "Gainesville native called fastest man in the world". Gainesville Daily Register. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
22. Jayes, Ella (September 13, 2017). "QUIÑ is Bringing Her Fantasy Soul Dreamland to Life With 'DREAMGIRL'". milk.xyz. Milk Agency LLC. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
23. Rasmussen, Cecilia (March 28, 1999). "May Bundy Rewrote the Tennis Record Books". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
24. Jensen, George (March 23, 1964). "Marsh Named Valley's Top Prep Cager". Pasadena Independent. p. 15. Retrieved July 31, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Trevino, Chris (February 11, 2015). "Jerry Tarkanian, former Long Beach State and UNLV coaching great, dies at 84". Daily News.
26. Beyette, Beverly (January 4, 1988). "'Franco's Kids' Pay Tribute". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. After 26 years as drama teacher at Pasadena High, Franco was retiring to devote full time to acting and writing. For three months, his one-time pupils had planned this tribute, a party Saturday night at the Bel-Air home of scriptwriter Cynthia Whitcomb (class of '69).
27. "Biography".
28. "Drummerworld: Alex van halen". Retrieved December 1, 2008.

External links

• Official website