Salinas High School

Salinas High School is a public 9–12 high school in Salinas, California, United States. It is the first of five primary high schools of the Salinas Union High School District. The school was moved to its current central Salinas location in 1920. The campus was rebuilt circa 1999. While most buildings were demolished and replaced, the original main wing and bell tower were retained and renovated. The current principal is Elizabeth Duethman, with assistants Hugo Mariscal, Ernesto Pacleb, Vivian Moises, and Anthony Morales. As of the 2019–2020 school year the school enrolled 2700 students. Its campus is situated in a rural and suburban setting. The Salinas Cowboys compete in the Pacific Coast Athletic League of the CIF Central Coast Section. The school colors are purple and gold.

Salinas High School
Address
726 South Main Street Salinas, California United States
Coordinates	36.66718°N 121.65691°W / 36.66718; -121.65691
Information
Type	Public secondary
Founded	1920; 105 years ago (1920)
School district	Salinas Union High School District
CEEB code	52755
Principal	Hugo Mariscal
Teaching staff	108.92 (FTE)[1]
Grades	0-21
Number of students	2,446 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	22.46[1]
Campus type	Rural / suburban
Color(s)	Purple and gold
Nickname	Cowboys
Website	shs.salinasuhsd.org

During the August 2021 football jamboree, students made an instagram account "shaniqua.shs" that posted pictures and videos of a defaced black baby doll. Posts showed white and latino students posing with it and stomping on the doll, with comments using the n-word. The actions were called racist and disturbing by Monterey Weekly. As a result, three students were suspended and one student removed from the cheer team.^[2][3][4]

Notable alumni

• Lester D. Boronda (1886–1953), painter, furniture designer, sculptor^[5]
• Noah Harpster, actor, writer, director, producer
• Nyziah Hunter (born 2004), college football wide receiver^[6]
• Ryan Jensen (born 1997) pitcher for MLB's Minnesota Twins organization
• Joe Kapp (1938–2023) quarterback, played in Canadian Football League (CFL) and in NFL with Minnesota Vikings and Boston Patriots; coached Cal football
• Rick Law (born 1969), Disney artist and producer
• Nathan Martorella (born 2001) professional baseball player^[7]
• Van Partible (born 1971), creator of Johnny Bravo
• Gary Shipman (born 1966), comic book artist and creator of Pakkins' Land
• Brendon Small (born 1975), founder of Dethklok
• Evan Smith (born 1986) former center for NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Cristian Soratos (born 1992) professional runner
• Edward Soriano (born 1946), retired United States Army Lieutenant General
• John Steinbeck (1902–1968) iconic novelist, The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and East of Eden (1952) and novella Of Mice and Men (1937) (former class president)
• Miles Teves (born 1963) artist and conceptual designer on television productions, films, and computer games