Yosemite High School (YHS) is a secondary school in the Yosemite Unified School District in Oakhurst, California. YHS occupies 100 acres (0.40 km2) of rolling, wooded hills and is located within the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada. Yosemite High School was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 2001 and 2005.[1] The school opened in September 1976[1][3] and enrollment in 2020-2021 was 537 students.[4]
| Yosemite High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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50200 Rd 427 Oakhurst, CA 93644 United States | |
| Coordinates | 37°19′45″N 119°37′56″W / 37.329048°N 119.632257°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Comprehensive Public High School |
| Established | September 1976[1] |
| School district | Yosemite Unified School District |
| NCES District ID | 0600160 |
| NCES School ID | 060016007023 |
| Principal | Stephanie Osowski |
| Teaching staff | 23.90 (FTE)[2] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 553 (2022-2023)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 23.14[2] |
| Campus size | 100 acres |
| Campus type | Rural |
| Color(s) | Navy blue |
| Team name | Badgers |
| Communities served | Oakhurst, California |
| Feeder schools | Coarsegold Elementary Raymond-Knowles Elementary Rivergold Elementary Wasuma Elementary Oak Creek Intermediate |
| Website | www |
| Last updated: 30 April 2024 | |
Campus
editYosemite High School is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills in the rural community of Oakhurst, 12 miles (19 km) from the south entrance to Yosemite National Park in Central California. The campus is on a 100-acre (40 ha) site with pines, oaks, and seasonal streams with views of the High Sierra.
Academics
editYosemite High School features an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and also offers Advanced Placement courses and a dual credit program with the State Center Community College District (SCCCD). In addition to a rigorous academic program, YHS also provides a comprehensive vocational program. Title I programs, Math and Language Labs provide students with assistance in passing proficiency exams.[5]
The school received a Western Association of Schools and Colleges six-year accreditation during the 2014-2015 school year.[6] In addition, YHS was recognized by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence as a 2018-2019 Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll School.[7]
Controversial teaching methods
editWhen the school originally opened, its unorthodox education methods raised concerns. Students (referred to as “learners”) chose their own classes, handled their own attendance, and gave themselves their grades. Teachers (referred to as “learning facilitators”) were also given free rein with the classes they taught, resulting in such classes as skateboarding and rock climbing. They taught in a single large building with simultaneous classes operating without walls, leading to a good deal of confusion and distraction. Although 6-foot (1.8 m) tall partitions were soon set up, they did little to reduce the noise.[8]
In recent years, YHS has returned to more traditional academic practices, including fixed schedules, standard classrooms, state-mandated coursework and grading criteria, and referring to "teachers" and "students."[9][10]
Extracurricular activities
editAcademic competitions
editYosemite High School's Mock Trial (MT) team has competed for all 39 years of competition in Madera County and has won 32 times. Most recently in 2023.[11]
YHS teams often excel in the Academic Decathlon (AD) competition, having won sixteen consecutive Madera County titles as of 2009, in addition to having taken first place twice in 2000 and 2001 and second place at the state level multiple times, most recently in 2006 and 2007.[12]
Music
editYosemite High School's Music department currently offers a concert choir, a concert band, a wind ensemble, a marching band, and a jazz band as well as instruction in music appreciation. During football season the marching band performs as a pep band. [13]
California Cadet Corps
editYosemite is the home to a distinguished unit in the California Cadet Corps, the 66th Battalion (Badger Battalion). YHS is also the site of Headquarters, 5th Brigade. The 5th Brigade encompasses Fresno and the surrounding area.
Athletics
editYosemite fields interscholastic teams in fifteen sports.[14] It is a member of the Northwest Sequoia League in the Central Section of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
Student demographics
editAs of 2020-2021, the ethnic breakdown of the student population at YHS was 47.8% White, 40.9% Hispanic, 6.5% Two or More Races, 3.0% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.2% Filipino (0.2% not reported). [4]
Notable alumni
edit- Chynna Clugston Flores - comic book editor, penciler, writer, inker, colorist, letterer and cover artist
- Ted Lilly – former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Lee Newton – actress[15]
- Jay Spurgeon - former Major League Baseball
External links
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "Yosemite High School School Accountability Report Card" (PDF). School Accountability Report Card Reports. California Department of Education. 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Yosemite High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "Buddy Cudd & YHS". Sierra Star. 2000. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "2020-21 Enrollment by Ethnicity and Grade Yosemite High Report (20-76414-2030013)". Data Quest. California Department of Education. 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "YOSEMITE HIGH SCHOOL and EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK 2021 - 2022". Yosemite High School. Yosemite Unified School District. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Yosemite High School School Accountability Report Card Reported Using Data from the 2019-2020 School Year". Yosemite High School. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Honor Roll". Yosemite High School. Yosemite USD. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Ward, Earlene (March 13, 1997). "A long, difficult road to the first diploma". The Sierra Star.
- ^ Turcsanyi, Melinda (November 9, 2001). "YHS: Full Circle in 25 Years". The Sierra Star.
- ^ Ward, Earlene (September 1, 2006). "YHS at 30". The Sierra Star.
- ^ "Yosemite High School Wins County Mock Trial Competition". sierranewsonline.com. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ "Academic Decathlon results". The Fresno Bee. February 7, 2009.
- ^ "Ensembles". Yosemite High School Music Website. YHS Music Department. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Fall / Winter / Spring". Badger Athletics: Yosemite High School. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "YHS drama to present "The Crucible"". Sierra Star. November 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016.