Oakland High School (California)

Oakland Senior High School (also known as O-High and OHS) is a public high school that belongs to the Oakland Unified School District and is the third oldest high school in the U.S. state of California. Lowell of San Francisco holds the oldest title, though OHS technically holds the second place position because the Sacramento high school is no longer operational or functional.

Background

Oakland High was first located at Twelfth and Market, then Twelfth and Jefferson. It has been in its current location at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Park Boulevard for nearly 80 years. The building that stood before its current manifestation was known as the "Pink Palace." The stairway leading up from Park Blvd is what remains of the exterior. The lamps in the commons are also original fixtures. What are now the football field and basketball courts once were classrooms and a huge theater.

This building was torn down in 1980 to be rebuilt as a safer structure in the event of a major earthquake. It was only when the wrecking ball had sliced through more than half the structure that it was clear that it would have taken more than an earthquake to knock those walls down.

A new football/soccer/baseball field was inaugurated in the spring of 2006. The football field is offically known as Jackie Jensen field, while the baseball/softball field is dedicated to Margulis, Sr.

The current principal is Mary Scott, former assistant principal at Skyline High School. Assistant principals are Oliver Chambers, Shoshanna Towers, and Lois Walker. Other official positions include: Tiago Robinson (Truancy Reduction), Carlos Padilla (Head Counselor), Carlos Sutton (Athletic Director), Amy Dellefield (Activities Director), and Susan Yee (Wildcat Wellness Center Coordinator).

With the unexpected passing of colleague Charles Shin (b. 1964) in September, 2007, a vacancy was created in his former role as Budget/Facilities Director.

Students

With more than 1,800 students, more than half (52%) are Asian, including students of Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Mien, Laotian, and Tongan descent. Another 28% of students are African American, 16% of students are Latino or Hispanic. Only 2% are white while other ethnicities make up less than 2%.

Class Colors

Freshmen: Purple
Sophomores: Orange
Juniors: Green
Seniors: Blue

Student Life

Oakland High School boasts more than 50 student-run clubs and 24 sports offerings, from the Hip Hop Club to the Math Club and soccer to badminton, OHS has everything one can be interested in. Also popular with the students are the two academies: the Environmental Sciences Academy and VAAMP, the Visual Arts Magnet Program. O-High is also renown for its excellent Special Education program.

Clubs

Academics

Academically speaking, OHS offers many Advanced Placement(AP) courses, as well as 4 Honors courses, and a wide array of interesting and challenging academic electives. In addition, there are many concurrent enrollment college courses offered from the Peralta Colleges after school.

The AP Test Site Coordinator for the school is Carlos Padilla.

Academies

Visual Arts Academy Magnet Program (VAAMP)

The VAAMP Academy at Oakland High school teaches students how to be creative and piques their interests with art. Led by Ms. Marston and Mr. Keith " K-Dub" Williams, VAAMP is thriving with new young artists.

Environmental Science Academy (ESA)

The Environmental Science Academy is run by Kevin Jordan and Katie Noonan. ESA is usually known for high-achieving students and many field trips. Students are also given various tools to prepare for the future such as community service, college classes, School-to-Careers, etc. There are occasionally rafting and camping trips for ESA students. Some examples are Catalina Island, Snow Trip (Juniors and Seniors Only), and a Senior Trip to either Costa Rica or Hawaii.

ESA students during sophomore year usually have a core class consisting of Biology and Environmental Studies taught by either Jordan or Noonan. This class goes to Lake Merritt weekly to test the water and learn more about the environment. During senior year, they are taught AP Environmental Science by their respective sophomore teacher.

Athletics

In 2007 the OHS badminton team defeated Skyline (the seven year defending champions) to become the OAL champions. They won the league with a record of 6 wins and 0 losses. Along with athletic talent, the Badminton team also maintained a very high average GPA, and were named Oakland High's 2007 Outstanding Spring Sports Team.

The Oakland High Catfish Swim Team is another of the many strong teams at OHS. The Catfish have roughly 40 people on the Varsity and Jv teams. At last year's OAL finals, the Catfish defeated Skyline in both men's Varsity and Jv, becoming OAL champs.

In the fall of 2007, the bowling team became OAL champs without a single loss!

External links

• OHS Memorial
• Oakland High School
• Wildcat Alumni Association
• VAAMP
• ESA