Fountain Valley High School

Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) is a public high school in Fountain Valley, California, USA. It was established in 1966 and is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. It is notable for its rivalry with Edison High School, particularly during the American football season when both schools compete in the "Battle of the Bell".[4]

Fountain Valley High School
Address
17816 Bushard Street

Fountain Valley
,
California
92708

United States
Coordinates 33.70441°N 117.96217°W / 33.70441; -117.96217
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1966 (1966)
School districtHuntington Beach Union High School District
PrincipalPaul Lopez
Teaching staff121.96 (FTE) (2015–16)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment3,286 (2021–22)[2]
Student to teacher ratio29.17:1 (2015–16)[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Gold, blue and red    
Athletics conferenceCIF Southern Section
Sunset League
Team nameBarons
RivalEdison Chargers
NewspaperBaron Banner[3]
YearbookRaconteur
Websitefvhs.com

For the first few years after opening, the school had a larger student population than any other high school west of the Mississippi with approximately 4,300 students.[5] Due to the large student body, school days were split into two shifts, mornings for underclassmen and afternoons for upperclassmen.[6] Over the years, enrollment decreased due to various factors, including the opening of Edison High School in 1969.[7]

The athletic teams are known as the Barons and the school colors are red, blue and gold. The school had to renovate some of its buildings, which were sinking, starting in 2002. These renovations yielded new portable buildings in an area that was previously a parking lot. In 2006, these semi-permanent portable buildings were replaced with permanent facilities. In March 2011, the track and football field were renovated. The dirt track was replaced by a synthetic track and the field was replaced with new natural grass.[8] The field has since been replaced by imitation grass and turf.

The school's marching band, called the "Royal Regiment", represented California at Ronald Reagan's 1981 inaugural parade. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was played by the marching band as hostages were released from the American embassy in Tehran.[9]

In fall 1996, a scene from the 1997 film Wag the Dog was filmed at FVHS during a basketball game and used the 1997 graduating class as extras.

In March 2005, the school drumline and band was filmed in Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" music video.[10]

In April 2007, the school was recognized as a California Distinguished School for the second consecutive time.

The school is renowned for its vocal music program including the advanced choir, called the "Troubadours", which has performed at conferences and conventions.

Leadership

List of principals:[11]

  • Paul Berger – 1966–1979 (founding principal)
  • Larry Lucas – 1979–1980
  • David Hagen – 1980–1985
  • Mike Kasler – 1985–1991
  • Gary Ernst – 1991–2000
  • Connie Mayhugh – 2000–2004
  • Chris Herzfeld – 2004–2014
  • Kirk Kennedy – 2014–2015
  • Morgan Smith – 2015–2021
  • Paul Lopez – 2021–present

Academics

Advanced placement

Fountain Valley High School has an advanced placement (or AP) program which allows high school students to study college-level course work. A wide range of AP courses in every subject area are offered at the school.

Athletics

The school currently competes in the Sunset League and is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF). Before 1974, the school competed in the Irvine League. The school fields all of the following sports: boys' baseball, basketball, cross country running, American football, golf, soccer, swim, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. On the girls' side, Fountain Valley fields the sports of basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo. In the past, there were gymnastics and badminton teams.

Fountain Valley High School has won 18 CIF Team Championships

  • 1973 Girls' swimming
  • 1977 Wrestling
  • 1978 American football
  • 1978 Gymnastics
  • 1980 Girls' gymnastics
  • 1981 Girls' gymnastics
  • 1981 Gymnastics
  • 1985 Baseball
  • 1985 Wrestling
  • 1988 Football
  • 1994 Baseball
  • 1995 Baseball
  • 1996 Girls' volleyball
  • 2005 Girls' cross country
  • 2015 Wrestling
  • 2018 Tennis
  • 2019 Wrestling
  • 2020 Wrestling

Fountain Valley has had two coaches and one athlete enshrined in the CIF hall of fame: Carol Strausberg (basketball coach), Ron LaRuffa (baseball coach) and Shirley Babashoff(swimmer).

The school also holds Five Counties Wrestling Championships, which is one of the biggest tournaments in the US. The wrestling team has won 29 League Champion titles (Irvine 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974) (Sunset 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). The American football game against rival Edison High School on December 11, 1980, was the fourth-highest attended game in state history with 28,968 fans in attendance.[4] It was held at Anaheim Stadium, now known as Angel Stadium.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Fountain Valley High". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018.
  2. "Search for Public Schools - Fountain Valley High (061806002228)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  3. "Baron News – Fountain Valley High School Student News".
  4. "Fountain Valley and Edison Drew 28,969 Fans in 1980 : Where Have Big Crowds Gone?". Los Angeles Times. November 11, 1987. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  5. Mellen, Greg (June 14, 2017). "Fountain Valley High School Graduation, 2017". Orange County Register. Once the largest high school west of the Mississippi River with 4,300 students, ...
  6. "Barons For Life: Fountain Valley High celebrating 50th anniversary". Orange County Register. March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  7. "Barons For Life: Fountain Valley High celebrating 50th anniversary". Orange County Register. March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
    - "Students and Parents Rap Plans to Lay Off Teachers". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 1989. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
    - "Drop in High School Students May Force Layoffs". Los Angeles Times. January 15, 1987. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  8. "Fountain Valley High celebrates new all-weather track". Orange County Register. March 2, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  9. "History". Fountain Valley High School. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  10. "FVHS Band films with Gwen Stefani" Archived March 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Fountain Valley High School. March 4, 2005. Retrieved from No Doubt Unofficial International Fanclub, January 9, 2007.
  11. "History". Fountain Valley High School. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  12. "Altice Feels at Home Even in the Spotlight". Los Angeles Times. October 7, 1996. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  13. "FV History". Fountain Valley High School. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  14. "Olympic swimmer Shirley Babashoff of Fountain Valley sets record straight with new book". Orange County Register. April 20, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  15. "Fountain Valley Living Magazine, February 2016". Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  16. McCoy, Chris (April 5, 2021). "Craig Brewer's Spaceship". Memphis. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  17. "Blake Davis Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.
  18. "Actor's Crystal method". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  19. "Faculty homepage". Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard.
  20. "Luke Hudson Stats". Baseball-Reference.
  21. "Casey Janssen Stats". Baseball-Reference.
  22. "FVHS grad to be inducted into Hall of Fame". Orange County Register. July 15, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  23. Egan, Tim (August 6, 1995). "Michelle Pfeiffer, Sensuous to Sensible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  24. "Chris Tillman Stats". Baseball-Reference.
  25. "Fountain Valley High School - Posts". Facebook. August 10, 2014.
  26. "C.J. Wilson Stats". Baseball-Reference.
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