Garden Grove High School

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Garden Grove High School
Address
11271 Stanford Ave.
Garden Grove, California 92840
Information
School type High School: Public
Motto "Pride, Performance, and the Pursuit of Excellence"
Founded 1921
Superintendent Laura Schwalm
Principal Colleen Cross
Vice principal Deborah Czarnecki, Julie Garcia, Mike Ono
Grades 9-12
Enrollment approx. 2,260 (2007)
Language English
Color(s) Red and White         
Mascot Argonauts
Team name Argonauts
Newspaper Argolog [1]
Counselor(s) Joyce Irwin, Linda Giuliani, Juanita Landeros, Susan Real, Veronica Carbajal
Website GGHS - Home of the Argos

Garden Grove High School is located in Garden Grove, California. It is a member of the Garden Grove Unified School District. The school's athletic teams are known as the Argonauts. The school's official colors are red and white.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Garden Grove Union High School District was established in 1921 in response to attempts by neighboring school districts to annex the Garden Grove area. GGHS opened its doors in September 1921 in temporary facilities. The school moved to its present location on Stanford Avenue in 1923.

The school's athletic teams were originally known as "Chili Peppers," reflecting the dominant local crop of the time. Later in the '20s, the more dignified "Argonauts" was chosen. They are known as Argos for short.

GGHS was badly damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake; the main classroom building suffered a partial collapse and one student was killed. The structure was rebuilt and is still in use as the language arts building (this has changed since 2006). It also houses the Argonaut Hall of Fame and Museum, chronicling the school's long history.

In the 2004-2005 school year, Garden Grove High School was named a California Distinguished School.

GGHS grew with the post-World War II boom and by the Sixties it was joined by six other high schools in what is now the Garden Grove Unified School District.

On September 11, 2009 in the opening game for the varsity football team against the Westminster Lions, the team lost Kevin Telles #45; the fullback and linebacker.

[edit] Girls Waterpolo

Garden Grove High School first started its Girl's Water Polo program eight years ago. The first year of the formation of the team, the Lady Argo's Varsity lost the league title to Los Amigos, but that is the only league title they have lost in the Garden Grove League through 2009. JV has won every league title in Garden Grove. In 2004, the Lady Argos finished second in CIF-SS Division VI playoffs.

[edit] Wrestling

Garden Grove High School has one of the only two wrestling teams in the Garden Grove District. The other is Santiago High School.

Wins

1985 – 119 lbs - Division 1A – Gabe Garcin

1985 – 165 lbs – Division 1A – Jose Orozco

1989 – 119 lbs – Division 1A – Juy Vesquoi

1991 – Heavyweight – Division 1A – Adrian Ioja

[edit] Academic Decathlon

Formed in 2003, the school's academic decathlon team has consistently placed well in the Orange County Academic Decathlon Competition. For several years, the team continuously ranked first in its competitive division.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Steve Martin, comedian, actor, screen writer, and author
  • Bill Thomas, 11-term U.S. Congressman and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
  • Steve Fossett, businessman, aviator, sailor and adventurer; first person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a balloon
  • Lenny Dykstra, Major League Baseball player, outfielder, 1986-96 with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies
  • John McEuen, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
  • Kathy Westmoreland, singer and recording artist
  • Mark Lomas, NFL Player, Defensive Lineman, 1970-74 with the New York Jets
  • Michael Monsoor, a United States Navy SEAL killed in Iraq and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
  • Jack Hart, Executive Director of East West Shrine Charity College Football Game; scored two touchdowns in the 1959 Rose Bowl Game for the University of California
  • Ralph Bacera, accomplished ceramic artist
  • Gary Davidson, founder of World Football League and Co-Founder of American Basketball Association and World Hockey League
  • Roy Gleason, Los Angeles Dodger Bonus Baby and only Major League Baseball player to serve in combat in the Vietnam War. His life is documented in the biography, Lost in the Sun
  • Ray Carrasco, professional golfer on the PGA Tour and the European Seniors Tour
  • Stephen Shortridge, film and television actor, including role as Beau De Labarre on Welcome Back Kotter TV show, and recently acclaimed impressionist painter
  • Basil Poledouris, Composer for movies and television whose musical scores include Conan the Barbarian, Hunt for Red October, and Lonesome Dove, the later for which he was awarded an Emmy for Best Musical Score

[edit] Trivia

"Lizzy," the sole student that perished in the Long Beach Earthquake, is said to haunt Heritage Hall of Garden Grove High School. Students who visit the school late at night claim to hear her laughter. During school hours, she is able to open cabinets and doors at random hours in a day.

"In Garden Grove, a 13 year old girl was planning a freshman party with her friends when the earthquake hit. She was sitting on the steps of a local high school and was crushed by a falling wall. Two of her friends were injured." Only one person in Garden Grove had perished in the earthquake and it is a fact that this person died at a high school in Garden Grove.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 33°46′43″N 117°56′12″W / 33.77861°N 117.93667°W / 33.77861; -117.93667

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