Valencia High School (Santa Clarita, California)

For other schools with the same name, see Valencia High School (disambiguation).

Valencia High School
Location
27801 N. Dickason Drive Valencia, California, USA
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Learning For Life
Established	1994
Principal	Dr. Paul Priesz (1994-Present)
Faculty	approx. 121
Grades	9 - 12
Number of students	3000+
Color(s)	Purple and Gold
Athletics	Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Softball Swimming Track & Field Tennis Volleyball
Athletics conference	CIF Southern Section
Mascot	Vick the Viking
Newspaper	'The Viking Vision'
Yearbook	'The Viking Voyager'
Website	www.valenciavikings.com

Valencia High School is a public secondary school located in the Santa Clarita, California community of Valencia, California, and part of the William S. Hart Union High School District. Valencia High School is known for outstanding academics, award winning fine arts / extracurricular programs, excellent student activities, and nationally recognized athletic teams.

Valencia High Schools mission is to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future and to become responsible citizens through relevant learning opportunities, community involvement, innovative technology, and teamwork.

The Principal of Valencia High School is Dr. Paul Priesz. He was named Principal of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators for 2002 and came in 8th place for California's 2004 National High School Principal of the Year.

History

Valencia High School began its Maiden Voyage on September 9, 1994, with 816 Vikings on board. At the helm was our leader, Principal Dr. Paul Priesz. The enthusiasm shown by our first freshman and sophomore classes truly charted our futures course. Their dedication and commitment to the school community established the traditions that helped build the pride and spirit of the Viking Purple and Gold.

While concentrating on academic excellence, the Valencia High School student body has created a solid foundation of clubs, activities, and sports programs. Scholars, athletes, club members, and artists have emerged as leaders. Through their hard work and mentoring, future students at Valencia High School will continue to bring merit and excellence to our school community.

It has been 15 years since Valencia High School’s Maiden Voyage, and during this time, the Vikings have experienced a number of notable moments. Some include:

• 1997 - The first senior class graduated and started the tradition of passing down the “Torch of Learning” to the incoming senior class. Valencia High School’s basketball team, under Coach G. Spindt, won the school’s first league title.

• 1998 - Valencia High School received its first full accreditation from WASC. Valencia High School developed its nationally-recognized Mock Trial team.

• 1999 - Valencia High School sponsored its first “Every 15 minutes” program, which is designed to educate students on the consequences of drinking and driving.

• 1999 - The Valencia High School football team, under Coach B. Stiman, made it into the school’s first CIF Finals with running back Manuel White setting Foothill League, CIF, and state rushing records.

• 2001 - Dr. Paul A. Priesz was named California Principal of the Year. Valencia High School’s student population reached over 3,500 students.

• 2002 - Dr. Priesz was a finalist for National Principal of the Year. Valencia High School’s API test scores were the highest in the district. The boys’ volleyball program secured the first CIF Championship in the school’s history with Tony Ker being named CIF Player of the Year. Viking Television was presented an international film-making award. Co-Ed Cheer placed first in the state competition.

• 2004 - Valencia High School dedicated Dr. Paul A. Priesz Stadium. The Vikings finally had their own home stadium. Once again, Valencia High School received a full accreditation from WASC.

• 2006 - Valencia High School had the smallest graduating class in William S. Hart District history. The Valencia boys’ volleyball Team won its 3rd CIF championship. While there was no official national champion in boys volleyball yet, the Vikings defeated all of the teams in the CIF-Southern Section Division One, generally regarded as the best group in the nation by far, and therefore laid claim to the unofficial mantle of being the best in the nation. Valencia High School is recognized for its state model School-to-Career program. The Viking softball team won the school’s first official National Championship, with pitcher Taylor Jordan being named the California State Player of the Year. The Valencia High School choir was chosen to perform in Carnegie Hall, in New York City.

• 2008 - Valencia High School’s boys’ volleyball team won the National Championship, bringing home to Valencia its 2nd official National Championship in just two years. The school’s softball team went on to clinch another CIF Championship, with Jessica Spigner being named the California and National Player of the Year. Also, the Valencia High School’s Speech and Debate team returned to dominance with local, state, and national awards. On the dance floor, the Valencia High School dance team won a National Championship. This past year marked a number of memorable moments for Valencia High School. For the first time in school history, Valencia scored above 800 on the Academic Performance Index (API). This achievement placed Valencia High School among the top achieving high schools in both the state and the nation. Once again, the school’s Mock Trial team, under the direction of J. Marcucilli, won awards at the state level, which advanced them to national competitions.

• 2009 - The Valencia High School choir performed in Italy at St. Peter’s Basilica during a 10-day choral tour. The Valencia High School dance team brought home another National Championship. Circle of Friends, a program of inclusion for special needs and general education peers, was created and continues to thrive.

Activities

Vick The Viking - Spirit Rally

Valencia Television (VTV)

Valencia High School has an award-winning video program. The video program has entered their productions into competitions such as the Student Television Network, and the Santa Clarita Film Festival. Eric Hernandez won the Best High School Film Award in 2006 for his film "Living Reflection." The video program also features the daily live-television program, VTV. VTV is an early morning news broadcast to the entire school, updating the school on club information, current events, weather, and sports. In 2007, VTV became a member of the National Student Television Network (STN), and participated in the 2007 tournament at the Disneyland hotel. The VTV team took 3rd place at the tournament. In April 2009 VTV also won first place in the 12 Hour Film Festival, for their short film "Hugh takes a Chance". Their other film, Reading to Jack, written and directed by John Savant, won best high school film at the Santa Clarita film festival. Reading to Jack also won best screenplay at STN 2010, and has been entered into other film festivals.

Speech and Debate Team

The speech and debate team has dominated in state and national rankings in the 2000s. Many of its members, including Paige Feldman, Dennis Feldman, Eric Smith, Zeke Schumacher, and Nick Hall, have received high state and national rankings. The team of Zeke Schumacher and Nick Hall took second place in the 2009 California state championship for Parliamentary Debate; Zeke Schumacher also received a national ranking in 2008 as one of the top ten speakers in the United States for Student Congress.

Valencia High School Choir

The Valencia High School Choir program consists of 200 students in six separate touring choirs. Ms. Christine Tavares, the choral director, won the National Harmony A Cappella Sweepstakes in 2007 performing with Voco. Under her direction, the VHS Choirs have traveled to Florida, Hawaii, Carnegie Hall New York, and in 2009, Italy. The Concert Choir and Women's Chamber Ensembles have repeatedly achieved the ratings of "Gold Choir" and "Choir of the Festival" and have been invited to the highly prestigious Festival of Gold numerous times. They have also been fortunate to have outstanding student accompanists who have repeatedly won the honored Maestro Awards (Heritage Festival). Each year for the last four years, Valencia has had multiple students accepted into the California All-State Honor Choir. In May 2008, the Women's Choir Dona Bella was awarded Best Overall Choir, the "Esprit Du Cour - Ensemble of the Festival" and given the highest rating in the nine year history of the San Francisco Music in the Parks. The Dona Bellas received a score of 100 out of 100 from Deke Sharon, founder and current vice-president of the Contemporary A Cappella Society. "I have never actually given a score of 100 percent but I gave them 100 percent. I rarely have an opportunity to hear a group that is such a pleasurable experience." "It was like reading a high school essay and, while reading it, finding yourself pouring over an article found in the New Yorker." (This quote is taken from the May 2008 Signal Newspaper Article Interview). The VHS Vocal Jazz program is one of the strongest in California. In April 2007, they placed third in their debut Reno Jazz Festival performance. In April 2008 they won first place in the national Fullerton Jazz Festival in the "Advanced" category, followed by a "Unanimous Superior" rating at the Vocal Jazz Festival in Greeley, Colorado where students in the vocal jazz group Two N' Four were offered $10,000 in college scholarship money for their performance. In 2009, six students from the VHS Choir program comprised the 15 total Californians chosen to participate in the California All-State Jazz Choir. 2009 marks the first year Valencia Choir students will tour perform at the CMEA state convention and internationally to Italy where they will perform mass at St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican, Rome.

Pride of the Vikings Band

The Valencia High school band (known as the "Pride of the Vikings") is under the direction of Mark Judd, as of August 1, 2009. It had previously been under the direction of Erin Stankey since the 2007-2008 school year. Before Erin Stankey, Robert Babko was the band's director from 1995 until 2007.

Under the direction of Mr. Mark Judd, the band has seen significant improvement. The marching band has participated in the SCSBOA (Southern California Schools Band and Orchestra Association) championships three years consecutively and have been ranked as one of the top "class AAA" bands in Southern California. The marching band receives several awards and recognition yearly, including a personal recognition from the city of Santa Clarita congratulating their performance in the Bands of America Competition in 2009. Both the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands at Valencia High School have received acclaim from their performances. Both performing groups received a "Superior" rating at the West Ranch High School Festival on March 23, 2011. The band's 2011 spring trip is to San Francisco, followed by a 2012 trip to Disneyland, followed by their quad-annual trip to Hawaii in the spring of 2013.

Colorguard

The Color Guard performs at home football games and performs at school rallies. They also have competitive seasons both first and second semester of the school year. Within the first semester the team performs with the Valencia High School Marching Band. During the second semester the team takes part in WGASC and WGI competitions in which they perform on their own to recored music, also known as the winter guard season. In 2007, the Valencia Color guard came in second place in the National Championships during their winter guard season and never got less than third place throughout the entire season . In 2010 during the field show season, the team got first place at Championships. The Valencia Color guard participated in the WGI World Championships in Dayton Ohio during their winter guard season of 2010.

Junior ROTC

The school is home of the CA-782nd AFJROTC, a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. The CA-782 is led by Capt Edward Colley (USAF Retired) and MSgt Frederick Malcomb (USAF Retired). The CA-782 uses military techniques to build a cadet run program where students from three schools in the district meet to develop leadership and physical fitness.

Athletics

Boys Volleyball

The boys volleyball team, led by Kevin Kornegay, Walt Ker, and current head coach Mark Knudsen, has won more than one hundred consecutive league matches dating back to 2001. They advanced to the CIF championship game in each season from 2001 to 2006, winning in 2003, 2004, 2006, and most recently in 2008. Under current head coach Mark Knudsen, the Vikings have won CIF in four of the previous six seasons, with a 186-27 record since 2003, posting a school best 35-2 record in 2008.

Valencia Volleyball alumni have been named All-American Volleyball Players and many have received scholarships to play on 7 NCAA Division 1 teams.^{[citation needed]}

Going into the 2008 season, the Vikings were ranked the #1 team in the entire nation by Rivals.com. They finished the season as the #1 team in the nation after defeating Santa Barbara in the CIF-SS DII Championship game, claiming the 4th championship title in the last 6 years. The team won the unofficial national championship in 2006, and the official national title in 2008.

In 2011, The Vikings set the California State mark for most consecutive league victories beating the previous record of 96 held by Loyola High School. They are currently at 100+ victories with the win streak spanning from 2001-2011.

Swim Team

In 2006 the girls team went undefeated in all their league meets, while the boys team suffered only five losses. The team has taken second place at League finals in 2005 and 2006. The mens team has also placed second at League finals from 2005-2010.

Softball Team

Softball team The girls softball team led by Coach Donna Lee, has won eight consecutive foothill league champions. They also have won back to back CIF champions in both 2007 and 2008. The lady Vikings were ranked number one in the nation in 2007 with a record of 32-1.

Athletic Awards

Valencia High School Softball - National Champions 2007

Foothill League Champions

Valencia High School competes in the Foothill League, one of the most competitive leagues in all of California. Other schools in the league are: Hart High School, Canyon High School, Saugus High School, West Ranch High School, and Golden Valley High School (with previous schools being John Burroughs High School of Burbank and Burbank High School.

• Baseball - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Boys Basketball - 1999, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011
• Girls Basketball - 2000, 2001, 2005
• Football - 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Boys Golf - 2000, 2002
• Girls Golf - 2004, 2005, 2006
• Girls Soccer - 2001,2009
• Softball - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007*, 2008*, 2009
• Boys Tennis - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
• Girls Tennis - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
• Boys Track & Field - 2001
• Boys Volleyball - 2001, 2002, 2003*, 2004*, 2005, 2006*, 2007, 2008*, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Girls Volleyball - 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

CIF Champions

• Volleyball Boys 2003 – Div 2
• Volleyball Boys 2004 – Div 2
• Volleyball Boys 2006 – Div 2
• Volleyball Boys 2008 - Div 2
• Softball 2007 – Div 1
• Softball 2008 - Div 1
• Track & Field Girls - Alyson Drake 2009

CIF Finalist

• Football 1999
• Football 2001
• Volleyball Boys 2001
• Volleyball Boys 2002
• Boys Golf 2002
• Volleyball Boys 2003
• Soccer Girls 2003
• Football 2004
• Volleyball Boys 2004
• Golf Girls 2004
• Softball 2005
• Girls Golf 2005
• Tennis Girls 2005
• Volleyball Boys 2005
• Volleyball Boys 2006
• Tennis Girls 2006
• Softball 2007
• Tennis Girls 2007
• Volleyball Boys 2008
• Softball 2008
• Track & Field Girls - Alyson Drake 2009

State Champions

• Softball 2007
• Volleyball Boys 2008
• Track & Field Girls - Alyson Drake 2009

National Champions

• Dance Team (USA National Champs in Hip Hop) 2003
• Volleyball Boys (unofficial) 2006
• Softball 2007
• Dance Team (USA National Champs in Large Jazz and Character) 2007
• Dance Team (USA National Champs in Large Jazz) 2008
• Volleyball Boys 2008
• Dance Team (USA National Champs in Large Jazz, Medium Jazz, and Officers) 2009
• Dance Team (USA National Champs in Large Jazz and Character) 2010

Notable Alumni

• Taylor Dooley, star of The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl [1] (Class of 2011)
• Taylor Lautner, star of The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl [2], played Young Blood in Danny Phantom and Jacob Black in the films Twilight,New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse(Class of 2010)
• Mackenzie Rosman, star of 7th Heaven [3] (Class of 2007)
• Mercedes Scelba-Shorte, Runner-up of America's Next Top Model [4] (Class of 2000)
• Naya Rivera, best known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.(Class of 2005)
• Ashley Tisdale, from Disney's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and High School Musical. [5](Class of 2003)
• Danny Worth, professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers
• Manuel White, Former Washington Redskins NFL Running Back (Class of 2000)
• Shane Vereen, Former University of California, Berkeley Running Back, New England Patriots' 2nd round pick (56th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft (Class of 2007)
• Robert Hy Gorman, played Felix in Forever Young and Clark in Leprechaun [6] (Class of 1998)

Trivia

• Valencia High School was used as a set for the films Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Bio-Dome, and Pleasantville. It was also used for filming TV series, Sweet Valley High.
• Artist Cold Flamez performed live at the Valencia High School Luau Dance on August 21, 2009
• Artist Kevin Rudolf performed his hit songs “Let It Rock” and “Welcome to the World” live at the Valencia High School Homecoming Dance on October 23, 2009.
• Young Mc - 1990 Grammy Award Artist for "Best Rap Performance" - performed his hit song "Bust a Move" live at the Valencia High School Homecoming Dance on October 14, 2011.

External links

• Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival
• Valencia High School