Troy High School (California)

For other uses, see Troy High School.

Troy High School
Location
Fullerton , California United States
Information
Type	Public
Established	1964[1][2]
Principal	Margaret Buchan
Faculty	63
Enrollment	2,850
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Red, white, and black
Mascot	Warriors
Athletics	15 sports
Website	www.troyhigh.com

Troy High School is a public school situated in Fullerton, California, USA, acclaimed for its Troy Tech and International Baccalaureate programs. As of the 2008-2009 school year, 2850 students attend the school, and the average SAT score of its students was 1784 [3].

Academics

Troy was one of 27 high schools nationwide honored as a New American High School by former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2000. It has won first place in the U.S. National Science Olympiad in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 [4] and has also placed favorably in many other competitions on both the regional and national level, including the American Computer Science League (1st in the nation, 5th overall in 2005). In 2007, Troy's NJROTC program was named the best in Area 11 (60 programs), which is composed of Southern California and Arizona, and 4th best nationally, after a 16th place finish at NJROTC Navy Nationals (top 23 of 600 programs) and a 9th place finish in the nationwide National Academic Exam. Troy’s Science Bowl Team has placed first and second for four years in the Western Regional Science Bowl sponsored by NASA/JPL and the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2001, the team captured the national second place at the U.S. Dept. of Energy Competition in Washington, D.C. A number of Troy Tech and International Baccalaureate students have received nationally recognized honors, by competing and often placing highly in the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science, and Technology and the Intel Science Talent Search. Troy is also noted as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence as well as a California Distinguished School. Overall, we want all our students to do well and pursue a dream!

Athletics

In addition to its academic reputation, Troy is a leader in sports. The Girl's Basketball Team won the state CIF Division II Title in 2003, 2005, and 2006, and has held the CIF Southern Section Division II Title for the past several years [5]. Sports Illustrated ranked the team the #4 program in the country for 2006 [6] and the Los Angeles Times ranked Troy the #5 program in all of Southern California for the second year in a row [7]. Furthermore, Troy has the top Girl's and Boy's Tennis Teams in CIF Southern Section in Division II. The Girl's Team won the CIF Southern Section DII Title in 2001, 2004, and 2005 and have been in the finals every year since 1998 [8]. In addition, the Boy's Tennis Team won the CIF Southern Section DII Title in 2003, 2005, and 2006 and holds several other titles [9]. Many of Troy's other sports programs have found success on the league level and several have advanced far into CIF Southern Section Tournament brackets. Despite the fact that Troy's badminton team was undefeated in league in the 2005-2006 school year and for many years prior, the sport has been canceled. In the 2006-2007 school year the Troy Football team went 12-1 making it the best team in Troy history. It was the best season but they unfortunately lost in the CIF semi-finals. They won League with a 5-0 record beating Fullerton, their cross-town rival, 53-7. Troy's Football coach, Jim Burton, was later featured on ABC7's Sports Zone and honored as a High School Coach of the Week.[10] Troy's volleyball program has also been successful in recent years. The Lady Warriors reached the CIF SS semi-finals and won the Freeway League title, going 10-0 in league play in 2008. The Troy Boys Water Polo team won their first Freeway League Championship in 2008 in school history under 9th year head coach Justin Link. The Warriors posted a perfect 10-0 league record and fought their way to the CIF Division 5 Championship game. Junior Josh Stedman led all of Orange County in scoring with 168 goals on the season and was named to the high school All American team. Troy Girls Soccer also won their first CIF championship division three in 2008.

Extracurricular Activities

Troy High School has a number of clubs and organizations within the campus. The largest or most notable of these organizations are listed below:

Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

Unit Troy is a powerhouse of Area 11 (which includes southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii), having competed in the NJROTC National Competition in Pensacola, Florida in spring 2007 and again in spring 2008. Named "Most Outstanding" (or best) unit of Area 11 in 2007 and 2008, the Unit was ranked 4th nationally in 2007. For the 2007-2008 season, Unit Troy NJROTC was awarded 1st place in all regional competitions as well as the state competition. On March 7, 2009, Unit Troy took 1st place for the second year in a row at the Area 11 Competition, thus earning a spot at the National Competition. The NJROTC curriculum includes seamanship, oceanography, meteorology, astronomy, navigation, radar, sonar, electronics and leadership. It currently has approximately 250 cadets making it a Battalion and it is still growing. The program plays a vital role on campus and helps students learn to become leaders in their respective fields.

Best Buddies

Recognized as an Outstanding Chapter at Best Buddies International’s 16th Annual Student Leadership Conference in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Future Business Leaders of America

It is the biggest club on campus. Troy's FBLA is a consistent award-winner in regional, state, and national competitions.

Ilium

Award-winning yearbook. The yearbook staff attends various national journalism conferences twice a year, hosted by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. In addition to its members winning individual competitions at these conferences, the Ilium has also had many of its yearbooks ranked "Best in Show" at the national level. The 2006-2007 yearbook is also currently being presented by the Walsworth Publishing Company in the Gallery of Excellence and was awarded Best-in-Show at the Fall 2007 JEA/NSPA convention in Philadelphia.

Key Club

Key Club, an affiliate of Kiwanis International, was one of the largest community service clubs on campus.

The Oracle

Award-winning tri-weekly school newspaper. Awarded in 2003 with the National Scholastic Press Association's Pacemaker and nominated in 2007. The newspaper staff also attends conferences held by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association once every year in spring.

Red Cross Club

Affiliated with The American Red Cross, it is one of the largest service clubs on campus.

Science Olympiad

Won 7 of the last 14 first places at the National Science Olympiad. Members spend time studying for the Science Olympiad competitive events, while designing and building machines for the engineering-based areas of competition.

Science Bowl

Won the regional Science Bowl competition in 1999, 2000, and 2001. In 1999 and 2000, the team placed 7th nationally. In 2001, the team placed 2nd in the country, losing to North Hollywood High School in a best-of-three finals.

Model United Nations

Affiliated with Model United Nations, Troy Model United Nations competes in regional and state competitions.

School demographics

The ethnic composition of the student body is:

• 38% Asian
• 28% Caucasian
• 19% Hispanic
• 5% Filipino
• 5% Asian Indian
• 1% African American
• 4% Other (Native American, Pacific Islander, Multiracial).

Source: California Department of Education, Educational Demographics Unit [11]

Standardized testing statistics

SAT

SAT I: Reasoning Test

Section	Mean Score	State Rank
Total	1784	9
Critical Reading	633	5
Math	647	4
Writing	623	9
Figures for schools with greater than 50 test-takers from 2007-2008

SAT II: Subject Tests

Section	Mean Score
Math Level 1	685
Math Level 2	768
United States History	659
World History	610
Chemistry	695
Physics	718
Biology E	666
Biology M	697
Chinese w/L	773
Korean w/L	771
Japanese w/L	601
Spanish	672
French	615
English Literature	650
Figures for schools with greater than 50 test-takers om 2007-2008

AP/IB

• Number of Advanced Placement Examinations taken in May 2008: 2092 (92% pass rate; California Public HS rank: 3)
• Number of International Baccalaureate Examinations taken in May 2008: 734 (98% pass rate; World IB Rank: 252; U.S. IB Rank: 93; California IB Rank: 22)

National Merit statistics

Year	Finalists	Semifinalists	Commended Scholars	Hispanic Scholars
2009		57	95	5
2008	42	51	87	6
2006		39	66
2005	40	42	72	7
2004	30		51	8

Alma Mater

A large banner to the right of the scoreboard hangs in the North Gym of Troy High School.

Troy, our noble Alma Mater,

Glorious ever be,
Rally round her warriors galiant
Pledged in loyalty.
Sing the chorus, let it echo,
Loud her praises tell
Hail to thee our Alma Mater

Hail to Troy all HAIL!

Controversy

Troy High School has not been immune from controversy, as detailed below:

Asbestos

In 2007, high school and district administrators were embroiled in a controversy surrounding the improper removal and handling of asbestos while school was in session. For many years before 2007, officials at the school had denied the existence of asbestos in building materials. This declaration was untrue, and many students in the tightly packed classrooms were chronically exposed to asbestos fibers. In 2007, district administrators began a project to remove 9800 square feet of asbestos from the Troy High School premises. No public notices or posted warnings were issued, and the asbestos removal occurred while school was in session [12]. In one incident, five asbestos-containing bags were left near an intake for the ventilation system feeding the entire school. Numerous individuals at the school later reported respiratory symptoms, and over 80 faculty at the school signed a petition to the district demanding full disclosure of the extent of exposure.

Oracle controversy

In December 2004, Ann Long, at the time a Troy student and editor of the Oracle, the school newspaper, wrote an Oracle article that profiled several openly gay students at the school. The article was generally well received by students. However, openly gay vice principal Joseph D'Amelia initiated disciplinary action against the student, citing school and state education codes that prohibit asking students about their sexual orientation without parental notification. Long claimed she was forced to resign voluntarily or she would be fired from her position as student editor, even though the article had been approved by the newspaper's faculty advisor. Long was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and the California Safe Schools Coalition.

Notable Alumni

• Marc Cherry, television and film producer, executive producer of Desperate Housewives
• Mike Ness, lead singer, guitarist and chief song writer of the punk rock band Social Distortion
• Dennis Danell, guitarist of the punk rock band Social Distortion
• Brent Liles, bassist for Social Distortion and Agent Orange
• Derek O'Brien, drummer for Social Distortion, Agent Orange, and The Adolescents
• Chris Hebert, television and film actor (Now teaching at Troy High School)
• Azia Kim, impostor posing as a Stanford University student[13]
• Steve Trachsel, professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles
• Adam Cadre, writer whose novel Ready, Okay! is set at Troy[14]
• Gene Kan, founder of Infrasearch.com and Gnutella pioneer
• Richard Titus, Internet entrepreneur & film producer Who Killed the Electric Car?
• Steve Soto, bass player for the punk bands, Agent Orange and the Adolescents
• Scott Miller, drummer for the band Agent Orange
• Jim Wedaa, producer of such movies as Mission to Mars and Big Trouble
• Jonathan Shawel, Elite track and field and cross country runner

External links

• Troy High School website
• Troy High School Library website
• School profile
• Troy High School NJROTC
• GreatSchools.net profile
• Computer Science 2005