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=== Clubs === |
=== Clubs === |
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Agoura High School offers more than 50 activities and clubs, many of which have been created by students. Students are encouraged to develop their own clubs to promote individual and group interests. Student clubs include interests in community service, politics, religion, sports, academics, fashion, dance, and more. |
Agoura High School offers more than 50 activities and clubs, many of which have been created by students. Students are encouraged to develop their own clubs to promote individual and group interests. Student clubs include interests in community service, politics, religion, sports, academics, fashion, dance, and more. |
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==Campus Security== |
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Agoura High School is well-known among the Las Virgenes School District for its strict campus security. The school employs a total of seven “yard aids” that act as security. During class hours, they patrol the school and bathrooms in search of delinquent students. Any student found out of his or her classroom without a valid hall pass will be reprimanded. |
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===Lunch Hours=== |
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During lunch hours, the students are allowed to move freely around the campus. Junior and Senior (3rd and 4th year, respectively) students are allowed to go off of campus for lunch if their parents sign a waiver and the student has at least a 2.0 grade-point-average. |
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Accordingly, the “yard aids” take posts at all of the school’s exits and monitor the students that go in or out. This is done by checking the students’ ID cards for a special label that designates their ability to leave the campus during lunch hours. |
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===Response=== |
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[[File:Yard_aid_meet_up.jpeg|left|thumb|200px|[[Two yard aids patrol the campus at lunchtime.]]]] |
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Due to the administration’s strict rules governing off-campus privileges, it is not uncommon for students to sneak off campus. To prevent this, the “yard aids” all carry walkie-talkies that broadcast over the same bandwidth. When an aid sees a student leaving campus wrongfully, he or she can radio in the offense and within a matter of minutes to help stop the perpetrator. |
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The “yard aids” utilize a number of vehicles in order to help them get from place to place on campus with ease. Most of the aids drive golf carts, however one unit drives a special maintenance truck that allows more speed on the access road that runs through the school. [[File:Maintenance_truck.jpeg|right|thumb|200px|[[The higher velocity maintenance truck used by the AHS maintenance crew.]]]] |
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===Counterfeit ID Scandal=== |
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In late 2011 (i.e. the beginning of the 2012 school year), a student came to the administration and said that students were selling fake “off-campus” permits. After investigation, it was found out that a few students had figured out how to manufacture stickers that, when placed on an ID card, gave the impression that the student was qualified to leave the campus. |
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To settle the issue, the administration collected all ID cards and administered new ones that are much more difficult to counterfeit. The new cards that allow off-campus privileges include the words “off-campus” five times on the card, as well as a hologram. |
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===Bathroom Policies=== |
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[[File:Bathroom_guard_post.jpeg|right|thumb|200px|[[Two bathroom attendants converse by the sign-in table.]]]] |
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Agoura High School is also considered by many to have the toughest bathroom policies. During class hours, every bathroom but one is locked, thus forcing the students to all “funnel” through one bathroom. An aid is stationed at the door of the bathroom with a sign-in sheet. All of the students must write their name, their teacher’s name, and their in and out times. Students must also show the aid a valid hall-pass in order to be granted entrance to the bathroom. For an unknown reason, the open bathroom sporadically changes, often leading to students having to search for the open bathroom. |
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===Security Flaws=== |
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Although security appears to be very tight at the school, the system has many inherent flaws. |
|||
The yard aids’ response to someone sneaking off campus is consistent, and therefore vulnerable to being misled. Anyone wishing to sneak off campus can send out a decoy person to get caught by the yard aids. When this decoy is seen, the rest of the yard aids will leave their posts by the other exits while trying and apprehend the decoy. |
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The above method is seldom used, mainly because of the need for a scapegoat. A different, gaping hole in the security can be used instead. Most students leave the campus within five minutes of the start of the lunch period. This is due to the fact that lunch lasts only forty-five minutes and it takes a while to get to nearby eateries. After this main rush of students, the yard aids leave their posts by the exits and instead start roaming the campus looking for people littering etc… [[File:Students_escaping_campus.jpeg|right|thumb|200px|[[A group of students sneaking off campus fifteen minutes after the beginning of the lunch period.]]]] The yard aids then return to check people back in during the last ten minutes of lunch. This leaves a twenty minute gap in which un-credited students may sneak off of the campus. |
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The new ID cards are not completely counterfeit-proof, however. Counterfeit stickers were initially used to reproduce the “off-campus” labels on the old IDs. Similarly, the same process can be used to reproduce the five “off-campus” labels on the new IDs. It initially seemed that the holograms could not be reproduced. It was soon found out, however, that the holograms were a generic variety that can be purchased at Staples, thereby rendering the new ID security measures useless. |
|||
The Agoura High School bathroom policy is also vulnerable. While in theory this “one-bathroom-policy” and its corresponding “sign-in-policy” are airtight, there are quite a few problems with it. Yard aids that are assigned to bathroom duty are often subject to extreme bouts of boredom. They can often be observed talking on the phone, doing crossword puzzles, and other such activities. Accordingly, sneaking into bathrooms without signing in can be easy at times. |
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== Notable alumni == |
== Notable alumni == |
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Revision as of 19:19, 30 March 2012
| Agoura High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
28545 West Driver Avenue , United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1965 |
| School district | Las Virgenes Unified |
| Principal | Larry Misel |
| Teaching staff | 88 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,135 |
| Color(s) | Blue & Gold |
| Athletics | Member of the Marmonte League in the CIF Southern Section |
| Mascot | Charger |
| Accreditation | WASC (2002–2008) |
| SAT I average | 1730 (out of 2400) |
| Newspaper | The Charger |
| Yearbook | The Quixotian |
| Website | www.agourahighschool.net |
Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. In Newsweek's poll of the best high schools in the United States, Agoura High School ranked 1173,[1] 1008,[2] 900[3] and 744[4] in the 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2003 polls, respectively.
Academics
Agoura High School has a tradition of academic excellence.[5]
Grading System
The standard A, B, C, D, F scale is used with +'s and -'s awarded. GPA's are calculated using the standard A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 scale for regular classes and A=5, B=4, C=3, D=1, F=0 scale for selected honors/AP classes (usually courses that meet UC a-g requirements).
Testing
In 2005, 341 students took 564 AP exams with a 78% passing rate (score of 3, 4, or 5). Approximately two-thirds of AHS seniors take the SAT exams. The mean score in 2005, on the old 1600 scale was 1178.
In 2011, 350 students took 589 AP exams, with an 81% passing rate.
Advancement to Higher Education Institutions
Over the past 10 years, the total number of graduates going on to 2-year and 4-year institutions rose from 95% to 98% with 42% attending 2-year schools and 56% attending 4-year universities.
Activities
Athletics
Agoura High competes in the Marmonte League of the CIF Southern Section.
Team sports include: Baseball (B), Basketball (B,G), Cross Country (B,G), Football (B), Golf (B,G), Lacrosse (B,G), Soccer (B,G), Softball (G), Spirit Team (B,G), Swimming (B,G), Tennis(B,G), Track & Field (B,G), Volleyball (B,G), Water Polo (B,G), and Wrestling (B,G).
Teams in various sports have won League, CIF, and State Championships.
In 2007, after 12 straight years of losing football games to Westlake High, Agoura defeated Westlake 23–22, October 3, 2008, after Westlake controversially missed a 41-yard (37 m) field goal attempt in the waning seconds. Video replay suggests the ball may have passed through the goal and then caromed back off the gooseneck.[6]
Music
Agoura High School has a music program that continually competes at the national level. The program consists of two orchestras, three wind ensembles, three jazz bands, two choirs, and a marching band. The program's intensive focus on quality music training attracts some of the nation's top music conservatories and clinicians. The program in recent years has had students accepted into programs such as the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School Of Music, Temple University, Northwestern, and many more. In addition, students with an academic focus who have been through the program are accepted into some of the top academic universities in the country.
Recently, the Agoura High Orchestra was invited to the National Cup Competition at Lincoln Center in NYC where they took 3rd place. The "Studio Jazz A" group competed in Savannah, GA. where they also took third place, and the Jazz A ensemble will be competing at the Essentially Ellington festival at Jazz @ Lincoln Center in NYC. The Wind Ensemble and Mixed Choir competed at an International Music festival in Chicago where they took first and third respectively.
In 2010, the Agoura High Jazz bands produced superior performances in Savannah at Swing Central (2nd place), and the Reno Jazz festival (1st and 2nd place.) In addition, the school is continually represented at the Essentially Ellington festival, and is the only school in the United States to have two jazz ensembles accepted to the competition.
Agoura High also has a choir that performs at a high caliber and has been featured at the Los Angeles Music Center's high school choral festival with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Currently under construction at Agoura is the first facility on campus dedicated solely to the performing arts.
Clubs
Agoura High School offers more than 50 activities and clubs, many of which have been created by students. Students are encouraged to develop their own clubs to promote individual and group interests. Student clubs include interests in community service, politics, religion, sports, academics, fashion, dance, and more.
Campus Security
Agoura High School is well-known among the Las Virgenes School District for its strict campus security. The school employs a total of seven “yard aids” that act as security. During class hours, they patrol the school and bathrooms in search of delinquent students. Any student found out of his or her classroom without a valid hall pass will be reprimanded.
Lunch Hours
During lunch hours, the students are allowed to move freely around the campus. Junior and Senior (3rd and 4th year, respectively) students are allowed to go off of campus for lunch if their parents sign a waiver and the student has at least a 2.0 grade-point-average.
Accordingly, the “yard aids” take posts at all of the school’s exits and monitor the students that go in or out. This is done by checking the students’ ID cards for a special label that designates their ability to leave the campus during lunch hours.
Response
Due to the administration’s strict rules governing off-campus privileges, it is not uncommon for students to sneak off campus. To prevent this, the “yard aids” all carry walkie-talkies that broadcast over the same bandwidth. When an aid sees a student leaving campus wrongfully, he or she can radio in the offense and within a matter of minutes to help stop the perpetrator.
The “yard aids” utilize a number of vehicles in order to help them get from place to place on campus with ease. Most of the aids drive golf carts, however one unit drives a special maintenance truck that allows more speed on the access road that runs through the school.
Counterfeit ID Scandal
In late 2011 (i.e. the beginning of the 2012 school year), a student came to the administration and said that students were selling fake “off-campus” permits. After investigation, it was found out that a few students had figured out how to manufacture stickers that, when placed on an ID card, gave the impression that the student was qualified to leave the campus.
To settle the issue, the administration collected all ID cards and administered new ones that are much more difficult to counterfeit. The new cards that allow off-campus privileges include the words “off-campus” five times on the card, as well as a hologram.
Bathroom Policies
Agoura High School is also considered by many to have the toughest bathroom policies. During class hours, every bathroom but one is locked, thus forcing the students to all “funnel” through one bathroom. An aid is stationed at the door of the bathroom with a sign-in sheet. All of the students must write their name, their teacher’s name, and their in and out times. Students must also show the aid a valid hall-pass in order to be granted entrance to the bathroom. For an unknown reason, the open bathroom sporadically changes, often leading to students having to search for the open bathroom.
Security Flaws
Although security appears to be very tight at the school, the system has many inherent flaws.
The yard aids’ response to someone sneaking off campus is consistent, and therefore vulnerable to being misled. Anyone wishing to sneak off campus can send out a decoy person to get caught by the yard aids. When this decoy is seen, the rest of the yard aids will leave their posts by the other exits while trying and apprehend the decoy.
The above method is seldom used, mainly because of the need for a scapegoat. A different, gaping hole in the security can be used instead. Most students leave the campus within five minutes of the start of the lunch period. This is due to the fact that lunch lasts only forty-five minutes and it takes a while to get to nearby eateries. After this main rush of students, the yard aids leave their posts by the exits and instead start roaming the campus looking for people littering etc…
The yard aids then return to check people back in during the last ten minutes of lunch. This leaves a twenty minute gap in which un-credited students may sneak off of the campus.
The new ID cards are not completely counterfeit-proof, however. Counterfeit stickers were initially used to reproduce the “off-campus” labels on the old IDs. Similarly, the same process can be used to reproduce the five “off-campus” labels on the new IDs. It initially seemed that the holograms could not be reproduced. It was soon found out, however, that the holograms were a generic variety that can be purchased at Staples, thereby rendering the new ID security measures useless.
The Agoura High School bathroom policy is also vulnerable. While in theory this “one-bathroom-policy” and its corresponding “sign-in-policy” are airtight, there are quite a few problems with it. Yard aids that are assigned to bathroom duty are often subject to extreme bouts of boredom. They can often be observed talking on the phone, doing crossword puzzles, and other such activities. Accordingly, sneaking into bathrooms without signing in can be easy at times.
Notable alumni
- Amy Allen, actress/film crew
- Justin Berfield, actor, Malcolm in the Middle
- Rob Bourdon, drummer, Linkin Park
- Adrianna Costa, actress
- Jensen Daggett, actress (known as Jennifer Daggett when she attended)[7]
- Jared Delgin, actor, Kids Incorporated
- Brad Delson, guitarist, Linkin Park
- Dan Estrin, guitarist, Hoobastank
- Shaun Fleming, actor/musician
- Olga Galchenko, Champion juggler[citation needed]
- Heather Graham, actress
- Deena (Drossin) Kastor, Olympic bronze-medal-winning marathon runner
- Hayley Kiyoko, actress/musician[8]
- Joey LaRocque, professional football player, Chicago Bears, New York Jets
- Jonathan Lipnicki, actor
- Clay Matthews III, professional football player, Green Bay Packers
- Casey Matthews, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
- Olivia Olson, singer/musician/voice actress/actress, Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, and Love Actually
- Beverly Peele, model/actress
- Douglas Robb, singer/songwriter, Hoobastank
- Mike Shinoda, rapper/producer, Linkin Park, Fort Minor
- Shane Stanley, producer/writer/director
- Todd Steussie, professional football player, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams
- Brian J. Terwilliger, Producer/Director of One Six Right: The Romance of Flying
References
- ^ a b "America's Top Public High Schools – 2007 List". Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ "America's Top Public High Schools – 2006 List". Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ "America's Top Public High Schools – 2005 List". Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ "America's Top Public High Schools – 2003 List". Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ "Agoura High School Profile". Retrieved June 21, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Sondheimer, Eric (October 4, 2008). "Football: Was the kick really good in Westlake-Agoura game?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "EpisodeWorld – Jensen Daggett – Notes/Trivia". Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ Lindell, Karen (16 February 2010). "Ever since she joined The Stunners, Westlake Village's Hayley Kiyoko is having the ride of her life » Ventura County Star". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 27 April 2011.