University High School (Irvine, California)

University High School (UHS or "Uni") is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in the city of Irvine, California. Established in 1971, it was the first high school erected in Irvine. The campus is situated on approximately 50 acres (200,000 m²) of land in the southwestern portion of the city, adjacent to the University of California, Irvine (UCI), from which the high school derives its name. The school is comprised of four main academic buildings, a performing arts theater, a swimming pool, eight tennis courts, two sand volleyball courts, an indoor gymnasium supplemented with other indoor athletic facilities, a 400-m outdoor track, and several practice fields. Housed within these facilities are the departments of English, world languages, math, science, social science, art, industrial technology, athletics, physical education, English proficiency programs, special education, and the Orange County Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. The school's mission is "to provide all students with the opportunities and environment to achieve academic and personal excellence while assuring that this is done in a safe and comfortable atmosphere." The school colors are navy, Columbia blue, and white and the school mascot is the Trojan.

Achievements

In May 1987, University High School was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary school in the Secondary School Recognition Program. In 1988 and 1992, Uni was similarly recognized as a California State Distinguished School. University was accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for six years in 2004.

University High was ranked the 56th best high school in America (5th in California) in 2003 and 117th (10th in California) in 2005 according to a Newsweek study based on the number of Advanced Placement test administrations, "The 1,000 Best High Schools in America".

University High School students consistently score well above the national average on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Board. In 2004, 86.2% of Uni seniors scored a mean of 596 on the verbal section of the test, compared with a California mean of 501, and a national mean of 508. On the mathematics section Uni students' mean was 651, compared with the California mean of 519 and the national mean of 518. Uni's total average of 1247 is high compared to the state total mean of 1020 and the national total mean of 1025. Students achieved an Academic Performance Index (API) of 858 from the State of California, while 501 students won a $1,000 scholarship based on their performance on a California state standardized test, the CAT/6.

University High students have consistently been extremely successful in national and state academic awards programs such as the National Merit Scholarship Program (with 37 semi-finalists in the 2005-2006 academic year), the Irvine Company Spectrum Leadership Awards, and many other local and regional contests. Each year, graduating seniors claim a variety of scholarships for college, with the class of 2004 garnering over $350,000 in scholarship winnings. The UHS orchestra is the largest public high school symphony orchestra in Orange County, California and annually sends scores of students to All-Southern California and All-State of California Honor Orchestras. In November 2005, University High School had three students qualify as Semi-Finalists in the prestigious Siemens-Westinghouse science competition.

University High offers several school-given scholarships to graduating seniors, including the newly-established Dr. Schmelzer Award of $500 to students interested in pursuing a career in education.

Student body

University High School is composed of a diverse student body, consisting of 49.8% Caucasian, 41.5% Asian, 4.2% Hispanic, 1.8% African-American, 1.5% Filipino, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian. Furthermore, 95% of the 2003 UHS graduates entered post-secondary institutions of which 62% entered four-year universities and colleges. Thirty-three percent entered community colleges, of whom many plan to transfer to four-year institutions. Fifty percent of the students in the class of 2003 were accepted to schools in the University of California (UC) system and 31.5% are attending one of the UC schools. Eighteen percent were accepted to California State University campuses, with 6% attending. Five percent of the students enrolled in vocational training, joined the U.S. military, returned to their native countries, or planned to work or travel.

Noted alumni

• Garrett Atkins - Major League Baseball player
• Will Ferrell
• Tim Wallach - Former Major League Baseball player and Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach
• Zach de la Rocha (Former lead singer of Rage Against the Machine)
• Nicole Parker - MadTV cast member
• Jeffrey Huang, Stanley Huang and Steven Lin - Taiwanese singing group LA Boyz.
• Leehom Wong - popular Taiwanese singing idol

External links

• University High School