Junípero Serra High School (Gardena, California) Explained

Junípero Serra High School
Motto:"You Shall Be My Witnesses."
Motto Translation:Acts 1:8
Streetaddress:14830 South Van Ness Avenue
City:Gardena
County:(Los Angeles County)
State:California
Zipcode:90249
Country:United States
Pushpin Map:United States Los Angeles Southern#United States Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#USA California#United States
Schooltype:Private
Type:Private, Coeducational
Religion:Roman Catholic

Marianists (1950–1994) (2014–present)
Patron:St Junipero Serra
Established:1950
President:John Moran [1]
Principal:Nadi Wissa [2]
Free Label2:Athletic Director
Free Text2:Kirk Bertrand
Free Label3:Director of Advancement
Free Text3:Joseph D. Cormier '81
Grades:9–12
Slogan:Cavaliers have faith and integrity.Cavaliers are humble and accountable.Cavaliers are scholars that lead and serve.Cavaliers are soldiers for Christ.We are cavaliers!All Hail!
Fightsong:Hail to the Red & Blue
Conference:CIF Southern Section
Camino Del Rey Association
Nickname:Cavaliers & Lady Cavaliers
Colors:Royal Blue and Scarlet
Rival:Chaminade College Preparatory
Accreditation:Western Association of Schools and Colleges[3]
Newspaper:The Cavalier
Yearbook:El Padre
Campus:24 acres (97,000 m2)
Annual Tuition:St. Serra Plan ($10,500 - 11,100); Cavalier Plan ($11,400 - $12,000); International Plan ($18,000)
School Code:051025
Homepage:www.la-serrahs.org

Established in 1950, Junípero Serra High School is a four-year, private, Roman Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory school in Gardena, California, with an alumni body of more than 6,000 located throughout the United States and abroad. Honored as a California State School of the Year, Serra is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

School History

Junípero Serra High School was founded by James Francis Cardinal McIntyre and the Society of Mary (Marianists) as an all boys school in the South Bay section of Los Angeles. [4] In 1991, Serra expanded its student body and admitted female students for the first time.[5] [6]

Serra High is named in honor of Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer O.F.M. (/huːˈniːpəroʊ ˈsɛrə/; Spanish: [xuˈnipeɾo ˈsera]; (November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784), a patron saint who opened several Spanish missions throughout California.[7] [8]

Admissions

Serra ranks among the top 20% of private schools in California.[9] Serra admissions is determined by a placement examination, personal evaluation, and elementary and middle school grades.[10]

Serra is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC Accreditation Code: 19 99938 999);[11] Western Catholic Educational Association, the College Board, California Scholarship Federation, and the National Catholic Educational Association.[12]

Academics

As a college-preparatory school, nearly 100% of Serra graduates go directly to higher education. The most recent graduating class had 100% college acceptance: 89.6% to four-year and 10.3% to two-year.[13]

All students are required to complete eight semesters each of English and religion; six semesters each of mathematics and social studies, four semesters each of laboratory science and foreign language; two semesters each of visual performing arts, physical education with health and college-preparatory elective. Eighty hours of community service are also required in order to graduate.[14]

The Serra English Department creates writing manuals using students' works[15] and has a long history of welcoming distinguished writers to campus. Pulitzer Prize winning author Alex Haley visited the Serra campus to keynote the launch of the school's capital campaign,[16] and Serra alumnus and poet Dana Gioia, the former chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, delivered an motivational talk to students.[17]

The Serra Science Department includes the Space Team that designs 3D-printing experiments for the International Space Station (ISS). In 2024, the team's most recent experiment launched aboard SpaceX CRS-30 and docked two days later on the ISS. Serra is one of only nine high schools in the U.S. selected to participate in the ISS program.[18]

The Serra Drama/Theatre Department received a foundation grant to support performing arts opportunities for students.[19] [20]

Several Serra academic departments and the space team benefit from the support of The Ahmanson Foundation,[21] which has donated more than one million dollars to Serra for the purchase of computers, iPads, and projectors, Wi-Fi and server campus updgrades, and to provide student scholarships.[22]

School Campus

The Serra campus sits on a twenty-four acre plot that at the time of the school's founding was land that was being used as a truck garden with a field of cabbages.[23]

The Serra football and track and field teams host home games and meets at the Kretschmar Stadium.[24] [25] [26] [27] The boys and girls basketball teams play at the Dwan D. Hurt Memorial Gymnasium, which is named in honor of Hurt, a Serra alumnus and basketball who died in his sleep in 2016.[28] [29] A Serra alumni and friends sponsored construction project build a foyer on the north side of the gymnasium to showcase Serra's team awards, banners, plaques, and trophies, in celebration of the school's athletic accomplishments.[30]

Athletics

CIF, League, and State Championships

The Serra Cavaliers have won at least twelve California State team titles in basketball, football, and track and field, and have won numerous league, regional, and CIF championships in a variety of sports.

Cal-Hi Sports School of the Year

Serra became the first high school in California history to win both state football and basketball titles in the same academic year. Serra was named "2009–2010 State School of the Year" by Cal-Hi Sports, and based on school enrollment, Serra is the smallest school to ever receive this honor and the first State School of the Year recipient from the South Bay region of Los Angeles since the 1960s.[36] [37] [38]

Notable alumni

Since the first graduating class in 1953, Serra alumni have made contributions to the arts, business, entertainment, law, military, politics, technology, and professional sports.

Arts and Entertainment

Athletics

Business

Law

Military

Notes and References

  1. Serra High hires new school president, Gardena Valley News, September 8, 2022. https://gardenavalleynews.org/serra-high-hires-new-school-president/
  2. Web site: Staff Directory | Junipero Serra High School. www.la-serrahs.org.
  3. Web site: WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools. 2009-06-05. WASC-ACS. 2009-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20090814003439/http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm. dead.
  4. Web site: About Us. 2007-09-04. Junípero Serra High School website. JSHS.
  5. Web site: 40 Years a School for Boys, Serra to Admit Girls in '91. Marc. Lacey. April 13, 1990. Los Angeles Times.
  6. Web site: Boys' School to Admit Girls in 1991. Marc. Lacey. April 15, 1990. Los Angeles Times.
  7. Web site: 2015-09-23 . Junipero Serra High celebrates the canonization of their controversial namesake . 2024-08-07 . Daily Breeze . en-US.
  8. Web site: California State Parks .
  9. Web site: 2024-07-01 . Junipero Serra High School (Top Ranked Private School for 2024) - Gardena, CA . 2024-08-07 . Private School Review . en.
  10. Web site: Welcome New Students ~ Application Checklist . 2024-08-07 . www.la-serrahs.org . en.
  11. Web site: ACS WASC Commission – Accrediting Commission for Schools .
  12. Junipero Serra High School. School Profile. https://4.files.edl.io/efc3/09/26/23/042848-b28547a8-c802-4f53-a963-1e47a350ca48.pdf
  13. Junipero Serra High School. School Profile. https://4.files.edl.io/efc3/09/26/23/042848-b28547a8-c802-4f53-a963-1e47a350ca48.pdf
  14. Junipero Serra High School. School Profile. https://4.files.edl.io/efc3/09/26/23/042848-b28547a8-c802-4f53-a963-1e47a350ca48.pdf
  15. Web site: 2019-10-04 . Serra High creates writing manual to help students engage in writing Gardena Valley News . 2024-08-07 . gardenavalleynews.org . en-US.
  16. Web site: School's Success Is Rooted in Reading. Michele L.. Norris. October 31, 1985. Los Angeles Times.
  17. Web site: 2008-12-05 . Serra grad tells new generation to read . 2024-08-07 . Daily News . en-US.
  18. Liu, Teresa. Gardena high school sends microgravity experiment to the International Space Station. Daily Breeze. March 22, 2024. https://www.dailybreeze.com/2024/03/22/gardena-high-school-sends-microgravity-experiment-to-the-international-space-station/
  19. Web site: Kohatsu . Gary . 2017-08-21 . Serra receives grant; has new marketing director Gardena Valley News . 2024-08-07 . gardenavalleynews.org . en-US.
  20. Web site: Flourish Foundation . 2024-08-07 . Flourish Foundation . en-US.
  21. Web site: History The Ahmanson Foundation . 2024-08-07 . en-US.
  22. Web site: Grants The Ahmanson Foundation . 2024-08-07 . en-US.
  23. Web site: School History. www.la-serrahs.org.
  24. Web site: Gardena, United States. 09th Apr, 2023. A general overall aerial view of the track and football field at Kretzschmar Stadium on the campus of Junipero Serra High School, Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Gardena, Calf. Photo via Credit: Newscom/Alamy Live News Stock Photo - Alamy . 2024-08-07 . www.alamy.com . en.
  25. Stadium Project – Serra High School (Gardena, California)
  26. Web site: McLEOD . PAUL . 1990-10-20 . For Kretzschmar, Serra Football Is More Than Game . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  27. Web site: Track and Field: Gardena Serra High School Image of Sport . 2024-08-07 . www.imageofsport.com.
  28. Web site: 2016-12-24 . Gardena Serra renames gymnasium in honor of Dwan Hurt . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  29. Web site: Snyder . Joe . 2017-02-23 . After gym re-dedication, Serra wins Del Rey opener; gets routed by Knights — all sports Jan 19 Gardena Valley News . 2024-08-07 . gardenavalleynews.org . en-US.
  30. Web site: Kohatsu . Gary . 2016-07-31 . Serra High builds on-campus foyer to honor rich athletic history Gardena Valley News . 2024-08-07 . gardenavalleynews.org . en-US.
  31. Web site: Gardena Serra wins Southern Section Division 3 championship . Los Angeles Times. 31 May 2013 .
  32. Web site: 2023-02-10 . Serra baseball motivated for big season after early exit from playoffs in 2022 . 2024-08-07 . Daily Breeze . en-US.
  33. Web site: Photos: Serra (Gardena) wins 2021 CIF State 1-A football championship. SBLive. Sports. December 11, 2021. Sports Illustrated High School News, Analysis and More.
  34. Thorpe, Dave. San Pedro, Peninsula among teams primed for a big swim season. Daily Breeze. September 6, 2017. https://www.dailybreeze.com/2016`/03/26/san-pedro-peninsula-among-teams-primed-for-a-big-swim-season/
  35. 2016 CIF-SS Division 4 with USAS DQs - Meet Results. 5/10/2016 - 5/13/2016. Riverside, CA USA. https://www.socalswim.org/results/cif/2016/5/10/2016-cif-ss-division-4-with-usas-dqs?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
  36. Web site: A Nod For Small Schools Everywhere - Espn Rise | High School Sports News, Training For Performance And College Recruiting. ESPN. 2010-11-05. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721061743/http://rise.espn.go.com/all-sports/articles/2010/07/19-CA-State-School-of-Year.aspx. 2011-07-21.
  37. Web site: Gittelson. Gerry. Serra named Cal-Hi Sports state school of year; H.W. also honored - Daily News High School Spotlight. Insidesocal.com. 2010-07-19. 2010-11-05.
  38. Web site: Serra wins Cal-Hi Sports State School of the Year honor. The Daily Breeze. 2010-03-09. 2010-11-05.
  39. Sager, Mike. Arabian Prince Left N.W.A and He’s Doing Just Fine: The rapper ‘Straight Outta Compton’ neglected to mention. MEL Magazine. January 16, 2016. https://medium.com/mel-magazine/arabian-prince-left-n-w-a-and-he-s-doing-just-fine-b776410bec32
  40. Web site: PETERSON . DIANE . 2023-03-03 . A conversation with former California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia on life, learning and his latest book . 2024-08-07 . Santa Rosa Press Democrat . en-US.
  41. Web site: Governor Brown Appoints Dana Gioia as California Poet Laureate . 2024-08-07 . California Arts Council . en-US.
  42. Alexander, Otis. Montell Jordan (1968-). BlackPast. January 13, 2022. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/montell-jordan-1968/
  43. Terrance "TQ" Quaites. President. https://franchisesportsmedia.com/terrance-quaites/
  44. Web site: Sean Weston-Ottawa Renegades-2005205987.JPG Scott Grant Photography . 2024-08-07 . www.imagecommunications.ca.
  45. Web site: Dermody . Tim . 1989-04-13 . Spiker Coach Has Way of Serving Surprises . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  46. Web site: 2020-08-29 . Retired volleyball coach looks forward to getting back in the Mira Costa classroom . 2024-08-07 . Daily Breeze . en-US.
  47. Web site: Gardena Serra basketball Coach Dwan Hurt has died. November 25, 2016. Los Angeles Times.
  48. Web site: Dwan Hurt, 1963-2016: Serra basketball coach molded athletes into men. November 29, 2016.
  49. Web site: Brian Quinn (2000) - Hall of Fame . 2024-08-07 . Loyola Marymount University Athletics . en.
  50. Web site: Wakelee-Lynch . Joseph . 2018-05-22 . A Conversation With Brian Quinn '63 . 2024-08-07 . LMU Magazine . en-US.
  51. Web site: Dabbs . Samantha . 2010-09-08 . Athletic Director Brian Quinn Stays Positive . 2024-08-07 . Daily Titan . en.
  52. Web site: Plank . Duane . 1993-06-17 . Last Chance for Glory : Despite Long Odds and an Abundance of Competition, Football Players Chase Their Dream Job at Scout Camp . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  53. Web site: 1986-08-20 . Former USC Linebacker Keith Biggers Cut by Indianapolis as Teams Trim Rosters . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  54. Web site: Keith Biggers Pro Football Stats, Position, College, Transactions. www.profootballarchives.com.
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  56. Web site: Dead Football League · The Hawaiians (WFL 1974-1975) · 1975 Roster . 2024-08-07 . deadfootball.com . en.
  57. Web site: R. Chad Dreier - Loyola Marymount University . 2024-08-07 . www.lmu.edu . en.
  58. Web site: Hail and Farewell to R. Chad Dreier . 2024-08-07.
  59. Web site: Michaud . Anne . 1990-10-01 . GARY LIEBL : It's Lonely, Risky at the Top : CEO Coach Helps Directors Play Game Fairly and Win . 2024-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  60. Web site: 2011-07-15 . Plastics News - Memorial service held for blow molder Melville . 2024-08-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715092837/http://plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?id=19576 . 2011-07-15 .
  61. News: Heath . Thomas . 2023-05-20 . Profit is more than just a term for this investment adviser . 2024-08-07 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  62. News: Janofsky . Michael . 1983-05-02 . RAIDERS MAY SEEK FURTHER LITIGATION . 2024-08-07 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  63. Web site: LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL, ETC. v. Nat. Football League, 519 F. Supp. 581 (C.D. Cal. 1981) . 2024-08-07 . Justia Law . en.
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