Northwood High School (Irvine, California)

Northwood High School is a public high school located in the northernmost part of Irvine, CA, USA. It opened in 1999 but the first graduating class did not graduate until 2002. In 2016, Northwood was ranked 25 nationally in Newsweek's list of top public high schools.^[1]

Academics

The school operates on an alternating block schedule, in which students attend odd-period classes (1, 3, 5, and 7) on one day and even-period classes (2, 4, 6, and 8) the following day. Classes are 90 minutes long and meet for either 18 weeks (semester) or 36 weeks (year-long). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students attend a tutorial session, which lasts for 40 minutes between the first and second classes of the day, and can be used at the students' discretion. Most students opt to finish homework or meet with teachers for help. Every Wednesday is designated a "late-start," in which classes start an hour later than the regular schedule. All students, with the exception of seniors, are required to take a minimum of six classes per semester.^[2] Seniors are required to enroll in a minimum of five classes for the fall semester and four for the spring.

Every year, dozens of Northwood students receive prestigious academic awards, such as scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Program, and the school consistently sends a large number of students to nationally acclaimed universities, including Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, NYU, UC Berkeley, UCLA, the Ivy League schools, as well as many other UC and CSU campuses. In 2005, 2009, and 2012, the school was recognized as a California Distinguished School^[3] and in 2006 was also named a Blue Ribbon School.^[4] Many students participate in highly merited academic teams such as Speech and Debate, Model United Nations (MUN), and Science Olympiad, all of which have won state-level competitions. The school also has a video production class that has won awards such as best short film at the 2007 STN convention.

Location and layout

Northwood High School sits in a narrow valley in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, and was surrounded by working avocado groves at its founding. Currently, the surrounding land is now Orchard Hills, a residential community extending north from the existing community of Northwood Pointe. Northwood High School's site had been designated for a high school from the very beginning as part of the Irvine Company's master plan, which was drafted in 1960. Due to the school's location, it was almost destroyed by the Santiago Fire in October, 2007, however, it is unlikely to be threatened by wildfires anymore because of the housing developments being built around it.

The school was one of the last major projects by architect William Blurock, designed in an angular, stucco-covered style evoking the work of Ricardo Legorreta. The campus and its structures follow a radial plan, strictly conformed to imaginary lines and concentric circles emanating from a central point, marked by a very large Coast Live Oak. The tree, which was removed and transported from the nearby hills at a reputed cost of $10,000, in effect became the schools "second mascot". Students simply refer to the courtyard area around this oak tree as "The Oak." It is a popular gathering place before and after school, as well as breaks and lunchtime. The school won numerous awards for its design within the first four years of its existence.

In 2002, the names of the school's first graduating class were engraved in bricks which now surround the Oak. In 2005, the swimming pool complex was built in what had been the lower half of the school's parking lot. Subsequently, a great deal of landscaping at the rear of the campus was paved over to compensate for the lost parking capacity. Wolf Trail Road was connected to the campus in 2007, greatly improving traffic circulation, as the only prior road access had been from Yale Avenue. Additionally, due to California's dry weather, the grass surrounding the oak was replaced with fake grass.

Despite the confusing layout of the school, the school is accredited to being one of the prettiest schools—almost looking like a college campus.

Student activities

Northwood's highly involved students are given opportunities to run and operate their own organizations. A list of these activities include: The Northwood Howler (newspaper), NHS Element (yearbook), and Northwood Television (NTV), the Academic Decathlon, Red Cross Club, Make-A-Wish Club, Junior State of America, Key Club, Otter Club, Odyssey of the Mind, Speech and Debate, South Asian Student Association, the Associated Student Body (the NHS school government), and Comedysportz. Northwood also has very distinguished Fine Arts Program that features 8 bands, 4 orchestras, 6 chorus ensembles - Treble Clef, Bass Clef, Bel Canto, Concert Chorale, Viva Cantar, and Chamber, several dance groups, and a theater program that presents three plays each year. Its orchestras, bands, and choruses tour on a biannual basis. The Fine Arts program comes together each year to produce the annual musical, which often is generally an impressive production. Past musicals have included: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan, The Music Man, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Into the Woods, Holes and in recent years, Shrek: The Musical and The Drowsy Chaperone. The music program has also received the prestigious Grammy Signature School award multiple times, the latest in 2015.

Also in 2006, Northwood Marching Band has won 1st in 5A division at The Huntington Beach High School Surf City Open with their field show called "Fantasmic". They also won the Concessional Sweepstakes, best percussion, visual and auxiliary in their 5A division. Their 2007 Field Show was called "A Night At the Movies" with selections from Tommy, Moulin Rouge, and The Chronicles Of Narnia. In 2008, The Northwood Marching Band has won 1st in 5A division at the Newport Beach Open. They also won Best Drum Major, Best Percussion, and Best General Effects. Their show was called "That 70's Field Show." Every year, the "Tireless Teacher Award" is given to the teacher who is deemed the best through a vote through the students.

The Odyssey of the Mind club has participated at the national TSA TEAMS competition and worn awards in 2016 and 2017.

Northwood's Speech and Debate team has won the title of #1 Speech and Debate Team in Orange County, sending dozens of students to the California High School Speech Association Championship tournaments every year. Students compete in speech events such as OA (Original Advocacy), OO (Original Oratory), OI (Oratorical Interpretation), and many others. The team's debate program has also been largely successful participating in PoFo (Public Forum), Parli (Parliamentary), LD (Lincoln-Douglas), Congress, and recently Policy. In 2018, Northwood’s Manav Manivannan and William Choi won the title of State Runner-Up Champions at the California High School Speech Association Championships.

Also in 2018, Northwood’s Boys Swim Team took home the title of CIF and State Champions this past year at the CIF and State Meets, both a first in Northwood history.

Notable alumni

Benny Feilhaber

• Steve Birnbaum, Major League Soccer player
• Benny Feilhaber, U.S. Men's National Soccer Team midfielder
• Bethan Knights, British-American long-distance runner
• Zack Weiss (born 1992), Major League Baseball player
• Tabitha Yim, U.S. Women's National Gymnastics team member
• Young the Giant, American rock band

References

External links

• Official website
• Northwood athletic websites
• The Northwood Television Show
• The Howler Online student Newspaper