Oak Park High School (California)
Oak Park High School (abbreviated OPHS) is the main high school in the Oak Park Unified School District, taking ninth through twelfth grade students. It is a National Blue Ribbon School and a 2019 California Distinguished School and OPHS received and Exemplary Distinction Award from the California of Education for its Career and Technical Education program which includes career pathways in Engineering Design, Media Arts, Production Management, and construction technologies. The 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) was 929, which is among the highest in California. In 2015 the school was awarded the California Gold Ribbon School Award from the California Department of Education. The 2016 Newsweek Ranking of America's Top Schools ranked Oak Park High as #51 in the nation and #7 in CA.[2]
Oak Park High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
899 North Kanan Road , | |
Information | |
Type | Public Secondary |
Established | 1978 |
School district | Oak Park Unified |
Principal | Kevin Buchanan |
Assistant Principal | Natalie Smith |
Assistant Principal | Jason Meskis |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,518 (2017-18)[1] |
Student Union/Association | None |
Color(s) | Black, White, and Gold |
Athletics conference | Coastal Canyon League |
Mascot | Eagles |
Nickname | OPHS |
Rival | Agoura High School |
Accreditation | WASC |
National ranking | 51 |
Newspaper | Oak Park Talon |
Affiliation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) |
Website | http://www.oakparkusd.org/ophs/site/default.asp |
History
As the construction of subdivisions proceeded in Oak Park during the 1970s and the population increased, schooling arrangements became increasingly frustrating for residents. Students had to be bused to high schools in Simi Valley, 23 miles away by road, and back again each day, despite the fact that schools of the nearby Las Virgenes Unified School District stood in proximity. With Oak Park lying in Ventura County, California and Las Virgenes in Los Angeles County, though, Oak Park students were not allowed to attend.
Seeking to deal with the problem, Oak Park residents petitioned for annexation to Las Virgenes but were rejected in 1974. In 1977, they created the Oak Park Unified School District and broke ground for the high school in 1978. Students were housed in trailers from 1979 to 1980 until the school began admitting students at its present site in 1981. It functioned as both middle and high school until 1992, when nearby Medea Creek Middle School began educating sixth through eighth-grade students.
Campus expansion has continued in recent years with the addition of a library, a performing arts center, an updated gym including a new floor, a new rubberized track, a turf football field, a stadium sound system, science labs, a student services building, modernized art classrooms, and computer labs. Additional work, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improved access to the baseball and softball fields. Five drinking fountains were installed in the summer of 2013.
Academics
In 2016, Oak Park's AP program placed it at 51st in Newsweek's Top High Schools.[3].
School facilities
Oak Park High School added a two-story bungalow-style set of classrooms in 2005. The school has a pavilion building that houses a large theater stage, several classrooms, high-ceiling band, choir rooms with acoustic paneling, and a solar array as shade structures in the school's lunch and parking areas. OPHS received the California Distinguished School Award in 2019 with special distinction for its Exemplary Career and Technical Arts pathways. School modernization was completed in 2015, and the projects completed include modernized classrooms including science labs, student services building, gym, turf field, and Arts and Technology building (summer of 2013). Over 95% of classrooms are equipped with SmartBoards. In the school year of 2019-20 OPHS implemented a one-to one Chromebook program school wide with ubiquitous WiFi and unlimited student access to Google Apps for Education.
Sports
For all sports at Oak Park High School competes in the Coastal Canyon League.
Notable alumni
- Benjamin Benditson
- Britt Marie Hermes (née Deegan), blogger
- Travis Johnson
- Danielle Kang
- Samuel J. Levine
- Alexa Micek
- Zack Thornton, baseball pitcher
- Aricca Vitanza
- Catiana Vitanza
- Curran Walters
- Brooke Candy, rapper
The following graduated from Oak Park Independent School:
- China Anne McClain
- Peyton List
- Spencer List
- Zendaya
- Gabby Douglas
- Olivia Holt
- Austin North
- Jace Norman
- Landry Bender
- Cameron Boyce
- Karan Brar
- Rico Rodriguez
- Joshua Rush
- Kayla Maisonet
- Luke Mullen
- Emma Kenney
- Sophie Reynolds
- Ricardo Hurtado
- Bradley Steven Perry
- Ethan Cutkosky
- Griffin Gluck
- Zachary Gordon
- Soni Nicole Bringas
Notable current and former teachers
References
General references
- Pool, Bob (April 2, 2006). "Rebuffed, Then Polished". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2006-04-09.
Inline citations
- "Oak Park High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2016-08-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "The Daily Beast - America's best high Schools". Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.