Clovis High School (Clovis, California)


Clovis High School is a four-year high school founded in 1899. The school's current campus, located at 1055 Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California, opened in 1969.

History

From the book, Images of an Age: "Community members tried unsuccessfully to form a high school district as early as 1889. At the time, families sent their sons to Santa Clara or Stockton to schools beyond eighth grade. Daughters went to San Jose, if they went at all. Then, on June 6, 1899, Lee Beal, a Jefferson Colony Farmer, and John Rutledge, a Clovis millman, led seven school districts to join in formation of one high school district. Each of the seven elected one trustee to the board. The school was named Clovis High School, although it was the union of Red Banks, Jefferson Colony, Garfield Colony, Mississippi Settlement, Wolters Colony, Temperance Colony, and Clovis.
Seventeen high school students enrolled in classes at the Clovis school. Louis K. Webb, principal and teacher, received $120 per month. Estelle Kellogg joined the staff in September. Two students, Emory Reyburn and R.E.L. Browne, graduated in the first class of 1902. A separate Clovis High School was financed by bonds in 1903, east of the railroad track between Fourth and Fifth Streets. It was replaced in 1918."
In 1920, Clovis High School moved into new facilities on Fifth Street built by William Weeks. The High School remained in that building until 1969, when it moved to its current facilities on Fowler Avenue. The building on Fifth Street gradually fell into a state of disrepair, despite its historical significance for the Clovis Community. This unique building had churrigueresque arches which were patterned after the detailed baroque architecture of Spain in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These arches were taken down by State mandate after the 1952 Kern County earthquake for safety reasons. In 1995, San Joaquin College of Law met with city leaders and negotiated a deal to bring the Law School, which was founded in 1969, to Clovis from its Fresno site. This resulted in a multimillion-dollar renovation which not only preserved the historic exterior of the building, but also preserved and reclaimed many of its unique and historic interior features.

Statistics

In the 2006–07 school year, Clovis High School had an enrollment of 2,518, which has probably increased, and an average class size between 22 and 33 people.
The graduation rate in 2005–06 was 94.4%.

Campus and facilities

The current Clovis High campus opened in 1969. Clovis High has a library media center, choir and lecture halls, and a drama room built like a small black-box theater.
Clovis High School has two gymnasiums, tennis courts, an aquatics center, baseball field, and Lamonica Stadium, which is shared with Clovis East High School.
Clovis High's Aquatics Center was dedicated to former coach and teacher Jim Coiner on November 5, 2008.
Clovis High School's facilities are 47 years old. When asked to grade how well the buildings and grounds are maintained at their child's school, 78% of parents rated the grounds as “good” to “excellent”.
The campus is relatively technologically advanced, with a total of 349 computers, not all of which are available to students, and 121 classrooms with internet.
Recently, CHS was awarded a Career Technical Grant to create a construction careers pathway and new facilities.

Staff

The current principal at Clovis High School is Stephanie Hanks.

Academics

Clovis High School offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, as well as a variety of core and elective classes.

Athletics

Clovis High School is a part of the TRAC, or Tri-River Athletic Conference
-Girls water polo has won 4 Valley titles, with the most recent coming in 2015. Meanwhile, the boys water polo team has won 3 section championships.
-Baseball Central Section championship years include 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2014, 2017 and 2019. National Championships include 1997 and 1998. The baseball team was also named California Team of the Year in 1997, 1998, and 2014. Baseball coach James Patrick celebrated his 500th career coaching win in 2008, as well as going 33-5 in 2014 and winning the CIF D-I Team of the Year.
-Softball has won eight Valley titles, with the most recent in 2017.
-Football coach, Rich Hammond of Gilroy High, was hired in March 2009 to replace Jerry Campbell, who went a combined 2-19 in 2007 and 2008. The Cougs only faired a little better under Hammond's first term, going 3-7. Since 2010, Clovis has gone 77-34, racking up three TRAC titles and a section runner-up under Coach Hammond. 2019 will be Hammond's 11th season as head coach.
League championship or co-championship years: 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2011, 2012, and 2015.
Central Section championship years: 1970, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1991, 1997, 1999, and 2002 with Clovis High being section runner-up in 1985, 1987, 1992, 1996, 2001 and 2015.
Fresno High School alumnus Tim Simons joined the Clovis High coaching staff as an assistant in 1967 before becoming head coach in 1976. Simons led the Cougars to five section titles between 1979 and 1999. With the exception of a few, the nucleus of Coach Simons' coaching staff remained together throughout his tenure, with 20-year Assistant Coach Larry Kellom succeeding him after the 1999 season. Kellom led Clovis to a section title in 2002 and a section runner-up in 2001 before resigning after the 2006 season.
Alumni who play or did play in the NFL include Daryle Lamonica Keith Poole, Damon Andrew Thomas, Stephen Spach, Tyler Clutts, and Zach Follett.
-CHS wrestling is all well known with its astonishing 3 NCAA individual champions, 10 NCAA All-Americans, 32 individual state champions, 110 "Valley" champions, 13 CIF State championships, 24 Central Section championships, and 31 conference championships.
Clovis High Wrestling championships by the years:
Conference: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980,1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Central Section : 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
State: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Clovis High wrestling broke the CIF State record in 2012 by scoring 256.5 team points and having 10 medalists. They also had 13 qualifiers, 4 finalists, and 2 individual state champions. CHS broke their previous record, set in 2012, this year with 14 qualifiers, 276.5 points, 10 placers, 6 finalists, and 3 individual state champions. The Cougars placed every wrestler in the lineup from 138-285, with the last 5 coming as finalists. 8 of the 10 medal winners were 3rd place or higher. All 14 wrestlers won matches and contributed to the 58-18 record over the two-day event, including 35 bonus point victories.
-Boys soccer claimed their second Central Section title in school history after defeating Clovis North 3-1 in the 2017 Central Section D-I Final. Their first title came in 1995.
-Girls soccer has won 11 league titles as of 2017, and one Valley championship that was won in 1999.
-Boys tennis won a valley championship in 1983.

Extracurricular and co-curricular activities

Clovis High students participate in a number of co-curricular activities, such as Science Fair, Science Olympiad, History Day, Forensics, Academic Decathlon, and Mock Trial.
CHS also has a number of clubs. The majority of Clovis High's clubs meet rarely; however, among those extracurricularly active are the Interact Club, the Ecology club, and a number of others.
Clovis High also has an award-winning drama department, a dance repertory, and an active student leadership program.
Clovis High has multiple orchestras, two jazz bands, multiple concert bands, an indoor percussion ensemble, and a marching band. In 1983, the marching band traveled to Whitewater, Wisconsin and won second place in the Bands of America Grand National Championship, missing first place in the nation by only one-tenth of a point. The band also traveled to Washington, DC for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in 1977, and was one of only two high school bands chosen to march in Ronald Reagan's inaugural parade in January 1981. The marching band also performed in the 1984 Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2015 and 2016, the Clovis High Indoor Percussion Ensemble traveled to Dayton, Ohio to participate in the Winter Guard International World Championships. Clovis High also has numerous choirs.
Clovis High's Odyssey of the Mind team won 6th place in the world competition in 1989 and in 2002 won 10th place in the Destination Imagination in the Global Competition.

Honors

The Cougar's Growl, Clovis High's student-produced newspaper, comes out eight times a year, and has won the International First Place Award in the Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluation, 2007–2008.
The Cavalcade is Clovis High School's student-produced yearbook, and has existed for almost 100 years.

Notable alumni