Redondo Union High School


Redondo Union High School is a public high school in Redondo Beach, California.
Redondo Union High School is a part of the Redondo Beach Unified School District.
All residents of Redondo Beach are zoned to Redondo Union. In addition, residents of Hermosa Beach may choose to attend Redondo Union or Mira Costa High School of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District.
Since opening its doors in 1905, Redondo Union High School has developed into the second largest high school campus in the State of California, with an overall area of.
With a large teaching staff, RUHS is a comprehensive high school offering various curricula for college-bound students, as well as diversified career path and extracurricular programs.

History

Redondo Union High School was organized in the summer of 1905. The first classes were held in two upstairs rooms of the Masonic Building in Redondo Beach. In December of that same year, a site known as Old Chautauqua Place was selected as the location for the school.
Today, the spacious campus of more than extends from Pacific Coast Highway to Prospect Avenue. RUHS is said to be the second largest high school in the state and the third largest in the country.
With over 110 years of history, Redondo Union High School is rich with tradition. A few highlights follow.
1905: RUHS opens with one teacher and 10 pupils.
1906: School colors of red and white are chosen
1911: The tradition begins of passing the mantle to the junior with the highest academic ranking
1912: High school accredited
1915: The first Pilot is printed
1916: An open house is held for new buildings and the new auditorium
1920: The first issue of the High Tide is published
1923: The High Tide becomes one of the only high school newspapers in the nation to be published weekly
1929: The Alma Mater is written by Charlotte E. Cheney, ’26
1939: The Science Building is dedicated
1952: The campus is expanded with the addition of many new classroom buildings
1972 The new auditorium is completed
1980: Redondo Union High School celebrates its 75th anniversary with an all-alumni event at the Seaside Lagoon
1983: Redondo Union High School absorbs students from Aviation High School which is closed due to budgetary constraints
1988: RUHS is named a California Distinguished School
1989: RUHS is named a National Exemplary School
1995: The Redondo Union High School Alumni Association is formed
1996: For the second time in a decade RUHS is named a California Distinguished School
1997: The RUHS Alumni Walk is constructed and dedicated
2000: Redondo Union High School celebrates its 95th anniversary with an all-alumni event at the Seaside Lagoon; Girls’ golf team wins CIF Championship
2001: Beach Cities robotics team wins National Championship. Boys basketball team wins CIF Championship.
2002: RUHS boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both win CIF Division II-A Championships; girls’ team advances to the state finals in Sacramento
2004: RUHS Boys' Tennis win CIF Division IV Tennis Championships
2005: Redondo Union High School begins a year-long celebration of its 100 years of history from 1905 to 2005
2006: Girls' volleyball team upsets rival Mira Costa High School in the CIF division 1-AA championships.
2007: Redondo Union High School's One Hundredth Class Graduates
2009: Academic Decathlon goes to the California State Competition
2010: Beach Cities robotics team wins World Championship
2010: RUHS Girls' basketball team wins CIF
2011: Redondo Union Girls' Cross Country rank 10th in the nation at Nike Cross Nationals
2012: Academic Decathlon goes to the California State Competition and sets a new school record.
2013: RUHS Boys' Basketball defeats College Park to win the Division II CIF State Championship.
2014: Amber Gore wins Cross Country Division II CIF State Championship
2014: Girls' Volleyball wins state open division title
2015: Girls' Basketball wins a CIF-SS Division 2 title
2015: Boys' Baseball wins first CIF title in Division III to mark 100 years of Sea Hawk Baseball
2015: Girls' Volleyball repeats as CIF State Champions
2015: RUHS Marching Band & Guard wins first place in CSBC in Division 4A for their show "Above and Beyond"
2016: Boys' Baseball repeats CIF title in Division III
2018: Girls Basketball wins state Division II title
2019: Girls Volleyball wins the CIF State Championship
2019: Model United Nations wins 1st place at the National High School Model United Nations Conference in New York City
2020: The school is temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sea Hawk Programs and Highlights

Advanced courses

Redondo offers Advanced Placement classes in
Redondo offers honors courses in Biology, Chemistry, and English.

Awards

The journalism program is one of the best in the United States, and has been by far the strongest in the area for two decades. The newspaper, High Tide, and the yearbook, The Pilot, have been winning Gold and Silver Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and Pacemakers from the National Scholastic Press Association.
In Newsweek's The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools article in 2006, Redondo was listed as number 687. In 2007 Redondo was ranked 465th. In 2009 Redondo was ranked 738th. . In 2010, Redondo was ranked as #799 /
RUHS is the only school in the South Bay to have a fully functioning Industrial Technology Department where students can enroll in Construction Technology, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Media Arts, Web Design, and Introduction to Engineering Design.
RUHS's Beach Cities Robotics team has won over 40 awards including the world championship in 2001 and again another in 2010 against thousands of teams.
Redondo's Academic Decathlon Team placed seventh out of 56 schools in the 2008 competition. The team received 18 medals and the gold plaque for most improved. That same year they went to State for the first time in RUHS history, also winning a significant number of medals. In 1995, the school placed fifth, its highest placement to date.

College and Career Center

The College and Career Center aims to provide students with the most up to date and comprehensive collection of information regarding career, education, financial aid, and scholarship information.

Scholastic information

Advanced Placement classes and Honors classes are weighted at RUHS. Class ranking reflects the student's total weighted grade point average.
In the second semester of the 2007-2008 school year, RUHS began the switch from the SASI computer grading system to Infinite Campus, an internet-based student tracking system. However, the system was not fully implemented until the 2008-2009 school year.

Clubs

There are currently 97 clubs on campus.
Service
Recreational
Extracurricular
Awareness

Fall Sports

Beach Cities Robotics

The robotics club at Mira Costa High School works with Redondo Union High School as well as other southern California schools to create the Beach Cities Robotics club. The club participates in the organization FIRST , a nationwide organization that fosters the advancement of science and technology through several different programs for all grade levels holding robotic competitions year round internationally. During the main event, FIRST FRC competition, the team has six weeks to design, build, and test a robot according to a challenge that changes each year. Students participating in the robotics club will gain knowledge in engineering, physics, math, programming, public relations, teamwork, and many other skills.
Beach Cities Robotics has won numerous awards since starting in 1997 and won 1st place at the international finals in 2001 against over 1000 other teams. Other awards include Engineering Inspiration Award at the Arizona Regional Competition in 2003, the Regional Chairman's Award at the Southern California Regional Competition in 2004, and the Engineering Inspiration Award at the Southern California Regional Competition in 2005. In 2010, the team won the World Championships, in Saint Louis, Missouri. As well as, winning the Los Angeles Regional Competition in 2014, which is 2nd largest robotics competition in the state of California.

Band program

Every fall the Sea Hawk Band and Guard competes in field show competitions. In the Spring the RUHS Jazz Ensemble competes in festivals at Royal High School, Mayfair High School, and Westlake High School.
In 2005, RUHS took in a new band called the RUHS Wind Ensemble for advanced players.
In the 2010 Marching Band season, the band took 1st place in the Southern California Judging Association Championships in Division 3A. The RUHS marching band qualified for the SCSBOA Championships this past 2010 season and received 10th place out of 12 other marching bands.
During the 2011 season, the RUHS Percussion line competed in its first ever DAC competition. The Percussion line placed 5th out of 7 other percussion lines and placed 5th again out of 14 other percussion lines overall.
The theme for the 2012 year was called "Variations on a Korean Folk Song" arranged by Mike Lloyd. The original composition is by John Barnes Chance.
In the 2013 season, the marching band performed "Carmen" composed by Georges Bizet.
For the 2014 concert season, the band is playing selections from Aaron Copland's "Simple Gifts." For their 2014 field production, the band performed an original show designed by their new director titled "007 Legacy". In the 2014 season, the band made it to semi-finals in which they placed 12th in SCJA.
In the 2015 season, their show entitled "Above and Beyond". The band took their show to semi-finals in which they placed 2nd and then to championships which they were crowned Division 4A Champions in the SCJA circuit. The Band and Dance Guard were honored by the city of Redondo Beach on January 19, 2016, with a special parade to city hall resulting in the city call that date, Redondo Union High School Marching Band and Guard DAY.
In the 2016 season, the band and guard performed "The Insanity of an Imaginary World", a steampunk takes on the classic Alice in Wonderland. The band placed 2nd in the CSBC Division 4A Championships, continuing on to the CSBC Grand Championships, where they became the 2016 CSBC Bronze Medalists.
In March 2017 the concert band and wind ensemble traveled to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall. The band's current director is Ray Vizcarra.
In the 2017 season, the Seahawk Marching Band and Guard made waves with the performance of their field show Atlantis. They made it to the CSBC Grand Championships, moving on to a spellbinding night premiere. Redondo then placed in the top five at fifth place. Despite not making it into the top three, the win was something of an accomplishment after the rough seasons before 2015.
In the 2018 season, the marching band performed their show titled, "Pure Imagination," which ended up placing 5th in CSBC Division 6A, and did not advance to the CSBC Grand Championships.
In 2019, the marching band rebounded with their production titled, "Savage," which ended up finishing 3rd in CSBC Division 5A, and went on to finish 4th in CSBC Grand Championships.

Theatre program

Every year at Redondo the Theatre Art Department puts on several productions, including a spring musical. Past productions include: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Ninth Guest, Anything Goes, 12 Angry Jurors, The Iliad and The Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less, Seussical, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Cabaret, MacBeth, Thoroughly Modern Millie, A Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast, The Dining Room, an adaptation of High School Musical, Shrek, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Letters to Sala, and Crazy for You.

Facilities

Sports

Film