Canoga Park High School is a high school located in

Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...

in the western

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

region of the City of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is in the

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

. It is located at the start of the

Los Angeles River , name_etymology = , image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg , image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge , image_size = 300 , map = LARmap.jpg , map_size ...

, and adjacent to

Topanga Canyon Boulevard State Route 27, commonly known by its street name Topanga Canyon Boulevard (), is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from the Pacific Coast Highway ( California State Route 1) at Topanga State Beach near Pacific Palisades ...

to the west and Owensmouth Avenue to the east. Canoga Park High serves the majority of the Canoga Park area of Los Angeles, and parts of the Winnetka area.

Geography

To the north and south Bell Creek and

Arroyo Calabasas Arroyo Calabasas (also known as Calabasas Creek) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 16, 2011 tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the southwestern San Fernando ...

(Calabasas Creek) flow around the campus to join on the east side behind the stadium and become the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the

. The creeks and river were channelized in the 1940s, but still support wildlife.

History

Canoga Park is the oldest high school in the west San Fernando Valley. It opened on October 4, 1914, as Owensmouth High School, with 14 students and 3 teachers. The high school's buildings were in the Beaux-Arts Neoclassical

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

, unusual for a small town two years old. The school's name was changed in 1931, after the community of

Owensmouth Owensmouth, California, was a town founded in 1912 in the western part of the San Fernando Valley. Owensmouth joined the city of Los Angeles in 1917, and was renamed Canoga Park on March 1, 1931. Owensmouth was named for the 1913 Owens River a ...

changed its name to

. Among the school's features are a

coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

grove planted in 1936 just north of the football field. A classic Greek outdoor theater was part of the school in early years. For 40 years, the Greek styled 100 Building was the pride of Canoga Park. It housed the school library and administrative offices, and was a well-known community landmark. In 1971, the building suffered severe damage in the Sylmar earthquake and it was condemned and demolished in the summer of 1975. The demolished 100 and 200 buildings were replaced with new facilities that opened in March 1978. The Assembly Hall was built during the Great Depression by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works and completed in 1939. It survived the 1971 earthquake and is in use today. It is identified in the California Register of Historic Resources as historically significant. The movie ''

Fast Times at Ridgemont High ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story' ...

'' was partially filmed at Canoga Park High School.

Magnets

Canoga Park High School's two magnets are Communication, Arts & Media (CAM) and Engineering, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences (EEVS), which were redesigned for the 2017-2018 school year. The CAM Magnet has sequential courses designed to promote careers in digital media and arts, communication technology, and programming and coding. It features a new $5 million studio complex with state-of-the-art equipment, offering students courses in photography, video production, video game and app design, computer programming, graphic arts and advertising and public relations. The EEVS Magnet has sequential courses designed to promote careers in engineering, architecture, green technology, veterinary science, agriculture and sustainable farming, social ecology, building trades engineering, veterinary and environmental science. It features a $1 million renovation project to transform an old shop classroom into an engineering design studio with 3D printing and computer design capabilities, and provide a home for the new building trades multi-core curriculum.

Robotics

Canoga Park High School boasts a successful FIRST Tech Challenge team. Having won second place in regionals during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 competition years, the team has won various awards for their efforts. The team has started two additional robotics

FIRST LEGO League The ''FIRST'' LEGO League Challenge (formerly known as ''FIRST'' LEGO League) is an international competition organized by '' FIRST'' for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14 in the United States and Canada, 9–16 elsewhere). Each ...

clubs in neighboring schools such as Hale Middle School and Sutter Middle School, but also hopes to start an additional club in Columbus Middle School. The high school's robotics team competes in

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

as of the 2010–2011 years and FIRST Tech Challenge.

Sports

Canoga Park High School fields teams for boys and girls in football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf, track & field, cross country, water polo, swimming and wrestling. The teams have won CIF Championships in sports, including football, basketball, track & field, soccer, volleyball, cross country and tennis. The school has had several successful individual athletes. The school has a marching band, cheerleading, dance and drill teams.

Notable alumni

* Thomas Frattali , Sr. VP of Gelson's Supermarket '76 *

LaVar Ball LaVar Christopher Ball (born October 23, 1967) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand and founder of the now defunct Junior Basketball Association (JBA ...

, former basketball player (and football player), businessman, reality TV star *

Barney Burman Barney Burman is an American makeup artist and character actor. He was part of the team that won an Academy Award in 2009 for Best Make-up, on the film '' Star Trek''. Career After being introduced to Hollywood make-up through his parents, Burman ...

, Academy Award-winning makeup artist *

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...

'74, actor * Lloyd G. Davies, Los Angeles City Council member, 1943–51 *

Jackie Earle Haley Jack Earle Haley (born July 14, 1961) is an American actor and director. His earliest roles included Moocher in ''Breaking Away'' (1979) and Kelly Leak in ''The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training'' (1977) and ''The ...

, actor * Will E. Jackson '63, Greenpeace co-founder and crew member, 1975; author of ''Once Upon a Greenpeace'', 2013 *

Keith Jardine Keith Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fight ...

, wrestler and football player; retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

, formerly for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

, and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

Lori Nelson Dixie Kay Nelson (August 15, 1933August 23, 2020), known professionally as Lori Nelson, was an American actress and model mostly active in the 1950s and early 1960s. She had roles in the TV series ''How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series), How to ...

, actress *

Lyn Nofziger Franklyn Curran "Lyn" Nofziger (June 8, 1924 – March 27, 2006) was an American journalist, conservative Republican political consultant and author. He served as press secretary in Ronald Reagan's administration as Governor of California, ...

'42, journalist and aide to U.S. presidents

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Canoga Park High School Alumni Stories
/ref> * Royal F. Oakes, radio talk show host and attorney *

Jacqueline Obradors Jacqueline Danell Obradors (born October 6, 1966) is an American actress. She has appeared in films such as ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' (1998), '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' (1999), ''Tortilla Soup'' (2001), '' A Man Apart'' (2003) and '' Unstop ...

, actress *

Biff Pocoroba Biff Benedict Pocoroba (July 25, 1953May 24, 2020) was an American baseball catcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played his entire career for the Atlanta Braves from 1975 to 1984. Although his primary position was ca ...

, Major League Baseball player; made the National League All-Star team in 1978 * Sean Reyes '89, Attorney General for the State of Utah * Byron Smith, NFL player *

Kurtwood Smith Kurtwood Larson Smith (born July 3, 1943) is an American television and film actor. He is known for playing Clarence Boddicker in ''RoboCop'' (1987), Robert Griggs in ''Rambo III'' (1988), and Red Forman in ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), as ...

, actor *

Robert M. Wilkinson Robert Melvin Wilkinson (April 11, 1921 – September 27, 2010) was a political figure and lobbyist in the San Fernando Valley in California. He was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1953 to 1957 and from 1967 to 1979. Biography Wi ...

(ca. 1921–2010), Los Angeles City Council member and lobbyist * Jon Zens '63, editor of ''Searching Together'' for 40 years, 1978–2018; author of many books

References

External links

*
CSUN-digital photo library
- Canoga High archive {{authority control Los Angeles Unified School District schools High schools in the San Fernando Valley High schools in Los Angeles Public high schools in California Educational institutions established in 1914 Canoga Park, Los Angeles 1914 establishments in California