Will C. Crawford High School, also known as Crawford High School and formerly Crawford Educational Complex, is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in the El Cerrito neighborhood of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

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. In the fall of 2012, the school was reorganized as a traditional school with one principal and two vice principals, and returned to its original name, Will C. Crawford High School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,119 students and 48.54 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 23:05:1. There were 931 students (20.19% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 81 (7.24% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. It is part of the

San Diego Unified School District San Diego Unified School District (formerly known as San Diego City Schools) is the school district based in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1854. As of 2005 it represents over 200 institutions and has over 15,800 employee ...

. Erected in 1957 and dedicated in 1958, it is a comprehensive school serving 1,500 students in grades 9–12.

History

Naming

The school was named after Dr. Will C. Crawford, Superintendent of the San Diego Unified Schools from 1934 to 1954. It was officially opened during a dedication ceremony on April 27, 1958.

Mascot and Colors

In 1957, the incoming Horace Mann Junior High School graduating 9th grade class and transfer students from Hoover High School formed the 10th and 11th grade classes (at the time, the school was 10th through 12th grade). There was no 12th grade the first year. The entire student body of Crawford High School decided on the school colors and mascot. Crimson, white and blue were chosen. The mascot was chosen in line with Dr. Crawford's other career as an Air Force pilot; the student body voted for it to be some kind of aircraft or bird. To keep with the rivalry with Hoover High School (whose mascot was the Cardinal), and because the yearbook was named ''Centaur'', it was decided that the mascot would be the Colt. The alma mater was later written, and the ''Pacer'' newspaper was founded.

Crawford Educational Complex

Crawford High School reopened in 2004 as the Crawford Educational Complex through a grant from the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...

. It consisted of four schools within a school: the School of Law and Business (LAB), Multimedia and Visual Arts School (MVAS), Invention and Design Educational Academy (IDEA) and the School of Community Health and Medical Practices (CHAMPs). The small schools were closed due to district budget cuts, and the school returned to a comprehensive campus in the fall of 2012.

50th anniversary

In the 2007–2008 school year, Crawford celebrated its 50th anniversary. The campus was repainted blue and crimson by the end of the school year. The automotive department was reopened and rededicated by State Superintendent of Instruction Jack O'Connell. The department achieved NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) certification on the one-year anniversary of its opening.

2010's

The school established a "restorative justice" program in 2014.Burks, Megan.
San Diego Campus Builds On School Discipline Reform With Wellness Center
" '' KPBS''. Friday August 21, 2015. Retrieved on May 18, 2016.

Reconstruction

In 2015,

announced a modernization project, with new athletic fields and improvements at Horace Mann Middle School & Will C. Crawford High School. The project began in the 2015–2016 school year.

Feeder schools

Public feeder schools include two middle schools and ten elementary schools. Middle schools: * Horace Mann Middle School *Monroe Clark Middle School Elementary schools: *Andrew Jackson Elementary School *Carver Elementary School *Euclid Elementary School *Hardy Elementary School *Henry Clay Elementary School *Herbert Ibarra Elementary School *John Marshall Elementary School *Mary Lanyon Fay Elementary School *Oak Park Elementary School *Rolando Park Elementary School

Curriculum

Crawford High consists of a 4x4 block schedule, which means that students are able to complete four full classes a semester (fall term and spring term) totaling eight full classes a year, rather than the traditional six year-long courses. This enables students to complete a full year's curriculum in a more condensed term, allowing them to enroll in additional electives or ROP courses.

Community service requirements

All students are required to complete 20 to 40 hours of community service a year. Opportunities for community service are available through on or off campus organizations, or students may complete this requirement independently. On-campus organizations include Division 11

Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club's goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. Key Club International is the hig ...

, a community service organization which recently returned to Crawford during the 2010–2011 school year; Peer Helping, the largest and most active service organization started by teacher Julie Reinhardt in the early 1990s; and Auroras, a senior honor society (requiring a GPA over 3.0) specializing in service, which has been on campus since the 1960s. Crawford boasts its own garden, and internships are available to current students. Off-campus organizations include the San Diego Asian Youth Organization and the East African Youth Organization, both based at the UPAC center. Community service requirements were put forth in an effort to boost college acceptances.

Centaur

''Centaur'' is Crawford's award-winning, nationally recognized

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

. It consistently takes best of class and places in the top two at the

San Diego County Fair The San Diego County Fair (formerly called the Del Mar Fair) is a county fair held every summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. The fair is a major draw for San Diego County residents; in recent years, attendance figures have ri ...

and other contests. A

centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...

is a Greek mythological creature that is half human and half horse. San Diego County Fair awards

Annual events

Crawford hosts many traditional annual events. The Welcome Back Dance is hosted at the beginning of the school year, and each year a new theme is chosen. Club Rush is held in the main quad every October to help encourage students to get involved in school clubs. Club booths are set up around the quad. Spirit Week is a tradition that is held week-long during mid-October. It holds over several events, the Homecoming Game, Homecoming Dance, School Spirit days throughout the week, and multiple rallies. The Harvest Festival is held on the Thursday one week from

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...

. The school clubs participate by selling food at booths. Music and dance are performed in the main quad. The Love Festival, similarly to the Harvest Festival, celebrates

Valentines Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

instead of Thanksgiving. The Talent Show is held in December and April to showcase students' talents. A dodgeball tournament between freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors is held at the end of every semester. Finalists take on the school staff. In celebration of Crawford's diversity, the International Affair event is held every May on the baseball field to remind students about their ethnic background and cultural spirit. Food booths, music and dance are included The seniors take on the teachers in a basketball game held a couple of days before graduation. A barbeque dedicated to the seniors is held on the same day as the yearbook signing party.

Class colors

Freshmen (Class of 2022) -

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Sophomores (Class of 2021) -

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

Juniors (Class of 2020) -

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

Seniors (Class of 2019) -

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

School colors - crimson, white, blue

Student clubs

Sports

Crawford's main rival is the neighboring Hoover Cardinals located west on El Cajon Boulevard. Other significant rivals include the

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first an ...

Patriots,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

Hornets and

Helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helices, ...

Scotties.

CIF Championships

Notable alumni

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, TV news anchor * Stephen Bishop, singer, songwriter *

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(musician), bass player (

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...) * Tim Blackwell, former professional baseball player (

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) *

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, former

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, four-time All-Star * Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, former Bishop of Oakland * Dave Duncan, Major League Baseball player (

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

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) * Joan Embery, wildlife and environment preservationist *

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, former professional baseball player (

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, Montreal Expos,

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) *

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, former professional baseball player (

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, Montreal Expos) * Sherri Lightner, San Diego City council member *

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, actress *

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, artist, author, and illustrator *

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, former professional baseball player (Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers,

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, Oakland Athletics) *

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, professional player, National Football League *

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, former professional baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics) *

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, songwriter, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Eagles * Malcolm Thomas, professional basketball player for

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, journalist, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Lloyd's List *

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Alma mater

All hail Crawford High School,
Crimson, white and blue,
Loyalty and honor
We will pledge to you,
Our banner's always waving,
Crowned with victory,
All hail Crawford High School,
We will be true to thee!

References

External links

Crawford High School

Crawford High School Alumni Association

Crawford ColtsSan Diego Unified School DistrictSchool Data for the West Morris Regional High School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Will C. High School High schools in San Diego Public high schools in California 1957 establishments in California