Patrick Henry High School is a four-year

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

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 ...

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. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is attended by students residing in

Del Cerro Del Cerro (Spanish for "of the hill") is a hilly residential neighborhood of approximately 2,300 residents in the eastern part of San Diego, California. Del Cerro borders the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, College Area, Grantville, a ...

, San Carlos,

Allied Gardens Allied Gardens is a residential neighborhood in the eastern Navajo community of San Diego, California. It neighbors San Carlos to the east, Del Cerro to the south, the College Area to the southeast and Grantville to the southwest. History Alli ...

, Mission Valley and the

College Area The College Area is a residential community in the Mid-City region of San Diego, California, United States. The College Area is dominated by San Diego State University (SDSU; once known as San Diego State College), after which the area is named. Se ...

. Patrick Henry High School is accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

. The campus includes a counseling center, child development center, computer and science labs, a cafetorium, library and a performing arts theater. The mascot of Patrick Henry High School is the Patriot, a reference to

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 ...

the American Founding Father. Patrick Henry High School participates in the Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program (VEEP) whereby approximately 600 students travel daily from an underrepresented minority community and are regularly enrolled, full-time students. In 2020, the ethnic composition of the school represented more than 20 ethnic groups, Patrick Henry High School is approximately 39.5% White, 29.8% Hispanic, 15.7% Asian, 8.6% Biracial, 5.8% Black, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.2% Not specified, and 0.1% Native American.

History

Patrick Henry High School opened in 1968, and had a grant from the Danforth Foundation as an experimental public school. Founding Principal Donald W. Giddings designed the curriculum as experimental independent learning around a twenty-minute modular system, independent study and an open campus. Within five years, Patrick Henry became more of a traditional school benefiting from its experimental foundation by the early adoption of advanced placement courses including Art History.

Academics

In 2019, Patrick Henry High School was ranked in the top 4% of the most challenging public high schools in America (888th of 22,000). The rank was determined by the Challenge Index defined as the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests taken in a year relative to the number of seniors who graduate. Patrick Henry High School offers Advanced Placement and Honors courses in World History, Art History, English, Chemistry, Biology, Calculus. The school offers a modern Visual and Performing Arts program in theater, tech theater, band, orchestra, and choral music. Through a longstanding collaboration with Mesa College, high school students can take introductory college courses for credit. Patrick Henry High School has Engineering Academy to support students’ science, engineering, architecture, design electronics and design interests. In 2017 the school's robotics club, the Patribots, won the ''For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology'' (FIRST) San Diego Regional and competed at the international championships in Houston. In 2019, the Patribots won the Utah Regional and competed in international championships.

School Within A School

Patrick Henry High School offers a School Within A School program focused on psychology and child development classes called the Teaching Academy. The Teaching Academy is specifically designed to prepare students for college and career experiences in teaching and early childhood education.

Athletics

Patrick Henry Athletics participates in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and offers the following programs: Coed

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

(Boys and Girls) , Boys

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

, Coed Cross Country , Girls

Field Hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

, Boys

American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

(Boys and Girls) , Coed

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

(Boys and Girls) ,

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

(Boys and Girls) , Girls Sideline Cheer , Coed Sideline Cheer , Girls

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

(Boys and Girls) , Coed Swimming , Coed

Surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

(Boys and Girls) , Coed

, Coed

Track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

(Boys and Girls) ,

Water Polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

(Boys and Girls) , Boys

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, The Patrick Henry High School Varsity Football team led by Ricky Williams, competed in the 1994 CIF Championship, losing to Morse High School 13-0. The Patrick Henry High School Varsity Football team won the Division IV CIF Championship over University City High School on November 26, 2021, for the first football CIF title in school history.

International

Twinning arrangements

The high-school has long established exchange partnerships with the Institution Saint Michel located in Solesmes,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Common projects were carried out with Saint-Michel for the World Forum Lille where cohorts of Patrick Henry High School students presented their work in France on

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...

and the environmental impact of

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...

Notable incidents

On January 5, 1984, the San Diego Police Department executed a narcotics raid arresting 63 Patrick Henry High School students, who had allegedly sold drugs to an undercover officer posing as a student. On January 3, 2007 the San Diego Police Department executed a narcotics raid resulting in the arrest of 15 students from Patrick Henry and University City High Schools who allegedly sold narcotics to undercover San Diego Police Department officers posing as students. In October 2011, Patrick Henry elected the nation's first lesbian couple as homecoming king and queen. The story was covered internationally and led to both support and opposition. In February 2012, a teacher allegedly told a female student who asked to go to the bathroom that she would have to urinate in a bucket in a back room, and the student obliged; the teacher was consequently fired. On March 17, 2012, a campus police officer was arrested on charges of auto theft and driving under the influence, after taking the wheel of a shuttle-bus while intoxicated. On March 22, 2012, three Patrick Henry students organized a protest to defend their teachers who had recently been terminated by the San Diego Unified School District. Students signed a petition, wrote letters to the Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District and other members of the school board. Additionally, over 200 students participated in a walk-out for an hour to show their support for their teachers.

Alma Mater

On our City’s eastern border, Midst the hills and the sky, Home of our most Valiant Patriots, Patrick Henry High. In our many halls of learning, On our fields of play, Goals of excellence and honor, Always lead the way. As we march along together, Let’s be brave and bold. All hail to Patrick Henry High School, Hail to the green and gold. -Thomas Leslie, 1968

Notable alumni

* Annette Bening, four time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee, two time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominee, and winner of a BAFTA Award, a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

(Class of 1975) *

Ariana Berlin Ariana Alyse Berlin Rotstein (born October 29, 1987) is an American artistic gymnast, dancer, film actress and senior producer at Fox Sports who competed for the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins gymnastics team from 2006 to 2009 ...

, four-time All-American

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

gymnast (Class of 2005) * Melissa Berton, 2019

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...

winner (Class of 1985) *

Brandon Bogotay Brandon Bogotay (born May 8, 1989) is an American football placekicker. High school years Bogotay attended Patrick Henry High School in his hometown of San Diego, California. College career Before attending the University of Georgia, Bogotay ...

, former National Football League player, kicker,

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

(Class of 2007) *

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

(Jay Dante Rusciolelli), stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, director (Class of 1988) *

Garth DeFelice Garth DeFelice is a former National Football League (NFL) referee who served from the 1998 NFL season until 2013. His uniform number was 53 (now worn by Sarah Thomas, the league's first-ever female official, and previously worn by Bill Reynolds a ...

, National Football League referee, officiated Super Bowl XL (Class of 1972) *

Hayden Epstein Hayden Scott Epstein (born November 16, 1980) is a former American football placekicker and punter who played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1998 to 2001 and played professional football in the National Football League (NFL), ...

, former National Football League player, kicker, Jacksonville Jaguars and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

(Attended 1995-96) *

Steve Fairchild Stephen Thomas Fairchild (born June 21, 1958) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Alphas of The Spring League. He served as head football coach at Colorado State University from 2008 to 2011, compiling a r ...

, former National Football League coach, Colorado State head coach (Class of 1975) *

Aaron Harang Aaron Michael Harang (born May 9, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariner ...

, former Major League Baseball pitcher (Class of 1996) * Tony Harnell, singer–songwriter for 1980s hard rock band TNT (Attended 1977-78) * Eric Helfand, former Major League Baseball player, catcher,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

(Class of 1987) * Eric Karros, former Major League Baseball player, first baseman,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, and

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

winner, commentator (Class of 1985) * Ken Kocher, former National Football League player, defensive lineman,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

; Arena Football League, Columbus Destroyers (Class of 1998) *

Joel Kramer Joel Bruce Kramer (born October 30, 1955) is a retired American professional basketball player. Listed at and , he played the power forward (basketball), power forward and center (basketball), center positions. After playing college basketball ...

, former National Basketball Association player, power forward/center,

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

(Class of 1973) *

Russ Lorenson Russ Lorenson (born July 5, 1963, birth name Russ Gangloff) is an American singer and actor. Though a stage actor since childhood, since the mid-2000s Lorenson has established a reputation as an interpreter of jazz standards. With a retro cro ...

, actor, singer, composer (Class of 1981) *

Ericka Lorenz Ericka Denise Lorenz (born February 18, 1981) is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Lorenz was born in San Diego, California. Nicknamed " ...

, US Olympic water polo player (Class of 1999) * Rosemary Bryant (Merims) Mariner, first female military pilot to fly a tactical jet (Class of 1970) *

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

winning actor, singer, and composer (Class of 1974) *

Lisa Morton Lisa Morton (born December 11, 1958) is an American horror author and screenwriter. Biography Morton was born in Pasadena, California, and entered the film industry in 1979 as a modelmaker on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In 1988 she co-wro ...

, Bram Stoker Award winning author and screenwriter (Class of 1976) *

Matt Nokes Matthew Dodge Nokes (born October 31, 1963) is an Americans, American former professional baseball catcher and designated hitter. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants (1985), the Detroit Tigers (1986–1990), ...

, former Major League Baseball player, catcher (Class of 1981) * DeWayne Patmon, former National Football League player, safety

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, (Class of 1997) *

Dezmon Patmon Dezmon Patmon (born August 6, 1998) is an American professional gridiron football, football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Indianapol ...

, National Football League player, wide receiver

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

(Class of 2016) *

David Plaut David Owen Plaut (born September 2, 1953) is an American filmmaker and author. During his 42-year career at NFL Films he was a creator and show runner of television series for ESPN, HBO, Showtime, NBC Sports Network and NFL Network. He was nom ...

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winning filmmaker at NFL Films (Class of 1971) * John Rogers, President of

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

(Class of 1978) *

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

(Andre Charles), celebrity drag queen, television judge, recording artist, and model (Class of 1979)(note: RuPaul took his GED and did not graduate with his 1979 classmates.) *

Brenda Ann Spencer The Cleveland Elementary School shooting was a school shooting that took place on January 29, 1979, at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, United States. The principal and a custodian were killed; eight children and p ...

, incarcerated convicted murderer (Class of 1980) (note: Spencer committed her crime in 11th grade and did not graduate with her 1980 classmates) * Ricky Williams, former National Football League player, running back

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winner (Class of 1995) *

Kellen Winslow Jr. Kellen Boswell Winslow II (born July 21, 1983) is an American former professional football player and a convicted sex offender. He was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) and played college football at the University of Miami, ...

, former National Football League football player, tight end,

, incarcerated convicted sex offender (Attended 1997-99) *

Joshua D. Wright Joshua Daniel Wright (born January 20, 1977) is an American economist and legal scholar who served as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2013 to 2015. He has been a professor of law at George Mason University's Antonin Scali ...

, antitrust law expert and former commissioner of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

(Class of 1995) *

Joanna Zeiger Joanna Sue Zeiger (born May 4, 1970) is an American triathlete who is the 2008 Ironman 70.3 world champion. Zeiger represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in triathlon. She's the author of ''The Champions Mindset - An Athlete's ...

, Olympic and world champion triathlete, and author (Class of 1988) *

Sal Zizzo Salvatore "Sal" Zizzo Jr. (born April 3, 1987) is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a winger or full-back. Career Youth and amateur Zizzo attended Patrick Henry High School, where he played soccer and baseball. As ...

, former professional soccer player,

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

San Diego Loyal SC San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the USL Championship. ...

(Class of 2005) *

David Hensley David James Hensley (born March 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the San Diego State Aztecs baseball, and was selected by the Astros in t ...

, Major League Baseball player, infielder,

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

(Class of 2014)

References

External links

* {{authority control High schools in San Diego Public high schools in California San Diego 1968 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1968