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University High School Charter, commonly known as "Uni", is a public secondary school, built 1923–1924, and founded 1924, located in
West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...
, a district in
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 ...
, near the city's border with
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
. University High is part of 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 ...
(LAUSD). The campus also holds Indian Springs Continuation High School. The school contains the Serra Springs, a sacred site of the Tongva–Gabrieleño native people and a registered
California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
.


History

While under construction it was known as Sawtelle High School, but it opened as Warren G. Harding High School when completed in 1924, after 29th
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
(1865-1923, served 1921-1923), who had recently died. The school was renamed in 1929 after the
University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
(UCLA) moved its campus from
East Hollywood East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
to Westwood, and the reputation of former President Harding had declined after the infamous
Teapot Dome scandal The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyomin ...
and other situations. The name ''University'' is supposed to have originated because it became a site where teachers-in-training from nearby UCLA worked as assistant teachers/interns. The original administration building was designed by the firm Russell & Alpaugh and the construction process began in 1923. The style that was chosen recalls the Romanesque of Northern Italy and Spanish Mission style architecture. The administration building once displayed an octagonal tower and a portico, but these features were toppled in the
1933 Long Beach earthquake The 1933 Long Beach earthquake took place on March 10 at south of downtown Los Angeles. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach, California, on the Newport–Inglewood Fault. The earthquake had a magnitude estimated at 6.4 , and a m ...
. An original cafeteria building was located where the current cafeteria and theater stand today. Although the gymnasium and a beautiful and widely admired auditorium were condemned following the 1971
Sylmar earthquake The 1971 San Fernando earthquake (also known as the 1971 Sylmar earthquake) occurred in the early morning of February 9 in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. The unanticipated thrust earthquake had a magnitude of ...
, the school's original main building from 1924 remains in use. The music building and gym (rebuilt in the early 1980s) have been scheduled to be taken down because they sit on a
fault line In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
and therefore against district policy. As of July 2010, the music building is gone. It was in the
Los Angeles City High School District Los Angeles City High School District (known in its last year as West County Union High School District) was a school district that served high school-aged residents of western Los Angeles County, California from 1890 to 1962. At times the distri ...
until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD.


Other

Music classes have been moved to another unused room near the top of the school. The gym was still in use while, on the south end of the campus, in what was formerly a student parking lot, a new gym facility was under construction in 2010. The current football stadium, last rebuilt following the
1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately ...
, is named in honor of
Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
(1919-1972), of
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...
, the first African American professional baseball player in
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), ...
, playing in 1947-1956 for the
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
, who also previously attended nearby UCLA, 1939-1940. Uni is one of a very few pre-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
high schools in Los Angeles whose buildings have been at least partially spared by three major earthquakes since its inception. The main building presents a very traditional and dignified appearance, with weathered brick and arched doorways, such that the campus is popular with film crews (see #Filming on campus). One-third of its class of 1942 did not graduate because of the
internment of Japanese-Americans Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
. In fall 2007, some neighborhoods zoned to have their students to attend Hamilton High School were rezoned to University High School. In 2009, Mitchell Landsberg of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' stated that the school was "struggling to regain its reputation as a center of excellence".Landsberg, Mitchell
University High School hopes success can be engineered
, ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', June 2, 2009; retrieved March 26, 2014.
That year, as part of a grant program, the Academy of Engineering was established at the high school. For the entire 88-year history of University High, the football/baseball field had been without stadium lights until they were installed in the Spring of 2012.


Native American heritage

Located on Uni's campus are the Serra Springs,
California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
#522. The springs, called "Kuruvungna" by the native Gabrieleno Tongva people, were used as a source of natural fresh water by the Tongva people since 400 BC, and they continue to produce 22,000-25,000 gallons of water a day. The springs are found at two separate locations on campus. The larger is now closed off from the rest of the campus and is under the care of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation. Prior to its being fenced off, the area surrounding the springs and pond into which its waters feed was popular among the students as a place to meet and relax. The other spring is located on the northeastern edge of the so-called Girls' Field. A third spring was located farther north, near Texas Avenue, but it ceased to flow during the 1940s when a local water company began drawing from the aquifer. The Portolá Expedition of 1769, one of the two expeditions that led to the founding of Los Angeles, camped at the Kuruvunga village while travelling along the route that would become known as El Camino Real. The name Serra comes from Father Junípero Serra the founder of the
Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
chain, who is reported to have said
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
to there. In the 1800s, the spring served as the water supply for the city of
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
. Construction at the school in 1925 unearthed evidence of a Native American village, and in 1975, a grave was discovered from what archaeologists now believe to be a burial site. In 1980, Indian Springs Continuation High School, which is housed on the part of the campus where the springs are, was opened. In 1992, tribal descendants, community members, and teachers and students from the school founded the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation, a non-profit foundation, to fight a proposed development a block north of the springs that would have cut off the springs' underground water source. They successfully fought the proposed parking structure, and since that time, the Foundation has been active at the springs. That same year, the newly established Foundation held the first annual Life Before Columbus Day event. The event, which takes place just before Columbus Day every year and celebrates the history of the land and of the Tongva people, has been known to draw upward of 600 people some years, including Native Americans from various tribes, local politicians, community members, and students and faculty from the school. The event includes tours of the Kuruvunga Village site and springs, performances by dancers from the
Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...
and
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
tribe, and storytelling from the
Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also * Chumash traditional ...
tribe. There are also hands-on activities offered by authentic Native American vendors. The foundation currently leases the site from 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 ...
for their monthly ceremony and guided tours.


Newspapers


''Wildcat''

The weekly
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
, the ''Wildcat'', is part of the
High School National Ad Network The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...
. Print issues from the school's inception as Harding High are available in the journalism archives. More recent issues were previously archived online at the "My High School Journalism" site operated by the
American Society of Newspaper Editors The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...


''The Worrior''

''The Worrier'' was an underground student newspaper that began in 1966. At least seven ''Worrier'' staff members were transferred to other high schools, suspended or put on probation.


''Red Tide''

The ''Red Tide'' was an
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...
campus newspaper. Its first issue appeared in November 1971. Following the suspension of two students for distributing ''Red Tide'' #2, 500-700 Uni students occupied the administration building. The ''Red Tide'' challenged the Warrior mascot as racist. Twenty-five years later, on September 8, 1997, the LAUSD Board of Education voted to remove the mascot as part of a ban on using Native American symbols. In 1995 LA and
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
''Red Tide'' branches moved to
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, where they organized campaigns to free
Gary Tyler Gary Tyler (born July 1958), from St. Rose, Louisiana, is an African-American man who is a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Prison in Angola, Louisiana. He was convicted of the October 7, 1974 shooting death of a white 13-year-old boy and ...
and other campaigns against racism.


Mascot controversy

The school's
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
was formerly the Warrior, but was changed after the Southern California Indian Center petitioned the LAUSD to eliminate the mascots and names of all schools that had American Indian mascot and names. In 1997 the LAUSD decided to eliminate all American Indian mascots. The LAUSD decision was upheld in federal court, but the California Racial Mascots Act, a bill which would eliminate American Indian mascots and names statewide, was vetoed by
California Governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
twice. Towards the end of the 1997–1998 school year, students were allowed to vote on a new school mascot. Students chose the "Wildcats" over the "Gators" and "Jaguars". The Class of 1985 had, as a senior project and gift to the school, painted a large Warrior mascot on the south entrance to the gym building. Shortly after the mascot change, this was painted over with its feline animal replacement.


School information

*Los Angeles School District provides open enrollment dates which start late April and the beginning of March. Best way to contact schools is by phone or email. University High School provides tours; however, before and during enrollment, parents are able to submit a variety of applications for the students to enroll in different schools. *University High Schoo
API Scores
*School provides transportation *Three languages are taught at 'Uni': French, Spanish, and Mandarin. *Extracurriculars for boys and girls.


Demographics

According to the School Information Branch: *In 2008-09, 61.5% of students were Latino or Hispanic and 17% were African-American. 48.5% of students were female. * In 2009-10, 62.5% Hispanic/Latino, 8.6% White, 16.3% African-Americans, 0.3% Pac Isl, 0.0% Filipino, 12.2% Asian and 0.1% AI/Alsk School Information Branch
* In 2010-11 61.0% Hispanics/Latino, 17.6% African-Americans, 8.9% White, 0.3% Pac Isl, 2.0% Filipino, 9.9% Asian, and 0.4% Al/Alsk * In 2011-2012 58.7% Hispanics/Latino, 16.7% African-Americans, 10.9% White, 0.5% Pac Isl, 2.1% Filipino, 10.5% Asian, and 0.5% Al/Alsk * In 2012-13, 59.5% were Latino or hispanic, 9.7% were White, 17.9% African-American, 0.4% Pac Isl 1.9% Filipino, 10.0% Asian, and 0.6% AI/Alsk *In 2018-19, 53% of students were Latino or Hispanic, 25% African-American, 12.8% white, 6.8% Asian, 1.9% Filipino.


Attendance area

Neighborhoods served by University High are parts of West Los Angeles, including portions of BrentwoodSchool BrochureArchive
. University High School. Retrieved on March 27, 2014.
Beverly Hills Post Office Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO) is the name given to a section of Los Angeles, California, that lies within the 90210 ZIP code, assigned to the Beverly Hills Post Office. Los Angeles mailing addresses with the ZIP code 90210 may be written ...
(BHPO), Westwood, Bel-Air, and the Wilshire Corridor. Like other Westside high schools such as
Westchester Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City. __NOTOC__ It may also refer to: Geography Canada *Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada United States *Town of Westchester, the original seat ...
and Palisades, University High School enrolls a diverse mix of students from its enrollment area and various parts of the city; on top of Westside neighborhoods, Uni draws students from areas such as
Koreatown A Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have ...
and
South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as ...
. The school also enrolls many
Capacity Adjustment Program Capacity or capacities may refer to: Mathematics, science, and engineering * Capacity of a container, closely related to the volume of the container * Capacity of a set, in Euclidean space, the total charge a set can hold while maintaining a giv ...
students which come from areas zoned to heavily overcrowded high schools. Two new LAUSD high schools opened in fall 2005, four more in fall 2006, and one more in fall 2007, decreasing the number of transfer students in other high schools.


Name Change

Starting in the 2018-2019, University became an affiliated charter school and changed its name t
University High School Charter
Affiliated charter schools receive flexibility in the utilization of the charter school categorical block grant (for those applicable affiliated charter schools that receive it) areas of curriculum and professional development; some aspects of local school governance; and some aspects of employee selection. It is not necessary to utilize the District’s permit process if accepted to an Affiliated Charter School. It is a community school that welcomes students from all over Los Angeles. However, non-resident students are required to complete thi
Unified Enrollment application
 


Ficus tree preservation

Underground water from the Kuruvungna springs sustains seven mature Indian Laurel Ficus trees on the campus which line a walkway between the classroom building and one of the two teachers' parking lots. In September 2002,
LAUSD 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 ...
Area D announced that it would remove the seven ficus trees lining the outside of the classroom building, because the roots had grown into and were pushing up the concrete in the parking lot causing a potential hazard. In response to the removal announcement a campaign was launched to stop the removal of the trees. Notably, a student petition got 1,200 signatures (about half of the student population), and community involvement came from the city of
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
and from the neighborhood councils of Brentwood and
West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...
. In response to the public outcry, the LAUSD held meetings to determine what would happen to the trees. Walter Warriner, the
Arborist An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrolo ...
of the city of Santa Monica proposed installing Rubbersidewalks by Rubbersidewalks, Inc., which could be easily lifted in order to prune the tree roots for maintenance. After months of negotiations, the LAUSD decided not to remove the trees and agreed to install Rubbersidewalks, making University High School the first high school in the United States to use Rubbersidewalks in order to preserve its trees. Installation for the Rubbersidewalks started on November 20, 2003, over a year after the LAUSD had originally condemned the trees. Installation of the Rubbersidewalks was covered by
Huell Howser Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...
for
California's Gold ''California's Gold'' is a public television human interest program that explores the natural, cultural, and historical features of California. The series ran for 24 seasons beginning in 1991, and was produced and hosted by Huell Howser in colla ...
. The episode covering Uni High's Rubbersidewalks aired on
KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...
on January 28, 2004.
Rubber asphalt Rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC), also known as asphalt rubber or just rubberized asphalt, is noise reducing pavement material that consists of regular asphalt concrete mixed with crumb rubber made from recycled tires. Asphalt rubber is the la ...
was also used to repave the pushed up concrete in the teachers' parking lot.


Filming on campus

The school, which has been able to maintain much of its original architecture, is one of the few Los Angeles schools with buildings constructed before World War II. Its brick facades, wide hallways, and "unique east coast look" make the school an attractive place to film. Transcript accessed with
LexisNexis LexisNexis is a part of the RELX corporation that sells data analytics products and various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, and consumer informa ...
May 26, 2007. &nbs
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to the story a
marketplace.publicradio.org
Transcript accessed with
LexisNexis LexisNexis is a part of the RELX corporation that sells data analytics products and various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, and consumer informa ...
May 26, 2007 &nbs
Listen
to the story a
www.npr.org
The administration, which allows filming during school hours, moves classes as needed and allows productions to make minor changes to the campus, has a long history of bringing in filming (and the money that goes with it) to the school. Th
full text
is available a
The Boston Globe
The use of the school for filming is a controversial one. Filming often takes place during school hours, and students and teachers are moved from classrooms and walkways are blocked off as needed. The school often undergoes renovations for filming, anything from retiling and painting, to temporary removal of furniture and lockers. These disruptions are a cause for students and teacher complaints. Past articles in the ''Wildcat'' addressed not only the disruption to students, but how the money made from the constant filming is spent. Editorials have complained about the portion of the money that goes to the LAUSD, and the way the money is spent by the school. University High charges the standard district fee for each day of filming (currently $2,500).text version
A portion of the money earned goes to FilmL.A., Inc., formerly named the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation, which acts as an intermediary between the LAUSD and the entertainment industry. The name change, which followed the naming of a new president and finance chief and came as the company was preparing to relocate its headquarters and implement a revised contract with the
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...
, helped distance the private non-profit from its "bureaucratic and scandal-ridden image."
text version
of the article is available fro
BACKSTAGE.com; The Actor's Resource

text version
of the article is available fro
PR Newswire
In March 2005, the LAUSD entered into a new three-year contract with the EIDC, after soliciting bids from other vendors. Th
full text
/ref> Ruben Rojas, the LAUSD's director of revenue enhancement, said that the district choose to continue working with the EIDC because of "its proven track record and ability to deal with complex film-permitting issues.". Indeed, during that time, FilmL.A. expanded the number of schools that had hosted on-location filming from 19 schools to more than 200 schools: coordinating 1,500 film shoots at 250 LAUSD sites. The LAUSD's filming profits for the 2003-2004 school year generated almost one million dollars, and the district is on target to for an annual film revenue increase to at least $1.5 million. The doubling of the LAUSD's film revenue in the four years since FilmL.A. was original hired in March 2002 was a contributing factor to
Burbank Unified School District Burbank Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Burbank, California, United States. History Originally students attended Burbank schools until the high school level, when they moved on to Glendale Union High School Distr ...
's decision to hire Film L.A. in July 2006. Under FilmL.A.'s current contract with the city, the company receives "a 16% management fee based on the total use fee". 75 percent of the remaining filming monies go to the individual schools that host the on-location shooting to be used at the school's discretion, and 25 percent goes to a district fund that benefits schools that do not generate film revenues of their own. Uni High distributes among the departments the first $12,000 made each year from on-campus filming. The Budget Committee makes spending recommendations for any additional monies. Recent budget cuts have made filming at schools more attractive. In 2004, the number of schools volunteering to be film locations grew from 19 to 160 and the district's annual film revenue doubled to $1 million. In 2005, LAUSD officials revised the district's fee structure for the first time since 1992. The revision included extending a full day of shooting from 14 to 15 hours, and a daily rate increase from $1,700 to $2,500. Uni has been noted in the press as being one of the more popular schools for filming, even compared to other local schools with similar structure and appearance. Between 2001 and 2003, 38 movies, TV shows and commercials were filmed at University High. This popularity, with both its positive and negative impacts, is credited to the Assistant Principal who is responsible for the filming on campus. In November 2006, ''
Drillbit Taylor ''Drillbit Taylor'' is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Steven Brill, produced by Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth with screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen based on an original story by John Hughes ( ...
'', starring
Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''The Royal ...
began filming at Uni. As of April 2007, the $90,000 received for this production is the most that the school has made on an individual filming contract. Uni underwent massive renovations in order to prepare for the filming of ''Drillbit Taylor''. The interior and exterior of the main building were painted, and the main building was retiled as well. The facade of the building was altered to read "McKinley High School", and plants and grass patches were added throughout the school. These changes were unusual not only because the extent and timing of the changes meant that construction took place during the school year, but also because ''Drillbit Taylor'' production did not pay for the re-tiling. The district had provided money to re-tile floors throughout the
LAUSD 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 ...
, so the re-tiling of the floors itself was not unusual or controversial. However, as the film's production needs guided the color choices for the re-tiling and the schedule for construction, many students were upset by the behavior of the movie company and the school. Below is an incomplete list of productions that have filmed at University High:


Movies

* '' Billie'', 1965 * ''
Pretty Maids All in a Row ''Pretty Maids All in a Row'' is a 1971 American sexploitation film that is part black comedy, part sex comedy, and part murder mystery. Starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, and Telly Savalas, it was released on April 28, 1971. Roger Vadim dire ...
'', 1971 * ''
Jawbreaker Jawbreaker may refer to: * Gobstopper, a hard candy with multiple layers Arts and entertainment * ''Jawbreakers'' (album), an album by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Harry "Sweets" Edison * Jawbreaker (band), an American rock band * Jawbreakers (duo) ...
'', 1999 * ''
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth ''Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th'' is a 2000 American direct-to-video parody slasher film directed by John Blanchard. The film stars Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tom Arnold, Coolio and Shirley Jones. Several mid- and late 1990s teen ...
'', 2000 * ''
The Hot Chick ''The Hot Chick'' is a 2002 American comedy film written and directed by Tom Brady, with additional writing by Rob Schneider. Schneider stars as Clive Maxtone, a middle-aged criminal who switches bodies with mean-spirited cheerleader Jessica Spe ...
'', 2002 * ''
The Battle of Shaker Heights ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', 2003 * ''
Bruce Almighty ''Bruce Almighty'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. The film stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to God ...
'', 2003 * ''
Raise Your Voice ''Raise Your Voice'' is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Hilary Duff. Canadian rock band Three Days Grace made a cameo appearance in the film, performing the songs "Are You Ready" and "Home". Plo ...
'', 2004 * ''
Surviving Christmas ''Surviving Christmas'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell, written by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Joshua Sternin, based on a story by Elfont and Kaplan, and starring Ben Affleck, James ...
'', 2004 * ''
Freedom Writers ''Freedom Writers'' is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario. It is based on the 1999 book ''The Freedom Writers Diary'' by teac ...
'', 2007 * ''
Drillbit Taylor ''Drillbit Taylor'' is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Steven Brill, produced by Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth with screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen based on an original story by John Hughes ( ...
'', 2008 * '' Miss March'', 2008 * ''
Pineapple Express Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent large-scale flow of warm moist air, and the associated heavy precipitation both in the waters immediately northeast of the Hawaii ...
'', 2008 * ''
Superhero Movie ''Superhero Movie'' is a 2008 American superhero parody film written and directed by Craig Mazin, produced by Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker, and starring Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, and Leslie Nielsen. It was originally tit ...
'', 2008 * '' Starstruck'' 2010 * ''
Valentine's 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 ...
'', 2010 * '' Detention'', 2011 * ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced b ...
'', 2015 * ''
The Wedding Ringer ''The Wedding Ringer'' is a 2015 American buddy romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Jeremy Garelick. It stars Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, and Kaley Cuoco. The film was produced by Adam Fields, Will Packer Productions and Miramax, distribu ...
'', 2015 * The Fallout, 2021


Television

*''
My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bed ...
'', 1994–1995 *'' 7th Heaven'', from 1996–2007, University High served as Kennedy High School *''
Even Stevens ''Even Stevens'' is an American comedy television series that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003, airing a total of 65 episodes over three seasons. It follows the life of the Stevens, a family living in subur ...
'', aired 2000 - 2003 *''
Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character, who navigates the personal and social issues of her te ...
'', aired 2001–2004 *''
Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...
'', aired 2003–2006 *''
Joan of Arcadia ''Joan of Arcadia'' is an American fantasy family drama television series telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays on CBS for ...
'', aired 2003–2005 *''
Oliver Beene ''Oliver Beene'' is an American sitcom that premiered on Fox on March 9, 2003. The show was created by Howard Gewirtz. Set in 1962 and 1963, the show chronicled the trials and tribulations of the 11-to-12-year-old Oliver Beene (played by Grant R ...
'', 2003–2004 *'' Parenthood'', aired March 2010 *'' Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior aired 2011, Episode "Here Is the Fire" *''
Shameless (American TV series) ''Shameless'' is an American comedy drama television series developed by John Wells that aired on Showtime from January 9, 2011, to April 11, 2021. It is an adaptation of Paul Abbott's British series of the same name and features an ensemble ...
aired 2011-present


Individual episodes

*''
Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...
'', episode 102, "The Main Attraction", aired October 6, 1985 * ''Charmed'', episode 76, "A Paige From the Past", aired January 17, 2002 *''The Flannerys'', pilot, shot 2003 *''
The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The ...
'', season finale, shot May 2004 *''High School Undercover'', pilot, shot March 2004 *'' JAG'', shot March 2004 *''Filmore Middle'', pilot, shot 2005 *''
Day Break ''Day Break'' is a television program for which one 13-episode season was produced. The series starred Taye Diggs as Detective Brett Hopper, who is framed for the murder of Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. Due to a time loop, Hopper l ...
'', pilot, shot 2007 *'' Privileged'', 2008 *'' 90210'', "The Dionysian Debacle", filmed in early 2009 *''
Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ...
'', filmed on October 12, 2009 *'' Lincoln Heights'', summer 2009 *''
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of thr ...
'', aired 2011 *''
The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show fol ...
'', aired 2012 *''
Fresh Off the Boat The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior ...
'', Season 4 Episode 9, 2017


Other

*
The Crystal Method The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. They were pioneers of the big beat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video gam ...
's music video " Name of the Game", 2002 *
JoJo Jojo, JoJo or Jo Jo is a given name, surname, nickname or stage name used by several people and fictional characters, including: People with the given name, nickname or stage name Musicians *JoJo (singer) (born 1990), American R&B singer, songwri ...
's music video "
Leave (Get Out) "Leave (Get Out)" is the debut single of American singer JoJo from her self-titled debut studio album (2004). It was released as the album's lead single on February 24, 2004. Produced by Danish production duo Soulshock & Karlin, the song became ...
", 2004 *
Jordan Pruitt Jordan Pruitt Fuente (''née'' Jordan Lynne Pruitt;Photos, Bio and News fo ...
's music video " Outside Looking In", 2006 *
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
's music video "
Young Dumb & Broke "Young Dumb & Broke" is a song by American singer Khalid Robinson. It was released as a single on June 13, 2017, by Right Hand Music Group and RCA Records as the second single from his debut studio album '' American Teen''. "Young Dumb & Broke" r ...
", 2017


Notable alumni

*
List of University High School (Los Angeles) alumni The following is a list of notable alumni of University Senior High School. The list includes all notable former pupils who attended the school anytime since opening its doors in 1924, including for the four years it was named "Warren G. Harding ...


References


Sources

*


External links

* ;Archive links
Editions of the ''Wildcat''

University High School
(Archive)
University High School
(Archive) {{Traditional Narratives (California groups) California Historical Landmarks California Mission Indians Educational institutions established in 1924 High schools in Los Angeles Los Angeles Unified School District schools Native American history of California Public high schools in California Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Sacred springs Springs of California Tongva populated places 1924 establishments in California