Venice High School (VHS) is a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

located in the Westside area of

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

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

and within the Local District West area 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).

History

The school was established in 1911 (then called "Venice Union Polytechnic High School") when classes were held in an old

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

bathhouse two blocks from the beach. It moved to a new neo-romanesque structure at its present 29-acre campus two miles inland a decade later. A famous statue, installed in 1922 and for which then-unknown Venice High School student Myrna Loy served as model, stood on the front lawn of Venice High School for over 70 years. An unsightly cage was erected to prevent vandalism, but the statue was ultimately removed and sent to indoor storage in 1998. However, a bronze-cast replacement statue was mounted before 2,000 cheering onlookers in an April 2010 ceremony. On March 10, 1933, the school was seriously damaged by 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 ...

. As a result, classes were held in hastily constructed tents for two years until a replacement school was built.

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

earthquake-resistant Earthquake engineering is an Interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary branch of engineering that designs and analyzes structures, such as buildings and bridges, with earthquakes in mind. Its overall goal is to make such structures more resistant to ...

buildings were built in 1935, and are still used by the school today. 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. Beginning in fall 2007, some neighborhoods zoned to Hamilton High School were rezoned to Venice High School. On May 15, 2009, students staged a

walkout In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace and withholding labor as an act of protest. A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an ...

in response to LAUSD increasing class sizes and cutting teachers. Students who engaged in the walkout received support from the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

and the National Lawyers Guild in clearing their truancies on that particular day. A similar walkout occurred in 1951 when school administration disqualified a candidate for student body office because of a questionable campaign speech. Administration retaliated by focusing on agitators within the heretofore self-selective service clubs, suspending the clubs and then reorganizing them later with a more pliant membership. Small protests (e.g. graffiti, lawn burnings, tree fellings) continued sporadically for a year.

Support

Venice High is greatly supported by numerous community partnerships, parent groups, Booster, and Alumni associations. Venice is known for offering many

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

classes and having an excellent athletics program.

Demographics

During the 2011–2012 school year, 69% of Venice High students were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

, with 12% white/ European Americans, 10%

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and 8%

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

Academics and academic performance

VHS has four Small Learning Communities (SLCs): * Academy of Law and Public Service * Media, Arts & Technology Academy * School for Advanced Studies (SAS) and GATE * Sports Medicine VHS also has two magnet programs: * World Language and Global Studies Magnet *

STEMM STEMM is an American metal band from Niagara Falls, New York. STEMM was formed in 1998 by Joe Cafarella. He, along with Louie and Jimi Penque, Russ Martin, and Alex Scouten made up the original lineup of the band. Alex left the band in 1999, ...

(Science Technology Engineering Mathematics and Medicine)

Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

As of 1998, the school has mathematics and science programs and a magnet program that explores international politics.Hardy, Terry. "Top of the Class" (education section). ''

Los Angeles Magazine ''Los Angeles'' magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to covering Los Angeles. Founded in the spring of 1961 by David Brown, the magazine is currently owned and published by Hour Media Group, LLC. Los Angeles magazine's combination of feat ...

''. Emmis Communications, October 1998. Vol. 43, No. 10. . Start: p
52
CITED: p
66
Additionally, as of 2017, the World Languages and Global Studies Magnet offers courses in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French and Spanish. Venice High School won back-to-back

National Science Bowl The National Science Bowl (NSB) is a high school and middle school science knowledge competition, using a quiz bowl format, held in the United States. A buzzer system similar to those seen on popular television game shows is used to signal an an ...

championships in 1996 and 1997, and won regional championships in 1993, 1994 and 2005. Venice High School is one of only three schools that have won two National Science Bowl championships. In 1998 Richard Lovett, the president of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), gave self-esteem courses to the students, and Terry Hardy of ''

'' wrote that the CAA "has adopted Venice High as its very own."

School's student news site

The school's student news site, called ''The Oarsman,'' began as a school newspaper. ''Written Voice'', a literary journal started in the spring of 2012, features students' poetry, short stories, and other work. An unofficial

News magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

, ''The Venice Independent'', was formerly run by Venice students.

Athletics

An historically successful sports competitor, Venice High fields 16 sports with most teams competing in the Western League of the CIF LA City Section. The football team has won 9 of the last 10 Western League titles, as well as the 2021 CIF City D1 Championship. The baseball team has won five City championships (1967, 1972, 1984, 1985, 1986). The girls' softball team won the CIF LA City Championship in 2005 and Section Division 2 championship in 2013. The basketball team won the City championship in 1948. The boys' swimming team won three consecutive City Championships in the 1950s (even before the school had an on-campus pool). The school also captured the City Championship in golf in 2009, 2011 and 2012. The boys' volleyball team won back-to-back City Championships in 1991 and 1992. The boys' coss country team has won three City Championships (1948, 2018, 2019). The boys soccer team won a City Championship in 1975 and the girls team won three straight from 2019-2021. Plus, the boys swim team won City Championships in 1950, 1951, 1994, 1996, 1907, 1998, 2000. Also, the girls teenis team won Division II City Championships in 1991, 2006, 2011, 2017. The boys volleyball team won City Chapionships in 1991 and 1992, while the girls team won a Division II City Championship in 2012 and a Division I Championship in 2016. Eight graduates have appeared 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), ...

and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

games in the last 20 years.

Filming location

Venice High School was used as the Rydell High School location for the 1978 movie '' Grease''—in which the opening shot was the Myrna Loy statue. The school was also used in other movies such as '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'', '' American History X'', ''

Matchstick Men ''Matchstick Men'' is a 2003 black comedy film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Eric Garcia's 2002 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman. The film premiered on September 2, 2003 at the 60th Venic ...

'', and ''

Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and ...

'', as well as in several music videos, including

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

' international hit " ...Baby One More Time",

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup (abbreviated as BFS) is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing voc ...

's "

High School Never Ends "High School Never Ends" is a song by American rock band Bowling for Soup. The song was the first single from the group's sixth album, '' The Great Burrito Extortion Case'', and was released on September 19, 2006. The song deals with the frustr ...

", Cher Lloyd's "

Oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

", and

Young MC Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is a British-born American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album ''Stone Cold Rhymin found international accla ...

's "

Principal's Office ''The Principal's Office'' is a reality TV program on TruTV that began airing on August 21, 2008, released through Leftfield Pictures. New episodes resumed on January 8, 2009. However, the series was abruptly cancelled on February 5, 2009. Synop ...

". Venice is also in

The Faders The Faders were a British female pop rock band, formed in January 2004 by Polydor Records. Bassist/keyboardist Toy Valentine and drummer Cherisse Osei were the first members to get through the first audition. Frontwoman and lead guitarist, Mo ...

' "No Sleep Tonight". Additionally, aerial photographic images of the school were used to show the location of the high school in the 1987 movie ''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince Ada ...

''. The campus was also used for the TV show ''Glee'' on an episode (" Yes/No", aired January 17, 2012) which recreates the classic "Summer Nights" scene from ''Grease'', as made famous by

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

(and filmed on the same location). The Australian TV series ''

Rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...

'' also used Venice High School as a filming location. The music video for

Alesso Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), better known by his stage name Alesso (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer. He has worked with numerous artists, including Tove Lo, Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Hailee Steinfeld, Calvi ...

's 2014 song "

Cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enforc ...

" was also shot here.

Neighborhoods zoned to Venice

Several neighborhoods, including Venice,

Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...

Mar Vista Mar Vista is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. In 1927, Mar Vista became the 70th community to be annexed to Los Angeles. It was designated as an official city neighborhood in 2006. History Mar Vista was called Ocean Par ...

, and Del Rey, feed into Venice High School. The unique educational pathways offered by the six small schools draw students from across Los Angeles. Three University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) student housing facilities for families are zoned to Venice High School. They include Rose Avenue Apartments, University Village, and Venice-Barry Apartments. Rose Avenue had been rezoned from Hamilton High School to Venice in 2007. According to both the City of Los Angeles's Venice Community Plan map and LAUSD's Venice High School Modernization Plan, the school is located in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. However, according to 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 ...

Mapping L.A. Mapping L.A. is a project of the ''Los Angeles Times'', beginning in 2009, to draw boundary lines for 158 cities and unincorporated places within Los Angeles County, California. It identified 114 neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles and 42 ...

project, it is in the adjacent neighborhood of

Nearby elementary and middle schools

Elementary schools in the Venice High district include Beethoven Elementary, Mar Vista Elementary, Playa del Rey Elementary, Broadway Elementary, Braddock Drive Elementary, Stoner Avenue Elementary, Short Avenue Elementary, Walgrove Avenue Elementary,

Westminster Avenue Elementary School 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 ...

and Coeur d'Alene Avenue Elementary School. Marina Del Rey Middle School, Daniel Webster Middle School, Mark Twain Middle School, and Palms Middle School feed into Venice. Until LAUSD established sufficient capacity in the area during the immediate post-World War II period, Culver City-based Betsy Ross Elementary, now closed, had been the largest single feeder to the then 7–12th grade high school.

Notable alumni

* Larry Atkins, NFL linebacker, Kansas City, Oakland 1999–2004 *

David Blu David Blu (born David Bluthenthal; July 18, 1980) is an American–Israeli former professional basketball player, who spent 10 seasons playing in the EuroLeague. Standing at , he played at the small forward and power forward positions. He is co ...

, led Israeli team to 2004 Euroleague basketball championship *

Cliff Bourland Clifford Frederick Bourland (January 1, 1921 – February 1, 2018)1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

4X400 gold medal; US 400m champion * Craig Breedlove, land-speed world record holder *

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actor * John Bromfield, actor, television star *

Les Clark Leslie James "Les" Clark (November 17, 1907 - September 12, 1979) was an American animator and the first of Disney's Nine Old Men. Joining Disney in 1927, he was the only one to work on the origins of Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks. Early life Le ...

, legendary Disney animator and one of Disney's

Nine Old Men Disney's Nine Old Men were Walt Disney Productions' core animators, some of whom later became directors, who created some of Disney's most famous animated cartoons, from '' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937) onward to ''The Rescuers'' (197 ...

Leon Clarke Leon Marvin Clarke (born 10 February 1985) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker. Clarke began his career with Wolves but then played for eleven different clubs – i ...

, NFL end 1956–63, twice in Pro Bowl * John Clayton, jazz and classical double bassist * Gary Collins, actor and TV personality *

Walter Cunningham Ronnie Walter Cunningham (born March 16, 1932) is a retired American astronaut. In 1968, he was a lunar module pilot on the Apollo 7 mission. He was NASA's third civilian astronaut (after Neil Armstrong and Elliot See), and has also been a figh ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

, (

Apollo 7 Apollo 7 (October 1122, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts during a launch rehearsal test on Ja ...

pilot) *

Marceline Day Marceline Day (born Marceline Newlin; April 24, 1908 – February 16, 2000) was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s. Early life Marceline Newlin was born in Colorado Springs, Color ...

, actress * Karen Fukuhara, actress *

Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors'' ...

, actor *

Gogi Grant Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg (September 20, 1924 – March 10, 2016), known professionally as Gogi Grant, was an American pop singer. She is best known for her No. 1 hit in 1956, "The Wayward Wind". Life and career Grant was born Myrtle Audrey Arin ...

(Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg), singer * Skip Guinn, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Irene Hervey Irene Hervey (born Beulah Irene Herwick; July 11, 1909December 20, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress who appeared in over fifty films and numerous television series spanning her five-decade career. A native of Los Angeles ...

, actress *

Shin Hye-sung Jung Pil-kyo (; born November 27, 1979) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He is best known as a member of the South Korean boy group Shinhwa. The main vocalist of Shinhwa, he debuted as a solo artist in 2005 and has since released multiple ...

, South Korean singer and lead vocalist of six-member boy band

Shinhwa Shinhwa () is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group signed with Good Entertainment in ...

* Donna Loren, singer and actress; "Dr Pepper girl" *

J. P. Losman Jonathan Paul Losman (born March 12, 1981) is an American football coach and former quarterback. Losman played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at UCLA and Tu ...

, NFL quarterback, Buffalo, Oakland 2004–09, Miami 2011 * Myrna Loy, (Myrna Williams), film actress, voted "Queen of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

" in 1938 * Teena Marie (Mary Christine Brockert), singer, songwriter,

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

Dana McLemore Dana McLemore (born July 1, 1960) is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. He played his high school football at Venice High School and c ...

, NFL defensive back, New Orleans, San Francisco, 1982–87 *

Betty Miller (pilot) Betty Jean Verret Miller (April 6, 1926 – February 21, 2018) was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean, which she did in May 1963. Early life Betty Jean Verret was born in Venice, California on 6 April 1926 to Earday Ver ...

first female pilot to fly solo across the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

* Jonas Mouton, NFL linebacker, San Diego, 2011–2014 *

Andrea Murez Andrea "Andi" Murez ( he, אנדראה "אנדי" מורז; born January 29, 1992), is an Israeli-American Olympic swimmer. She swam for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She will represent Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She represented ...

(born 1992), Israeli-American Olympic swimmer *

Morris Nettles Morris Nettles (January 26, 1952 – January 24, 2017) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who played two seasons with the California Angels in the mid-1970s. Nettles was drafted by the Angels in the second round of the 1970 Major ...

, former Major League Baseball player *

Steven Okazaki Steven Toll Okazaki (born March 12, 1952) is an American documentary filmmaker known for his raw, cinéma vérité-style documentaries that frequently show ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances. He has received a Peabody Awar ...

, filmmaker *

Peggy Oki Peggy E. Oki (born April 10, 1956) is an American skateboarder, surfer, artist, and environmental activist. She was an original member of the Z-Boys and competed with the Zephyr Competition Team in the 1970s. She was the only female member of the ...

, surfer, skateboarder, artist, environmental activist *

Stacy Peralta Stacy Douglas Peralta (born October 15, 1957) is an American film director and entrepreneur. He was previously a professional skateboarder and surfer with the Zephyr Competition Team, also known as the Z-Boys, from Venice, California. Early li ...

, skateboarder, surfer, documentary film director * Don Perry, 6-time AAU and NCAA champion in gymnastic rope climb, world record holder *

Doug Slaten Douglas Slaten (February 4, 1980 – October 4, 2016) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2006 to 2012 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Amateur ca ...

(1980–2016), MLB pitcher for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

* Harry Snyder, founder of In-N-Out hamburger chain * Joanie Sommers (Joan Drost), singer, "Pepsi Girl" * Larry Stevenson, skateboard pioneer, designer *

Esther Takei Nishio Esther Takei Nishio (February 15, 1925 – October 1, 2019) was an American woman from California, incarcerated at the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado during World War II. She was the first Japanese-American student to enroll in a Calif ...

, selected as a "test case" as the first World War II internee of Japanese descent to return from camp and enroll in a California university * Jerry Turner, MLB player from 1974–83 for the San Diego Padres,

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Hall of Fame

The Venice High School Hall of Fame was introduced by the Venice High School Alumni Association in 2017. The inaugural inductees were

(class of 1959), John Clayton (1969),

(1950), Robby Duron (faculty),

Skip Engblom Skip Engblom (born January 4, 1948) is an American entrepreneur and one of the co-founders of the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions Surf Shop in Santa Monica, California. He also helped to create the Zephyr Surf Team and the Zephyr Competi ...

, (1967), Bill Fairbanks (faculty), Artie Harris (faculty), Donna Loren (1963), Myrna Loy (1921; posthumous),

Abbot Kinney Abbot Kinney (November 16, 1850 in New Brunswick, New Jersey – November 4, 1920 in Santa Monica, California) was an American developer, conservationist, water supply expert and tree expert. Kinney is best known for his " Venice of America" de ...

(posthumous),

(1978), Ken Medlock (1967), Audrey O'Brien Griffin (1954),

(1973), Billy E. Paney (faculty), George Rose (faculty), Jeffery Shimizu (faculty), Harry Snyder (1932; posthumous), Tony Vazquez (1973), Clifford L. Warner (1980), and

Sam Whipple Sampson E. Whipple (September 25, 1960 – June 3, 2002) was an American actor best remembered for his role as Dr. John Ballard on the TV series '' Seven Days''. His credits include ''The Doors'', ''Airheads'', ''This Is Spinal Tap '' ...

(1978).

References

External links

* *
Venice High School history

Venice High School Alumni Website

''The Oarsman's'' official website

Venice High's demographics from LAUSD

LAUSD demographics for the foreign language magnet run out of the same campus

Graduating class Summer 1959
{{UCLA Bruins men's basketball navbox Art Deco architecture in California Educational institutions established in 1911 High schools in Los Angeles Los Angeles Unified School District schools Magnet schools in California Mar Vista, Los Angeles Public high schools in California School buildings completed in 1935 UCLA Bruins basketball venues Venice, Los Angeles 1911 establishments in California