Wasco Union High School (WUHS) is a public

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senior 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 ...

Wasco Wasco is the name of four places in the United States: Places United States * Wasco, California, a city in California ** Wasco State Prison, located in Wasco, California * Wasco, Illinois, a former hamlet (unincorporated town) in Illinois, now pa ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The school is part of the Wasco Union High School District and takes in incoming freshmen from the Wasco Union School District, Maple School District, Lost Hills Union School District, Semitropic School District, St. John's Catholic School, and North Kern Christian School. The school's auditorium is the City of Wasco's only listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

WUHS was established in 1914 when the voters of the Cleveland, Maple, Poplar, Wildwood, Semitropic and Wasco elementary school districts approved the formation of a high school, to coincide with the new addition of the Wasco Union High School District that year. In the inaugural year, 28 students were enrolled at WUHS, and classes were held in a rented auditorium-like building called Wasco Hall. In August 1916, a new high school building for WUHS was approved; it was completed within six months and cost about $50,000. 69 students were enrolled at the time of the dedication on March 3, 1917. After 1917, as new structures were added to the campus, the original building was referred to simply as the Main Building.WUHS History
/ref> In the years following, a host of new buildings were added to the campus: an industrial arts building in 1925, an auditorium in 1929, a gymnasium in 1931, an agricultural addition to the industrial arts building in 1934, the first phase of the science building in 1935, and the second phase in 1939. A cafeteria and a language arts building were added in 1949, a library and a music building in 1953, a new classroom building and a bus garage in 1957, and a new administration building in 1959. In recent years, WUHS has undergone tremendous change. For instance, the enrollment pattern from the 1925-1926 school year through the 2005-2006 school year showed the school's student body expanding every decade (aside from 1975-1976 school year through 1985-1986), which is revealed in the following figures, given in ten year increments: 1925-1926 (143 students); 1935-1936 (299 students); 1945-1946 (385 students); 1955-1956 (546 students); 1965-1966 (879 students); 1975-1976 (869 students); 1985-1986 (854 students); 1995-1996 (960 students) and 2005-2006 (1,551 students). This led to an increase in student enrollment and, should the Wasco Union High School District sustain its present rate of growth, projections indicate that the enrollment at WUHS would reach 2,200 students by 2010. This led the district to begin preliminary planning for a second comprehensive high school to take in the influx of students within the district.

Auditorium

The school's auditorium is the oldest building on its campus. The

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auditorium was designed by Ernest J. Kump. In addition to school performances, the building also hosts social events and visiting musicians, performers, and preachers. The auditorium was listed on the

in 1997.

Academics

All students enrolled at WUHS must at least meet the following criteria before graduation:WUHS Graduation Requirements
/ref> *4 years of English (40 credits) *3 years of Math (30 credits) *2 years of Science (20 credits) *2 years of P.E. (20 credits) *1 year of U.S. History (10 credits) *1 year of World History (10 credits) *1 year of Government/Economics (10 credits) *1 year of Fine Arts (10 credits) *1 year of Freshman Reqs. (10 credits) *60 credits of electives In total, 220 credits are necessary for a student at WUHS to graduate. Every student who graduates must also pass the

CAHSEE The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) was an examination created by the California Department of Education, that was previously mandated to administer in high schools statewide in order to graduate. The examination was suspended in ...

and an approved Algebra course. Because WUHS is situated in a largely rural community, the school has for many years offered a program that places heavy emphasis on the development of both vocational and agricultural skills. Agriculture remains a major element of the school's curriculum, as evidenced by the fact that some 500 WUHS students take agriculture related course work. Agriculture students have an opportunity to learn the practical aspects of agriculture on the district's school farm, which operates in conjunction with a farm lab where instruction is provided in welding, agricultural mechanics, plant science, and animal care. In addition, WUHS provides the following advanced courses for those who want a challenge and/or want to get college credit:AP Classes Offered at WUHS
/ref> *

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

* AP Calculus AB *

AP English Language and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (also known as AP English Language, APENG, or AP Lang) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. When AP exams were first impleme ...

AP English Literature and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition (also known as Senior AP English, AP Lit, APENG, or AP English IV) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United Stat ...

AP Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placeme ...

AP Spanish Literature Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Literature and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Literature, AP Spanish Lit or AP SpLit) is a high school course and examination offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. The course This course ...

AP World History Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern (also known as just AP World History, AP World, or WHAP) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placemen ...

* AP U.S. History

Athletics

The athletic director for WUHS is Joshua Huddleston. WUHS sports teams are called the Tigers, and have their home games on campus. The Tigers participate in the

South Sequoia League The South Sequoia League is a high school athletic league that is part of the CIF Central Section.https://www.cifcs.org/information/leagues.pdf It is the athletic conference for public high schools in west and north Kern County. Members * Delano ...

CIF Central Section The California Interscholastic Federation—Central Section (CIF-CS) is the governing body of high school athletics in the central and southern portions of the San Joaquin Valley, the Eastern Sierra region, and as of the 2018/9 season, San Luis O ...

CIF Central Section League and Divisional Placement
/ref> and have varsity and JV teams. Below are all the sports that WUHS participates in and their respective season:Wasco High School Sports Teams
/ref> Fall *Cross country *Football *Girls' golf *Girls' tennis *Girls' volleyball Winter *Boys' basketball *Boys' soccer *Girls' basketball *Girls' soccer *Wrestling Spring *Baseball *Boys' golf *Boys' tennis *Softball *Swimming *Track & field

Notable alumni

* Gordon L. Park, member of the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

from 1993–1996 * Micah Albert, photojournalist

References