Whittier High School (WHS) is a

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

located in

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...

. It belongs to the

Whittier Union High School District Whittier Union High School District is a California high school district serving most of the city of Whittier, the unincorporated communities of East Whittier, South Whittier, West Whittier-Los Nietos and Rose Hills, and parts of Norwalk, La ...

. It is the alma mater of

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 ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

(class of 1930) and

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...

(class of 1975), founder of

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

History

Whittier High School was established in 1900 when the few classes were in the upper floor of the old Jonathan Bailey School. At that time, there were 47 students in attendance. The classrooms included a study hall, a library, a recitation room, a science laboratory, and the principal's office. The library contained one stack of books. For a heating unit, there was an old-fashioned wood stove. A few pictures and a statue of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

ornamented the building. Following the addition of the East Whittier, Ranchito, Rivera, Los Nietos, Pico, and Mill Districts, the school became known as Whittier Union High School. In 1905 a new building was opened at the corner of Philadelphia and Lindley, which is the current site of Whittier High School today. A rapid influx of students necessitated the constructions of a girls' gym, an administration building and an auditorium in 1923. Soon after, the shops on Pierce Avenue were built. The 1933 Long Beach earthquake rendered most of the buildings unsafe. Classes were held in crowded storerooms, basements, and bungalows until condemned buildings could be reconstructed. The Science Building was rebuilt in 1934; a Boys' Gym in 1935; dressing rooms and Cafeteria in 1936. The Auditorium stood idle for almost 20 years and then was renovated into the present Library. In 1938, the District approved bonds for a new Girls' Gym and an Auditorium. Both were completed in 1940. Following

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 ...

, the Whittier area began to grow rapidly. In 1952, the student enrollment was over 3,500. It was at this time that the District opened a new high school called El Rancho. Growth continued and in 1953, California High School opened, followed by Santa Fe in 1955, Sierra in 1957, Pioneer in 1959, La Serna in 1961, and Monte Vista in 1964. By 1966, the District had almost 16,000 students in seven schools. In 1967,

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...

performed in the Whittier High School auditorium. Because of declining enrollment, two of the schools closed in 1979. Many students from the Sierra High School area came to Whittier. Since that time, Whittier High School's enrollment has slowly increased each year. Several areas of the Whittier High School campus were featured as Hill Valley High School in the 1985 blockbuster film ''

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'', and its 1989 sequel ''

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''. From government sources (including the

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) and bond financing, monies have been obtained for district-wide structural repairs. The seismic repairs and remodeling are still under way. In 1998 the Boys Gym was destroyed by fire. The ''new'' Perry Gym opened in 2002. The Holloway-Poucher Aquatic Center was completed in 2001. Other buildings and areas on campus are named after alumni and members of the Cardinal community: the O.C. Albertson field after the first principal, the Myron Claxton ('36) Science Building, the Vic Lopez ('46) Auditorium, the

Bob Chandler Robert Donald Chandler (April 24, 1949 – January 27, 1995) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Early years Born in Long Beach, California, Chandler w ...

('67) Sports Complex and the Marion Wilson Hodges fountain, also a former principal.

History of the Whittier Cardinal

In 1930, the cardinal was chosen as the Whittier High mascot because it is a native of Mill Creek (the area just north of Rio Hondo College). The bird was chosen because of its scarlet coat, which corresponded with the school colors. It was also felt that this bird possessed the same spirit and determination that has always been representative of Whittier High School. In 1935, the Cardinal insignia was designed as a result of a contest, which lasted four months. The event was culminated by a special student body election to choose what has become the Cardinal insignia. Since then, the insignia has been used on class rings, pins, the Cardinal Key, and a victory flag.

Students

Ethnic breakdown (2007-2008 year)

Average class size (2017-2018 year)

30 Students

Notable alumni

Patty Caretto Patricia Sarena Caretto (born January 4, 1951), also known by her married name Patricia Brown, is an American former competition swimmer, 1968 Olympic competitor, and 1964 world record-holder in two distance freestyle events. She is a former wo ...

(Brown) 1969, U.S. Olympian; former world-record holder in the women's 800 meters and 1500 meters;

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the s ...

member *

George Buehler George Siegrist Buehler, Jr. (born August 10, 1947) is a former American football offensive lineman in the American Football League and the National Football League. High school career Buehler played for Whittier High School and was the CIF So ...

1965, professional football player for the Oakland Raiders *

1967, professional football player for the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders * Helen Hannah, 1934, United States Marine 1943–75, chaperone in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League *

1975, writer, director, producer, founder of

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

Neal Moore Neal Moore (born November 22, 1971) is an American writer and canoeist. He is the author of two non-fiction books—''Down the Mississippi'' and ''Homelands: A Memoir''—as well as numerous news articles. The Mark Twain Museum, ''CNN'' and ''The ...

1990, writer and canoeist *

1930, U.S. Representative, Senator, Vice President and 37th President of the United States 1969–1974 * Vaneza Pitynski 2006, actress * Paul Pugh, Rear Admiral USN 1937, fighter pilot *

Art Sherman Art Sherman (born February 17, 1937) is a former American horse trainer and jockey. At the age of 77 he became the oldest trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. He began his career as a stable hand for Rex Ellsworth and Mesh Tenney. While working in ...

(born 1937), horse trainer and jockey

References

External links

*
Whittier High School Cardinal Band WebsiteWhittier Union High School Class of 1927 YearbookWhittier High School Class of 1967 Reunion Committee Website
{{authority control Whittier, California High schools in Los Angeles County, California Educational institutions established in 1900 Public high schools in California 1900 establishments in California