Bullard High School (Fresno, California)
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Bullard High School is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
secondary 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 '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
located in
Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
, United States. Founded in 1955 and recognized as one of Fresno's top public schools, it is part of the
Fresno Unified School District The Fresno Unified School District is a school district in Fresno, California, United States. Facts and figures *California's fourth largest school district *74,000 students *$1.6 Billion Budget *76 different languages represented over the last f ...
, and had around 2,650 students on roll in grades 9–12, approximately 650 students per grade.


History

The school is named after Edwin J. Bullard, a Fresno area farmer and former member of the Fresno Country Board of Supervisors. The Bullard geographical area originally had its own school district, named Bullard Unified, but it merged with Fresno Unified in 1958. Some parents discussed taking the Bullard area schools back out of Fresno Unified in 1991, primarily over funding concerns but it never moved beyond preliminary stages. Other attempts to disconnect the school from Fresno Unified occurred in 2011, when some parents proposed merging with Fresno and Edison High Schools, creating a new "Van Ness" school district and also in 2016, when teachers created a plan to convert Bullard to a charter school. The campus has grown significantly since its founding in 1955. An all-weather track and field facility as well and an aquatic complex were added in the early 2010s. A three year construction project was completed in 2017 which included two new classrooms, a new administration building, and a new library media center. Solar panels were added over the parking lots in 2018. The school was selected to host an early anti-plagiarism pilot program in 1999 by alumni John Barrie, who later created
Turnitin Turnitin (stylized as turnitin) is an Internet-based plagiarism detection service run by the American company Turnitin, LLC, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Founded in 1998, it sells its licenses to universities and high schools who then ...
. A 2014 bomb threat against the school led to two teenagers being arrested. In 2015, a student attacked a teacher and another student, which led to calls for stricter discipline. A cheating controversy marred the 2016 graduation, where the valedictorian leveled accusations against the teachers and administration; a school spokesman denied the claims. A Bullard cheerleader's 2019 video spawned widespread racial criticism. In 2022, a picture taken in the school's weightroom sparked additional race-based outrage.


Ethnic composition

As of the 20142015 school year, the student population was 41% Caucasian, 38% Hispanic, 13% African American, 5% Asian and 3% Other. Approximately 3% of the students have been identified as English Language Learners.


Athletics

For much of its history, Bullard High has competed in the
North Yosemite League The North Yosemite League is a high school athletics league that is a part of the CIF Central Section. It encompasses public high schools in Fresno County and Madera, California The current NYL was formed before the start of the 1996-97 school ye ...
, playing against the other public high schools in Fresno and Madera for over 40 years. In 2002, the school shifted over to the Tri-City League but after two years there, it moved to the
County Metro League The County Metro League is a high school athletic league that is part of the CIF Central Section. For the 2022-2023 school year, Madera South High School will be removed to the North Yosemite League and It will be replaced by Justin Garza High S ...
. Due to their close proximity on opposing sides of Fresno's 41 Freeway, a rivalry developed between Bullard and Hoover High School. The rivalry was dubbed the "Battle of Barstow" after a street both campuses share. However, as the competitive balance of the area high schools has shifted over the years, more rivalries have developed within league play. Bullard High School offers a comprehensive Division I interscholastic athletics program with 24 different varsity-level sports. The athletics program has produced
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), ...
players including
Steve Ellsworth Steven Clark Ellsworth (born July 30, 1960) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox in . He is the son of former MLB pitcher, Dick Ellsworth. Towering over most of his ...
,
Dave Meier David Keith Meier (born August 8, 1959) is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, who also played a few games at third base and as a designated hitter. Early life and education Meier attended Bullard High School in Fresno, California a ...
,
Stan Papi Stanley Gerard Papi (born February 4, 1951) is a former major league baseball player perhaps most remembered for being traded by the Montreal Expos to the Boston Red Sox for Bill Lee during the 1978-79 off-season. Career Papi was born in Fresno ...
,
Randy Asadoor Randall Carl Asadoor (born October 20, 1962, in Fresno, California) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played part of for the San Diego Padres. Asadoor attended Bullard High School, which has also seen names like Steve Ellsworth, D ...
and
Rex Hudler Rex Allen Hudler (born September 2, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball utility player and color commentator for the Kansas City Royals. He played a total of 14 seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in ...
. Former Fresno State and NFL quarterback Kevin Sweeney is another notable Bullard alumnus. The school has had consistent success in baseball, softball, volleyball (boys and girls), tennis, water polo, and soccer. The school earned varsity football league championships in the Northern Yosemite League in 1962, 1966, 1967, 1977, 1981 and 1999, as well as in the County Metro League in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012. The 2009 varsity football team had success in the Division I Central Section playoffs and won the section title that year, being named Valley Champions. The girls tennis team had a string of section championships from 1987 to 1994. The 1999 girls volleyball team made a deep run in the CIF playoffs, beating Mira Costa and sweeping
San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...
before getting knocked out by top ranked Newport Harbor. The 2009 boys soccer team won a section title and were state championship runners-up. The girls soccer team won a section title in 2011 (also state championship runners-up) along with the boys basketball team that same year. While not an alumnus, former
National Football League 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 ...
head and assistant coach
Mike Martz Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offens ...
started his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Knights football team in 1973. Bullard's success under coach Tony Amundsen put them on the radar of Southern California basketball programs. Tony's older brother, Tim, took the reins of the basketball program in 2016.


Notable alumni


William Bayliss, Chief Pilot Goodyear Blimp
* Lynn Williams, professional soccer player, Western New York Flash * Joe Cooper, NFL kicker, Super Bowl champion *
Steve Ellsworth Steven Clark Ellsworth (born July 30, 1960) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox in . He is the son of former MLB pitcher, Dick Ellsworth. Towering over most of his ...
,
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
pitcher *
Dave Meier David Keith Meier (born August 8, 1959) is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, who also played a few games at third base and as a designated hitter. Early life and education Meier attended Bullard High School in Fresno, California a ...
,
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), ...
outfielder *
Stan Papi Stanley Gerard Papi (born February 4, 1951) is a former major league baseball player perhaps most remembered for being traded by the Montreal Expos to the Boston Red Sox for Bill Lee during the 1978-79 off-season. Career Papi was born in Fresno ...
, Major League Baseball player * Kevin Sweeney, NFL quarterback *
Randy Asadoor Randall Carl Asadoor (born October 20, 1962, in Fresno, California) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played part of for the San Diego Padres. Asadoor attended Bullard High School, which has also seen names like Steve Ellsworth, D ...
,
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
infielder *
Rex Hudler Rex Allen Hudler (born September 2, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball utility player and color commentator for the Kansas City Royals. He played a total of 14 seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in ...
Major League Baseball
utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...
*
Robert Kendrick Robert Bradley Kendrick (born November 15, 1979) is an American retired professional tennis player. He turned professional in 2000. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 69, achieved in July 2009. Early life Robert Kendrick was born to T ...
, professional tennis player, well known for collegiate Div. I success *
Andy Finch Andrew Joseph Finch (born March 20, 1981) is an American snowboarder. His accomplishments include winning the overall U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe Title in 2003 and 2004, taking first place in the Arctic Challenge in Norway in April 2004, winning th ...
, professional snowboarder. Competed in the halfpipe finals at the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
in
Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. *
Vern Poythress Vern Sheridan Poythress (born 1946) is an American philosopher, theologian, New Testament scholar and mathematician, who is currently the New Testament chair of the ESV Oversight Committee. He is also the Professor of New Testament Interpretatio ...
,
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
philosopher and theologian * Anthony McCoy,
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
tight end *
Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg (born October 26, 1953) is an American stage actor, acting teacher and professor. He appeared on Broadway in ''Sunday in the Park with George'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Into the Woods'', and ''The Secret Garden'', as well as sev ...
, Tony-nominated Broadway Actor *
Kevin Federline Kevin Earl Federline (born March 21, 1978), often referred to, and also known as K-Fed, is an American dancer, rapper, actor, model, wrestler and DJ. He is known for his two-year marriage to American singer Britney Spears, for whom he was previou ...
, entertainer and former husband of
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 ...


References


External links

*
BullardCharger.com
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1955 High schools in Fresno, California Public high schools in California 1955 establishments in California