Garden Grove High School is a public high school located in

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, located just southwest of Disneyland (located in Anaheim, CA). The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, ...

. It is a member of the

Garden Grove Unified School District The Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) is the 14th-largest school district in California. It includes boundaries in Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Stanton, and Westminster. The district includes forty ...

and serves the northeast portion of the city and a small portion of southern

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

History

The Garden Grove Union High School District was established in 1921 in response to attempts by neighboring school districts to annex the Garden Grove area. GGHS opened its doors in September 1921 in temporary facilities. The school moved to its present location on Stanford Avenue in 1923. The school's athletic teams were originally known as "Chili Peppers", reflecting the dominant local crop of the time. In the 1920s, the name "Argonauts" was chosen. They are known as Argos for short. GGHS was badly 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 ...

; the main classroom building suffered a partial collapse and one student was killed. The structure was rebuilt and is still in use, having been renamed Heritage Hall. It also houses the Argonaut Hall of Fame and Museum, chronicling the school's long history, as well as a memorial to

Michael Monsoor Michael Anthony Monsoor (April 5, 1981September 29, 2006) was a United States Navy SEAL who was killed during Invasion of Iraq and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 2001 and graduated from Basic Un ...

, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

SEAL Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

killed in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, and an alumnus of Garden Grove High School. GGHS grew with the post-World War II boom and by the 1960s, it was joined by six other high schools in what is now the

. In the 2004–2005 school year, Garden Grove High School was named a

California Distinguished School California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately 5-10% of California schools are awarded t ...

Athletics

The Argonauts made the CIF Southern Section Football finals in 2009, but lost. The Argonauts won their first CIF Southern Section Football title in 2010 as champions of the Southern Division, and their second, came in 2014 against cross-city rival Rancho Alamitos. Other Southern Section CIF titles won by the school include coed badminton (1986, 1995 and 1999), girls' field hockey (1979, 1982, and 1983), and girls' softball (1985). Wrestler, Nathan Tran, made the California State Tournament for Wrestling in Bakersfield, in 2018, for the first time since the 1990s.

Performing arts

Garden Grove High School offers music courses in marching band, concert band, beginning instruments, jazz band, and beginning and advanced string orchestra. Each year during Memorial Day weekend, the Argonaut Marching Band and Colorguard act as host band in the Strawberry Festival Parade in

Notable alumni

Arts

Denis Boyles Denis Boyles is a journalist, editor, university lecturer and the author/editor of several books of poetry, travel/history, criticism, humor, practical advice and essays, including ''Design Poetics'' (1975), ''The Modern Man's Guide to Life'' (1986) ...

, Class of 1964, writer, editor and journalist *

James Intveld James Intveld (born November 12, 1959) is an American rockabilly musician, singer, songwriter, performer, actor, and film director from Los Angeles, California, United States. Early career Born in the Netherlands, Intveld's parents moved to C ...

, Class of 1977, musician and actor *

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated ...

, Class of 1963, comedian, actor, screenwriter, and author *

John McEuen John McEuen, born December 19, 1945 in Oakland, California, is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Career Solo work John McEuen was born in Oakland, California. In 1964, at age 18, he became interested ...

, musician, founding member of the

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

Dustin Nguyen Dustin may refer to: Places in the United States * Dustin, Nebraska * Dustin Township, Holt County, Nebraska * Dustin, Oklahoma Other uses * Dustin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Dustin ...

, actor, director, writer, and martial artist *

Basil Poledouris Basil Konstantine Poledouris (; August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores, best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoe ...

, Class of 1963, film and television composer *

Stephen Shortridge Stephen Shortridge (born October 23, 1951 in Red Oak, Iowa) is an American actor. Shortridge appeared in more than 20 film and television projects throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most recognizably from his role as a Southern high school student ...

, Class of 1970, actor

Sports

* Al Carlson, Class of 1969, NBA player, center, 1975–76 with the Seattle SuperSonics *

Lenny Dykstra Leonard Kyle Dykstra (; born February 10, 1963), is an American former professional baseball center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (1985–1989) and Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1996). Dykstra was a thre ...

, Class of 1981, Major League Baseball player, outfielder, 1985–96 with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies *

Roy Gleason Roy William Gleason (born April 9, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player who appeared in eight games in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers late in the season. An outfielder by trade, he was a switch hitter who ...

, Class of 1961, Major League Baseball player and Bonus Baby, outfielder, 1963 with Los Angeles Dodgers, only Major League Baseball player to serve in combat in the Vietnam War *

Merle Hapes Merle Alison Hapes (May 19, 1919July 18, 1994) was a professional American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons for the New York Giants (1942, 1946). He and quarterback Frank Filchock were involved in ...

, Class of 1938, NFL player, fullback, 1942 and 1946 with the New York Giants *

Mark Lomas Mark Arnold Lomas (born June 8, 1948) is a former professional American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven ...

, Class of 1966, NFL Player, defensive lineman, 1970–74 with the New York Jets *

Mike Schooler Michael Ralph Schooler (born August 10, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. Schooler pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from - for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers. He attended Garden Grove High School in Ga ...

, Class of 1980, Major League Baseball player, pitcher, 1988–93 with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers

Business, politics, and the military

Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon and in a fixed-wing aircraf ...

, Class of 1962, businessman, aviator, sailor and adventurer; first person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a balloon. *

, Class of 1999, a

killed in

and

awarded the

. *

Janet Nguyen Janet Q. Nguyen (born May 1, 1976) is an American politician who serves in the California State Assembly. A Republican, she represents the 72nd district, encompassing parts of northern coastal Orange County which includes the cities of Huntin ...

, Class of 1994, Garden Grove City Councilwoman, member of Orange County Board of Supervisors, and State Senator. *

Bill Thomas William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was a California Republican Party, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representing California's 22 ...

, Class of 1959, 11-term U.S. Congressman (now retired) and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee *

Eric Nguyen Eric Michael Nguyen (January 2, 1978 – September 9, 2007) was an American professional storm chaser, meteorologist, and photographer from Keller, Texas, United States. In 2008, Nguyen released his first book of photography titled ''Adventures in ...

, Class of 1997, President of Shoesville, Founder of the independent nation of rabbits, father to Theo and Simon * Tuan Ha, Class of 1997, Founding father of the Shazam nation, like to eat cheese

References

External links

Garden Grove High School
{{authority control Education in Garden Grove, California High schools in Orange County, California Educational institutions established in 1921 Public high schools in California 1921 establishments in California