Junípero Serra High School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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 ...

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. ...

, a suburban city located 14 miles southwest from

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

. Honored as a State School of the Year, Serra is operated by the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in th ...

Background

Junípero Serra High School was founded by

James Francis Cardinal McIntyre James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (June 25, 1886 – July 16, 1979) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1948 to 1970, and was created a cardinal in 1953. He was a highly successful bui ...

in 1950. It is named for founder of the

California Missions The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests of ...

, Saint Junipero Serra. The school, which was largely staffed by the Society of Mary graduated its first class in 1953.

Religious of the Sacred Heart , image = RSCJnuevo.jpg, , image_size = 150px , caption = , abbreviation = Post-nominal letters: RSCJ , formation = , founder = Saint Sr. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S.C.J. ...

and

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) are a Roman Catholic congregation of women religious which traces its origins to a group founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, Le Puy-en-Velay, France around 1650 by Jean Paul Médaille#Jean-Pierre Médaille, Jea ...

and archdiocesan priests have also helped to staff the school at various times in its history. The

Marianists The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (brothers and priests) commonly called the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Its members add the nominal l ...

left in 1994 due to lack of members to staff all their schools but came back in 2014. The current administration and faculty are predominantly lay women and men. Their dedication to the Catholic philosophy of education and values of the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

serves as an example for today's youth. In addition to Gardena, the school also serves

Carson Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city * ...

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

Hawthorne Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne may also refer to: Places Australia *Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane Canada * Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario United States * Hawt ...

, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, and Torrance. The student body brings with it a diverse cultural and ethnic background which continues to enrich the traditions begun in 1950.

Demographics

As of 1992 the school has African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Caucasian, Asian, and Latino-American students.

Athletics

CIF and State Championships

Serra athletic programs have earned numerous California State and CIF-Southern Section titles. In the spring of 2013 the boys' track & field team set a record with 148 team points en route to winning their 20th CIF Southern Section title, taking twelve out of the last fourteen. After narrowly missing the title in 2010 and 2012, the boys' track & field team finished a historic season by capturing the California Division 1 State Championship. The team finished with several individual state champions, making it their team second California Division 1 State Championship. In the Spring of 2012 the girls won the California Division 1 State Championship and their 4th consecutive CIF-Southern Section title. Serra placed five top-20 records in California State High School Track & Field history in the 4 × 100-meter relay according to DyestatCal and ESPN, along with all-time marks in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter sprints, 300 intermediate hurdles, discus, and 4X400 relay. The track program has also produced three (Division 1) State Coaches of the Year since the year 2000, and 19 individual (Division 1) State Champions in recent school history. In December 2012, the Serra Cavaliers football team won the Division 2 California State title. They also won a Division 3 California State title in 2009, making that a total of two titles in four years. This victory adds to the three

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

- Southern Section Championship titles that the Serra Cavaliers earned in football during the same four-year period. In the 2011-2012 academic year, Serra won four CIF Southern Section-Ford championships. In 2010, Serra Basketball claimed the

-Southern Section and California State Boys' Basketball titles. The Boys' Basketball team has earned 2 California State titles in all-time school history. In 2014-2015, Serra competed in their first-ever CIF-Southern Section Swimming Championships meet and in the 2015-2016 swim season, Serra Swimming competed in their very first CIF-Southern Section State Championship meet. The Serra Cavalier Swim Team has been competing at CIF-Southern Section Swimming Championships since 13-14 swim season. Since 1980, the school has won numerous state and CIF Championships, in addition to dozens and dozens of league titles: *1980: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1981: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1982: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1989: CIF-SS Football *1993: State Champs Boys' Basketball, CIF-SS Boys' Basketball *1994: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1996: State Champs Boys' Track & Field (4x100), CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1997: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1998: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *1999: CIF-SS Boys' Basketball, CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2000: Division 1 State Champs Boys' Track & Field, State Champs Boys' Track & Field (100-meter dash, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay), CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field, CIF Regional Boys' Basketball, CIF-SS Boys' Basketball *2002: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2003: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field, CIF-SS Girls' Track & Field (first CIF Title for girls; was all-boys school until 1991) *2004: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2005: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2006: CIF-SS 'Basketball *2007: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2008: CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2009: State Champs Football (Division III), State Champs Girls' Track & Field (4x400 relay) (400-meter sprint), State Champs Boys' Track (4x100 relay) CIF-SS Football (Northwest Division), CIF-SS Girls' Track & Field, CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field *2010: State Champs Boys' Basketball, State Champs Girls' Track & Field (400-meter dash), State Champs Boys' Track and Field (Boys' 4x400 relay), CIF-SS Boys' Track & Field, CIF-SS Girls' Track & Field, CIF-SS Boys' Basketball, CIF-SS Girls' Basketball, CIF-SS Football (Western Division), *2011: State Champs Girls' Track (4x400 relay), CIF-SS Boys' Track and Field, CIF-SS Girls' Track and Field, CIF-SS Boys' Basketball, CIF-SS Girls' Basketball, *2012: State Champs Girls' Track, State Champs Girls' Track (4x100 relay, 4x400 relay, 400-meter dash, Long Jump), State Champs Boys' Track and Field (110-meter hurdles, Long Jump), State Champs Football (Division II), CIF-SS Football (Western Division), CIF-SS Girls' Track, CIF-SS Boys' Track *2013: Division 1 State Champs Boys' Track, State Champs Boys' Track & Field:(Boys' 4x100 relay, Boys' 300 hurdles, Boys' 4x400 relay), State Champs Girls' Basketball, CIF-SS Boys' Track, CIF-SS Boys' Baseball *2016: Division 4AA CIF-SS Boys Basketball Champs *2018: Division 1 state Champs Girls’ Basketball, State Champs Girls’ Track & Field, Division 4 CIF Champs Girls’ Track & Field, Division 7 CIF Champs Girls’ Softball

School of the Year

In the 2009–2010 academic year, the Serra Cavaliers, who compete in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), became the first school in

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 ...

history to win state football and basketball titles in the same academic year. For this achievement, Serra was named "2009–2010 State School of the Year" by Cal-Hi Sports. Based on school enrollment, Serra is the smallest school to ever receive this honor and the first State School of the Year recipient from the South Bay region of Los Angeles in 44 years.

Notable alumni

* Brigadier General Michael J. Aguilar, (USMC) (ret.), Federal Security Director,

San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport , formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.. US Federa ...

Bené Benwikere Bené Sylvion Benwikere ( ; born September 3, 1991) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Jose State. Early life Benwikere g ...

, NFL cornerback for the

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Kerry Boagni Kerry Martin Boagni (born September 24, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. A native of California, he played college basketball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans before being drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA dra ...

, former professional basketball player,

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

* Joseph D. Cormier, former professional football player,

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and

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* George Farmer, NFL cornerback *

Skeme Lonnie Kimble (born January 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Skeme, is an American rapper from Inglewood, California. Skeme has collaborated with various West Coast rappers such as the group Black Hippy, Bizzy Bone, The Game, Dom Kenned ...

, rapper, performer *

Deon Figures Deon Juniel Figures (born January 10, 1970) is a former American college and professional football player who was cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the University of Colorado, and ...

, former

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defensive back,

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

; first round draft selection, 1993; winner of the

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Dana Gioia Michael Dana Gioia (; born December 24, 1950) is an American poet, literary critic, literary translator, and essayist. Since the early 1980s, Gioia has been considered part of the literary movements within American poetry known as New Formalis ...

, former

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

; and poet *

Dwan Hurt Dwan Hurt (March 29, 1963 – November 25, 2016) was an American basketball coach and player. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball, Gonzaga Bulldogs as a point guard and later coached at Junípero Serra High Schoo ...

, Serra basketball coach *

Duke Ihenacho Duke Uba Ihenacho (born June 16, 1989) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at San Jose State. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for ...

, former NFL strong safety,

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

Adoree Jackson Adoree' K. Jackson (born September 18, 1995) is an American football cornerback and return specialist for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in ...

, 2016

winner at USC, selected in the first round (18th overall) of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

Pooh Jeter Eugene "Pooh" Jeter III (; born December 2, 1983) is an American-born naturalized Ukrainian professional basketball player for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. A tall point guard, he is a naturalized player for the Ukraine national ...

, professional basketball player,

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

point guard *

Montell Jordan Montell Du'Sean Barnett Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Best known for his 1995 single "This Is How We Do It", Jordan was the primary male solo artist on Def Jam's Def Soul imprint until le ...

, hip hop, R&B recording artist *

Jordan Lasley Jordan Lasley (born November 13, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Early years L ...

, NFL wide receiver,

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

Marqise Lee Marqise Lee (born November 25, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC, where he was the 2012 Bilet ...

, NFL wide receiver for

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

; 2012 winner of

Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

at USC * Gary E. Liebl, Chair (ret.), QLogic; Chairman Emeritus,

Chaminade University of Honolulu Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bachelor's degrees in ...

; Life Governor,

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...

* William D. McCann (Class of 1964 -SBP) Founder, Mount Diablo National Bank, Danville, CA, Founder, Go-Ped Europa Teoranta, Bunbeg, Gweedore, Ireland, Vice Chairman of the Board, ValleyCare Medical Systems, Livermore, CA, Poet Laureate, Bohemian Club of California *

William Melville William Melville (25 April 1850 – 1 February 1918) was an Irish law enforcement officer and the first chief of the British Secret Service Bureau. Birth William Melville was born into a Roman Catholic family in Direenaclaurig Cross, Sneem, Co ...

, founder, president and CEO (retired), Mayfair Plastics * Myron Montgomery, Former Soul Train Dancer from 1976-1995 *

Dave Nelson David Earl Nelson (June 20, 1944 – April 22, 2018) was an American professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals from 1968 through 19 ...

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), ...

All-Star infielder and FSN broadcaster for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Milt Palacio Milton Sigmund Palacio (born February 7, 1978) is a Belizean American professional basketball coach and former player. Early life Palacio, a Belizean citizen, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by Belizean parents. College career P ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

point guard, currently plays in Greek League *

Jemeel Powell Jemeel Powell (born August 29, 1980) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of California, Berkeley. Early life Powell attended Juníper ...

, former NFL player *

Arabian Prince Kim Renard Nazel (born June 17, 1965), better known by his stage names Arabian Prince or Professor X, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. He is best known as a founding member of N.W.A. Early life Nazel was born i ...

, rapper, former

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member * Eugene Profit, CEO, Profit Investment Management; former

cornerback,

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* Terrence Quaites, R&B recording artist with

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

, musical artist *

Kris Richard Kris Richard (born October 28, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach f ...

defensive coordinator of the

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 ...

; former

defensive back,

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* Paul Richardson, wide receiver, selected 45th overall by

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* Dominic Smith, outfielder for the

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linebacker (ret.),

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and

* Sione Tuihalamaka, American football player *Jarrett Theragood, American Businessman *

Theo Viltz Theophile Anthony Viltz Jr. (born April 20, 1943) is a former American football cornerback in the American Football League (AFL) for the Houston Oilers. He played college football at the University of Southern California. Early years Viltz atten ...

, former NFL player * David Williams, played for the

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 ...

and the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

* Marcus Wilson, MLB outfielder for the

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organization * Robert Woods, wide receiver,

; track & field, 400 meter sprint; (2010)

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

World Rank (Senior)

Notable faculty

, Serra basketball coach

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Junipero Serra High School (Gardena, California) High schools in Los Angeles County, California Roman Catholic secondary schools in Los Angeles County, California Catholic secondary schools in California Gardena, California Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in California