Liberty High School is a public co-educational high school located in Bakersfield, California, United States. Its athletics teams are known as the Liberty Patriots and the school colors are navy, red, and silver. Liberty High School opened its doors in 1999. Liberty High School is currently the most populated high school in the Kern High School District with a student body of 2,801.

Academics

All students enrolled at Liberty High School must meet the following criteria before graduation: *4 years of English (40 credits) *3 years of Social Studies (30 credits) **1 year of World or European History **1 year of U.S. History **1 year of U.S. Government/Economics *3 years of Math (30 credits) **Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Analysis or Statistics, and Calculus. *2 years of Science. (20 credits) **Integrated, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science *2 years of P.E. (20 credits) *1 year of Foreign Language/Fine Arts (10 credits) *1 semester of Health (5 credits) *Choice of Electives (65 credits) TOTAL = 220 credits Liberty High School offers AP, GATE, and Honor's courses, which students can take to earn college credit: * AP Calculus AB *

AP Calculus BC Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cover ...

AP Psychology Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology (also known as AP Psych) and its corresponding exam are part of College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to ...

AP Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate thei ...

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 Environmental Science Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science (also known as APES, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Environment, or AP EnviroSci) is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school ...

AP European History Advanced Placement (AP) European History (also known as AP Euro, or APEH), is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is for high school students who are interested in a first year ...

AP French Language Advanced Placement (AP) French Language and Culture (also known as AP French Lang, AP French Language or AP French) is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit ...

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 Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

AP United States History Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (also known as AP U.S. History or APUSH () is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. Course The AP U.S. History course is designe ...

*GATE Advanced Algebra *GATE Freshman English *GATE Geometry *GATE Sophomore English *Honor's Chemistry *Honor's Economics *Honor's Government *Honor's Math Analysis *Honor's Physics *Honor's Spanish 3

Notable Music Department

The Liberty High School Marching Patriots

Founded by band director Jason Kuyper, the 120 member group has won many sweepstakes and 1st place awards in band competitions throughout California since its beginning in 1999. In 2002, the band competed in the

Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association The Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) provides a number of services for elementary through college level instrumental music groups in Southern California, including providing clinics for educators and students and h ...

(SCSBOA) State Championships receiving 4th place overall in Division 4A. In 2004, the band competed in the

Western Band Association The Western Band Association (WBA) is a nonprofit organization that promotes high school music education in California, Arizona and Nevada. Specifically, the WBA organizes many marching band competitions for high school students. Its championships ...

(WBA) State Championships receiving 4th place overall in the 1A/2A/3A Division Finals with the colorguard claiming the High Sweepstakes award in Auxiliary. They also have a wind symphony, symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and winterguard. The group currently hosts a

Winter Guard International Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American performing arts association, governing body, and the producer of regional championship events for three activities: color guard (known as winter guard), percussion ensembles, and small marching ban ...

(WGI) regional championship in February, featuring many winterguard units from around the state of California. In 2011 the Marching Patriots swept the entire Sweepstakes category at the Stockdale Band Spectacular, winning High Music, High Woodwinds, High Brass, High Colorguard, High Percussion, and High Band (91.4). The Marching Patriots were unable to compete in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The group is now under the direction of Jason Armistead, after being under the direction of Mark McGuire.

Field shows

*1999 - Sweet Land of Liberty *2000 - James Bond *2001 - Bohemian Rhapsody *2002 - Hotel California *2003 - Class Act *2004 - The Bullfighter *2005 - Circuitry *2006 - Tutenkamen *2007 - Quidam *2008 - Locomotion *2009 - Through the Eyes of a Child *2010 - Perpetual Rhythms *2011 - Spanish Conquest *2012 - Beyond the Blue *2013 - Le Tour *2014 - A Day at the Park *2015 - Let There Be Light *2016 - A Pirate's Adventure *2017 - Scheherazade *2018 - Dystopia *2019 - Another Brick in the Wall *2020 - ''Season cancelled due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

Liberty Choral Program

The program contains Liberty Women's Chorale and Men's Chorale, Chamber Choir, and the school's major performing ensemble, Liberty Chorale. The group operated under the guidance of Michael "Mac" McQuerrey from 1999 until his retirement in 2009. In September 2004, the Chorale joined with the Bakersfield Symphonic Orchestra to present the Concert of America tribute to the victims and survivors of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In May 2007, the Liberty Chorale was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Chorale, along with other choruses from around the world, formed a symphonic choir accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble and conducted by composer and arranger Mark Hayes. The performance included the New York premiere of Mr. Hayes' "Te Deum" and a medley of his spirituals. The group is currently under the direction of Timothy Williams. Since 2011, the Chamber Choir has performed operas on a biennial basis (''The Mikado'' in 2011 and 2017, ''Pirates of Penzance'' in 2013, and ''The Merry Widow'' in 2015). However, following a three-year annual opera performance schedule (''The Mikado'' in 2017, an original opera arranged by Williams in 2018, and ''The Gypsy Baron'' in 2019), the choir has chosen not to perform an opera in 2020.

Liberty P.A.T.S.

The Liberty P.A.T.S. (Parents-Alumni-Teachers-Support) is the schools Parent Booster group that supports the educational, athletic, and extra-curricular endeavors of Liberty High School Students. Membership is open to all Liberty High School faculty and staff, parents and guardians of students currently enrolled and of alumni, and other members of the general public wishing to assist in the charitable and educational activities and function of the corporation.

Booster groups

*Band *Baseball *Cheer *Choir *Executive Board *Football *Men's Basketball *Women's Basketball *Women's Soccer *Wrestling *Men's Soccer

Athletics

Liberty's sports teams are known as the Patriots. Liberty competed in the South Sequoia League in the CIF Central Section from August 1999 to June 2002. In August 2002 the school was promoted to compete in the Southeast Yosemite League in the CIF Central Section, then in August 2010 moved to the Southwest Yosemite League.

Football

Led by head coach Rick Van Horne and having seniors for the first time in the 2001 season, the team won its first League and Valley Championship in the program's short history, shocking the valley and beating

Clovis East High School Clovis East High School is a four-year public high school of Clovis Unified School District located in Clovis, California, United States. It is home to the Timberwolves. It was built in 2000, but first welcomed students in 1999, sharing a campus w ...

. The 2015 Liberty Patriots, led by head coach Bryan Nixon, and future Green Bay Packer teammates Jordan Love and Krys Barnes, won the program's second Valley Championship by beating Clovis High School (California) 56–21. The 2015 Patriots made their first state appearance in program history, losing to

Del Oro High School Del Oro High School is located in Loomis, California, and is a part of the Placer Union High School District. Del Oro High School opened for the instruction of freshmen and sophomores on September 28, 1959, one week after Colfax opened. It w ...

28–24. The Patriots won their 3rd Valley Championship in 2021, beating the Central Grizzlies. The Patriots went on to beat Pittsburg in the state semi finals, losing the following week against Serra for the State championship. The program participates in annual bowl games with

Centennial High School (Bakersfield, California) Centennial High School is a public high school located in Bakersfield, California, United States. The school's opening in 1993 marked the 100-year anniversary of the Kern High School District. Centennial is the home of many nationally recognized e ...

and

Frontier High School (Bakersfield, California) Frontier High School (FHS) is a public American high school in Bakersfield, California. The school is part of the Kern High School District since its opening in 2006. Its campus is located on the corner of Allen Road and Olive Drive in Northwest ...

. The winner of the game keeps the bowl trophy at the school for an entire year until the next game the following season. Since its inception in the 2004 season, the Patriots are 14-4 in Freedom Bowl games against Centennial, with the last loss coming in 2009. Since its inception in 2010, the Patriots are 10–1 in Black and Blue games against Frontier, the only loss being in 2012. The Liberty Patriots football team holds an overall record of 155-59.

Volleyball

The 2002 Girls' Volleyball Team won the

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 ...

Division II Women's Volleyball State Championships.

Basketball

The 2008-09 Boys' Basketball Team won their first South East Yosemite League Championship against the Garces Rams. In addition the team made it to the CIF Division II Central Section Championship. Under the leadership of point guard, Sam Marcus, they were considered to be the best team in Kern County that season, and the second best team in the Central Section behind

. The program has continued to improve under the coaching of Andy Hicks and Andrew Shearon. In the 2009–2010 season, the Boys' Varsity Basketball team won their first valley championship in school history. The boy's made school history, defeating the No. 1 ranked San Joaquin Memorial HS at Selland Arena in Fresno, CA. To reach the valley championship, Liberty defeated West High School (Bakersfield) and Tulare Union High School, two very highly ranked basketball teams. Liberty also made a rally in the CIF State playoffs by defeating Mark Keppel HS (Alhambra) by over 20 points, making it Liberty's first State Playoff win in school history. Liberty was defeated by Eisenhower HS (one of the top basketball programs in the state). Liberty has continued to withhold a strong program in Bakersfield. In the 2010–2011 season, the Liberty HS Varsity boys team tied for the SEYL League champions with Bakersfield HS. In the following season (2011-2012), the LHS Basketball team won the outright SEYL championship.

Tennis

The Boys Tennis team won League titles in the SEYL in the 2009 and 2010 season, and recently took the title in 2011 in the newly formed and much more competitive SWYL league. The boys team also made it to the Division I Championship in 2011 where it faced Clovis West in an away game. The final score was 3 - 6 resulting in a Liberty loss, however the singles were tied at 3 - 3 in the first round.

Boys' soccer

The Boys Soccer team won League titles in the SEYL in 2004 and 2006 seasons, and recently took the title in 2011 and 2016 in the newly formed and much more competitive SWYL league. The boys made it to the Division I Championship in 2015 where they faced #10 in the nation Buchanan-Clovis in an away game. The final score was 0–1 at the end of 2OT resulting in a Liberty loss.

Commencement ceremony

The commencement ceremony or graduation is held each year in late May or early June at Liberty Stadium on campus. The LHSMP play Pomp and Circumstance live during the commencement. The school's first graduating class was the class of 2002. The school's largest graduating class was the class of 2008.

Notable alumni

* Quincy Amarikwa, former Major League Soccer player and

2010 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2010, the 15th edition of Major League Soccer's championship match, was played between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas to decide the champion of the 2010 season. The championship was played at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada o ...

champion for the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

. Currently a member of the

Oakland Roots SC Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

of the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. * Krys Barnes, current NFL

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the Green Bay Packers * Jordan Love, current NFL

Quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the Green Bay Packers * Cole Mazza, former

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

long snapper and member of the 2015 National Champion

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

. * Colton Schmidt, former Buffalo Bills punter

References

External links

Liberty High School official website

Liberty High School Marching Patriots
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1999 High schools in Bakersfield, California Public high schools in California 1999 establishments in California