Oakland Senior High School (also known as O-High or OHS) 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

. Established in 1869, it is the oldest high school in Oakland and the sixth oldest high school in the state.

History

Oakland High was first located at 12th Street and Market Street, then at 12th and Jefferson Street. It has been at its current location at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Park Boulevard since 1928. The building that stood before its current manifestation was known as the "Pink Prison" or "Pink Palace." The stairway leading up from Park Boulevard is what remains of the exterior. The lamps in the commons are original fixtures. What is now the football field and basketball courts was once classrooms and a huge theater. The school colors are royal blue and white. The building was torn down in 1980 to be rebuilt as a safer structure in the event of a major earthquake. A new football/soccer/baseball field was inaugurated in the spring of 2006. The football field is officially known as the "Jackie Jensen Field", while the baseball/softball field is dedicated to Mike Marcoulis Sr., longtime coach and teacher. Pamela Moy became Oakland High's principal in Fall 2020, succeeding Matin Abdel-Qawi, who was the principal serving from 2012 to 2020. As of October 2021, the assistant principals are Jose Irizarry III, Chris Johnston, Rita Skyers, and Shoshana Towers-Cabrera. Other administrative positions include Rany Ath (Wellness Center Director). In the summer of 2008, renovations and rebuilding to the main building (as well in the former shop buildings) began and were completed in August 2011. In January 2021, filmmaker

Peter Nicks Peter Nicks is an American filmmaker. Peter Olivera Nicks (born May 2, 1968) is an American film director, producer and writer. He began his career in television and served as co-producer and editor of the 2006 episode "Blame Somebody Else" of ...

released ''Homeroom'', a documentary following the Oakland High class of 2020 through their senior year. The 2019–2020 school year started normally but made an unexpected turn in March 2020 as a result of the

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 quick ...

pandemic, forcing the students into quarantine and to attend virtual classes, with no prom or graduation ceremony.

Students

With over 1,800 students, 39% are Asian, including students of Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino,

Mien The Yao people (its majority branch is also known as Mien; ; vi, người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China and Vietnam. They are one of the 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities in China and reside in t ...

, and Laotian descent. Another 38% of students are

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 21% of students are Latino or

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

, 1% are

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

and 1% are of two or more ethnicities.

Class colors

*Freshmen: purple *Sophomores: yellow *Juniors: green *Seniors: blue

Student life

Oakland High School has more than 40 student-run clubs and 24 sports.

Clubs

Academics

OHS offers many Advanced Placement (AP) courses and a wide array of challenging academic electives. Many concurrent enrollment college courses are offered from the Peralta Colleges after school. The AP Test Site Coordinator for the school is Carlos Padilla.

AP courses

Test scores

For 2013, the school's API score was 634 out of a possible 1,000 points.

Families and Pathways

Ninth-grade students are parts of learning communities called freshman "families". Students in grades 10 to 12 join one of the school's Career and Technical Education (CTE), aligned pathway programs:

Visual Arts & Academic Magnet Program (VAAMP)

VAAMP is an art-based academy; it teaches student how to be creative and piques their interest in art. It offers students classes in art, fashion, drama, and graphic design. VAAMP students painted a mural on Park Blvd. entitled "Beautiful Struggle."

Environmental Science Academy (ESA)

The Environmental Science Academy (ESA) at Oakland High was founded in 1997. ESA is known for its hands-on learning and field trips including regular sophomore water quality monitoring at

Lake Merritt Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon in the center of Oakland, California, just east of Downtown. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. It is historically significant as the United States' first official wildlife refuge, designate ...

and an annual trip to Catalina Island. Students are given various tools to prepare themselves for the future, such as community service, college courses, and School-to-Career. Sophomore ESA students usually have a block class consisting of Chemistry and Environmental Studies.

Public Health Academy (PHA)

Established in 2011, the Public Health Academy is the newest academy at Oakland High School. Its goal is to teach students about public health and policy. Public health problems involve complex and interrelated social, behavioral, legal, medical and economic issues. Students are given opportunities for internships in the health profession at Highland Hospital and Kaiser Permanente. balls

Innovative Design & Engineering Academy (IDEA)

IDEA engages student learning in engineering and technology through rigorous curriculum, real-world applications, and relevant field trips. This pathway was formerly known as Project Lead The Way Engineering (PLTW).

Law & Social Justice

LSJ prepares students for careers in education, law, and community organizations with a focus on social justice and current events.

RISE Academy

R.I.S.E. (Recent Immigrant Support and Engagement) Academy welcomes newly arrived immigrant students and provides them with a sheltered space that supports their transition into the American high school education system. Unlike the other pathways, RISE includes students from all four grade levels.

Athletics

In the 2008–2009 season, the Oakland High

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team managed a 9–2 record, winning a co-league championship. In the spring of 1998, 2007 and 2009, the

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

team defeated Skyline High School (the seven-year defending champions) to become the OAL champions. They won the league with a record of six wins and no losses. Along with athletic talent, the badminton team also maintained a very high average GPA, and were named Oakland High's 2007 Outstanding Spring Sports Team. The Oakland High Catfish Swim Team is another of the many strong teams at Oakland High School. The Catfish have roughly 40 people on the Varsity and JV teams. At the 2008 OAL finals, the Catfish defeated Skyline in both men's Varsity and JV, becoming OAL champions. In the fall of 2007, the

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

team became OAL champions without a single loss. The Lady Wildcats

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

team finished third in the OAL for the 2014 season. In 2002, the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team played Dela Sale in the State Champions Semi-Finals. They also won the OAL (Oakland Athletic League) basketball against Oakland Tech High School in 2000.

Sports

Notable alumni

* Herbert Anderson, actor, Dennis The Menace television series. *

Carroll Borland Carroll Borland (February 25, 1914 – February 3, 1994) better known by the stage-spelling Carol Borland, was an American professor, writer, and actress. She is best known for having portrayed Luna, the daughter of Bela Lugosi's character, C ...

(1931), actress, author, Professor of Education *

Jabari Brown Jabari Akil Brown (born December 18, 1992) is an American professional basketball player, who last played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers where as a junior he led the SEC ...

(2011),

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

basketball player *

Chris Burford Christopher William Burford III (born January 31, 1938) is a former American football wide receiver. Burford was a football captain at Stanford, leading the NCAA in receptions with 61 in 1959. The following year, he was a first round draft pic ...

(1955), NFL player and NCAA Football Hall of Fame *

Sway Calloway Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Wake U ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

radio personality A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...

(1954), actor * King Lan Chew (1921), dancer * George Cooper Pardee (1875), Governor of California, 1903–1907 *

Denny Dent Dennis E. "Denny" Dent (April 5, 1948 – March 29, 2004) was an American speed painter who was known for his frenetic performances as he painted large portraits of celebrities.Martin, Douglas (April 4, 2004)Denny Dent, Who Made a Performance Out ...

(1966), painter * Sheila E., percussionist *

Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...

(1930), television producer *

Ben Fong-Torres Benjamin Fong-Torres ( 方振豪; Cantonese: Fong Chan Ho; born January 7, 1945) is an American rock journalist best known for his association with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine (until 1981) and the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (from around 1982). B ...

(1962), journalist *

Shirley Fong-Torres Shirley Fong-Torres (November 16, 1946 – June 18, 2011) was a chef, tour operator, and popular travel and food writer based in San Francisco, California, US. Early life Fong-Torres was born on November 16, 1946. Her father was Ricardo To ...

(1964), chef, tour operator, and popular travel and food writer *

Chick Gandil Charles Arnold "Chick" Gandil (January 19, 1888 – December 13, 1970) was a professional baseball player. He played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox of the American League. He is best known as the ringle ...

(1906), professional baseball player * Paul Gemignani (1955), jazz drummer and Broadway music director *

Sylvia Gerrish Sylvia Gerrish (born Lillian M. Rollins; May 1860 – December 8, 1906) was an American musical theatre performer who found success in New York and London in the 1880s and early 1890s. She was known as "The Girl with the Poetical Legs".

(as Lillian Rollins), (1878), musical comedy actress *

Lillian Moller Gilbreth Lillian Evelyn Gilbreth (; May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist, industrial engineer, consultant, and educator who was an early pioneer in applying psychology to time-and-motion studies. She was described in the 1940s ...

(1896), industrial engineer * Bob Grottkau, NFL player and college coach * George J. Hatfield (1907), Lieutenant Governor of California, 1935–39 * Marsha Hunt (1964), actress, singer and novelist *

Jackie Jensen Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League (AL) teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Pl ...

(1945), athlete, College Football Hall of Fame, 1958 AL MVP *

Franklin Knight Lane Franklin Knight Lane (July 15, 1864 – May 18, 1921) was an American progressive politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1913 to 1920. He also served as a commi ...

(1880), US Secretary of Interior, 1913–1920 *

Fay Lanphier Fay Elinora Lanphier (December 12, 1905 – June 21, 1959) was an American model and actress most noted for winning the title of Miss Santa Cruz in 1924 and then Miss California and Miss America in 1925. Early life Lanphier was born in El ...

(1924), Miss California, 1924 and 1925; Miss America, 1925 *

Damian Lillard Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earned ...

(2008),

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

basketball player and rapper *

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

(1896), writer *

Lorenzo Lynch Lorenzo M. Lynch (born April 6, 1963 in Oakland, California) is a former American professional football player. A 5'9", 197 lbs. cornerback from Sacramento State, Lynch played in 11 NFL seasons for three teams. In his NFL career, he had 17 ...

, NFL football player *

Judah Leon Magnes Judah Leon Magnes ( he, יהודה לייב מאגנס; July 5, 1877 – October 27, 1948) was a prominent Reform rabbi in both the United States and Mandatory Palestine. He is best remembered as a leader in the pacifist movement of the World ...

(1894), rabbi, Chancellor/President Hebrew University, Jerusalem 1925-1948 * Dudley Manlove (1931), vaudeville, radio and B-movie actor *

Yōsuke Matsuoka was a Japanese diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II. He is best known for his defiant speech at the League of Nations in February 1933, ending Japan's participation in the organ ...

(1896), Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs during WWII *

Armand Mauss Armand Lind Mauss (June 5, 1928 – August 1, 2020) was an American sociologist specializing in the sociology of religion. He was Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Washington State University and was the most freq ...

(1946), sociologist *

Stanley Mazor Stanley Mazor is an American microelectronics engineer who was born on 22 October 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. He is one of the co-inventors of the world's first microprocessor architecture, the Intel 4004, together with Ted Hoff, Masatoshi S ...

(1959), engineer *

Ken McAlister Kenneth H. McAlister (born April 15, 1960) is a former American football linebacker who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. He played college basketball a ...

, NFL football player and college basketball player * Edwin Meese (1949), US Attorney General, 1985–1988 *

Clark Miller Franklin Clark Miller (August 11, 1938 – November 5, 2008) was a professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who played defensive end for nine seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, the Washington Redskins, and the ...

(1955), NFL football player *

Julia Morgan Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was an American architect and engineer. She designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career.Erica Reder"Julia Morgan was a local in ''The New Fillmore'', 1 Febr ...

(1890), architect * Lloyd Moseby (1978), Major League baseball player * Robert Nichols, actor * Zoe Ann Olsen-Jensen (1949), Olympic diver; silver medal, 1948; bronze medal, 1952 *

Walter Plunkett Walter Plunkett (June 5, 1902 in Oakland, California – March 8, 1982) was a prolific costume designer who worked on more than 150 projects throughout his career in the Hollywood film industry. Born in Oakland, California, Plunkett studied ...

(1919), 1951 Academy Award for Costume Design for ''An American in Paris'' * Bill Rigney (1936), New York Giants player and first manager of the San Francisco Giants, 1956 *

Boots Riley Raymond Lawrence "Boots" Riley (born April 1, 1971), is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist activist. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature-film directorial ...

, rapper, producer, screenwriter, film director, and activist *

Dawn Robinson Dawn Sherrese Robinson (born November 24, 1966 or 1968) is an American singer best known as a founding member of the R&B/pop group En Vogue, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Following her departure from En Vogue, Robinson ...

(attended), singer; founding member of R&B vocal group

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

. *

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

(1892), author *

Ellery W. Stone Ellery Wheeler Stone CBE (January 14, 1894 – September 18, 1981) was a prominent figure in the history of radio, serving both in government and corporations during the first half of the twentieth century and decorated Rear admiral in the United ...

(1912), Rear admiral and Radio pioneer *

Nellie Wong Nellie Wong (born 12 September 1934) is an American poet and activist for feminist and socialist causes. Wong is also an active member of the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women. Biography Wong was born in Oakland, California to Chines ...

(1952), poet

References

External links

OHS Memorial Pages

Oakland High School

Wildcats Alumni Association - the official alumni association

Visual Arts Academy Magnet Program (VAAMP)

ESA
{{authority control High schools in Oakland, California Educational institutions established in 1869 Public high schools in California 1869 establishments in California Oakland Unified School District