Herbert Hoover High School is a comprehensive, public

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

in the City Heights neighborhood of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, United States.Burks, Megan.
San Diego Campus Builds On School Discipline Reform With Wellness Center
" '' KPBS''. Friday August 21, 2015. Retrieved on May 18, 2016. It is part of

San Diego Unified School District San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is a public school district based in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 ...

. It is one of the oldest schools in San Diego.Bell, Diane.
Historic chunk of Hoover High reappears

Archive
. ''

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

''. July 27, 2015. Retrieved on January 18, 2016.

History

The school was established in 1930 and named in honor of then

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

. The first principal was Floyd Johnson. It originally opened as a beige stucco building with a red-tile roof and unreinforced concrete, giving it a Spanish-style appearance. As part of a tradition related to signing their yearbooks, 12th grade (senior) students climbed a tower that became a signature defining aspect of the campus. In 1954 '' California Concerts'' (also referred to as Jazz Goes to High School) was a live album by saxophonist and bandleader

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, pianist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing t ...

featuring performances recorded at Stockton High School and Hoover High. The school underwent renovations in the early 1970s. The tower and other architectural features were erased by the renovation. As of 2004, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Douglas Williams, the authors of ''Five Years Later'', stated that before 1998, Hoover had been known as the "ghetto school" of San Diego USD, and that schools with higher academic performances poached the best students from Hoover.Douglas, Frey, and Williams, p
147
Adam Berman,Douglas, Frey, and Williams, p
160
who previously taught at Hoover,Douglas, Frey, and Williams, p
159
wrote that in 1988 Hoover had low teacher morale, acts of violence, and a high dropout rate in addition to poor academic performance. The school joined the City Heights Educational Initiative, along with two other high schools and

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

, in 1998 as part of an effort to improve.Douglas, Frey, and Williams, p
148
In 2000 the school met its California state accountability target. This was the first time it had done so in 15 years. Circa 2000 Berman, by then a

California Department of Education The California Department of Education is an agency within the government of California that oversees public education. The department oversees funding and testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. Its s ...

employee, wrote an independent review of the changes made at Hoover. The review, titled "A focus on literacy: Hoover High School in San Diego," was published in the ''California High School Newsletter''. Herbert Hoover High School Entrance

Around 2015 the school was scheduled to receive a renovation of the administrative area and main entrance, and parents and community members lobbied for a restoration of the tower and other historic architectural features as part of this renovation. Burt Nestor, a member of the Hoover class of 1946, gave the school a chunk of an ornamental archway from the original building. His son gave it to him as a gift around 1973, as the renovation had destroyed portions of the original campus. The piece is to be either used in the 2015 renovation, or displayed separately. In 2015 Michael Shefcik, the supervisor of plant operations at Hoover, discovered that a sculpture in the library was actually a 1940

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) statue, titled ''Girl Reading'' and created by

Donal Hord Donal Hord (February 26, 1902 – June 29, 1966), an American sculptor, was born Donald Horr in Prentice, Wisconsin. Early life In 1914, Hord and his mother moved west, to Seattle, Washington. Shortly thereafter he contracted rheumatic fever, ...

, depicting a girl reading a book.

Student body

As of 2016 the school had over 2,100 students. The school consists of 73% Hispanic, 10% African American, 10% Indochinese, with Asian at 1.8% and white at 1%. Hoover is a Title 1 school. That status is determined by the number of students who receive free or reduced lunch. 90% of Hoover students qualify for meal eligibility. The City Heights neighborhood, in the school's attendance area, houses many immigrant families and low income families.

Programs

As of 2015 Hoover High is establishing a wellness center which will offer counseling services as well as some medical services.

Student discipline

In 2013 the school enacted a program in which teachers learn to recognize signs of trauma in students. Suspensions from school were reduced by 80%.

Academic performance

In 1999 the school had a 444/1000

Academic Performance Index The Academic Performance Index (API) was a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. The API was one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California ...

(API), the lowest score in San Diego County. It had a statewide rank of the lowest 10% (first decile), and the lowest 20% of schools with similar demographics. The Gates-MacGinitie reading assessments at this school resulted in a 5.9 grade level equivalent for the average student. At that time the school was among the twenty high schools in California with the worst academic performance. In 2002 it had an API of 506, an increase by 62 points. By 2000 the reading achievement scores had risen by an average of 2.4 years.

Athletics

By the 2010s Hoover High received renovations that improved its football stadium. Artie Ojeda of NBC San Diego stated that it then had "one of the nicer high school stadium facilities in San Diego".Ojeda, Artie.
Judge: Hoover HS Night Games Can Resume
" NBC San Diego. February 7, 2014. Retrieved on May 18, 2016. In 2012 the school began holding football games at night. Some residents of Talmadge were unhappy with this, so a legal battle between the school and residents was begun, and night football games stopped in September 2013. In 2014 a judge ruled that the night football games could continue.

Alumni

* Tony Banks (b. 1973) — former NFL quarterback *

Ben Chase Benjamin Semple Chase III (March 18, 1923 – March 6, 1998) was an American professional football guard who played one season with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the United States Naval Aca ...

(1923-1998) — former NFL player * Michael Davis (b. 1959) — played for Oakland A's and for LA Dodgers

1988 World Series The 1988 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1988 season. The 85th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the ...

team *

Jerry DaVanon Frank Gerald DaVanon (born August 21, 1945) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as an infielder. Professional career First Cardinals stint DaVanon attended Ho ...

(b. 1945) — former MLB infielder *

Bob deLauer Robert deLauer (August 30, 1920 – November 27, 2002) was an American football center who played two seasons with the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Southern C ...

(1920-2002) — former NFL player * Bennie Edens (1925-2008) — 2002

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Coach of the Year * William Gay (b. 1955) — former NFL defensive end * Ted Giannoulas — San Diego Chicken (

The Famous Chicken The San Diego Chicken (also known as the Famous Chicken, the KGB Chicken or simply The Chicken) is a sports mascot played by Ted Giannoulas. History Origin The character originated in 1974 in an animated TV commercial for KGB-FM Radio in San Di ...

) * Gene Leek (b. 1936) — baseball player for first

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

team *

Jimmy Liggins Jimmy Liggins (born James L. Elliott; October 14, 1918 – July 21, 1983) was an American R&B guitarist and bandleader. His brother was the more commercially successful R&B/blues pianist, Joe Liggins. Career The son of Harriett and Elijah Ellio ...

(1918-1983) — R&B musician *

Joe Liggins Joseph Christopher Liggins Jr. (born Theodro Elliott; July 9, 1916 – July 26, 1987) was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist and vocalist who led Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers in the 1940s and 1950s. His band appeared often on the ''Bi ...

(1916-1987) — R&B musician *

Bill McColl William Frazer McColl Jr. (April 2, 1930 – December 28, 2023) was an American athlete, surgeon, and politician. He is best remembered as a college football star before becoming a professional with the Chicago Bears of the National Football Le ...

(b. 1930) — collegiate All-American and NFL player * Dave Morehead (b. 1942) — former MLB pitcher, Boston Red Sox * George Myatt (1914-2000) — former MLB player, coach, and manager *

Volney Peters Volney Monroe Peters (January 1, 1928 – December 28, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the US ...

(1928-2015) — former NFL defensive tackle * Robert O. Peterson (1916-1994) — founder of the

Jack in the Box Jack in the Box, Inc. is an American fast food restaurant chain founded on February 21, 1951, by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California, where it is headquartered. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of t ...

restaurant chain * Rick Shaw (b. 1946) — former CFL defensive back and wide receiver * Gina Simmons Schneider — psychotherapist and writer *

Willie Steele William Samuel Steele (July 14, 1923 – September 19, 1989) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the long jump. Steele won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1948 London Olympics. A two-time USA Outdoor champion, St ...

(1923-1989) —

Olympic gold medalist This article lists the individuals who have won at least four gold medals at the Olympic Games or at least three gold medals in individual events. List of most Olympic gold medals over career This is a partial list of multiple Olympic gold medali ...

* Burr Van Nostrand (b. 1945) —

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

composer

American Composers Alliance The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and ...

"Burr Van Nostrand"
Retrieved 25 January 2017. *

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...

(1918-2002) —

Major League Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

, Boston Red Sox * Eddie Williams (b. 1964) — former MLB first and third baseman *

Mickey Wright Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright (February 14, 1935 – February 17, 2020) was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. She became a member of the tour in 1955 and won 82 LPGA Tour career events including 13 major champions ...

(1935-2020) — pro golfer, member of

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States. It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men ...

References

* Fisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, and Douglas Williams. ''Five Years Later'' (Chapter 9). In: Strickland, Dorothy S. and Donna E. Alvermann. ''Bridging the Literacy Achievement Gap, Grades 4-12'' (Language and literacy series).

Teachers College Press Teachers College Press is the university press of Teachers College, Columbia University. Founded in 1904, Teachers College Press has published professional and classroom materials for over a century and currently publishes 70 titles per year. Hi ...

, January 1, 2004. , 9780807744871. START: p
147

Notes

External links

Hoover High School

SDUSD website
{{Portalbar, Schools, California, Education School districts in San Diego County, California Educational institutions established in 1930 1930 establishments in California San Diego Unified School District Public high schools in California Schools in San Diego County, California Schools in San Diego High schools in San Diego High schools in San Diego County, California Education in San Diego County, California Education in San Diego