Ygnacio Valley High School (YVHS) is a public secondary school located in Concord, California, United States. It draws students from Concord as well as from the neighboring communities of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. The school opened in 1962, and its first senior class graduated in 1964. Originally conceived as a temporary facility, the school currently carries an enrollment of over 1,500 total students for grades 9 through 12. When the nearby Northgate High School opened in 1974, YVHS lost approximately half its student body at the time. The school is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

Academics Ygnacio Valley High School has been an IB World School since March 22, 2017. This school is the only school within the Mount Diablo Unified School District to offer the International Baccalaureate program. Some subjects offered are Spanish B, Mathematics, and History.

Famous visits

During the 1988 presidential campaign, then Vice President George Bush made an appearance at YVHS and addressed the student body. In 1996, YVHS received another presidential visit when Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore made a rare joint appearance. They visited the campus as part of the NetDay '96 event, which kicked off a drive to connect California public schools to the Internet.

YVHS is an ideal location for such high-security visits, due to the limited entry points into school property.Polk, Perry. "This is Tom Killen calling from the White House..." The Databus: California Educational Data Processing Association, April 1996, pp. 5, accessed 4 Feb 2008.

In the early 1990s, YVHS also received visits from U.S. Representatives George Miller and Bill Baker, sponsored by the school's now-defunct Public Policy Society.

Ongoing issues The school mascot, the Warrior, is represented as a Native American spear going through the letter ‘W’ (for Warriors). Similar mascots representing Native American culture are often a point of contention throughout the state of California, where over 100 high schools have American Indian mascots.

YVHS is occasionally cited in the ongoing school prayer debate, after allowing Muslim students to use an available room for prayer during Ramadan in 2004.

Notable alumni Mike Bellotti - University of Oregon athletic director"Mike Bellotti," GoDucks.com press release, 4 Aug 2006. Lance Blankenship - member of 1989 World Series champion Oakland Athletics"Lance Blankenship," The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008. Ian Brennan (music producer, author) - Grammy-award-winning music producer and author Matt Chesse - Academy-award nominated film editor Jonathan Dayton - director of Little Miss Sunshine"Jonathan Dayton," allocine.co.uk, accessed 4 Feb 2008. D.C. Douglas - Actor and voice over artist."D.C. Douglas," destructoid.com, accessed 12 Apr 2024. Kiko Garcia - shortstop; played for Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 World Series"Kiko Garcia," The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008. Kristin Heaston - shot put athlete; in 2004 became the first female Olympic athlete to compete in Olympia, Greece"Kristin Heaston," www.usatf.org (USA Track & Field), 28 August 2007 Glenn Helzer - convicted murderer and former cult leader Damian Jackson - former infielder for the Washington Nationals and other teams"Damian Jackson." The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008. Carl Ryanen-Grant - UC Berkeley University Medalist in 1997; received widespread attention for his battle with melanomaScalise, Kathleen. "The University Medalist", UC Berkeley Office of Public Affairs, 30 April 1997. Dave Tollefson - defensive end; played for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII"Dave Tollefson," packers.com (Green Bay Packers 2006 Draft), accessed 4 Feb 2008. Chris Walsh - retired Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings wide receiverPashelka, Curtis. "Cream of the Crop through the years," Contra Costa Times, 27 January 2008. Dave Zawatson, retired offensive guard for the Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

References

External links

YVHS home page YVHS Choirs YVHS Instrumental Music Boosters Mt. Diablo Unified School District Photo gallery from 1996 Clinton/Gore visit to YVHS Website of the YVHS Class of 1969 Website of the YVHS Class of 1979