West Hills High School (WHHS) is a public, comprehensive high school in Santee, California, and serves students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1987, West Hills is the eleventh of thirteen high schools to be constructed in the Grossmont Union High School District which serves the East County area of San Diego County.
History West Hills High School opened in 1985 as a satellite campus of Santana High School to address overcrowding, with freshmen attending morning classes before being bused back to Santana for afternoon instruction.Jones, Harry. The Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Apr 16, 1987. pg. B.5 On September 7, 1987, the school opened as the district’s tenth high school with 14 teachers and 320 freshmen.West Hills High School Student Handbook, p 2.Jackson, Irene. The San Diego Union. San Diego, Calif.: Sep 10, 1987. pg. II.1 Construction of the campus began in 1989 and was planned in two phases, with the first phase completed prior to the 1990–91 school year.Cour, Paul. The Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Dec 23, 1988. pg. B.14Harpster, David. San Diego Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Sep 7, 1990. pg. B.1 The first graduating class held its commencement in June 1991 at San Diego State University.Ragan, Tom. San Diego Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Jun 21, 1991. pg. B.6.4.5
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
West Hills High School’s athletic teams, known as the Wolf Pack, compete in the Hills League of the Grossmont Conference and in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) CIF San Diego Section. In 2013, the school introduced Wolfette as a secondary mascot, and in 2012 it completed and officially opened a new swimming pool. Fall sportsWinter sportsSpring sportsCheerleadingAcademic leagueBaseballCross countryBasketballSoftballField hockeyE-sportsGymnasticsFootballSoccerTrack and fieldWater polo (men)Water polo (women)LacrosseVolleyball (women)WrestlingVolleyball (men)Tennis (women)Swim and diveGolf (women)Tennis (men)Flag footballGolf (men)
2000 - Teammates Evan Fox and Ben Aragon place 1st and 4th in the mile at the California State Track and Field Championships.Shanahan, Tom. The San Diego Union - Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Jun 4, 2000. pg. C.17
Notable alumni Stephen Strasburg, 2006, first overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, pitcher for Washington Nationals, MVP of the 2019 MLB World Series Dat Phan, 1993, Last Comic Standing winner (season 1) Mega64, 2002, Internet comedy troupe consisting of Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, and Shawn Chatfield. Jack Browning, 2019, punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tanner Engstrand Offensive coordinator of the New York Jets
Former principals
1999 - Principal Marge Cole is reassigned after 74% of the faculty sign a letter of no confidence in her management style.Gembrowski, Susan. Controversial principal to be reassigned. The San Diego Union - Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: May 25, 1999. pg. B.3 1999 - Jim Peabody becomes the new principal. 2003 - Mike Lewis becomes the new principal. 2005 - Brian Wilbur becomes the new principal. 2008 - Patrick Keeley becomes the new principal. 2011 - Paul Dautremont becomes the new principal. 2015 - Robin Ballarin becomes the new principal. 2022 - April Baker becomes the new principal. 2026 - John Hoadley becomes the new principal.
References
External links Grossmont Union High School District