Rio Americano High School

Rio Americano High School
Address
4540 American River Drive Sacramento , California 95864
Coordinates	38°34′40″N121°21′25″W / 38.57787°N 121.35686°W / 38.57787; -121.35686
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1963
School district	San Juan Unified School District
Principal	Cliff Kelly
Faculty	66.01 (on FTE basis)
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,820 (2018-19) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	24.28
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Green and Gold
Athletics conference	Capital Athletic League CIF Sac-Joaquin Section
Team name	Raiders
Newspaper	The Mirada
Communities served	Arden Park, Arden Oaks, Sierra Oaks, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Gold River, La Sierra
Website	Rio Americano High School Online

Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is a public high school in Arden-Arcade, California, just outside Sacramento, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. Rio Americano students come from the surrounding areas of Arden Park, Arden Oaks, Sierra Oaks, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Gold River, and to a much lesser extent, the La Sierra community. In recent years, more students have been transferring from other districts and areas, partly due to the shift of Sacramento High School to a charter school. Rio's two rival schools are Jesuit High School and El Camino Fundamental High School because of the schools' close proximity.

As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,953 students. ^{[2] [3]} Cliff Kelly is the principal. ^[4] Christopher Hauger, Jennifer Dalton and Robert Kerr are the vice principals. ^[5]

Awards and recognition

Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, California

During the 1994–96 and 2006–07 school years, Rio Americano High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, ^{[6] [7]} the highest award an American school can receive. ^{[8] [9]}

In 2008 Newsweek ranked Rio as number 595 on their list of the top 1,300 public schools in the United States. ^[10]

In 2013, Rio Americano held an Academic Performance Index (API) of 823. ^[11]

Rio Americano produces a handful of National Merit commended students and a few National Merit semifinalists each year. ^[12] Rio students also perform well on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with over 400 AP exam scores of 3 or better and over 100 AP exam scores of 5 (the highest score possible) in 2009. ^[13]

Demographics

Demographics	White	Asian	African American	Hispanic	American Indian	Filipino	Pacific Islander
Percentage [3]	74%	12%	2%	9%	<1.0%	<1.5%	<0.5%

Extracurricular activities

Mock Trial

Mock Trial is a year-round program that places students in a courtroom environment in which they act the parts of attorneys, witnesses, court clerks and bailiffs, in order to better their knowledge in the field of law. Each year the Team participates in competitions organized through the Constitutional Rights Foundations. Rio Americano's Mock Trial Team is known for its continuous record of success at both the County and State level Competitions. The Team has won 13 Sacramento County Championships: 1980, 1982, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2021. ^[14] From 1979-2021, the coach of Rio's Mock Trial Team is local attorney James "Jay" R. Greiner. In 2017, the team placed 3rd in the Sacramento County competition. In 2018, the team placed 2nd in the Sacramento County competition. In 2021 the team won the Sacramento County competition. ^[14]

Science Bowl

Science Bowl is an academic competition sponsored by the United States Department of Energy that tests students in various categories of Science including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Space Science, Earth Science, Energy, and Mathematics. Rio won the Sacramento Regional Competition in 1992 and competed in the national tournament in Washington, DC. ^[15]

Notable alumni

• Barbi Benton (1968) - Former Playboy Playmate and girlfriend of Hugh Hefner ^[16]
• John Bowker (2001) - outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates ^[17]
• John Daversa - jazz trumpet player and three-time Grammy Award Winner in 2019.
• Channing Dungey (1986) - American television executive and producer, First African-American to serve as president of ABC Entertainment Group. ^{[18] [19]}
• Merrin Dungey (1989) - actress ^[20]
• Patty Fendick (1983) - professional tennis player
• Mike Flanagan (1991) - former center for the Houston Texans ^[21] and the Green Bay Packers Selected to the Pro Bowl.
• John Ferris (1967) - member of the 1968 Summer Olympics United States Swimming Team.
• Ted Gaines - California State Senator, former state assemblyman ^[22]
• Alex Heartman (2008)- Actor most notably as the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Samurai ^[23]
• Jason Kamras (1991) - National Teacher of the Year, 2005 ^[24]
• Jonathan Karsh (1990) - independent film and television producer ^[25]
• Goodwin Liu (1987) - Supreme Court of California Associate Justice and former UC Berkeley Law Professor ^[26]
• Linsey Marr (1992) - Environmental Engineering professor at Virginia Tech whose expertise on aerosols and virus transmission made her a frequently cited authority who appeared in major media news programs and columns during the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[27] Recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program "Genius" Grant in 2023. ^[28]
• Trevor Matich (1979) - 12-year NFL lineman. ^[29]
• Debbie Meyer (1970) - three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer at the 1968 Summer Olympics. ^[30]
• Amobi Okugo (2009) - Major League Soccer player
• Christine O'Moore (1997) - artist, musician, former Orthodox priest and trans woman ^{[31] [32]} best known for her humanitarian work and social activism. ^{[33] [34]} She was formerly known as Christoforos Schuff. ^[35]
• Doug Ose (1973) - Former Congressman who represented California's 3rd congressional district from 1998 to 2004. ^[36]
• Chad Overhauser (1993) - Played offensive line for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.
• Susan Pedersen (1971) - four-time Olympic medalist at the 1968 Summer Olympics
• Johnny Rabb (1990) - Professional Touring Drummer. ^[37] Also plays in a duo named BioDiesel. Has been the drummer for Collective Soul since 2012.
• Charles M. Rice (1970) - virologist, winner of Nobel Prize ^[38]
• Christopher Rufo (2002) - Conservative activist and opponent of critical race theory
• Jane Sibbett (1980) - actress best known for playing Carol Willick on Friends ^{[39] [40]}
• David Sirlin - video game designer, fighting games player, and writer
• Adrian Tomine - Cartoonist
• Drake U'u (2008)- Professional basketball player
• W. Craig Vanderwagen, MD (1967) Former Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, US Department of Health and Human Services
• Sasha Victorine (1996) - midfielder for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer ^[41]
• James Leighman Williams (2003) - Olympic Silver Medalist - Fencing

References

1. "Rio Americano High". California Department of Education. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
2. Rio Americano High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 2014.
3. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Rio Americano High".
4. "Principal's Message / Principal's Message". www.sanjuan.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
5. "Staff Directory / Staff Directory". www.sanjuan.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
6. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
7. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 to 2006 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
8. CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine , Journal Inquirer , November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
9. Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post . September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
10. America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com Archived May 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
11. "2011 Growth API School Report - Rio Americano High". Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
12. "Rio Americano High School / Homepage".
13. http://www.sanjuan.edu/files/filesystem/Rio%20-%20AP%20Regional%20Results.pdf%5B%5D
14. "SCOE | Rio Americano H.S. Wins 2021 County Mock Trial Competition". www.scoe.net. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
15. "NSB Other Participants 1992 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)". 29 December 2010.
16. Barbi Benton Fansite - Pictures, Biography, Photos and Wallpapers
17. John Bowker: Biography and Career Highlights | pirates.com: Players
18. 1986 Rio Americano High School (Sacramento, California) Yearbook
19. The Sacramento Bee - She was a Rio Americano cheerleader in the 1980s. On Tuesday, she canceled 'Roseanne' - May 29, 2018
20. Merrin Dungey - IMDb
21. "Center Mike Flanagan When he isn't injured, he's among the best at his trade", Sacramento Bee , August 21, 2005. Accessed October 21, 2007. "Sidelined with a knee injury and going stir crazy in his Green Bay living quarters, the Packers' Pro Bowl center and Rio Americano High School product let the cable guy in one dreary day to do some repairs."
22. "Election 2018: Ted Gaines seeks tax board seat - Capitol Weekly". Capitol Weekly. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
23. "Alexander P. Heartman". IMDb .
24. "President Announces 2005 National and State Teachers of the Year".
25. Jonathan Karsh - Biography
26. "Associate Justice Goodwin H. Liu - supreme_court".
27. Parker-Pope, Tara (12 June 2020). "The Scientist, the Air and the Virus". The New York Times.
28. "Linsey Marr". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
29. "His name is linked with 49ers' deal for Rice", Sacramento Bee , December 12, 2004. Accessed November 1, 2007. "Trevor Matich is an inspiration to any child who wants to compete in sports but is often told he or she isn't good enough.... Yet he persevered, became a highly recruited high school player at Rio Americano and went on to BYU..."
30. "AHEAD OF HER TIME DEBBIE MEYER DIDN'T CASH IN ON OLYMPIC SUCCESS, BUT SHE'S A HALL OF FAMER", The Sacramento Bee , September 20. 1987. Accessed November 29, 2007. "The swimmer was Debbie Meyer, then a 16-year-old Rio Americano High School student."
31. O'Moore, Christine Johnsdottir Schuff (2023-02-05), ""Jeg har gått meg lei av å være "den eksotiske andre", noe sært"", fvn.no (in Norwegian), retrieved 2023-03-13
32. Eide, Jan Oddvar (2024-03-18), ""Norges kanskje største transflagg er på Sørlandet"", fvn.no (in Norwegian), retrieved 2024-03-27
33. Clémence Bragard and Léa Dauplé (7 April 2016). "Padre X: le rap, la croix et la banniere" [Padre X: the rap, the cross and the banner] (in French). Terminus Europe. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
34. KPK (21 January 2017). "Roses for modige meninger" [Lauded for courageous stances] (in Norwegian). Dagen. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
35. Grimstad Adressetidende, 11 June 2020 p. 16
36. Doug Ose - Votes Database Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine , The Washington Post . Retrieved October 30, 2007.
37. "Rio Americano High school—Jazz Schools". Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
38. "2020 Nobel Winner Rice One of Many Notable Rio Alumni". The Mirada. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
39. Rio Americano High School - Sacramento, CA Notable Alumni
40. Rio Americano HS class of 1980
41. Major League Soccer Archived 2009-04-02 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Official website
• Rio Americano Band Website
• The Mirada (Rio Americano's newspaper)