Rio Mesa High School

Last updated
Rio Mesa High School
Rio Mesa High School.jpeg
Location
Rio Mesa High School
545 Central Avenue

Oxnard
,
California
93036

United States
Coordinates 34°15′10″N119°08′40″W / 34.252784°N 119.144541°W / 34.252784; -119.144541
Information
TypePublic
MottoOnce a Spartan, always a Spartan
Established1965
School district Oxnard Union High School District
PrincipalMark Contreras [1]
Faculty94.82 (FTE) [2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,220 (2022–2023) [2]
Student to teacher ratio23.41 [2]
Campus rural
Color(s)Red and Black    [3]
Athletics conference CIF Southern Section
Channel League
Nickname Spartans
Rival Adolfo Camarillo High School
Website Rio Mesa High School

Rio Mesa High School (RMHS) is a high school in Ventura County, California. Located northeast of Oxnard, the school is surrounded by strawberry fields and other crops growing on the Oxnard Plain. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD). It serves a portion of northeast Oxnard (including the neighborhood of RiverPark) and western Camarillo as well as the unincorporated communities of El Rio, Strickland, and Nyeland Acres. The name "Rio Mesa", conceived by OUHSD board member Bob Matthews at the time of the school's founding in 1965, is derived from the two original elementary school districts that fed the school — Rio and Mesa Union; since then, it has also regularly received students from the Pleasant Valley and Oxnard Elementary districts. Rio Mesa High School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

Contents

History

Rio Mesa High School is surrounded on all four sides by agricultural fields; as such, the campus is subject to pesticide exposure. Rio Mesa has been at the center of a Title VI Civil Rights Act complaint since 1999, covering three generations. [4] Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. Such funding includes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants that are routinely awarded to California pesticide regulators in millions of dollars. [5] Plaintiffs in the case argue that California pesticide regulators violated Title VI by approving permits for toxins that disproportionately impacted Latino schoolchildren, who attended schools adjacent to fields with the highest methyl bromide levels in the state. [6]

Academics

Rio Mesa High School has offered the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program since 2008. It is the second school in Ventura County (after Newbury Park High School) and the only OUHSD campus to do so. [7] [8]

Athletics

Rio Mesa High School Rio Mesa High School Sign.JPG
Rio Mesa High School

Rio Mesa High School athletic teams are nicknamed the Spartans. The school is a charter member of the Pacific View League, a conference within the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) that was established in 1998. [9] Rio Mesa's main rival is Camarillo High School. [10] The Spartans have a history of state and section championships, particularly in track and field.

The Rio Mesa football team won its first CIF-SS championship in 1971 under coach John Reardon, defeating Paso Robles High School 28–20 in the Division A title game.

Rio Mesa's on-campus pool opened in 2004, [11] and since then, the school's aquatic sports have earned several CIF-SS championships. The RMHS boys' water polo team captured section titles in 2010, 2014, and 2015. [12] In boys' swimming, the Spartans won a CIF-SS team title in 2015 and, as of the 2017 season, have won 111 consecutive Pacific View League meets and 18 league championships. [11]

Rio Mesa won a boys' soccer championship in 2009, beating Pacific View League rival Channel Islands High School 2–1 after a fourth-place finish in the conference. [13]

The Spartans have earned four CIF-SS baseball championships, all in the 1980s (1980, 1981, 1985, 1986). [14]

In boys' golf, RMHS won a CIF-SS title in 1973. Coached by Ken Barone, the team featured Lee Michaels, Buddy, and Steve Carter. Barone's program sent 12 players to NCAA golf programs.

Track and field

Rio Mesa has a history of success in track and field. Brian FitzGerald coached both the girls' and boys' teams from the 1981 season through 2016, and during his tenure, he developed many athletes, particularly sprinters. [15] Spartans runners have earned state championships in the girls' 100 meters at the CIF California State Meet in four consecutive decades: Angela Burnham (1980s), Marion Jones (1990s), Valexsia Droughn (2000s), [16] and Zaria Francis (2010s); [15] Burnham won both the 100 m and 200 m sprint titles while leading Rio Mesa to the girls' team championship in 1991. [17] Jones also won multiple state titles while at Rio Mesa and later after transferring to Thousand Oaks High School, including both sprints four years in a row. Both Burnham and Jones were named the Track and Field News Girls' High School Athlete of the Year twice [18] and Gatorade Player of the Year. [19]

The Rio Mesa boys' team came within three-thousandths of a second of sweeping both relay events at the 2012 CIF California State Meet, winning the 4 x 400 meters relay but losing the 4 x 100 m relay in the last step of the race. Blake Selig, Darion Zimmerman, and Cameron Roach ran on both teams, Anthony Teart ran the 4 x 400 m, while Roderick White led off the 4 x 100 m. [20] In addition to Francis winning the 100 m and 200 m, Greg Vann Jr. won the 2015 state championship for long jump with a leap of 24 feet 6 inches (7.47 m). [21]

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxnard, California</span> City in California, United States

Oxnard is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately 60 miles (97 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Adolfo Camarillo High School (ACHS) is a public high school in Camarillo, California established 1956. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in grades 9–12 in east Camarillo, Somis, and the Santa Rosa Valley. ACHS is named for Adolfo Camarillo, a prominent Californio ranchero and founder of the city which bears his name; he donated part of Rancho Calleguas for the high school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newbury Park High School</span> Public high school in Newbury Park, California, United States

Newbury Park High School, opened in 1967, is a co-educational public high school located in Newbury Park, California.

Foothill Technology High School is a magnet high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand Oaks High School</span> Public school in Thousand Oaks, California, United States

Thousand Oaks High School (TOHS) is a high school in Thousand Oaks, California, United States. Established in 1962, it is part of the Conejo Valley Unified School District. It has a suburban campus with one story buildings, connected by external sidewalks, lawn areas and overhanging roofs. The campus was originally built in the 1960s, however some of the campus has undergone renovation and construction, including the addition of a Performing Arts Center in 1999. As of the 2020–21 school year, the school has an enrollment of 2,042 out of a planned capacity of 2,886; graduating classes typically number between 450 and 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacifica High School (Oxnard, California)</span> Public school in Oxnard, California, United States

Pacifica High School (PHS) is a public high school in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in northeast and downtown Oxnard.

Channel Islands High School (CIHS) is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California, United States. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District. CIHS had a student population of 2,596 during the 2018–19 school year.

Royal High School (RHS) is a public high school in Simi Valley, California. Royal is part of the Simi Valley Unified School District and is located on Simi Valley's west side.

The Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) is a union high school district in Ventura County, California. The district serves students in grades 9–12 on the Oxnard Plain, including the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo, California as well as adjacent unincorporated communities including El Rio, Somis, and Channel Islands Beach. As of 2020 the superintendent is Dr. Tom McCoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxnard High School</span> Public school in California, United States

Oxnard High School (OHS) is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in the western portion of the city of Oxnard, north Port Hueneme, and adjacent unincorporated beach neighborhoods.

Hueneme High School (HHS) is a public high school in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in the southern portion of the city of Oxnard and most of Port Hueneme including part of Naval Base Ventura County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clara High School (Oxnard, California)</span> Private Catholic high school in Oxnard, California

Santa Clara High School (SCHS) is a private, Roman Catholic four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. It is in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Originally founded in September 1901, it is the oldest high school in Ventura County.

The Marmonte League is a high school athletic conference in California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS). The league is composed of schools located in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Carpinteria High School is a high school located in Carpinteria, California. Located adjacent to the foothills on the edge of the Carpinteria Valley, it is the only public high school in Carpinteria and serves a student body of approximately 600 students in grades 9-12.

Jaime Ambriz is an American former professional soccer player who played in Europe and the United States.

Nordhoff High School (NHS), originally Nordhoff Union High School, is a public high school in Ojai, California that serves the Ojai Valley. The school, established in 1910, is part of the Ojai Unified School District.

Cornerstone Christian School (CCS) is a private Christian school in Camarillo, California. The school provides instruction from preschool through eighth grade. CCS was established in 1981 as a K–12 school; high school grades were dropped in 2011 due to falling enrollment. The school is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

The Channel League is a high school athletic conference in California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section.

The Pacific View League (PVL) was a high school athletic conference in California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section. The league was formed in 1998, pulling Camarillo and Channel Islands high schools from the Marmonte League to join Hueneme, Oxnard, and Rio Mesa highs from the Channel League. Pacifica High School joined the league when it opened its doors in 2001.

The Coastal Canyon League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference that is affiliated with the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS). The league was established in 2014 during the CIF-SS Northern Area's biennial releaguing process, drawing several members from the Marmonte League as well as Camarillo and Oak Park high schools. All members are located in Ventura County.

References

  1. ↑ Gonzalez, Hector (August 8, 2016). "New Rio Mesa principal looks forward to leading 'hidden gem'" . Camarillo Acorn. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rio Mesa High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  3. ↑ "MaxPreps High School Sports".
  4. ↑ Gross, Liza. "How Data Reporting Can Help You Find New Angles On Oft-told Tales". Center for Health Journalism. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  5. ↑ Gross, Liza (April 6, 2015). "Fields of Toxic Pesticides Surround the Schools of Ventura County". Food and Environment Reporting Network. Food & Environment Reporting Network, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ Garcia, Robert (August 29, 2013). "Three Generations Sue U.S. EPA over Toxic Pesticides at Schools". KCET . KCETLink Media Group. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  7. ↑ "First day is homecoming for Hueneme High principal" . Ventura County Star. December 5, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ Knight, Michelle (June 10, 2011). "Graduation 2011 Students given a worldly perspective". Oxnard Union High School District . Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  9. ↑ Wykes, Tris (September 9, 1998). "Improved Hueneme Has View From Top". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Camarillo rolls past Rio Mesa, 51-17" . Ventura County Star. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Ledin, Loren (May 9, 2017). "Rio Mesa swimmers still making waves" . Ventura County Star. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Timmons resigns as Rio Mesa water polo coach" . Ventura County Star. February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rio Mesa captures first title since 1991". Los Angeles Daily News. March 7, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  14. ↑ Eads, Derry (April 5, 2010). "Rio Mesa fielded a special team in '80" . Ventura County Star. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "FitzGerald will always be part of Rio Mesa community" . Ventura County Star. June 20, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Sophomore wins CIF State Track & Field Championship" . Ventura County Star. June 7, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  17. ↑ "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Track and Field News High School AOY
  19. ↑ "Winners". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  20. ↑ "ESPN: Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere. - ESPN".
  21. ↑ "CIF State Track and Field Championships Presented by Farmers, Buchanan High School, Clovis - 6/5/2015 to 6/6/2015, Results". PrepCalTrack. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Illness can't keep musician from stage | Camarillo Acorn". 20 June 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.