Thomas Downey High School

Last updated

Thomas Downey High School
Location
Thomas Downey High School
1000 Coffee Rd.

Modesto

California

United States
Coordinates 37°39′26″N120°58′30″W / 37.657138°N 120.974922°W / 37.657138; -120.974922
Information
School typePublic
OpenedSeptember, 1951
School district Modesto City Schools
PrincipalDavid Sanchez
Teaching staff89.11 (FTE) [1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,145 (2022–2023) [1]
Student to teacher ratio24.07 [1]
Hours in school day6-8
Campus typesuburban
Colour   
SongDowney Hymn, Downey Fight Song
AthleticsFootball, Volleyball, Golf, Cross Country, Soccer, Waterpolo, Tennis, Basketball, Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Track, Swimming
MascotKnight
NewspaperKnight's Realm
YearbookShield
Feeder schoolsLa Loma Jr. High, Roosevelt Jr. High, Hanshaw Middle School
Website http://downey.monet.k12.ca.us/

Thomas Downey High School (TDHS) is a high school in Modesto, California. It is one of the seven high schools in Modesto. Thomas Downey High is the second oldest high school in the city of Modesto and its doors opened to students in the Fall of 1951. Its mascot is the Knight, but they are sometimes humorously referred to as the "Downey Ducks."[ citation needed ] The school's current student population is approximately 2,000 in Grades 9 through 12.

Contents

The movie American Graffiti , written and directed by Downey graduate George Lucas, is based in Modesto but filmed in Petaluma, California. The school that students in the film attend is called "Dewey High", but is actually Petaluma High School, the architectural twin to Downey High. "Dewey High" is a reference to Downey. The Block "D" Athletic Jackets and school colors in the movie are Royal Blue and White, identical to Downey's school colors.

Downey's yearbook and newspaper have received awards.

The Agriculture Department at Thomas Downey was first created to work the school's early orchards. The orchards have been since cut down, with the department serving as the main welding area for the students of TDHS. Proficient students in welding go on to competitions for the National FFA Organization. If students win competitions, they have a chance to be recognized by superiors in the welding industry. Companies include West-Mark, Caterpillar, and others. Students also raise animals for the Stanislaus County Fair, hoping to gain a profit. The projects range from 3 to 7 months and focus on gardening, animals, and home improvement. Students also have the opportunity to take a floral design class in which students design and sell arrangements.

The school has designated dress-up days during fall and winter homecoming weeks, Unity Week, and Red Ribbon week. A large rally is usually thrown at the beginning of each year for fall homecoming, where dance performances are given and homecoming court nominees play games meant to be somewhat embarrassing, but all in good fun for the spirit of Homecoming Week.

Sport

Singing

Downey has five choirs: Concert Choir (mixed ensemble), Madrigals (advanced mixed ensemble), Knightengales (advanced women's ensemble), Knights(men's ensemble), and Gloriana (beginning women's ensemble). The choirs perform three concerts a year: Knight Magic in fall, the holiday concert in the winter, and the spring concert in spring. They also perform at various locations throughout the year, especially during the holiday season. The choirs also go on an annual tour to Southern California in the spring.

Band

For many years, Downey High had one of the most outstanding band programs in the far western United States. Things got started under the direction of the band director and composer, Roger Nixon, who later moved on to Modesto Junior College and then San Francisco State University. He wrote the music for the bicentennial of Modesto in 1970 which was performed by the MJC Concert Band under Dr. Jensen. Ken Farrell built on that foundation a truly excellent band program. By 1974 the Downey band had achieved twenty straight command performances (higher than first place) at various concert band festivals around California. The concert band recorded a record every spring for many years. technicians. In 2008 the Downey Concert and Marching Band performed at the Olympics in Beijing, China.

Incidents

On May 9, 2022, a male student was arrested for bringing a handgun to the school campus. [2]

Alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Thomas Downey High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Handgun Confiscated From Student On Thomas Downey High School Campus In Modesto, Authorities Say". May 9, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
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