Garden Grove High School is a high school located in Garden Grove, California. It is a member of the Garden Grove Unified School District.
History</h2>
The Garden Grove Union High School District was established in 1921 in response to attempts by neighboring school districts to annex the Garden Grove area. GGHS opened its doors in September 1921 in temporary facilities. The school moved to its present location on Stanford Avenue in 1923.
The school's athletic teams were originally known as "Chili Peppers", reflecting the dominant local crop of the time. In the 1920s, the name "Argonauts" was chosen. They are known as Argos for short.
GGHS was badly damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake; the main classroom building suffered a partial collapse and one student was killed. The structure was rebuilt and is still in use, having been renamed Heritage Hall. It also houses the Argonaut Hall of Fame and Museum, chronicling the school's long history, as well as a memorial to Michael Monsoor, a United States Navy SEAL killed in Iraq and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and an alumnus of Garden Grove High School.
GGHS grew with the post-World War II boom and by the 1960s, it was joined by six other high schools in what is now the Garden Grove Unified School District.
In the 2004รข€"2005 school year, Garden Grove High School was named a California Distinguished School.
Athletics
The Argonauts made the CIF Southern Section Football finals in 2009, but lost. The Argonauts won their first CIF Southern Section Football title in 2010 as champions of the Southern Division, and their second,came in 2014 against cross-city rival Rancho Alamitos. Other Southern Section CIF titles won by the school include coed badminton (1986, 1995 and 1999), girls' field hockey (1979, 1982, and 1983), and girls' softball (1985).
Performing arts
Garden Grove High School offers music courses in marching band, concert band, beginning instruments, jazz band, and beginning and advanced string orchestra. Each year during Memorial Day weekend, the Argonaut Marching Band and Colorguard act as host band in the Strawberry Festival Parade in Garden Grove, California.
Notable alumni
Arts
- Denis Boyles, Class of 1964, writer, editor and journalist
- Steve Martin, Class of 1963, comedian, actor, screenwriter, and author
- John McEuen, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Dustin Nguyen, actor, director, writer, and martial artist
- Basil Poledouris, Class of 1963, composer for movies and television, Conan the Barbarian, Lonesome Dove
- Stephen Shortridge, Class of 1970, film and television actor, including role as Beau De Labarre on Welcome Back Kotter TV show, and impressionist painter
Sports
- Al Carlson, Class of 1969, NBA player, center, 1975-76 with the Seattle SuperSonics
- Lenny Dykstra, Class of 1981, Major League Baseball player, outfielder, 1986-96 with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies
- Roy Gleason, Class of 1961, Major League Baseball player and Bonus Baby, outfielder, 1963 with Los Angeles Dodgers, only Major League Baseball player to serve in combat in the Vietnam War
- Merle Hapes, Class of 1938, NFL player, fullback, 1942 and 1946 with the New York Giants
- Mark Lomas, Class of 1966, NFL Player, defensive lineman, 1970-74 with the New York Jets
- Mike Schooler, Class of 1980, Major League Baseball player, pitcher, 1988-93 with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers
Business, politics, and the military
- Steve Fossett, Class of 1962, businessman, aviator, sailor and adventurer; first person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a balloon
- Michael Monsoor, Class of 1999, a United States Navy SEAL killed in Iraq and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
- Janet Nguyen, Class of 1994, Garden Grove City Councilwoman, member of Orange County Board of Supervisors, and State Senator.
- Bill Thomas, Class of 1959, 11-term U.S. Congressman (now retired) and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
References
External links
- Garden Grove High School