Clayton Valley Charter High School (CVCHS) is a comprehensive charter high school located in Concord, California, United States, just under two miles from Clayton. Most of the school's students live in Clayton and the nearby Concord neighborhoods.
CVCHS is the location of the local radio station 90.5 "The Edge" KVHS, which broadcasts mostly hard rock and heavy metal music. Its newspaper is The Talon, which is part of the High School National Ad Network. The current Executive Director is David Linzey.
History
Clayton Valley High School was founded in 1958, as part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District. It served areas of Clayton and Concord as a regular public high school for over 59 years.
In 2010, it was first suggested to convert CVHS into a charter school. A petition was submitted to MDUSD on June 9, 2011, and the proposal was debated for several months in 2011. Part of the controversy was that CVHS students who did not wish to attend CVCHS would be sent to other MDUSD high schools. The MDUSD Board of Trustees initially approved the proposal, then reversed its decision on November 8, 2011. Supporters of the charter movement filed an appeal with the Contra Costa County Board of Education. On January 11, 2012, the county board of education overturned the district's decision and approved the charter. As part of the transition, Clayton Valley High School officially closed on June 30, 2012. Clayton Valley Charter High School's first school year was 2012-2013.
As a charter school, CVCHS has both a traditional principal as site leader and an executive director who heads the school district central office as superintendent. It also has its own nine-member governing board that provides oversight to the overall progress of the school.
Leadership
The Leadership Adviser is English teacher Gregory Rosewell.
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society Adviser is counselor James Hamilton Jr.
Public Service Academy
The Public Service Academy (PSA) provides an opportunity for selected students to bond and learn with an emphasis on community outreach. The students engage in an all-academy project each semester. For the first semester, each individual member is required to participate in fifteen hours of their choice of volunteer service and present their projects at a showcase event. This project accumulates nearly 2000 hours of service within the academy. During the second semester, every student is asked to write what they would do if they could change the world, community, or school. The students form small groups to discuss and accomplish some of their ideas. The project culminates in a PSA fair with each group creating a booth focusing on their work and accomplishments over the semester.
Arts
The ClaytonArts Academy is a smaller learning community within the school, focused on academics and the arts. Students in the Academy learn through project-based curriculum and may specialize in such fields as drama, fine art, photography, and video production.
The Academy, the band and choir programs, and the drama and art departments work with the local fundraising group Clayton Theatre Quest to raise money to build a visual and performing arts center on the Clayton Valley Charter High School campus.
The Instrumental and Choral Music Departments have earned awards for choir and band at the Heritage Festival in Seattle, for orchestra at the Fiesta-Val in Williamsburg, and gold awards for choir at the Heritage Festival in San Diego. The Marching Band was the 1998 Western States Marching Band Circuit Champion in class A-90. The marching band has continued to earn regional recognition with wins at the Lincoln Review of Champions, Vintage Reserve Field Show, and the Lodi Grape Bowl Classic. Classes include Women's Ensemble, Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic and Concert Bands, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, and Marching Band.
Engineering Academy
The Clayton Valley Engineering Academy, started in 2010, is another learning community within the school. The teachers of the engineering classes are Mr. Ouimet and Mr. Farquhar. The classes are part of Project Lead the Way, which is sponsored by Chevron.
Brain Bowl
Clayton Valley's annual academic contest is called Brain Bowl, in which teams of four students compete against each other.
Alumni
The CVHS alumni site has more information on reunions and classmate activities.
CVCHS Ugly Eagles Football
The Class of 1972 started the Ugly Eagles as a means of setting those on the football team apart from the rest of the school.
In 2008, the varsity Ugly Eagles were 12-1. They went to Santa Rosa to play Cardinal Newman, but lost 17-7.
In 2009, the varsity Ugly Eagles were 8-4. They beat local rivals Concord High School 48-28 during the first round of playoffs. They then went on to lose the second round of playoffs to Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa. The Uglies lost 21-11.
In 2012, the varsity Ugly Eagles ended the regular season with a 9-1 record, winning the first North Coast Season Division II Championship in school history. The Ugly Eagles were then invited to the first ever DII regional game against the Oakdale Mustangs. The Eagles lost 27-24.
In 2014, the varsity Ugly Eagles had an overall record of 15-1. The Eagles made it to the CIF State Football D-II Championships, competing against Redlands East Valley. The Ugly Eagles lost 34-33.
References
External links
- Official website
- Public Service Academy
- ClaytonArts Academy
- Parent Faculty Club
- Sports schedule