Ramona High School is a high school in Riverside, California, United States, part of the Riverside Unified School District, and the home of the Ramona Rams. Ramona graduated its first class of students in 1958 and boasts a nationally acclaimed band and color guard as part of its Creative and Performing Arts program that has been featured in major motion pictures, television shows, such as & commercials worldwide. Ramona has been designated as a “National Demonstration School†for the AVID Program and hosts visitors from all around the world. Ramona High School is home to the largest campus in Riverside Unified School District covering 55 acres, and is home to a 5,000 seat stadium and 1,200 seat performing arts theatre.
Institution
Ramona's feeder middle schools are Chemawa Middle School and Sierra Middle School. Riverside Polytechnic High School and Ramona are the two oldest high schools in the Riverside Unified School District.
Ramona Creative and Performing Arts (RCAPA)
Ramona's Creative and Performing Arts magnet program provides visual, creative and performing arts classes to more than 1,200 students on their campus and comprises the largest elective department at Ramona.
Dynasty Band and Color Guard
Ramona's Dynasty Band and Color Guard has been nationally recognized for their marching excellence. Some highlights include performances in the 2004 Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, Illinois, and the 2006 New Year’s Day Parade in Paris, France. In December 2014, Dynasty performed in the Hollywood Christmas Parade.
RamTV Productions
Ramona's film/television/video program began in 2011. RamTV is a weekly news and entertainment program that posts episodes and short films on YouTube. Past students worked on set for Disney Channel, been published in the iTunes Store and performed on stage as part of Warped Tour.
RCAPA, as of the 2013-2014 school year, offers the following courses:
- Art Design
- Band / Color Guard
- Ceramics
- Culinary
- Dance
- Since 1986, Ramona's dance program has performed for more than 25,000 people throughout Southern California and currently is housed in a $1.1 million dance studio.
- Drawing
- Film/Television/Video Production
- Guitar
- Orchestra
- Painting
- Piano / Music Theory
- Technical Theatre Production
- Vocal Performance
AVID Program
Ramona High School implemented Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) in 1997 becoming the first site outside of San Diego County to use the program. When Ramona High School started their AVID system, only three percent of the 325 graduating students went to college. Today, ninety-nine percent of the AVID students at Ramona enroll in college.
More than 1,200 students have graduated from Ramona’s AVID program, receiving more Dell and Gates scholarships than any other high school in the nation.
Sports
- Girls': Swimming, Water Polo, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Cross Country, Track, Softball, Volleyball, Cheerleading
- Boys': Football, Baseball, Swimming, Water Polo, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Cross Country, Wrestling, Track
The Boys' football team won CIF Titles in 1983 and 1989. The Ramona High school stadium underwent extensive remodeling and was re-opened in 2010.
Notable alumni
- Michael L. Coats CAPT USN Ret. NASA Astronaut, Director: Johnson Space Center
- Paco Craig, gridiron football player
- Gary McCord, golfer, PGA Tour
- Darrell Miller, Major League Baseball catcher
- Eric Show, Major League Baseball pitcher
References
External links
- Official website
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ramona High School