Independence High School (San Jose, California)

Infobox high school


caption = The 76er-centric logo of Independence High School deletable image-caption
imagesize = 300 px
name= Independence High School
native_name=
latin_name=
motto =
schoolmaster =
headmaster =
headmistress =
head teacher =
principal = Grettel Castro-Stanley
director =
superintendent = Bob Nunez
type = Public
established = 1976
staff =
faculty = 166 [http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQReports.asp?CDSType=S&CDSCode=43694274330031 California Department of Education] ]
students =
enrollment = 3,636
address = 1776 Educational Park Dr.
city = San Jose
state = California
country = USA
Newspaper = (label for something not covered by template)
free = The Independent Voice
colors = Red, white and blue
mascot = Sammy the Sixer
nickname =
song = The Star Spangled Banner
district = East Side Union High School District
affiliations =
endowment =
authorizer =
information =
website = [http://ih.ca.campusgrid.net/home http://ih.ca.campusgrid.net/home]

Independence High School (IHS) is a public high school located in the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose, California, USA. It serves the neighborhoods of Berryessa and East San Jose. The high school is located on Educational Park Drive and is just north of Overfelt Gardens. The student population is 3,636 as of 2006-2007, with 166 teachers serving the school. Independence is part of the East Side Union High School District.

The school mascot is the 76er, represented as Sammy the Sixer, which in part represents the founding year of 1976. The 76er is usually interpreted as a patriot of a founding father; the mascot is usually depicted as a cartoonish George Washington caricature, although the mascot is officially named Sammy the Sixer.

The school is common known by its nickname "Indy."

Campus

Independence High School consists of over fifty buildings, each labeled with a specific letter. The four primary groups of buildings are referred to as the villas, including A-Villa (American Hall), B-Villa (Bicentennial Hall), C-Villa (Constitution Hall), and D-Villa (Democracy Hall). During the fall of 2005, E-Villa (Eagle Hall) was removed indefinitely, only to be used as the name place for all music rooms. All villas are architecturally identical and surround the Clock Tower.

Yearbook

"The American" is Independence High School's CSPA Gold- and Silver-winning yearbook. The 2006-2007 edition of The American was the first all in color yearbook. In prior years, the yearbooks has won various regional and national awards. The school has reported that publishing of "The American" will halt after the 2007-2008 school year due to financial problems.

Newspaper

"The Independent Voice" is the student run, monthly newspaper is distributed throughout the school to selected classrooms and villas. All publication and equipment costs are funded solely through fund raisers and advertisement sales. "The Independent Voice" was founded in 2005 by alumnus Jessica Choi, who now attends Harvard University.

Band

Independence High School's band program, led by Dr. Ken Ponticelli,includes Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble.

The 76th Cavalry Marching Band and Color Guard, was World Champion in 1981. In 2006, the 76th Cavalry became Class AA Champion with Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony, garnering 85.85 points at preliminaries and 87.69 at the finals -- the first championships the Cavalry had won since 1981. The 76th Cavalry placed fourth in the overall A/AA/AAA classification.

In 2007, the IHS Cavalry Marching Band became Class AA Champion once again with a score of 82.5. This allowed them to advance into finals with all other A, AA, and AAA bands. They placed fifth overall with a score of 84.1.

The 2008 Winterguard program is entitled IndyCorp, telling a story of corporate "robot-like" tasks that are often required to make a living in todays world, and the daydreams of "really" living that many have while on the job.

The Wind Ensemble have placed first in their division in many Heritage Festivals. During Spring Break of 2007, the Wind Ensemble went to the New York Heritage Festival and took first in their division, along with winning an Adjudicator's Award for a score over 92, and another award for receiving the highest score of all the instrumental groups at the festival. They brought home 2 trophies and a plaque, along with an invitation to the 2008 Gold Festival in Boston. They have also been invited to play in many places around the world including Britain, Australia, and China.

Choir

Independence High School offers two choirs for student enrollment: Concert Choir and Chamber Choir. Chamber Choir is audition-only, and holds auditions during May/June. Both choirs present concerts in December and May, as well as a fund raising one in mid-January.

Athletics

Most sports teams are divided among a Junior Varsity (JV) team and a Varsity team. Independence is one of the schools in the BVAL that does not offer a Men's Volleyball team, a Golf team, or a Field Hockey team. Independence High School's rival school is Piedmont Hills.

Fall Sports Season

* Cross Country (Co-ed)
* Football
* Tennis (Women's)
* Volleyball (Women's)
* Water Polo (Men's & Women's.)

Winter Sports Season

* Basketball (Men's & Women's)
* Soccer (Men's & Women's)
* Wrestling (Co-ed)

pring Sports Season

* Badminton (Co-ed)
* Baseball (Men's)
* Softball (Women's)
* Swimming (Co-ed)
* Tennis (Men's)
* Track and Field (Co-ed)

Notable alumni

* Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
* Sandra McCoy, actress/dancer
* Matt Sanchez, political activist
* Thuy Vu, television reporter
* John Tuggle, NFL football player

References

External links

* [http://ih.ca.campusgrid.net/ Independence High School Website]
* [http://www.independencehighschoolmarchingband.com/ 76th Cavalry - Marching Band and Color Guard Website]
* [http://www.esuhsd.org/ East Side Union High School District Website]