Rio Mesa High School

Rio Mesa High School (RMHS) is located northeast of Oxnard, California in the unincorporated community of Strickland. This campus of the Oxnard Union High School District serves the communities of northern Oxnard including nearby RiverPark and unincorporated El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo and unincorporated Nyeland Acres. The school is surrounded by strawberry fields and other crops growing on the Oxnard Plain. Rio Mesa's primary rival is Camarillo High School. The school is one of two International Baccalaureate schools in Ventura County, the other being Newbury Park High School.[4] The name "Rio Mesa", conceived by OUHSD board member Bob Matthews at the time of the school's founding, is derived from the two original school districts that fed the school in 1965 — Rio and Mesa Union — though it also receives students from the Pleasant Valley and Oxnard Elementary districts.

Rio Mesa High School
Location
545 Central Avenue

Oxnard
,
California
93036

United States
Coordinates34.252784°N 119.144541°W / 34.252784; -119.144541
Information
TypePublic
MottoOnce a Spartan, always a Spartan
Established1965
School districtOxnard Union High School District
PrincipalMark Contreras[1]
Faculty97.20 (FTE)[2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,229 (2018–19)[2]
Student to teacher ratio22.93[2]
Campusrural
Color(s)Red and Black   [3]
Athletics conferenceCIF Southern Section
Pacific View League
MascotSpartan
Team nameSpartans
RivalAdolfo Camarillo High School
WebsiteRio Mesa High School

History

Rio Mesa High School is surrounded on all four sides by agricultural fields; as such, the campus is subject to pesticide exposure. Rio Mesa has been at the center of a Title VI Civil Rights Act complaint since 1999, covering three generations.[5] Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Such funding includes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants that are routinely awarded to California pesticide regulators in millions of dollars.[6] Plaintiffs in the case argue that California pesticide regulators violated Title VI by approving permits for toxins that disproportionately impacted Latino schoolchildren, who attended schools adjacent to fields with the highest methyl bromide levels in the state.[7]

Athletics
Rio Mesa High School

Rio Mesa High School athletic teams are nicknamed the Spartans. The school is a charter member of the Pacific View League, a conference within the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) that was established in 1998.[8]

Championships

CIF Football - 1971 Rio Mesa (Div A) John Reardon 28-20 Paso Robles PVL Wrestling- 2010 5-1 Golf - 1973 CIF Southern Section champions coached by Ken Barone. The team was led by Lee Michaels, Buddy and Steve Carter. Coach Barone went on to send 12 players to NCAA golf programs. Track and Field - Coach Brian Fitzgerald has an outstanding record coaching sprinters. Angela Burnham, Marion Jones, Valexsia Droughn and Zaria Francis each won the prestigious 100 meters at the CIF California State Meet, with Burnham adding the 100 and 200 meters titles while leading the team to the girls' team in 1991.[9] Jones also won multiple titles, including both sprints 4 years in a row, completed after transferring out of the program for her junior year. Jones went on to future worldwide fame and disrepute. Both Burnham and Jones were named the national Girls' "High School Athlete of the Year" by Track and Field News twice.[10] Both were also named Gatorade Player of the Year.[11] In 2000, Porchea Carroll, came within a few thousandths of a second of also winning the state 100 meters title.[12] In 2012, Rio Mesa came within 3 thousandths of a second of sweeping both boys' relay events at the CIF California State Meet, winning the 4x400 metres relay and losing the 4x100 metres relay in the last step of the race. Blake Selig, Darion Zimmerman and Cameron Roach ran on both teams, Anthony Teart ran the 4x400, while Roderick White led off the 4x100.[13] In addition to Francis winning the 100 and 200, Greg Vann Jr. won the 2015 CIF State Championship for long jump with a leap of 24'6".[14]

Swimming & Water Polo - Coach Keith McKnett arrived at Rio Mesa High School in the year 2001 and has had an outstanding record. Under his coaching, Rio Mesa has won 12 Water Polo Pacific View League Titles and 17 Swimming League Titles. Coach Derrick Timmons has led Rio Mesa to 3 Water Polo CIF Finals appearances; winning the 2015 Boys' CIF Water Polo Championship and taking runner-up in 2 water polo championships (2009 and 2010). In swimming, Rio Mesa is now on a 100-0 league meet record and are continuous contenders for the Pacific View League title and won CIF in 2015 for Boys' Swimming.[15]

Soccer - In 2009, Rio Mesa's Boys' Soccer team, under Coach Brandon Fuchs, won the only Boys' Soccer CIF title in Pacific View League history.[16]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Gonzalez, Hector (August 8, 2016). "New Rio Mesa principal looks forward to leading 'hidden gem'". Camarillo Acorn. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  2. "Rio Mesa High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  3. http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/HomeSchool.mxp/SchoolID-5f47650c-5d23-4740-adc6-e328bc00a26d
  4. Knight, Michelle (June 10, 2011). "Graduation 2011 Students given a worldly perspective". Oxnard Union High School District. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  5. Gross, Liza. "How Data Reporting Can Help You Find New Angles On Oft-told Tales". Center for Health Journalism. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  6. Gross, Liza (April 6, 2015). "Fields of Toxic Pesticides Surround the Schools of Ventura County". Food and Environment Reporting Network. Food & Environment Reporting Network, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  7. Garcia, Robert (August 29, 2013). "Three Generations Sue U.S. EPA over Toxic Pesticides at Schools". KCET. KCETLink Media Group. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  8. Wykes, Tris (September 9, 1998). "Improved Hueneme Has View From Top". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  9. "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-10-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Track and Field News High School AOY
  11. http://sites.gatorade.com/poy/winners.aspx?sportcode=BT
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2011-02-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. http://dyestat.rise.espn.go.com/meetresults.jsp?meetID=55882
  14. http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2015/stateres.htm
  15. "Swimming | Rio Mesa High School". www.riomesahigh.us. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  16. "Rio Mesa Boys' Soccer". Rio Mesa High School Spartans. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  17. "Bio :: Scott Fujita – Official Website". www.scottfujita.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  18. https://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/articles/illness-cant-keep-musician-from-stage/
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