Ygnacio Valley High School

Ygnacio Valley High School (YVHS) is a public secondary school located in Concord, California, United States. It draws students from Concord as well as from the neighboring communities of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. The school opened in 1962, and its first senior class graduated in 1964. Originally conceived as a temporary facility, the school currently carries an enrollment of over 1,500 total students for grades 9 through 12. When the nearby Northgate High School opened in 1974, YVHS lost approximately half its student body at the time. The school is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

YVHS Multi-Use
Ygnacio Valley High School
A mural with the school mascot at the front entrance of the school
Address
755 Oak Grove Road

Concord
,
California
94518

United States
Coordinates37.933993°N 122.025898°W / 37.933993; -122.025898
Information
TypePublic high school
Motto"Be safe, be respectful, be responsible!"
Established1960
School districtMount Diablo Unified School District
SuperintendentDr. Nellie Meyer
PrincipalEfa Huckaby
Staff66.20 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,220 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio18.43[1]
Color(s)Navy Blue and Gold   
MascotWarrior
Websiteyvhs.mdusd.org

Academics

Ygnacio Valley High School has been an IB World School since March 22, 2017. This school is the only school within the Mount Diablo Unified School District to offer the International Baccalaureate program. The coordinator for the school is Ms. Carrisa Weintraub. Some subjects offered are Spanish B, Mathematics, and History.

AP/Honors classes are also offered at Ygnacio Valley High School some such as Spanish and English Honors and AP World History.

Athletics

Since 1964, one of the school's main athletic rivals has been the Clayton Valley High School Eagles. The main rival was the College Park Falcons, until the schools were redistricted to prevent ongoing vengeful stunts that were hindering good sportsmanship in the early 2000s. YVHS also shares a lesser rivalry (as well as a property line) with neighboring De La Salle High School.

The first varsity Warrior football game played at the YVHS campus in 38 years took place on September 16, 2006. Ground was broken on a new running track and all-weather turf football and soccer field at YVHS in August 2005. Prior to the completion of the new field, most football home games were played at Mount Diablo High School or Diablo Valley College, due to poor field conditions, condemned bleachers, and a lack of lighting.

In December 2005, the YVHS football team coached by Mike Ivankovich won the NCS-2A championship against Miramonte High School for the second time since 1999.

In the 2009-10 football season, the YVHS football team won the DVAL League championship for the first time. The league had been created two years prior. The team then advanced to the NCS playoffs, losing in the second round to Eureka High School.

In 2009, head football coach Joshua Davis resigned, and Chris Turner was named the new head coach. As of 2010, Chris Turner stepped down, and former defensive coordinator Todd Bauleke is now the head coach.

In 1992, YVHS changed its school colors to navy blue and gold. The student body felt that the previous colors of powder blue and yellow were no longer fashionable for athletic team uniforms.

On March 14, 1987, the YVHS boys' basketball team, coached by Jim Grace, won the Division 1 Northern California Championship at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, 56-54 (2OT) over James Logan High School. This marked the first time in history that an East Bay High School (east of the Caldecott tunnel) accomplished such a feat. The 1987 squad set and still holds the school record with 28 wins. The team was led by Eric Bamberger, Chris Roach and former NFL player for the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings Chris Walsh.

On February 29, 2020, the YVHS boys' soccer team won the North Coast Section Division 3 Championship for the second time in 5 years by a score of 3-2 over Albany High School. The team was lead to victory by Head Coach Cesar Chavez, Coach Bijan Sadeghy, Coach Rocky Gaglioti, and Team Captains Alejandro (Alex) Lopez (Sr.), Oliver King (Jr.), and Diego Ramos (Jr.). The game was played at Ygnacio Valley High School in front of a large number of supporters. After going 2-0 down early in the game, the Warriors fought back and were able to claim the title. Goals were scored by Alejandro (Alex) Lopez (Sr.), Yovani (Gio) Villa (Jr.), and Salvador (Chava) Quintero (Sr.).

Famous visits
President Bill Clinton installing computer cables with Vice President Al Gore on NetDay at Ygnacio Valley High School, March 9, 1996

During the 1988 presidential campaign, then Vice President George Bush made an appearance at YVHS and addressed the student body. In 1996, YVHS received another presidential visit when Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore made a rare joint appearance. They visited the campus as part of the NetDay '96 event, which kicked off a drive to connect California public schools to the Internet.[2][3]

YVHS is an ideal location for such high-security visits, due to the limited entry points into school property.[4]

In the early 1990s, YVHS also received visits from U.S. Representatives George Miller and Bill Baker, sponsored by the school's now-defunct Public Policy Society.

Ongoing issues

The school mascot, the Warrior, is represented as a Native American with a feathered headdress. Similar mascots representing Native American culture are often a point of contention throughout the state of California, where over 100 high schools have American Indian mascots.

YVHS is occasionally cited in the ongoing school prayer debate, after allowing Muslim students to use an available room for prayer during Ramadan in 2004.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Ygnacio Valley High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  2. Clinton, Bill. "Remarks by the President to the Concord Community on NetDay: Ygnacio Valley High School, Concord, California". Clinton Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  3. Gore, Al (1997). "Statement by the Vice President about Netday". Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  4. Polk, Perry. "This is Tom Killen calling from the White House..." The Databus: California Educational Data Processing Association, April 1996, pp. 5, accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  5. "Mike Bellotti," GoDucks.com press release, 4 Aug 2006.
  6. "Lance Blankenship," The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  7. "Jonathan Dayton," allocine.co.uk, accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  8. "Kiko Garcia," The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  9. "Kristin Heaston," www.usatf.org (USA Track & Field), 28 August 2007
  10. "Damian Jackson." The Baseball Cube, accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  11. Scalise, Kathleen. "The University Medalist", UC Berkeley Office of Public Affairs, 30 April 1997.
  12. "Dave Tollefson," Archived May 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine packers.com (Green Bay Packers 2006 Draft), accessed 4 Feb 2008.
  13. Pashelka, Curtis. "Cream of the Crop through the years," Contra Costa Times, 27 January 2008.
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