Branham High School
| Branham High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
1570 Branham Lane San Jose, California United States | |
| Coordinates | 37°15′12″N 121°53′59″W / 37.2534°N 121.8996°WCoordinates: 37°15′12″N 121°53′59″W / 37.2534°N 121.8996°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1967 |
| School district | Campbell Union High School District |
| Principal | David Putney |
| Enrollment | 1500 |
| Color(s) | Navy Blue, Columbia Blue, and White |
| Mascot | Bruin |
| Accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Website | branham.cuhsd.org |
Branham High School is a secondary school in San Jose, California. It opened in 1967, but the grounds were leased to Valley Christian Schools in 1991. In 1999, the school reopened as a member of the Campbell Union High School District due to increased enrollment within the district.[1] The school is named after Isaac Branham, a California pioneer who became a successful farmer and lumber mill owner. School colors are navy blue, Columbia blue, and white and official mascot is the Bruin. Branham is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Academics
Branham was awarded the title of California Distinguished School during the 2006–2007 school year.[2] Branham participates in the College Board's Advanced Placement program and offers AP courses in English Language and Composition, English Literature, World History, US History, American Government, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics 1 & 2, Calculus AB & BC, Statistics, French Language, Spanish Language, and Studio Art 2D & 3D.
Athletics
Branham High School is a member of the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL). Branham fields teams in football, basketball, baseball, swimming and diving, cheerleading, tennis, badminton, soccer, softball, track and field, cross country, golf, field hockey, and wrestling. All of Branham's league and section championships are displayed in its gymnasium, the Bruin Den.
The Bruins enjoy a rivalry with the Leigh High School Longhorns, largely due to the proximity of the two schools. For 8 years starting in 2007 and ending in 2014, the Bruins undertook a streak of losses against rival Leigh in football until the first team to win the league championship in school history ended the streak 26-20 under the leadership of quarterback Luke Morin and DL Ray Ellis. The Bruins baseball team also consider the Westmont High School Warriors to be a division rival.
Linebacker Ken Bell (Class of 1974) was the first football player to continue his career at the collegiate level at Cal Poly SLO. Howard Meyer (Class of 1975) had an eight-year football career: four at Branham and four at the University of Notre Dame. Patrick Morin (Class of 1978) wrapped up his football career as being one of the first Bruins to compete in the Charlie Wedemeyer game. Danny Dodds (Class of 1981) won the California State Championship in 1981 at the 181 weight class after moving up from the 130 lb. weight class just two seasons earlier. Andre Ingram (Class of 2004) graduated with three school records in Track & Field to become Branham's first dual-collegiate athlete (football and track). Darnell Sankey (Class of 2012) tied with Sacramento State's record of number of tackles per season and is currently being scouted by the NFL. Aidan Kirwan (Class of 2015) finished his high school career with five school records in track & field as Branham's first All-American and went off to hurdle at Cal Poly SLO.
The wrestling squad in the mid-1980s through the middle 1990s also found success under the tutelage of Coach Jack Clark. The 1984–85 boys varsity soccer team made it to the Central Coast Section finals, losing to Menlo-Atherton 4–3 in double overtime. The team finished the season with a record of 17–2–2, led by CCS First Team selection and Senior of the Year Eric Mestressat (forward/defender), CCS First Team selection Cliff McCready (midfielder) and CCS Second Team selection Scott Coutts (goalkeeper). The 1989 Bruin varsity baseball team won the West Valley Athletic League title and the Central Coast Section championship. The team started the season with a 2-3 record but rattled off 19 consecutive wins to end the season. They finished off Carmel in the CCS championship game by a score of 4-2. In 2014 the baseball team won CCS again. The 2010 Bruin boys varsity volleyball team won the school's first Central Coast Section (CCS) volleyball title, defeating Archbishop Mitty High School in the Division II final. In 2011, the boys basketball team won the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with a perfect 14-0 win-loss record. The 2010-2011 team was the first in school history to go through league play undefeated. The team was 19-5 overall and ended the season with a winning streak of 16 games. The team won a league title again in 2015. From 2012-2015, the Lady Bruins Track & Field team went undefeated for three years running.
Music department
The Branham High School Music Department consists of the vocal music department and the instrumental music department. The choir, which is made up of Madrigals and Women's, is directed by Barbara West. The instrumental music program is made up of Field Marching Band, Color Guard, Parade Band, Pep Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Guitar, and Jazz Ensemble. All of the components of the instrumental music program are directed by Diane Wyant, who is a long-time director and a Drum Corps International (DCI) Adjudicator.
The marching band has recently been named the Branham High School Royal Alliance. The Royal Alliance performed their first field show competition in nearly 30 years in 2009. The Royal Alliance Marching Band hosts "Get in Step" workshops each summer for current members as well as incoming freshmen. A week-long camp is also held prior to the beginning of the fall session.
The Branham High School Symphonic Band, in its first CMEA performance in the history of the school, received a Unanimous Superior rating, the highest rating a group can receive from the California Music Educators Association. In addition, the band was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and Chicago Symphony Hall due to their performance at the 2009 Los Angeles Heritage Festival, where they had placed first in the Symphonic Band category. In April 2011, the band received its second Unanimous Superior rating from CMEA.
The Branham Jazz Ensemble gives nearly a dozen public performances per year and travels to the Columbia Jazz Festival. The Jazz Ensemble hosts a yearly fundraiser called the Jazz Cafe to raise funds for the Branham Instrumental Program.
Theater department
Kicking off the 1999-2000 inaugural season with Euripides' classic Medea, the department quickly grew to stage seasons of up to seven plays, including original works like "Hollywoodn't" (2002) and a modern adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" (2003). Major musical and non-musical productions have also included Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World (2003), Dürrenmatt's The Visit (2001), Li'l Abner (2004), Eugène Ionesco's Killing Game (2004), and Michael Bennet's A Chorus Line (2005). After piloting the first multi-level, multi-faceted curriculum in the district (offering Drama I, Drama II, and Tech Theatre courses), the department earned the 2001 Glenn Hoffman Award for Outstanding Fine Arts Curriculum. In 2003, E. Dale Smith won the Penwomen of America Award for Outstanding Theater Teacher, and the program earned the 2003 High School Musical Honors Award for Outstanding Ensemble. The department currently offers a full theater curriculum including a musical theater course taught by Sharon Salazar, a drama club, and several productions each year.
Notable alumni
- Robertson Daniel - current cornerback for the NFL's Green Bay Packers
- Shauna DeBono - actress and former model for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco
- Pat Hughes Class of 1973, the Voice of the Chicago Cubs
- Marty Krulee - sprinter and track-and-field athlete
- Gary Radnich - sports anchor, KRON-TV, San Francisco
- Louie Sakoda - Class of 2005 - professional placekicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League
- Nicky Shane - world-record-holding harmonica player
See also
References
- ↑ Roja, Genevieve. "Branham's Back!". The Bear Witness.
- ↑ "Distinguished School Awards - California School Recognition Program". CA Dept of Education. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-05-09.