Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, California)
| Oak Ridge High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
1120 Harvard Way El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 | |
| Coordinates | 38°40′49″N 121°04′19″W / 38.68037°N 121.07187°WCoordinates: 38°40′49″N 121°04′19″W / 38.68037°N 121.07187°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1980 |
| School district | El Dorado Union High School District |
| Principal | Paul Burke (Currently on administrative leave) |
| Enrollment | 2400+ |
| Color(s) | Navy Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | Trojan |
| Website |
orhsonline |
Oak Ridge High School is a public high school located 20 miles east of Sacramento, California in El Dorado Hills. It is part of the El Dorado Union High School District. Oak Ridge High School was established in 1980 with 222 students, though it currently has more than 2400 students.
Academics
Oak Ridge offers a wide range of classes in History, English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Electives, and a large drama and art department. The school offers foreign languages such as Japanese, Italian, French, and Spanish. Oak Ridge is in the 96th percentile among Californian schools in SAT scores and has a 99.1% graduation rate as of 2008. Oak Ridge was measured at 865 in the 2008 Academic Performance Index, compared with the California State average of 742 in 2008.
Alma mater
When sung or played, it goes to the tune of Cornell University's alma mater, "Far Above Cayuga's Waters". The song is intoned at the end of all ORHS football games, with the second verse and chorus omitted. The Oak Ridge Marching Band also sings or plays the Alma Mater following each home football game.
Athletics
Oak Ridge is a member of the Division I Sierra Foothill League (SFL.) Previously it spent 15 years as a member of the Sierra Valley Conference of the Sac-Joaquin Section of the CIF. The school offers an extensive list of sport programs to its students, including baseball, cheerleading, cross country, football, powderpuff football, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, ski and snowboard, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. Several sports are available through school affiliated clubs, such as the Mother Lode Rugby Club which combines men's and women's rugby for all of El Dorado County's high school students. Oak Ridge has had many student-athlete alumni go on to compete nationally at collegiate or professional levels.
Under the direction of Coach Mark Watson, the Oak Ridge football team won the Section Championship in 1998. Oak Ridge was a consistent contender for the CIF Division II Section Championship, appearing again in 2000 under coach Chris Jones, and again in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Trojan Football won the D-II California State Championship in both 2003 and 2004, led by two outstanding athletes: Austin Collie and Seyi Ajirotutu. Collie is currently plays for the B.C Lions in Canada, and Ajirotutu plays for the San Diego Chargers.
Oak Ridge Basketball has had recent success as the 2010 Lady Trojans won a number of games, until finally defeating 4-time defending CIF champion, Long Beach Poly in the D-I California State Championship, led by Stanford-bound Sara James. The boys won the D-II California State Championship in 2005 by defeating Southern California powerhouse, Mater Dei, 60-44, led by current New Orleans Pelicans player, Ryan Anderson.
The Oak Ridge soccer team won its first D1 Section championship with a 2-1 win over Davis High School in 2014, with four players gaining All-league honors during the year.
Oak Ridge Wrestling, under the tutelage of Rocco Cardinale and Casey Rhyan, have won three Section Championships and placed 28 wrestlers at the Masters Championships. In addition, Trojan wrestlers have brought home 14 state medals in a one division State Championship.
The Oak Ridge Cross County program was able to secure its first ever D1 Boys Varsity Section Championship during the 2011-2012 season under Coach Rob Fairley. Oak Ridge managed to edge out rival Davis High School, winning by a narrow margin of 50-51 and snapping the Blue Devil's streak of seven consecutive D1 section championships.
School Life
Clubs
Oak Ridge High School offers students a wide variety of clubs including Gay-Straight Alliance, Women of Worth, STEM, Speech & Debate, Intramural Club, Spanish, French and Italian Clubs; YoungLife; Renaissance Club; FHA-HERO: The California Affiliate of FCCLA; the Interfaith Unity Club; the Interact Club; Link Crew; Art Media Club; National Honors Society; Drama Club; Film and Cinematography Club; the Red Cross Club of Oak Ridge High, Jewish Club, Creative Writers Club; Yoga Club; Slackline Club; Animal Outreach Club; and even an Ultimate Frisbee Club.
Red Cross Club of Oak Ridge High
The Red Cross Club works with the American Red Cross, specifically the Capital Region. The Club puts on a variety of events that reflect the mission of the Red Cross.
Youth and Government
Oak Ridge is home to the El Dorado Delegation of Youth and Government, the YMCA high school government program.
The Ridge Review
The Ridge Review was a monthly school newspaper written by Oak Ridge students. The monthly paper covered student life at Oak Ridge during the previous month, including sports, student/teacher interviews, and campus controversies. The newspaper was cancelled due to budget restrictions.
Dances
Oak Ridge offers three cordial dances throughout its school year including Homecoming, Sadies, and Prom.
Renaissance Rally
Traditionally, teachers and staff participate in a yearly rally held during second semester. This rally celebrates the academic success of students who have a GPA of 3.5 or above or students have improved their GPA by .5 or more over the previous semester. This rally is organized by the Renaissance Committee.
Notable alumni
- F. P. Santangelo, Class of 1985, former American professional baseball player (1995–2001) who played for the Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics.
- Sam Clemons, Class of 1997, American football player
- Ravi Malhotra, Class of 1999, Ravi produced "West Bank Story", a musical comedy that received the 2006 Academy Award for "Best Live Action Short Film"
- Marvin Philip, Class of 2000, is an NFL center who is currently a free agent.
- Austin Collie, Class of 2004, NFL wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts He was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round (127th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft, and currently plays for the B.C. Lions
- Seyi Ajirotutu, Class of 2005, NFL wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers
- Ryan Anderson, Class of 2006, after attending the University of California Berkeley, was drafted in the 2008 NBA draft, 21st overall to the New Jersey Nets
- Jaslyn Ome, Class of 2009, a model who was selected as playmate of the month for Playboy magazine in April 2013