John W. North High School facts for kids

John W. North High School is a public high school located in Riverside, California. It is part of the Riverside Unified School District. The school's mascot is the Husky, and its sports teams are known as the Huskies. North High is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, offering a special academic program.

School History and Founding

John W. North High School opened its doors in 1965. It was named after John W. North, who was the founder of Riverside. In 2010, the California Court of Appeals visited the school. The court held a special session in the school's theater. This visit was an educational event for students. It also helped young people learn more about the legal system.

Student Population and Diversity

North High School has a very diverse student body. About 71% of students are Latino, 11% are Black, 10% are Caucasian, and nearly 5% are Asian. Many students also speak different languages at home. These languages include Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, and Urdu. The average class size at North High is around 30 students.

Academic Programs and Achievements

John W. North High School has a strong focus on academics. In 2005, the school ranked 7 out of 10 in California's Academic Performance Index (API). This index measures how well schools perform. In the same year, North High ranked 10 among similar schools. As of 2010, the school's overall rating was 7 out of 10.

International Baccalaureate Program

In 1987, John W. North High School joined the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. This made it one of the first high schools in California to offer IB. The IB program is a challenging course of study. It helps students prepare for college and life. North High is one of the few schools in California that can award the IB Diploma and Certificate to students.

Clubs, Activities, and Academies

North High School offers many clubs and activities for students. One important program is "Advancement Via Individual Determination" (AVID). AVID helps students who might not think about college. It gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school also has special academies. These academies help students explore different career paths. They include:

• The Education and Human Services Academy
• The Law and Protective Services Academy
• The Global Business Information and Technology Academy

North High is also home to the Blue Star Regiment (BSR). This is the school's marching band.

Student Publications and Awards

North High's yearbook is called the Aurora. It has won many awards. In 2005, the Aurora received the National Yearbook Pacemaker Award. This is the highest honor for a high school yearbook. It is given by the NSPA. The Aurora also won tenth place at a national conference in 2008.

The school newspaper is The North Star. It has also won many national awards. These awards are for its quality and website. The North Star won third place in 2017 and sixth place in 2019 at national conferences.

Mock Trial Team Success

The school's Mock Trial team has a history of success. They won first place in Riverside County in 1986, 1989, and 2000. In 2000, the North Mock Trial team also placed second in the California State Mock Trial competition.

Track and Field Achievements

John W. North's Track and Field Team has won many championships. They have won more CIF and state titles than any other school in the Inland Empire.

The track program became very strong in the 1990s. This was when Charles Leathers became the head coach. Many talented athletes trained under him.

Notable Women Athletes

• Joanna Hayes graduated in 1995. She set school records in hurdles. She won gold at the CIF California State Meet. She later won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in the 100m Hurdles.
• Nicole Hoxie was another top hurdler. She finished the 1997 State Meet with a very fast time in the 100m hurdles. She became a two-time champion.
• Nichole Denby also set new records in hurdling for North High.

Other successful women athletes included Keiana Shannon, April Holliverse, Chaunte Howard, Ashlee Brown, Domenique Manning, Lorainne King, Tanika Ward, Gayle Hunter, Kiersten Kirkland, Frances Chase-Dunn, and Marjani Maldonado. Together, the women's team won 12 CIF titles and 4 State titles. This included back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007.

Men's Team Success

In 2006, the men's team won the boys' State title. In 2007, the 4 × 400m team took second place at the State final. North High holds the fastest 100m time in Riverside County. Gutierrez holds the North record for the 400m race. In 2009, Dante Holland broke the 800m school record.

Coach Leathers led both the boys' and girls' teams to back-to-back CIF championships. This is a rare achievement for a school.

Famous Alumni

Many successful people have graduated from John W. North High School. Here are a few:

• Chris Claiborne – NFL linebacker
• Duane Clemons – NFL linebacker
• Alvin Davis – MLB baseball player, 1984 American League Rookie of the Year
• Dan Dotson – Star of the TV show Storage Wars
• Natalie Duran – Star of American Ninja Warrior
• Danny Garcia – Former MLB baseball player
• Mike Garcia – Former MLB baseball player
• Ed Gray – NBA basketball player
• Joanna Hayes – Olympic track-and-field gold medalist
• Chaunte Howard – Current American record holder in the high jump, Olympic medalist
• Solomon Hughes – Actor (Winning Time:The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty )
• Adam Kennedy – MLB baseball player
• J.F. Lawton – Screenwriter (Pretty Woman)
• Malcolm Lee – NBA basketball player
• Aaron Peck (American football) – NFL Tight End
• Clayton Sandell – ABC News correspondent
• Marcus Slaughter – NBA basketball player
• Susan Straight – Writer and novelist