VAN NUYS HIGH SCHOOL

'Van Nuys High School' ('VNHS') established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. The school is home to a Residential Program and three Magnet Programs: Math/Science, Performing Arts, and Medical.
Several neighborhoods, including much of Van Nuys, portions of Sherman Oaks, Magnolia Woods [1], and Victory Park [2], are zoned to this school.
From 1998 to 2005 the school principal was Mr. Herman Clay.
Dr. Judith Vanderbok replaced him in 2005.
The school colors are crimson and gray and the teams are called the Wolves.

Contents

History

Van Nuys Community Adult School

Notable alumni

Filming on the Van Nuys High School

External links

History

Van Nuys High School opened in 1915 [3].
The Los Angeles Unified School District ordered Van Nuys High School to convert to year-round scheduling in 2001 due to reasons such as overcrowding. Even though it relieved the overcrowding of Van Nuys High School, the Magnet Programs separated tracks, along with the residential students. The Performing Arts Magnet and the Medical Magnet was only available on the A-Track Schedule whilst the Math and Science Magnet was only available on the C-Track Schedule. B-Trackers could not take the same classes as C-Trackers whilst C-Trackers can only take certain A-Track classes. Teachers that had both A-Track and C-Track students were frustrated because the curriculum has to be synchronized with both tracks.
Van Nuys High School returned to the Tradition School Year in 2005. It caused Van Nuys High School to be even more overcrowded.
The opening of Panorama High School in October 2006 [4] relieved overcrowding at Van Nuys High School[5].
Van Nuys High School is also home to one of the best instrumental music programs in all of LAUSD. The VNHS Marching Band won the LAUSD Championships several times including a three year streak. Their concert band has always been given the "superior" marking at festivals. Other than being home to these two amazing groups, Van Nuys High School is also home to these wonderful and amazing musical emsembles: the sinfonietta, jazz ensemble, jazz combo (the only student organized group), brass ensemble, woodwind chamber groups and the VNHS Van naires (choral ensemble). It is also home of one of the few Organs built in LAUSD.

Van Nuys Community Adult School

The Adult School is on the same campus as Van Nuys High School. It allows adults as well as high school students to take classes. Most
Van Nuys High School students take courses in the Adult School for academic remediation. However, some take classes for Counselor-Identified High School Credit Deficiencies whilst others take classes for personal necessities of flexible scheduling.
The Adult School is considered a work-at-your-own-pace program. A student can finish an entire course in just 2-3 weeks, but can take longer depending on the work effort of the student.
Courses in the Adult School can be used by a student to fulfill requirements for a high school diploma and even college requirements. Courses provided include High School English, Math classes varying from Basic Math to Geometry B, Social Sciences, Sciences, Fine Arts, Basic Reading and Language Arts, and several electives to choose from. However, Sciences such as General Science/Integrated 1 and 3, Biology/Life Science, and Physical Science do not meet the University of California laboratory science requirements.

Notable alumni

Much like two other LAUSD high schools, Fairfax High School and Hollywood High School, Van Nuys High School, especially the Performing Arts Magnet, has been a breeding ground for Hollywood talent over the years. There have been hundreds of famous graduates of Van Nuys High School, including:

★ Paula Abdul, entertainer

★ Julie Brown, actress/comedienne/producer/singer/writer

★ Vint Cerf, one of the "fathers of the Internet"

★ Stephen M. Cohen, fraudster and sex.com hijacker

★ Steve Crocker, inventor of the RFC series

★ Tony Dow, actor

★ Don Drysdale, baseball player

★ Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor

★ Stacy Keach, actor

★ Charles Klapow, Choreographer

★ David Klein, creator of Jelly Belly Gourmet Jelly Beans

★ Bruce Kovner, multibillionaire

★ Scott Mason, Los Angeles Disc Jockey

★ Marilyn Monroe, actress

★ Jonathan Postel, one of "the giants of the internet"

★ Robert Redford, actor

★ Geraldine McGee Rosenthal

★ Jane Russell, actress

★ David J. Skorton, President of Cornell University

★ Bob Waterfield, football player

★ Alice Waters, creator of "California cuisine"

★ Natalie Wood, actress

Filming on the Van Nuys High School

The campus was used as a location for the 1982 movie ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High''. Ridgemont High's mascot in the movie was the same as Van Nuys High School--a wolf, which remains VNHS' mascot today.
The horror films ''Christine'' and ''Sleepwalkers'', both written by Stephen King, were filmed at Van Nuys High School.
Other, more forgettable movies filmed at Van Nuys High include Kid 'n Play's ''Class Act'' and ''My Stepmother is an Alien'' (featuring Kim Basinger.) Parts of ''Grease'' were also filmed at VNHS.
The Pilot episode of ''The Wonder Years'', and several episodes of ''Highway to Heaven'', as was The Ramones' punk rock movie classic ''Rock 'n' Roll High School''.
The music video of Vitamin C's Graduation song was filmed at Van Nuys High School. An episode of ''Apple's Way'' 1974-1975 Vince Van Patten was filmed on the football field. An episode of ''Scrubs'' was filmed in the track field. An episode of ''7th Heaven'' was filmed at Van Nuys High School, as was an episode of ''Twin Peaks''.

External links

★ Van Nuys High School website