Huntington Park High School

Huntington Park High School is a public high school in Huntington Park, California, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

History

The First Grammar School was initially built in 1904. The election was held with 21 registered voters casting ballots. The district was established in 1905, and the first school opened in a 12' board shack, with 13 students of all ages. The families of the students chipped in to hire a young high school girl as teacher, at a monthly fee of $50.

Huntington Park Union High School District was organized in 1909. The cornerstone for the first high school building was laid on December 2, 1909, and the first commencement exercise was held there on June 17, 1910, with Miss Olive Petties being the single graduating student. In January 1932, Huntington Park Union High School District, as a political entity, passed out of existence. The Huntington Park Union High School now became a unit of the Los Angeles City school system, and its official name became Huntington Park High School.

The school itself went through two crises. The first building burned down on 11 October 1911. The second building was wrecked by the violent earthquake of March 10, 1933.^[2]

In 2005, South East High School in South Gate opened, relieving Huntington Park.^[3] When South East opened, it took over areas in the Huntington Park High boundary within the City of South Gate and Walnut Park; Huntington Park High School previously served all of Walnut Park.^[4][5]

Huntington Park offers a full range of athletic teams. These teams compete against other schools in the district and in the surrounding area. Playing on a team can increase school spirit, build self-confidence, and improve fitness. In 1986, Huntington Park High men's gymnastics were CIF all city champions. Tryouts for the teams usually take place the previous semester. For more information on tryouts contact the coach.In order to participate in extra curricular competitions, including both athletic and club competitions, a student must maintain a 2.0 GPA. Eligibility is determined every 10 weeks and is based on the 10 and 20 week report cards.

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Demographics

The school serves areas in several municipalities,^[7] including most of Huntington Park,^[8] most of the Walnut Park census-designated place,^[4] and portions of Vernon.^[9] Some sections of Huntington Park and Maywood are jointly zoned to Huntington Park and Bell High School in Bell.^[8][10]

As of the school year 2008-09, there were a total of 4,312 students attending the high school.^[11]

Students by Ethnicity:

Hispanic 98%

Multiple or No Response < 1%

Black < 1%

Asian < 1%

White < 1%

Filipino < 1%

American Indian/Alaskan Native < 1%

Students by Gender:

Male 52%

Female 48%

Notable faculty

• Leon Leyson, believed to be the youngest member of the Schindlerjuden, the group of Jews saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust. Taught tech ed at the high school until his retirement in 1997.^[12]

Notable alumni

• James Anthony Murphy (born 1894) – noted race car driver and riding mechanic. Murphy was National Champion twice, won the 1921 French Grand Prix, the 1922 Indianapolis 500 and more board track races than any other driver. Highest winning percentage of all Grand Prix drivers .500 (won 1 race placed 3rd at Monza) Died in Syracuse New York on September 15, 1924. James Anthony (Jimmy) Murphy was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles, in the O'Donnell family plot. His death made headlines across the country. His funeral was attended by most of the great drivers and racing entrepreneurs, engineers and promoters of the time. In a precedent-setting move, the American Automobile Association's Competition Board awarded the 1924 National Championship posthumously, to Murphy. At the funeral, Fred J. Wagner, Chief Starter for the AAA's Contest Board, said in his eulogy, "Sportsmanship, like every other moral quality is not instinctive. It must be acquired. Jimmy Murphy, as no other, possessed the quality of a 100% sportsman. Invariably, when he won, he attributed his success to the goddess of fortune. He carried his honors more blithely than any other man I have ever come in contact with in my 30 years as an official. He accepted victory without a sneer or a strut, and defeat without a whimper. He was one in a million."
• Tex Winter (born 1922) – member of Basketball Hall of Fame, nine NBA Championships in his tenure as an NBA assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, basketball innovator who taught the triangle offense to basketball player Michael Jordan.
• Craig Fertig (class of 1960) – Standout quarterback at USC, where he set 8 passing records, Head Coach at University of Oregon, talent scout for USC, television broadcaster for USC football, uncle of another USC quarterback – Todd Marinovich.

References

External links

• Official Huntington Park High School website
• Huntington Park High School Alumni Association