Rancho Bernardo High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rancho Bernardo High School, or RBHS, is a public high school in the Poway Unified School District of San Diego County, California. Rancho Bernardo High School opened in September 1990 as the district's third high school. There are approximately 2,800 students in grades 9 through 12, and approximately 150 faculty members.
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[edit] Athletics
Rancho Bernardo is a Division I school competing in the Palomar League against Poway High School, Mount Carmel High School, Westview High School, Torrey Pines High School, and La Costa Canyon High School. The school's sports teams go by the name "The Broncos". Two famous athletes to come from Rancho Bernardo are Philadelphia Phillie Cole Hamels and Texas Ranger Hank Blalock, nephew of Rancho Bernardo Varsity Baseball Coach, Sam Blalock. Rancho Bernardo High School has a reputation for being heavily focused on baseball. According to the book Moneyball, Rancho Bernardo is known in baseball circles as "The Factory" due to the consistent quality of players being produced from its program and later going on to either college, minor, or major leagues.
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Broomstick incident
Belying the reputation of the school's baseball team is a 1997 incident in which three baseball players pleaded guilty to sodomizing a new teammate with a broom handle in the locker room after a game. The school district paid $675,000 to settle the claim -- one of the highest payments in high school hazing cases to date. The incident revealed a hazing culture that stretched back at least six years, in which older team members would threaten to rape incoming freshmen players, or would perform simulated rape. [1][2]
[edit] Underwear incident
In April 2002, Rancho Bernardo received media attention when one of the school's assistant principals forced female students at a school dance to lift their clothing and expose their underwear, in search of G-strings and thongs. The district said the reason for the check was to "ensure appropriate school dress."[3] Rita Wilson, the assistant principal involved in this incident, was later demoted to a teaching position.[4]
[edit] Noose incident
In November 2007, a noose along with written racial slurs were found inside the school's performing arts center.[5] The slurs were directed at an African-American student who had been cast in the school play. As of December 2007, Poway Unified School District administrators have confirmed that a student has been identified and is under investigation of being charged with a hate crime.[6]
[edit] Hacking incident
In April and May of 2008, 8 students were identified for hacking into the school's website, downloading teacher files, distributing tests to students, and altering transcripts. Assistant Principal Keith Koelzer issued a memo to teachers regarding the moral depravity of Rancho Bernardo High School students. The memo was later released to The San Diego Union-Tribune for printing.[7]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Hank Blalock, third baseman for the Texas Rangers
- Danny Putnam, outfielder for the Oakland Athletics
- Cole Hamels, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
- David Kennedy, guitarist for Hazen Street and Angels and Airwaves
- Jelynn Rodriguez, actor on the show The Drop
- Eugene Amano, offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans
- Stephanie Kim, singer and dancer in TSZX The Grace
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Sports hazing incidents", ESPN.
- ^ "Inside Hazing".
- ^ Yang, Eleanor. "Rancho Bernardo High official suspended over underwear inspection", San Diego Union Tribune, May 1, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ Whitaker, Barbara. "Underwear Check Leads To Demotion", New York Times, June 19, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro - Noose, racial slurs found at Rancho Bernardo High; school says student disciplined
- ^ Noose, Racial Slurs Investigated at Rancho Bernardo High School - FOX6 San Diego
- ^ Official sees 'depravity' in cheating case
