Information about Torrance High School

Torrance High School
Principal| John O'Brien
Public
September 11, 1917
Faculty| 91
2,257 (as of 2007)[1]
Location	2200 W. Carson Street Torrance, California, USA
News Torch
Colors	Maroon and gray
Mascot| Tartar
+1 310 533-4396
Website| torrancehigh.com
Statistics for 9–12 only, not 8th grade advanced course students.

Torrance High School, the oldest of four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District in Torrance, California, is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and a popular location for television and motion picture production. Torrance High School's colors are maroon and gray. The school's mascot is the Tartar, a Mongolian warrior.

School history

The school first opened as the area's first Los Angeles School District school on September 11, 1917 as a combination high school and elementary school to accommodate the area's rapid post-war growth brought on by its petroleum industry and iron works as well as the Pacific Electric Railway. Its first commencement ceremony took place June 18, 1918, during which two students received their diplomas. Torrance High School became part of the Redondo Union High School District in 1947. On July 1, 1948, voters in Torrance voted to begin the Torrance Unified School District of which the school remains a part of to this day.

Renovations

• The main building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is Torrance's first such listing. It received a major facelift and indoor modernization in the late 1970s and is the building most often seen on film.
• A scenic Spanish Revival fountain and patio added behind the main building in the 1920s and which was frequently seen in Beverly Hills 90210 has been known for decades as the "Senior Patio." The patio is traditionally off-limits to underclassmen.
• The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 left its mark on the campus as well. The quake destroyed the upper part of the original auditorium and caused the ground near it to sink several feet. The replacement auditorium was built (1937) as a WPA project while elevated administrative offices were added in 1962. The area is nicknamed the "Sunken Garden."^[2]

Alma Mater

The Alma Mater is set to the ballad "Annie Lisle." It is sung immediately following the conclusion of a rally, and at various other school-sponsored events.

Our strong band shall ne'er be broken
Formed at Torrance High
Far surpassing wealth unspoken
Sealed by friendship's ties
Torrance High School Alma Mater
Deep graven on each heart
Shall be found unwavering true
When we from life shall part.

School Wide Academic Goals

Torrance High's School Wide Academic Goals, or S.W.A.G. replaced the national standards of E.S.L.R.S. (Expected Schoolwide Learning Results) in 2004 in an effort to raise the standards of secondary education. S.W.A.G. are unique to Torrance High, as the topics covered create an acronym of the mascot's name. Teachers are expected to encourage all students to meet these standards by the end of their education.^[3]

Thinkers:

• Solve problems efficiently
• Demonstrate reflective, critical, creative, logical, and analytical thinking

Academically Motivated

• Master basic skills
• Meet state, district, and/or course standards
• Set academic goals
• Prepare for a post-high school career

Responsible

• Set personal goals
• Display moral, ethical and civil behavior
• Employ time management skills
• Contribute to their community

Technologically Motivated

• Demonstrate technological proficiency
• Use available resources to further learning

Articulate Communicators

• Read, write, listen, and speak proficiently
• Appreciate artistic communications
• Work collaboratively

Respectful

• Of themselves, of their peers, and their community
• Of the faculty and school guidelines

Skilled

• In core curricula areas
• In life skills

Activities

Sports

Torrance High offers many sports as opportunities for P.E. credit. All sports have Varisty and J.V. delineations. Based on membership, the following sports do not distinguish Frosh/Soph teams: Cheerleading, Wrestling, Marching Band.

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

• Cross country
• Cheerleading
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Water polo

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

• Golf
• American football
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Track and Field

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

• Marching band
• Softball
• Wrestling
• Soccer
• Swimming

|}

Clubs

As of 2006–07, there are 52 clubs on campus. Clubs meet weekly during lunchtime and convene in the room of the host teacher, also known as a Sponsor. To be recognized as a club, a group must have at least six starting members and one designated President or multiple co-Presidents. After submitting a charter to ASB, they must wait for confirmation before becoming a legitimate club. All clubs must have a President or presiding student officer and one Vice President. Vice Presidency does not guarantee ascension to presidency unless the club charter deems it necessary.

As of 2006, the largest clubs on campus are CSF,(unclear), Kiwins, and Korean Culture Club, at 182, 114, and 110 members, respectively.^[4]

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

Academic

• Academic Decathlon
• Model United Nations
• California Scholarship Federation
• Debate
• Inter-Club Council
• Associated Student Body
• N.J.R.O.T.C.
• Newstorch (newspaper)
• National Honor Society
• Theatre
• Class Council
• Letterman
• Annual (yearbook)

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

Cultural

• Irish-Scottish
• Black
• Chinese
• French
• Japanese
• Filipino
• Korean
• Latino
• Pacific Islander
• South Asian
• Vietnamese
• Caucasian
• Polish-Scandanavian

| width="" align="left" valign="top" |

Volunteer

• Tartar Knights
• Tartar Ladies
• HELP(unclear)
• Human Relations
• Kiwins
• LEO(unclear)
• Partnership for Animal Welfare
• SAVE(unclear)
• Service League
• UNICEF
• Interact(unclear)

|}

Interests

Facilities

Torrance High has over 100 classrooms, a library, access to site, district and county media resources, five computer labs, at least one computer per classroom, two gyms and local athletic fields. Torrance High offers 65,700 instructional minutes on a yearly basis and has nine minimum days for testing and/or staff development.

Sports

• Indoor Gym
• Football Field
• Track
• Weight-Training Facilities
• Tennis Courts
• Volleyball Courts
• Baseball Fields
• Soccer Fields

Arts

• Video Production Facilities
• Darkroom
• Ceramics
• Fine Arts Facilities
• Band Room
• Choir Room
• Drama Room

Other resources

• Library
• Computer Lab
• College/Career Center

Demographics

Grades 9–12, 2006–2007 school year<ref name="cde-dq" />

Ethicity	Students	Percent
Amer Ind. / AK Nat.	10	0.4
Asian	551	24.4
Pacific Is.	24	1.1
Filipino	118	5.2
Hispanic	598	26.5
African American	93	4.1
White non-Hispanic	811	35.9
Multi/No Response	52	2.3
Total	2,257

In addition to the 2,257 regular high school students, Torrance High School also enrolls 110 eighth graders from its two feeder middle schools, Hull Middle School and Madrona Middle School. These eighth grade students take advanced courses in science, mathematics, and/or foreign languages that are not offered at their middle school.

Faculty

Torrance High School has 167 faculty and staff members. This includes 90 full and part time teachers, 68 classified staff members, 5 counselors, 1 site supervisor and 3 administrators. Of the teaching staff, 87% are fully credentialed: 43 have a Master’s degree, and 55 are CLAD/BCLAD/Hughes certified. Sixteen members of the faculty and staff have been former students and fifteen have or had students attend THS.

Filming history

Torrance High's unique architecture and relative proximity to Hollywood make it an ideal location for major television programs and motion pictures. Among its credits:

• In TV, Torrance High served as the facade of fictitious West Beverly High School in the Fox Network series Beverly Hills 90210; as Sunnydale High School, the alma mater of Buffy Summers in the WB Network series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and as a location for the short-lived Fox Network series Skin.
• The movies saw Torrance High used as the high school setting for the Freddie Prinze, Jr. movie She's All That. Torrance High also played a prominent role in The Wild Life, Not Another Teen Movie, Bring It On, Whatever It Takes, Cursed, Wild Things 3 and Less Than Zero.

Notable alumni

Military

• Louis Zamperini (1936) – Track star and World War II hero for whom Torrance's general aviation airport is named, he still makes frequent speaking appearances at the school. Torrance High School's football stadium, which located about a mile away from the campus, is also named for Zamperini.^[5]
• Ted T. Tanouye (1938) – A member of the famous Americans of Japanese heritage 442nd Regiment, better known as the "Go for Broke" Regiment. In front of the school, on Carson Street, there is a Memorial dedicated to Ted. Dedicated on July 7, 2004, the Memorial was the project of the Ted Tanouye Memorial Foundation and the Torrance High Alumni Association. The ceremony included performances by the Torrance High School NJROTC and Band. He is the only Torrance resident to have received the Medal of Honor. This award was presented to him posthumously on June 21, 2000 by President Bill Clinton.^[6]

Movies and television

• Mike Goode – cinematographer: Emmy nominated title designer for Wonderful World of Disney opening^[7]
• Gregory Hatanaka – film director
• George Kiriyama – news anchor at KNBC^[8]
• Paul Moyer – popular Los Angeles television newscaster: currently with KNBC
• Stevo Polyi – actor: in several Quentin Tarantino films^[9]
• Julie Ronnie – actress on the soap opera Santa Barbara
• Brad Schecter – comedian/actor from the soap opera General Hospital ^[10]

Music and radio

• Bobby Blotzer – drummer for Ratt
• Steve Brownlee – record label A&R man: involved in launching several heavy metal bands such as Mötley Crüe, Great White, Ratt, Queensrÿche, Poison
• Juan Croucier – bass player for Ratt and Dokken.
• Danny Gans – comedian and musical impressionist headliner at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas
• Brian Grillo – lead singer of the band Extra Fancy
• Ryan Hedgecock – founding member of the rock band Lone Justice
• Jung Hyung-Rok – singer: "Chris" in Korean boy band Battle^[11]
• Glen Mancaruso – drummer: Vengeance Rising and Die Happy (metal band)
• Brett Nordhoff (1982) – disc jockey: was LA's youngest disc jockey while attending Torrance High; continues to do radio today as a disc jockey and program director under the name "Maverick" in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area^[12]
• Dave Pack – leader of the band Ambrosia
• Merrill Ward – former lead singer with the SST Records punk band SWA

Sports

• Fred Kendall – Major League Baseball player
• Jason Kendall – Major League Baseball player: catcher with the Chicago Cubs, formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates & Oakland Athletics
• Justin Miller – Major League Baseball player: pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays
• Lisa Moretti – professional wrestler: World Wrestling Entertainment champion under the name "Ivory"
• Deon Thompson (2006) – basketball player: forward for the North Carolina Tar Heels.^[13]

Photos

Torrance High serves both as a school campus and film set.	The Home Economics building holds large classrooms for fashion and home ec classes.	Students gather around an advertisement during lunch.	The auditorium is another example of Torrance High's architecture.
On the right, the Science building stands with two refurbished greenhouses.	The Library is a showcase of school design.

Notes

External links

• Torrance High School official website
• Torrance High School Alumni Association website
• Torrance High Cross Country website
• Torrance High Band, Drumline and Colorguard website
• Torrance High Track & Field website

•  • [ e] Torrance Unified School District (TUSD)
High Schools: North • South • Torrance • West Continuation: Kurt T. Shery