Amador Valley High School

[9][10] The Amador Valley Wind Ensembles have performed at national venues and conferences, including Carnegie Hall and the Midwest Clinic.

[15][22] This district taught high school students from Pleasanton, nearby Dublin, and the local rural community.

[23][24] The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 led to the building of a series of local freeways and increased population and student enrollment.

[31] The school grounds are bordered on the east and southeast by Santa Rita Road, a Union Pacific railroad track on which the Altamont Corridor Express runs, and Arroyo Valle.

[37] The initial school land, building, furnishings, and upkeep was funded by a $110,000 bond authorized by district voters on September 26, 1922.

Parents donated pots and pans, and a newly hired cook prepared lunches, to be eaten at new tables and benches.

[48] After over a week of walkouts and negotiation including a state mediator, the teachers went back to work having won immediate 8 percent pay raises.

[53] The measure enabled the addition of renovated science classrooms, a multipurpose room, a library and media center, and a sound-proofed music building.

The solar panels provide renewable electricity to the high school and create covered parking in a re-oriented lot.

[59] The AVJUHSD challenged the constitutionality of the 1978 California Proposition 13, which placed a cap state-wide on county real estate taxes.

According to The Washington Post, the "severe" limitations this imposed on state funding forced local governments and most school districts in California to make "drastic cutbacks".

[63] Amador Valley administrators censored 1999 Salutatorian Nicholas Lassonde's graduation speech for being "too religious", claiming that it "violated separation of church and state".

[75] A school board trustee attributed a decline in interest in the district's Spanish dual immersion program with the increase in Asian students.

The team traveled to Toyako, Japan to attend the 2008 Group of Eight (G8) Summit of World Leaders to discuss global issues.

Students are also required to take one year of foreign language, visual and performing arts, or career and technical education.

[51][89] The school's honors and AP classes are offered under an "open-access" policy; students are encouraged to take more advanced courses if they feel like they can handle it.

[51][92] Students in the business courses participate co-curricularly in DECA, competing in exams, project presentations, and case studies to prepare for careers in "marketing, finance, hospitality and management".

[96] Over 50 Amador Valley teams and individuals have placed in the top 10 at DECA's International Career Development Conference (ICDC) since 2005.

[97][98] Business class students at Amador Valley have been selected as one of three California high schools to pitch Got Milk?

A Project Creek Watch co-founder won a 2001 "Internet Innovator Award" from National Semiconductor for development of the website and associated curricula.

These sports are run under the Amador Valley Athletics Boosters and include badminton, baseball/softball, basketball, cross country/track, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, cheer, swimming/diving, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.

[4] Amador Valley competes in the East Bay Athletic League and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) North Coast Section.

[114][115] The school coordinates parent and student volunteers, donates proceeds from snack sales, and provides facilities free of charge.

The school participates in the Constitutional Rights Foundation's annual California Mock Trial competitions, fielding a prosecution and a defense team to "study a hypothetical case, conduct legal research, and learn about courtroom protocol and procedures".

This competition invites students from Amador Valley, Foothill, and the district's three middle schools to compete in timed rounds.

[11][153] The symphony orchestra received positive attention from Hongkongers for a virtual performance of Glory to Hong Kong as part of a concert series on "songs of protest".

The UAV team develops a drone to compete aerial missions, including autonomous flight, remote sensing, obstacle avoidance, robotic mapping, and air delivery.

[160] Since 1997, the Office of Naval Research and RoboNation (previously the AUVSI Foundation) has sponsored an annual, international Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) competition called RoboSub.

[161] Notable Amador Valley alumni include former National Football League players Nate Boyer,[165] Mike Burke,[166] Chris Geile,[167] Rick Kane,[168] Greg Kragen,[169] Scott Peters,[170] and Joe Terry.

Musicians who attended Amador Valley include punk musician Craig Billmeier,[184] drummer Joe Plummer, and Jellyfish rock band duo Andy Sturmer and Roger Joseph Manning Jr.[185] Other notable alumni include United States Air Force commander Cary C. Chun, computer scientist Chelsea Finn,[186] health advocate for ethnic minorities Janet Liang,[187] journalist and community activist Abby Martin,[188] Alameda County district attorney Tom Orloff,[189][190] novelist Francine Rivers,[191] and shooting victim Kate Steinle.

Beige building with red roof. Grassy field in front and tree-covered hill in the back. A group of students sits on a bench facing the building.
Campus of Amador Valley High School
Architectural diagram of Amador Valley Joint Union High School. Image shows the auditorium on the bottom in blue, with additional rooms on the top in beige, including the woodworking floor, a classroom, a gymnasium, and dressing rooms.
1926 Sanborn maps architectural drawing of Amador Valley Joint Union High School, showing the Amador Theatre, the gymnasium with dressing rooms, and two classrooms.
On the left, a beige two-story building with large windows. The front of the building says "Library Media Center." On the right, a smaller beige building and a large tree
The library and media center, opened in 2002, [ 52 ] is the tallest building on the Amador Valley campus. [ 53 ]
President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister are on the right of a high school student. The high school student speaks. In the background are more high school students and important political figures.
President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda talk with an Amador Valley representative at the 2008 G8 Summit. [ 76 ]
Three high school students stand beside a beautiful creek. Two hold a net in the stream, the third points towards the water.
A group of Amador Valley students studies aquatic wildlife with Project Creek Watch at Arroyo Valle .
A female high school basketball player dribbles the ball towards the camera with a focused look on her face. Behind her trail basketball members from her team and the opposing team. All are running towards the camera.
The Amador Valley varsity girls' basketball team faces rival team Foothill High School .
Five high school students in suits and name tags face left. They are seated on the same side of the table and smiling.
Students of Amador Valley "We the People" team testify in a simulated congressional hearing .
39 students stand on a staircase and face the camera. In the background is foliage.
The Amador Valley Math Team, as part of the Pleasanton Math League, won third place at the 2013 Stanford Math Tournament. [ 134 ]
Two color guard members dressed in togas spin flags with fire designs in the middle of the DVC football field. Surrounding these color guard members are flute and saxophone players standing still and playing. They are dressed in a purple jacket and black marching pants and are wearing shakos.
The marching band and color guard perform "Heroes, Gods, and Mythical Creatures" at the 2008 WBA Championships.
A male diver guides a small aquatic vehicle in a body of water. The vehicle is enclosed in a clear plastic tube and the machinery inside is clearly visible.
A United States Navy diver guides the Amador Valley AUV during the International RoboSub competition at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego .