Taft Union High School
| Taft Union High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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701 7th. Street (a.k.a. "1 Wildcat Way") Taft, California 93268 Taft , , 93268 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public School |
| Motto | "Go cats" |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Locale | Taft, CA |
| • Grade 9 | Lowest Grade |
| • Grade 12 | Highest Grade |
| Colour(s) | Blue Gold[1] |
| Song | Taft High, we love you Taft High. You are the best school of them all. Taft High, our dear old Taft High |
| Accreditation | 1960 |
| Website | School website |
Taft Union High School is located in Taft in Kern County, California, in the United States. Taft High was founded in 1912. Taft is a small city and the school also serves the surrounding rural area, with a total population of about 20,000.The school was featured in the movie "The Best of Times" with Robin Williams and Kurt Russell. Taft was also in the 1996 movie For My Daughter's Honor, with the name changed to Tate Union High School.[2] Parts of the movie Frog-g-g! were filmed at TUHS as well.[citation needed]
History
In February 1909, Thomas Conley and Wilson St. Clair Lierly circulated petitions for the establishment of the first school district. Classes started September 1909 in a small frame shack near the Moron Boiler Works at Crystal Street and Leirly Avenue near Boust City. The district was formed in 1915 and named after Conley who donated property for the school. By 1917 a new campus was completed on property purchased from Southern Pacific Railroad on the northwest corner of Seventh and San Emidio Streets; the present day location.
The Conley High School District became the Taft Union High School District in July 1920 by including Elk Hills, Midway, Mckittrick and Olig elementary school districts.
Even without a field to practice in TUHS' first football team was formed under coach Andrew Hardin. The team was known as the Gaugers, after the oilfield workers who read the gauges on oil storage tanks. In 1928 the team was renamed the Wildcats, alluding to oil prospectors ("wildcatters"), and the wildcat was adopted as the school mascot. Practices and games were played in the baseball field. A Taft-Bakersfield rivalry intensified over the next 30 years, and traditionally the Taft-Bakerfield game was the last game of the season and would draw crowds upwards of 7000 for games played in Taft. Unfortunately it was a rare occurrence when Taft won; changing in 1928 when Taft not only defeated Bakersfield High for the first time but the Wildcats won their first valley championship. They won a second Valley Championship in 2007 and after that the team went into a severe decline. The varsity teams in the 2010 and 2011 seasons were the worst in the school's history.
TUHS continued to expand with the addition of an athletic field for football and track, a gymnasium, auditorium, science building, cafeteria and domestic science buildings. The stadium was renamed the Marion Martin Memorial Stadium in honor of a popular student and captain of the football team who was killed in a bus accident returning from a game in 1927.
The Taft Union High School District authorized the establishment of classes at the junior college level starting September 1922. Taft Junior College was the 16th junior college formed in the state. Later Taft Junior College formed its own district the West Kern Junior High School District in 1962.
The school's Associated Student Body (ASB) runs an unofficial Facebook page named Wildcat News. This page was created in 2010 and is used to update students about upcoming events at the school.
On January 10, 2013, the school was the sight of a shooting, where one student was shot, and possibly a teacher.[3]
Student Activities
Every year in the week before spring break, the school's Student Body Association organizes "Spring Fling Week" where student's are encouraged to participate in dress up days. At the end of the week there is a lip sync competition known as "Mock Rock."
References
- ^ "Taft High School (CA) Softball Home - MaxPreps.com". maxpreps.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Taft Union High School History
- ^ Taft High School shooting update: Reports indicate at least 1 person shot in California high school Retrieved 10 January 2013
External links
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