Oak Avenue Intermediate School

History

The Temple City Unified School District was established on July 1, 1954 and incorporated Oak Avenue Intermediate School, formerly part of the Pasadena Unified School District. Before 1956, Temple City public school students would attend Pasadena High School after Oak Avenue, but in 1956 the first 12th grade class in the district graduated at Oak Avenue.

Electives

Students at Oak Avenue must take Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Science, and Physical Education for the full two years, but may choose an elective class. Typical elective classes include Beginning and Advanced Art, Auxiliaries, Computers and Computer Graphics, Film Studies, Media Literacy, Marching Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Yearbook, and STEAM.

Performing arts

Oak Avenue's music program offers two departments; band, consisting woodwind instruments, such as the flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone (including alto, tenor, and baritone), the brass instruments: trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, baritone and percussion instruments starting at the Intermediate level (see below); while orchestra consists of strings, such as violin, viola, cello, and bass—a symphony orchestra, in contrast, combines winds, percussions, and strings into a single body. The band and orchestra manage to combine once every year to form a symphony orchestra in able to play a specific song to the entire school.

Both departments have three levels of proficiency; beginning, intermediate, and advanced. The advanced band is given the further sobriquet of "Royals Concert Band". Each year the departments participate in different events. The Royals Band, for example, marches in various parades throughout the school's second semester. In 2006, the Royals Band won their first ever sweepstakes with a score of 92.2 and in 2007, they won another sweepstakes at Laguna Beach with a score of 90.6.

On March 28, 2006, Oak Avenue's various bands and orchestras received a rating of Superior from The Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA). The ratings, assigned to numerous schools, forego any placement, therefore no school can "win." Possible ratings include (from highest to lowest) Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. Although these ratings are set by experienced music educators, the ratings received are not as important as the learning process preceding performances. In March 2007, for the first time in Oak Avenue's history, all bands and orchestras received a unanimous Superior rating.

A setback for the Royals Marching Band came on February 22, 2007, when a presumable noise complaint had delayed any practice on the street they have practiced for over twenty years. Additionally, the last of the five events that the Royals Marching Band participated in had been terminated due to financial issues and the fact that only four bands (including the Royals Marching Band) were willing to participate. These two factors, however, did not end up hurting the 2007-2008 marching season. A compromise was settled with the street residents, and the band initiated a field day in which other middle school bands came to Oak Avenue.

Distinguished School Award

The Temple City Unified School District is recognized as "A District of Distinguished Schools" as all the public schools have been awarded the Distinguished School Award by the California Department of Education, placing each awarded school in the top five percent of California's public schools in the given year.

Oak Avenue Intermediate School (grades 7–8) and Temple City High School (grades 9–12), received the award in 1996 just a year after Cloverly Elementary School (grades 4–6) was the first to receive the award, in 1995. One year later, in 1997, both Emperor Elementary School (grades K–6) and La Rosa Elementary School (grades K–3) received the award, followed by Longden Elementary School (grades K–6) in 2004.

Differentiated Staffing

Differentiated staffing has been successfully implemented at Oak Avenue to such an extent that it has been use as an example in Differentiated Staffing in Schools. A Review of Current Policies and Programs by Joseph Stocker, published by National School Public Relations Assn., 1201 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036

California Academic Partnership Program

Oak Avenue is an active participant in the CSU California Academic Partnership Program with Lawton Gray of the Oak Avenue staff serving on the CAPP advisory committee.

Promotion Requirements

In order to promote to Temple City High School, or any other high school, a student of Oak Avenue must not have more than two failing grades for a class. If they received more than two failing grades in one year, then they will not promote to high school and might have to repeat 8th grade in the Junior Academy.