Temple City High School

History

The Temple City Unified School District was established on July 1, 1954 and incorporated Oak Avenue Intermediate School, a junior high 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. The first graduation from Temple City High was a year later, when the Associated Student Body established the green and gold school colors and the Ram as the school mascot.

Alma mater

The alma mater of Temple City High:

Academics

Academic programs at Temple City High include biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics up to Calculus BC, and language courses such as French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and English Language Development, a program focused on moving students from Limited English Proficiency to Redesignated Fluent English Proficiency.

Temple City High also offers 17 Advanced Placement. These AP classes are Biology, Microeconomics, US Government and Politics, World History, Psychology, Art History, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics B, Calculus AB and BC, Statistics, Language and Composition, Literature and Composition, US History, Studio Art, Spanish Language, French Language, and German Language.

Awards and recognitions

Temple City High School has received several awards for its academic programs. Rampage, the school newspaper, was presented with the second place award for High School Newspaper Excellence in Division A by the Los Angeles Times at the Student Journalism Awards on May 26, 2005. The school was awarded the California Distinguished School award in 1996, an honor lasting a duration of four years which has not been awarded since. In 2011 Temple City High School was ranked at #209 in the distinguished Newsweek list of America's Best High Schools.

Temple City High School Yearbook: Templar

Over the years, Temple City's yearbook program has been both regionally and nationally recognized. The most prominent year was in 2007, where the Templar's 2005-2006 edition yearbook, themed "It All Adds Up", received one of only six Columbia Scholastic Press Association "Gold Crown" awards in the nation. In 2009, the Templar received the "Herff Jones Yearbook Silver Crown" award for their 2007-2008 edition yearbook entitled "Right Click". In 2009, at the East Los Angeles Journalism Education Association(ELAJEA) Write-Offs competition in Alhambra, the Templar also took home Grand Sweepstakes for accumulating the most points over a series of criteria that include Copywriting, Layout, and Pictures.

Graduation requirements

To qualify for graduation and to participate in graduation ceremonies, students must meet the following requirements within the mandatory 230 credits. These are graduation requirements only and may not meet college entrance requirements.

Students must have completed 40 credits of English over 8 semesters, 30 credits of Social Science over 6 semesters, 20 credits of mathematics over 4 semesters, 20 credits of science over 4 semesters, 10 credits of fine arts or foreign language or an approved elective over 2 semesters, 30 credits of physical education over 6 semesters, 80 credits of additional academic courses or electives over 16 semesters, 100 hours of community service, and the High School Exit Exam.

Athletics

Temple City High School competes interscholastically as a member of the Rio Hondo League in boys' and girls' baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, marching band, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, boys' football, girls' Powderpuff, Auxiliaries, cheer, pep flags, Song, Choreo Dance Team, and Fusion Competitive Dance Team. Most athletics require before- and/or after-school practice from their athletes.

The Rams are governed by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section alongside fellow Rio Hondo League schools Blair International Baccalaureate School, La Cañada High School, Monrovia High School, South Pasadena High School, and San Marino High School.

Girls' volleyball won the CIF championship in 2002, and girls' water polo won the CIF Section III championship back-to-back in 2003 and 2004, marking a consistent streak in girls' athletics.

Men's basketball won the Rio Hondo League in 2009 while beating both their rivals La Cañada and Monrovia.

Auxiliaries, cheer, pep flags, Song, Choreo, and Fusion have competed at various competition circuits including United Spirit Association and Sharp International. At Sharp International regionals, they have placed top three as well as overall first and sweepstakes in the categories of cheer, flags, song, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, and senior dance. In 2011 and 2012, Choreo and Fusion won back to back national champion titles in senior dance. In 2013, Choreo and Fusion won national champs in lyrical dance and Song won national champs in pom.

The Girls's tennis varsity tennis team managed to secure a CIF win in 2016.

Athletes that went on to play professionally from Temple City High School include Kent Kramer, Steve Busick, Jimmy Conrad, Bryan Jordan, Ryan Tucker, and Lee “Rocky” Biddle.

Performing and visual arts

Temple City High performing and visual arts consist of art, auxiliaries, band, dance, chorus, orchestra, and theatre. Dragonflicks, part of the school's art and film department, holds an annual Film Festival supported by the school during the months of May and/or June. Their nationally recognized "co-ed" show choir team is named the Brighter Side Singers and they perform at Disney's California Adventures every Christmas season. The Brighter Side Singers also tour every year and have gone to places such as San Francisco's Heritage Festival, New York's Carnegie Hall and Disneyland Paris. The group has also gone to Canada and performed across Europe during the summer of 2016.

The Temple City Marching Band and Pageantry Corps—the "Pride of Temple City"—was honored by being invited to march in the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade. This was greatly earned as they had had one of their most successful marching seasons. They earned 3 Sweepstakes Awards and 7 First Place Awards. They were one of only two bands in the Southern California area to march in the parade that year. Their appearance later led to an invitation to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

In 2005, the Temple City High School Symphony Orchestra was invited to New York to take part in the Youth Symphony Orchestra Competition in Carnegie Hall. They were awarded the Gold Plaque Award for their performance.

Their orchestra and band are invited yearly to play at Disneyland.(The same goes for their middle school, "Oak Avenue Intermediate")

In 2008, the Temple City High School Honors Orchestra was invited to play in Disney's Concert Hall. They were invited due to the recognition of one of their students and cello players, Daniel Gee. He was recognized for his arrangement of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".

In 2013, The Pride of Temple City Marching Band and Pageantry Corps was selected to march in the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade. This was the second time the marching band performed in the parade and band-fest.

In 2016, the high school's winter drumline exceeded in their season, ranking in the top five consistently in every competition. They ranked as number five in the state competition, making it the most successful season the high school has ever had.

Extracurricular activities

Temple City High features numerous clubs and organizations run by the associated student body. (Most clubs listed do not currently exist.) The various clubs include:

Notable alumni