Spirit, Sports, Learning Sources of School Pride

The Beach Boys sang “Be True to Your School” in the ‘60s, but long before then and forever after, teen-agers will find countless reasons to care about their high schools.

Hot Topics wonders, “Why are you proud of your school?”

“Because we’ve got spirit. We may not be the best in everything, but we’ve got enough to be up there.”

Michele Williams, 16,

junior, Rancho Alamitos

“Because it has a strong reputation both academically and athletically. The campus is also very clean, as opposed to other high school campuses.”

Kari Deni, 17,

senior, Woodbridge

“Because no one is afraid to be who they are. It’s cool to be smart. The staff here is great, and they are true paragons of how we should strive to be.”

Cindy Greene, 16,

sophomore, Mater Dei

“Because of its deep-rooted heritage and its beautiful campus.”

Harold Kim, 17,

junior, Huntington Beach

“It teaches good morals and beliefs; it’s clean and has nice people, and the staff tries hard to do what’s right for us and make us happy.”

Courtney Hamel, 15,

sophomore, Santa Margarita

“Because it shows a great amount of ethnic diversity.”

Ashish Kalthia, 16,

junior, Irvine

“Because we have the best-looking guys.”

Sheri Little, 15,

sophomore, Esperanza

“Because we have a common bond with each other; we share our thoughts and help each other to achieve high goals.”

James McCallion, 15,

sophomore, St. Michael’s Prep

“Because of all the great clubs and activities a student can be involved in to make school interesting.”

Tamieka Macon, 16,

senior, Valencia

“Because despite its reputation, Valley has come through. An example would be the Academy Program, which allows student to get in contact and get information from universities.”

Azucena Garcia, 17,

junior, Santa Ana Valley

“Look at what we have--25 National Merit semifinalists.”

Michelle Oak, 16,

junior, University

“Because it teaches women to stand up and make something of themselves. It teaches that women are not inferior and that we can make a difference.”

Monica Rios, 16,

junior, Rosary

“Basically, because of our reputation. Because our sports are all ranked, and everyone’s afraid of El Toro.”

Jason Hilbert, 16,

junior, El Toro

“Because it encourages us to participate in all our fine extracurricular activities.”

Joey Betance, 15,

sophomore, Servite

“Because we don’t have any gangs. Compared to a lot of schools, we are doing great. I feel safe here.”

Scott Jung, 17,

senior, Kennedy

“Because though people see the small number of students as a hindrance, I see that it gives me a chance to develop strong relationships with interesting people. It also gives me a chance to achieve the highest attainable academic goals.”

Shannon Carroll, 16,

sophomore, St. Margaret’s

“My life is just beginning, and my school is providing me with an introduction to the real world.”

Parul Doshi, 16,

junior, Villa Park

“Because we do our part to help the community through community service, and we have school unity.”

Nicole Stevenson, 14,

freshman, Connelly

“Because of the way we treat each other. We’re nice. We’re not cruel to people, which is something I’ve experienced in other groups.”

Joel Cloud, 17,

senior, Orange

“Because I learn something new every day, and it prepares me for the future.”

Susan Lee, 15,

sophomore, El Modena

“Because everyone’s friendly and there’s not a lot of stereotyping.”

Destine Peavy, 16,

junior, Ocean View

“Because we have excellent teachers and the cleanest campus in the district. Also, we have a high graduation rate.”

Kristen Smith, 15,

sophomore, Bolsa Grande

“Our school is a close community, and the teachers here are really great. It’s nice to come and know that you’re wanted.”

Stephanie Langenfeld, 16,

junior, Trabuco Hills

“It has a good writing program and a good honors program in English.”

Hath Chahan, 17,

senior, Sonora

“Our school recycles for the environment.”

Liem Nguyen, 14,

freshman, La Quinta

“Because of the football program.”

Jim Hocking, 15,

sophomore, Los Alamitos

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

What would you do if you won a million dollars in the lottery?

Responses gathered by Brandi Winemiller (Bolsa Grande), Janet Bester (Connelly), Lauren Walden (El Modena), Tiffany Chin (El Toro), Eric Billigmeier (Esperanza), Michael Spivak (Huntington Beach), Sonal Kapadia (Irvine), Nicole McLaughlin (Kennedy), Jeanine Cardullo (La Quinta), Trisha Ginsburg (Los Alamitos), Candace Purvis (Mater Dei), Jennifer Blue (Ocean View), Betsy Burbridge (Orange), Alyssa Griffith (Rancho Alamitos), Asra Hashmy (Rosary), Brooke Lyons (St. Margaret’s), Dan Alvarado (St. Michael’s Prep), Amy Mather (Santa Margarita), Ginny Chang (Santa Ana Valley), Brian Martin (Servite), Lani Kent (Sonora), James Diorio (Trabuco Hills), Claudine Ko (University), Michael Chen (Valencia), Heather Lee (Villa Park) and Katy Leeper (Woodbridge).