Irvine High School - Citadel Yearbook (Irvine, CA)

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During the past ten years I.H.S. has been a source, like the central core of a flanne, from which progranns and courses, similar to shafts of light, radiate from the center and burst in an aura that glows with diversity. This source of inspiration has remained constant, blazing a path of excellence from high-level academics to a range of sports and activities, demonstrating that Irv ine is ABLAZE ' 85. V n 1 Opening 3

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Ideals soar to new peaks in decade Throughout the ten years that Irvine High has existed, revltalization, im- provement and unification has been the basis of maintaining the ideals of the school. Irvine High was built on an 80 acre integrated school and parksite loca- tion. Its impressive structure provided a unique setting for students. Gates in- stalled in 1983 helped maintain the campus after school and during weekends. The attractive architecture itself reflected the warmth and humaness envisioned by the early planners of the school, said Lisa Pontillas, junior. In the fall of 1975, Irvine High open- ed classes on the campus of Rancho San Joaquin Intermediate School. The following year the students moved on- to an incomplete open campus at the school ' s present location, with ninth and tenth graders. As the student body grew with the community, more rooms were closed off to accomodate the classes. Dean Waldfogel, principal for the first six years, spent the first years recruiting qualified teachers. We spent the first years brainstor- ming and researching ideas for the school. The neat thing about it was there seemed to be no restriction. It seemed like there were no obstacles, said Kent Bentley, one of the first 14- member staff. Other members includ- ed John McKeever, Vivian Triem, Marlene Pointevent and Mark McKenzie. The small select staff developed a school philosphy based on the idea of interaction of staff, students, and parents. It also set basic school goals for the generation to come. Programs were developed which identified grade-level goals fr each stuqlent in the areas of educational planning, career guidance and personal social growth. One of the things that the staff created was the Advisor Program, where each member of the staff serves as an ad- visor to approximately 25 students. We really felt that big schools tend to be impersonal, that many students tend to get lost in the crowd and that frequently little or no parent contact is made, according to the pamphlet of the IHS Historical Perspective. SCHOLARS SIGN IN: Gig Griffith recruits pro- spective members Chris VoVan, Andre VoVan and Tommy Kim for CSF at the annual club fair during lunch. The response and participation of parents to this idea has been overhwelmingly positive, said Sherry Phelps, teacher advisor. As a result, a unique quality sparkled from the facul- ty. Teachers learned to relate to students in an entirely different, positive way. The LIFE Center offered information about colleges and career planning. Coastline Regional Occupational Pro- gram (CROP) classes were available to students with career interests in many different areas, and special education classes benefited students with learning disabilities. The Program Improvement Council (PIC) , composed of student represen- tatives, parents, faculty and counselors, was organized in 1976. PIC was responsibile for meeting stu- dent needs, setting school goals and setting up processes for which recom- mendations are made. The group met bi-weekly and what we have learned was that students and parents have saved us on more than one occasion from making bad deci- sions, said Pam Orton, PIC student representative. In keeping with the philosophy of spreading participation and involve- ment as much as possible, a student government was organized. It was divided into two components. Ac- tivities Council and Student Forum. The Activities Council, an elected group of students, was responsibile for planning dances, assemblies and other student activities. The Student Forum, on the other hand, was comprised of an elected representative from each advisor group and handled student concerns such as the quality of cafeteria food, litter on campus, bicy- cle vandalism, etc. The Student Forum also communicated events or policy changes to the student body through the TA groups. By the eighth year, IHS change its procedures for registration. Orginally students scheduled their classes and teachers by a system known as scrambling. Since 1982, IHS adopted computerized registration which ex- pedited the otherwise slow enrollment process. Sophisticated, computerized scheduling is far more efficient than the old way (scrambling) , but it tends to be less personal than when we used to scramble, said Bentley. It was obvious that Irvine High made considerable progress in its first decade. On a firmly established foun- dation, IHS developed into an institu- tion where a diversity of students came together to learn and to take part in what the school had to offer. The purpose of us being here is mainly for the kids, to make them academically better, and to encourage personal goals rather than competition between students. This is a place where everyone can achieve, his highest potential, said Bentley. From a spark in someone ' s mind ten years ago, an idea became reality. The school was built and in time made its mark on the community. In a steady path, the growing Irvine High had gone ABLAZE with maturity and progress. W — by Marllce Patam Jim Slumpff Opening