- Freedom High School is located in Oakley, California. The school opened in 1996 on the grounds of Liberty High School, before moving to the new campus, as a part of the Liberty Union High School District. The current Liberty Union High School District contains Freedom, Liberty, Heritage, and Independence High Schools.
- Brief history of Freedom and utilities
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Freedom was opened in 1996 on Neroly Road in Oakley, California. In 1995, the graduating class of O’Hara Park Middle School, (the first class to attend Freedom), was given the honors to submit names they thought would best fit their new school. From the students' submissions, six names were selected by O'Hara's faculty for voting. The name Freedom High School was entered by O'Hara Park student, Braedon Kuts, an eighth grader, and was unanimously voted by the members of Liberty Union High School District. In 2000, a pool and new football stadium was built. In 2003, the pool and football stadium were opened to water polo, football, soccer, track, and swim. The football featured a synthetic turf field with a rubber track surrounding it. The swimming pool is 10' deep with a part near the diving boards at 13' depth. A second area for toddlers and young children to swim in for the public is also featured with a 3' depth, and a 4-5' depth connection between the shallow and deep ends of the pool. The gym features dual-fold out bleachers with a second story on the home side, and a weight room underneath the second story. A new weight room was created in 2004 underneath the home bleachers in the football stadium. Baseball and softball fields still remain, with varsity and jv and freshman fields.
- When the Lou Bronsan Gymnasium opened in August 1997, it boasted a gym floor that cost $1 million to build and was of exceptional quality. Many students felt it was ironic when the gymnasium leaked during the El Niño storms of winter 1998. Lime stains were visible on the gymnasium walls through 2001.
- Rivalry
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The current high school rival is Liberty High School which has intensified after the 1997/1998 year. The community mostly gathers for the football games, with large sell-out crowds. For tennis, a plaque is awarded to the winner of the last match. In the 2006-2007 tennis season, Senior Jamie Crabaugh won the final match to win the plaque, which will feature her name. In the 2005-2006 boys tennis season, the boys team led by seniors William Grant and Cory Kamerschak defeated cross town rival school Liberty 7-0 two times in the same season. This was the first time this had happened in school history. For football, a large bell, the Liberty Bell, is awarded, and the rivalry has been on for a long time. In the first match in 1998, Liberty won 47-0, with its senior team. However, Freedom won four in a row, stretching four seasons from 1999-2002, the longest time holding the bell between the two schools. Then, Liberty came into Freedom's new field, and returned the bell to their school, for three years. The average margin of victory from seasons 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006 would be 13 points, with 5 points in the 2005-2006 season and 3 points in the 2004-2005 season. Freedom's senior team of 2006-2007 finally stormed onto Liberty's gridiron with emotions and blood temperatures running high. In an amazing game, Freedom finally captured the bell, after a 42-28 victory, with the fans storming onto the field and every player, seniors first, ringing the bell. Football also celebrated its best season, 7-3, but missed playoffs by one game. The rivalry continues to this day. When athletic boards were asked about rivalry after the construction of Heritage High School, the rivaly between Liberty and Freedom would remain the same.
- Racism and threats
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In 2001, a noose made from a shoelace was placed on the door of a teacher sparking racial tensions, and also a rope noose was found in a tree of the school, as well as swastika and anti-minority flyers in the school bathrooms. This is contrasted by the poster left hanging near the library throughout the 2007-2008 school year, declaring that "culturally rounded" members were desired for the Power of Unity club; in other words, no white people. This poster, far from being condemned, was never taken down. Additionally, in 2001, a threat against another teacher was made on a website for a personal reason. The website in question notified the principle of another Freedom High School that was located on the East Coast, who subsequently called every Freedom High School in the country until tracking the threat back to Oakley. While no harm came to the teacher and the student made the threat more as a call for help than as a forecast of any actions on his part, the administration took the threat seriously fearing another Columbine was on their hands.
- In 2005, three fake pipe bombs were discovered on campus, one near a bike rack, another near a bush, and one more near a soda machine. The next day another fake pipe bomb was found in the pool. A bomb squad was called in and detonated the three devices found on the campus. School was let out early for that day.
- Sports
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Freedom High School competes as a member of the Bay Valley Athletic League (BVAL), as well as the North Coast Section (NCS). The school is represented in baseball, men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, swimming, track & field, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
- Clubs and Extracurricular Activities
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There are many clubs offered on campus, including MESA, choirs directed under Eli Souza, bands directed under George Chilcott, Aloha Club, Video Game Club, BSU (Black Student Union), Latinos Unidos, French Club, and German Club. A controversy surrounded the formation of a caucasian club as seen below.
- Controversy
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Controversy surrounded the formation of a Caucasian Club in November 2003 at the school. Freshman Lisa McClelland gathered about 250 signatures from students and adults to start a club that would focus attention on European heritage and history. Other societies already found in the school include the Black Student Union, the Latinos Unidos and the ALOHA club for Asian-American students. Lou Calabro, president of the European-American Issues Forum has become an informal advisor of the club and sent letters to two civil-rights organizations that the school's administration be investigated. However, the Caucasian Club was accused of fueling racial tension, and was forced to disband. McClelland eventually transferred out of the school.
- Class schedule
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The school schedule rotates on a block schedule with A days consisting of periods 1-4 and B consisting of periods 5-8. The first week of school, Monday Wednesday and Friday host periods 1-4, Tuesdays and Thursdays host periods 5-8. On every Tuesday after 1st/5th period (depending if it is an A or B day), a 20 minute advisory is held for announcements, which is usually your 6th period class. Then the next week M W F are periods 5-8, and T THU are periods 1-4. So basically it goes every other day ABABA,BABAB. Minimum days are every other Wednesday, dismissal at 1:40.
- When the school opened it ran on a six-period rotating block schedule that called for Blue, Maroon, and Silver Days. Blue days consisted of periods 1-4, Maroon days were periods 5-6 and 1-2, and Silver days rounded out the rotation with periods 3-6. After two of these rotations (i.e. every seventh day) a minimum day was held where students would attend all six periods. These minimum days were held in order to allow falculty and staff time outside of class to complete the setting up of the new school. During this time students could opt to take a zero-period class. Zero-period offerings were limited to Spanish and Physical Education.
- With the opening of the Multipurpose room, the D-building, the J-building, and the last few remaining buildings in Fall of 1999, the school switched to an eight period alternating block schedule. Periods 1-4 one day and periods 5-8 the next. Students who experienced the switch had mixed feelings with some being in support and others preferring the Blue, Maroon, and Silver rotating schedule.
- Buildings
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There are four school buildings which students belong to, B, C, D, and E. They host vice principals and secretaries as well as other office assistants and counselors. Parent's phone calls to regard their student are sent to their specified building, where notes can be made and sent to a student's room. A student who belongs in building E will have most of their core classes in the E building, but electives are held throughout the school. Town passes, or as they are currently called Permit to Leave Campus, Excused/Unexcused, are needed to leave campus and exit the student parking lot for those who drive. Passes are needed to be called in by parents for students to be able to leave for personal reasons. Students with study halls can get passes to leave and then come back to their next period class, unscheduled people only need to show a schedule to leave campus.
- Requirements to graduate
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As for the class of 2008 and beyond, students need 270 credits to graduate. Class of 2007 needed 255. Credits are as follows:
- 5 credits per semester, 2.5 per quarter
- A year class is 10 credits, half a year is 5 credits
- Study halls don't count for credit
- Leadership can give you 30 credits and counts as an elective class.
- Passing of the CAHSEE and taking all core classes and fulfilling all elective requirements
- D's or better in core classes (social studies, science, math)
- Dances
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Dances are held occasionally, the main formal dances are homecoming and prom. To be able to go, a 2.0GPA (C average) is required and the student may not be on the No Activities List. Any visitors wishing to come must fill out a bid and the student asking permission must turn it into the building office for permission, then once approved the student buys both tickets. A bid and ticket is required to enter the dance.
- Footnotes
- See also
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List of high schools in California
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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