The California Distinguished School Recognition, presented by California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, was awarded to Scotts Valley High School after it met rigorous accountability measure and criteria set by the California Department of Education (CDE). SVHS was one of 218 schools statewide named a 2013 California Distinguished School for their high standards of learning.
Even after five years of state budget cuts, SVUSD schools have made significant academic gains. Due to a concerted effort by teachers, students, district staff and community support both the Scotts Valley High School and Scotts Valley Middle School earned the California Distinguished School recognition
During his announcement, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Torlakson said, “These schools have gone the extra mile to provide high-quality instruction that puts their students on the right path toward career and college. Given the enormous challenges schools have faced in recent years, it is inspiring to see this kind of success in so many schools. Our future depends on meeting the needs of every student no matter where they come from or where they live.”
Local Schools named as Distinguished Schools also included Aptos High School, and San Lorenzo Valley Middle School as well as Scotts Valley High School, and Scotts Valley Middle School. Each school was presented with a 2013 Distinguished School plaque and flag.
“Parents and the general community bend over backward to help us,” said Valerie Bariteau, Scotts Valley High principal. “It’s a huge group effort to make our school successful.”
A tradition of teachers, parents and community working together to promote student success has helped Scotts Valley High School to earn such state recognition. Scotts Valley High School’s tradition of academic excellence is proven by its top Academic Performance Index (API) score of all non-charter schools in grades 9-12 in Santa Cruz County.
Scotts Valley High School (SVHS) is a member of the Scotts Valley Unified School District in Santa Cruz County serving approximately 850 students from the communities of Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley and Santa Cruz.
SVHS Principal is Valerie Bariteau who joined Scotts Valley High School three years ago as Assistant Principal before becoming Principal for the 2011/2012 school year.
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Valedictorian
Jessica Granger-Jones – UC Berkeley
Salutatorian
Emily Johnson – Santa Clara University
International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidates
Colin Abel — University of Pennsylvania
Tyler Bach — UC Davis
Austin Brockmann — Beloit College
Madie Darbonne — UC Santa Barbara
Alyssa Elliott — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Marielle Fesmire — UCLA
Jenna Forster — American University
Vanessa Fraser — Stanford
Olivia Gonzalez — University of San Diego
Aaron Gouw — UC Davis
Jessica Granger-Jones — UC Berkeley
Ethan Hur — Ohio State University
Emily Johnson — Santa Clara University
Jenna Koopman — UC Berkeley
Rachel Krzeczowski — University of Washington
Melissa McGee — Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Chandler Moeller — UC Santa Cruz
Kaelin O’Hare — School of the Museum of Fine Arts — Boston
Caitlyn Pellemeier — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Brett Perry — University of Southern California
Ricky Reksoatmodjo — Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Bennett Sanderson — UC San Diego
Madelief Schelvis — UC Berkeley
Nathanael Schwab — Louisiana State University
Chris Silva — St. John’s University
Alexa Sinclair — University of Washington
Taylor Stone — UC Santa Cruz
Logan Thornley — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Keyawna Williams — Oregon State University
Savannah Wohlstattar — Lewis & Clark College