Blackhawk High

This week I am spotlighting my old high school alma mater, La Quinta High School (LQHS). Home of the Blackhawks! Operating in the Desert Sands Unified School District, LQHS opened its doors in the ’94-’95 school year. I remember this fondly as I was a part of the first freshman class to attend.
LQHS is led by Principal Donna Salazar and her three person team of Vice Principals. Over three-thousand students attend LQHS, which is a huge growth from the few hundred that attended in its birth year. The teaching staff of 100+ teachers, which does not include additional supportive staff, is well equipped and capable of handling the student population. Like all the high schools in the valley, safety of the students is a top priority. With that said, LQHS is equipped with an on-campus Deputy Sheriff and many supportive DSUSD security guards.
Salazar is quick to boast, and rightfully so, in her “Principal’s Message” on the LQHS website, found at www.dsusd.us/schools/LQHS/, about her school being the first to be three times named a “California Distinguished School”, and to garner the first-ever state award for Exemplary Career and Technical Education in 2005. Salazar also shares that LQHS has been selected as one of the top 75 most promising schools in America to participate in the International Center for Leadership in Education’s five-year Successful Practices Network.
The academics at LQHS are highly regarded by top universities. In 2000, LQHS became an International Baccalaureate® (IB) school. Through the IB program, LQHS offers an IB diploma if specific requirements are met. Higher level academic courses are required with written assessments proctored by external IB representatives. The IB also helps prepare students from college level academics. According to the IB website, LQHS is one of 87 schools that offer the IB diploma program in California, and 777 schools in the United States. The IB program is so much more, so please visit http://www.ibo.org to see the programs full potential given our the LQHS students. In addition to the IB program, LQHS also offers other academic pathways, such as medical health and public service academies, an education pathway, and a culinary arts institute.
The extracurricular activities at LQHS are very competitive. From the award winning music programs, which I was proudly apart of, to the formidable athletics program lead by Dan Armstrong. On a side note, Armstrong was the head of the Athletics program from LQHS’ beginning, and for that matter, so are many other teachers at LQHS. I have recently visited my ol’ alma mater during teacher observations and spent time with some of my previous high school teachers. I am talking about teachers who are a year of two shy of 20 years vested at LQHS.
There is no doubt in my mind that LQHS has come a long way in its youth. With many academic, music, theater, athletics, and many more extracurricular activities, LQHS is a good choice for any eighth grade student to consider. But LQHS is not the only high school in the valley worth considering. In articles to come, I will be discussing other high schools, their history, and why they too are worth your consideration. I will admit I am a bit biased in this selection, but I believe in our valley’s educational system. Also, I hope to give you the information you need to select the right schools.