Hamilton Union High School

Hamilton Union High School is a public high school located at 620 Canal Street in Hamilton City, California. It serves grades nine through twelve.

Until recently, it was the only school in its district (Hamilton Union High School District). The Hamilton High and Hamilton Elementary Districts unified to the new Hamilton Unified School District on July 1, 2009 with Capay Elementary School remaining as an independent feeder school district. Hamilton Unified School District includes Hamilton High School, Hamilton Elementary School, Ella Barkley High School, Hamilton Adult School, Hamilton High Community Day School, and Hamilton Elementary Community Day School.

The current principal is Cris Oseguera.^[6]

School Song

The lyrics to the school fight song are as follows:

Come join our band

And give a cheer for Hamilton High

Throughout the land

Our banners waving there on high

Hamilton for you and for your comrades

Brave and true

With might and main

Sing this refrain

Forever and forever Hamilton High

RAH! RAH!^[7]

Activities

Sports

The school competes athletically under the mascot of the Hamilton Braves. The girls' sports teams are commonly referred to as "Lady Braves".

Due to the school colors of Blue & Gold, many posters at athletic events use the slogan, "Go Big Blue!"

The National Anthem is played during the opening ceremonies at each football game. It is concluded by the team and fans calling "BRAVES!" at the appropriate moment of the phrase, "...and the home of the brave."

Sports teams consist of the following:^[5]

• Football
• Baseball
• Softball
• Soccer-Boys
• Soccer-Girls
• Basketball-Boys
• Basketball-Girls
• Cheerleading
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Clubs

Hamilton High School offers a variety of non-athletic clubs and organizations:

• Academic Decathlon^[8]
• Associated Student Body^[9]
• Boosters
• CSF (California Scholarship Federation)^[10]
• FFA (Future Farmers of America)^[11]
• FNL (Friday Night Live)^[12]
• MEChA
• Photography
• SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco)^[13]
• "The Tomahawk" Yearbook^[14]

Achievements

Hamilton High was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 2007.^[15][16]

Hamilton High has a record of having the highest academic performance index scores in Glenn County.

Academically, the school requires geometry to graduate and offers advanced placement calculus and statistics.

Seventy percent of the students go on to college. The most recent survey revealed that 32 percent earned a college diploma after five years.

“Small schools, by their very nature, are more responsive to students’ needs,” former Principal Ray Odom said. “If a student was having trouble, a team would be set up to try to get that student turned around.”^[17]

The girls volleyball team won league championship seven years in a row.

Boys basketball won the section in 2010 and boys soccer won sections two years in a row.

In 2008, the Hamilton Braves football team represented Northern California in the California State Bowl in Los Angeles.

Contrary to what some people think the school does not recruit but many of its students have gone on to play sports at large colleges.

As a coach in his earlier career, Odom said he doesn’t understand why some schools would consider cutting sports, which he views as the “most cost-effective program in schools. You can reach so many students, probably more than any single program.”

Since the school is located in an agricultural community, many of the students at Hamilton are involved with Future Farmers of America, gaining skills in agriculture, agribusiness and leadership. The school has an on-campus farm where students can raise animals.

Ella Barkley High School

Ella Barkley High School is a continuation school for grades 10-12. It is an alternative education program housed on the Hamilton High campus.^[18]

The Ray Odom Legacy

Longtime Hamilton Union High School Principal/Superintendent Ray Odom served as the first Superintendent of the new Hamilton Unified School District. Mr. Odom graduated from Hamilton High School in 1965. His first teaching job was at Big Valley High School in Bieber, California, 90 miles east of Redding. He coached sports and became vice principal, but felt isolated from his extended family in Glenn County so he returned to Hamilton High School in 1977 as vice principal and part-time faculty and coach. In 1980, the principal of Hamilton High left the school and Odom took the job.

At the time he joined the administration, the district was losing students to other schools and a conscious decision was made to approve students coming from other districts. Today, about 35 percent come from other districts with a total enrollment at the high school of 300. The district has nearly 800 students.^[17]

In 2004, Odom was awarded the outstanding administrator award by the Small School District Association, which represents 600 California schools. His speech to about 1,000 school administrators was about how it’s OK to stay in one place. “If you like what you’re doing and are successful in the eyes of the community, then stay.” Mr. Odom retired in 2011.

The accolades and accomplishments of retiring Hamilton City Superintendent Ray Odom are many. Here are a few:

• Twelve years service with the California Interscholastic Federation, including chair of new events and championship and statewide football committees
• President of CIF, 1995-1997
• FFA California Administrator of the Year, 2002
• Association of California School Administrators Region 2 Administrator of the Year, 1990
• Glenn County Administrator of the Year, 1985 and 1996
• Chico State University Advisory Board, 1997-1999
• Glenn County Juvenile Justice Commission, 2001-2009^[17]

Notable Alumni

• Kyle Lohse, Major League Baseball pitcher^[19][20]

References