Santa Monica High School

19th century

In 1891, the Union High School Law was passed in Santa Monica, thereby establishing a four-year high school for the city. The first graduating class graduated in 1894.^[1]

20th century

The new campus opened in 1912 with one building, the current History Building, with an enrollment of 50 students. The school sits on the hilltop between 4th and 7th streets and Pico and Olympic Blvds., from which one can see the Pacific Ocean. Ten years later the campus was expanded with construction of the English building.

In 1921, the Open Air Memorial Theater, now called the Greek Amphitheatre, was built to honor the Santa Monicans who served in World War I. One of the best examples of the classical Greek style in Southern California, the amphitheater was built after Santa Monica passed a $30,000 bond measure to fund its construction.^[3] Barnum Hall Theater, originally called the Auditorium, was built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to be the Civic Auditorium of Santa Monica and host school events. The campus added six buildings during this period: the Language, English, Business, History, Administration, and Music Buildings.

In 1952, Santa Monica High School was finally expanded to what it is now, 33 acres (130,000 m²), and two new buildings were built, the Science and Technology D.M. Buildings. As the school aged, renovations took place in Barnum Hall and the Music Building was completely rebuilt.

21st century

The Innovation Building was constructed along with an outdoor gathering space called the Centennial Plaza and was ready by the start of the 2015–16 school year.^[4]

The Discovery Building, including a new pool and cafeteria, was constructed and ready by the start of the 2021–22 school year.^[5]

The History Building was demolished in the summer of 2021^[6] and its replacement, the Exploration Building, was constructed and ready by the start of the 2024–25 school year.^[7]

The South Gym was demolished in 2024 and its replacement, the Gold Gym, opened the same year, a few months after the Exploration Building.

Orchestral program

In 2005, Symphony Orchestra was labeled the best high school-level orchestra in the nation by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) at the National Orchestra Festival in Reno, Nevada.^[12] The orchestra program is made up of many different ensembles, ranging from the smaller Beginning Strings / String Orchestra to the large Symphony Orchestra. Many of the orchestras from Santa Monica High School have had the chance to travel around the nation and the world. In February 2006, Symphony Orchestra became the first public high school orchestra to perform in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.^[13]

Marching band

The Santa Monica High School Viking Marching Band is one of the oldest high school marching bands in the state of California. The marching band performs for home football games and for many school and community events. The band enjoys a long history of competing in parades and field shows, most notably participating in shows sponsored by the SCSBOA (Southern California Student Band and Orchestra Association). In 2006, the marching band qualified for the first time in the SCSBOA 5A division championship.^[14]

Samohi currently offers five concert bands, with the Wind Ensemble recognized as one of the most exceptionally talented high school bands in California. The Wind Ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall in 2007 and 2015, as well as Chicago Symphony Hall in 2013.^[15] In 2016, the Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the California All-State Music Educator's Conference (CASMEC) in San Jose. All ensembles regularly perform in festivals, conferences, and invitational concerts. The program enrolls over 300 students.^[16]

Basketball

Girls Varsity team won the 2010 CIF Southern Division 1 championship, defeating Summit High, 69–63. It was the first girls basketball title for SAMOHI; they went on to the Fourth Round of State and lost by two.

Boys Varsity won the 2013 CIF Division 1A Southern Section Championship against El Toro High School 66–56 at the Anaheim Convention Center. They entered the Division 1 State Championship as a #1 seed, losing in the championship game, 73–57, to Pleasant Grove.^[17][18] They also made it to the finals of the 2010 CIF Southern Division 1 Championship, but they were defeated at the Honda Center against Luezinger, and they went on to lose in second round of state.

Cross country

The cross country team informally known as the "XC team" is composed of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. As of 2019, the Cross-country team competes in division 1 of CIF.^[19]

Wrestling

The wrestling team won the CIF State Championship in 1986. Also won the CIF State Championship in 152 lb (69 kg) weight class in 2007. For the past 7 years, the team has qualified individuals for the Southern Section CIF Masters and CIF State Championships.^[20]

Softball

The lady Vikings have been undefeated in league games since 2004. In 2010 and 2014 the lady Vikings won CIF division IV southern section.^[21]

Color guard

Samohi's color guard and winter guard team performs in shows sponsored by Winter Guard International and Winter Guard Association of Southern California (WGASC). Originally a joint drill team with Santa Monica College named the "Coronettes", the team utilizes both wooden guns and flags in their routines that are featured during halftime of every home football game. Additionally, after three years of membership, each participant receives a varsity letter. The team won gold medals in the WGASC championships in 2014, 2015, and 2016.^[22]