West County High School
West County High School (formerly Analy High School) is a public high school in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California. It was established in 1908 and celebrated its centennial in May 2008. In 2011, the school was listed at #184 on "Newsweek"s list of "America's Best High Schools" for California schools. West County High was the only school in the Redwood Empire listed in the top 500, and ranked 20th overall out of all California private and public high schools. The school is located in what used to be called Analy Township, which derived its name from  the Annaly Ranch which was located in the township in the 1840s, which in turn was named for an Annaly in Ireland, which had connections to the settler Jasper O'Farrell. The school and several facilities, including the library and some classrooms were used as the setting of the popular Netflix TV show "13 Reasons Why", in which the school is called Liberty High School. History. The school was established in 1908 (as Analy High School) in the town of Sebastopol. It is primarily a college preparatory school. Many local parents are Analy graduates. The community supports the school; in 2004  they passed a $13,000,000 bond issue, and in 2006 they renewed a four-year parcel tax for another seven years. Although the town's population is small, the school serves an area of 50,000. The town it serves has changed from a rural community to a more suburban community in recent decades; many residents commute to metropolitan areas. Approximately 85% go directly to two or four-year colleges; the school ranks in the 98th percentile on sending students to two or four-year public schools. Analy was one of two comprehensive high schools in the West Sonoma County Union  High School District, the other being El Molino High School in Forestville, California. The two school are to be consolidated on the Analy campus in 2021, with the district using the working name West County High School pending rebranding. As of August 28, 2021 the rebranding had not happened. Curriculum. The high school district has 11 feeder elementary districts. Over the last three years these districts together have developed grade level standards K-12 in English, math, and social studies, and work continues in technology and science. The school has a seven-period day and offers a wide variety of electives , including 11 programs in practical arts, and provides an almost entirely untracked curriculum for all students and a full range of AP and Honors classes in the five academic areas. Students participate actively in athletics, performing arts, and debate. There are thirteen clubs with a total membership of over 600 students. 30% of the student population is involved in the band, choir, or theater departments. AP and honors courses. Fifteen AP courses and five honors courses are offered Graduation requirements. A minimum of 240 semester units are required for graduation. Ten units equal one year of work for each period . In order to graduate, students must also pass the CAHSEE, which can be taken during the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Santa Rosa Junior College courses may also be taken in lieu of high school courses, with 1 SRJC unit equaling 3⅓ high school credits toward graduation. Demographics. The school served 1,141 students in the 2019-20 academic year (prior to its consolidation with El Molino High School). Athletics. The school has over 600 athletes on 38 teams in 21 sports each year. In 2009, the varsity boys' basketball team won the NCS Division III Final for the first time  in the school's 101-year history. Other sports offered include football, volleyball, cross country, soccer, softball, baseball, swimming, tennis, golf, track and field, wrestling, and badminton. Music. Band. There are four band classes and one orchestra class, with an average combined student participation of well over 200. The school has one of the highest instrumental music students per capita ratios in the State of California. The bands include a 0 period jazz band that starts at 6:45am every morning, an intermediate band, advanced band, honor band, and an orchestra, which were all under the direction of Vance Regan until  2013. The bands perform in two scheduled concerts per year and host the annual Band Wagon Fall Festival. The bands annually perform the national anthem at a San Francisco Giants game, travel to southern California to participate in the Disney Magic Music Days main street parade, and march in the local Apple Blossom Festival Parade. Once a week, the orchestra winds and percussion meet at 6:00pm and adjourn at 7:30pm for rehearsal. The band has won numerous awards for their jazz, concert and orchestra programs. The jazz band and orchestra annually participate in the California Music Educators Association festivals and  competitions. In 2011, the school orchestra was given a unanimous superior rating at a California Music Educators Association (CMEA) festival at Sonoma State University, the highest rating possible; this was the second consecutive year that the orchestra earned this honor. Choir. West County High School choir department performs three concerts each year. The first concert is performed in the fall, the second in the winter, and the third in the spring. The choir department is divided into different choirs, which perform music at differing styles and levels of complexity. During the 2009/10 school year, the West County High School High  School Honor Choir was selected by DCINY to sing the entire piece of Faure's Requiem Mass at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The concert was set to take place in April, 2010, and was to be sung under the directing of Daniel Hughes. However, a call was received in mid-October saying the show was cancelled. Another show was set up at Carnegie Hall during the same time period, and the choir was to sing songs directed by contemporary composer Eric Whitacre. This was the first such cross country trip encountered by the West County High School  Honor Choir. Speech and debate. The school's Speech and Debate team is a member of the Golden Gate Speech Association league, the California High School Speech Association (CHSSA), National Parliamentary Debate League (NPDL) and the National Speech and Debate Association (formerly the National Forensics League). Awards. "Newsweek" ranked the school #184 on their list of the top 500 high schools in the country for 2011, #95 for 2014 (the highest-ranked Californian school north of San Francisco), and #352 for 2016. It has been was named a California Distinguished School four times: in 1986, 1994, 1999, and 2009. West