WELCOME to Phoenix Alliance, a non-profit association established to benefit, support, enrich, promote, and enhance the educational experience for University High School students.

University High School is a public charter school with a 400 student body founded in 2000 by California State University Fresno's College of Arts and Humanities.

Phoenix Alliance is a collaborative team of stakeholders from CSUF, UHS Board of Directors, administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students, and community supporters.

This web site is a resource for these stakeholders and other interested parties.

The Orchestra at University High School is comprised of student's grades 9-12. Every student at UHS must be enrolled in at least one performing ensemble every semester; therefore all string players are automatically enrolled in the orchestra. All wind and percussion players are admitted into the group by audition only. The ensemble rehearses for one hour every other day, so in a two-week period they only have five hours of rehearsal. Because of this, much responsibility is put upon the members of the ensemble to be personally prepared for each rehearsal. The Orchestra was founded by our charter music instructor Mr. Gerard Jones. During his tenure, the orchestra grew and developed into a highly artistic ensemble performing works from the Baroque through the Romantic Era. The Orchestra is now under the baton of their second musical director, Jonathan M. Malcolm who is taking Mr. Jones' vision and expanding their musical vocabulary. The members of the UHS Orchestra have a rich history of being represented in many all-state honor Orchestras and Bands throughout California.

By Kathleen McKinley, PA President 2007-2008

During 2007-2008, Phoenix Alliance contribnted more than $88,000 to support the 48 Books Program, Associated Students, Music Ensembles, development, and student endeavors from soccer to Science Olympiad! Phoenix Alliance was proud to kick-off the School of Dreams Campaign with a donation of $15,000 for the building fund!

In addition to phenomenal fundraising, PA sponsored many successful UHS events, including those listed below, focused on strengthening the UHS community and promoting UHS.

• Welcome Back Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
  
• Parent Welcome/Orientation
  PA hosted a dessert reception to welcome new and continuing parents in the Richutti Plaza followed by an orientation in the JW Theatre. UHS parents nearly filled the 370 seat theatre!
  
• Freshman Party
  PA hosted a gathering offood and fun to welcome 9 th graders to UHS. Nearly all freshmen attended along with mentors, teachers, and the UHS administration.
  
• Back to School Night Hospitality and Information Table
  
• Magic of the Arts: All-School Fall Gala Performance
  PA sponsored the all-school performance at the Saroyan Theatre, and sold over 1100 tickets raising a profit of nearly $1 1,000. The real value of the event was in providing an exciting performance experience for the all UHS students and pumping excitement into the UHS community.
  
• Post Concert Receptions for the Audience and Student Musicians
  
• UHS Open House
  Again, PA welcomed parents with a cool drink on a warm evening, along with sweets and the opportunity to purchase Raising the Roo/tickets.
  
• Raising the Roof: Spring Fundraiser
  PA staged the very successful major spring fundraising event at the Fresno Fairgrounds with a profit of over $46,000!
  
• Spring Student Achievement Night Refreshments
  
• Teacher Appreciation Gifts
  PA presented each teacher with a portfolio imprinted with the UHS logo.
  
• UHS Senior Baccalaureate Ceremony in the Fresno State Concert Hall
  
• Sober Grad: PA hosted the all-night graduation bash at Blackbeards.

Graduation Ceremonies for the Founding University High School Class of 2004
June 15, 2004 – Satellite Student Union – 7:30 PM

Dr. Huff’s introductory remarks:

Welcome. I am Brad Huff, Head of University High School. Tonight we are met to recognize the success of these exceptional young men and women on this stage to my left. In doing so we validate the promise made to them and to their parents four years ago by University High School. They and you had the courage to venture into the unknown. Together we have created the best high school from here to the horizon – and no one knows where that horizon ends.

I want to thank the parent Triple Ten Club for the video montage and decorations this evening and for their generous and ongoing support of the school. In addition, individual donations of both time and money have made it possible to improve our program.

We have received congratulations from several public figures including State Senator Jeff Denham and several Fresno City Council Members. I would like to read two: first, from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and then the one from Congressman Calvin Dooley.

Seated on the stage behind me are people who played key roles in the founding of University High School. First I would like to introduce Dr. Peter G. Mehas, Fresno County Schools Superintendent. Dr. Mehas has supported UHS from early in its planning. I asked Pete to share with us this evening a passage he selected for a similar occasion earlier this spring.

(Dr. Mehas’ remarks are not included.)

Establishing a charter high school on the Fresno State campus was a complex process. Ultimately, one person needed to agree that University High School would be an asset to this campus – President John Welty. It has been Dr. Welty’s personal commitment to UHS that has brought us to this evening. I gratefully acknowledge his contribution to our success and introduce Dr. John Welty, President of California State University, Fresno.

(Dr. Welty’s remarks are not included.)

I am pleased that Dr. Jeri Echeverria, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fresno State, is able to join us on the stage tonight to share in this historic first graduation. Thank you, Dr. Echeverria.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed that every institution is the lengthening shadow of a person. In the future, as University High School becomes an institution, it will be the lengthening shadow of Dr. Luis Costa, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and Chair of our Board of Directors. Only he knows exactly whom to thank for all the work and problem solving and hurdle jumping and politicking that preceded the recruiting of this first graduating class. He accepts very little credit himself, so now is the time to thank him for his selfless commitment and dedicated leadership in founding University High School and guiding it through these first four years. Dr. Costa.

Dr. Costa’s remarks:

Good evening. Congratulations students, and congratulations parents. I started by writing down the history of the school, but it got too out of hand. It is amazing how many things happened; how many hostile committee meetings I could remember. So I am going to tell you briefly and for the record about the work of some individuals who, along with many of you, made a difference in getting UHS off the ground.

First there was Dr. George DeGraffenreid professor of music, who in the fall of ’97 came to me with the harebrained idea of starting a high school on campus. Exploring it a bit, I concluded that it was impractical. However, in those days I had been reading and writing about the concept of a liberal education, and the idea of the high school never quite left me. Some months later, California charter school laws changed and the opportunity was much too tempting.

Of the people I needed to talk to, Dr. John Welty was first on my list. In my experience, Dr. Welty has never met an interesting idea he didn’t like. And so it was with this one. His words loosely
interpreted were: “Go ahead, but don’t bring me problems.” My immediate boss, Provost Dr. Michael Ortiz, had come from a university campus with an embedded high school. He was enthusiastic. He is now the President at Cal Poly Pomona, where they also house a high school. My new boss, Provost Dr. Jeronima Echeverria, started her academic career as a high school history teacher. She also has a soft spot for University High. So at all times the high school has enjoyed the support of the university administration.

From the start a pivotal figure was Ms. Debbie Astone; she was then director of Facilities Planning at the university. Debbie found us the space in which to put the school and suggested plans for expansion—which unfortunately didn’t work out. She was also the central player in getting the University Foundation to lend us the money for a building. At the Foundation, Robert Coyle, their lawyer, was very helpful in drafting the initial legal papers for the school. He passed on this job to his wife Sylvia, as you will hear soon. Debbie’s successor in facilities, Mr. Gary Wilson, has become a key strategist in the development of our new campus.

My Associate Dean, Dr. Vida Samiian, wrote the first planning grant for the school. She also got my wife Wendy to write the charter, and the two of them worked with college faculty, high school teachers, recent high school graduates, and others to put together the curriculum for the school. There were many moments at the beginning, when it would have been easier to quit. And there were many frustrating times when I might have quit, but Dr. Samiian wouldn’t let me, and that is the plain and simple truth. She was, in many respects, the real force behind the project.

Wendy became indispensable. Besides the charter and the curriculum, she applied for and received a $250,000 loan from the state to get us started. She also made contact with the Walton Foundation, which provided us with over two hundred thousands dollars in grants. And in the two years before we opened, while I was doing the political dealing, you could find her in libraries and schools all over the county meeting with parents, or giving shape to her forty-eight books program, or perhaps organizing school fundraisers. She was everywhere.

Sometime during that initial spring, Ms. Linda Morgan walked into my office to drop her dossier. She had just moved from the Bay Area where she had held the position of executive secretary at a major firm. I remember vaguely that she had run into Wendy at some point, and Wendy sent her to me. Well, the rest is history. Linda worked with Wendy and Dr. Samiian those early days of proposal writing; she built the desks for the office; she registered the first students, and she remained with us to become an essential feature of the school.

Then it was time for external direction and we approached Dr. Pete Mehas. He, too, became very interested in what we were planning. He also had the good sense to send us in the direction of Sierra Unified to ask them to sponsor our charter. Dr. Don Witzansky, Sierra’s superintendent of schools, and, indeed, the entire board of trustees for the district, have been our allies and supporters from our first encounter. You may remember Dr. Witzansky attending those early potluck dinners. And it wasn’t his presence alone; members of the board at Sierra Unified came to hear our first concerts and musicals. They were right there with us until they saw we could manage on our own. I know of no other chartering district that takes so much interest in and offers so much support to a fledgling school.

One extraordinary bit of luck brought to us Mr. Frank Sandall, who was the financial officer for Sierra Unified. He came to work on a part-time basis as our own financial wizard. His experience and counsel provided the know-how and stability without which so many other charter schools fail. He is now retired from Sierra, but is still very much a part of UHS and remains as important as ever. These individuals, together with the Board of Directors, about whom you will hear from Dr. Huff, were the backbone of the project.

But we knew that all this would mean little if we couldn’t find the right faculty and administration. So, we set about to look for them. I can say with all candor that I never expected that first pool of
applicants to include Mr. Jones, Dr. Torrence, Mr. Gile, Mrs. Royce, Mr. Afifi and, not least, Dr. Huff. It was then I knew that things were going to turn out just fine.

Of course, I cannot say enough about you, parents. Looking back it seems amazing that one hundred and four of you registered your children in a school that had no buildings, no faculty, no
administration. It was an extraordinary act of faith on a simple idea and our first important lesson: powerful ideas move people to action. I believe we are all happy we took the chance. Congratulations, parents. Congratulations, graduates. Your accomplishments make us proud. I wish you all the best.

Thank you, Dr. Costa. Before you leave the podium I would like to present you with this special recognition by the Fresno Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, the international education association, in recognition of your service to University High School. The citation reads in part, “Your contribution to this program is a vital element in the growth and educational enrichment of the students involved.”

Recently Dr. Costa announced his retirement from Fresno State. Let me reassure you by saying that the charter of our school requires the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, or a representative from that office, to be a member of the Board of Directors. We shall not break our link to the college with his departure. Time will not allow me to add to my earlier comments, but I would like to present you with a memento from the school. It is a letter opener with the emblem of University High School engraved in the handle. Thank you, Luis.

It is now my distinct pleasure to recognize the contributions of two founding members of the UHS Board of Directors and also to present each with a gift :Our two parent representatives have provided valuable insights and the perspectives that only parents can know: Mrs. Diane Gross and Dr. Jody Hawkins. Diane is the mother of Chip Gross. Jody is the father of Christina Hawkins. Thank you, Diane. Thank you, Jody.

I would next like you to know our continuing Board Members: Don Fowler, liaison from the Sierra Unified School District Board of Trustees, Dr. Joe Diaz, Chair of the Fresno State Music Department, Dr. Peter Tannenbaum, Fresno State Professor of Mathematics, and Rebecca McGregor, Community Representative. Our two new parent representatives will be Mary Husain and Daniel Medeiros.

Seated in the front row of the audience are the members of the University High School faculty and staff. A school is only as good as its faculty and the people who support them; that maxim has never been truer than in our case. Faculty and staff, would you please rise and be recognized for your commitment to the success of our graduates today and to the growing reputation of our school?

It is now my pleasant honor to recognize the students with the highest academic achievement in our graduating class. This has been somewhat of a sprint to the finish with so many of our students taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by attending a high school located on the campus of a major university. As they rise to be recognized, please join me in congratulating Sukhmani Singh, Salutatorian of the Class of 2004, and Stephen Ho, Valedictorian. Stephen will be attending Harvard University; Suki will be attending CalTech.

At this year’s Academic Decathlon John Dawson brought the audience to its feet with his first place speech exhorting us to become involved in our communities. Among the several seniors who auditioned to be Class Speaker, John was selected to address you this evening on behalf
of the Class of 2004.

(John Dawson’s speech not included.)

Dr. Huff’s Closing Remarks

I can feel the energy and the anticipation of celebration both here on the stage and throughout the auditorium. I will be brief.

These four years have been a shared experience among visionaries and risk takers developing trust and confidence. From our determination to work together we have built not just a good school, but a great school. Those sharing in this adventure include the Board, the faculty, the staff, the students, the parents, the University, the Sierra Unified School District, the County Office of Education and many unnamed supporters within the 50 mile radius of Fresno served by University High School who carry the vision and the message of UHS to new families and new students whom UHS fits.

University High School is unique. Don’t think there are other University High School’s out there. I’ve had parents who have been transferred to San Diego, Orange County, Denver, Atlanta and other major market locations tell me they were confident they could find a school offering what UHS does. They could not.

This Class of 2004 has set the standard of excellence.

You have set the standard for character and caring.

I have had the pleasure of enjoying your company over the past four years and I have had the occasional challenge of helping you work through and learn from mistakes made on the way to the beginning of wisdom.

University High School is a community we have built together. Your contributions to its success are many. The charter was the skeleton – you brought it to life.

It is my earnest hope you will always remember and cherish your experiences from these past four years. I am confident you have the knowledge and skills to thrive in your college experience. I know you have the heart, self-confidence, and courage to face life’s challenges as you build your world, brighten the lives of those around you, and give back to the communities you serve.

Know that you are never alone.

I have but one request: We are not finished with each other today. This is not good-bye. You are about to become alumni of University High School, standard bearers at the colleges and universities you attend and in the communities where you live. You are invited to visit us during your college vacations. Email us. Continue to be involved in the success of the school you helped create.

In closing, something occurred to me as I was writing these remarks: It is so fitting that this class four years ago chose a mascot whose singular is also its plural. Fly, Phoenix fly!

Past Boards of Directors

2007-2008

Kathleen McKinley, President

Maureen Golden, Vice President

Ron Sheppard, Treasurer

Laurel Ashlock, Secretary

Cynthia Brannon

Joanna Felger

Roberta Howe/Paul Slocombe

Linda Tayian Hurst

Glenn/Karen Kubota

Ellen/David Lennon

Rosalinda Rios

Garrett Benslay, Ex-officio (Faculty)

James Bushman, Ex-officio (Head of School)

Omeid Heidari, Ex-officio (ASB)

Rebecca McGregor, Ex-officio (UHS Board)

2006-2007

George Egawa, President

Maureen Golden, Vice President

Kathleen McKinley, President-Elect

Ron Sheppard, Treasurer

Karen Kubota, Secretary

Joanna Felger, Past President

Wendy Carrroll

Rebecca Jaech

Glenn Kubota

Rosalinda Rios

Dr. James Bushman, Ex-officio

Sheng Yang, Ex-officio

Mary Husain/Daniel Medeiros, Ex-officio

2005-2006

Joanna Felger, President

Bob Roberts, Vice President

George Egawa, President Elect

Ron Sheppard, Treasurer

Mary Beth Miller, Secretary

Wendy Carroll

Rebecca Jaech

Karen Kubota

2004-2005

Karen Brown, President/Tresurer

Karen Kubota, Co-Vice President

Glenn Kubota, Co-Vice President

Mary Beth Miller, Secretary

2003-2004

Terri Isaac, Presidnet

Kim Birnbaum, Vice President

Karen Brown, Treasurer

Janet Ellis, Secretary

2002-2003

Monica Clark, President

Nancy Wilson-Jen Vice President

Mary Paulson, Treasurer

Cynthia Roper, Secretary

Deborah Lencioni

Fred Schreiber

Founding Board

2001-2002

Sandy Frech, President

Debbie Bennett, Vice President

Monica Clark, President-Elect

Mary Paulson, Treasurer

Kathy Chicoine, Secretary

Carey Corey

Kathryn Woods