by Johanna Ziegler
Minarets High School is in its thirteenth year of operation, and yet many students, parents, and staff are unaware of the school’s origins and where many of its iconic traditions come from. From technology-integrated learning to an annual day of campus-wide community service, the school has many unique traditions that enrich the Minarets experience.
The Birth
Though construction of the school did not proceed until the early 2000s, the first concept for a high school in Minarets’s current location was proposed around the 1970s. Yosemite High School (YHS), a chief rival of Minarets in several sports, was initially planned to be built where Minarets stands now, according to Jon Corippo, one of the first teachers at Minarets as well as the school’s first charter director. Before YHS was built though, a donor offered free land in the Oakhurst area, and YHS would decidedly be built farther north. Corippo explains, “The location for Minarets was decided in that original [1970s] study, and it was selected again for the actual building of Minarets due to its central location to YLP [Yosemite Lakes Park], North Fork, Madera Ranchos, and Coarsegold right off of Highway 41 and Road 200.”
It wouldn’t be until the 1990s that plans would begin to build Minarets. “It took Chawanakee Unified [School District] several tries and years and years of work,” says Corippo, “but they passed the construction bond for Minarets in about 2003.” Construction was not met without its challenges though. The school’s location happens to coincide with the habitat of the endangered Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle. By clearing the area to lay a concrete foundation, several elderberry bushes, the main habitat of the beetle, had to be removed. But with the assistance of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Southern California Edison, and the Spring Valley 4-H club, a joint mitigation effort replanted several dozens of elderberry bushes just past the construction site, preserving the habitat of the endangered species and the integrity of the natural landscape.
Beginning construction in 2007, the high school wouldn’t officially open on the current campus until the fall of 2009 with 140 students enrolled, roughly 100 ninth graders and 40 tenth graders. “At first, we only had the 600 building and the main office,” says Mike Niehoff, Minarets’s first principal. “Then, later on, the 300 wing opened. And the gym didn't open until the second or spring semester. We had a grand opening ceremony in March of 2010.” The agriculture technology building, however, wouldn’t be added until 2013, though plans for it began back in 2009, according to Niehoff.
But perhaps the most common misconception of the origins of the school centers not around its location but its name. Minarets, while another word for the slender towers atop many mosques, actually refers to the Minarets Peaks near the town of North Fork. In the 1960s, plans were set to construct a road that traveled from the San Joaquin river up to the town of Mammoth Lakes which is situated near the Minarets Peaks, Corippo explained. Though the road was never constructed, the high school is built along the old route. This, paired with its close proximity to the striking mountain range, gives the school its name.
As for the school colors and mascot, Niehoff explains that both were “decided by the governing board based on community input.” Purple and gold stand out from other school colors in the mountain region, and mustangs are seen as a symbol representative of the rural, agriculture-based community that has been supporting the establishment of the school since day one.
The Purpose
Survey results from the local community revealed that parents sought out two primary aspects from the new high school. Firstly, they valued a method of education called “project-based learning” which places an emphasis on collaborative, hands-on projects rather than just completing worksheets and daily note-taking. Secondly, as much of the local community’s economy depends on agriculture, many parents wanted to see an additional science department dedicated to agriculture education. Both were promptly implemented. Patrick Wilson, the school’s first media teacher and now current charter director, is in favor of project-based learning, saying, “Research over the last 20 years has repeatedly shown that students are more engaged and learn more when they are tackling real-world problems in a collaborative way with their peers and colleagues.”
To execute project-based learning at full capacity, Minarets introduced the practice of distributing school laptops (and formerly iPads) to every student, beginning even back at the school’s opening in 2009. The practice was rare at the time, says Wilson, making it one of the hallmarks of the school. He adds, “We believe students have a voice, and being able to communicate and read and watch material from all over the world helps them develop critical thinking skills.”
When Wilson joined in 2011, he helped establish another unique program alongside the agriculture department and its Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. The Minarets Media program, which features access to dozens of professional cameras, tripods, and two fully functioning studios, is another distinct hallmark of Minarets. Both Minarets Media and the Minarets FFA chapter have earned a distinguished reputation for being highly successful in several types of competitions, despite both programs being considered still young and ‘up-and-coming.’
The Traditions
But what is it today that sets Minarets apart? Firstly, the school’s homecoming week is framed a bit differently than most. “[Derby Week] came from the former activities director, Mrs. Milliorn. She wanted to give a ‘unique’ spin, and since our school is Ag-based and our mascot is a horse, why not do a shout-out to the Kentucky Derby?” says Wilson. As many know, the end of a homecoming week usually heralds that year’s Homecoming King and Queen. Here, these titles are substituted for Mr. and Ms. Minarets. “We like to promote and believe our students represent a larger community,” Wilson says. “‘Mr. and Ms. Minarets’ criteria are far more stringent than a simple ‘student vote.’”
Also featured during Derby Week, and throughout the entirety of the football season, are other aspects unique to Minarets. These include the Minarets fight song, inspired by the Appalachian State University fight song, as well as the carrying in of the American flag by the equestrian team before every home football game. In keeping with the Derby theme, the equestrian team, another distinct feature of Minarets, presents the flag in the same fashion that one might see at a rodeo or horse jumping competition. The tradition is a nod to both the school’s team and to the agriculture/rodeo community that partners with Minarets.
Additionally, Minarets has created two special events of its own, Community Day and the Lip Dub. The former, largely created by current Principal Daniel Ching, is held every year on the last day of the first semester and requires each student to participate in different community service activities hosted by the teachers. Not only does the day allow students to become better woven into the fabric of their community but it also “serves as a chance for students to reflect on what they accomplished that prior semester and think big for the next,” as Wilson puts it. The latter, originally started by Wilson and the media program, is a day in which a student team films a school-wide lip dub (a music video that consists of one continuous shot) to promote school spirit and student collaboration.
On a smaller, day-to-day basis, Minarets also uses music, ranging from holiday to pop to country to retro, as its passing period bells rather than a standard alarm sound. Though it’s a small touch, it’s one more tradition that sets Minarets apart.
As the school continues to add more years under its belt, its customs will expand and grow in numbers. Every little detail, every quirky tradition, contributes to the definition of Minarets. But no matter how much the school grows, its roots will always remain the same and are worth sharing and remembering.