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38-477: Currently, El Teatro Campesino's mission is “…to create a popular art with 21st century tools that presents a more just and accurate account of human history, while encouraging the young women and men of a new generation to take control of their own destiny through creative discipline, vibrant education, economic independence, and artistic excellence.” Luis Valdez , along with Agustin Lira (Teatro de la Tierra), founded

76-650: A "major catalyst for an explosion of Chicano/a arts." In 1971, they moved their headquarters to San Juan Bautista and adapted traditional religious plays La Virgen del Tepeyac and La Pastorela for Christmas celebrations. As Chicano culture received unprecedented attention in the United States, Valdez received national attention, and taught drama at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Santa Cruz . In 1973 they worked with British theater director Peter Brook ; in 1976 they toured

114-605: A century-old tradition of Mexican performances in California, and Aztec and Maya sacred ritual dramas. El Teatro Campesino started as the cultural wing of the United Farm Workers union in California's central valley, to help raise both Mexican workers and American people awareness of the Delano grape strike controversies during the two years of the strike (1965 – 1967). Although the troupe began by entertaining

152-399: A community changes over 60 years, so can a school enhance its instructional delivery and services, honoring the demands and goals of those it serves. The James Lick staff continues to embrace this challenge. In the 2006–07 school year, out of 1,055 students, 77.1% were of Hispanic descent, 8.3% White , 7.4% Asian , 4.1% Filipino , 2.1% African American and 0.5% American Indian . In

190-513: A comprehensive union. Valdez brought together farm workers and students to form El Teatro Campesino , a farm worker's theater troupe. El Teatro was known for touring migrant camps with their actos, one-act plays, which were usually around fifteen minutes long. The plays were used to educate and inform not only the farm workers, but also the public. Valdez believed that humor was a major asset to his plays in El Teatro Campesino as it

228-548: A founding faculty member and director ( c.  1994 ) of the California State University, Monterey Bay Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department. He is credited with assisting in the development of a university program that prepares students in the entertainment industry: filmmaking , writing, sound, cinematography , and the like. His recent play Valley of the Heart , debuted October 30, 2018, at

266-798: A play presented on Broadway in 1979. In 1981, it was made into a film . In Zoot Suit , Valdez weaves a story involving the real-life events of the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial—when a group of young Mexican-Americans were wrongfully charged with murder—and the Zoot Suit riots . In 2019, the film Zoot Suit was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film that brought Valdez his "breakthrough into mainstream America"

304-538: Is 67%. The AP participation passing rate is 44%. For the 2018–2019 school year, James Lick High School offered the following AP courses: Student performance on the California High School Exit Exam has improved notably at James Lick High School. Students are prepared via support classes, after-school support and targeted instruction to CAHSEE standards in order to test proficient on the exam as sophomores. In 2011–12, 76% of students taking

342-548: The Chicano Movement , Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community. Valdez was born in Delano, California , to migrant farm worker parents from Mexico, Armeda and Francisco Valdez. The second of 10 children in his family, Valdez began to work the fields at the age of 6. One of his brothers is actor Daniel Valdez . Throughout his childhood, the family moved from harvest to harvest around

380-732: The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles . He resides in San Juan Bautista, CA. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2015. Valdez's first work that brought him attention to larger audiences was the play Zoot Suit which ran in 1978 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and played for forty-six weeks to more than 40,000 people. With Zoot Suit, Valdez became the first Chicano director to have

418-542: The 1970s saw an explosion of Chicano theater. Theater groups sprang up with surprising speed on college campuses and in communities throughout the United States. What began as a farm workers' theater in the migrant camps of Delano flooded into a national Chicano theater movement. In 1967, Valdez established a Chicano cultural center in Del Rey, California . In 1969 he moved both theater and cultural center to Fresno , where they remained for two years. During this time, he made

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456-407: The 2011–12 school year, 458 students participated in a sports program – 273 boys and 185 girls. This reflects the increased number of on-site coaches, improved sports and locker room facilities for girls and the presence of an athletic director keen on improving the professionalism and performance of its athletes and coaches. In the 2013–14 school year, the boys' soccer team wonthe league title for

494-542: The 2011–12 school year, out of 1,416 students, 74% of all students were of Hispanic descent, 7% White, 15% Asian, 2% African American and 1% American Indian. In April 2018, the school proposed cutting its physics science program for the 2018–2019 school year and letting students interested in taking that class look at other high schools. This would prevent graduates from being accepted to University of California colleges that recommend students have three years of core science (physics, chemistry and biology). A petition to reverse

532-467: The CCS level of competition since 2008. Academic Performance Index (API) scores improved from 588 in the 2006–07 school year to 674 in 2011–12 . Today, consistent with James Lick's recovered vision of moving all students forward to success, its ongoing focus is on all learning communities—to meet them where they are and move them toward greater achievement. Crucial to James Lick's rise in recent years are

570-618: The base of the East Foothills of San Jose; orchards and open land surrounded the established residential area. Its reach included homes in the Foothills overlooking the entire breadth of Santa Clara Valley . The land had been part of a proposed site for the city's airport in 1928. The school was named for James Lick (1796–1876), benefactor of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton , 17 miles (27 km) east. It

608-552: The central valleys of California. Due to this peripatetic existence, he attended many different schools before the family finally settled in San Jose, California . Valdez began school in Stratford, California . His interest in theatre began in the first grade. Throughout grammar school, Valdez organized plays at school and put on puppet shows in his garage, which, he recalls, were usually about fairy tales. In high school, Valdez

646-683: The decision was started by members of the Northern California/ Nevada Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers. The emphasis on graduation and moving on to post-high school success has increased, along with the percentage of seniors who graduate. 2012 was the first year since 2004 when over 200 seniors graduated. The number of students meeting A-G requirements hit a new high in 2011–12 with 93 students eligible, 73 of whom applied and were accepted by four-year colleges and universities. While

684-529: The farmworkers, within a year of their founding they began to tour to raise funds for the striking farm workers. While being relocated to Del Rey, California and then Fresno, California from 1967 to 1971, their subject matter had expanded to include aspects of Chicano culture that went beyond the fields: education, the Vietnam War , indigenous roots, and racism. The work of the theater has been considered by critics of Chicano art, such as Holly Barnet-Sanchez, as

722-668: The fire service pathway and graduation, students have the opportunity to: Program Highlights James Lick High School serves working class and predominantly low-income, first and second-generation immigrant families. In 2011–12, 46% of students submitted qualifying applications for the free and reduced lunch program, although the actual percentage of low-income families is much higher. Stigma regarding free and reduced lunch status, as well as concerns regarding "documentation", affect this reported percentage. Between 2006–07 and 2011–12, enrollment grew from 1,055 to 1,416 and student achievement grew from 588 to 674 API points, confirming that just as

760-413: The first time since 1967. Showing immense skill and dedication, the team advanced into the quarter-finals of the CCS championships, defeating Greenfield High School 2–1 in overtime. This run continued until the team finally lost to the #1 seed, Half Moon Bay High School . The boys' and girls' basketball teams were also successful that year, both advancing to CCS. This was the basketball girls first visit to

798-589: The mathematics portion of the CAHSEE passed, a 16% increase from the 2006–07 passing rate of 60%. Among students taking the English portion of the CAHSEE, 74% passed in 2011–12, a 14% increase from the 2006–07 passing rate of 60%. The school's Fire Service Pathway prepares participants for entry-level positions in the fire protective industry such as fire fighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, fire inspector and fire investigator. After successful completion of

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836-581: The neighborhood of James Lick High School still held Santa Clara County's top foreclosure rate out of 226 neighborhoods in 2012. The number of students participating in James Lick High School's athletic programs has grown, along with their success on the field. James Lick offers 14 distinct sports: cross country, American football, boys' and girls' volleyball, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, wrestling, softball, baseball, badminton, track and field, swimming and diving. In

874-416: The percentage of seniors graduating from James Lick High School has increased, the one- and four-year dropout rates for students must be acknowledged. Since the 2007–08 school year, ever-fewer students have dropped out. In 2009–10, the one-year dropout rate was 3.3% and the four-year rate was 16.4%. Credit recovery programs, scheduling supports and summer programs allow students to earn additional credits during

912-401: The play La Carpa through Europe, sponsored by the U.S. State Department . Luis Valdez Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and playwriting , Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit , his movie La Bamba , and his creation of El Teatro Campesino . A pioneer in

950-598: The short film I Am Joaquin based on the legendary poem by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzáles (it was later inducted into the National Film Registry in 2010 and preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017 ). While in Fresno, Valdez taught at Fresno State University and created TENAZ, the national Chicano theater organization, which was composed of many with theatre groups throughout the Southwest. Valdez moved

988-467: The specific steps it has taken, developing a college-going culture, emphasizing graduation and A-G compliance as preparation for post-high school study. A continuing effort has been made to increase both the number of AP classes and the number of students enrolled in upper division courses. According to U.S. News & World Report in 2022, the Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate

1026-595: The spiritual and material liberation of Chicana/os. The poem was later used in the highly successful Mexican American Studies Department Programs at Tucson Unified School District . In 1989, Valdez and officials from the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences and Nosotros formed the Latino Writers Group to improve opportunities and pay for Latino writers in Hollywood. Luis Valdez is

1064-413: The subsequent decades, as orchards were replaced with apartment complexes and single family homes. As the community changed, so did the make-up of its student body. After decades as a recognized leader among comprehensive high schools, it entered a period of decline. In the 1990s, a high rate of turnover developed in the school's population and standardized scores declined precipitously. In 1999, James Lick

1102-399: The theater a final time in 1971, to San Juan Bautista , south of San Francisco. Combined now with the cultural center, it was called El Centro Campesino Cultural, and it became a fully professional production company. In 1973, he published his poem Pensamiento Serpentino , which drew on Mayan and Aztec philosophical concepts and argued that Indigenous ways of knowing were essential to

1140-802: The troupe. After attending San Jose State University and working briefly with the San Francisco Mime Troupe , Luis Valdez met Agustin Lira,a local Chicano with theatrical experience who had already hit upon the idea of using theater as an organizing tool in the fields and was already involved in the United Farmworkers Union in Delano. The troop "was established in 1965 during the Delano grape strike ." Teatro Campesino's early performances drew on varied traditions, such as commedia dell'arte , Spanish religious dramas adapted for teaching Mission Indians, Mexican folk humor,

1178-704: The updated film. C3 Entertainment, acting on behalf of the Valenses and the Big Bopper's daughter-in-law and grandchildren, officially licences both brands. James Lick High School James Lick High School is a public high school in San Jose, California , US, located in the Alum Rock district of East San Jose . The school is part of the East Side Union High School District . James Lick High School opened in 1950 at

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1216-428: Was La Bamba which debuted in 1987. The film, about Ritchie Valens , a popular Chicano 1950s rock and roller , "was an overwhelming box office success" according to BookRags. It was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2017. On August 26, 2024 it was announced Valdez will serve as an executive producer and writer José Rivera is attached to write the script on an updated La Bamba . Although Valdez

1254-502: Was a tool to lift the morale of strikers. Social and political commentary were intertwined within the humor to accomplish the goals of El Teatro Campesino. Original plays of El Teatro were based on the experiences of farm workers, but by 1967 their subject matter expanded to other aspects of Chicano culture; Los Vendidos , for example, discusses various Chicano stereotypes. Although Valdez left El Teatro in 1967, his legacy lived on. Thanks in large part to Valdez and El Teatro Campesino,

1292-468: Was declared "an underperforming school". Many families, concerned about academic quality and issues of school safety, removed their students by way of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation. The surrounding area, during the economic decline of recent years, became a haven for families seeking affordable places to live. Concurrently, many first-time homeowners found themselves in the county's epicenter of foreclosure. Even after some easing of that housing crisis,

1330-406: Was opposed to the updated version initially, he noted new research into Valens' life, such as Corey Long's book Come On Baby, Just Rock, Rock, Rock! The Inspired Life and Enduring Legacy of Ritchie Valens featuring a foreword by Connie Valens, her research, the 2009 interview on Coast to Coast AM by Donna Ludwig, and research by The Big Bopper 's grandchildren, has resulted in the commissioning of

1368-598: Was part of the Speech and Drama department and acted in several plays. He described himself as "a very serious student." Valdez graduated from James Lick High School in San Jose and went on to attend San José State University (SJSU) on a scholarship for math and physics . During his second year of college, he switched his major to English. While in college, Valdez won a playwriting contest with his one-act play The Theft in 1961. Two years later, in 1963, Valdez's first full-length play, The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa,

1406-571: Was produced by the drama department and debuted at SJSU. After graduation, Valdez spent the next few months with The San Francisco Mime Troupe , where he was introduced to agitprop theatre , guerrilla theatre , and Italian commedia dell'arte . These two techniques greatly influenced Valdez's development of the basic structure of Chicano theatre: the one-act presentational acto (act). In 1965, Valdez returned to Delano, where he enlisted in Cesar Chavez 's mission to organize farm workers into

1444-527: Was the first of 11 comprehensive, traditional high schools in the East Side Union High School District, and it quickly became the standard for educational quality in the emerging district. The school built a tradition of excellence in the classroom and on the athletic fields. For many years after its opening, James Lick was viewed as the "jewel" at the base of the foothills. The community surrounding James Lick changed much in

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