ARROYO HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Advanced Placement (AP) 

Advanced Placement (AP), offered through CollegeBoard, provides Arroyo High School students the opportunity to undertake rigorous college-level courses. Arroyo offers the following courses: pre-AP English 1, pre-AP Biology, and pre-AP World History. In addition, Arroyo offers: AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Spanish Literature and Culture, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics 1, AP World History, AP US History, AP Government and Politics, and AP Psychology. 

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) 

AVID is an academic program that focuses on writing as a tool of learning, the inquiry method, collaborative teamwork and reading. AVID students are enrolled in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum as well as an elective AVID class that provides: academic instructional strategies, tutorial support, and motivational activities. 

After School Tutoring 

There is a robust after school tutoring program provided Monday-Thursday in the Library. Students can seek out help from several Prep tutors from local community colleges as well as two core teachers in English and Math. The program averages between 40-50 students each afternoon. Hours of operation are 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. The El Monte Union High School District also pays for tutor.com for students to utilize at home if they need additional support.

Athletics 

Arroyo High School offers a variety of opportunities for students to participate in interscholastic sports. Such opportunities include: football, girls volleyball, cross country, girls tennis, boys tennis, girls basketball, boys basketball, wrestling, girls soccer, boys soccer, softball, baseball, track and field. Students who qualify to be in a sport enroll in the 6th period athletics class and check-in daily with their instructor. Arroyo has honorable mentions since the last visit: Arroyo Football won California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship in 2018; Arroyo  Wrestling won Fargo National Championship, Pan American Games Championship, USA Showcase National Championship, and California State Champion.

Band Program 

The band program at Arroyo High School (AHS) is one of the largest in the district, and it has received many accolades under the leadership of Mr Massaro. The band program is broken down as follows:

Orchestra

The current Orchestra at AHS began in 2011 as Orchestra Club, an after-school program. After a few years, String Orchestra was added to the course catalog offerings and the club became an Instrumental music course offering and performance ensemble. Membership varies from year to year averaging around 30 members. Beginners are welcome as freshmen if no prior Jr. High experience was available. The Orchestra performs at the Winter Concert, District Festivals, Spring Spectacular and Graduation Ceremony. Students are trained in class and after-school in performance art on violin, viola cello, string bass and piano. For the Winter and Spring Concerts selected wind players are added to the String Orchestra to create the Arroyo Symphony Orchestra. 

Concert Band

Our Senior Band level 1 course is composed of Intermediate level performers on woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. Auditions for Senior Band occur every spring for the upcoming fall season. Students who do not make the cut-off for the Wind Ensemble are placed in Concert Band. Membership ranges from 40-80 students depending on the year. In the fall they combine with Wind Ensemble to form the Arroyo Knights Band & Colorguard marching and entertainment corps. In the winter and spring, Concert Band performs alone at the Winter Concert, District and Regional Music Festivals and Spring Spectacular. 

Wind Ensemble

Our Senior Band level 2 course is composed of the most advanced performers on woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. This elite group of musicians is placed by audition in the spring for the upcoming fall semester. Membership is limited to 50 musicians for touring and traveling purposes. In addition to participating in concerts and festivals, the Wind Ensemble gets to do a spring tour. Previous tours have included such prestigious stages as The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Carnegie Hall in NYC, Chicago Symphony Hall, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa and other cities such as Orlando, Seattle, San Diego and San Francisco. 

Percussion Ensemble

Our Senior Band level 3 course is composed of all Percussion students in the Instrumental program from beginning to advanced level. During the fall semester they perform as the battery marching drumline and Front Ensemble grounded units for our Marching Band. After marching season, the Senior Band students are split between Concert Band and Wind Ensemble to provide percussion section support for those indoor stage ensembles. The Percussion Ensemble also competes separately in the SCPA circuit as an Indoor Drumline from February through April. Currently Arroyo holds the Gold medal in the PSA Division for the SCPA circuit. Membership averages 20-30 members annually. 

Dance Prop/Production

Also known as the Colorguard, this team of students performs on the field and street with the Marching Band in the fall and then competes separately in the Winter and Spring as an Indoor Winterguard. Arroyo currently has a Varsity and Junior Varsity Winterguard competing in the WGASC and WGI circuits from February through April. Students are taught Dance and movement curriculum combined with the traditional Color Guard equipment usage on Tall Flag, Swing Flag, Rifle and Sabre. Membership ranges annually from 20-50 students in the Colorguard. 

Marching/Symphonic Band

This group is composed of all 3 levels of Senior Band combined together. In the fall they perform as the Arroyo Knights Marching Band and in the spring they perform as the indoor Symphonic Band at the Winter Concert, Spring Spectacular, and Graduation ceremony. 

Musical Theatre

Selected students from Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble combine to provide the Pit Orchestra for our annual Spring Musical. To bolster interest in auditioning for the acting and singing roles we started a Musical Theatre History course in 2019. It is our goal to grow this program large enough to perform large scale classic Broadway Shows annually in combination with the Drama department.

California Scholarship Federation (CSF)

CSF is a state-wide organization designed to honor students for their outstanding academic achievements. Membership is renewed each semester based on grades from the previous semester. Seniors who have been a member for four semesters from sophomore to senior year are recognized at graduation. Their honors include a gold seal on their diploma and recognition of their life-time CSF membership on their transcript. They also will stand out at the graduation ceremonies as they wear a gold cord around their neck and a gold tassel on their mortarboard.  

Career Center

The College & Career Center at Arroyo High School provides students with multiple opportunities to learn and prepare for college and careers beyond high school. Information about applying for college, financial aid, work permits, dual enrollment, a-g requirements and so much more can be found at the center. The center also offers workshops led by college representatives which students can attend to learn more.

Career Technical Education 

Arroyo High School offers several career pathways that enrich students’ education, which include the following CTE Industry Sectors: Arts, Media, and Entertainment; Building and Construction Trades; Business and Finance; Engineering and Architecture; and Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation. Specifically, Arroyo offers students courses in: business, cabinetry, food science,  engineering, graphic design, and theater.  Arroyo’s award winning Food Science program provides a strong curriculum focused on the science of food and nutrition. Topics covered include food safety and sanitation, culinary technology, food preparation and dietary analysis to develop a healthy lifestyle. Exploration of plant-based diet to support nutrient dense meals to support a flexitarian approach to meal planning.

Choir

Arroyo High School has been recognized as an Exemplary Arts Education Program by the California State Department of Education. The Arroyo High School Choral Music Program provides standards-based choral music education that focuses on development of vocal technique and music literacy. Novice choral students are accepted into Treble Choir and Glee Chorus. Many of these students then continue in the program as members of the intermediate A Cappella Choir. Our most advanced ensemble is Chamber Singers. All choir classes are A-G approved for college prep credit. Arroyo Choirs consistently earn Excellent and Superior ratings at local and regional choral festivals, including sight reading festivals. Choral literature is selected with a focus on diverse composers, and also to be representative of the many diverse languages spoken by Arroyo families. Choir students study the historical context and cultural significance of the choral literature they perform. Choir also provides students with unique opportunities for social and emotional learning, including anxiety management. Our choir teacher, Ms. Jennifer Stanley, recently certified as a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in Vocal Music, Early Adolescence/Young Adult.

Comprehensive Student Support Coordinator

The CSSC at Arroyo works with a caseload of students to provide dropout prevention support. The caseload is determined by a process of early intervention with a team of staff members who identify students who most need intensive support using various indicators which include grades, attendance, and behavior.

Drama

Students can participate in theater in two different ways: through performance/directing or production/design. Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors who have never taken theater can take the introductory course. Sophomores & Juniors with technical experience (i.e. woodshop, engineering, etc.) or with a career goal in stage or film may be admitted directly into Intermediate stage technology. Students who have taken intro to theater or who have passed an audition screening may be allowed into the intermediate professional theater class since this class requires after-school performances throughout the year.

Journalism

During the 2020-2021 school year, the curriculum for Yearbook was completely rewritten and submitted for a-g approval. Approval was granted in June 2021. During the 2021-2022 school year, the curriculum for Journalism 2,3,4 was broken into two completely new courses, Intermediate Journalism P and Advanced Journalism P. Both courses were submitted for a-g approval. Approval was granted in June 2022. Students produce the yearbook, the Shield, and the online school newspaper, the Knights Banner, available at www.knightsbanner.com.

Key Club

Key Club is an international student-led organization dedicated to serving the community, developing leadership skills, building character, and caring for others.

The objects of the Key Club shall be:

• To develop initiative and leadership.
• To provide the experience in living and working together.
• To serve the school and community.
• To cooperate with the school principal.
• To prepare for useful citizenship.