The story of Minarets High School began over twenty years ago with board members and the superintendent in the late 1990s who met to discuss the integration of the Minarets and Chawanakee School Districts. Today, the Chawanakee Unified School District (CUSD) is the offspring of these two.
Minarets High School was named after the Minarets Mountain Range, a nearby range in the Sierra Nevadas. This mountain range can be seen from the Sierra Scenic Byway. The name is fitting because CUSD extends all the way to the Minarets range. At the base is the Devil’s Postpile National Monument, which the National Park Service calls “one of the finest examples of columnar basalt...tower[s] 60 feet high and display[s] an unusual symmetry.” Other high sierra stations bear the name “Minarets” as well.
Fun Fact: The Minarets mountain range was initially given this name because of their resemblances to the towers atop or adjoining to Islamic mosques. These towers are used to announce prayer time for Muslims. Minarets can also come in a variety styles such as a spiral shape or pencil like.
Principal Daniel Ching recognizes that “the name represents our district's geographical and historical connections with the Sierras.” The name for the high school was not chosen at random, but with purpose so that Minarets High School may have a closer connection with the mountain community.
