Balboa High School (San Francisco)

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Balboa High School, also colloquially known as Bal, is an American public high school located near the Excelsior District in the Mission Terrace neighborhood of San Francisco, California.[1] Balboa serves grades 9-12 as part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

As a comprehensive school in a working class district of San Francisco, Balboa has historically served a higher number of diverse and disadvantaged youth compared to other high schools in the SFUSD. Balboa's history is marked by periods of tumult, low academic performance, and controversy often reflective of the conditions in the neighborhoods it serves. Yet in the last decade, Balboa has experienced a steady renaissance marked by academic innovation, a progressively nurturing environment, improvements in college admissions, and surprising but well earned gains in community reputation. [2]

Balboa High School (San Francisco)

image:balboa-hs_buccaneers.gif

Motto First on the Pacific.
Established 1928
School type Public
Campus Urban
Principal Patricia J. Gray
Location 1000 Cayuga Avenue
San Francisco, California, United States
Faculty 63
Enrollment 1,035
Sports teams Buccaneers
Website Balboa High School Online

Contents

[edit] History

Balboa High School
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Balboa High School

Founded in 1928, construction on the campus which would form Balboa High School was completed in 1931.

In 1986, Balboa High School converted its metal shop into the first school-based health clinic in California: the Balboa Teen Health Center. This effort was part of the State Office of Family Planning created by then state governor, Jerry Brown, in 1976. It was run then by Ira Oakun, Director of the San Francisco Family Services Agency. [3]

In 1996, frustrated by high turnover and low performance on the part of the educational staff, the SFUSD dismissed the entire faculty in a last-ditch effort to turn the school around. [4] This dramatic event was to mark the start of an academic resurgence at Balboa. During the 1999-2000 academic year, Balboa shifted its entire academic program to the concept of small learning communities (SLC). These communities would form a "school-within-a-school" in an effort to turn around past poor academic performance. To support the formation of SLCs, Balboa was the recipient of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2004 and 2005 through the Every Child Can Learn Foundation [2] as part of the foundation's Secondary Redesign Initiative. [5]

In addition, Balboa was the recipient of charitable funding from the theatrical producer, Carole Shorenstein Hays, through the SFUSD to help refurbish the school theater. [6]

[edit] Campus

gymnasium arcade
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gymnasium arcade

[edit] Location

At the intersection of Cayuga and Onondaga avenues in the Mission Terrace neighborhood, the school campus is located a few blocks away from major thoroughfares in the Excelsior District including Mission Street, Geneva Avenue, Alemany Boulevard, and Ocean Avenue. The campus is close to Balboa Park, the Balboa Park BART / Muni station, and Interstate 280. San Franciso MUNI transit lines J, K, M, 14, 14L, 14X, 15, 26, 29, 43, 49, and 54 provide nearby service to the school.

The Balboa High School campus is part of a larger SFUSD academic complex which includes neighboring James Denman Middle School, the San Miguel Child Development Center, and Leadership Charter High School. Balboa is also near to City College of San Francisco, the private Lick-Wilmerding High School, and Catholic Archbishop Riordan High School.

[edit] Landmark

As historical landmark #205 within the city of San Francisco [7], Balboa is considered one of the better architected and visually engaging schools within the SFUSD. [8] San Francisco architect John Reid Jr. designed the first campus buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style with a prominent center courtyard, mission style roof tiles, and arcades. Other architectural firms built two other parts of the campus.

[edit] Facilities

A campus modernization project was completed in 1998 by the architectural firm, Deems Lewis McKinley [9], which included the removal of the red-tile roof for seismic safety. A piece of tile can still be found in Balboa's hall of history in commemoration of this event and as a momento of the past.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] 2005-2006
  • 1,035 students:
Asian Hispanic Filipino African American White Pacific Islander no response American Indian
38.3% 19.7% 18.2% 14.2% 4.6% 3.2% 1.1% 0.8%
  • 63 certified staff; M/F (52.4/47.6):
White no response Asian Hispanic Filipino African American American Indian Pacific Islander
39.7% 17.5% 12.7% 11.1% 9.5% 7.9% 1.6% 0%

Source: California Department of Education [10]

[edit] Curriculum

library building
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library building

Balboa participates in the SFUSD's admissions lottery in which students from the entire city can indicate a preference to attend any of the district schools regardless of geographical location. Based on this preference and certain socioeconomic factors, students are then assigned to schools per district policies and goals.

[edit] Small learning communities

Academic instruction at Balboa High School is centered around the concept of small learning communities or SLCs. These SLCs consist of a group coring of classes with each of their teachers working together to integrate lessons connecting in their core classes (English, the sciences, and history). The curriculum of each SLC is designed to encourage indivdualized learning. [11] In their first two years, communities of approximately 60-120 students in each academy experienced focused core literary and mathematics instruction, with emphasis on community citizenship, and an exploration of career paths. The same set of students would also be present in each of the classes, fostering a learning community between both students and teachers. Some teachers in each community will also follow their ninth grade students into the tenth grade.

Academies or pathways are chosen by students at the end of their sophomore year for their junior and senior years with the goal of preparation for a career and/or college, the exception being the Action and International Pathway academies, which are either for the sophomore year or for all four years, respectively. [12]

  • 10th Grade E/F: Engages students in their academic future, preparing them to make decisions about the direction of their future high school career. Explores core subjects in more specificity; including ethnic literature, biology, and modern world history. Students augment their social and academic skills through exercises which include the development of a portfolio in addition to the writing of papers, projects, and a research presentation. [13]
  • Action
  • Communication Arts (CAST)
  • Information and Technology (AoIT)

  • Law: The Law Academy seeks to prepare 11th and 12th grade students for college and career with a focus on justice. By encouraging students to challenge and reflect upon their coursework in American literature, US History, and Pre-Law; students develop an awareness of community and interdependence while gaining an enabling vision of their future. On a practical level students will develop a resume, increase their communication skills (conflict resolution and interviewing), and practice for the SAT. Students will build analytical and problem solving skills by identifying a need or issue within a community and addressing it. [15]

[edit] Courses (2006-2007)

[edit] Advanced Placement

Balboa currently offers eight AP classes in addition to various honors classes for students wishing to learn at an accelerated pace.

[edit] Electives

The following is a list of notable electives provided at Balboa High School.

  • Animation
  • Pre-Law
  • Media Literacy and Production

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Athletics

The following athletic programs are provided at Balboa:

[edit] Organizations

The following is a complete list of organizations and clubs at Balboa High School.

[edit] Army JROTC
Balboa JROTC insignia

Balboa has six companies (classes) with five of them meeting each day, five days a week. Balboa also has a before and after school class from 7 am to 8 am and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, respectively everyday. The Balboa Battalion's special teams and drill teams practice before and after school. Balboa has several award-winning teams that have consistently placed in city-wide competitions in the San Francisco JROTC Brigade. Among these are the Girls' Drill Team, Boys' Flag Team, Color Guard, Drill Platoon, Squad Drill Team and Drum Corps. Balboa also constantly participates in physical activity challenges in its Raiders Team, individual drill-down competitions, guidon flag drill and other drilling and marching exhibitions. Balboa's special teams also participate and perform in many parades where it is also well-known and award-winning such as the annual San Francisco Veterans' Day Parade and the Excelsior District Festival.

The Balboa Battalion and its cadet corps of approximately 225 cadets volunteer extensively in different service learning projects and community service projects coordinated by the battalion staff of student officers and the army instructors. The battalion donates canned food items and toys to annual holiday food and toy drives where it has gained notoriety among the Student Association for amassing large amounts of food for the drive; because of this, the Balboa Battalion sponsors and puts together the food drive each year at Balboa. Balboa's JROTC also participates in the city-wide beach clean up annually, as well as cleaning up the school campus on a regular basis several times a month. The Balboa Battalion is also a familiar face in each Earth Day event at Balboa, where cadets volunteer and clean the school. The JROTC program participates in service learning programs such as training in the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team to respond to any emergency event that may happen within the city or the school to keep fellow cadets and students alike of Balboa High School safe.

[edit] Mock Trial
2005-2006 City and County Champion Mock Trial Team
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2005-2006 City and County Champion Mock Trial Team

The Balboa High School Mock Trial team is sponsored by Artnelson Concordia, a Law Academy teacher, and the Heller Ehrman law firm.[18] The team practices from September to February in preparation for City and County of San Francisco competitions held for two weeks in February. The champions in this competition move on to the state competition in March. The state champion will then move on to the national competition in May, representing the state of California.

In 2005, the Balboa Mock Trial team was unable to move from the first round to the semi-finals. However in 2006, it was crowned the champion of the City and County of San Francisco. Despite a 0-2 record in the first rounds, technicalities allowed Balboa to move on to semi-finals. It was then that the Balboa team defeated The School of the Arts after losing to SOTA in the first round. The team then went on to defeat Mission High School in the finals. As the winning team for the City and County of San Francisco, Balboa went on to represent San Francisco at the state competitions in Riverside, California. In commemoration of this achievement, San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval awarded the Balboa Mock Trial team the title of "District 11 Local Heroes." [citation needed]

[edit] United Playaz
United Playaz

United Playaz is an anti-violence and gang prevention program which seeks to stop the seeds of school violence through collaborative meetings and activities. The program was started in 1994 by former Balboa student turned gang prevention counselor, Rudy Corpuz, as a response to racially motivated gang violence between Balboa students. The group is best known for fostering meetings and discussions between formerly adversarial stakeholders including the school administration, community, and various student factions. These efforts were credited with turning the security situation at Balboa around by 1997. [19]The "Playaz" have also hosted sports programs, talent shows, and field trips in an effort to not only target and dissuade at risk youth from gangs but to provide ways for students to openly discuss and express opinions on issues and tensions which unchecked lead to violence. [20] United Playaz was the subject of an episode on television news magazine California Connected in June 2003. [21]

The United Playaz also work in coordination with the ROOTS program, a program for students whose parents or family members are incarcerated; they focus on interdependence with their peers including the "Playaz."

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Alumni

[edit] Staff

[edit] See also

San Francisco County high schools

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mission Terrace, San Francisco real estate guide - trulia.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  2. ^ a b Knight, Heather (2004). Reluctant Balboa students now are boosters for their school / A less-favored S.F. high school suits them just fine. March 12, 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  3. ^ Linking health and schools. March 23, 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle (2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  4. ^ Yeung, Bernice (2000). Hard Lessons. Oct 11, 2000 - SF Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  5. ^ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation : High Schools - Grant (2005). Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  6. ^ Winn, Steven (2004). Second Acts / San Francisco's Carole Shorenstein Hays has built a career on Broadway by taking calculated risks. October 31, 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  7. ^ San Francisco Landmark 205: Balboa High School. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  8. ^ Whiting, Sam (2004). Golden Oldies / When form equaled function: high school architecture from its prime. August 15, 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  9. ^ Deems Lewis McKinley - Balboa High School. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  10. ^ California Department of Education - DataQuest report 2005-2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  11. ^ Scharfenberg, David (2001). A peek at small schools across the bay. Dec 20, 2001 - Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  12. ^ Redesigning Secondary Education (Grades 6-12) in San Francisco (PDF). SFUSD. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  13. ^ Lifelong Learners Academy. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  14. ^ International Pathway. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  15. ^ Law Academy. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  16. ^ Snell, Marilyn Berlin (2003). "Life Study: How Nature Nurtures Students at an Inner-City High School". Sierra Magazine, Nov-Dec 2003 88 (6).
  17. ^ WALC. SFUSD (2000). Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  18. ^ Balboa and Mission High Schools Compete in Mock Trial: BASF Members Coach Teams. 03-06-2006 The Recorder. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  19. ^ Martin, Glen (1997). A Jump Off the Streets / S.F.'s United Playaz gives teens a ticket to a life without gangs. May 12, 1997 - San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  20. ^ Chow, May (2004). Fighting Violence with Good Vibes. Apr 16, 2004 - Asian Week. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  21. ^ Blum, Steven (2003). United Playaz. June 19, 2003 - California Connected. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  22. ^ Jenkins, Todd S. (2005). San Francisco trumpeter and educator. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  23. ^ Holbrook, Stett (2004). Aloha, Spam and kalua pig. October 13, 2004 - San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  24. ^ Mcnally, Dennis (2002). A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. Broadway, 15. ISBN 0-76791-185-7.
  25. ^ Obituary - Josephine E. Cole passes away (PDF). May 15-21, 2006 - City Currents (2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
  26. ^ Josephine Cole -- First African American High School Teacher -- Balboa High School. Bancroft Library. February 28, 1948 - San Francisco News-Call Bulletin. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.

[edit] External links

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