Skyline High School (Oakland, California)

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Skyline High School a public high school in Oakland, California, USA. Amy Hansen, principal for four years, resigned in August 2006 to become the principal of Lowell High School in San Francisco, CA. The school is operated by the Oakland Unified School District, but there is talk that Mrs. Keyshia Green the last year 11th grade vice principal may take the title of principal. Skyline is locally known for its prestigious performing arts and sports departments, nationally known for its notable alumni and known its great faculty and diversity.

1 Background
2 Academics
3 Athletics
4 Performing Arts
5 Famous alumni
6 External links

[edit] Background

Skyline was built in late 1950s. At that time, the student body was made up of the predominantly white residents of the Oakland hills, with the first class graduating in 1962. Since then, however, Skyline's "feeder" schools have been expanded to include schools located in the "flatlands" of Oakland, causing the student body to become more racially diverse. More recently, in a process called "open enrollment," students residing in Oakland have been allowed to choose which school they attend, replacing the old system in which students were put into schools based on their address. As of 2006, Skyline has an attendance of over 2000 students, with 50 percent African-American, 20 percent Asian American, 13 percent non-Hispanic White American, and 17 percent Latino.

[edit] Academics

Skyline students can choose to belong to one of several "academies" including Architecture and Graphic Technology, Computer Science, Education, Health and Bioscience, and Performing Arts.

In addition to many normal and honors courses has many Advanced Placement classes. Current AP subjects include AB Calculus BC, Chemistry, World History, Economics, French, Spanish , English language, English literature, Statistics, Environmental science, US History, and US Government amongst others.

[edit] Athletics

Skyline is a sports powerhouse in the Oakland Athletic League. It currently offers 18 sports programs. Skyline is the defending OAL Champion in bowling, badminton (for the 6th consecutive year), volleyball, baseball, and soccer, among others.

Skyline has been traditionally dominant in other sports as well, most notably in football, where it has appeared in almost every OAL Championship game (Silver Bowl) and won the majority of them, under coach John Beam. Alumni of Skyline football include Georgia Tech standout Gerris Wilkinson, Cal Bear Harrison Smith, Marvel Smith of the Pittsburgh Steeler, and former Steeler Will Blackwell.

9-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton is also a Skyline alumnus. Yet now Skyline's football team has lost their title as the best and struggle to win more than 3 GAMES this series. The volleyball team however and the baseball team are proudly up holding their titles. Volleyball undefeated three years standing and baseball undefeated one year and counting. Basketball, both girls and boys, uphold their titles of losses and average about 3-5 wins a season. Skyline's Cross Country team went undefeated and won OAL during the 2006 season defeating the former OAL Champions, Oakland High, ending their winning streak.

[edit] Performing Arts

The Rawley T. Farnsworth Theater, named after Skyline's long-time drama teacher and located on the northern wing at Skyline, was recently renovated with the help of funding from alumnus Tom Hanks. It boasts a professional, state-of-the-art lighting and sound stage, and can seat approximately 1000 people.

The Oakland Film office lists Skyline as a potential filming location in Oakland. Airline pilots also use Skyline High School as a beacon for the Oakland International Airport.

Skyline, like other Oakland Public Schools, writes and publishes a monthly student newspaper named The Skyline Oracle. It thrives with fabulous writers with bright careers ahead of them.