Head-Royce School
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| Head-Royce School | |
 |
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| Scholarship, Diversity, Citizenship | |
| Established | 1887 |
| School type | Private |
| Head of School | Paul D. Chapman |
| Location | Oakland, California, United States |
| Campus | 14 acres |
| Enrollment | 750 |
| Faculty | 95 |
| Average class size | 14 |
| Student:teacher ratio |
9:1 |
| Average SAT scores (2006) |
674 |
| Athletics | 11 sports |
| Color(s) | Forest green and Gold |
| Mascot | Tuffy the Jayhawk  |
| Conference | BCL East |
| Homepage | http://www.headroyce.org/ |
The Head-Royce School (HRS or just Head-Royce) is a college-preparatory, K-12 school in Oakland, California.
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[edit] History
The school was founded in 1887 by Anna Head as the Anna Head School for Girls in Berkeley, California. In 1955, the University of California, Berkeley acquired the school's property by writ of eminent domain. The school initially did not accept African American or Jewish children, but began to do so in 1957. The school was relocated to the Oakland Hills, and a new campus was constructed by 1964.
In 1971, the school's Board of Trustees established a separate school for boys, The Royce School, named in honor of philosopher (and Anna Head's brother-in-law), Josiah Royce. In 1979, the schools merged to become a co-educational school, with its current name. It is now a highly respected institution of learning.
[edit] Admissions and Tuition
Evaluation for acceptance depends upon the division to which the applicant wishes to be admitted. The admissions process for the high school is generally composed of testing through a proprietary test or an Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), transcript and relevant history, recommendations, and an interview; in addition, a student evaluation may influence the final decision. Head-Royce claims a selective admissions rate that is competitive with exclusive Ivy League colleges.
Tuition for the 2006-2007 school year (USD):
- Lower School (K-5): $17,475
- Middle School (6-8): $19,855
- Upper School (9-12): $24,255
[edit] Academics and Student Life
Head-Royce students complete a college-preparatory curriculum including mandatory courses in in English, Mathematics, Russian, Chinese and Indian history, American history, European history, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Foreign Language, Fine Arts and Physical education, as well as a rotating group of elective courses in Science, English and History in the senior year. These senior elective courses have covered such topics as Astronomy, Marine Biology, Shakespeare, Japanese Literature, Psychology, the history of Islam, and many others. Some courses specifically prepare students for Advanced Placement exams in the subject. The vast majority of students take at least three AP exams by the end of high school, with many students opting to take eight or more exams.
Additional graduation requirements include completion of a prescribed amount of approved community service activity, and completion of a "senior project" in lieu of final exams at the end of the senior year, involving logging 100 hours toward a specific endeavor of the student's choosing.
Graduating-class sizes are generally 70-90 students. The school boasts a 100% (in some years nearly 100%) matriculation rate to four-year colleges, especially University of California schools and elite private institutions.
The 77 students in the class of 2006 had average SAT scores of 674 Critical Reading, 676 Math and 673 Writing. This class contained 15 National Merit commended students, 17 National Merit semifinalists, 15 finalists and 3 National Merit Scholarship winners.
Middle and Upper school students attend an annual "Fallout" trip near the beginning of the school year. The two-day event brings each class a different outdoors experience, such as sea kayaking or river rafting.
The 8th grade class used to travel to Lake Tahoe for an annual three-day ski trip, though the high school class of 2001 was the last 8th grade class to partake in this tradition.
The school newspaper is the Sibylline Leaves, which publishes monthly. Students who write for the newspaper are enrolled in Expository Writing, a full additional academic course in their schedule.
School vacations include a week in February formerly (still colloquially) known as Ski Week, as well as a week of spring vacation. Seniors get a week off classes in the fall to visit colleges. First semester finals are held in mid-december, but first semester classes continue (post-exams) for two weeks in January before second semester classes begin.
Upper School students enjoy an open campus, allowing them to leave during free periods or lunch.
[edit] Campus
The Head-Royce campus has been built in a ravine adjacent to Lincoln avenue in Oakland, CA. The current campus (as of 2006) consists of three distinct areas, coinciding with the three "divisions".
The lowest part of the ravine houses the "lower school" which has two buildings: the "rotunda" which contains the main lower school office as well as the kindergarten and first grade classrooms, and the "lower school building" which contains the classrooms for 2nd through 5th grade, as well as the after school program, lower school library, and computer lab. The lower school is also home to a large play structure (referred to as the "big toy") and basketball courts.
In the middle of the campus lies the high school (also referred to as the "upper school") which inhabits one large building. The main gathering area for the current high school is a large patio which overlooks the swimming pool, just below the entrance for the school and the administrative offices. The main floor of the building houses classrooms, including three science labs (biology and chemistry), teacher workrooms, the library, as well as the Mary E. Wilson Auditorium (commonly referred to as "MEW") which hosts weekly "morning meetings", assemblies, performances, and special events. The main level also contains a kitchen which serves as a cafe for breakfast and lunch, staffed by a professional chef, and a lounge room which serves as a lunchroom for faculty as well as a meeting room. Also on this level, but separated from the other classrooms by the MEW, are the fine arts studios which include a darkroom for photography, a computer lab for digital imaging and video production, a ceramics studio, and on the upper level, drawing and painting studios and an art gallery. The lower level houses more classrooms and workrooms, as well as the current vocal music room (for the different vocal ensembles and the glee club).
Between the upper school and the middle school lies the world languages patio which is surrounded on three sides by a u-shaped, one-level building which houses many classrooms dedicated to middle and upper school world language classes (in Latin, French, and Spanish). This building also houses the school's business office, the world language workroom, two computer labs (one designed for use by language classes), and on the lower level, two physics labs and a science workroom.
The middle school building is the most recent addition to the school, along with the pavilion. The classrooms are adjacent to the gym, and include five sixth grade "homeroom" classrooms on the lower floor (sixth grade is designed as a transition year, with each student having a designated main teacher as in elementary school), and classrooms, including science labs, on the upper floor. Surrounding this building is an amphitheater, which is not used for performances but as a gathering place, and an outdoor basketball court. Because of the middle school's position near the athletic field, basketball courts, and the gym, students in this division use these facilities for recreational play during lunch periods.
[edit] Master Plan
The Master Plan is a multi-decade strategic initiative designed to create new usable space and renovate existing facilities; better utilize technology as applicable to education; increasing the school's endowment; and improve the school's interaction with the surrounding community as a whole. The most noticeable changes will include a new "World Languages Building", new library, new courtyard, and a new multi-story Upper School building to complement the to-be-converted Middle School building, currently the newest facility on the campus. Phase I began in June 2006.
[edit] Athletics
Head-Royce's mascot is Tuffy the Jayhawk. The high school competes as a member of the Bay Counties League - East (BCL East). The middle school competes as a member of the Bay Area Interscholastic Athletic League (BAIAL). Its rival is The College Preparatory School, commonly known as 'CPS'.
Athletic facilities on campus include the Paul Chapman Pavilion (commonly referred to as "the gym") for basketball and volleyball, three tennis courts (each named), and the Farley Field with the Jesse Becherer Diamond for soccer, baseball, softball, and lacrosse. A new drainage system was installed underneath the field in the winter of 2005-2006 to prevent mud patches which had become a problem. The school has also installed a running path on a hill above the field which can be used for recreational running. A swimming pool is on campus for lower school swim lessons, PE classes, and the swim team, but it is not of regulation size and therefore does not host many meets. The golf team plays at Lake Chabot Golf Course, which is near the school. No plans to improve the athletic facilities have so far been revealed in the master plan.
In the 2005–2006 school year, the middle school varsity boys teams went undefeated and won the championship in all three of their sports (soccer, basketball, and baseball). This is the first time in league history that the same school has won all three championships and gone undefeated in the three sports.
The high school men's varsity basketball team and women's varsity soccer team have won the BCL championship six years in a row. In the 2006 season, the women's varsity volleyball team won the BCL championship.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Fall
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[edit] Winter
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[edit] Spring |
| Bay Counties League - East Athenian • Head-Royce • College Prep • Chinese Christian Bentley • Oakland Military Institute • CSD-Fremont Contra Costa Christian • University Prep • Emery |
[edit] Notable alumni
- Adam Duritz - singer of Counting Crows
- Helen Wills Moody - tennis champion
- Daniel Wu - Hong Kong film actor
- Steven J. Law - Deputy Secretary of Labor
