Homestead High School (Cupertino, California)

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Official name Homestead High School
Established 1962
Principal Graham Clark
Website http://hhs.fuhsd.org/
Enrollment 2226
Mascot Mustangs
Rival Fremont High School
School colors Green, Gold and white
School yearbook Pegasus
School newspaper The Epitaph

Homestead High School serves western Cupertino, western Sunnyvale, and portions of southern Los Altos, in Santa Clara County, California. It belongs to the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD).

Homestead High School is a nationally recognized four-year comprehensive high school situated in the heart of Silicon Valley. Homestead opened in 1962 and is located on the northwest boundary of Cupertino, California. The school was reaccredited in 1995 and in 2007 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and has an enrollment of 2,226 students for the 2006-2007 school year, ranging from grades nine through twelve.[1] In 2003 the California Department of Education recognized Homestead as a California Distinguished School, and in 2004, the Federal Department of Education recognized Homestead as a Blue Ribbon School. [2]

Contents

[edit] History

Historically, Homestead High School has played an important role in the development of Silicon Valley. During the late 1960s and 1970s, the school was a haven for students interested in electronics and the emerging computer age. According to author Michael S. Malone, the school’s electronics class was “as important to the computer age as Fred Terman’s electronics class had been for Bill Hewlett and David Packard three decades before.” [3] During this period, the electronics teacher, John McCollum, created a hands-on classroom in which students like Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs, co-founders of Apple Computer, learned while designing, building, repairing, and understanding a range of equipment. [4] Today, would-be engineers, mathematicians, and entrepreneurs find support through the school's successful programs in robotics, mathematics, and science, and through its numerous business courses and Future Business Leaders of America Chapter, discussed below.

[edit] Academics

Homestead High School offers an extensive curriculum, including preparatory courses, vocational training, and general education. The school also has a variety of special programs to meet the needs of exceptional students. Open-access Advanced Placement (AP) classes are offered in the following subjects: US History, English, Physics, Calculus, Art, Government/Economics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, Spanish, French, Japanese, Music Theory, Chinese, and others. Several programs promote positive learning for all students, including AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and inclusion classes to support the needs of English Language Learners and Special Education students. The school also offers a Peer Tutorial program and a program called EXCEL to serve the needs of students trying to pass the California High School Exit Exam and finish graduation requirements. The school introduced a block schedule in the 2003 school year that includes a 30-minute tutorial period four days a week.[5]

Homestead High School building.
Homestead High School building.

Academically, Homestead ranks in the top 10 high schools in Santa Clara County with a 2005 CAT/6 ranking in the 80th percentile for Mathematics, 69th percentile for Science, and 67th percentile for Reading and Language. In an article titled "The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools," Newsweek Magazine ranked Homestead High School number 334. This ranking was based on the number of Advanced Placement tests taken by all students at the school in 2004, divided by the number of graduating seniors. [6]

Based on the mean standardized test scores of its student body, Homestead ranks third in the Fremont Union High School District, below top-ranked Monta Vista High School and second-ranked Lynbrook High School. Despite this third-place ranking, Homestead has been extremely successful at placing its students in state and national competitions, and in the areas of science, math, and business, Homestead students have regularly placed among the top schools in the United States, as described more fully in the following section.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

Homestead High School provides a broad co-curricular program. Students actively lead and particiate in a wide variety of organizations, clubs and teams. [7] Several have received national distinction and are described briefly in this section.

Future Business Leaders of America Chapter

Homestead High School is nationally renowned for its chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). The chapter has won its state's sweepstakes award for the past eight years in a row, which is a state record. Furthermore, using California's sweepstakes point system (10 points for first place, 9 points for second place, down to 1 point for tenth place), Homestead FBLA would have won the sweepstakes at the 2006 National Leadership Conference (NLC). Other Fremont Union High School District schools have successful FBLA programs including Lynbrook High School and Monta Vista High School. See the district's press release [8]. Homestead's FBLA Chapter maintains its own website: [9].

The School Newspaper

Homestead's award-winning student newspaper, The Epitaph, has won eight Gold Crowns over the past several decades from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). The Gold Crown is the most prestigious high-school journalism award. The Epitaph also unveiled its new website in the fall of 2006: [10].

The School Yearbook

Homestead's yearbook, Pegasus, has been its most award-winning publication of recent years, capturing two Pacemakers from the National Scholastic Press Association in 2002 and 2005. The Pacemaker is awarded to the 20 best yearbooks in the country, often out of more than a thousand contenders. The yearbook was also an NSPA Pacemaker Finalist in 2000 and 2001. In 2006, the CSPA awarded the Pegasus a Silver Crown. The yearbook has also won myriad other awards, ranging from CSPA Gold Circles (awarded for individual stories, concepts, designs, and photography) to various Best in Show awards.

The Mathematics Competitions Team

Homestead's Mathematics Competitions Team is one of the best high-school math teams in the country. Over the years, students from the mathematics team have regularly qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). The team took fourth place nationally in the Mu Alpha Theta National Log 1 Contest Mathematics Contest in 2005 and in 2006. Additionally, from 2003 through 2006, Homestead's math team placed among the top 10 teams nationally in the Ciphering Time Trials, a contest sponsored by National Assessment & Testing. During this period, Homestead's team also placed among the top 20 teams in several other contests sponsored by National Assessment & Testing, including the Team Scramble, the Four-by-Four, and the Collaborative Problem Solving Contests. [11] In 2002, the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competition (AMC) awarded the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Excellence in Teaching to Homestead teacher and team faculty advisor Steve Headley. [12]

The FIRST Robotics Team

Homestead has a robotics team that competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The team is relatively young, having been created by students in 2001. The team number is 670. Like the mathematics competitions team, the robotics team is also advised by teacher Steve Headley. Alumnus Stephen Wozniak has served as a key supporter of the team over the years. Homestead offers a robotics class that serves as a recruiting ground for students interested in joining the team. [13] The team has a website detailing its history, mission, news, and ongoing activities. [14]

The Science Bowl Team

Homestead has a team competing in the Science Bowl, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Over the years, Homestead students have won awards at the National Chemistry Olympiad and the National Science Bowl. Teacher Gareth Wong initially organized and advised the team, and in 2002 the American Chemical Society recognized his work with a High School Teacher Award for the Western Region. [15] The team is currently advised by chemistry teacher Chris Nafrada. On February 10, 2007, Homestead's team won the regional competition at Stanford Linear Accelerator on the Stanford University campus. [16]

Trigenesis

Trigenesis is a math, science, and philosophy club. The club provides peer support for students interested in participating in the county science fair or other science and technology competitions. Over the years, club members have won awards at the Synopsis Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship, the California State Science Fair [17] and the Siemens Westinghouse Competition.

The Theater Department

Homestead has an active theater department that presents multiple plays per year. Homestead also sends a contingent to the annual California Thespian Festival. In the spring of 2006, Homestead students took first and second place at the International Thespian Festival, where more than 2,000 students competed for awards. See local news article: [18].

The Marching Band

Homestead's music program is also highly respected. In 2004, the band placed third in the field show competition at the Golden State Tournament. [19]In 2005, the Mighty Mustang Marching band tied for 6th place at the Western Band Association State Championships, and its wind ensemble consistently ranks superior in competitions. The tuba section has a particularly strong sense of identity and maintains its own website: [20]

The KFC: Komedy & Film Club

The KFC: Komedy & Film Club represents Homestead at the annual District-wide Student Film Festival, hosted by the KFC and at Homestead. Last year at the First Annual Homestead High School Student Film Festival, members of the KFC took third place overall. [21]

[edit] Campus

Homestead High School's swimming pool.
Homestead High School's swimming pool.

Homestead High School is sandwiched between Homestead Road (to the north) and Interstate 280 (to the south). A football field, synthetic track (laid down in 2002), and a baseball field occupy the southern half of the school's campus. The other half, facing Homestead Road, consists of several school buildings. The campus is a combination indoor/outdoor, in that the majority of the buildings have an inner corridor, with outdoor corridors connecting the buildings. The initial design of the school was done by former prison designers, which gives the school it's unique asthetics. Green-colored hoofmarks decorate Homestead High School's sidewalks and walkways, which are from the school's official mascot and color. The front walls of the school are decorated with murals of similar theme, including a large, newly painted mural of a Mustang Horse.

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni at Homestead High School include:

[edit] Athletics

Homestead has teams in the following sports:

[edit] District Links

[edit] External links

[edit] References

    1. "About Homestead High School." Homestead High School Website (2005). Http://www.hhs.fuhsd.org/info/about/. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    2. "No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program." U.S. Department of Education Website (2004). Http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2004/index.html. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    3. Michael S. Malone, excerpt from Infinite Loop: How Apple, the World's Most Insanely Great Conputer Company, Went Insane, (1999), n.p. Http://www.cnn.com/books/beginnings/9904/infinite.loop/index.html. Retrieved January 13, 2007.

    4. Auri Rahimzadeh, "The Woz Interview!" Http://www.woz.org/pages/wozscape/pgsinterview.html. Retrieved January 13, 2007.

    5. Fremont Union High School District, "Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card, 2005-2006" (2006)Http://www.fuhsd.org/SARC/Hexsum06.htm. Retrieved January 14, 2007.

    6. Newsweek Magazine, "The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools" (2003) Http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/?page=2. Retrieved January 14, 2007.

    7. "Fremont Union High School District Students Lead California FBLA to National Championship." Fremont Union High School District Press Release (2006). Http://www.fuhsd.org/FBLAnat06.pdf. Retrieved January 17, 2007.

    8. Homestead High School FBLA Website. Http://www.hhsfbla.com/beta/index.php. Retrieved January 14, 2007.

    9. Homestead High School Epitaph Website. Http://www.hhsepitaph.org. Retrieved January 14, 2007.

    10. National Assessment & Testing Website. Http://www.natassessment.com. Retrieved January 14, 2007.

    11. The Mathematical Association of America American Mathematics Competitions, "Edith Sliffe Awards - Alumni List - California." (2006) Http://www.unl.edu/amc/f-miscellaneous/f4-sliffe/Alumni/California.shtml#ca. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    12. Erin Hussey, "Dueling Machines Square off in Robot Games." Cupertino Courier (October 25, 2006). Http://www.community-newspapers.com/archives/cupertinocourier/20061025/education1.shtml. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    13. Homestead High School Robotics Team Website. Http://hrt670.com/main.php?speed=high. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    14. "Noteworthies." Los Altos Town Crier (March 29, 2006). Http://www.latc.com/2006/03/29/. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    15. "Last Chance to See Spiderman." Los Altos Town Crier (November 17, 2004). Http://www.latc.com/2004/11/17/schools/schools7.html. Retrieved January 16, 2007.

    16. Homestead High School Tuba Department Website. Http://www.hhstubas.org/index.html. Retrieved January 16, 2006.

    17. Bill Roberts, "First Class to China." Electronic Business Online (2006), n.p. Http://www.eb-asia.com/article.asp?id=6776. Retrieved January 16, 2006. See also Mike Clendenin, "Karaoke Chips Duo Takes Act to China." EE Times (December 5, 2005). Www.chipnuts.com/news/report_030.php. Accessed January 16, 2007.

    18. Ibid.

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