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American High School
Motto	Diversity and Dedication Enhance Learning and Education.
Established	1972
Type	Public secondary school
Principal	Mr. Mitchell Carter
Faculty	87, (77 fully-credentialed)
Students	2,018 students
Grades	9th to 12th
Location	36300 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, California USA
District	Fremont Unified School District
Accreditation	WASC (through 2008)
Colors	Red, White and Blue
Athletics	Mission Valley Athletic League
Mascot	Eagles
Yearbook	Aerie
Newspaper	Eagle Express
Website	www.fremont.k12.ca.us/ahs/

American High School (AHS) is a public secondary school located in Fremont, California. It is one of five public high schools within the Fremont Unified School District. ^[1] The school receives its students through the American Attendance area boundary set by the district. The school is currently a California Distinguished School, and will hold the recognition until 2009, four years after receiving the title in 2005. The honor is an example of the increasing academic distinction of the school since 2000.

Founded in 1972 as a new model for schools, the school featured an open-air environment which was absent of physical walls separating each of the classrooms. It was not until 1994 that the school received a massive update which installed walls and transformed the building into a state of the art campus. Prior to receiving a large influx of students in 2001, the school was forced to add permanent portables outside of the main structure, and is continued to expand to meet the ever-growing student population. As of the resumption of the 2006-2007, the school principal is Mitchell Carter, who is only in his second year as principal of the school. ^[2]

Contents 1 The Administration 1.1 The Principal 1.2 The Vice Principal 1.3 The Assistant Principals 1.4 The Controversy of 2005 2 The Student Body 2.1 The Growing Student Population 2.2 Diversity in the Student Population 2.3 Additional Statistics 3 The Staff 3.1 Faculty Statistics 3.2 Student to Teacher Ratios 4 Facilities 4.1 The Rotunda 4.2 The Library 4.3 The Three Major Wings 4.4 Sports Facilities & Fields 4.5 Other Features 4.6 Expansion and Construction 4.7 Computer and Internet Access 5 Characteristics 5.1 Academics 5.2 Clubs 5.3 Sports 6 Traditions 6.1 Performing Arts 6.2 School Newspaper 6.3 School Yearbook 6.4 Spirit Week 6.5 Graduation 7 Notable alumni 8 References 9 Additional Information

[edit] The Administration

The Administration of American High School consists of several leadership roles to manage the school and the large student population. The head of the administration is the principal, who is appointed by School Board of Education.

The administration is also made up of a vice principal who is generally responsible for business matters and academic matters at the school. The school also has two assistant principals.

The administration also has several other positions key to the school’s function. The schools features a full team of student services secretaries which generally keep track of the attendance and other more business related issues involving students. The secretaries have been traditionally divided by grade level, usually following one group of students as they enter as freshmen and leave as seniors. However, shortly after the massive overhaul of the district boundaries, the 2004-2005 school year had a large discrepancy in the class sizes, which forced the secretaries to divide up their duties among last names, rather than class level.

[edit] The Principal

The current principal at American is Mitchell Carter. ^[2] Carter was previously employed as an administrator at a Santa Rosa County high school. Following the dismissal of previous principal Connie White in a very controversial decision, the School Board of Education met with parents and community members, and selected Carter as the eventual replacement.

Carter’s first year was the 2005-2006 school year. The year was marred with several problems, and Carter chose to close the Rotunda during lunch to quell the uprising of fights, disruptions and trash which had consumed the campus. Eventually, Carter reopened the Rotunda on a limited basis. The following year, the Rotunda was reopened without restrictions following the removal of walls, which previously held the Library, and more recently, the Student Activity Center.

The general opinion of Carter’s administration has been quite mixed. According to the local newspaper, ’’The Argus’’ of Fremont, the Fremont Police Department has reported an increased level of violence around the school. According to the January 24th story, “Fremont police Sgt. Howard Russell said overall youth violence has escalated the past couple of years, particularly in north Fremont, at or near American High School”. ^[3]

[edit] The Vice Principal

The current vice principal at American is Leanna Sutton. ^[2] Sutton ascended to the position of Vice Principal after the passing of then vice principal, MVAL commissioner and community leader Robert Vares, Jr. Sutton originally served at one of the assistant principals before being promoted to her current position.

The vice principal has generally been a strictly business-type role. The vice principal is generally responsible for all schedule related issues. Because of this, the vice-principal’s office is usually a very busy location at the beginning of the school year. In the 2005-2006 school year, the school was forced to adopt a system by which students were able to receive numbers, instead of being forced to wait in line day after day. Additionally, the vice-principal is in charge of all official test that are administered at the school. This includes the optional Advanced Placement tests, as well as the required standardized tests of California Achievement Test.

The vice principal has always played a very minor role in behavioral issues, as this is left to the assistant principals. However, in recent years, due to the significantly larger student population, Sutton has been serving as the assistant principal for the 12th graders as well.

[edit] The Assistant Principals

The current assistant principals are Katherine Burgardt and Rob Reibenschuh. Burgardt has been with the school since the 2004-2005 school year when she replaced the assistant principal position that was originally vacated by Leanna Sutton, who was moving up to the position of Vice Principal. Reibenschuh has been with the school since the 2005-2006 school year since he arrived to replace the departing assistant principal, David Chamberlain, who sought a principal’s position elsewhere outside of the district.

The assistant principals are primarily responsible for behavioral issues, and have generally split up the population in half, with freshmen and juniors assigned to one assistant principal, and sophomores and seniors to the other. As of recent, due to the heavy load of students, the school has decided to divide up the duties by assigning the seniors, which are generally considered to be less problematic, to the vice principal, and split up the remaining population in the manner of those with last names beginning with A through M going to one assistant principal, and those with last names N-Z assigned to the other.

[edit] The Controversy of 2005

Toward the end of March 2005, word was leaked about the reassignment of then current principal Connie White, a very well respected individual within Fremont and the American High School community. The controversy about the unfavorable decision sparked a three month long battle. Over 250 supporters attended Fremont Unified School District [[Fremont Unified School District#Board Meetings|Board Meetings]. Many parents, local residents, students and teachers spoke up against the decision urging the school board and the district superintendent Dr. John Rieckewald to reverse the decision. Over 50 speeches were made between March and May 2005, and $1,265 was raised through donations to pay for two full page newspaper ads in the local newspaper, The Argus. Students also created "Save Connie White" pins and a now defunct website in her support.

The decision to reassign Connie White was finalized on May 25, 2005. Connie White was reassigned to a teaching position at another high school in the district, Irvington High School. However, White did not stay for very long. She resigned shortly after the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year, choosing to move to North Dakota to care for her parents.

After a final meeting in June to discuss what particular qualities and attributes parents, students and faculty would want in a principal, the school board announced Mitchell Carter as principal for the 2005 - 2006 school year.

The reassignment of White and hiring of Carter resulted in a massive shake-up of the administration and the staff at American. Longtime Assistant Principal David Chamberlain left for a position as principal of a middle school. Newly appointed assistant principal Kathy Burgardt joined Chamberlain's replacement, Rob Ribenshu, in the 2005-2006 school year. Additionally, citing the lack of communication lines and a troubled relationship with the new administration, longtime counselors Debra Miller and Nancy Johnson left at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Several other teachers have also left, and the composition of the staff is starkly different from that of White’s time.

[edit] The Student Body

The American High School Student Body boasts a very large and diverse population that has been growing quite significantly over the last couple of years. An initial changing of boundaries brought in students from Ardenwood Elementary School and Forest Park Elementary School, two of the largest elementary schools in the district, which originally attended Kennedy High School or Irvington High School. The school also dropped Cabrillo Elementary School from its attendance area, leaving it to attend Washington High School instead. This move has resulted in the overwhelming increase of test scores at American since both Ardenwood and Forest Park are two of the best elementary schools in the district, while Cabrillo ranked among the worst. The high school population has also increased significantly since the boundary changes took effect prior to the 2001-2002 school year. The 2006-2007 school year has witnessed more of a leveling off of the population, as it appears that the effects of the boundary changes are mostly complete.

[edit] The Growing Student Population

The size of the student population at the end of the 2005-2006 school year was 2,017 students. ^[4] In previous school years, 2003-2004, 2002-2003, 2001-2002 and 2000-2001 the school’s population has been 1,868, 1,692, 1,586 and 1,449 respectively. ^{[4] [5]} Only six years ago, during the 1999-2000 school year and shortly before the aforementioned boundary changes, the student population at American ranked numbered only 1,235 students however, it has grown by almost eight hundred students, or approximately over ‘’sixty percent’’. ^[6] Additionally, the pattern of enrollment by grade level shows a larger flow of freshmen coming, thus suggesting even more future growth. The final numbers indicate that there were 559 freshmen, 535 sophomores, 504 juniors and 420 seniors. ^[4] According to an article in the Argus, American High School is currently overcapacity in terms of students, along with Washington and Mission San Jose High Schools. ^[7] Additional data relating to demographics will be released sometime during the 2006-2007 school year for the previous school year in the upcoming annual School Accountablity Report Card and Site Plan for Pupil Achievement for American High.

[edit] Diversity in the Student Population

The student population at American High School has grown into a very diverse group. The population is approximately 51% male and 49% female. ^[5] In terms of ethnicity, the largest group at the school is the Asian population. 676 students represent what is the fastest growing portion of the population and represent 33.5% of the student body. ^[8]The second largest group is Whites, which represent 539 students, or 26.7% of the population, followed by Filipinos at 221 students or 11.0%, Latinos at 178 students or 8.8%, African Americans at 142 students or 7.0%, Pacific Islanders at 19 students or 0.9%. 12.0% of the population identifies itself with another race, multiple races or declined to state. ^[8] The large growth in the Asian population is attributed by many to the arrival of students from Ardenwood and Forest Park elementary schools, which both boast a majority Asian population. ^[9][10]

[edit] Additional Statistics

American High School has one of the lower dropout rates in the entire state. Over 4 years, its drop out rate is only 2.2 percent, compared to 4.1 percent in the district, and a staggering 10.3 percent in the county and 12.6 percent in the state overall. ^[8]

The school also numbers a population of 401 students or 19.9 percent who qualify and were receiving Free or Reduced Price Lunches through the CalWORKs program. ^[8]

178 students at the school were identified as special education students. ^[8]

[edit] The Staff

American High School boasts a large and diverse set of faculty. The faculty has expertise in several different areas, and is organized into seven main departments: the English Department, the Math Department, the Science Department, the Social Sciences Department, the Arts Department, the Language Department and the Physical Education Department. In addition, American High School also has 38 other staff positions, with 6 in pupil services, such as counselors and nurses, and 32 classified staff, which include secretaries, library and career specialists, teacher’s aides, custodians and other related positions. ^[8]

[edit] Faculty Statistics

American High School has 87 members of the faculty, of which 77 are fully credentialed, or an 89.4 percent credential rate; this low rate is lower than the rate across the district, the county and the state. ^[4][5] Administrators are working to address the issue, as many of the teachers are fairly young and just completing their credential process. The California Department of Education reported that the faculty comprises 83.6 Full Time Equivalent staff. ^[4]

The faculty at American High has a wide variety of educational backgrounds. One teacher has a doctorate degree, 28 have Master’s Degrees, 56 have bachelor’s degrees and 2 are in the midst of obtain their bachelor’s degrees. ^[5] 98.1% of the classes are taught by NCLB compliant teachers. The average teacher at American makes about $66.686.

[edit] Student to Teacher Ratios

American High has struggled to maintain very low class sizes among all subjects and classes, but the rapidly increasing population, and the limited class space and resources has resulted in a slight increase in class sizes. The class sizes for English and Mathematics has actually stayed about the same, or gone down slightly, as state regulations has mandated smaller class sizes in these critical subjects. However, the class size of social science classes has been forced to add 5 more classes of 33 students or more than in previous years, science classes have had to add 6 more classes of 33 students or more than in previous years. ^[5]

Overall, the student to teacher ratio during the 2005-2006 school year was 24.1 with the average class size at 28.9. ^[11] In 2004-2005, 2003-2004 and 2002-2003 the student to teacher ratio and average class size were 23.4 and 28.2, 23.9 and 28.7, and 23.1 and 27.1 respectively. ^[11] These numbers have been slight higher than the state average, resulting in the Administration to look for more teachers to hire.

Additionally, the rapidly growing student population has not been addressed in terms of counselors. There have been no new counselors added to alleviate the large influx of students. As of the 2005-2006 school year, there were only two full-time counselors to serve all of population of sophomores, juniors and seniors, and only one full-time counselor and one part-time counselor to sever the freshmen population. ^[5]

[edit] Facilities

American High School opened in 1972 as an open space school –classrooms without walls-- with a new idea and a new message; it attracted some of the most innovative teachers all around the area. ^[6] The campus sits on roughly 42.79 acres, and includes approximately 198,455 square feet of building space. ^[5] However, several years of remaining an open air environment, in 1991, the school completed a massive remodeling, and is now a state of the art facility. ^[6]

[edit] The Rotunda

The Rotunda is most probably one of the most unique features of the campus. As seen in the diagram of the campus shown at right, the Rotunda is a center of the campus.

The large Rotunda at the center of the campus has attracted criticism from the school's newly appointed administration in the 2005-2006 school year. It was initially closed for two days due to an excessive trash problem prominent around the school, as means of serving a "warning" and reminder to the students to look after themselves. Up until the 2005-2006 school year, none of the four classes had ever experienced the closing of the Rotunda for such a reason.

While regular Rotunda lunchtime activity resumed shortly after the administration's "warning," the administration again closed the Rotunda in early May due to a fight which resulted in the injury of an assistant principal. Citing overcrowding as the problem, Principal Mitchell Carter closed the Rotunda for approximately one week in May 2006, and eventually restricted access to the Rotunda by alternating allowance between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen throughout the remainder of the year due to continuing outbreaks of fights.

Shortly before the end of the 2005-2006 school year, a new plan was designed for reopening the Rotunda, despite a larger freshman class in the 2006-2007 school year. Initially, the district had plans to remodel and retrofit the Rotunda, including reinforcing the several large pilings holding up the Rotunda's roof. The Administration refined the remodeling plans to include the demolition of the Student Activity Center, which occupied a significant portion of the Rotunda, in hopes of providing more space. This plan resulted in several changes, including a reduction in the number of available lockers, which previously was not been able to sufficiently provide every student with storage space. Other changes included the widening of the infamous "Hell Hall," a large hall filled with lockers, which served as a connection between the 300-wing, and the 500-wing. In addition, the large amount of retrofiting resulted in the replacement of all flooring in the Rotunda. All of the carpet with was purchased by the ASB in 2002 was ripped out and the entire Rotunda was paved with colorful Red, White and Blue tiles.

However, plans to address the lack of locker space as well as inefficient architectural design, which would result in remodeling the area so that offices are relocated to the center of the Rotunda were never initiated, and are set aside as a possibility for a later time.

[edit] The Library

The brand new Library and Media Center complex opened up in February 2001 after years of having the library housed in the Rotunda in the space that originally held the student activity center. ^[6] It is the newest Library and Reference Materials facility in the district. ^[6] The new library building totals a total floor space of approximately 6,760 square feet including the Career Center that is also part of the building. ^[5] The Library is staffed by two staff members, a library media technician, and a library media teacher. ^[12] The library houses a collection of about 14,710 books, and is home to a collection of approximately 40 brand new Dell computers and 2 new servers made possible by an anonymous donation in the 2005-2006 school year. ^{[5] [6]}

[edit] The Three Major Wings

American High School, was originally separated into three main wings under its original design, the 300. The organization of the location of the classes has been organized according to the wings. The 300-wing has traditionally served as the home of English, Social Studies and Foreign Language Departments. The 500-wing has traditionally served as the home of the mathematics and science classes. The last wing, the 700-wing has generally been reserved for the arts, such as music, theater, photography, art, and architecture. There are also two theatres. Theater 50 is similar to a college lecture hall, while Theater 70 serves as the theater for the fall play and spring musical. In addition, there is a 400 wing, which is a series of two computer labs between the 300 and 500 wings. Between the 500 wing and the 700 wing, there is 600 wing, which is a series of three classrooms, one of which is now a kitchen for the cooking ROP classes. The cafeteria is also located between the 500 and 700 wings, and the classrooms of the 600 wing open up to the cafeteria. The 900 wing is a fenced complex of four classrooms just beyond the 700 wing.

[edit] Sports Facilities & Fields

[edit] Other Features

There is also a relatively large Faculty Commons, which includes small cubicle areas for the staff, a break room, and a decent sized lounge. The Faculty Common was also the home of the Book Room until the close of the 2005-2006 school year. The Book Room is now in the small office areas below Eagles Nest which were previously affiliated with the Student Activities Center.

[edit] Expansion and Construction

American High currently houses the newest swimming/sports complex and library/media tech center in the district. The school is also currently undergoing further remodeling, including the recent remodeling of all bathrooms, which was completed throughout the 2005-2006 school year. Further efforts to accommodate the ever-growing population at American High School include the construction of a new cafeteria/multi-purpose room slated to open sometime toward the end of the 2006-2007 school year, as well as the addition of a new, permanent laboratory room to house Honors and AP Physics classes. The new laboratory was slated to open in the 2005-2006 school year, but recent delays in updating the school's power grid coupled with other complications have delayed the construction of both this project, as well as the new cafeteria/multi-purpose room.

The school has been largely forced to adding permanent and temporary portables to areas outside of the main structure completed in 1972, despite the renovation and retrofit to accommodate a larger population in 1994. Initially, in 2000, four permanent classroom portable were added just beyond the 300 wing complex, as well another two permanent classroom portables and two permanent laboratory portables at the end of the 500-wing.

An additional two temporary portables were added beyond the 500-wing sections in the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year. These portables were set to accommodate classes until permanent portables were built, however they remain as of the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. They have also been joined by three more temporary portables set just north of the original portables beyond the 500-wing. Also, two temporary portables were added to the original four permanent portables beyond the 300 wing. Also, the complex beyond the 700-wing consisting of the FUSD maintenance facilities, the weight room, the woodshop room and the Student Responsibility Center (SRC), were all retrofited to better serve the current model of the school. Currently, the Weight room is now in the center building of the complex. The woodshop was obsolete since the school no longer offered those classes, and the SRC was moved to a room in the Eagle's Nest, a complex reached by traveling up a staircase at the center of the Rotunda. The south portion of the complex is now serves as four classrooms.

[edit] Computer and Internet Access

American High School is still struggling to meet the demand of proving technology to its growing population of students. As of the 2005-2006 school year, American High School boasted 254 computers, or one computer for every 7.9 students, helping to connect the total of 65 classrooms to the internet. ^[13] The school also have several wireless access points which have limited access. However, the ratio of students per computer is not up to par with that of the state average of one computer for every 4.5 students. American High School is working to get functional and up to date computers across the campus. Part of this effort has been removing and throwing out several older and non-functional machines, as the school originally has 286 computers during the 2004-2005 school year, 279 during 2003-2004, 244 during 2002-2003, 299 during 2001-2002, and 220 during 2000-2001, the first year of its new Library and Media/Tech Center. ^[13]

[edit] Characteristics

[edit] Academics

American High School's academics are on the rise. The school has gone from having 59% passing rate on the CAHSEE in 2001 to having an 87% in 2004. The Academic Performance Index (API) has gone from 646 in 1999 to 673 in 2000, 676 in 2001, 681 in 2002, 721 in 2003, and 757 in 2004, improving a total of 111 points in a period of 4 years. ^[5][6] Additionally, American High School earned a rare 6-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and prides itself on once being a poorly performing school to now being a California Distinguished School (as of 2005). ^[14]

[edit] Clubs

Over 60% of students participate in the school's clubs and organizations. From 2004 and onward, students have enjoyed over 40 on-campus organizations run by various student body leaders. In 2004, ASB implemented a new rule restricting students to only one presidential position.

In 2005, the new ASB Administration moved toward restricting the creation of new clubs as well as cracking down on clubs that were not active according to ASB rules that had been rarely enforced up to that year. Several clubs were ultimately eliminated due to lack of fundraising, lack of membership, or failure to participate in required ASB functions.

[edit] Sports

American High School's mascot is the eagle and its colors are red, white, and blue. American High School belongs to the Mission Valley Athletic League (MVAL), which includes the five Fremont high schools as well as Union City's James Logan High School and Newark's Newark Memorial High School. The MVAL is a league of the North Coast Section (NCS) of California school sports.

The following sports are offered at American High School: cross country, football, girl's volleyball, water polo, girl's tennis, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, golf, softball, swimming, track and field, boy's tennis, badminton, and boy's volleyball.

American High also boasts an award-winning marching band and color guard.

The most current league championships have been in Golf (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006) and Cross Country (2002, 2004) coached by John Randazzo. Other emerging teams include Boys Tennis, which went from 4-8 in 2003 and 5-7 in 2004 to 9-3 in 2005 and 7-2 (3 games canceled due to weather) in 2006. In 2005 American boasted its first win over Mission, snapping Mission's 87 game league winning streak, and preventing them from winning at least a share of the title for since 1983. 2006 also featured American's win over Logan, which helped American get second for the first time in Boys Tennis history. The American High football team has also had a significant turnaround, including an NCS berth under first-year coach Ken Peffer. In 2006, American opened the season with 3 straight league wins including a 55-6 domination of Mission at the Homecoming game, but it ended the season with three losses, including a 2-point loss to the surprising league champion, Irvington, and a 1-point loss to the runner-up James Logan.

[edit] Traditions

[edit] Performing Arts

[edit] School Newspaper

[edit] School Yearbook

[edit] Spirit Week

[edit] Graduation

In 2003, American High School students, parents and teachers fought to keep their graduation ceremony on school grounds, as was tradition, instead of moving it to TAK Fudenna stadium. Many supporters attended and gave speeches at district meetings. The lobbies were successful, granted that the school bankroll the ceremony for that year.

In 2005, students and parents again lobbied to keep the graduation on school grounds. The school board agreed, allowing all schools the option to graduate on their own campus due to unfinished repairs at TAK Fudenna Stadium. Both graduating classes at American High School and Washington High School were able to raise enough money to hold graduation on their own campuses. The graduating class of Mission San Jose High School, Irvington High School and John F. Kennedy High School, however, failed to raise enough money and thereby held theirs at Central Park in Fremont.

The following year, in 2006, parents and students failed to approach the board, resulting in the first time since 1987 that American High School students graduated off campus. The ceremony for the 384-student graduating class of 2006 took place at TAK Fudenna Stadium on June 14th, 2006. Since the class of 2005, the graduating classes have assumed the motto "(Graduating year, i.e. 'oh five')! Like what?" The Class of 2007 is also stated to graduate from TAK Fudenna Stadium, as no future efforts to bring back graduation to American have been initiated.

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni from American High School include:

• Len Wiseman, director of Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) and husband of Kate Beckinsale ^[15]
• Steve Lewis, multiple Gold Medalist recipient at the Olympic Games.

[edit] References

[edit] Additional Information

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.5645917° -122.015947°
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia, Google Maps or Windows Live Local
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
• Map of American High School Campus
• American High School's official website
• American High School's ASB official website
• American High School's booster club
• American High School PTSA
• Class of 2006 Mock Convention
• Class of 2009 Message Board