Clark Magnet High School

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Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School is an American High School located at 4747 New York Avenue in La Crescenta, California. The school is managed as a part of the Glendale Unified School District.

Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School
Established September 1998
Type Public Magnet Secondary
Principal Douglas Dall
Students 1,074
Grades 9–12
Location La Crescenta, California, USA
Campus Suburban
Colors Green and white
Mascot Panthers

Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School was originally conceived as the result of the recommendations of the "Vision of the Future" Task Force, created by the Glendale Unified School District to investigate methods of alleviating the pressure caused by overcrowding at the school district's three comprehensive high schools, Glendale High School, Herbert Hoover and Crescenta Valley. The task force recommended a new magnet school be commissioned with a mandate to focus on advanced technologies and the physical and earth sciences. To alleviate overcrowding, Clark Magnet High School accepts students from the attendance of all three comprehensive high schools. [1]

The school, which utilizes the former campus of Anderson W. Clark Junior High School, which had been closed many years beforehand, underwent a US$15,000,000 renovation and opened in September, 1998. The school is the most technologically-advanced in Glendale Unified and is equipped with the latest technological advances. The school is also bolstered by corporate sponsorships by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Compaq Computers, NASA and Cisco Systems.[2]

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[edit] Anderson W. Clark

The school is named for Anderson W. Clark, a well-respected Baptist minister who was also an advisor to Theodore Roosevelt. In World War I, he served as the head of the Red Cross in central France. He later retired in the Crescenta Valley where his volunteer charitable work during the Great Depression and the massive La Crescenta-Montrose flood of 1934 earned him great respect. Soon after his death in 1938, the first junior high school in the valley was renamed after him, which name was later moved to its present location when Crescenta Valley High School was built.

In 2006, a memorial wall was created at the school to honor him and remember his contributions to the community.

[edit] Admissions Process

As a Magnet School, Clark Magnet accepts students from across the attendance territory of the Glendale Unified School District. Students apply during their eight grade year and admission is determined by a random lottery of qualified students. To qualify for admission, a student must:

  • Be enrolled in a school of the Glendale Unified School District or eligible for enrollment through residence in the territory of the Glendale Unified School District.
  • Possess a Grade Point Average of a least 2.0 ("C") in the core Grade 8 subject areas (English, Mathematics, History, and Science)
  • Be eligible to take Algebra or higher level courses by the completion of the Grade 8 year.
  • Exhibit satisfactory behavior.
  • Score above the 36th Percentile on the California State STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) programme.
  • Commit to remaining enrolled for one year.

[edit] Academics

Academically, the school is very high-performing. In 2005, it was designated as a California Distinguished School, an honor bestowed by the California Department of Education to the best schools in the public system, and received the California Exemplary Career Technical Education Program Award. [3] In 2005, it had the top Academic Performance Index (API) ranking of any high school in the Glendale Unified School District. In 2006 it became a National Blue Ribbon School.

[edit] Sports

Clark Magnet offers an intramural sports program for its students.

An ongoing controversy concerns the school's ability to offer interscholastic sports. The California Interscholastic Federation currently allows Clark students to attend the local High School in their area of residence to participate in Athletics. However, it has repeatedly said that this right would be revoked if Clark were to begin fielding its own interscholastic teams. Clark Magnet, due to restrictions imposed by the geography of the campus, would be unable to field the full spectrum of athletic activities offered by other High Schools in the Glendale area. As such, the decision has been made by the school's administration, thus far, not to pursue the creation of interscholastic teams.

[edit] Demographics

Statistics for 2006-2007 School Year [4]

[edit] Students By Grade

  • Grade 9 - 312
  • Grade 10 - 278
  • Grade 11 - 242
  • Grade 12 - 242

[edit] Gender and Ethnicity

[edit] Gender

  • Male - 589
  • Female - 485

[edit] Ethnicity

  • American Indian/Alaskan Native - 1 (0.1%)
  • Asian - 102 (9.5%)
  • Hispanic/Latino - 58 (5.4%)
  • Caucasian/White (Non-Hispanic) - 842 (78.4%)
  • Multiple or No Response - 4 (0.4%)

Clark Magnet, like most GUSD schools, has a sizable population of foreign-born students of Armenian descent.

[edit] Robotics

Logo of Team 696, The Circuit Breakers
Logo of Team 696, The Circuit Breakers


FIRST Robotics Team 696 (The Circuit Breakers) is based at Clark. Since the team's foundation in 2000 and rookie year in 2001, members have created six fully functional robots in the six week time period allotted. With the help of several mentors, including employees of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and various other mentors, the team composed, of high school students (grades nine through twelve), has competed at FIRST Robotics regionals in both Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona. For the 2007 season, the team will be competing at the Los Angeles, California regional and the San Diego, California regional.

[edit] Awards

2007 San Diego, CA Regional Winners
2007 Los Angeles, CA Regional Finalists
2007 Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award (Los Angeles Regional)
2006 Radio Shack Innovation in Control Award (Los Angeles Regional)
2005 Battle at the Border Finalist
2004 Los Angeles, CA Regional Quarter-Finalists and 8th seed
2004 Los Angeles, CA Regional Team Spirit Award
2004 Phoenix, AZ Regional Finalists
2004 Phoenix, AZ Regional Sportsmanship Award
2003 Los Angeles, CA Regional Finalists
2003 Phoenix, AZ Regional Semifinalists
2003 Phoenix, AZ Regional 3rd Seed
2002 Los Angeles, CA Regional Semi-Finalists
2001 Los Angeles, CA Regional Semi-Finalists

[edit] Robots

2001: Kent

2002: Viper

2003: Heather

2004: R.J.

2005: G.L.A.G.H.

2006: Robot Man Jan

[edit] Notable Facts

  • The school operates on a "Block" schedule, with odd-numbered periods (Periods 1, 3, 5, and 7) meeting on odd numbered days, and even-numbered periods (Periods 2, 4, 6, and 7) meeting on even numbered days. Each school day also has an "Enrichment" period (a Study Hall period) and 7th period which is only 50 minutes long.
  • Each class is composed of one hour and thirty minutes, as opposed to other high schools.
  • Because of its focus on technology and science, Clark Magnet is known for offering extremely limited choices in curriculum areas outside these subjects as compared to other schools in the Glendale area. Notably, Spanish is the sole Foreign Language offered at the school.
  • Clark Magnet is also known as having the most restrictive dress code policy of any Glendale Unified High School, with the comparatively conservative limits on style constituting a de facto uniform.
  • Several scenes from Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star the 2003 film, featuring David Spade, were filmed at the school.

[edit] References

[edit] External links