Homestead High School (Cupertino, California)

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Homestead High School
Location
Cupertino, California, USA
Information
Principal Graham Clark[1]
Staff 97 (in 2007)[2]
Students 2,270 (in 2007)[2]
Type Public 4-year comprehensive
Grades 9-12
Campus Suburban
Rival Fremont High School
Mascot Mustang
Color(s)      green      white
Newspaper The Epitaph
Established 1962
Homepage http://www.hhs.fuhsd.org/

Homestead High School (HHS) is an American comprehensive high school serving western Cupertino, western Sunnyvale, and portions of southern Los Altos, in Santa Clara County, California. Opened in 1962, the school serves 2,270 students in grades 9 to 12 as part of the the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD).[2][3] 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.[1][4]

Contents

[edit] History

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. The school’s electronics class is considered as seminal as Frederick Terman's program at Stanford University.[5] During this period, the electronics teacher, John McCollum, created a hands-on classroom in which students like Stephen Wozniak learned while designing, building, repairing, and understanding a range of equipment.[6] Today, would-be engineers, mathematicians, and entrepreneurs find support through the school's programs in robotics, mathematics, science, business courses, and its Future Business Leaders of America chapter.

[edit] Campus

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

Homestead High School is bordered by 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 majority of the buildings have an inner corridor with outdoor corridors connecting the buildings. 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

[edit] Academics

Homestead High School offers a curriculum including preparatory courses, vocational training, and general education. The school has a variety of special programs to meet the needs of exceptional students. Open-access Advanced Placement (AP) classes are offered in the subject including US History, English, Physics, Calculus, Art, Government/Economics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Statistics, Spanish, French, Japanese, Music Theory, and Chinese. Several programs promote positive learning for all students, including Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) 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[clarify] 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.[1]

Academically, Homestead ranks in the top 10 high schools in Santa Clara County.[citation needed] Based on the average standardized test scores of its diverse 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. Homestead has been successful at placing its students in state and national competitions.[clarify] In science, math, and business, Homestead students have matched or outperformed students at Lynbrook and Monta Vista, and Homestead students have regularly placed among the top schools in the United States.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

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

[edit] The Epitaph

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.

[edit] FIRST Robotics Team

Homestead has a robotics team that competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The team was created by students in 2001. The team number is 670. Alumnus Steve 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.[8] The team has a website detailing its history, mission, news, and ongoing activities.[9]

[edit] Future Business Leaders of America

Homestead High School is home to a chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), an organization dedicated to preparing students for success in business and careers. The chapter has enjoyed success, having won an unofficial sweepstakes tally for the past 11 years at California FBLA's Bay Section Level, the official Sweepstakes Award at the California FBLA State Leadership Conference for the past 10 years.[10] 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.[11].

[edit] Music Department and Marching Band
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Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.

Homestead has an accomplished music program. In 2005, the Mighty Mustang Marching Band tied for 6th place in the 5A division at the Western Band Association (WBA) State Championships. In 2007 and 2006, the band took the Grand Sweepstakes Award and Sweepstakes Awards in Music, Marching, Showmanship and Field Show at the Cupertino Tournament of Bands. In 2007, the band participated in a Bands of America regional placing 5th in finals.[12] The school colorguard participates in the California Color Guard Circuit and placed 2nd at the 2006 WBA State Championships. During the 2008 season, the colorguard was ranked 1st in every CGGC show they participated in, including championships. They also won both WGI regionals they participated in and scored 3rd in the WGI Power Regional West. They travel to Dayton, Ohio every April for WGI World Championships where they place very well. Winter percussion won 1st place, Scholastic division, in the 2007 Northern California Band Association (NCBA) Championships. The jazz, vocal, string and wind ensembles consistently rank superior in competitions.[citation needed] Wind Ensemble and Orchestra performed in Carnegie Hall at the 2007 New York Band and Orchestra Festival, winning Silver Awards for each musical group.[13].

[edit] The Pegasus

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.

[edit] 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.[14] The team is currently advised by chemistry teacher Chris Nafrada and physics teacher Mary Anne Plano. On February 10, 2007, Homestead's team won the regional competition at the Stanford Linear Accelerator, eventually repeating their regional victory on February 2, 2008.[15] At the 2007 National Science Bowl Competition in Washington D.C., Homestead's team placed twelfth out of more than sixty high-school teams, winning a $1,000 prize for the school's science department.[16].

[edit] 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 Society Festival, where more than 2,000 students competed for awards, including Jeff Glass, who won the award for best actor.[17]

[edit] 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 and the Siemens Competition.

[edit] Athletics

Homestead has teams in the following sports:

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni at Homestead High School include:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card. Fremont Union High School District (2005-2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
  2. ^ a b c Homestead High - Reports (CA Dept of Education). California Department of Education. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  3. ^ HHS School Profile (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  4. ^ 2004 Schools — No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program (2005-09-23). Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  5. ^ Malone, Michael S. (1999-04-08). Infinite Loop — Peeling Apple to find no core. Retrieved on 2007-01-13. “In particular, there was a class at Homestead in electronics taught by John McCollum. It would prove as important to the computer age as Fred Terman's electronics class at Stanford had been for Bill Hewlett and David Packard three decades before.”
  6. ^ Rahimzadeh, Auri (1995). The PowerGS Issue #5 Woz Interview. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  7. ^ Homestead High School Clubs. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  8. ^ Hussey, Erin. "Dueling machines square off in robot games", The Cupertino Courier, 2006-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. 
  9. ^ Homestead Robotics Team. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  10. ^ Fremont Union High School District (2006-07-06). "Fremont Union High School District FBLA Students Lead California to National Championship". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.<ref><ref name=ES-SARC/> The chapter has a paid membership of over 200 students for the 2007-2008 school year. =====Key Club===== A club dedicated on developing leadership and character skills, [[Key Club]] is the world's largest community service club. Homestead's Key Club consists of more than 100 members. Its mission is to provide its members with opportunities to perform service, build character, and develop leadership. Homestead's Key Club is part of [http://d34penguins.org/ Division 34] of the [[Cali-Nev-Ha]] district. =====KFC: Komedy and Film Club===== The KFC: Komedy & Film Club represents the school at the annual district-wide Student Film Festival. At the First Annual Homestead High School Student Film Festival in May 2006, members of the KFC took third place overall. At the Second Annual FUHSD Student Film Festival in May 2007, members of the KFC represented their school while placing 1st in the Comedy category.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}. =====Mathematics Competitions Team===== The mathematics team has 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, 2006, and 2007. 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.natassessment.com | title=NatAssessment.com | accessdate=2007-01-14}}</li> <li id="cite_note-10">'''[[#cite_ref-10|^]]''' {{cite web|url=http://www.unl.edu/amc/f-miscellaneous/f4-sliffe/Alumni/California.shtml#ca|title=AMC Sliffe Alumni List - California|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</li> <li id="cite_note-11">'''[[#cite_ref-11|^]]''' {{cite news | url=http://www.svcn.com/archives/cupertinocourier/20061025/news5.shtml | title= Striking up the bands is a longstanding tradition | last=Elbogen | first=Ruby | date=[[2006-10-25]] | work=Cupertino Courier | publisher= MediaNews / Silicon Valley Community Newspapers | accessdate=2008-02-28}}</li> <li id="cite_note-12">'''[[#cite_ref-12|^]]''' {{cite web | url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_8711.html?selecteddate=04212007 | title=New York Band and Orchestra Festival - Program Details | date=[[2007-04-21]] | accessdate=2008-02-28}}</li> <li id="cite_note-13">'''[[#cite_ref-13|^]]''' {{cite journal | url=http://www.chem.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2002/Sep/abs1067.html | title=ACS Announces High School Teacher Awards | journal=[[Journal of Chemical Education]] | year=2002 | month=Sep | issue=9 | volume=79 | pages=1067 | accessdate=2008-02-28 | format=abstract}}</li> <li id="cite_note-14">'''[[#cite_ref-14|^]]''' {{cite web|url=http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/scibowl/|title=DOE Regional Science Bowl at SLAC|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</li> <li id="cite_note-15">'''[[#cite_ref-15|^]]''' {{cite web|url=http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/media.htm|title=NSB: Media|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</li> <li id="cite_note-16">'''[[#cite_ref-16|^]]''' {{cite news | url=http://www.latc.com/2006/03/29/ | work=Los Altos Town Crier | accessdate=2007-01-16 | date=[[2006-03-29]] | title=Noteworthies }}</li> <li id="cite_note-17">'''[[#cite_ref-17|^]]''' {{cite web|url=http://www.gordonbiersch.com/brewery/about/bio_dan.html|title=Meet Dan Gordon}}</li> <li id="cite_note-18">'''[[#cite_ref-18|^]]''' {{cite web|url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JEZEKLIN01|title=Linda Jezek records at databaseolympics.com}}</li></ol></ref>

[edit] External links


Fremont Union High School District

Cupertino | Fremont | Homestead | Lynbrook | Monta Vista