North Monterey County High School

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North Monterey County High School
NMCHS main entrance.
Location
13990 Castroville Blvd
Castroville CA 95012
USA
Information
School district North Monterey County Unified School District
Principal Steve Hirt
Type Public 4-year
Athletics conference Coast Conference, Central Coast Section
Mascot Condors
Color(s) Silver, black.
Established 1978
Homepage http://www.monterey.k12.ca.us/~nmchs/

North Monterey County High School is a high school in Castroville, California and was founded in 1978. The high school serves the populations of Aromas, Castroville, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Elkhorn, and portions of Salinas. North Monterey County High School is part of the North Monterey County Unified School District. North Monterey County High School is abbreviated on some official documents as NMCHS although it is more commonly known as either "North County" or "NC". The school mascot is the Condor and the school colors are silver and black. The current principal is Steve Hirt, as of 2007.

Contents

[edit] Students

North County serves just under 1500 students. 56% of the students are Hispanic or Latino, 36% are White, 3% are African American, and 2% are Asian [1]. Some North County students are English language learners.

[edit] Background

Before 1978, North County students traveled to Salinas for high school. Many north county residents desired to have their own high school so their children would not have to travel to Salinas for high school. In 1978, voters approved a bond measure to build the high school. The high school won two distinguished California High School Awards in the 1990s. The school was recently recognized at the California Conference of Superintendents for its high Latino graduation rate.

[edit] Governance

North Monterey County High School's budget is determined by the Board of Trustees of the North Monterey County Unified School District. Internally, the administration of the school is lead by Principal Steve Hirt and Vice Principal Simpson. There is an Activities Director that oversees school activities and an Athletic Director who manages school athletics. Some funding for the school is controlled by the School Site Council or SIP (School Site Improvement Project). The SIP committee is coordinated by the SIP Coordinator who is a salaried school official. The current SIP Coordinator is Ms. Whitney Grummon. SIP committee members include parents, staff, the Principal, and students. The committee members elect a member to serve as their president.

[edit] Academics, Courses, Graduation Requirements

North County offers a selection of courses to its students. North County has as ROP, drafting, art, photography, and tech courses. NC has an honors and AP program that includes several AP courses. NC's first AP course was AP US History and it is currently taught by Mr. Kevin Martin. The first AP US History class was taught by Bill O'Leary. NC's API test scores place North County as average in California, but NC's API scores in the context of similar schools ranks NC as above average [2].

North County has several unique graduation requirements. The school requires that students complete 45 hours of community service and that students complete a job shadow requirement. North County juniors must complete "Family History" videos in their English III and US History courses.

[edit] Activities

[edit] Marching Band

The NMCHS marching band, directed by D. L. Johnson, has received attention for performanes in China, Italy, Hawaii, and participation in President Clinton's second inaugural parade. Likewise, the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic & Jazz Bands have performed at these locales as well as competitions in Canada, Colorado Springs and the Monterey Jazz Festival to name a few.

[edit] Sports

[edit] Clubs and Organizations

Associated Student Body (ASB)-- provides activities such as dances, graduation, homecoming celebrations, student assemblies, and many other activities.

The North County Talon is the school newspaper.

Wingspan is the parents newsletter.

[edit] External links