| Del Norte High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 16601 Nighthawk Lane | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | College Ready, Future Focused, Globally Aware |
| Established | 2009 |
| Status | Finished Construction |
| Principal | Greg Mizel[2] |
| Vice principal | Kelly Burke and Ed Giles |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Campus size | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| Color(s) | Green and Blue |
| Mascot | Nighthawk |
| Website | http://www.powayusd.com/pusddnhs/ |
| [1] | |
Del Norte High School is a secondary school located in 4S Ranch, a community of San Diego, California in the United States. It is part of the Poway Unified School District. The campus has finished construction, and it covers 210,093 square feet (19,518.3 m2) of land.[1]
Del Norte opened on August 20, 2009. Its principal is Greg Mizel, the former principal of Mesa Verde Middle School.[2] During its first year, Del Norte is expected to have approximately 700 students in order to create a personalized learning experience. Also notable is the absence of juniors and seniors, as the first year will only contain freshmen and sophomores. The expected student population after the first few years is approximately 2,250 students.[3]
Del Norte has expressed interest in adding the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to its curriculum, but this idea is still only under consideration. Recently, it was disclosed that course offerings at Del Norte have been limited by budget concerns.[4] Due to this, Del Norte will not be offering many language and elective classes in its first few years. Del Norte will offer a 3 by 5 system. It will have 3 trimesters and 5 classes per trimester for a total of 15 classes per year just like Mt. Carmel High School's current system. This layout allows students 3 more classes a year than RBHS 12 classes per year, but one less than Westview's with the 4 by 4 system.
The school is modeled after the layout of another PUSD school, Westview.[1] The design is a radial pattern, with all buildings linking to a central common area, in order to instill a sense of connectedness throughout the school. The principal has announced that elective programs offered at the school will be based on student interest, following these ideas. Del Norte will also be equipped with the latest technology, including a school-wide data-sharing network, VoIP, and Promethean Activboards in all classrooms.
Del Norte has a comprehensive set of athletic buildings as well as an area devoted entirely to the arts. Del Norte has state-of-the-art facilities including five art labs, two music classrooms, one drama classroom, 11 career-technical education classrooms, a Performing Arts Center and a Fine Arts Village designed to blend traditional mediums of visual arts, drama and music. However, there are still allotted areas for 20 relocatable buildings in case further development is required.[3]
The athletic programs that will be offered are: mens' water polo, football, girls' field hockey, girls' golf, girls' tennis, girls' volleyball, and cross country in the fall; basketball, Roller hockey, soccer, girls' water polo, and wrestling in the winter; boys' golf, lacrosse, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, swimming/dive, baseball, softball, swimming, golf, and track and field in the spring.[5] DNHS has submitted a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) membership application for the 2009-2010 year.
The entire school is based on four key themes encompassing connectedness, flexibility, collaboration and communication. It is also intended to have an international focus to give students a more realistic view of the future. The website also states that the school is intended to "meet the demands of the 21st century", in order to prepare students for a constantly changing world.