| Foothills Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 171 E. Sycamore Ave. Arcadia, CA 91006 |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Middle school |
| Motto | "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." –Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Established | 1954 |
| School district | Arcadia Unified School District |
| Principal | Mrs. Nadia Hillman |
| Faculty | 33 |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Number of students | 843 for 2005-2006 |
| Mascot | Scottie Dog |
| Website | http://fh.ausd.net/ |
Foothills Middle School is a part of the Arcadia Unified School District and is a three-year comprehensive middle school for students in grades 6 through 8, located within the city of Arcadia, California. Feeder elementary schools to this student body population of 843 (2005-2006 census) are primarily Highland Oaks Elementary and Hugo Reid Elementary. Foothills Middle School feeds into Arcadia High School.
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On the California school report card for 2005-2006, Foothills attained an API of 932 (957 in 2009), up 30 points from the previous year, compared to the state average of 725 for 2005-2006. More than 90% of students scored in the advanced proficient category for English and Language Arts, Math, and Science.
In the 2007-2008 school year, Foothills Middle School scored 2nd in terms of API in all of the public school systems in California.
Foothills Middle School has an honors mathematics program that, for some students, may start as early as seventh grade. All students are tested for readiness at the end of their sixth grade year and selected based on their readiness test scores, history of math grades, and teacher recommendation. If students successfully enter the honors math program at the end of sixth grade, they skip Pre-Algebra, which is the normal math course for seventh graders, and proceed directly to Honors Algebra I. Students who are not selected for the honors math program have another chance to start the program in eighth grade as an Honors Algebra I student. After the students' Honors Geometry year, they are evaluated again to determine which students continue to Honors Algebra II (vs. regular Algebra II). These courses are only offered at the high school. The down-select for Honors Algebra II is about 50% and is based on teacher recommendation, grades in the prior two math classes (Honors Algebra I grades are most heavily weighted), and an Algebra I concepts test. Students who do not participate in the honors program in middle school can still accelerate their progress through the high school's math curriculum by taking a math class offered by the summer school sponsored by the Arcadia Educational Foundation sponsored summer school.
About 50% of Foothill students participate in the school's music program which consists of two bands, two orchestra groups, a choral group, and a drill team. The Foothills Highlander Band marches and competes throughout the area, and Band 6 includes sixth graders. Seventh and eighth graders are in the Highlander String Orchestra while sixth graders are placed in Orchestra 6. Other electives offered include Office Aid, Teacher's Aid, Library Aid, Drama Production, Art, Digital Photography, Video Entertainment, Speech and Debate, and Journalism.
Foothill's clubs include ASB (Associated Student Body), Honor Society (for those who have no N's or U's in citizenship and work habits, and a 3.5 or above GPA in report card), Yearbook Staff, Help Club, Recycling/Ecology Club, Gardening Club, Ultimate Frisbee, Juggling Club, Cooking Club, the Stephanie Meyer Book Club, Board Games, Book Club, Running Club, Dance Club, Robotics, and Lighthouse. There is also an after school tutoring program run by students, and a GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program run by the school district on three Saturdays in the spring term.
Seventh and eighth graders are allowed to participate in the athletics program. All sports require a tryout with practices held after school. School sports include boys football and girls volleyball during the first quarter, boys basketball and girls basketball during the second quarter, boys soccer and girls soccer during the third quarter, and boys volleyball and girls softball during the fourth quarter. All teams are associated with the 210 league. The boys basketball team became very prestigious after completing two undefeated seasons. Intramural sports associated with the Arcadia Recreational Department is offered to those who do not make the school team. The Boys Football team also won the championship.
In the summer of 2006, Measure I, a school bond measure, was passed. A portion of the collected revenues will fund improvements at Foothills Middle School, which include converting classrooms to science labs, expanding the music building, upgrading the multipurpose room, the library, and the computer lab facilities, and various other infrastructure improvements. However, construction was not able to start because and inspection test revealed that the school was built on a large fault line. Remodeling however, will continue.