Miramonte High School
Miramonte High School | |
---|---|
Matador Insignia | |
Address | |
750 Moraga Way Orinda, California, United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1955 |
CEEB Code | 052282 |
Principal | Adam Clark |
Enrollment | 1,183[1] (2011-12) |
Color(s) | Green and black |
Mascot | Matador |
Newspaper | The Mirador |
Information | (925) 280-3930 |
Website | http://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/miramonte/ |
Coordinates: 37°50′26″N 122°08′46″W / 37.8404819°N 122.1460766°W[2]
Miramonte High School is a public high school located in Orinda, California. It is part of the Acalanes Union High School District, which has a college preparatory program, with 15 Advanced Placement courses offered. Over 98% of its graduates go on to college.[citation needed] 320 students graduated in 2005, with 75% attending a four-year college. 35% are attending out-of-state colleges. Miramonte High School ranks 89th of all high schools in the nation as of Autumn 2009, according to Newsweek's Challenge Index.[3] As of 2013, this ranking has dropped to 173rd, [4]On September 4, 2008, Miramonte High School was ranked first in the 2008 Academic Performance Index (API) released by the California Department of Education (CDE). Miramonte no longer holds this ranking.
Miramonte High School once participated in the Virtual High School Consortium, a response to the problems of distance education which allowed courses to be taught over the internet. The high school students could participate in these virtual classes from on-site internet access, or from a home connection. No classes are currently being provided as virtual classes. Miramonte has incorporated the Blackboard Learning System into its curricula; many teachers now post assignments and course documents on this system.
Miramonte High School offers its seniors the choice of a WISE project their senior year. WISE replaces the senior's second semester of English with an independent inquiry into a topic of the student's choice. The choices of subject matter are varied; although photography and theatre work are consistently popular, project subjects have included astrophysics, choral conducting, and interning at Chez Panisse.
Miramonte is well known around the country for its astounding water polo program, which has produced numerous all Americans and Olympic athletes. The Men's Water Polo Team has been name North Coast Section Fall Team Champions 12 times in the last 17 years.[5] Miramonte continues a "high school rivalry" with nearby Lamorinda high schools (notably Campolindo High School). Miramonte's school mascot is a matador. Students often wear shirts that say "Beat Campo".
Demographics
- Total students: 1352
- Students by Gender:
- 55% Female
- 45% Male
- Students by Ethnicity
- Less than 1% Black/African American
- 1% Hispanic
- 8% Asian
- 90% White/Caucasian
- Student to Teacher ratio: 21:1
- Miramonte was listed as the 89th best high school in the United States, but NOT on the Newsweek Challenge Index as stated earlier in this article. U.S. News & World Report posted "America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List" to their website on December 12, 2009 and Miramonte is 89th on that list.[3]
History
Miramonte was founded in 1955.
Miramonte football recorded their first NCS CIF championship in 1981, defeating San Lorenzo 23-7 in the Oakland Coliseum.
Miramonte High School and the 1984 murder of cheerleader Kirsten Costas by less popular classmate Bernadette Protti were the basis for an article in Rolling Stone magazine entitled "Death of a Cheerleader" and the TV movie A Friend to Die For starring Tori Spelling. The television show Deadly Women aired an episode titled "Deadly Delinquents" which featured the Bernadette Protti and Kirsten Costas murder case.
In 1984 the Miramonte Matadors, known as the Mats, were voted CIF State Champions in all divisions after defeating Cardinal Newman High School on December 3, 1983 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in the NCS 2A Championship game. The Mats were also NCS 2A South Champions and FAL Champions.
In 1997 the Mats again won the NCS 2A Championship after defeating Granada High School in the championship game at the Oakland Coliseum. The Mats also won NCS 2A titles in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003 in their victory over San Lorenzo in a rematch of their 1981 championship game.
In 2013, after finishing 2nd in the DFAL, the Mats defeated Tennyson, Northgate and #2 seeded Clayton Valley Charter to reach the championship at Rancho Cotate High School against 13-0 Casa Grande. In an exciting game, Miramonte scored two touchdowns in the last two minutes to win their 8th NCS football championship, 42-28 to finish 12-2 on the season.
In 2008-2009 Miramonte's Water Polo team was named "2008-09 ESPN RISE Magazine Boys' Team of the Year" (includes all sports). Since 1967 Miramonte's Water Polo team has won 15 NOR CAL championships and 26 League Championships. It also featured bio's on several of the players.
In 2012, U.S. News and World Report ranked Miramonte High School as #21 in California and #126 in the United States.[6]
Notable alumni
- Tina Cole, Actress best known for playing Katie Douglas on My Three Sons. Also lead singer for the Four King Cousins which was a subgroup of the King Sisters. Her mother was Yvonne King and her father was jazz pianist Buddy Cole. Later she was an acting coach and Director of the Children's Theatre of California in Sacramento.
- Ashley English, Women's World Cup of Rugby Team Captain, 2008. Player, 2004
- Gregory Scott Cummins, film, television, and theater actor; NFL player
- Nicolle Devenish Wallace, former White House Communications Director and spokesperson for John McCain for President.
- Mike MacDonald, member of four National Championship winning teams in rugby union at UC Berkeley, member of the United States national rugby union team, and currently a player for Leeds Carnegie of the Guinness Premiership
- Luke Sassano, midfielder for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.
- Alex Auerbach, 9th in Nation in 800 meters at 2007 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
- Ben Auerbach, Professional Runner, Gold Medalist as member of USA Track & Field Team at the 2009 Maccabiah Games
- Dana Sparks, actress/spokesperson for Falcon Crest, Passions, L.A. Law, L'Oréal, Mercedes Benz, etc.
- Bryan Barker, NFL player
- Drew Bennett, NFL player
- Ken Dorsey, NFL player
- Sanjay Lal, UC Berkeley Coach, NFL Oakland Raiders Coach, New York Jets Coach
- Heather Petri, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 US water polo Olympic medalist, Cal Hall of Fame
- Jennifer Howitt, Rhodes Scholar, gold-medal-winning Paralympic wheelchair basketball player
- Rawson Marshall Thurber, Writer and Director of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker"
- Chris Bauer, film, TV and stage actor. Graduated 1984.
- Kirsten Costas, famous murder victim and subject of 1994 TV film Death of a Cheerleader who was killed by classmate Bernadette Protti
- Brian Dunning, Science writer and producer of the podcast "Skeptoid." Graduated 1983.
- David Callaham, screenwriter of Doom, The Expendables and the upcoming Godzilla reboot
- Derek Santos Olson, TV Writer Friday Night Lights
- Kirk Everist, U.S. water polo player in the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics, three-time All-American, member of back-to-back NCAA championships (1987–88) at University of California, Berkeley, named 1988 Collegiate Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament MVP, currently men's water polo coach at Cal.
- Bernadette Protti, a high school murderess of Kirsten Costas, in 1984 and subject of 1994 TV film Death of a Cheerleader
- Doug Robbins, played catcher on two-time champion Stanford Cardinal baseball team (1987–88), won gold medal as member of U.S. Baseball Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
- Nicole Branagh, 2008 Beach Volleyball Olympian
- Alex Feinberg, Drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2008.
- Brett Jackson, Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2009.
- Alex Fagan Jr., one of the San Francisco police officers at the center of the Fajitagate scandal
- Mark Conover, winner of the 1988 US Olympic Trials Marathon
- Carolyn Schuler, Gold Medalist of 1960 Olympic Games
- Ryan Nohr drafted Milwaukee Brewers 2000
References
- ↑ California Department of Education. "Enrollment by Grade for 2011-12". DataQuest. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ↑ "GNIS Detail - Miramonte High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 19 January 1981. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List". U.S. News & World Report. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ↑ "National High School Rankings". U.S. News. U.S. News.
- ↑ North Coast Section California Interscholastic Federation
- ↑ "Best High Schools 2012 - California High Schools". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
Ryan Norh brewers draft pick 2000
External links
- School website
- School newspaper
- Miramonte and the VHS program
- Miramonte and the WISE program
- A Friend to Die For at the Internet Movie Database
- Parent reviews
- AUHSD API Rankings