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Albany High School (Albany, California)
Encyclopedia
- For other schools of a similar name, see Albany High School (disambiguation).
Albany High School (AHS) is a comprehensive secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Albany, California
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
. Educating students in grades 9–12, the school has an enrollment of 1293 students. The school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is a cougar and the school colors are red and white. Ted Barone is the current principal.
Achievements
In 2001, Albany was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
for the maximum term of six years. Albany has one of the highest standardized test scores in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. For 2005, the average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
I reasoning verbal score was 566; average math score was 616. 95% of the class of 2005 passed the California High School Exit Exam
California High School Exit Exam
The California High School Exit Exam is a requirement for high school graduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Education to improve the academic performance of California high school students, and especially of high school graduates, in the areas of reading,...
.
The school is well known for its successful wrestling, soccer, science, math, and music programs.
Music Programs
The music program at the school serves approximately 250 students and supports strong choral, orchestral, concert band, and jazz programs. Craig Bryant serves as the Director of Instrumental Music at Albany High School in Albany, CA, a position he has held since the Fall of 2007. Mr. Bryant leads a strong and visible music program that has quickly become recognized for its musical excellence throughout the Bay Area. Numerous students participate in the Jazz School Studio bands, the Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco Youth Orchestras, the CMEA and CBDA All-State Bands as well as with other area honor groups.The instrumental music program is made up of 2 concert bands, 2 jazz bands, and a string orchestra. There are about 140 students involved in the program, with about half the jazz students also participating in one of the concert bands. Each group at the school meets 3 times per week to rehearse (50 mins. on Mondays, and 90 on T/TH or W/F.)
Many performing groups have received Superior ratings at the CMEA large ensemble festivals. The ensembles at AHS perform four main concerts a year in addition to participating in festivals and recording competitions. The groups have garnered positive attention through performances at Yoshi’s Oakland, Ashkenaz, the Freight and Salvage and other Bay Area venues.
The Albany High School Jazz Band is the top performance ensemble at the AHS. They have received top ratings and awards at the Folsom, Reno and Santa Cruz Jazz Festivals. The 2010 group performed as a featured ensemble at the 2010 California Music Education Association State Conference in Sacramento. The band was also selected as a finalist for the 2010 Next Generation Festival, presented by the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the 2010 Essentially Ellington festival, presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY.
Other Programs
The science team won the 1993 Department of Energy National Science Bowl competition. In 2005-06, the girls varsity cross country team won the league championship and the girls softball team won the Northern California Championship over rival Piedmont High School (California).Albany's soccer program is also very strong, with the varsity boys and girls going undefeated in the winter season of 2010.
In 2011, the school Science Bowl team went to Washington D.C. for the nationals.
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, in their recent survey of public high schools, awarded Albany High with a silver medal, placing it in the top 500 in the country.
Campus History
During the 2004-2005 school year, several security cameras were installed in the building to prevent various acts of vandalism. 2004 was also the year the school suffered overcrowding due to an overly large freshman class. The large influx of students was caused in part by an Albany Unified School District policy, which allowed students from other cities such as El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
and Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
to enter Albany schools.
Academic Competitions
Albany participates in many local competitions, including NAQT, NOSB's Otter Bowl (which they won in 2006 and took fourth nationwide), and the National Science Bowl, in which they also took fourth place nationwide. Albany High won its 2008 Science Bowl regional competition, defeating academic rival Mission San Jose High SchoolMission San Jose High School
Mission San Jose High School , is a public, co-educational, four-year secondary school founded in 1964 and located in the Mission San Jose district of Fremont, California, United States...
. Traditionally, both schools went to different regional competitions, but in 2008, due to a desire to participate in both the Otter Bowl and Science Bowl, whose regionals coincided, Albany was forced to attend MSJ's regional competition for Science Bowl. In 2009, their NOSB team did not fare as well. However they fared much better in National Science Bowl, placing 5th nationwide.
The school also hosts a well established Model United Nations program. In the 2010-2011 academic year, Albany also became home to a forensic (Speech and Debate) team. The Albany High Speech and Debate team is a member of the Golden Gate Speech Association and the National Forensic League. It should be noted that both programs are established in club format: while other local schools have classes dedicated solely to Model UN and debate, Albany runs both programs as student clubs.
Block schedule
Albany High changed from a 7-period per day schedule to a block schedule during the 2005-2006 school year. Instead of having seven 57-minute periods per day, the new block schedule consists of two blocks, A and B. Block A, Tuesday and Thursday, have 95 min periods for periods 1, 3, 5, and 7. Block B, Wednesday and Friday, have 95 min periods for periods 2, 4, and 6 with an added 40 minute Advisory period between 2nd and 4th period. On Monday, all classes meet for 52 mins. The first class always begins at 7:40 AM, excepting finals week.Neighborhoods zoned to Albany
The entire city of Albany is zoned to this school. The University Village developmentUC Village
UC Village, also called University Village or University Village Albany, is a housing community for students who are married or have dependents. It is owned and administered by the University of California, Berkeley. It is located within the city limits of Albany about two miles away from the main...
, a student housing complex of the University of California Berkeley which houses families, is assigned to this school.
Notable graduates
- Amani ToomerAmani ToomerAmani Toomer is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he was a fan favorite.Toomer has also been a member of the Kansas...
- NFL Football player (attended AHS for one year before transferring to De La Salle in Concord). - Ron HansenRon Hansen (baseball)Ronald Lavern Hansen is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Washington Senators , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
, 1956 - Major League baseball player, 1960 American League Rookie of the Year and one of the few players in history to turn an unassisted triple play, July 30, 1968. - John Crewdson, 1963 - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.
- Ron SillimanRon SillimanRon Silliman is an American poet. He has written and edited over 30 books, and has had his poetry and criticism translated into 12 languages. He is often associated with language poetry. Between 1979 and 2004, Silliman wrote a single poem, The Alphabet...
, 1964 - Poet and author. - Kellita SmithKellita SmithKellita Smith is an American actress and model. She is best knownfor her role as Wanda McCullough on the sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show.-Career:Smith has held recurring roles on CBS' Nash Bridges, UPN's Malcolm & Eddie,...
, 1986 - Actress - played Bernie MacBernie MacBernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
's wife on The Bernie Mac ShowThe Bernie Mac ShowThe Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox.... - Lloyd "Young L" Omadhebo, 2005 - The Pack rap group
- Brandon "Lil BLil BBrandon McCartney , known by his stage name Lil B or "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. He has recorded both solo and with the Pack. In addition, Lil B is noted for his extensive use of social media Web sites such as MySpace and Twitter to build an online following.-Early...
" McCartney, 2005 - The Pack rap group - Matt FreemanMatt FreemanMatthew "McCall" Freeman is an American musician. He is best known for his bass guitar work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade.-Playing style:...
, 1984 - Bass guitar player for Operation IvyOperation Ivy (band)Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...
and RancidRancid (band)Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the... - Tim ArmstrongTim ArmstrongTimothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
, 1984 - Punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, musician, singer and guitarist for Operation IvyOperation Ivy (band)Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...
and RancidRancid (band)Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the... - Tyson GriffinTyson GriffinTyson Lee Griffin is an American mixed martial artist from Albany, California. Griffin currently fights as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship .-Early life:...
, 2002 - UFC Fighter - Edi GathegiEdi GathegiEdi Mue Gathegi is a Kenyan-American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for his recurring character Dr. Jeffrey Cole in the television series House, as Cheese in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone and as Laurent in the films Twilight, its sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Darwin in...
, 1997 - Actor. Appears on House MDHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, and in TwilightTwilight (2008 film)Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
. - Warren ThomasWarren ThomasWarren Thomas was an African-American comedian. His greatest fame came during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he was a major figure in the San Francisco comedy scene and began appearing on HBO comedy specials. He won the San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 1987...
, 1977 - Comedian. Winner of the 1987 San Francisco International Comedy CompetitionSan Francisco International Comedy CompetitionThe San Francisco International Comedy Competition is a stand-up comedy contest held each September in San Francisco, California, and neighboring areas of Northern California....
, and writer for TV show In Living ColorIn Living ColorIn Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
. - Rick "Grizzly" BrownRick "Grizzly" BrownRick "Grizzly" Brown is a former professional Strongman competitor from Berkeley, California. Brown is best known for competing in the 1985 and 1986 World's Strongest Man competitions. Rick competed in amateur wrestling and powerlifting at age 15, and after winning a national wrestling title in...
, 1978 - Former professional strongman. Competed in World's Strongest ManWorld's Strongest ManThe World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
competitions in 1985 (6th) and 1986 (8th).