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Mission High School (San Francisco, California)
Encyclopedia
Mission High School is a public high school in the San Francisco Unified School District
(SFUSD) San Francisco, California
.
Serving grades 9-12, Mission is the oldest high school on its original site in San Francisco; it has been on 18th Street, between Dolores and Church, since 1896. The original campus burned in 1922, and the replacement was completed in two stages, the west wing in 1925 and the main building was dedicated by San Francisco mayor James Rolph
on June 12, 1927. Originally, girls and boys had separate courtyards. The boys' is overlooked by the "baby tower", about 100 feet (30.5 m) high, and the girls' (right) topped by a 127 feet (38.7 m)-high baroque dome. Mission Creek runs beneath the school.
The school is two blocks from Mission Dolores, from which it gets its name. The current student body is diverse, with Latino
and African American
students constituting the two largest ethnic groups, although neither group makes up a majority of the student body.
The lobby leads to a theater that has 1,750 folding wooden seats on two levels and a gold leaf ceiling. Grand as any movie palace, it was outfitted with twin 35 mm projectors. Funding never came through for the elaborate pipe organ system it was promised, but the chandeliers have been re-lamped.
locations until 1896. That year, the Board of Education purchased a parcel of land from the Jewish Cemetery Association to construct a permanent school building. The original Mission High School building was completed in 1898 as a three-story brick school designed in the Italian Renaissance
Beaux-Arts style. The building withstood the 1906 Earthquake, and became a neighborhood shelter, while Dolores Park
, which stands across the street from the school, became a tent city for displaced residents.
In 1922, the original Mission High School was destroyed by fire. The present Mission High School complex was then constructed in a Mediterranean Revival/Baroque
/Churrigueresque
style between 1925 and 1927, during the height of San Francisco's "Golden Age" of school construction. John Reid, Jr., San Francisco's City Architect, was the designer. The elaborate ornamentation on the school is likely due in part to the visual proximity to the nearby Mission Dolores Basilica, which features towers and ornamentation in the Churrigueresque
architectural style.
In 1936, California artist Edith Anne Hamlin was commissioned under the Works Progress Administration's
Federal Art Project to create a series of western-themed murals for the school. Noted artist Maynard Dixon
consulted with Hamlin on the murals, and the pair married in 1937. Two murals showing the founding of nearby Mission Dolores still survive, while the third was lost during a 1970s seismic retrofit. The late 1930s also saw the construction of Drew Athletic Field behind the school, in an area that had been occupied by houses fronting on Dorland Street (that one block of Dorland was removed to construct the field).
Mission High School was retrofitted to meet earthquake safety standards starting in 1972. This included the removal of some of the building's architectural ornamentation, as well as the loss of the WPA Hamlin mural. Students attended Polytechnic High School until their return in 1978. The building continues to function as a public high school and remains an architectural landmark in the Dolores Park
area of San Francisco.
The school is currently being remodeled. Also, in the 2007-08 school year, principal Kevin Truitt won SFUSD Principal of the year.
A Partial List of Summer Programs
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District , established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California...
(SFUSD) San Francisco, 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...
.
Serving grades 9-12, Mission is the oldest high school on its original site in San Francisco; it has been on 18th Street, between Dolores and Church, since 1896. The original campus burned in 1922, and the replacement was completed in two stages, the west wing in 1925 and the main building was dedicated by San Francisco mayor James Rolph
James Rolph
James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression...
on June 12, 1927. Originally, girls and boys had separate courtyards. The boys' is overlooked by the "baby tower", about 100 feet (30.5 m) high, and the girls' (right) topped by a 127 feet (38.7 m)-high baroque dome. Mission Creek runs beneath the school.
The school is two blocks from Mission Dolores, from which it gets its name. The current student body is diverse, with Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
students constituting the two largest ethnic groups, although neither group makes up a majority of the student body.
The lobby leads to a theater that has 1,750 folding wooden seats on two levels and a gold leaf ceiling. Grand as any movie palace, it was outfitted with twin 35 mm projectors. Funding never came through for the elaborate pipe organ system it was promised, but the chandeliers have been re-lamped.
History
Mission High School was founded in 1890, although it was housed in various Mission DistrictMission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
locations until 1896. That year, the Board of Education purchased a parcel of land from the Jewish Cemetery Association to construct a permanent school building. The original Mission High School building was completed in 1898 as a three-story brick school designed in the Italian Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
Beaux-Arts style. The building withstood the 1906 Earthquake, and became a neighborhood shelter, while Dolores Park
Dolores Park
Mission Dolores Park is a San Francisco, California, city park located in the neighborhood of Mission Dolores, at the western edge of the Mission District, which lies to the east of the park. To the west of the park is a hillside referred to as "Dolores Heights" or considered a part of the Castro...
, which stands across the street from the school, became a tent city for displaced residents.
In 1922, the original Mission High School was destroyed by fire. The present Mission High School complex was then constructed in a Mediterranean Revival/Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
/Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the...
style between 1925 and 1927, during the height of San Francisco's "Golden Age" of school construction. John Reid, Jr., San Francisco's City Architect, was the designer. The elaborate ornamentation on the school is likely due in part to the visual proximity to the nearby Mission Dolores Basilica, which features towers and ornamentation in the Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the...
architectural style.
In 1936, California artist Edith Anne Hamlin was commissioned under the Works Progress Administration's
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
Federal Art Project to create a series of western-themed murals for the school. Noted artist Maynard Dixon
Maynard Dixon
Maynard Dixon was a 20th-century American artist whose body of work focused on the American West. He was married for a time to American photographer Dorothea Lange.-Biography:...
consulted with Hamlin on the murals, and the pair married in 1937. Two murals showing the founding of nearby Mission Dolores still survive, while the third was lost during a 1970s seismic retrofit. The late 1930s also saw the construction of Drew Athletic Field behind the school, in an area that had been occupied by houses fronting on Dorland Street (that one block of Dorland was removed to construct the field).
Mission High School was retrofitted to meet earthquake safety standards starting in 1972. This included the removal of some of the building's architectural ornamentation, as well as the loss of the WPA Hamlin mural. Students attended Polytechnic High School until their return in 1978. The building continues to function as a public high school and remains an architectural landmark in the Dolores Park
Dolores Park
Mission Dolores Park is a San Francisco, California, city park located in the neighborhood of Mission Dolores, at the western edge of the Mission District, which lies to the east of the park. To the west of the park is a hillside referred to as "Dolores Heights" or considered a part of the Castro...
area of San Francisco.
The school is currently being remodeled. Also, in the 2007-08 school year, principal Kevin Truitt won SFUSD Principal of the year.
The Athletic Scholarship Advancement Program
An attractive program at Mission is the Academic Scholars Advancement Program(ASAP). As part of a summer program ASAP sends 150 Mission High School athletes attended 31 programs. They traveled to 22 locations in nine states, and a few ventured as far as Japan, China, and Italy. ASAP helps cover the bill to send these kids to a summer program.A Partial List of Summer Programs
- Brown U. Leadership and Global Health Class
- Camp CEO
- Columbia U. Pre-College
- Cornell U. Summer College
- Coro Leadership
- Cosmos (Math and Science Program)
- De Young Museum
- Outward Bound
- St. Luke’s Hospital
- Santa Clara U.
- Engineering Program
- Softball- Girls
- Stanford U.
- Basketball Camp-Boys
- Cross-Country Camp-Boys
- Junior State of AmericaJunior State of AmericaThe Junior State of America is an American non-partisan student-run youth organization. It is also the largest high school student-run organization in the country...
- Math and Science Pre-med
- Track and Field Camp-Boys
- Wrestling Camp-Boys
- UC-Berkeley
- Football-Boys
- Gladstone Program
- Soccer Camp-Boys
- Soccer Camp-Girls
- SMASH ( Math and Science Academy)
- UC-Santa Cruz
- Spirit Squad Camp-Girls
Notable people
- Alumni
- Maya AngelouMaya AngelouMaya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
: Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning poet and actress. - Wally BergerWally BergerWalter Anton Berger was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four National League teams, primarily the Boston Braves. One of the league's top sluggers of the early 1930s, in his initial season he hit 38 home runs, a record for rookies which stood until . He still...
, class of 1923, professional baseball player - Frank Cerda: activist and counter culture figure.
- Hank Chapot, 1972: Green Party of CaliforniaGreen Party of CaliforniaThe Green Party of California is the California affiliate of the Green Party. The party is a ballot-qualified in California, first established as such in 1991, using the petition method of gaining state recognition....
founding delegate, founder of the California Green ArchivesCalifornia Green ArchivesThe California Green Archives and special collections was formally established in 2000. Its goal is to identify, collect, preserve, and make available records of the Green movement and Green party to green activists, scholars, writers, historians, and journalists, and for posterity...
and three-time state assembly district 14 candidateCalifornia State Assembly elections, 1994The 1994 California State Assembly elections were held November 8, 1994. California's State Assembly in its entirety comes up for election in even numbered years. Each seat has a two-year term and members are limited to three 2-year terms . All 80 biennially elected seats in the Assembly were up...
. - Joe CroninJoe CroninJoseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
, class of 1923, professional baseball player - Babe DahlgrenBabe DahlgrenEllsworth Tenney "Babe" Dahlgren was a Major League Baseball infielder from 1935 to 1946 for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, class of 1932, professional baseball player - Vincent DeDomenicoVincent DeDomenicoVincent Michael DeDomenico, Sr. was an American entrepreneur, one of the inventors of Rice-A-Roni, and a founder of the Napa Valley Wine Train.-Biography:...
, 1933: inventor of Rice-A-RoniRice-A-RoniRice-A-Roni is a product of PepsiCo's subsidiary, the Quaker Oats Company. It is a boxed food mix that consists of rice, vermicelli pasta, and seasonings. To prepare, the rice and pasta are browned in butter, then water and seasonings are added and simmered until absorbed.-History:In 1895,...
and developer of the Napa Valley Wine TrainNapa Valley Wine TrainThe Napa Valley Wine Train is operated by the Napa Valley Railroad . The train is a privately operated excursion train that runs between Napa and St. Helena, California. Much of the rail line parallels State Route 29 after leaving the City of Napa and passes the towns of Yountville, Rutherford and...
. - Bobby FreemanBobby FreemanBobby Freeman is an African-American soul singer, songwriter, and record producer who recorded for the Autumn Records label in San Francisco, California. He is best known for his 1958 hit "Do You Want To Dance?" and his 1964 Top Ten hit "C'mon and Swim"...
, rock & roll & r&b singer from the late 50's. "Do You Want To Dance." - Alan GallagherAl GallagherAlan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher is a retired professional baseball player who played four seasons for the San Francisco Giants and California Angels of Major League Baseball....
, 1963: Former San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
third baseman. - Eddie JoostEddie JoostEdwin David Joost was a shortstop and manager in American Major League Baseball. In 1954, Joost became the third and last manager in the 54-year history of the Philadelphia Athletics. Under Joost, the A's finished last in the American League and lost over 100 games...
, class of 1934, professional baseball player - Wally JudnichWally JudnichWalter Franklin Judnich was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between and . Listed at 6' 1", 205 lb., Judnich batted and threw left-handed. In baseball books, he is known indistinctly as Wally or Walt Judnich...
, class of 1934, professional baseball player - Guy MitchellGuy MitchellGuy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
: 1950s pop singer. - Melissa NgMelissa NgMelissa Ng Mei Hang is a semi-retired TV actress in Hong Kong. She has been a TVB actress since 1996 after coming second in the Miss Chinese International Pageant, retiring from acting in 2007 to start a family...
, 1990: Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
TV actress. - Lothar OsianderLothar OsianderLothar Osiander is a U.S.-German soccer coach who has served as head coach to the U.S. national and Olympic teams as well as the Atlanta Ruckus, Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Clash....
, professional soccer coach. - James RolphJames RolphJames “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression...
: governor of California (1931–1934) and mayor of San Francisco (1912–1931) - Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, musician and guitarist. - Gus TriandosGus TriandosGus Triandos is a Greek-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros...
, 1948: baseball star - Anibal Vega, 1987: member Nicaragua National Baseball Team; participated in 1996 Olympics for Nicaragua
- Leland YeeLeland YeeLeland Yee is a California State Senator in District 8 which represents the western half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a California State Assemblyman, Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District, and was a member and President of the San...
, California State Senator - Tony Psaltis, MVP and team captain of the 1956 USC men's basketball team
- Maya Angelou
- Staff
- Lloyd LeithLloyd LeithLloyd R. Leith was an American basketball referee and high school coach. The San Francisco, California native officiated 16 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships between 1939 and 1955...
, 1945-1972. Basketball Hall of FameBasketball Hall of FameThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
coach and referee.
- Lloyd Leith
See also
- San Francisco County high schools