Monta Vista High School
Encyclopedia
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
city of Cupertino
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the Fremont Union High School District
Fremont Union High School District
The Fremont Union High School District is a school district in Northern California, serving Cupertino, most of Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, Los Altos, Saratoga, and Santa Clara. As of 2004, it serves over 9,500 students...
, the school serves most of the suburban residential and industrial technology enriched area of western Cupertino. Monta Vista opened in 1969, offering only freshman and sophomore classes; the first class graduated in 1972. Since then, its student body size has averaged about 2400 students. Monta Vista is regarded as one of the top high schools in California located in one of the most affluent cities in the country with recorded average income of more than $100,000 per household.
Demographics
As of the 2006-2007 school year, Monta Vista has a student body of 2,450 students, of which 72% are AsianAsian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 25% are White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
and 3% are Other (African American,Latino,Native American). 5% are limited English. Monta Vista has the largest student body in the district. Starting in the 1990s, Monta Vista was heavily Chinese though recently, there has been a significant influx of South Asians beginning in the 2000s. A 2005 Wall Street Journal article claimed that Monta Vista was experiencing a "white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
" caused by White American families feeling overwhelmed by the academic focus of the school's majority Asian American students.
Academics
With an APIAcademic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. It is one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California legislature in 1999...
score of 949 points out of 1000, In the class of 2009, there are 42 National Merit Semi-finalists and 84 National Merit Commended students. After analyzing 21,069 public high schools in America, US News & World Report issued America's Best High Schools in 2009 which ranked Monta Vista #73. In 2007, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
1,200 top U.S. schools ranked Monta Vista #85, the 7th Californian high school. The highest ranked school in the Fremont Union High School District
Fremont Union High School District
The Fremont Union High School District is a school district in Northern California, serving Cupertino, most of Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, Los Altos, Saratoga, and Santa Clara. As of 2004, it serves over 9,500 students...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
magazine ranked Monta Vista as the 57th best high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the fourth highest academically performing high school in all 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...
, and the highest academically ranked school in the Fremont Union High School District
Fremont Union High School District
The Fremont Union High School District is a school district in Northern California, serving Cupertino, most of Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, Los Altos, Saratoga, and Santa Clara. As of 2004, it serves over 9,500 students...
in 2005.
Though these rankings exclude private schools, many have selective admission policies, whereas schools like Monta Vista and Lynbrook
Lynbrook High School
Lynbrook High School is a co-educational, public, four-year secondary school located in the West San Jose neighborhood of San Jose, California, USA...
do not; however, proof of residency is required for enrollment. For this reason, these rankings do not necessarily provide accurate results for all high schools.
Monta Vista Students are encouraged to take a challenging curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, offering up to seven classes a day. The school offers eight honors classes and fifteen Advanced Placement classes. By sophomore year, students are already taking honors-level classes, with some already taking AP-level courses such as Music Theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
or Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. Students are required to take two science classes, however most choose to take all three major offerings at the school (Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
). Monta Vista's science offerings are particularly strong, with its Physics program known for being more challenging than entry-level college courses. In the 2010-2011 school year, Monta Vista produced four Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the largest pre-college scientific research event in the world, and is owned and administered by the Society for Science & the Public a 501 non-profit organization based in Washington, DC...
semi-finalists.
During students' junior and senior years, they can choose to participate in one of the alternative programs offered through De Anza College
De Anza College
De Anza College is a community college located in Cupertino, California. It was founded in 1967 on the site of the Beaulieu Winery and is named after the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza...
. The Middle College Program
Middle College Program
The Middle College Program is a high school alternative program first established in New York. It is a collaboration between a high school district and a community college for high school students who desire a more independent learning environment. Students take a combination of core high school...
is available to juniors and seniors, while College Now is offered exclusively to members of the senior class. These programs allow students to explore interests with classes that aren't always offered at high school and build up college credits while completing the requirements for a diploma.
Student activities
Monta Vista High School's mascotMascot
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 the Matador, with purple and gold as its official school colors. The school mascot's uniform, however, is that of a purple bull. Monta Vista High School rivals nearby Lynbrook High School
Lynbrook High School
Lynbrook High School is a co-educational, public, four-year secondary school located in the West San Jose neighborhood of San Jose, California, USA...
and Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School, colloquially referred to as "Tino", is a four-year comprehensive public high school located near the Rancho Rinconada and Fairgrove neighborhoods of Cupertino, California, USA. It is part of the Fremont Union High School District. The school serves mostly suburban...
and competes in the SCVAL of the Central Coast Section. The girl's swim team were CCS champions in 2008. The girl's soccer team were CCS champions in 1979 and 2009.
The school's campus consists of a large baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
field, an unlit American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
field, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts. Due to neighborhood complaints about noise levels, as well as a lack of lighting on the field, Monta Vista holds most of their home football games at Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School, colloquially referred to as "Tino", is a four-year comprehensive public high school located near the Rancho Rinconada and Fairgrove neighborhoods of Cupertino, California, USA. It is part of the Fremont Union High School District. The school serves mostly suburban...
. In 2007, the school completed construction of the new lighted pool, which is host to several water polo and swimming competitions per year.
The Class of 2011 began a tradition where students would camp out at school the day and night before orientation to change their courses and schedules, in order to have teachers of their choice. As a result of their actions, the administration took teacher names off of preliminary schedules to curb the camp outs, however students reverse-engineered teacher names from class section numbers. For the 2011-2012 school year, all section numbers have been removed and it was made impossible for future classes to know their teachers ahead of time. Police patrols were set up to curb any attempts to camp out.
Monta Vista High School has a school-wide acclaimed leadership class that is ranked from ASB Officers (usually seniors that have been class officers for the majority of their school experience, class officers for each grade (that plan their class's events, fundraisers and proms are elected through weeks of competitive campaigning) and commissions (groups of students that focus on a specific goal to help the school.)
Due to budget cuts and district changes, the class consists of two advisors and the combination of Community Leadership, so the class now includes a Board.
Other activities
- Monta Vista's DECA chapter continues to be ranked first in the state after the California Career Development Conference in Santa Clara, CA and second in the world after the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) held in Orlando, FL. For four consecutive years, Monta Vista DECA has placed top 3 in at least one of the three finance competitive events.
- Monta Vista's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is ranked second in the world after the 2011 National Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL. It holds two conseuctive national championships in Management Information Systems, and has placed top 3 in a variety of other competitions ranging from technology to business.
- Monta Vista's Girls Tennis Team is consistently one of the top teams in the state, winning CCS and the California Classic many times in he past ten years.
- The school is a member of the California Color Guard CircuitCalifornia Color Guard CircuitCalifornia Color Guard Circuit is one of the many circuits part of Winter Guard International . It consists of many schools and independent guard and percussion groups throughout mostly Northern California. Each year CCGC holds its own championships and sends many groups to the world championships...
. - Monta Vista's Dance Team has won a State Title every year from 2001–2010, and National Titles in both 2005 and 2006. The dance team won 1st place in the championship kick division at Nationals in 2010. Outside of competitions, the team performs at rallies, football games, and their annual Winter and Spring Shows.
- Monta Vista's Cheer Team placed first in the 2007 USA Spirit Nationals held in Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
in the Super Varsity Show Cheer Novice Division. In the 2010 season, the squad took home 1st place in the Northern California Championships, competing in the Super Varsity Show Cheer Intermediate Division. Outside of competitions, the team performs at ralliesDemonstration (people)A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
, at the Spring Show, and at every football and basketball game. - In 2008 and 2009, Monta Vista hosted the United Spirit Association's Cal State Dance Competition.
- As of the start of the 2006–2007 school year, Monta Vista has the largest bandBand (music)In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
program in the Fremont Union High School District. - Monta Vista's audition choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, Variations, has participated in the Heritage Festivals and Festival of Gold. They mostly perform outside of competitions, at their own concerts, the first football game of the year, singing valentines, and the graduation ceremony. - In its first year of Quiz Bowl Competition, Monta Vista High School captured the 2006 Northern California NAQT Championship, and placed 54th out of 128 in the National Championship.
- In 2009, the Monta Vista girls' soccer team defeated Palo Alto to win their first CCS title in 30 years.
- Starting with the class of 2009, Monta Vista has participated in We the People: The Citizen and the ConstitutionWe the People: The Citizen and the ConstitutionWe the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, is a yearly competition for American high school students held in Washington D.C. The competition is styled as a congressional hearing. Each team is divided up into six units, each composed of three or...
. Both in 2009 and 2010, the Monta Vista Team has reached the California State Finals. - In 2000, Monta Vista hosted the National Association of Student Councils conference.
- In 2001, Monta Vista's Math and Science Club won 2nd place in the USAMO represented by Stephen Guo.
- In April 2011, Monta Vista's newspaper El Estoque won two Best of Show awards and an Online Pacemaker AwardNational Pacemaker AwardsThe National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism."The National Scholastic...
at the National Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press AssociationThe National Scholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country...
Spring Journalism Convention at Anaheim, California.
Architecture
The majority of the school's buildings are built in the Spanish Mission architectural style. The school has been undergoing a multi-million dollar facilities modernization, with a new library, completed in late 2005, showcased in the center of campus. Small renovations, such as the fitting of metal doors in place of old wooden ones, were completed over the summer of 2006. The athletic facilities, such as the gymGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and locker rooms, have now completed renovation. A new school office has also been constructed.
Monta Vista is divided into four major structures. A Building holds most of the foreign languages. B Building has many science classrooms and language arts, with C Building holding many social sciences. D Building is a relatively new building, and has math and science classrooms and the Monta Vista Linux Lab, where computer programming classes are held. The F building is located on the opposite side of the campus, and has arts, performing arts, and industrial technology classes.
The Fremont Union High School District was given bond money from a county measure to undergo renovatons and improvements, including the installation of solar panels above the student parking lot and planting of AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
on the football field.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Monta Vista High School include:- Matthew AxelsonMatthew AxelsonSonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Gene Axelson was a United States Navy SEAL and Navy Cross recipient for his actions during Operation Red Wings.-Early life:...
, Navy SEAL killed in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and was awarded the Navy CrossNavy CrossThe Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for courage in the face of the enemy. - Brian HallBrian Hall (referee)Brian Hall is a former American soccer referee from northern California. He was a FIFA referee from 1992 until he retired in 2007 at the mandatory retirement age of 45. He refereed two games in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has also been named MLS Referee of the Year in 2003, 2005 2006, and 2007...
, World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and MLSMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
soccer referee - Daniel PuderDaniel PuderDaniel Puder is an American professional mixed martial artist, who is currently undefeated in MMA competition, holding a a record of eight wins and zero losses...
, professional wrestler New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it... - Dennis FongDennis FongDennis "Thresh" Fong is an entrepreneur and retired celebrity pro gamer. Fong has been called "the Michael Jordan of video games", a "Top 20 Entrepreneur Under 35" by Red Herring magazine, and voted as the "Top North American E-Sports Figure of All Time" by the E-Sports Entertainment Association,...
, former professional computer game player and gaming site webmasterWebmasterA webmaster , also called a web architect, web developer, site author, or website administrator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites...
. Co-founder of the XfireXfireXfire is a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers, that also serves as a game server browser and has various other features. It is currently available for Microsoft Windows. Xfire was originally developed by Ultimate Arena based in Menlo Park, California...
online messenger - Dylan FergusDylan FergusDylan John Fergus , is an American actor, producer and director. Dylan is currently a producer at On the River Entertainment. He is best known for his role as Noah Bennett on the daytime soap opera Passions.-Biography:Prior to Passions, he briefly portrayed the role of Tim Dillon on All My Children...
, actor - Justina Chen HeadleyJustina HeadleyJustina Chen Headley is a Taiwanese-American fiction writer. From 2007 to 2008, Justina toured across the US with Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Teter to promote her upcoming book, Girl Overboard, and the Go Overboard challenge grants co-sponsored by Youth Venture and Burton Snowboards...
, writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images.... - Paul KimPaul KimPaul Kim may refer to:* Paul Kim , CTO of Stanford University, School of Education* Paul Kim , Anglican bishop in Korea* Paul Kim , American classical pianist* Paul Kim, a contestant on American Idol...
, contestant on season 6 of American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment... - Robert RothbartRobert RothbartRobert Rothbart is a Bosnian-Israeli-Serbian professional basketball player playing the position of center for Union Olimpija.- Biography :Robert was born in Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of the former Yugoslavia...
, professional basketball player - Ron ReisRon ReisRonald Allen "Ron" Reis is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s as The Yeti and Reese.-World Championship Wrestling :...
, former WCWWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
wrestler - Ryan HancockRyan HancockRyan Lee Hancock is a retired professional baseball player who played 1 season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. He was one of two American League pitchers to get a hit during the 1996 season on June 9. The other AL pitcher to get a hit that year was Roger Clemens on May...
, professional baseball player for the California Angels - Sheryl JohnsonSheryl JohnsonSheryl Ann Johnson is a former field hockey player and coach from the United States. She grew up in Cupertino, CA, and attended Monta Vista High School...
, former Stanford field hockey coach and USA Field Hockey player of the year - Stephanie ShehStephanie ShehStephanie Ru-Phan Sheh is a Chinese-American voice actress, a writer, and a story editor who has worked for Geneon Entertainment, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, FUNimation Entertainment, and Viz Media...
, notable voice actor - Vance WalbergVance WalbergVance Walberg is an American basketball coach. He was previously the head men's basketball coach at Pepperdine University, and an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts. He is known for developing the dribble drive motion offense, sometimes known as the Memphis Attack, AASAA offense.On...
, Pepperdine UniversityPepperdine UniversityPepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
men's basketball coachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:... - Andrew MartinezAndrew MartinezLuis Andrew Martinez commonly known as Andrew Martinez, was an activist who achieved fame at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was known as the Naked Guy.-Early fame:...
, "The Naked Guy" at UC Berkeley - Kyle KingsburyKyle KingsburyKyle Loren Kingsbury is an American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. Currently, Kyle is signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championships , fighting in their light heavyweight division.- Early life :Kingsbury attended Monta...
, UFC fighter
Notable staff
- Petri Hawkins-ByrdPetri Hawkins-ByrdPetri Hawkins-Byrd is an American television personality known for his role as the bailiff on the television show Judge Judy...
, bailiff on the Judge JudyJudge JudyJudge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
television program, was a student counselor in the 1990s.