Montgomery High School (Santa Rosa, California)
Encyclopedia
Montgomery High School is a public high school located in Santa Rosa, California
. It is part of the Santa Rosa High School District, which is itself part of Santa Rosa City Schools
. The current principal is Laurie A. Fong. Other information can be obtained at the official Montgomery High School website. Montgomery is a magnet school
known for its strong academics, award-winning faculty, and athletics.
Montgomery High School was named after Bill Montgomery. Montgomery is considered the first person from the city of Santa Rosa to have died in World War II
. William "Billy" Montgomery was killed at Pearl Harbor
on December 7, 1941 while serving aboard the USS California
. The school was established in 1958 and is located on 1250 Hahman Drive. The school mascot is the Viking
.
Montgomery participates in the International Baccalaureate Organization
as an IB World School, providing the IB Diploma Programme
as well as the full complement of classes available to juniors and seniors. Montgomery High School has been an IB World School since July 1995.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,906 students and 84.1 classroom teachers (on a FTE
basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 22.7.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Montgomery was recognized as a California Distinguished School
by the California Department of Education
in 1990.
team plays matches under the categories of women's singles, men's singles, women's doubles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles. The team competes during the spring in matches against schools such as Santa Rosa High School. During the Badminton season of 2007 to 2008, the team was undefeated. The team has placed first in the league from 2007-2010 as well.
. Fitchie has been coaching at Montgomery for 25 years and is second on the all time wins list for North Bay League coaches.Montgomery has been a basketball powerhouse the last ten years. The team won the 2011 North Coast Section championship game.
Club is a club offers opportunities for students interested in learning to cube to get one-on-one training with students who already know the secrets of the cube and are willing to patiently teach their skills. The club meets at lunch on Thursdays in room 75.
. This has encouraged many of her students to correct possessive and contraction errors when they arise. To join the apostrophe club a student must receive two consecutive perfect scores on a series of apostrophe quizzes. Inductees are given a special pencil engraved with the legend "Ms. Butler's Apostrophe Club."
club, and became a part of the ComedySportZ High School League. The team competed in the High School League Tournament in San Jose, CA in 2007 and 2008, and had a total of 10 games at MHS. Montgomery is the only high school in Sonoma County, California
that a ComedySportZ club, and is one of the few teams in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
. Comedysportz is now one of the most recognized clubs on campus, as well as one of the most popular ones.
, Chinese, and French
. Latin
and German
are available in later years.
Montgomery also has a Performing Arts department. Multiple shows are put on a year,usually a Drama in the Fall, Comedy in the Spring and generally a Musical in between. Shows such as Arthur Millers "The Crucible" and Neil Simons' "Rumors" have been put on at Montgomery's small but successful theater. Musicals such as "The Music Man", "Kiss Me Kate", "Guys and Dolls" and others have been put on as well. Montgomery's Drama Department was chosen from more than 2,000 nominated high school programs as one of 48 schools to represent the United States and Canada at the prestigious Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, in Summer 2011.
(source: California Department of Education)
In the 2010 Administrator Awards, the Sonoma County Office of Education named Fong High School Principal of the Year and White Vice Principal of the Year.
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. It is part of the Santa Rosa High School District, which is itself part of Santa Rosa City Schools
Santa Rosa City Schools
Santa Rosa City Schools are the combination of two school districts in Santa Rosa, California: the Santa Rosa Elementary School District and the Santa Rosa High School District...
. The current principal is Laurie A. Fong. Other information can be obtained at the official Montgomery High School website. Montgomery is a magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
known for its strong academics, award-winning faculty, and athletics.
Montgomery High School was named after Bill Montgomery. Montgomery is considered the first person from the city of Santa Rosa to have died in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. William "Billy" Montgomery was killed at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on December 7, 1941 while serving aboard the USS California
USS California (BB-44)
USS California , a Tennessee-class battleship, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 31st state. Beginning as the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, she served in the Pacific her entire career. She was sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor at her moorings in Battleship Row,...
. The school was established in 1958 and is located on 1250 Hahman Drive. The school mascot is the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
.
Montgomery participates in the International Baccalaureate Organization
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...
as an IB World School, providing the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
as well as the full complement of classes available to juniors and seniors. Montgomery High School has been an IB World School since July 1995.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,906 students and 84.1 classroom teachers (on a FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 22.7.
Awards and recognition
During the 1990-91 school year, Montgomery High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Montgomery was recognized as a California Distinguished School
California Distinguished School
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a selection...
by the California Department of Education
California Department of Education
The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The department oversees funding and testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement...
in 1990.
Athletics
Montgomery also has a very strong athletic program and has had regional winning teams in most of the sports throughout the years.Cross Country
Possibly Montgomery’s most continuously successful sport, the Viking’s distance squad has sent at least one representative to the state championship meet every year for the past decade. Starting in 1982, with the a group of seniors on the JV team that beat Cardinal Newman in the NBL's, other titles continued from there. The 2000 Girls team took the state title, led by top individual finisher Sara Bei (now professional runner and Olympic hopeful Sara Hall). Alongside current coach Val Sell, the Vikings have successfully signed at least one runner every year to a high- caliber Div. I school and continue to successfully develop strong-minded and determined athletes. “Our sport is your sports punishment.” 2011 senior Julie Nacouzi raced at the 2011 IAAF World Junior Cross-Country Championships in Spain.Badminton
The Montgomery badmintonBadminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
team plays matches under the categories of women's singles, men's singles, women's doubles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles. The team competes during the spring in matches against schools such as Santa Rosa High School. During the Badminton season of 2007 to 2008, the team was undefeated. The team has placed first in the league from 2007-2010 as well.
Football
Jason Franci has coached the Vikings for 37 years, compiling a 207-100-8 record career record. In the last eleven seasons, the team has won three NCS Championships, the most recent being in the 2004-2005 year. From 2000 to 2004 Montgomery played in four of five NCS Championship games, winning in 2000 and 2004.Men's Basketball
The team has won the NBL championship three times in the last ten years. The Varsity basketball team is coached by Tom Fitchie who is in the sports hall of fame at Sonoma State UniversitySonoma State University
Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...
. Fitchie has been coaching at Montgomery for 25 years and is second on the all time wins list for North Bay League coaches.Montgomery has been a basketball powerhouse the last ten years. The team won the 2011 North Coast Section championship game.
Women's Basketball
The team consistently vies for the North Bay League championship and has made it to the league tournament championship game three years in a row (2009-2011). The Lady Vikes also regularly compete in the North Coast Section and in 2010 advanced to the CIF State Tournament. The Varsity team is coached by Steve Bell, who also starred at Montgomery as a player.Men's Tennis
Coached by Paul Cornwall since the team's inception, Montgomery's Men's Tennis has been a consistent NBL Championship contender for the last decade. Cornwall has proven to be a gracious, honest and dedicated coach and mentor to advanced players and novices alike, some of whom have never before picked up a racket. The team is known for the depth of its players' lunges and is infamous for its non-traditional "BALLS!" pre-match rally cry. Important is the fact that Cornwall continues to lead a traditionally side-lined sports team to league championships year after year. Like many of Montgomery High School's coaches, he has made a lasting impression on high school athletes and on Sonoma County athletics alike.Volleyball
The volleyball program consists of a junior varsity and a varsity team. They are doing very well this year, as well as in past years.Clubs
Montgomery has a diverse collection of clubs, most of which are student run with teachers as advisors.Rubik's Cube Club
Montgomery's Rubik's CubeRubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
Club is a club offers opportunities for students interested in learning to cube to get one-on-one training with students who already know the secrets of the cube and are willing to patiently teach their skills. The club meets at lunch on Thursdays in room 75.
Journalism Club
Montgomery's Journalism Club produces a student-run newspaper that can be viewed online herehttp://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/newspaperid/3072/Default.aspx. The Viking View has won numerous regional and national awards.Ms. Butler's Apostrophe Club
Ms. Butler, an English teacher, started this club in order to educate students in the proper use of the apostropheApostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
. This has encouraged many of her students to correct possessive and contraction errors when they arise. To join the apostrophe club a student must receive two consecutive perfect scores on a series of apostrophe quizzes. Inductees are given a special pencil engraved with the legend "Ms. Butler's Apostrophe Club."
ComedySportZ Club
In 2005, Brandon Keeton and Mike Marqua started the ComedysportzComedySportz
ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
club, and became a part of the ComedySportZ High School League. The team competed in the High School League Tournament in San Jose, CA in 2007 and 2008, and had a total of 10 games at MHS. Montgomery is the only high school in Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
that a ComedySportZ club, and is one of the few teams in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The North Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The largest city is Santa Rosa. It is by far the least populous and least urbanized part of the Bay Area...
. Comedysportz is now one of the most recognized clubs on campus, as well as one of the most popular ones.
Classes
Electives include Appreciation of the Arts, where students study film and art history, Guitar, and more. Languages available for all students are SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Chinese, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
are available in later years.
Montgomery also has a Performing Arts department. Multiple shows are put on a year,usually a Drama in the Fall, Comedy in the Spring and generally a Musical in between. Shows such as Arthur Millers "The Crucible" and Neil Simons' "Rumors" have been put on at Montgomery's small but successful theater. Musicals such as "The Music Man", "Kiss Me Kate", "Guys and Dolls" and others have been put on as well. Montgomery's Drama Department was chosen from more than 2,000 nominated high school programs as one of 48 schools to represent the United States and Canada at the prestigious Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, in Summer 2011.
2010-2011
- 1,745 students:
Hispanic African American Asian Pacific Islander White, non-Hispanic Multiracial American Indian 31.6% 2.9% 5.7% 0.5% 52.5% 4.2% 1.4%
(source: California Department of Education)
Administrative Staff
For the academic year 2011-2012- Laurie Fong - 6th year as Principal, previously Vice Principal
- Christopher White - 6th year as Vice Principal, formerly teacher at Allen High School
- Janice Smith-Billing - 10th year as Assistant Principal, previously Assistant Principal at Piner & Allen High schools
- Mitchell Carter - 4th year as Assistant Principal, formerly principal at Rancho Cotate High SchoolRancho Cotate High SchoolRancho Cotate High School "The Ranch" for short, is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Rohnert Park, California. It is located at 5450 Snyder Lane, adjacent to the campus of Sonoma State University....
from 2000–2005 and American High SchoolAmerican High School (Fremont, California)American High School is a public secondary school located in Fremont, California. It is one of five public high schools within the Fremont Unified School District. The school receives its students through the American High School attendance area boundary set by the district...
in Fremont, CA 2005-2008
In the 2010 Administrator Awards, the Sonoma County Office of Education named Fong High School Principal of the Year and White Vice Principal of the Year.
Notable alumni
- Melba Pattillo BealsMelba Pattillo BealsMelba Pattillo Beals is a journalist and member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who were the first to integrate Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas.-Desegregating Central High:...
(1941-), member of the Little Rock NineLittle Rock NineThe Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then...
, a group of African-American students who were the first to integrate Little Rock Central High School; Attended Montgomery for her senior year. - Nancy Ling PerryNancy Ling PerryNancy Ling Perry also known as Nancy Devote, Lynn Ledworth, and Fahizah was an American member of the Symbionese Liberation Army.-Background:...
(1947–1974), member of the Symbionese Liberation ArmySymbionese Liberation ArmyThe Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
. - Mel GrayMel Gray (wide receiver)Melvin Dean Gray is a former National Football League wide receiver for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1971 to 1982. He attended Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, California, the football standout was also a track and field star...
(1948- ), Wide Receiver for the St. Louis CardinalsArizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1971-1982. - Mark IllsleyMark IllsleyMark Illsley is a film director best known for writing and directing the film Happy, Texas, which starred William H. Macy and Steve Zahn, and directing Bookies....
(1958- ), writer & director of Happy, TexasHappy, Texas (film)Happy, Texas is a comedy film released in 1999 directed by Mark Illsley, and starring Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam and William H. Macy.- Plot :... - Scott WareScott WareScott Ware is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
(1983- ), Former Safety from USCUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and the practice squad of the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... - Kahlil BellKahlil BellKahlil Bell is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at UCLA.-Personal life:Kahlil was born to his parents Michael and Elizabeth Bell...
(1986- ), Running back for the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL. Attended Montgomery for freshman and sophomore years. - Koa MisiKoa Misi-Miami Dolphins:On September 19, 2010—Misi's second career game in the NFL—he recovered a Brett Favre fumble in the endzone for a touchdown giving the Dolphins a 14-0 lead. Misi also had two tackles, helping the Dolphins to go 2-0 on the season.-External links:**...
(1987- ), Outside linebacker for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Dan HicksDan HicksDan Hicks is the name of:*Dan Hicks , singer and musician*Dan Hicks , sportscaster*Dan Hicks , British historical archaeologist/anthropologist*Dan Hicks , American actor...
(1941- ) Singer in Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks and The Charatans
See also
- List of school districts in Sonoma County, California
- List of Sonoma County high schools
- Vikings