Sir Francis Drake High School
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Drake High School is a secondary school
located in San Anselmo, California
. It was named for English privateer
and naval hero Sir Francis Drake
, who purportedly landed in the area in 1579. The school's mascot
is a pirate named Petey.
The school was established in 1951 as the second high school in the Tamalpais Union High School District
. It is located at 1327 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
, situated on a 21 acre (85,000 m²) campus bordered by two creeks. The site was formerly known as Cordone Gardens. 2006-07 enrollment was 1,114 students.
Approximately 83% of Drake’s 2004 graduates continued on to higher education, 62% to 4-year universities and 21% to 2-year colleges.
’s Silver Crown Award
for high school newspapers in 1988.. The Jolly Roger has been a regular recipient of the Medalist rating, given to the top 5% among high school newspapers in its class in United States.
Sir Francis Drake High School is also known for having one of the first high school mountain biking teams.
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 San Anselmo, California
San Anselmo, California
San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, in the western United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet . It is located about north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, and Ross to the...
. It was named for English privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
and naval hero Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
, who purportedly landed in the area in 1579. The school's 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 pirate named Petey.
The school was established in 1951 as the second high school in the Tamalpais Union High School District
Tamalpais Union High School District
The Tamalpais Union High School District or TUHSD provides high school education to students residing in ten elementary districts in central and southern Marin County, California and parts of West Marin: Bolinas-Stinson Union, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Nicasio, Reed Union, Ross,...
. It is located at 1327 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an east–west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from just west of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula.It is named for the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, whose...
, situated on a 21 acre (85,000 m²) campus bordered by two creeks. The site was formerly known as Cordone Gardens. 2006-07 enrollment was 1,114 students.
Approximately 83% of Drake’s 2004 graduates continued on to higher education, 62% to 4-year universities and 21% to 2-year colleges.
Extracurricular activities
The school newspaper, the Jolly Roger is published almost every month. The 1986-87 edition was a winner of Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
’s Silver Crown Award
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs...
for high school newspapers in 1988.. The Jolly Roger has been a regular recipient of the Medalist rating, given to the top 5% among high school newspapers in its class in United States.
Sir Francis Drake High School is also known for having one of the first high school mountain biking teams.
Notable alumni
- Arj BarkerArj BarkerArjan Singh , known by the stage name Arj Barker, is an American stand-up comedian and actor from San Anselmo, California. He has toured in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. He was born to an engineer father and artist mother, and is half-Indian, half-European...
, comedian - Brad HargreavesBrad HargreavesBradley William Hargreaves is an American drummer. He is currently the drummer for the alternative bands Third Eye Blind and Year Long Disaster.- Career :...
, musician - Michael Rossman, FSMFree Speech MovementThe Free Speech Movement was a student protest which took place during the 1964–1965 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley under the informal leadership of students Mario Savio, Brian Turner, Bettina Aptheker, Steve Weissman, Art Goldberg, Jackie Goldberg, and...
activist & teacher - Alex ZettlAlex ZettlAlex Zettl is an American professor of experimental condensed-matter physics. His research involving the properties of novel materials have produced significant advances in the field.-Biography:...
, physicist - Edward NeumeierEdward NeumeierEdward Neumeier is an American screenwriter best known for his work on the science fiction movies RoboCop and Starship Troopers...
, screenwriter of RobocopRoboCopRoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
and Starship TroopersStarship TroopersStarship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his... - Lance AcordLance AcordLance Acord, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer.Acord was born in Marin County, California. He attended Sir Francis Drake High School's School Within A School program and went on to study photography and filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. He began his professional career with...
, cinematographer - Scott CapurroScott Capurro-Television appearances:-Stage appearances:-Personal life:In October 2006 Capurro purchased a flat in Bethnal Green and considers himself a London resident.-External links:* * *...
, actor, comedian, author - Terry BozzioTerry BozzioTerry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.-Biography:Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed...
, musician - Scott ThunesScott ThunesScott Thunes is a former bass player with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys and others....
, musician (Frank Zappa)
Notable faculty
- Archie WilliamsArchie WilliamsArchibald Franklin Williams was an African-American athlete and teacher, winner of 400 meter run at the 1936 Summer Olympics....
(May 1, 1915 – June 24, 1993), 1936 Olympics 400 meter Gold Medalist. - Albert L. Lavin, coauthor of Writing: Unit-Lessons In Composition series, 1965-1973.
- W. Keith MacNab, coauthor of Chemistry: Fundamentals and Principles, 1977.