Milpitas High School
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| Headmaster and Prior | Dr. Charles Gary |
| Deputy Headmaster (Seniors) | Mr. Kenneth Schlaff |
| Deputy Headmaster (Juniors) | Mr. Casey McMurray |
| Deputy Headmaster (Sophomores) | Ms. Cheryl Rivera |
| Deputy Headmaster (Freshmen) | Ms. Joann Vaars |
| Visitor and Patron | The Honorable Jose Esteves, Mayor of Milpitas |
| Student Body President (current) | Brian Tran |
| School type | Public |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Location | Milpitas, California |
| Enrollment | 2,914 |
| Anthem | "Milpitas Alma Mater Dear" |
| Fight Song | "Notre Dame Victory March" |
| Faculty | 130 certified personnel, 55 classified personnel |
| Campus surroundings | Suburban, upper middle-class |
| Advanced Placement Courses | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, French Language, French Literature, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, English language, US History, Computer Science, Studio Art |
| Honors classes | English, Pre-calculus, Chemistry |
| Student Legislature | The Student Congress of Milpitas High School |
| Student Newspaper | The Union |
| Yearbook | The Saga |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| School Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Address | 1285 Escuela Parkway Milpitas, CA 95035 |
| Website | www.musd.org |
Milpitas High School (MHS) is a public four-year comprehensive high school in Milpitas, California, a suburban community with a population of 61,000, adjacent to San Jose and close to Oakland and San Francisco. It is one of three high schools in the City of Milpitas. (The other two schools are Calaveras Hills High School and Airpoint Academy, which are continuation high schools.)
Milpitas High School is run by the Milpitas Unified School District. Dr. Charles Gary is the headmaster of the school and serves as the prior (chief) of the school's instructors. The Mayor of Milpitas is ex officio the visitor and patron of the school.
As of 2004, Milpitas High School had an API score of 722 and had a API ranking of 8 out of 10. Also in 2004, MHS was granted a full, six year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Strong emphasis in the curriculum is placed on mathematics, science, writing, and the use of technology.
Milpitas High School simultaneously strives to be one of the leading schools in the technology-savvy Silicon Valley. It seeks to achieve the highest levels of distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding, and in the education of its students.
The school provides its students with academic, extracurricular and other resources — in a community committed to diversity in its student body, faculty and staff — that help them achieve at the highest scholarly levels and prepare them for positions of leadership and lives of service in many fields of human endeavor. The school also has strong links with research institutions and with business and industry, both in the United States and overseas. Milpitas High School's modern and well-equipped facilities are spread across a spacious campus, with easy access to cafes and restaurants in close proximity. The school offers a wide variety of subjects in flexible academy and program structures.
Through the scholarship and teaching of its faculty, and the many contributions to society of its alumni, Milpitas High School seeks to fulfill a line from her alma mater: "And through the years our pledge will be to honor our community."
[edit] Predecessors
Milpitas High School was directly preceded by Samuel Ayer High School. A continuum of education had existed in what is now the City of Milpitas since the Spanish colonial era, only to be interrupted by brief periods from 1848-1858 upon the secularization of the Californian missions, and 1954-1959, in which James Lick High School in the nearby city of San Jose became the high school for Milpitas residents. Upon the final restoration of local secondary education in 1959, a classical education in Latin Grammar and English Literature ceased to be the norm, and a modern curriculum was implemented, of which forms the basis of the curriculum for the present high school. Milpitas High School co-existed with Samuel Ayer High School from 1969, until the latter closed its doors in 1980, leaving Milpitas High School to be the sole remaining high school.
The predecessors of Milpitas High School are:
- Mission San José de Guadalupe (1797-1848)
First interruption period, 1848-1856
- Laguna School (1856-1858)
- Milpitas Grammar School (1858-1954)
Second interruption period, 1954-1959
- James Lick High School (1954-1959)
Restoration to Milpitas
- Samuel Ayer High School (1959-1969; co-existed until 1980)
[edit] Campus
Milpitas High School is located on Escuela Parkway in Milpitas, north of Jacklin Road. The eastern side of the school is the main entrance and student drop-off area, and the western side consists of a football stadium, track, and mural of Milpitas High School's mascot, the Trojan. The newly constructed math and science wing has two stories and offers new tools and facilities for student use.
Milpitas High School has many facilities for athletic use. The school has a swimming pool. Also, the football field is built of artificial turf, and the synthetic rubber track was built only a few years ago. Since its beginnings, Milpitas High has been renovated and improved, with new buildings and facilities being added for school use. Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School is adjacent to Milpitas High School's east side, and Thomas Russell Middle School is just north of the high school.
[edit] Mission statement
"The mission of Milpitas High School is to provide a comprehensive educational program that addresses the needs of a diverse community, promotes an attitude of academic excellence, and reinforces the belief in the dignity of all humanity."
[edit] Programs
There are three programs at Milpitas High School. They are the:-
- Tutorial Program (English, Spanish, History, Biology);
- Service Learning Program; and the
- Workability Program.
[edit] Academic Departments
There are 14 academic departments, each headed by a Chair.
- Business
- ELD-PFEL
- Fine and Performing Arts
- Foreign Language
- Home Economics
- Industrial Technology
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- NJROTC
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- CCOC/ROP
[edit] Committees
There are two committees to enrich development at Milpitas School:
- Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA)
- School Site Council
The President of the PTSA is Ms. Machelle Kessinger and the Secretary of the School Site Council is Ms. Sachi Ishida.
[edit] Graduation Requirements
Students must complete 220 credits, including:
- English- 40 credits
- Social Studies- 35 credits
- Math- 30 credits
- Science- 20 credits
- Physical Education- 20 credits
- Fine Arts, Foreign Language, or Humanities- 10 credits
- Electives- 65 credits
Milpitas High School additionally requires 20 hours of community service for a high school diploma.
[edit] Athletics and extracurricular activities
Milpitas High School recognizes the importance of a rich campus culture and leading a balanced social life. Milpitas High School's official athletic team is the Trojans. The cross country and track teams rank as one of the best in the Central California Division. The Milpitas Trojans rival those of Piedmont Hills High School and Independence High School, both in neighboring San Jose, California. The school colors are blue and gold, which are also reflected in the City of Milpitas' official city seal.
On December 2, 2006 The Milpitas High School Football team made MHS history by winning the CCS Championship for the first time. They competed against Piedmont Hills High School, beating them 39-21. This was the second time Milpitas High School made it to the CCS division. First time was in 1993, the lost to Leland High school 35-0.
The Saga, the yearbook of Milpitas High School, is now in its 26th year of publication. It has won first place for large publications at the Capital Journalism Day held in Sacramento by the Journalism Education Association of Northern California.
Milpitas High School annually hosts the Trojan Olympics, a friendly competition between the class grades. The class of '07 has won for two consecutive years.
The Tri-M Honor Society hosts a film festival every year around May, where students submit films that they have created. Milpitas High School has recently become well known for its student's efforts in the film production field. In 2006, groups like Westscape Productions, and freshSQUEEZED Productions emerged as the leading film crews at MHS.
[edit] "Clogs"
Unique to campus lexicon is the word "clogs", which means "clubs and organizations".
Every year, as new clogs arise, all clogs participate in "CLOG Rush" for a two day event at lunch to attract freshmen, old and new members to their clog.
As of March 2006, Milpitas High School boasts 57 clogs.
Interact, VSA (Vietnamese Student Association), PUSO (Pilipino United Student Organization) and Chinese Club are the top four clogs on campus. The latter three clogs' membership rates are due to the many Vietnamese, Filipino and Chinese students at the school.
Chinese Club and VSA host a Lunar show every year. The show consists of many performances that promotes Asian culture in the school.
The Pilipino United Student Organization (PUSO) also hosts a cultural show every year, including PCN (Pilipino Cultural Night), PHAT (Pilipino Heritage And Tradition) and Brown Out, a spoken word, poetry slam show. The Pilipino United Student Organization also hosted a group of exchange students from one of Milpitas's sister cities, Dagupan City, located in the northern part of the Philippines during the spring of 2006. The organization also partakes in helping World War II veterans.
New clogs may be chartered; new clogs of 2006 include: Kids on the grass, Indie Club, Cue 8 Ballers Club, Book Club, Comics Club, and Physics Club.
The current CLOG commissioners are Tiffany Le, Grace Tseng, and Hemal Patel.
[edit] Music department
Milpitas High School is the site of the annual festival Music in the Parks, hosted by the school's award-winning marching band, the Milpitas High School Marching Band.
The marching band's traditional rival is the Bella Vista Marching Band. The rivalry has escalted in recent years after the Milpiats High School Marching Band came within 000.3 points of beating Bella Vista in a fieldshow competition. To add insult to injury, it was announced incorrectly that Bella Vista had placed second, which lead many Milpitas kids to believe they had actually won, before the correct placings were announced. Many Milpitas high students still maintain to this day that they were "robbed" by a less hardworking and less deserving band.
For the 2006 Marching Band Season, the band is doing a field show with a Grease theme.
The band took sweepstakes at the Pismo Beach Central Coast Classic on October 28, 2006. This marked the first time Milpitas High had won a sweepstakes award in a field show competition.
[edit] Navy Junior ROTC
A sizeable percentage of students at MHS belong to the Navy Junior ROTC program. Milpitas High School's NJROTC drill teams are well known and distinguished for their record in competitions within the Bay Area. Additionally, they go on many field trips, and are frequently visited by representatives of the navy.
[edit] Student Bank
The Student Bank is where students can purchase numerous items, including parking permits, yearbooks, ID cards, P.E. uniforms, dance tickets, and Associated Student Body (ASB) stickers. The Bank is open daily before school, during break, lunch and 30 minutes after school.
[edit] Trojan Lowdown
The Trojan Lowdown was a TV Video Production that served as the MHS Daily News Announcements covering items such as upcoming student activities, any changes in schedules, club, class or athletic information, etc. The announcements produced on the Trojan Lowdown were meant to help keep students informed. Mr. Champ Wrencher is the faculty advisor for the TV Video Production class. The name "Trojan Lowdown" was unanimously chosen by the class after student Daniel Tong (c/o 2002) randomly submitted it thinking that it wouldn't be chosen. Little did he know that the name would remain until now.
As of the 2006-2007 school year, the "Trojan Lowdown" no longer does the announcements, and the intercom will once again be employed for morning announcements. Instead, the Trojan Lowdown is doing a monthly show in a video journal format and has been dubbed "The New Trojan Lowdown". So far this school year (06-07 as of last edit), the New Trojan Lowdown has been a great success compared to the old one. Many students on campus now look forward to seeing new episodes. This is mostly because the "boring" announcements are gone and are now replaced with hilarious skits and music videos. A factor that made the old Trojan Lowdown bland was that the sound never broadcast properly, but was fixed this year by Nikolaus B Lindberg who noticed that there were mistakes made in the setting of the mixer and on the sound compresser. Nik has also operated sound every episode this year in fear of the setting being messed up. Nik has also fixed many things technical for the Trojan Lowdown, ex. the A output on video mixer is out of commission, and has now self proclaimed himself as "the Technical Director of the Trojan Lowdown".The Current stars, Justin Amador and DJ, agreed that the new trojan lowdown is mutch better then the old one. Justin is currently greeted every day with fans, and DJ is constently being ask for autographs.
[edit] Demographics
Milpitas High School is one of the most ethnically diverse schools in the South Bay. About 130 ethnic and national minority groups are represented in the student populace. A total of 1414 students have a primary language other than English at Milpitas High School. More than half of the students are of Vietnamese and Filipino American descent. Other Asian Pacific American (APA) groups in order of population include Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans, Polynesian Americans, and Hmong Americans. According to school statistics, 40% is Asian (non-Filipino descent, but including South Asians and non-Filipino Southeast Asians), 20% is Filipino (including those with East Asian descent), which brings the total population to 60% Asian Pacific American. Almost 17% of the student body is Hispanic American, about 15% is white, and approximately 4% is African American. As of 2006, Milpitas High School has an enrollment of 2,914 students.
The word "Yick", used around the Asian Pacific American community in the Silicon Valley area, reportedly derives from the student jargon used at Milpitas High School. "Yick" is a portmanteau of the words "yellow" and "hick", and denotes Americans of Asian descent living in a provincial or small-town setting. The word has become obsolete in the city of Milpitas, because the rapid increase in population and development within the last decade can no longer justify the use of the term. However, the term sustains in more rural areas, especially nearby cities like Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Milpitas High School is often criticized by many students for having no East Asian language classes in the Foreign Language department for a majority Asian Pacific American institution. Currently, both French (Standard Parisian) and Spanish (Castilian and Latin American) are being offered at both introductory and advanced levels. Petitions have been passed around by students demanding classes in ancestral tongues, such as Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese, citing that they are offered at other local high schools in the South Bay. Faculty have repeatedly defended the Foreign Language department, saying that not enough money goes into that department. Some students have called for the school administration to drop classes in French while retaining Spanish as "French is not spoken here". However, that is not true, as Milpitas High School has a sizeable European immigrant community, mostly from French or Slavic speaking countries, and sustains a small Quebecois minority from Canada as well.
Many students of Asian Pacific American descent feel that the school has prolonged the excuse for no East Asian language classes. These students are apathetic toward the welfare of the small European immigrant population, and feel that representation for the majority community (immigrant and non-immigrant Asian Pacific Americans) is long overdue.
[edit] Unique customs and traditions
Stated below are the customs and traditions accumulated over the years; they may not reflect the current customs and traditions of Milpitas High School:
- Seniors by tradition lunch in the Senior Glen, and violating Juniors and Underclassmen are usually subjected to being placed atop an overturned trash can then mocked. Instructors who are monitoring the premises typically turn a blind eye to such maltreatment unless brute force is used by the Seniors. This tradition seems to have ceased since the glen is now largely abandoned by the Seniors.
- In the same respect, Juniors by tradition lunch in the atrium. Violating Seniors stand against the wall and are then pelted with empty milk cartons. This also seems to have been lost in time. Today, those of immigrant origin hang out in the atrium and because of this it's now called scrap hill after the gang, the "Scraps".
- Band members by tradition hang out in front of the Theatre or across from the band room. No penalties exist for attempting to hang out with them.
- The card game Thirteen is the unofficial game of the campus. You can catch students playing this game all over the campus during lunch and breaks (and sometimes in class).
- The word "Teacher" was frowned upon. "Instructor" or "Lecturer" was considered more proper and was formerly used. This tradition was turned down in recent years, and students are beginning to call instructors by their surnames.
- Foreign language instructors are addressed by their respective titles in the foreign language they teach. For example, a French language instructor is addressed as "Madame" or "Monsieur".
- Formally in the institution, Milpitas High School has a Headmaster and four Deputy Headmasters for each grade following in the tradition of the historic Milpitas Grammar School, one of Milpitas High School's predecessors. However, in the common day to day usage, the Headmaster is addressed as "Principal" and the Deputy Headmasters as "Vice-Principal". The majority of Milpitas High School students go about their secondary education without knowing that their "Principal" is actually a "Headmaster".
- In addition to being Headmaster, the "Principal" is also the Prior of the Lecturers, meaning he or she is the Chief Instructor and Head of all Instructors at MHS.
- On Halloween, many students go to a place in the foothills of the Diablo Range called Marsh Road in an attempt to see the ghost of a young girl murdered by her boyfriend, a former Milpitas High School student.
- The Senior Chant is a rhyme chanted by the Seniors at all pep rallies. They are typically bawdy and may contain sexual references. One such example was the Senior Chant for the graduating class of 2001. "The sex was great, the sex was fun, we are the class of 2001!"
- Each year, there is a "Trojan Olympics" which is a friendly competition between all four grades. It's worth noting that the seniors almost always win by bribing the judges. One year, a freshman was actually beat up during a game by some seniors.
- The top student, or "specialist" in each classroom is sent as a delegate to the Student Congress of Milpitas High School.
- Given the pattern for many years, the valedictorian is always accepted into Stanford University.
- The swim team uses a fictional word, "engower", in its cheer. This is so that it rhymes with the next line. Also, "trojans" is wrongly spelled in the cheer because the "a" does not fit the rhythmic pattern.
- Senior Cut Day is a day when Milpitas High School Seniors cut on the date due to their graduating year. For example, 2001 graduates cut on 1/1/2001, 2002 graduates cut on 2/2/2002, and so on.
- Freshmen are called "freshmeat" by the upper classmen, and in jest many freshmen refer to themselves as such.
- SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) period is after lunch and before 5th period for all classes. This period of time students are forced to read, and many students cut this part of class or find some other way out.
[edit] Graduates and dentistry
Over the past few years, MHS has produced several dental students. Currently, two graduates from the Class of 2002 are attending the UCLA School of Dentistry. Another graduate from the same class is attending the USC School of Dentistry. One graduate from the Class of 2001 is attending the UCLA School of Dentistry. Another graduate from the Class of 2001 is attending the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.
[edit] School pranks
Although Milpitas High School has a relatively low juvenile delinquency rate when compared to many other high schools within Santa Clara County, it has been the center and site of notorious student pranks by previous graduating senior classes. Students have pushed a car into the swimming pool, released stolen livestock on the campus, hacked into the computer system to upload a virus, chopped down trees, super-glued door locks closed, vandalizing the class of 2000's cars during graduation practice, sprayed the lawn with grasskiller in a very "unique" shape (which was later turned into an elephant by the band director due to visiting schools during the annual Music in the Parks Festival), and stacked lunch tables into a pyramid.
[edit] School anthem
The Milpitas High School Alma Mater song was co-written by former music department instructors Wesley Robbins and Tim Bakken.
"Milpitas Alma Mater Dear,
All your praises now we cheer.
And through the years our pledge will be
To honor your community.
Cultural diversity
You bring forth with dignity.
Milpitas with your banner bold,
We will love your blue and gold."
[edit] External links
- Milpitas Unified School District website
- Milpitas High School website
- Milpitas High School Alumni
- Milpitas High School Digital Business Academy
- Milpitas High School Interact Club
- Milpitas High School JROTC
- Milpitas High School Leo Club
- Milpitas High School Music Department
- Milpitas High School Sousaphone Section
- Milpitas High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association
- Video of Milpitas High School marching band's performance from the Independence Invitational
