Saratoga High School
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| Official name: | Saratoga High School |
|---|---|
| Established: | 1959 |
| Principal: | Jeff Anderson |
| Location: | Saratoga, California |
| Website: | SaratogaHigh.org |
| Enrollment: | 1350 (2006-2007) |
| Mascot: | Falcons |
| School colors: | Scarlet (primary), Navy Blue, Grey |
Saratoga High School is a high school in Saratoga, California, United States, part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. The school is jointly accredited by the California Department of Education and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Student enrollment averages around 1350.
A proposed Performing Arts and Lecture Center, a community facility, was recently completed on the campus. It was originally planned for the early 1960's but construction was postponed and the funds used for sesmic upgrades to the Los Gatos campus. Public and private funds were raised 40 years later and it was scheduled to open in early-2004, but budget and construction delays pushed the completion date back to August, 2005. The naming right is now leased to the Santa Clara-based McAfee.
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[edit] Academics and activities
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Saratoga High is locally known for its rigorous academic program. 98% of graduates go on to college or technical school. In 2005, 98% of the students took the SAT with a mean of 1283. In 2006, 908 AP exams were taken with 89% receiving qualifying scores. 23% of the class of 2007 were semifinalists or commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program [1]. In 2003, the school's California State Academic Performance Index (API) score was 911, the leading score among all comprehensive public schools in the State of California. The school's 2005 API score was 914 [2]. Its long time athletic rival is Los Gatos High School and its academic rivals are Mission San Jose High School, Gunn High School and Monta Vista High School. Many of Saratoga's alumni have gone on in droves to UC schools, Ivy League schools and other top schools. It is common for students to apply to Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Harvard University, and MIT.
The school's official newspaper The Saratoga Falcon is published approximately bi-weekly by two staffs lead by journalism adviser Michael Tyler.
The Saratoga High School marching band currently has 190+ members who recently competed in the WBA Championships this year and advanced into finals competition where they placed 9th in State.
At the 2005 National Grade Level Chess Championships in Houston, the 9th graders were national champions and the 10th graders took second [3]. At the 2006 National High School Chess Championships in Milwaukee, the school chess team placed 3rd out of more than 50 teams from across the nation. The team's top player defeated the reigning world champion under 16 on Board 1 [4] and won 4th place out of more than 1400 players. The golf team has won six league titles in the last seven years, and is currently on a five-year winning streak. The tennis team won the league title in 2006. The badminton team held the league title for three consecutive years, from 2003 to 2005. Because of neighbor complaints, football lights have been slow to come to Saratoga High's football field until recently. In the past, the team has had to play at Los Gatos High School.
[edit] Scandals
On May 9, 1997, a junior revealed to her peers the essay questions of an Advanced Placement examination before it was given that day. The student received the information from a contact in Singapore, who had taken the test at an earlier time. When news of the leak later reached the Educational Testing Service, they gave students the options of (a) retaking the test, (b) cancelling their submission for a refund, or (c) receiving a score with only the multiple choice graded.[1]
In the summer of 2002, an assistant principal was arrested on charges of "soliciting sexual favors" from a junior boy who attended the school. He pled no contest and did not return to the school the following year.[2]
In January 2004, a comprehensive cheating scandal was discovered. The matter received national news coverage due to the extensive and technically advanced cheating methods employed, such as using a keylogger to steal teachers' passwords and change grades. While only a small number of students were involved in the scandal, the school has since been subjected to negative press concerning its competitive atmosphere. Eight students involved were suspended.[3][4]
One of the eight students was later arrested for allegedly plotting to bomb the campus as an act of revenge. The sophomore allegedly stole "bomb-making materials from a chemistry lab" at the school and was apprehended during a break-in of the school's science building on January 16, 2004.[5] [6] The student was subsequently expelled from the school.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Steven Spielberg - 1965 - Spielberg has said that the school was the "worst ever experience" of his life and "hell on Earth", and he claimed to have experienced anti-Semitism during his year there (1964-1965).[7]
- Paul Magid - 1972 - Co-founder of the juggling and theatre troupe "The Flying Karamozov Brothers"
- Roger Bamford - 1973 - Principal Architect, Oracle Corporation
- Zach Gill, Dan Lebowitz and Steve Adams, members of the Animal Liberation Orchestra band are all alumni from the class of 1993.
- Vienna Teng - 1996 - popular singer-songwriter
- Lance Guest - 1978 - Actor best known for his role as Alex Rogan in 1984's "The Last Starfighter".
- Arturo Fallico - 1971 - Artist and Special Educator.
- Ed Solomon - Actor, Director, Writer and Producer. Wrote Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Charlie's Angels among others.
- Mike Gurley - Singer-Songwriter and Guitar player for dada.
- Patricia Miranda - Bronze medalist in wrestling in the summer 2004 Olympics
- Bill Haselman - Major League Baseball player for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox,and Detroit Tigers.
- Lee Hancock - Major League Baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Carrie Steinseifer - 1986 - Gold Medal in swimming - 100meter freestyle at 1984 Olympics
[edit] Principals
- Vernon Trimble (1959-?)
- Kevin Skelly (1997-2004)
- Bill Richter (interim) (2004-2005)
- Harry Bettencourt (interim) (2005)
- Jeff Anderson (2005-)
[edit] Assistant Principals
- Gerald Zapelli (1959-?)
- Karen Hyde (1990-)
- John Martin Nichols (2000-2002)
- Dan Fowler (2002-2003)
- Brian Safine (2003-2005)
- Gail Wasserman (2004-)
- Markus Autrey (2005-2006)
- Joe Bosco (2006-)
[edit] Notes
- ^ "SHS students can retake 'contaminated' AP quiz". Saratoga News, June 4, 1997.
- ^ "Ex-Saratoga High School assistant principal faces sex charges". Saratoga News, July 24, 2002.
- ^ Toth, Lisa. "Eight Saratoga High students are suspended for cheating incidents", Saratoga News, 2004-01-28. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ Gaura, Maria Alicia, Alan Gathright. "Saratoga High cheating scandal gets uglier; Teen arrested in theft of lab chemicals; friend held for alleged threats to principal", The San Francisco Chronicle, 2004-02-05, pp. A17.
- ^ Ngo, My, Lisa Toth. "Police arrest student on campus with bomb materials", Saratoga News, 2004-02-04. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ "Saratoga High student believed to have plotted to blow up school", The Associated Press State & Local Wire, 2004-01-31.
- ^ "Uneven Steven". Metro, May 29 - June 4, 1997.
[edit] External links
- Saratoga High School
- Saratoga High Test Scores / College Acceptance Statistics, pages 8-10
- Saratoga High School Satellite Image (Google Maps)
- SaratogaHigh.com, A Website Offering Various Services to Students, Faculty and Parents, Created by Students in 2002 - No Longer Maintained
- Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District
- The Saratoga Falcon, The Official Student Newspaper
- Saratoga Falcons, The Official Student Athletic Website
- Saratoga Robotics, The Official Website for the Saratoga High School Robotics Team
- Saratoga Music Boosters, The Official Website for the Saratoga Music Boosters
