Capuchino High School
Encyclopedia
Capuchino High School is a public high school
in San Bruno
, California
, although the school is surrounded by the city of Millbrae
on all but one corner. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District
, a division of the San Mateo County
Office of Education.
Capuchino’s rival school is Mills High School
in Millbrae
, California
.
From 1895 to 1902, all San Mateo County high school students attended Sequoia High School
in Redwood City. Then, from 1902 to 1923, high school students in San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, and San Mateo attended San Mateo High School
. In the fall of 1923, Burlingame High School
opened and served students in San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame. Capuchino first opened on September 11, 1950, to meet the demands of an increasing high school-aged population in the nearby communities of Burlingame
, Millbrae, and San Bruno
.
The physical campus, which is just over 34 acres (137,593.2 m²) in size, was formerly the Spanish Rancho del Capuchino. There was initially only one two-story building on the campus; by 1953 most of the campus was completed. A 1,000-seat auditorium was built in 1959, supplementing the school's little theatre. In the 1961–62 academic year, just prior to the completion of Crestmoor High School
, student enrollment exceeded 1,800 and almost every available space was utilized for classrooms.
The school mascot is the Mustang
. The school colors are green and gold.
In 1963, KPIX (Channel 5) filmed scenes, including a pep rally, at the school for its weekly High School Salute program. Host Dick Stewart also interviewed students and faculty in the KPIX studios during the telecast.
SMUHSD residents approved Measure D in November 2000, which authorized funding for school renovation and modernization. Capuchino has a renovated Science Wing, a new spirit court and Cafeteria building, and several new classrooms adjoining the new Administration building. Renovations are continuing throughout parts of the campus.
and the nationally-televised inaugural parade for John F. Kennedy
in Washington, D.C.
on January 20, 1961.
Kenneth L. Ton (1921–1982) was drama director at Capuchino for many years and, when Otto Mielenz (1933–2006) became choral director in 1960, they began plans for producing the school first's musical comedy productions. Randolph Hunt had preferred to present operettas by Gilbert & Sullivan, including a performance of The Mikado
in 1959, when the new auditorium was completed. Ton and Mielenz first collaborated on a 1962 production of Brigadoon by Lerner & Loewe. In 1964 Mielenz left Capuchino to teach at San Bernardino Valley College
, followed by Chabot College
in Hayward, California
. Mr. Masonson became the new choral director in 1964. Ton continued to direct plays and collaborated on additional musicals, until his retirement in the early-1980s.
In the early 1980s a guiding director at Capuchino was Robert Meadows, who had formerly taught at Crestmoor High School
until it closed in 1980. Meadows was the first director for the Capuchino Community Theatre, which drew performers from throughout San Mateo County and whose first productions were The Sound of Music
by Rodgers & Hammerstein in 1981 and The Music Man
by Meredith Willson
in 1982. The 1983 production of Kismet
was directed by Jack Brooks and the 1984 production of Of Thee I Sing
was directed by Simon Levy. All but one of the productions was staged in Capuchino's auditorium. Within a few years, however, the Capuchino Community Theater was disbanded, due to financial shortfalls.
Capuchino broadcasts a student-run production every week to the entire school called The Mustang News. On the Mustang News, informational segments that the students in the Art of Video as well as IB Film classes create are aired.
in Daly City
to Lincoln High School
in San Jose
. As more high schools were built during the 1950s and early-1960s, the Mid-Peninsula was established to include the seven high schools of the San Mateo Union High School District. Capuchino dominated league competition over the years, especially in football, basketball, swimming, wrestling, track, and tennis. During the late 1950s the school won the league championships in varsity football, basketball, and baseball, a time often referred to as "The Golden Age of Sports." Capuchino baseball players Wally Bunker
and Keith Hernandez
both went on to careers in Major League Baseball
.
In the 1990s, Capuchino's girls softball team won 5 consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships (1993–1997), and was state ranked on three occasions during this period. Capuchino also has a 32-9 Central Coast Section Playoff record, giving it the second best winning percentage of all schools in the section.
On the 2005 California Department of Education Academic Performance Index (API), Capuchino scored a 7 of 10, which indicates that its students, on average, tested better than at least 60% of the high schools in the state.
For its similar schools rank, in which Capuchino was compared with the 100 schools in the state with demographics most like that of Capuchino, Capuchino scored an 8, which means its students outperformed those of at least 70 of the 100 schools.
Capuchino also offers ROP (Regional Occupational Program) classes for free. These include CompTIA A+ Certification (or "computer system design"), CCNA Certification (or "Cisco Networking Academy"), and an advanced Art of Video lab.
Approximately 21% of the students at Capuchino are served by the free or reduced-price lunch program, and approximately 12%, 138 students, of Capuchino's students are English language learners.
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 San Bruno
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
, 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...
, although the school is surrounded by the city of Millbrae
Millbrae, California
Millbrae is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, just west of San Francisco Bay, with San Bruno on the north and Burlingame on the south. The population was 21,532 at the 2010 census.-History:...
on all but one corner. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District
San Mateo Union High School District
The San Mateo Union High School District is a high school district headquartered in San Mateo, California.-Schools:The district consists of seven public high schools, one alternative high school , and one adult School in San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, and San Mateo. The oldest school in the...
, a division of the San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
Office of Education.
Capuchino’s rival school is Mills High School
Mills High School
Mills High School is a public high school in Millbrae, California. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District....
in Millbrae
Millbrae, California
Millbrae is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, just west of San Francisco Bay, with San Bruno on the north and Burlingame on the south. The population was 21,532 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, 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...
.
History
Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California)
Sequoia High School is a high school in downtown Redwood City, California, United States. Established in 1895, it is the oldest high school in the San Francisco Bay Area between San Francisco and San Jose. It was founded as a preparatory school for Stanford University...
in Redwood City. Then, from 1902 to 1923, high school students in San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, and San Mateo attended San Mateo High School
San Mateo High School
San Mateo High School is an American National Blue Ribbon comprehensive four-year public high school in San Mateo, California serving grades 9–12 as part of the San Mateo Union High School District....
. In the fall of 1923, Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School is a public high school in Burlingame, California. It is part of the San Mateo Union High School District .-History:...
opened and served students in San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame. Capuchino first opened on September 11, 1950, to meet the demands of an increasing high school-aged population in the nearby communities of Burlingame
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
, Millbrae, and San Bruno
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
.
The physical campus, which is just over 34 acres (137,593.2 m²) in size, was formerly the Spanish Rancho del Capuchino. There was initially only one two-story building on the campus; by 1953 most of the campus was completed. A 1,000-seat auditorium was built in 1959, supplementing the school's little theatre. In the 1961–62 academic year, just prior to the completion of Crestmoor High School
Crestmoor High School
Crestmoor High School opened in San Bruno, California in September 1962 to relieve congestion at Capuchino High School and Mills High School. It was the seventh high school to be built by the San Mateo Union High School District, based in San Mateo, California. Construction began in 1960 on a...
, student enrollment exceeded 1,800 and almost every available space was utilized for classrooms.
The school mascot is the Mustang
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
. The school colors are green and gold.
In 1963, KPIX (Channel 5) filmed scenes, including a pep rally, at the school for its weekly High School Salute program. Host Dick Stewart also interviewed students and faculty in the KPIX studios during the telecast.
SMUHSD residents approved Measure D in November 2000, which authorized funding for school renovation and modernization. Capuchino has a renovated Science Wing, a new spirit court and Cafeteria building, and several new classrooms adjoining the new Administration building. Renovations are continuing throughout parts of the campus.
Fine Arts
The school has long been known for its music and drama programs. Randolph Hunt was the school's first music teacher; he joined the faculty in 1950 and wrote the school's hymn, Hail Green and Gold, and other songs; he left Capuchino in 1960 to earn his doctorate. Ralph Bredenberg (1918–2009) became the band director in 1953 and built an outstanding marching band that performed at numerous competitions, as well as appearing at the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and the nationally-televised inaugural parade for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on January 20, 1961.
Kenneth L. Ton (1921–1982) was drama director at Capuchino for many years and, when Otto Mielenz (1933–2006) became choral director in 1960, they began plans for producing the school first's musical comedy productions. Randolph Hunt had preferred to present operettas by Gilbert & Sullivan, including a performance of The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
in 1959, when the new auditorium was completed. Ton and Mielenz first collaborated on a 1962 production of Brigadoon by Lerner & Loewe. In 1964 Mielenz left Capuchino to teach at San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Valley College is a community college located in San Bernardino, California. It is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The two-year college has an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students and covers...
, followed by Chabot College
Chabot College
Chabot College is a community college located in Hayward, California.-Campus:The campus has a 200-seat theatre, a 1,432-seat performing arts center, a full-size planetarium, four major athletic fields, an HD television studio, and an Olympic-class swimming pool.-History:Chabot College was the first...
in Hayward, California
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
. Mr. Masonson became the new choral director in 1964. Ton continued to direct plays and collaborated on additional musicals, until his retirement in the early-1980s.
In the early 1980s a guiding director at Capuchino was Robert Meadows, who had formerly taught at Crestmoor High School
Crestmoor High School
Crestmoor High School opened in San Bruno, California in September 1962 to relieve congestion at Capuchino High School and Mills High School. It was the seventh high school to be built by the San Mateo Union High School District, based in San Mateo, California. Construction began in 1960 on a...
until it closed in 1980. Meadows was the first director for the Capuchino Community Theatre, which drew performers from throughout San Mateo County and whose first productions were The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
by Rodgers & Hammerstein in 1981 and The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
by Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
in 1982. The 1983 production of Kismet
Kismet
Kismet may refer to:* Fate or Destiny in Turkish and Hindi-Urdu, a predetermined course of events, from Persian qesmat, from Arabic qisma, lot, from qasama, to divide, allot...
was directed by Jack Brooks and the 1984 production of Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform...
was directed by Simon Levy. All but one of the productions was staged in Capuchino's auditorium. Within a few years, however, the Capuchino Community Theater was disbanded, due to financial shortfalls.
Capuchino broadcasts a student-run production every week to the entire school called The Mustang News. On the Mustang News, informational segments that the students in the Art of Video as well as IB Film classes create are aired.
Sports
Capuchino has long had an outstanding athletic department. It initially competed in the Peninsula Athletic League, which stretched from Jefferson High SchoolJefferson High School (Daly City, California)
For schools with a similar name, see Jefferson High School .Jefferson High School is an American public high school in Daly City, California and is the first school in the Jefferson Union High School District...
in Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
to Lincoln High School
Abraham Lincoln High School (San Jose, California)
Abraham Lincoln High School is a high school in the San Jose Unified School District. It is a magnet school for "Academic, Visual, and Performing Arts". The current principal is Matt Hewitson....
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. As more high schools were built during the 1950s and early-1960s, the Mid-Peninsula was established to include the seven high schools of the San Mateo Union High School District. Capuchino dominated league competition over the years, especially in football, basketball, swimming, wrestling, track, and tennis. During the late 1950s the school won the league championships in varsity football, basketball, and baseball, a time often referred to as "The Golden Age of Sports." Capuchino baseball players Wally Bunker
Wally Bunker
Wallace Edward Bunker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Bunker pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from to and Kansas City Royals from to .-Biography:...
and Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez
Keith Barlow Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a baseball analyst working for the New York Mets, for whom he played from –, on SportsNet New York and WPIX television broadcasts...
both went on to careers in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
In the 1990s, Capuchino's girls softball team won 5 consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships (1993–1997), and was state ranked on three occasions during this period. Capuchino also has a 32-9 Central Coast Section Playoff record, giving it the second best winning percentage of all schools in the section.
Curriculum
Capuchino is the only school in the San Mateo Union High School District to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.On the 2005 California Department of Education Academic Performance Index (API), Capuchino scored a 7 of 10, which indicates that its students, on average, tested better than at least 60% of the high schools in the state.
For its similar schools rank, in which Capuchino was compared with the 100 schools in the state with demographics most like that of Capuchino, Capuchino scored an 8, which means its students outperformed those of at least 70 of the 100 schools.
Capuchino also offers ROP (Regional Occupational Program) classes for free. These include CompTIA A+ Certification (or "computer system design"), CCNA Certification (or "Cisco Networking Academy"), and an advanced Art of Video lab.
Demographics
The student population, as of the 2007–2008 enrollment, is approximately 34.2% Hispanic/Latino, 33.3% Caucasian, 9.9% Asian, 7.5% Pacific Islander, 7.2% Filipino, 3.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, and approximately 3.6% of its students are of multiple cultural backgrounds or declined to state.Approximately 21% of the students at Capuchino are served by the free or reduced-price lunch program, and approximately 12%, 138 students, of Capuchino's students are English language learners.
Alumni
- Luana De Vol, 1960. Opera singer
- Wally BunkerWally BunkerWallace Edward Bunker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Bunker pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from to and Kansas City Royals from to .-Biography:...
, 1963. MLB player. - Keith HernandezKeith HernandezKeith Barlow Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a baseball analyst working for the New York Mets, for whom he played from –, on SportsNet New York and WPIX television broadcasts...
, 1971. MLB player, MVP. - Bill NeukomBill NeukomWilliam Horlick "Bill" Neukom is currently the managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants baseball team ownership group. Although he has only held this position since October 2008, it has been reported that he will be stepping down on December 31, 2011. Prior to holding this position,...
, 1960. Managing General Partner of the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division.... - Suzanne SomersSuzanne SomersSuzanne Somers is an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Lambert on Step by Step....
, 1964. Actress.
See also
- San Mateo County high schools