Como Park Senior High School (CPSHS or commonly known as CPHS) is a public high school located in the Lake Como

Lake Como (Minnesota)

Como Lake is a lake up to deep in St. Paul, Minnesota. It, along with the neighboring Como Park, has been a recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities for more than a century. It was named in 1848 by local farmer Charles Perry. A pavilion sits on the west side of the lake, and plays host...

 area of Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

, serving grades nine through twelve. Along with six other public high schools, Como Park comprises the Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools....

. Newsweek

Newsweek

Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

ranked the school in their "List of the Top High Schools in America" for the fourth time in five years (2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010).

Administration

• Principal: Daniel Mesick
• Assistant Principals: Patrick Coyne, Nicole Bates, Chou Chang

History

Originally opened in 1957, Como Park Junior High School was converted into a senior high school in the fall of 1979, accepting students from the just closed Washington and Murray High Schools, both of which became junior highs that same year. The school originally began with only three classes - sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The freshmen class was added in 1980. Construction was not completed when the school year began.

Education

Como Park's average score on the ACT exam was 21.2 compared to a state average of 22.6 and a national average of 21.1. 51.56% of students were considered proficient in reading while 22.08% were proficient in math. The school is currently meeting 83.9% of the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements but is not meeting AYP due to low proficiency in mathematics. Como Park has a AYP graduation rate of 96%.

Enrollment

Como Park is the fourth largest high school in the Saint Paul Public Schools district with 1474 students attending in the 2007-2008 school year. The plurality of students identified as White, with 32%, while students identifying as Asian and Black composed 31% and 28% of the student body respectively. Finally, 8% of students identified as Hispanic and 1% American Indian. A little more than half, 65%, qualified for Free and Reduced Price Lunch, a measure of poverty. 35% of students have limited English Proficiency and 15% qualify for special education.

Classes

Como Park offers classes for students hoping to excel in their studies, through Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement Program

The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...

 (AP) and CIS classes. In AP classes, students are given the opportunity to take the AP Exam in May to possibly earn college credit. College in the Schools

College in the Schools

College in the Schools is an educational program for high school students run by the University of Minnesota. It allows students to take college level classes in their high school and, as a result, earn college and high school credit for free. The classes are taught by high school teachers who...

 (CIS) classes are vigorous classes similar to AP classes, however they are based on actual University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 curriculum. The classes are college-oriented and passing the class with a C or above allows students to earn college credit which can be transferred to the college of their choice. There currently are only two CIS classes offered at Como Park: English (which encompasses of Literature (Intro to Literature) first semester and Composition (University Writing) second semester) and French. Como Park also offers various electives students can choose from. There are over 40 electives available.

AP Classes

Current AP classes offered to students:

AP Classes
Division	Class
Language Language Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...	English AP English Language and Composition Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
	French AP French Language Advanced Placement French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course...
	Spanish AP Spanish Language Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
Social Studies Social studies Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...	European History AP European History Advanced Placement European History is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program...
	Human Geography AP Human Geography Advanced Placement Human Geography is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the USA.This college-level course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human...
	Psychology AP Psychology The Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
	United States History AP United States History Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
	U.S. Government and Politics AP United States Government and Politics Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, also known as AP US Gov & Pol, AP US Gov, AP Go Po or AP Gov, is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program...
	Macroeconomics AP Macroeconomics Advanced Placement Macroeconomics is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program for high school students interested in college-level work in economics...
Math	Calculus AB AP Calculus Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
	Calculus BC AP Calculus Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
Science Science Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...	Biology AP Biology In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
	Chemistry AP Chemistry Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
	Environmental Science AP Environmental Science Advanced Placement Environmental Science is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences...
	Physics B AP Physics B AP Physics B is an Advanced Placement science course that is divided into nine different sections: Newtonian Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics, Waves and Optics, and Atomic and Nuclear Physics. The course is equivalent to a one-year college course that...
	Physics C AP Physics C Part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program, consisting of two separate courses:*AP Physics C: Mechanics*AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism...
Art Art Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....	Art History AP Art History AP Art History is a course offered in high school through the Advanced Placement Program that gives college level material at the high school level. This class is operated by College Board...
	Studio Art AP Studio Art AP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
Total:	16

Physics C was removed from the 2008-2009 school year curriculum due to very few students signing up for it, but it was reinstated in the 2009-2010 school year curriculum.

Clubs

Como Park Senior High School has several student-organized and teacher-supervised student groups:

Anime Club,
Asian Club,
Chess Club,
Cricket Club (CCC),
Dance Team,
Debate Team,
Environmental Club,
French Club,
Fresh Force,
Gay Straight Alliance,
Hmong Woman's Circle,
Latino Club,
Math Team,
Peer Mediation,
Peer Mentoring,
Robotics Club,
Spanish Club,
Speech

Public speaking

Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...

 Team,
Student Government,
Ultimate Frisbee (CAU),
Yearbook Group,
Young Democrats,
Young Republicans.

Sports

Cougar athletic programs compete in Class AAAA of the Minnesota State High School League

Minnesota State High School League

The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for member schools...

.

Fall Sports:

Boys': Cross-Country, Football, Soccer

Girls': Cross-Country, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball

Winter Sports:

Boys': Basketball, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Swimming, Wrestling

Girls: Basketball, Gymnastics, Hockey, Nordic Skiing

Spring Sports:

Boys': Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field

Girls': Badminton, Golf, Softball, Track & Field

City Championships

City Championships
Season	Sport	Fall	Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...	2	2007, 2009
Soccer, Boys	3	1992, 2000, 2009
Soccer, Girls	1	2005
Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... , Girls	2	2007, 2009
Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...	2	1979, 1994
Winter	Hockey Hockey Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:... , Boys	2	2001, 2005
	Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... , Boys	5	1980, 1981, 1983, 1990, 1991
	Wrestling Scholastic wrestling Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...	10	1980, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004
Spring	Badminton Badminton 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...	5	1980, 1982, 1998, 1999, 2002
	Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...	2	2005, 2007
	Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... , Boys	4	2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
	Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...	3	2007, 2008, 2009
	Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... , Boys	1	2006
Total		42

The Boys Basketball team won Section Championships in 2003 and 2008. In 2003, Como took 3rd Place in the Class AAAA State Tournament. In 2008, Como lost in the Quarterfinal game of the Class AAAA State Tournament.

Notable alumni

• Josh Blue
  Josh Blue
  Josh Blue is an American comedian. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season, which aired May–August 2006...
  
  , stand-up comedian, winner of Last Comic Standing
  Last Comic Standing
  Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
  
  
• Reid Mahon, pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
  
   organization
• Mike Tressel, Special Teams/Linebackers Coach for Michigan State University
  Michigan State University
  Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
  
  
• Kyle Follmer, ice hockey defenseman for Northern Michigan University
  Northern Michigan University
  Northern Michigan University is a four-year college public university established in 1899 located in Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a population of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest...
  
  
• Dane Walters, ice hockey forward for Western Michigan University
  Western Michigan University
  Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
  
  
• Mike Kramer, ice hockey forward for Bakersfield Condors
  Bakersfield Condors
  The Bakersfield Condors are a minor league ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. The team plays in the Pacific Division of the ECHL's Western Conference. The Condors join the Houston Aeros as an affiliate of the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League...
  
  ECHL
  ECHL
  The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
  
  

External links

• Como Park Senior High School Homepage
• Saint Paul Public Schools Athletic Department Website