Milpitas High School
Encyclopedia
Milpitas High School is a public four-year comprehensive high school in Milpitas, California
, a suburban community adjacent to San Jose
. It is one of two high schools within the Milpitas Unified School District
.
As of 2007, Milpitas High School had an API
score of 771 and had an API ranking of 8 out of 10. In 2004, MHS was granted a full, six year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
.
The school provides its students with many academic, extracurricular and other resources — in a community committed to diversity in its student body, faculty and staff. Milpitas High School has modernized and well-equipped facilities that are spread across a 44 acre campus.
. 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:
First interruption period, 1848-1856
Second interruption period, 1954-1959
Restoration to Milpitas
Milpitas High School has many facilities for athletic use. The school has two swimming pools that are now closed to public use. Also, the football and soccer fields are built of artificial turf, and the synthetic rubber track was built in 2003 and finished in 2004. 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 a block northeast of the high school.
Because of the small community size in its early days, Milpitas High School served also as a junior high school housing the grades of 6-8. The students went to class in bungalows that were near-by.
and Vietnamese
descent. Other Asian-Pacific American groups in order of population include Chinese
, Indian
s, Korean
s, Japanese
, Pacific Islander
s, and Hmongs
. Roughly 60% of the student body is Asian; 40% is of Asian (non-Filipino) descent and 20% is Filipino. Roughly 18% of the student body is Hispanic
. Caucasian students make up roughly 14% of the student body. African American
students make up approximately 4.519467% of the student body.
Milpitas High School additionally requires 20 hours of community service in order to receive high school diploma.
and Independence High School, both in neighboring San Jose, California
. The school colors are blue and gold.
On December 2, 2006, the Milpitas High School Varsity football team won the CCS Championship for the first time. The Trojans competed against rival Piedmont Hills High School and won, 39-21. This was the second time Milpitas High School made it to the CCS Championship game. The first time was in 1993, and the Trojans lost to Leland High School in a shutout scenario of 35-0. Milpitas won CCS again in 2009.
The 2008 football season was a successful one for the trojans becoming the De Anza division league champions with a record of 9 and 1.
Engineering and Technology Academy,
Traveling and Tourism Academy,
Digital Business Academy,
The Engineering and Technology Academy, one of two of its kind in California. The academy offers a variety of projects for students to complete in the year. Including catapults, solar ovens, solar cars, and hover cars. Students are divided up into teams, picked by the teachers, and compete against each other to win for the E-Tech Cup. The winning team would usually be the team with projects that have the highest performance.
As of 2008, the Digital Business Academy and Engineering and Technology Academy teachers have been given SmartBoards, a touch-screen interactive whiteboard that displays content from a computer.
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.
Interact, Key, VSA (Vietnamese Student Association), PUSO (Pilipino United Student Organization) and Chinese Club five of the many clogs on campus.
Interact Club is the biggest club on campus - with over 250 members. It is the high school branch of Rotary International
and provides the most fulfilling community service opportunities in the bay area. Interact Club also focuses on yearly international projects.
The Chinese Club hosts a Lunar show every year. The show consists of many performances that promotes Asian culture in the school. The acts are mainly composed of martial arts demonstrations and choreographed fighting, modern and traditional Asian Dance, Songs from various instruments, Singing, and invited Club Acts.
VSA also hosts their own show every year, usually dubbed the "VSA show." This show mainly attracts a large Vietnamese audience, but the show actually contains material from various clubs such as Hip Hop Club, Chinese Club, EMAC (Extreme Martial Arts Club), C4 (Coalition of Choreography & Conditioning Club) and Dance Club.
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.
The Tutoring Club is also a fast growing club with over 50+ tutors already. The Tutoring Club tutors 1st through 6th graders in Pomeroy. They meet every Wednesday in Center C. One of their goals is to mentor elementary school students to fulfill the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Rainbow Youth Association helps gay lesbian and bi students as well as their friends to better understand issues these students face.
The Milpitas Dragon Boat Club is a club that participates in a water sport outside of school where members go on a dragon boat and paddle with 19 other people. They have four races every year: Lake Merced, Quarry Lakes, Long Beach, and Treasure Island. The club is teamed up with the Mountain View Dragon Boat Team. The team has made many achievements since its addition of Milpitas in 2008 like placing 4th in the high school division and 1st in an adult division at Long Beach, 1st in the D division at Quarry Lakes in 2009, and 3rd place in the C Division at Treasure Island that same year. In the summer of 2010 the team was able to have its most successful finish in history of the club at the 2010 Long Beach Festival. They were able to take 1st place in the Adult III Division C, 1st place in the 200m B Division Sprint, and 2nd place in the High School Division A, finishing as the 2nd best high school team in Long Beach. In September 2010, team was able to continue its winning streak with a 1st place finish in High School Division B.
. In 2008, the Mathematics Team placed first nationally in Collaborative Problem-Solving Contest. This feat was repeated in 2009. The Mathematics Team has also competed in the Stanford Mathematics Tournament, the Santa Clara Mathematics Contest, BAMO, AMC, and SCVMA continuously since 2003.
Milpitas High School also has a concert choir and glee club which have been under the direction of Dan McQuigg since the 2010 school year. English and music teacher, Paula Chenoweth, revived the choir class in 2002 after many years with no vocal classes at the high school.
The marching band took sweepstakes at the San Jose Holiday Parade in December 2005, and at the Pismo Beach Central Coast Classic on October 28, 2006. These marked the first time Milpitas High had won a sweepstakes award in a parade and field show competitions. They took sweepstakes again on November 8, 2008, at the Central Valley Band Review in Merced, CA.
The band's field shows have included:
* 1998: Jazz
* 1999: Russian Portrait
* 2000: Irish
* 2001: Civil War
* 2010: Latin Jazz
* 2003: West Side Story
* 2004: The Mask of Zorro
* 2005: The Incredibles!
* 2006: Grease
* 2007: The Nightmare Before Christmas
* 2008: The Music of Karl Jenkins
* 2009: Wicked the Musical
* 2010: Escape
* 2011: Veni, Vidi, Vici (The life of Julius Caesar)
At the conclusion of the marching band season each December, the 4th and 5th period bands become separate concert bands; a Wind Ensemble and a Symphonic Band, respectively. Most freshmen are placed in the Symphonic Band. The 6th period percussion class forms the marching and front ensemble percussion sections during the marching band season and as percussionists in the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band performances for the remainder of the school year.
As of the 2006-2007 school year, the "Trojan Lowdown" no longer makes announcements, and the intercom has been employed again for morning announcements. However, the Trojan Lowdown is now producing a monthly show in a video journal format, and it has been dubbed "The New Trojan Lowdown". Announcements have been replaced with skits and music videos. At the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the Trojan Lowdown opened a YouTube
account and posted the most popular videos of the year and all new ones they made.
For many years it was thought that only the senior class could win the competition, however in 2005, the Class of 2007 made history by becoming the first Sophomore Class to win, and then again in 2006 becoming the first Junior class to win. To top it all off, they won again in 2007, becoming the first class to win three consecutive years in a row. In 2008, the Freshman Class of 2011 made history by coming in 2nd place, defeating both the sophomore and junior classes—achieving the highest place a freshman class has ever reached in Trojan Olympics.
2006: Class of 2007
2007: Class of 2007
2008: Class of 2008
2009: Class of 2009 and 2010 (tie)
2010: Class of 2011
2011: Class of 2012
Freshmen (c/o 2015): Purple
Sophomores (c/o 2014): Maroon
Juniors (c/o 2013): Orange
Seniors (c/o 2012): Green
WINNERS:
2009: Class of 2011
2010: Class of 2011
2011: Class of 2011
The tune used for this Alma Mater are from an 18th or 19th century hymnsong.
The Milpitas High School Fight Song is actually the Notre Dame Victory March which was originally written by Rev. Michael J. Shea.
The adapted words are:
Milpitas, California
Milpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is a suburb of the major city of San Jose, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south...
, a suburban community adjacent to 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...
. It is one of two high schools within the Milpitas Unified School District
Milpitas Unified School District
The Milpitas Unified School District operates nine elementary schools , two junior high schools , and three high schools in Milpitas, California, USA...
.
As of 2007, Milpitas High School had an API
Academic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. It is one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California legislature in 1999...
score of 771 and had an API ranking of 8 out of 10. In 2004, MHS was granted a full, six year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
.
The school provides its students with many academic, extracurricular and other resources — in a community committed to diversity in its student body, faculty and staff. Milpitas High School has modernized and well-equipped facilities that are spread across a 44 acre campus.
History
Milpitas High School was directly preceded by Samuel Ayer High SchoolSamuel Ayer High School
Created in 1959, Samuel Ayer High School was the first high school in the City of Milpitas, California. It was located at 1395 E. Calaveras Blvd. Previous to its opening, Milpitas high school students attended James Lick High School in San Jose...
. 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
James Lick High School
James Lick High School is a high school in the East Side Union High School District located in San Jose.-History:Lick High School was built in 1950 and is the oldest of the eleven high schools in the ESUHSD...
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
Classical education movement
The Classical education movement advocates a form of education based in the traditions of Western culture, with a particular focus on education as understood and taught in the Middle Ages. The curricula and pedagogy of classical education was first developed during the Middle Ages by Martianus...
in Latin Grammar
Latin grammar
The grammar of Latin, like that of other ancient Indo-European languages, is highly inflected; consequently, it allows for a large degree of flexibility in choosing word order...
and English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
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 SchoolMilpitas Grammar SchoolMilpitas Grammar School, now part of the Milpitas Library, is an educational building in Milpitas, California. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 1993....
(1858–1954)
Second interruption period, 1954-1959
- James Lick High SchoolJames Lick High SchoolJames Lick High School is a high school in the East Side Union High School District located in San Jose.-History:Lick High School was built in 1950 and is the oldest of the eleven high schools in the ESUHSD...
(1954–1959)
Restoration to Milpitas
- Samuel Ayer High School (1959–1969; co-existed until 1980)
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 two swimming pools that are now closed to public use. Also, the football and soccer fields are built of artificial turf, and the synthetic rubber track was built in 2003 and finished in 2004. 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
Thomas Russell Middle School
BackgroundThomas Russell was born in Ireland on August 20, 1834. Thomas had to work while attending night school. Upon completion of school he became a First Mate on a whaling ship, and often spoke of his travels to Hong Kong and the Hawaiian Islands. He immigrated to Canada from Ireland, settling...
is a block northeast of the high school.
Because of the small community size in its early days, Milpitas High School served also as a junior high school housing the grades of 6-8. The students went to class in bungalows that were near-by.
Demographics
Milpitas High School is an ethnically diverse school. About 130 ethnic and national minority groups are represented. A total of 1,414 students have a primary language other than English. More than half of the students are of FilipinoFilipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
and Vietnamese
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
descent. Other Asian-Pacific American groups in order of population include Chinese
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
, Indian
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
s, Korean
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
s, Japanese
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
, Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
s, and Hmongs
Hmong American
A Hmong American is a resident of the United States who is of ethnic Hmong descent. Hmong Americans are one group of Asian Americans. Many Lao Hmong war refugees resettled in the U.S. following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975...
. Roughly 60% of the student body is Asian; 40% is of Asian (non-Filipino) descent and 20% is Filipino. Roughly 18% of the student body is Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
. Caucasian students make up roughly 14% of the student body. African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
students make up approximately 4.519467% of the student body.
Academics
There are three programs at Milpitas High School. They are the:- Tutorial Program (English, Spanish, History, Biology)
- Service Learning Program
- Workability Program
Departments
There are 14 academic departments.- 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
Advanced Placement
In the 2011/2012 school year, the following Advanced Placement are offered at Milpitas High School.- AP BiologyAP BiologyIn 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....
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP ChemistryAP ChemistryAdvanced 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...
- AP English Literature
- AP French LanguageAP French LanguageAdvanced 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...
- AP Physics BAP Physics BAP 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...
- AP PsychologyAP PsychologyThe 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...
- AP Spanish LanguageAP Spanish LanguageAdvanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
- AP StatisticsAP StatisticsAdvanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
- AP United States HistoryAP United States HistoryAdvanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
- AP United States Government
- AP World HistoryAP World HistoryAdvanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
- AP Studio ArtAP Studio ArtAP 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:...
Committees
There are two committees to enrich development at Milpitas School:- Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA)
- School Site Council
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 in order to receive high school diploma.
Athletics
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 Sections. The Milpitas Trojans rival those of Piedmont Hills High SchoolPiedmont Hills High School
Piedmont Hills High School is a comprehensive public four-year high school located in the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose, California, USA. It is part of the East Side Union High School District and is the second highest performing school in the district, based on California's Academic...
and Independence High School, both in neighboring San Jose, California
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...
. The school colors are blue and gold.
On December 2, 2006, the Milpitas High School Varsity football team won the CCS Championship for the first time. The Trojans competed against rival Piedmont Hills High School and won, 39-21. This was the second time Milpitas High School made it to the CCS Championship game. The first time was in 1993, and the Trojans lost to Leland High School in a shutout scenario of 35-0. Milpitas won CCS again in 2009.
The 2008 football season was a successful one for the trojans becoming the De Anza division league champions with a record of 9 and 1.
Academy
There are three academies in the school:Engineering and Technology Academy,
Traveling and Tourism Academy,
Digital Business Academy,
The Engineering and Technology Academy, one of two of its kind in California. The academy offers a variety of projects for students to complete in the year. Including catapults, solar ovens, solar cars, and hover cars. Students are divided up into teams, picked by the teachers, and compete against each other to win for the E-Tech Cup. The winning team would usually be the team with projects that have the highest performance.
As of 2008, the Digital Business Academy and Engineering and Technology Academy teachers have been given SmartBoards, a touch-screen interactive whiteboard that displays content from a computer.
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.
Interact, Key, VSA (Vietnamese Student Association), PUSO (Pilipino United Student Organization) and Chinese Club five of the many clogs on campus.
Interact Club is the biggest club on campus - with over 250 members. It is the high school branch of Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
and provides the most fulfilling community service opportunities in the bay area. Interact Club also focuses on yearly international projects.
The Chinese Club hosts a Lunar show every year. The show consists of many performances that promotes Asian culture in the school. The acts are mainly composed of martial arts demonstrations and choreographed fighting, modern and traditional Asian Dance, Songs from various instruments, Singing, and invited Club Acts.
VSA also hosts their own show every year, usually dubbed the "VSA show." This show mainly attracts a large Vietnamese audience, but the show actually contains material from various clubs such as Hip Hop Club, Chinese Club, EMAC (Extreme Martial Arts Club), C4 (Coalition of Choreography & Conditioning Club) and Dance Club.
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.
The Tutoring Club is also a fast growing club with over 50+ tutors already. The Tutoring Club tutors 1st through 6th graders in Pomeroy. They meet every Wednesday in Center C. One of their goals is to mentor elementary school students to fulfill the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Rainbow Youth Association helps gay lesbian and bi students as well as their friends to better understand issues these students face.
The Milpitas Dragon Boat Club is a club that participates in a water sport outside of school where members go on a dragon boat and paddle with 19 other people. They have four races every year: Lake Merced, Quarry Lakes, Long Beach, and Treasure Island. The club is teamed up with the Mountain View Dragon Boat Team. The team has made many achievements since its addition of Milpitas in 2008 like placing 4th in the high school division and 1st in an adult division at Long Beach, 1st in the D division at Quarry Lakes in 2009, and 3rd place in the C Division at Treasure Island that same year. In the summer of 2010 the team was able to have its most successful finish in history of the club at the 2010 Long Beach Festival. They were able to take 1st place in the Adult III Division C, 1st place in the 200m B Division Sprint, and 2nd place in the High School Division A, finishing as the 2nd best high school team in Long Beach. In September 2010, team was able to continue its winning streak with a 1st place finish in High School Division B.
Mathematics Team
The Milpitas High Mathematics Team, a division of the Math Club, participates annually in the five mathematics competitions hosted by National Assessment & TestingNational Assessment & Testing
National Assessment & Testing is a company that markets five different mathematics contests: The Fall Startup Event, the Ciphering Time Trials, the Team Scamble, the Four-by-Four Competition, and the Collaborative Problem Solving Contest...
. In 2008, the Mathematics Team placed first nationally in Collaborative Problem-Solving Contest. This feat was repeated in 2009. The Mathematics Team has also competed in the Stanford Mathematics Tournament, the Santa Clara Mathematics Contest, BAMO, AMC, and SCVMA continuously since 2003.
The Music Department
The Marching Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Concert Bands have been under the direction of Milpitas High Alumn, Christopher Kaldy, since the 1998 school year. Under the direction of, Christopher Kaldy, the Music Department has thrived; with a 100+ member Marching Band, a Pep Band, a 60 piece Symphony Orchestra, two concert bands, a percussion ensemble, and a Jazz Band. Previous band directors have included Dick Goodrich, Wes Robbins, David Bakken and Eric Swisher. www.mhsmusic.orgMilpitas High School also has a concert choir and glee club which have been under the direction of Dan McQuigg since the 2010 school year. English and music teacher, Paula Chenoweth, revived the choir class in 2002 after many years with no vocal classes at the high school.
Marching Band/Concert Band
The MHS Marching Band regularly competes in NCBA (Northern California Band Association) and WBA (Western Band Association) field show competitions. The marching band and pep band also perform at all home varsity football games. The marching band's rivals have changed as local music programs have grown and shrunk over the years, but have included notable, yet friendly rivalries with Clayton Valley High School from Concord, CA in the early 1990s, Bella Vista High School in the early 2000s, and Fremont High School from Sunnyvale, CA in recent years.The marching band took sweepstakes at the San Jose Holiday Parade in December 2005, and at the Pismo Beach Central Coast Classic on October 28, 2006. These marked the first time Milpitas High had won a sweepstakes award in a parade and field show competitions. They took sweepstakes again on November 8, 2008, at the Central Valley Band Review in Merced, CA.
The band's field shows have included:
* 1998: Jazz
* 1999: Russian Portrait
* 2000: Irish
* 2001: Civil War
* 2010: Latin Jazz
* 2003: West Side Story
* 2004: The Mask of Zorro
* 2005: The Incredibles!
* 2006: Grease
* 2007: The Nightmare Before Christmas
* 2008: The Music of Karl Jenkins
* 2009: Wicked the Musical
* 2010: Escape
* 2011: Veni, Vidi, Vici (The life of Julius Caesar)
At the conclusion of the marching band season each December, the 4th and 5th period bands become separate concert bands; a Wind Ensemble and a Symphonic Band, respectively. Most freshmen are placed in the Symphonic Band. The 6th period percussion class forms the marching and front ensemble percussion sections during the marching band season and as percussionists in the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band performances for the remainder of the school year.
Jazz Band
Milpitas High School has a standard 17-piece Jazz Band that meets every morning during zero period, from 7-8 AM In April 2005, the Milpitas High School Jazz Band received a Command Performance Rating at the 2005 Santa Cruz Jazz Festival. In recent years, judges at competitions have commented on the trumpet section's huge power, and noted that as a whole the band had a lot of good things going on.Orchestra
Since 2002, the MHS Symphony Orchestra has provided an opportunity for string musicians to perform a variety of classical and contemporary orchestral liturature. The orchestra currently meets during 3rd period.Vocal Ensembles
In addition to the concert choir, Mr. McQuigg also directs the MHS Glee Club which he formed in the 2009 school year. The concert choir was revived in 2002 by former director, Paula Chenoweth, after being canceled in the mid 1990's and again in the 2008 school year.Navy Junior ROTC
Many students at MHS belong to the Navy Junior ROTC program, including its drill teams. The drill teams consists of Drill Team With Arms and Unarmed Drill Team, and Color Guard. Each year, Milpitas NJROTC hosts "Legions of Troy," a drill meet and athletic competition that is attend by many other California JROTC units. On a weekly basis, the classes have academics, uniform, physical training,and drill. The unit is not run by teachers, but students. The unit has two instructors to oversee them: Lieutenant Commander Queen and Senior Chief Petty Officer Ezell. The current Commanding Officer is Cadet Lieutenant Huber, Cody.Trojan Lowdown
The Trojan Lowdown was a TV Video Production that served as the MHS daily news announcement broadcast that covered items such as upcoming student activities, any changes in schedules, club, class or athletic information, and other announcements. 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 (Class of 2002) randomly submitted it thinking that it wouldn't be chosen.As of the 2006-2007 school year, the "Trojan Lowdown" no longer makes announcements, and the intercom has been employed again for morning announcements. However, the Trojan Lowdown is now producing a monthly show in a video journal format, and it has been dubbed "The New Trojan Lowdown". Announcements have been replaced with skits and music videos. At the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the Trojan Lowdown opened a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account and posted the most popular videos of the year and all new ones they made.
Trojan Olympics
Milpitas High School annually hosts the Trojan Olympics, a friendly competition between the class grades. The classes compete for bragging rights for the year. Spirit points, ticket sales, decorations, Trojan Olympic games, dances, and a pyramid are all accounted for in deciding who wins the Trojan Olympics.For many years it was thought that only the senior class could win the competition, however in 2005, the Class of 2007 made history by becoming the first Sophomore Class to win, and then again in 2006 becoming the first Junior class to win. To top it all off, they won again in 2007, becoming the first class to win three consecutive years in a row. In 2008, the Freshman Class of 2011 made history by coming in 2nd place, defeating both the sophomore and junior classes—achieving the highest place a freshman class has ever reached in Trojan Olympics.
Trojan Olympics Winners
2005: Class of 20072006: Class of 2007
2007: Class of 2007
2008: Class of 2008
2009: Class of 2009 and 2010 (tie)
2010: Class of 2011
2011: Class of 2012
The Class Colors
(As of the 2011-2012 school year)Freshmen (c/o 2015): Purple
Sophomores (c/o 2014): Maroon
Juniors (c/o 2013): Orange
Seniors (c/o 2012): Green
Spirit Trophy
Every year, the class with the most spirit points, which are obtained through attending Pack the House sport events, dressing up for Spirit Days, etc., wins the Spirit Trophy and is given the title as "Spirit Champions".WINNERS:
2009: Class of 2011
2010: Class of 2011
2011: Class of 2011
Anthem
The words to Milpitas High School's Alma Mater were written by former band directors Reginald Wesley Robbins and David Bakken.The tune used for this Alma Mater are from an 18th or 19th century hymnsong.
"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."
The Milpitas High School Fight Song is actually the Notre Dame Victory March which was originally written by Rev. Michael J. Shea.
The adapted words are:
"Milpitas High School
That's where we're from
We've got the other team on the run
V - I - C - T - O - R - Y
That is the motto we go by
Bring on the challenge, we'll never stop
'til Blue and Gold are Up at the top
Win or Lose we'll do our best
Our spirits will never rest.
Go!...Fight!...Win!"