Piedmont High School
Encyclopedia
- Piedmont High School should not be confused with Piedmont Hills High SchoolPiedmont Hills High SchoolPiedmont 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...
in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan 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...
.
Piedmont High School is a public high school
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....
located in Piedmont, California
Piedmont, California
Piedmont is a small, affluent city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is surrounded by the city of Oakland. The population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907 and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is noted for its nationally ranked academics, nationally-known Bird Calling Contest, and the A-11
A-11 offense
The A-11 offense is an offensive scheme that has been used in some levels of amateur American football. In this offense, a loophole in the rules governing kicking formations is used to disguise which offensive players would be eligible to receive a pass for any given play...
football offense. Piedmont High School is part of the Piedmont Unified School District
Piedmont Unified School District
The Piedmont Unified School District comprises the seven schools in the city of Piedmont, California.-Schools:* Egbert W. Beach Elementary School* Frank C...
.
Piedmont High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive. Piedmont High School was also a California Distinguished School
California Distinguished School
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a selection...
.
Background
Piedmont High School offers ninth through twelfth grade. The school motto is "Achieve the honorable." The school maintains rigorous academic standards, and is well known in the area as an excellent school. Many families move into Piedmont for the schools once their children reach school-age.Piedmont's colors are purple and white (representing the Scottish thistle
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
), and its mascot, the Highlander, reflects the school's Scottish heritage.
History
In September 1922, the Piedmont Unified School DistrictPiedmont Unified School District
The Piedmont Unified School District comprises the seven schools in the city of Piedmont, California.-Schools:* Egbert W. Beach Elementary School* Frank C...
opened the city's first high school. It was funded by a bond passed by voters in 1920.
Piedmont High School was the last public school in California to require uniforms, which disappeared in the 1970s.
The social scene was once dominated by social clubs, which resembled college sororities and fraternities, but they have since died out. The school was covered in the New York Times when in the mid-1990s it began breathalyzing all students before dances.
Campus
Piedmont Middle School
Piedmont Middle School, also known as PMS, is part of the Piedmont Unified School District in Piedmont, California.-Background:Piedmont Middle School provides education for students grades six through eight in the city. Piedmont students come from Frank C. Havens Elementary School, Wildwood...
and Witter Field on the left.
The center of campus is a grassy area referred to as "the quad." The quad is center of campus, connecting the Allan Harvey Theatre, the library, the cafeteria and student center, and the amphitheatre. Classes are scattered around campus, with the music and science buildings the furthest apart.
The campus was originally built on a portion of Piedmont Park, and dog-walking trails behind the school connect to the park.
Architecture
The school was built in 1921 in a neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
design, part of the same plan that built the Piedmont city's Exedra
Exedra
In architecture, an exedra is a semicircular recess or plinth, often crowned by a semi-dome, which is sometimes set into a building's facade. The original Greek sense was applied to a room that opened onto a stoa, ringed with curved high-backed stone benches, a suitable place for a philosophical...
. Since its design by architect W.H. Weeks, the school has undergone several reconstructions, for reasons such as expansion, earthquake retrofitting, and combatting dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
.
Reconstruction in the 1970s reflected the "back-to-nature" look popular at the time, using wood instead of shingles. The school's "breezeway," an open, wide corridor running between the school's main buildings, exemplifies this.
The last construction was an expansion of the gymnasium, during the 2003-2004 school year, to include an entrance room that also displays trophies. The school will undergo more construction in accord with Measure E, which issued $56 million in bonds to reconstruction of school facilities to meet earthquake safety guidelines.
Academics
Advanced Placement
As of 2009-2010, the school offers the following AP courses.- 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....
(may be offered bi-yearly starting in the 2011-2012 school year) - AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Computer ScienceAP Computer ScienceAdvanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
(offered bi-yearly) - AP English Literature
- AP Environmental ScienceAP Environmental ScienceAdvanced 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...
- AP European HistoryAP European HistoryAdvanced Placement European History is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program...
- 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 Music TheoryAP Music TheoryAdvanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
(offered bi-yearly) - 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 Studio Art 2D
- AP Studio Art 3D
- 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 Chinese Language and CultureAP Chinese Language and CultureAdvanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program...
In addition, honors courses in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
are offered.
Creative and performing arts
Art classes come in various fields: music (a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, band, orchestra, AP Music), visual art (2-D art, ceramics, 2-D AP, 3-D AP), and drama (Acting I through IV).
Electives
Other electives offered include Clan-O-Log (yearbook) and the Piedmont Highlander (school newspaper), law and society, public speaking, multiple computer classes and creative writing.Foreign language
Spanish, French and Mandarin are the only three foreign language courses that are offered, and American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
is offered over the summer. In 2007-2008 an AP Mandarin course was added. Prior to the 2007-2008 school year, Mandarin classes ranged from Mandarin I to Mandarin V (honors). The Mandarin program was added in 1995-1996, when it replaced German.
2006-2007
An AP European History
AP European History
Advanced Placement European History is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program...
course was added, while the junior-level course Honors Chemistry was opened to qualifying sophomores.
2007-2008
The current Mandarin V (honors) was replaced by AP Mandarin
AP Chinese Language and Culture
Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program...
.
The science curriculum changed from the system of "Integrated Science" to specific subjects, such as biology. In the old system, student took Integrated Science I as freshmen, Integrated Science II as sophomores, and either chemistry or honors chemistry as juniors. The new system allows incoming freshmen to choose between physical science (for "most students") and biology (for "students showing mastery of PMS
Piedmont Middle School
Piedmont Middle School, also known as PMS, is part of the Piedmont Unified School District in Piedmont, California.-Background:Piedmont Middle School provides education for students grades six through eight in the city. Piedmont students come from Frank C. Havens Elementary School, Wildwood...
science"). The options are shown in detail below:
| Grade | For most students | For students demonstrating strong interest in science | For students showing mastery of middle school science |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th | physical science | physical science | biology |
| 10th | biology | biology, and chemistry or honors chemistry |
honors chemistry |
| 11th | chemistry or honors chemistry, and optional second science elective |
honors chemistry | up to two science electives (optional) |
| 12th | up to two science electives (optional) | up to two science electives (optional) | up to two science electives (optional) |
ROP-funded journalism, sports medicine, and biotechnology were added.
Also, math proggression was clearly defined as follows
| Grade | For students less adept in mathematics | For students proficient in mathematics | For students advanced in mathematics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th | Algebra I | Geometry | Algebra II |
| 10th | Geometry | Algebra II | Math Analysis |
| 11th | Algebra II | Math Analysis | AP Calculus AB |
| 12th | Math Analysis | AP Calculus AB | AP Calculus BC |
Graduation requirements
Four years of English are required to graduate, as well as two years of math (although most students choose to do four), and completion of two years of Laboratory Science (again, most students choose to do more). In addition, all students must take one year of an art class, one year of foreign language, one semester of any computer class, and one semester of social psychology (required sophomore year). Freshmen are required to take physical education unless they are nationally ranked in a sport. Sophomore and junior year, only one semester each year is required, which can be replaced by one season of a school sport (V or JV).The bare MINIMUM graduation requirements are as follows
4 years of English (AP English is offered as an alternate to 12th grade English)
2 years of Mathematics (4 Recommended)
2 years of Laboratory Science (Most students will take Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
3 years of Social Studies (Modern World History, United States History [or AP US History], and a semester of Civics and Economics)
1 year of a Foreign Language (Spanish, French, or Mandarin)
1 year of Performing or Visual Arts
1 semester of any computer class (Computer Skills, Web Design, Computer Programming I-II, AP Computer Science)
1 semester of Social Psychology (Required Sophomore year)
2 years of PE (1 year in 9th grade, and a semester 10th and 11th unless playing a JV or Varsity sport)
Honors society
The school decided to form its own honors society after the 2005-2006 CSF Officers, headed by President Martine Phelan-Roberts, researched the California Scholastic Federation, the honors society to which the school had previously subscribed. The new group, the Piedmont Honors Society, has a GPA cut-off of 3.60. In addition, there is a community service requirement of 15 pre-approved hours for sophomores, 25 for juniors, and 35 for seniors. The class of 2007 is the last class to maintain eligibility and membership with CSF.School publications
The school newspaper is the Piedmont Highlander and the yearbook is the Clan-O-Log. Both have existed since the early decades of Piedmont High history, and participants of each publication are involved by taking the offered course. In 2006, the Highlander placed sixth in the National Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press Association
The National Scholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country...
's Best of Show contest. A recently added school publication is the literary magazine The Highland Piper, which is published by the library's Teen Advisory Board.
Matriculations
A high number of students continue their education at highly selective California universities, such as the University of California at BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, as well as selective schools around the nation, such as Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Of the 230-person class of 2007, Berkeley was the most popular college, with 21 students attending. It was followed by UC Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
in second place with 19 students, and a tie between UC Davis and UCLA for third, each with 15 students. Thirty-eight percent of students attend a UC school. The school newspaper reported that overall 98 percent of students planned to attend a specific college or university within the next two years, accounting for those accepted to a school but deferring for a year. In 2008, University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
was the most popular college, with 23 students attending. In 2010, UC Berkeley was the most popular college, with 13 students attending.
Schedule
Piedmont High School runs on a block schedule, with seven periods offered but four blocks a day. The schedule of classes changes every day.| day | periods |
|---|---|
| A | 1, 3, 5, 7 |
| B | 2, 4, 6, 7 |
| C | 1, 3, 5, 6 |
| D | 2, 4, 5, 7 |
| E | 1, 3, 4, 6 |
| F | 2, 3, 5, 7 |
| G | 1, 2, 4, 6 |
There are ten-minute breaks between each block for students to get to their next class. In addition, a 15-minute "brunch" — much like an elementary-school recess — is offered between block I and II, and a 35-minute lunch is offered between blocks III and IV.
During breaks, students can buy snacks and lunch from Food Service, a school-run distributor of food. Food service is located within the Student Center building.
The school has an open campus, and students can leave during lunch with no penalty, as long as they return in time for their next class.
Demographics
The majority of the student body is white, 68 percent, and Asian, 22 percent. In 2004, the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
highlighted the lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity in Piedmont in a Sunday front-page story. Comparing schools in Oakland and Piedmont, the article wrote that "wealth has created separate and unequal schools in [the] Bay Area and elsewhere."
The majority of high school students have lived in Piedmont since elementary school. As in the surrounding cities, only residents of the city can attend school at the district, unless a parent is a district employee.
Library
In 2005, Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
donated new computers, which upgraded the school to the Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
operating system. The library has enough computers for the average-sized class to use at once. It is a location where students who have "free periods" (unscheduled period in their schedule) often choose to remain, especially if the free period is in between classes.
At the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, librarian Susan Stutzman set up the Teen Advisory Board, a group for students to contribute to the library through writing book reviews, recommending purchases, buying books, decorating the library, organizing library events, and publishing a literary magazine. The literary magazine, The Highland Piper, publishes student original writing, and took its name from the school literary magazine published in the 1930s.
Bird Calling Contest
Piedmont High is home to the nationally known Leonard J. Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest. Winners of the contest, including Derek DeRoche, have been featured on the Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
. The contest was started in 1963 by biology teacher Leonard J. Waxdeck.
Sports
Fall
| Spring
|
Piedmont High football ex-coaches Kurt Bryan and Steve Humphries created the A-11 offense
A-11 offense
The A-11 offense is an offensive scheme that has been used in some levels of amateur American football. In this offense, a loophole in the rules governing kicking formations is used to disguise which offensive players would be eligible to receive a pass for any given play...
, a controversial football offense in which any of the 11 players on the field is eligible. The offense relies on confusion, and its unconventional look can wreak havoc on even bigger, stronger and faster teams.
In 2004 and 2005, the women's basketball team won two consecutive division IV state championships including being nationally ranked. Key players in the two titles were All-Americans Courtney and Ashley Paris.
In 2005, the Men's varsity Cross Country team, coached by Chris Thayer and Doyle O'Reagan, became the only men's team to win a state title in the history of the school.
In 2006, the softball team hired Jen Deering as head coach. Deering was a member of the University of California's 2002 national championship team, and she led the Highlanders to the most successful season in their history, with a record of 21-5, before falling to Albany High School
Albany High School (Albany, California)
Albany High School is a comprehensive secondary school located in Albany, California. Educating students in grades 9–12, the school has an enrollment of 1293 students. The school mascot is a cougar and the school colors are red and white...
in the NCS Championships. Deering was then hired as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. In 2007, veteran East Bay coach Kristen Morley was hired to take over the program. Morley was also a member of Cal's national championship team.
In February 2008, both the women's and the men's varsity soccer teams made it to the NCS 2A final.
In 2008, the Highlander varsity baseball team won their first ever NCS 2A Eastbay title by beating the #1 seed, Northgate 6-5 at the Oakland Coliseum.
In 2010, Piedmont lacrosse hired Jerem Stothers as varsity head coach. Stothers was previously the JV head coach since 2004. He was an All-American at the University of California-Berkeley where he played under former Duke University All-American coach Joe Proud. In 2010, Piedmont posted a 15-7 record and won a regular season BSAL championship. Robby Inch lead the team with 106 points on his way to being selected as a 2010 All-American. In 2011, Piedmont lacrosse went 12-9 in the regular season to receive their second consecutive NCS tournament bid under coach Stothers.
In 2010, Piedmont's Cross Country Team got voted The Best Looking in the Bay Shore Shore Athletic League.
In 2011, a record 4 school records were broken during the spring Track and Field season (girls 400m, girls triple jump, boys triple jump, and boys pole vault).
PHS uses the Highlander, a kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
-clad Scotsman playing the bagpipes, as its mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
.
Notable alumni
- Vern CorbinVern CorbinLavern "Vern" Corbin was an American basketball player who was an NCAA All-American as a senior at Cal in 1929. A center, Corbin was a three-time All-Pacific Coast Conference selection in his only three seasons of college basketball between 1926–27 and 1928–29. Cal won conference titles every one...
, All-American basketball at Cal in 1928–29 - Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
spent part of his academic career in Piedmont before switching to Oakland Technical High SchoolOakland Technical High SchoolOakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech, or just simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District.-Background:...
in neighboring Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... - Brad GilbertBrad GilbertBrad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
, former professional tennis player - Robert McNamaraRobert McNamaraRobert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, former Secretary of Defense, graduated in 1933 after maintaining a straight "A" average - Drew OlsonDrew OlsonDrew Martin Olson is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at UCLA...
, former UCLA quarterback