Monta Vista High School

Monta Vista High School
File:P3040012MontaVistaHSlogo crwb.jpg
Location
Cupertino , California USA
Information
Type	Public 4-year
Established	1969
Principal	April Scott
Staff	92 (2005-2006)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,573 (2006-2007)
Color(s)	Purple and Gold
Mascot	Matador
Newspaper	El Estoque
Address	21840 McClellan Road
Website	http://www.mvhs.fuhsd.org/

Front of the high school.

Monta Vista academic court, December 1971.

File:New AcQuad MV 06.jpg

Monta Vista academic court, August 2006

File:Mvhsacquad2006.jpg

Monta Vista academic court and renovated library, June 2006.

Auditorium with mural.

Monta Vista High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in the Silicon Valley suburb of Cupertino, California, USA. Part of the Fremont Union High School District, the school serves most of the suburban residential and industrial technology enriched area of western Cupertino. Monta Vista also has a strong alumni following.

It opened in 1969, offering only freshman and sophomore classes; the first class graduated in 1972. Since then, its student body size has averaged about 2500 students.

Alma Mater

The traditional Monta Vista alma mater:

Hail to thee 'ole MV High
Proud her colors 'ere may fly,
Purple-gold they stand for might,
Teach us to defend the right
Truth and honor never fail
Loyalty will 'ere prevail,
Strong ideals will never die,
Hail to thee 'ole MV High!
Template:Polytonic

Demographics

As of the 2006-2007 school year, Monta Vista has a student body of 2,573 students, of which a majority (68.7%) are Asian American, 28.2% are white, 2.1% are Latino and the remaining 1% is composed of African Americans and American Indian. Monta Vista has the largest student body in the district.

A 2005 Wall Street Journal article claimed that Monta Vista is currently experiencing a "white flight" caused by white families feeling overwhelmed by the recent influx of Asian American immigrants.

Academics

With an API score of 923 points out of 1000, Monta Vista is regarded as one of the top schools in California. In the class of 2007, there were 47 National Merit Semi-finalists and 74 National Merit Commended students. In 2007, Newsweek's 1,200 top U.S. schools ranked Monta Vista #85, the 7th Californian high school. The highest ranked school in the Fremont Union High School District, the The Washington Post magazine ranked Monta Vista as the 57th best high school in the United States, the fourth highest academically performing high school in all of California, and the highest academically ranked school in the Fremont Union High School District in 2005. Though these rankings exclude private schools, many have selective admission policies, whereas schools like Monta Vista and Lynbrook do not; however, proof of residency is required for enrollment. For this reason, these rankings do not necessarily provide accurate results for all high schools.

Athletics

Monta Vista High School's mascot is the Matador, with purple and gold as its official school colors. The school mascot's uniform, however, is that of a purple bull. Monta Vista High School rivals nearby Lynbrook High School and Cupertino High School and competes in the SCVAL of the Central Coast Section. The girl's swim team were CCS champions in 2008.

The school's campus consists of a large baseball field, an American football field, and tennis courts. Due to neighborhood complaints about noise levels, as well as a lack of lighting on the field, Monta Vista holds most of their home football games at Cupertino High School. In 2007, the school completed construction of the new lighted pool, which is host to several water polo and swimming competitions per year.

Social Life

See Academics.

Architecture

The majority of the school's buildings are built in the Spanish Mission architectural style. The school has been undergoing a multi-million dollar facilities modernization, with a new library, completed in late 2005, showcased in the center of campus. Small renovations, such as the fitting of metal doors in place of old wooden ones, were completed over the summer of 2006. The athletic facilities, such as the gym, swimming pool and locker rooms, have now completed renovation. A new school office has also been constructed.

Monta Vista is divided into four major structures. A Building holds most of the foreign languages. B Building has many science classrooms and language arts, with C Building holding many social sciences. D Building is a relatively new building, and has math and science classrooms and the Monta Vista Linux Lab, where computer programming classes are held. The F building is located on the opposite side of the campus, and has arts, performing arts, and industrial technology classes.

Trivia

• Abraham Lincoln Elementary School sits just to its east, and John F. Kennedy Middle School lies to its southeast. Both schools are literally across the street.
• Monta Vista is the site of a 1973 sex comedy, The Cheerleaders.
• Monta Vista's Dance Team is extremely successful, having won a State Title every year from 2001-2008, and National Titles in both 2005 and 2006. Outside of competitions, the team performs at rallies, football games, and their annual Winter and Spring Shows.
• Monta Vista's Cheer Team recently placed first in the 2007 USA Spirit Nationals held in Anaheim, California in the Super Varsity Show Cheer Novice Division. Outside of competitions, the team performs at rallies, at the Spring Show, and at every football and basketball game.
• In its first year of Quiz Bowl Competition, Monta Vista High School captured the 2006 Northern California NAQT Championship, and placed 54th out of 128 in the National Championship.
• The Monta Vista chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) has an extensive history of national success, ranking 2nd in the entire country at the 2008 National Leadership Conference.
• As of the start of the 2006-2007 school year, Monta Vista has the largest band program in the Fremont Union High School District.
• Monta Vista and nearby Lynbrook High School, also of the Fremont Union High School District, are academic and athletic rivals. However, little tension exists between the two student bodies. Both schools have similar demographics and ratings.
• The school is a member of the California Color Guard Circuit.
• In 2008, Monta Vista hosted the State Dance Tournament
• Petri Hawkins-Byrd, bailiff on the Judge Judy television program, was the school security officer in the 90s and served as the staff advisor for the student-run WWF club.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Monta Vista High School include:

• Adam Curry, broadcasting and Internet personality
• Andrew Martinez, "The Naked Guy" at UC Berkeley
• Brian Hall, World Cup and MLS soccer referee
• Daniel Puder, professional MMA fighter
• Dennis Fong, former professional computer game player and gaming site webmaster. Co-founder of the Xfire online messenger
• Dylan Fergus, actor
• Justina Chen Headley, writer
• Matthew Axelson, Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy Cross for courage in the face of the enemy.
• Robert Rothbart, professional basketball player
• Ron Reis, former WCW wrestler
• Ryan Hancock, professional baseball player for the California Angels
• Sheryl Johnson, former Stanford field hockey coach and USA Field Hockey player of the year
• Steve Isaacs, lead vocals for the band The Panic Channel and former MTV VJ
• Vance Walberg, Pepperdine University men's basketball coach

See also

• Monta Vista DECA

External links

• Monta Vista High School website
• Monta Vista Class of 2011 Website
• Monta Vista Class of 2010 Website
• Monta Vista Class of 2009 Website
• Two California high schools losing white students as Asians move in (Wall Street Journal)