Los Altos High School (Los Altos, California)

Los Altos High School
Address
201 Almond Avenue Los Altos, California , California USA
Information
Type	Public secondary
Established	1954
Principal	Wynne Satterwhite
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,800 (approx.)
Color(s)	blue, silver and white
Mascot	eagle
Newspaper	The Talon
Website	http://www.la.mvla.net/

Los Altos High School, located in Los Altos, California, is one of the two MVLA School District public high schools, the other school being Mountain View High School. As of 2005, the school principal is Wynne Satterwhite. The previous principal was George Perez, who left in 2004.

History

The school was established in 1954 on the site of an orchard. Initially, Los Altos High School served the mostly white, middle to upper class populations of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. During 1982 redistricting efforts, the district closed its oldest high school, Mountain View High, which was located on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View. Awalt High School was then renamed Mountain View High. The valley community of Mountain View to the San Francisco Bay in the east. The two remaining district high schools now draw equally from professional and working-class families and have a similar demographic population. In more recent history, Los Altos High underwent a large renovation over the past few years, which has significantly enhanced the campus environment, including a science and art building and a Sprinturf athletic field.

Statistics and demographics

As of the 2003-2004 school year, the enrollment was approximately 1600 students; in the last few years each incoming class has been significantly larger than the outgoing class. According the to 2005 Academic Performance Index Base School Report, Los Altos has a majority of white students.[1]

Graduation Requirements

Subjects	Credits
English/Communication	40
Mathematics	20
Science	20
Social Studies	35
World Language/Fine Arts/Practical Arts (10 credits in 2 out of 3 areas)	20
Physical Education	20
Health	5
Electives	60
Total Credits	220

Programs and Highlights

• 119 students earned the title of AP Scholar in 2005
• Interdisciplinary courses are offered including Environmental Field Studies, Global Connections and a math/science based pre-engineering program
• Middle College: a program where LAHS students may spend one or two full years at a local community college
• MainStreet Singers tour all over the world and are recognized for excellence in international and vocal music competitions
• 83% of students participate in academic, extracurricular and community service clubs
• Over 50% of the students participate in athletics
• The counseling department was awarded the prestigious School Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC)
• In the '07-'08 school year a streaker donning a "scream" mask and Russian flag ran the the "quad." Events like this are rare due to the schools so called "uptight" demeanor. This sparked major controversy and many students referred to him as their "hero."
• The charismatic student group "Knights of the Square Table" was denied on several occasions causing students to become frustrated with the administration.
• Roger Melen and his family live in Los Altos

Mascot and School Colors

The school's mascot is an eagle, and an eagle was recently drawn in the front of the school to represent the mascot. The school colors are blue, silver and white, they were blue and gold before the reorganization. The blue and gold colors were similar if not the same to UCLA's school colors.

Notable Alumni

• Theodore Olson, 42nd United States Solicitor General, lawyer for Bush-Cheney in Bush v. Gore, class of 1958 [2].
• Dana Castro, Executive Producer, San Francisco GenArt.org, class of 1986.
• Sam A. Davis, Entrepenuer and JD candidate
• Raj Mathai, NBC 11 Sports Anchor
• Willie Howard, Stanford Rose Bowl, Minnesota Vikings, class of 1996
• Lorrie Fair, US National Soccer (World Cup Title), UNC Soccer (National Title), class of 1996
• Sergeant Willam M. Sigua (1985-2007), killed by small-arms fire in Bayji Iraq, 82nd Airborne Division, Purple Heart Medal, class of 2003

[3], Andrew Arnold Tink BA LLB MP (b. 13 July 1953) is an Australian politician, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2007. He was a member of the class of 1971

• Joost Bonsen, Career MIT student and host of "HighTechFever" TV show, class of 1986
• Roland Beech, Founder of 82games.com, providing statistical analysis of the National Basketball Association, class of 1986

External links

• Los Altos High School website
• Profile for S. David Brazer, a previous principal
• The Main Street Singers of Los Altos High School - an a cappella choral music group
• The Talon (school newspaper)
• TerraServer-USA aerial image