Carmel High School (Carmel, California)
Carmel High School is a school of 750 students and 50-plus faculty members, situated just outside the city of Carmel, California. Built in 1940, CHS is known for its lovely view of the Santa Lucia Mountains with a peek of Point Lobos and the Pacific Ocean. It also is known for being in one of the most affluent school districts in California, due to a state law which allows the school to opt out of ADA (average daily attendance) funding, choosing instead to receive revenue from local property taxes, which in Carmel's case are quite high.
Carmel High shares a cross town rivalry with Pacific Grove High School, where every year the two teams compete in "The Shoe Game", so named after a shoe that was bronzed and made into a trophy by Carmel High students in an attempt to start the rivalry. As of 2011, "The Shoe" has been in the possession of the Carmel team for 4 years in a row. The school's mascot is the Padre, which pays homage to the peninsula's history with the Spanish missionaries, with the Carmel Mission found just a few miles from the campus.
The Carmel High School's new Library has approximately 16,000 volumes and is equipped with wireless communication. The old library, that at one point was a theater, was torn down and a new theater has been built in its place. This theater is an attempt to use "green" construction practices, such as solar panels and energy efficient lights and appliances.
Construction recently finished on a new weight room, dance room, remodeled gym and locker rooms, and pool. The school is known for their cross country, and track and field teams, as well as their golf program, with a home course located at Pebble Beach. The success of their cross country and track and field programs is often attributed to Coach John Ables, who has trained the team to State skill level for the past 20 years.
As of 2006 the school has a team that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition - Team 2035, aptly named "The Robo-Rockin' Bots", which is headed by teachers Paul McFarlin and Tom Clifford has excelled since its inception. During their rookie year, Carmel placed second in the U.C. Davis Regional Competition. The team was awarded the Motorola Quality Award in 2008. They are also in the process of building a state-of-the-art robotics lab equipped with CNC programming tools to support the Robotics class. When completed it will be one of the most advanced workshops on the peninsula.
The school also has a mock trial team, headed by teachers Bill Schrier and Marc Stafford. The team has been the Monterey County champions since 2008, advancing to the state finals each year. In 2010, the team finished 11th in the state and was honored with two individual awards.
Most recently, Karl Pallastrini, a Carmel High graduate, retired from his position as principal. He was one of many faculty members that were once students at Carmel High School.
[edit] Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Carmel High School include:
- Rushad Eggleston (Class of 1997), Grammy-nominated musician [1]
- Sam Farr (Class of 1959), U.S. Congressman (California, 17th District)
- Stephen Moorer (Class of 1979), Founder & Executive Director, Pacific Repertory Theatre [2](award-winning professional theatre)
- Hugo Schwyzer (Class of 1985) Feminist professor and writer, author "Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir" (The Carré Otis story)
- Philip Schwyzer (Class of 1988) Professor of English, University of Exeter, renowned renaissance scholar
[edit] Contact information
- Carmel High School
- 3600 Ocean Avenue
- Carmel, CA
- Phone: (831) 624-1821
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 36°33′19″N 121°54′35″W / 36.55528°N 121.90972°W
