Gunn High School
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
| Gunn High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1964 |
| Principal | Noreen Likins |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Mascot | Timmy the Titan |
| Website | Official Website |
Henry M. Gunn High School is one of two public high schools in Palo Alto, California. Gunn High School is a four-year public high school with a current enrollment of 1,907 students.[1] The Class of 1966 was the first class to graduate from Gunn High School.[2] The academic year has two semesters with 240 minutes of weekly instruction for every class. The school's schedule operates on a rotating bell schedule with classes assigned to lettered "periods" from A through G.
Established in 1964, Gunn High School was named after the late Henry M. Gunn (1898-1988), who served as the Palo Alto superintendent from 1950 to 1961. In 1964, the Palo Alto Unified School District announced it would name the district's third high school after him.
The ethnic and racial makeup of the 2007-08 student population is American Indian or Alaska Native - 0.1%, Asian - 32.9%, Pacific Islander - 0.4%, Filipino - 0.8%, Hispanic or Latino - 5.3%, African American - 1.7%, White - 48.6%, Multiple or no response - 10.1%. Males make up 51.0% and females make up 49.0%. [3]
The mascot of the school is Timmy the Titan.[4] The student newspaper is The Oracle, part of the High School National Ad Network. The internal student-run television news show is the Titan Broadcast Network.
Academic reputation
U.S. News & World Report rated Gunn High School 66th in 2007, 74th in 2008.[5]
The average SAT score for Gunn seniors hovers around 1200-1300 on the former 1600 scale (1249 in 2004, 1291 in 2005, 1263 in 2006).[6]
Education in mathematics and computer sciences is particularly strong. In 2004, 5 students qualified for the USAMO out of around 250 nationally, and during the 2004-2005 school year 5 out of the approximately 35 American students in the Gold Division of the USACO were from Gunn.[citation needed] In 2005, 2 students qualified for the USAMO. In 2006, 5 students qualified. In 2007, 4 students qualified. In 2008, 7 students qualified. In 2009, 8 students qualified.
Robotics Team
The acclaimed[7][8] Gunn Robotics Team (GRT), established in 1997 and advised by teacher and former NASA employee Bill Dunbar, has consistently placed in the top 25 at the FIRST Robotics Competition. It is also the only FIRST Robotics team to have won the national animation award twice, in 1997 and 2006[9].
Notable alumni
- Zoe Lofgren, class of 1966 — member, U. S. Congress House of Representatives
- Pete Snyder, class of 1970 — Coach of U. C. Santa Barbara NCAA 1979 National water polo team
- Stanley Jordan, class of 1977 — jazz guitarist
- George Packer, class of 1978 — author
- David Leavitt, class of 1979 — author of Family Dancing and The Lost Language of Cranes
- Stephan Jenkins, class of 1983 — lead singer for Third Eye Blind
- Jessica Yu, class of 1983 — director of Academy Award winning short documentary for Best Documentary in a Short Subject for the film Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien
- Steve Almond, class of 1984 — author
- Rick Porras, class of 1984 — co-producer on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- Matt Flynn, class of 1988 — Grammy Award-winning drummer of Maroon 5, as well as former drummer of the The B-52's
- Shemar Moore, class of 1988 — actor, formerly of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, currently the CBS drama Criminal Minds, as well as the former host of Soul Train.
- Anne Wojcicki, class of 1991 — businesswoman, wife of Google founder Sergey Brin
- Brett Simon, class of 1992 — director of Assassination of a High School President
- Mehdi Ballouchy, class of 2002 — professional soccer player
- Andrew Jacobson, class of 2003 - professional soccer player
References
- ^ Palo Alto Unified School District 9/23/08 Board Meeting Minutes (includes 2008-2009 11th day enrollment numbers). Retrieved September 25, 2008.
- ^ "2007 School Profile" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- ^ "Henry M. Gunn Senior High School WASC Self-Study CHAPTER 1 - STUDENT / COMMUNITY PROFILE" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-12-26.
- ^ "The skinny on Timmy". The Oracle. Gunn High School. December 14, 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Henry M. Gunn High: Best High Schools - USNews.com". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ "Gunn High School's School Accountability Report Card" (PDF). pp. Page 15. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^
"NASA Previews Robotics Engineers of the Future" (Press release). NASA Ames Research Center. March 10, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^
Malone, Michael S. (March 25, 2002). "The Fix-It Kids Take Over". Forbes Magazine. Forbes.com Inc. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Gunn Robotics Team Awards
External links
- Gunn High School website
- Gunn Alumni Site
- The Oracle, student-run newspaper
- Gunn Auto Tech
- Gunn High School's The Partisan Review, student-run political magazine patterned after the now-defunct Partisan Review
- Gunn Robotics Team
- Gunn Web Design Club's New Gunn Site