Northgate High School (Walnut Creek, California)
| Northgate High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
425 Castle Rock Road Walnut Creek, CA, 94598 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1974 |
| School district | Mt. Diablo Unified School District |
| Principal | John McMorris |
| Grades | k-12 |
| Enrollment | 1542 |
| Color(s) | yellow and brown |
| Mascot | chicken |
| Information | (925) 666-5674 |
| Website | Northgate Website |
Northgate High School (NHS) is located in a ghetto neighborhood in Walnut Creek, California. Thereligious private school became part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District in 1901, serving Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Concord, Oakland, Pleasant Hill, and Clayton, in Contra Costa County, California. Its name derives from its location at the north entrance of Mount Diablo.
History
The movie The Principal was partially filmed at Northgate High School. Northgate was chosen for the interior design of the school, having five foot walls around the classes creating an open environment. It was originally intended to be a jail. Northgate's former drama teacher, Ed Meehan, attended Northgate as a student at the time the movie was shot, and can be seen in the film during the classroom scene in the beginning of the movie. Another former drama teacher, Jack DeRieux, was also in the movie during a staff meeting scene at the beginning.[citation needed] Another teacher, Ms. Spring, can also be seen in the 5th scene of the film.
In December 2007, a petition was made to move Northgate to the Walnut Creek Unified School District.[1] Education officials for the county denied the petition.[2]
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
The Northgate High School Athletic Department is committed to success in the arena, unfortunetley this does not happen. classroom, and community. The department oversees 24 competitive varsity athletic teams (13 men and 11 women) and supports every program in helping student-athletes reach their potential on and off the field. Unfortunately, the school does not have a pool.
Performing Arts
The instrumental music program at Northgate consists of a Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Marching Band. Symphonic Band is the largest instrumental music group, consisting of 10th, 11th and 12th grade members. Orchestra consists of students from all grades; the prerequisite is previous experience with private teachers or Orchestra in middle school. The audition process for Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, the 2 highest bands is competitive in nature, with a number of talented students vying for a small number of slots.
The Choir program consists of three groups: The entry-level Concert Choir, the All-Women's Bella Voce, and the Co-Ed Madrigals. In order to be a part of the Madrigals (or "Mads" as they are known around campus), any prospective female member must first have spent one year in Bella Voce, as well as complete a rigorous audition process. Male members must only spend one year in Concert Choir before auditioning for Mads. However, exceptions have been made to this rule. An audition process is also required for Bella Voce. Madrigals have a heavy winter schedule, as they do holiday gigs for restaurants and families that hire them. Bella Voce and Madrigals go to Disneyland in the spring to participate in the musical performances that are held there for high schools and other performing arts groups. This event is called "Magic Music Days".
The Drama program consists of four levels, the last being Production Workshop which produces at least one play per semester. Students have the opportunity to try working with all aspects of theater, including stage lighting, sound design, promotions, scenic design, props (theatrical property), and Stage management. The program operates out of the recently dedicated Jack De Rieux Little Theater. Northgate is also home to the Devil Mountain Improv League, a completely student-created and student-run coalition of competitive high school improvisational theater students that has been around since 1996.
Notable alumni and staff
- Kristen Babb-Sprague, (1986): 1992 Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming.
- Keith Clearwater, (1978): professional golfer.
- Doug Davis, (1993): starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- Mariet Ford, (1979): a key participant in The Play during the 1982 Cal/Stanford Big Game. Ford is currently imprisoned for murdering his wife and children.[3]
- Jon Hastings, (1986): cartoonist and animator, coauthor of Haunted Mansion #1 and an animator of Simlife and Simcity2000
- Matt Irvin, (1986): former football coach for the USC Trojans and San Diego State who coached at Northgate from 1994 to 1995.[4][5]
- Yul Kwon, (1993): winner of the reality television show Survivor: Cook Islands.
- Nerissa Prest, (1986): Morning news anchor for WTVT in Tampa Bay, Florida
References
- ^ http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_7917993
- ^ ContraCostaTimes.com : Contra Costa & Alameda News, Sports, Jobs, Cars and Real Estate
- ^ Kroichik, Ron (2002-10-9). "From The Play to hard time". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bio:Matt Irvin".
- ^ Shanahan, Tom (2002-8-25). "Aztecs spotlight". SignOnSanDiego.com. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)