College Park High School (Pleasant Hill, California)

College Park High School
Address
201 Viking Drive Pleasant Hill, California 94523-1809
Coordinates	37°57′54″N 122°04′15″W / 37.96500°N 122.07083°W[1]Coordinates: 37°57′54″N 122°04′15″W / 37.96500°N 122.07083°W[2]
Information
School type	Public High school
Founded	1960
Superintendent	Nellie Meyer
Principal	Paul Gengler
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,022[3] (2014-15)
Language	English
Area	Pleasant Hill, California
Color(s)	Purple and white
Mascot	Falcons
Website	http://cphs.mdusd.org

College Park High School is a public distinguished^[4] high school located in Pleasant Hill, California, adjacent to Valley View Middle School and Diablo Valley College. It is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD). CPHS was honored as a 2013 California Distinguished School by the California Department of Education.^[5]

History

College Park High School was founded in 1960 to alleviate population pressure from nearby Pleasant Hill High. The new institution chose the falcon for its mascot. The school had been constructed on land adjacent to Diablo Valley College, leading to the name College Park. A fierce rivalry developed between College Park and Pleasant Hill High until the latter closed. This rivalry would later be transferred to both Alhambra and Northgate High Schools. ^[6]

Controversies

• CPHS had an incident in June 2004, where members of the student body were found to have created a website that contained stolen test answers and student-posted homework answers. Much of the Junior class was found to have knowledge of the site, which had existed nearly all year long. Two students as well as a teacher went on to appear on the Dr. Phil show as a result of the incident, gaining College Park national attention for the scandal.^[7][8]
• CPHS also gained national media attention in January 2005 when United States Army recruiters turned the school's quad into a lunchtime shooting range. The event was approved by the school's principal, but, after much criticism, he claimed he had envisioned a different type of event than what took place.^[9]
• CPHS also had an incident in January 2007, where a student was stabbed with a steak knife in the men's bathroom. The incident prompted a 'lockdown' of the school for a couple of hours. He turned himself in to police several days after the attack, and was sentenced to five years imprisonment. However, police misconduct during the initial investigation into the stabbing resulted in the city being sued for $2 million by a falsely accused male student.^[10]

Statistics

Demographics

2014-2015 ^[11]

White	Hispanic or Latino	Asian	Multiple/No Response	Filipino	African American	American Indian or Alaskan Native	Pacific Islander
1195	458	200	142	103	74	15	13	Total Enrollment: 2020
59.6%	22.9%	10%	7%	5.1%	3.7%	0.7%	0.6%

Teaching Staff

2014-2015 ^[11]

Year	Doctorate	% Doctorate	Masters	% Masters	Bachelors	% Bachelors	Total	Avg. Years of Teaching	Avg. Years in District
14-15	6	7.2%	43	51.8%	34	41%	83	Males: 12.7, Females: 12.0	Males: 10.9, Females: 11.2
13-14	4	4.5%	43	48.8%	41	46.5%	88	Males: 12.9, Females: 13.3	Males: 11.1, Females: 11.4

Standardized Testing

SAT Scores ^[11]

Year	Grade 12 Enrollment	Number Tested	Percent Tested	Critical Reading Average	Math Average	Writing Average
2012-13	458	235	51.31	548	574	536
2011-12	453	232	51.21	541	564	531

ACT Scores ^[11]

Year	Number of 12th Graders Tested	English Average	Math Average	Reading Average	Science Average	Composite Average
2012-13	115	25.6	27.5	26.3	25.6	26.4
2011-12	102	24.5	26.6	25.5	24.7	25.4

Student Groups

Clubs

College Park has numerous clubs and activities.^[12]

Visual and performing arts

Instrumental music

The Instrumental Music Program consists of seven ensembles: Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Jazz Ensemble.

Theater and choir

The choral department travels annually to Anaheim to perform at the Disneyland resort and to participate in soundstage workshops given by Disney Performing Arts.

The theater program presents a fall and spring show each year, some of which have been student directed.

Notable Alumni

• Tina Dupuy - Syndicated columnist and author.
• Meredith Patterson - Broadway, TV and Film Actress
• Cori Alexander - Women's Professional Soccer Player and Photographer
• Melissa Seidemann Member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team, and a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games
• Travis Raciti Defensive End for the Philadelphia Eagles^[13]

References

1. United States Geological Survey (19 January 1981). "GNIS Detail -College Park High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
2. United States Geological Survey (19 January 1981). "GNIS Detail -College Park High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
3. California Department of Education. "Enrollment by Grade for 2014-2015". DataQuest. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
4. Contra Costa County Office of Education. "California Distinguished Schools in Contra Costa County". Retrieved 15 August 2012.
5. "2013 Distinguished Middle and High Schools". ca.gov. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
6. Nilsen, Adam P. (2007). Images of America: Pleasant Hill. San Francisco, CA: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5565-2.
7. "Dr. Phil.com". drphil.com. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
8. "Public Affairs - Clips". calstate.edu. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
9. Burrell, Jackie (January 27, 2005), "U.S. Army recruiters cause uproar at College Park High", Contra Costa Times
10. Lee, Henry K. (June 12, 2007), "Teen gets 5 years for stabbing at Pleasant Hill high school", San Francisco Chronicle
11. "College Park High School WASC Self-Study Report". 31 March 2015.
12. http://cphs-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1263280981140/1319263649400/4612377210514424514.pdf
13. http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/roster/Travis-Raciti/7a0f7716-bcdf-4e68-a66b-c68aabbdd7c4>