College Park High School (Pleasant Hill, California) - College Park High School

College Park High School is a public distinguished high school located in Pleasant Hill, California, United States, 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.

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.

Controversies

• In June 2004, 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.
• 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.
• In January 2007, 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. The stabber 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.

Statistics

Demographics

2014-2015

Teaching staff

2014-2015

Standardized testing

SAT scores

ACT scores

Student groups

Clubs

College Park has numerous clubs and activities.

Visual and performing arts

Instrumental music

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

Theater and choir

Athletics

Notable alumni

• Cori Alexander - professional soccer player and photographer
• Tina Dupuy - syndicated columnist and author
• Meredith Patterson - Broadway, TV and film actress
• Travis Raciti - defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Melissa Seidemann - member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic water polo team; gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games

References