Palisades Charter High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Palisades Charter High School
type = Public
grades = 9–12
established= 1961cite web|url=http://search.lausd.k12.ca.us/cgi-bin/fccgi.exe?w3exec=school.profile.content&which=8798|title=LAUSD School Profile Page|accessmonthday=January 21 |accessyear=2007]
city = Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles
state = California
country = USA
enrollment = 2,760 students [cite web|url=http://www.palihigh.com/school_profile.jsp|title=School Profile|work=Student Body|accessmonthday=July 8 |accessyear=2006]
mascot = Dolphin
colors = Royal blue, Columbia Blue and White [cite web|url=http://www.palihigh.com/school_description.jsp?rn=8470|title=School Description|work=Campus|accessmonthday=July 8 |accessyear=2006]
principal = Martin Griffin
newsletter = What's Crackin
newspaper = "Tideline"
website = [http://www.palihigh.org palihigh.org]

Palisades Charter High School (usually abbreviated as "Pali High," "PaliHi," or uncommonly as "PCHS" / "PHS" ) is a secondary school in Los Angeles, California, United States. The public high school serves the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, Palisades Highlands, Kenter Canyon and portions of Brentwood (including Brentwood Circle). Residents in Topanga, an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County, may attend Palisades or Taft High School. [http://www.palihigh.org/ourpages/auto/2008/1/31/1201801274118/Palisades%20Chtr%20HS%20Attendance%20Area.pdf?rn=2636086]

The school serves grades 9 through 12. Formerly directly administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District school, with the land still owned by the district, the school is now an independent charter school, no longer administered by LAUSD . Its current charter status expires on June 27, 2010. [ [http://www.palihigh.org/welcome_message.jsp Palisades Charter High School ] ] Its current enrollment numbers 2760 students, and many of them endure long bus rides to attend one of the most highly-ranked public high schools in the Los Angeles area. In 2005, "Pali" was recognized as a California Distinguished School.

The school is located at 15777 Bowdoin Street, Pacific Palisades, California, 90272.

Paul Revere Charter Middle School feeds into Palisades.

History

The school was founded in 1961. The Class of 2008 was the 46th graduating class.

Prior to the founding, the property was called All Hollows Farm and for many years was owned by the Conway family: Hollywood film director Jack Conway; his wife, actress Virginia Conway — daughter of silent screen star Francis X. Bushman — and their two sons, one of whom, Pat Conway became an actor as well. This property was subsequently sold to actress Debbie Reynolds and her husband, singer Eddie Fisher. It was then taken, some years later, by the State by eminent domain to build the high school.

Several members of the class of 1965 were profiled in a "Time" magazine article, which led to a best-selling 1976 book by class members David Wallechinsky and Michael Medved, "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?".Tevi Troy. [http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/troy200502090751.asp "Right Read: Michael Medved engages and explains,"] "National Review", February 09, 2005.] The book featured interviews with several members of the class, whose experiences were recounted both individually and in groupings around shared themes such as the Vietnam War and the draft, drug experimentation, and sex. Various teachers from the school also were interviewed, among them English teachers Miss Jean O'Brien and Mrs. Gilbert (aka "Mama G"), and history teacher Mr. Johnson. The success of the book later inspired a short-lived television docudrama-style series of the same name, which ran from December 1977 to July 1978.Michael Peck. [http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Televisionary/default.aspx?posting=%7B40909B54-E84C-4BAC-952B-A10AF8282693%7D "Televisionary" (Q&A column)] , June 28, 2005.]

This school was the focus of a false email chain letter started around 2002. The message falsely claimed that a satiric message to parents about student truancies and homework problems was actually on the school's answering machine. The message was originally written in response to parent outrage that students who skipped class more than ten days per 90-schoolday semester (not counting legitimate absences, like sickness) could receive a failing grade in that class. This was reported on several web sites, including TruthOrFiction.com, [ [http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/pacificpalisadeshigh.htm truthorfiction.com] ] Snopes, [ [http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/palisades.htm snopes.com] ] and BreakTheChain.org. [ [http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/pphsmess.html breakthechain.org] ]

Disregarding a majority vote of the parents and students, which came down 1740-1010 against, the board of directors voted in 2006 to change the starting date of school for the 2007-2008 school year, which upset the student body, many of whom took action by skipping class in protest. After much disagreement among the principal, the Board, teachers, parents, and students, the school finally announced on Tuesday, May 8, that the calendar change would not be enacted, mostly due to ongoing contract discussions with United Teachers Los Angeles which reminded administrators of a clause which prevented schedule changes without teacher approval.

Campus

The campus is bounded by Temescal Canyon Road to the east, Sunset Boulevard to the north, El Medio Street to the west, and Temescal Canyon Continuation School to the south. It is bisected by Bowdoin Street, which runs between the school's football field and the academic center of the school. Located only a mile from Will Rogers State Beach, the football stadium is called "Stadium by the Sea."Fact|date=February 2008

Many movies have been filmed at Palisades. One of the first films to be shot at Pali High was "Carrie". Directors George Lucas and Brian De Palma held a joint audition for "Carrie" and Lucas's "Star Wars" (1977). Carrie Fisher, daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, was cast in "Star Wars", but there was a long-standing rumor that originally, Spacek was cast as Princess Leia, and Carrie Fisher as Carrie White, which was later dismissed by Fisher.Fact|date=February 2008 Other movies filmed on site include "Crazy/Beautiful" (2001), "The Glass House" (2001), "Old School" (2003), "Freaky Friday" (2003) and "Havoc" (2005).

tudent body

For the 2006-2007 school year, the school's ethnic composition was 49% White/Caucasian, 23% Hispanic, 18% African-American, 8% Asian, and 2% "other". [cite web|url=http://www.palihigh.com/school_profile.jsp|title=School Profile|work=Student Body|accessmonthday=July 8 |accessyear=2006] Students attending the school live in 116 different ZIP codes.Fact|date=February 2008

The Associated Student Body (ASB) is composed of several student elected officers that include:
*ASB President
*ASB Vice President
*ASB Treasurer
*ASB Secretary
*ASB Historian
*Commissioner of Academics
*Commissioner of Activities
*Commissioner of Communications
*Senior Class President
*Junior Class President
*Sophomore Class President
*Freshman Class President

Notable alumni

"Pali" is the alma mater of many athletic stars including Jay Schroeder of the Los Angeles Raiders, Kiki Vandeweghe '76, General Manager and NBA Forward for the Denver Nuggets, record holding Cal receiver Geoff McArthur, and former UCLA quarterback/national high school record holder, David Koral.

Other now-famous people who once attended Pali include the following, in alphabetical order:
*J.J. Abrams '84 - screenwriter and television show creator
*Scott Alexander - screenwriter
*A. Scott Berg '67 - Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer
*Jamie Bishton - lead dancer with Twyla Tharp's and Mikhail Baryshnikov's companies
*Jeff Bridges - actor
*Christie Brinkley '72 - Supermodel and spokeswoman
*Jeanne Buss - vice-president of operations of the Los Angeles Lakers
*Peter DeLuise - actor
*Chris Ferguson - poker player
*Tom Feuer '80 - Executive producer of FSN West and FSN Prime Ticket.
*Alex Greenwald - actor and musician
*Sherry Hursey '74 - actress
*Susanna Hoffs '76 - member of The Bangles
*Willa Holland - actress
*Elizabeth Keifer - actress
*Steve Kerr - former NBA player
*Robert Lee King - film director, including of "Psycho Beach Party"
*Jennifer Jason Leigh - actress and director
*Ahmad Ali Lewis- Hip-Hop artist, member of 4th Avenue Jones
*Daniel S. Loeb - hedge fund manager
*Lauren London- actress
*Jeff Madsen - poker player, formerly the youngest winner of a wsop bracelet at 21 years 1 month and 9 days
*Ron and Russell Mael- musicians (the band Sparks)
*Harry Medved - co-author, along with brother Michael of "The Golden Turkey Awards".
*Michael Medved '65 - film critic, radio host, and commentator
*Penelope Ann Miller - actress
*Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson - musicians, formerly of the chart topping early 90s band the Nelsons
*Michael Newman - former lifeguard and firefighter, and Baywatch actor
*Thomas Newman - film score composer
*Philip Price (musician) '78 - musician, lead singer of the band Winterpills
*David Roback - musician, Rain Parade, Opal, Mazzy Star.
*Katey Sagal - actress
*Jean and Liz Sagal - former Doublemint Twins and sisters of Katey Sagal
*Amy Smart - actress
*Kent Steffes - professional beach volleyball player
*Ted Stryker '89 - KROQ DJ
*Hallie Todd '79 - actress (maiden name: Hallie Eckstein)
*David Wallechinsky '65 - author and essayist
*Forest Whitaker '79 - Academy Award-winning actor, director, and producer
*will.i.am (William James Adams Jr.) - musician, member of the Black Eyed Peas

ending schools

As some LAUSD zoned high schools do not have enough space to educate all residents in their attendance boundaries, some schools send excess students to Palisades. [ [http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=2640 Pacific Palisades ~ Palisadian-Post ] ]

They are, as of spring 2007:
* Belmont
* Crenshaw
* Dorsey
* Fairfax
* Fremont
* Hamilton
* Hollywood
* Jefferson
* Los Angeles
* Manual Arts
* Santee Education Complex
* Van Nuys
* Washington Preparatory

Notes

Additional references

* [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/players/draft/416209 SportsLine.com on Geoff McArthur] Retrieved August 6, 2005.
* [http://uclabruins.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/koral_david00.html collegesports.com Player Bio: David Koral :: Football] Retrieved August 6, 2005.
* [http://www.classervices.com/jayschroeder.htm CLASS Speaker: Jay Schroeder] Retrieved August 6, 2005.

External links

* [http://www.palihigh.org Official website: Palisades Charter High School]
* [http://www.dolphinsafterdark.org/history1.html A History of Pali High...]
* [http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=2790 Mrs. Gilbert's still working at Pali--"Go Mama G!"] from the "Palisades Post"