Gunn High School

Infobox School3
name=Gunn High School


established=1964
type=Public
grades=9-12
head_name=Principal
head=Noreen Likins
city=Palo Alto
state=California
country=United States
mascot= Timmy the Titan
website= [http://gunn.pausd.org 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 high school with a current enrollment of 1,907 students. [ [http://pausd.org/community/board/downloads/pkt_092308.pdf Palo Alto Unified School District 9/23/08 Board Meeting Minutes] (includes 2008-2009 11th day enrollment numbers). Retrieved September 25, 2008.] The Class of 1966 was the first class to graduate from Gunn High School.cite web |url=http://gunn.pausd.org/home/web/files/profile07.pdf |title=2007 Schooll Profile |accessdate=2008-03-22] 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 student population is 2.5% African-American, 6.5% Hispanic, 30% Asian, 4.5% Asian Indian, and 52% Caucasian.

The mascot of the school is Timmy the Titan. [cite web |url=http://gunn.pausd.org/oracle/articles/99.html |title=The skinny on Timmy |work=The Oracle |publisher=Gunn High School |date=December 14, 2005 |accessdate=2008-05-22] 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

"Newsweek" ranked Gunn 53rd in the United States in 2003, [cite web| url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6362098/site/newsweek/|title=2003 List: The Top High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools|accessdate=2006-10-20| last=Mathews|first=Jay|authorlink=| date=2003-05-24|publisher="Newsweek"| archiveurl=http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:x46WvEorfRIJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6362098/site/newsweek/| archivedate=2006-10-20] 70th out of America's top 1,000 high schools in 2005, [cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/|title=The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools|accessdate=2006-10-20|date=2005-05-16|publisher="Newsweek"| archiveurl=http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:z57zRbGpwfYJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/| archivedate=2006-10-20] 79th out of 1,200 in 2006, [cite web| url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/|title=The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools|accessdate=2006-10-20|date=2006-05-23|publisher="Newsweek"| archiveurl=http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:ASHFr4a-H4wJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/| archivedate=2006-10-17] , and 83rd out of 1,300 in 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?s=Gunn|title=America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com|accessdate=2008-09-07|publisher=Newsweek|archiveurl= http://209.85.141.104/search&q=cache:http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/]

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). [cite web |title=Gunn High School's School Accountability Report Card |pages=Page 15 |url=http://www.pausd.org/community/about/downloads/SARC/HenryGunn.pdf |accessdate=2008-05-22]

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.fact|date=April 2008

Robotics Team

The acclaimed [ cite press release
title = NASA Previews Robotics Engineers of the Future
publisher = NASA Ames Research Center
date = March 10, 2006
url = http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_14AR.html
accessdate = 2008-05-22] [ cite news
last = Malone
first = Michael S.
title = The Fix-It Kids Take Over
work = Forbes Magazine
publisher = Forbes.com Inc.
date = March 25, 2002
url = http://www.forbes.com/asap/2002/0325/034.html
accessdate = 2008-05-22] 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 [ [http://gunnrobotics.net/awards.php Gunn Robotics Team Awards] ] .

Notable alumni

-

*Jessica Yu, - Academy Award winner for Best Documentary in a Short Subject for the film ""
*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 Oscar-winning short documentary
"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 NBC soap opera "The Young and the Restless"
*Anne Wojcicki, class of 1991 - businesswoman, wife of Google founder Sergey Brin
*Brett Simon, class of 1993 - director of "Assassination of a High School President"
*Mehdi Ballouchy, class of 2002 - professional soccer player

References

External links

* [http://gunn.pausd.org/ Gunn High School website]
* [http://www.aljian.com/alumni/index.php Gunn Alumni Site]
* [http://gunn.pausd.org/oracle/ "The Oracle"] , student-run newspaper
* [http://www.gunnautotech.com/ Gunn Auto Tech]
* [http://www.thepartisanreview.org Gunn High School's The Partisan Review] , student-run political magazine patterned after the now-defunct Partisan Review
* [http://gunnrobotics.net/index.php Gunn Robotics Team]