- Westmoor High School is an American public high school in Daly City, California that serves grades 9 through 12 as part of the Jefferson Union High School District (JUHSD). It generally serves the residents of Daly City, Pacifica, and Colma.
- History
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Westmoor High School was established in 1956 as the primary high school to serve the new Westlake neighborhood on the west side of Daly City.
- In the academic school year of 2004, 2005, and 2006 Westmoor became eligible for California Distinguished School status, but was not awarded the designation until 2009. However, in recent years, its California Standardized Test scores have risen year after year, to an 8/10.
- Throughout the years, numerous individuals, such as participants in the American Civil Rights Movement and numerous California politicians have visited Westmoor. In 2004, Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry made a campaign stop at Westmoor, speaking publicly in the main gymnasium.
- Campus
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The original campus building as designed by architect Mario J. Ciampi attracted national acclaim due to its modern design elements. The building was sometimes called the "Glass Palace" due to the extensive use of architectural glass in its design. Ciampi received an honor award from the American Institute of Architects in 1959 for his work on Westmoor. The campus is built on what was previously a pig farm and ranch.
- Westmoor's main building was renovated during the 2000-2001 school year which added space but led to the removal of most of its original glass features.
- Demographics
- 2006-2007
- 1,817 students; M/F (49.4/50.6):
- 88 certificated staff; M/F (47.7/52.3):
- Curriculum
- Courses offered
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In addition to offering the standard English, science, social science and mathematics courses, Westmoor offers several Advanced Placement courses: English Language, English Literature, U.S. History, Statistics, Calculus AB (and sometimes BC), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, American Government, and Macroeconomics. Westmoor's curriculum includes a variety of art and music programs such as fabric arts, ceramics, draw and paint, art, graphic design, as well as band, chorus, and theater arts. Westmoor's foreign language department offers Spanish and French. In addition, Westmoor offers several elective courses in business, computer, and industrial art fields. The AVID program serves to assist students, where they prepare for college and learn fundamental skills that will guide them to academic success.
- Semester grading system
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In the 2004-2005 school year, Westmoor and other schools in the Jefferson Union High School District changed the grading periods from four quarters in two semesters per year to simply two semesters. Student progress reports are issued each third of a semester.
- Sustained Silent Reading
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Westmoor began the Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) program in 2001. On a normal schedule, a twenty minute period is designated for SSR on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Starting in the 2005 - 2006 school year, this SSR period recurs on a rotating basis at the beginning of the 1st - 6th periods. During SSR, all students and teachers are excluded from classwork, reading textbooks, or writing.
- Extracurricular activities
- Clubs and organizations
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Westmoor is home to these following student clubs and organizations:
- Anime Club: Engages in activities involving the Japanese art form anime. They stage festivals such as the Sakura Festival and also attend field trips to anime conventions, such as the annual FanimeCon in San Jose.
- Associated Student Body (ASB): Helps to organize many student activities, including rallies and International Foods Days. Its officers are chosen at the end of each year by election. Any student, however, may join the "Zero Period" ASB Meetings, which start at 7am, an hour before regular classes, although due to the high number of students that join, many are cut as the year progresses.
- Auto Safety
- B-boy Club
- Band (Leadership Council)
The purpose of this class/council is to organize concerts throughout the school year, prepare the marching band (complete with auxiliary guard) for the Fog Fest parade in September, and raise funds for the annual Heritage Festival trip and other band equipment/instruments
- Block W
- Burmese Club: Promotes the Burmese Culture and participates in several festivals, such as the Burmese New Year Water Festival.
- California Scholarship Federation (CSF): Westmoor's branch of the state-wide California Scholarship Federation. Membership to the club is exclusive to those students who have achieved academic distinction, specifically, those students who maintain a 3.5 GPA and certain grade levels in specific courses, although by no means is CSF inclusive to all students who meet those requirements. CSF members receive a special distinction upon graduation. Westmoor's branch conducts after-school tutoring sessions, as well as fundraisers for its regular field trips to colleges and universities.
- Ceramics Team:Ceramics students and non-Ceramic students can work in the studio during lunch and after school. Students will work on individual projects and "coach" each other and try to sell their projects.
- Chess Club: Gathers during lunch to play chess and other board/card games.
- Class of 2010:
- Class of 2011:
- Class of 2012:
- Class of 2013:
| Mainly responsible for organizing class-specific events, such as film showings, rallies, and the senior-year prom. The different class clubs also engage in various "spirit competitions" throughout the year, creating posters and organizing students to dress up for specific "spirit day" motifs. Promote school spirit, fundraise, get involved with school events.
- Close-Up (trip): An annual trip to Washington, D.C., to observe the political process. Part of the national Close Up Foundation that organizes the trip.
- Co-Ed Soccer Club
- C-Walk Club
- Club Elemental
- Drama Club
- Fil-Am: Club that fosters awareness of Filipino-American heritage and culture.
- French Club: The purpose is to promote the French language and culture through food, movies and other forms of entertainment. They want students to acknowledge the French language and experience a new style of life never seen before.
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Part of a national organization. Every year, students from Westmoor compete against other FBLA members at section, state and national levels. FBLA is designed to bring students a glimpse of the business world while having fun at the same time. There are many opportunities for students to network with their peers and interact with business professionals. This club is advised by Nancy Sansot.
- Future Homemakers of America (FHA-Hero)
- Key Club
- Korean Club Focuses on Korean pop culture and fashion
- Leo's Club: Participates in many community service projects, notably with a for Humanity housing construction project.
- LMNTL
- Mock Trial: Competes in the regional North San Mateo mock trial competition, along with area high schools Burlingame, El Camino, Mills, South San Francisco, and Terra Nova, in which teams of students are presented with a fictional criminal case, and take on roles as attorneys and witnesses on prosecution and defense teams, to try to argue the case.
- Music Club
- Muslim Student Association [1]
- Peer Counseling
- Polynesian Club: To educate those who would like to learn Polynesian culture such as traditions, lei making, dancing etc. They will also learn about Micronesia and Melanesia.
- Recycling Club: Primary function is to gather the recycling bins from classrooms all over the campus on Wednesdays, afterschool. Also participates in many recycling and cleanup projects around the local area. Near the end of the school year, they go to elementary schools to spread awareness of being environmentally friendly and teach how to recycle at home.
- Roman Club: Expand knowledge about Roman culture, a better knowledge of history, show roots of western culture and civilization.
- Service Commission
- Social Activist Youth (SAY)
- Sojourn: An annual trip to the Old South, to retrace the steps of the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Part of the national Sojourn to the Past project.
- Student Union
- Spanish Club
- Spirit Squad
- Swim Team/Club
- Westmoor High Artistic Talents Club (WHAT)
- Youth Alive Christian Fellowship (YACF)
- Youth Elderly Service (YES)
- Athletics
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Westmoor also offers a variety of sports, including track, cross-country, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, badminton, and swimming. A notable exception of the athletics program is the lack of a school football team, which was discontinued in the 1990s due to lack of student interest and poor performance.
- International Foods Day
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About three times a year, ASB organizes an "International Foods Day", both as an opportunity for students to eat different food outside of the standard cafeteria offerings, and (primarily) as a fundraising event for clubs to sell food. The International Foods Days, or "IFDs", are held during special Friday extended lunch periods, and club members who are selling food are released early from their 4th period classes to help prepare.
- Rally and Spirit Week
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Several rallies are held throughout the year, usually on Fridays after school in the main gym. The rallies usually consist of numerous acts by both students and teachers, the majority of which involve vocal performances, instrumental performances, dance performances (mostly break-dancing), or a combination of all three. Most rallies also include some sort of contest between the different classes, involving either a dancing act, or a type of game. The rallies are often followed by a scheduled school dance, although these are almost always cancelled due to the lack of ticket sales and interest.
- Although many students participate in organizing the rallies, individual rallies usually have an official "sponsor", usually one of the class clubs, or the ASB.
- The week preceding the rally on Friday is usually known as "Spirit Week". During this week, and preceding weeks (especially after school on the Friday before Spirit Week), the class clubs design various posters, often asserting the superiority of the designers' class, the inferiority of the other classes, or both simultaneously. These posters are taken and placed throughout the schools, often on walls, over windows, and hanging from hallway entrances. Students are also encouraged to participate in motif days, of which there is a different one each day of Spirit Week. Monday through Thursday usually consists of a theme decided by the ASB and the class clubs, such as a "super hero day" (in which students must dress as super heroes) or "OC day" (in which students had to wear clothes related to the television show, The OC). Each Friday is a "class color day", designed to coincide with the day of the rally. Students are encouraged to wear their specific class color (Grey for Freshmen, Yellow for Sophomores, Green for Juniors, and White for Seniors). Both the poster art and individual spirit days are in fact part of a "Spirit Contest" between the classes, who are graded on the quality of the posters and the number of students who participate in each spirit day.
- Tsunami fundraising
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In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, many clubs, led by the AVID class, Muslim Student Association and Social Activist Youth, organized fundraisers to raise money for the victims of the disaster. They were successful in raising over $1000.
- Student journalism
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The Rampage: The Rampage is the official school-sponsored newspaper at Westmoor. It is written and published by the students of the Publications class, which also works on the school yearbook. It is generally regarded as poor in quality, with often generic, incomplete, and bit pieces serving as articles. The Rampage produced its first and only issue of the 2004-2005 school year in October 2004, although it had several more issues planned that were never published before the end of the school year.
- Notable alumni
- Anthony Improgo, 1994. Drummer for the synth-pop band Metro Station.
- Greg Adams, 1970. Trumpeter and musician best known as an original member of the soul band Tower of Power.
- Jacki R. Chan, 1998. Actress, Model, Musician.
- Michael Guingona, 1980. Four term Mayor of Daly City.
- Elaine Corral Kendall, 1966. Actress, former KTVU personality.
- Johnny Kim, 1985. Actor, Movie director.
- Bobby Kim Do-kyun, 1991. Korean singer, songwriter, and producer
- H.P. Mendoza. Writer/director/composer, best known for The Musical, a musical featuring characters who are recent Westmoor graduates.
- Ed Montague, 1966. MLB umpire.
- Michele Panelli-Venetis, 1971. Motion Picture Assistant Director/Associate Producer.
- José "Sway" Penala, 1996. Singer, American Idol finalist.
- Michael Schwartz, dropped out in 1986. Turntablist best known as Mix Master Mike, DJ for the Beastie Boys.
- Dave "the Duke" Sholin, 1964. KFRC Disc Jockey, Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.
- Tom Torlakson, 1967. California State Senator (2000-2008), California State Assemblyman (1996-2000, 2008-current)
- See also
- San Mateo County high schools
- External links
- Westmoor High School website
- Westmoor Students alumni website
- Early picture of small gymnasium with Anne Knorr mural
- Early picture of rear entrance
- Great Schools profile of Westmoor HS
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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