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Gunn High School
Location
Palo Alto, California,  United States
Information
Principal	Noreen Likins
Type	Public
Grades	9-12
Established	1964
Enrollment	1900
Homepage	http://gunn.pausd.org/

Gunn High School is one of two public high schools in Palo Alto, California. The school is named after Henry M. Gunn (1898-1988), who served as the Palo Alto superintendent from 1950-1961. During his tenure he saw the Palo Alto Unified School District expand from 5,500 students to 14,000. He also oversaw the expansion of 17 new schools, and is credited with the establishment of De Anza College and Foothill College, two local community colleges. In 1964, the Palo Alto Unified School District announced it would name its third high school after him. The first graduating class was the Class of 1966. The school is also home to the Spangenberg Theatre. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1024, 413 KB)Henry Gunn High School billboard. ... Downtown Palo Alto Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, USA. Palo Alto is located at the northern end of the Silicon Valley, and is home to Stanford University (which is technically located in an adjacent area — Stanford, California), and... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The term public school has three distinct meanings: In the USA and Canada, elementary or secondary school supported and administered by state and local officials. ... For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto[1] Area  - City 25. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in Palo Alto, California is known for being one of the finest in the state. ... Flint Center, the main auditorium De Anza College is a 112 acre (453,000 m²) community college located in Cupertino, California. ... Entrance to Foothill College Example of Foothills unique campus architecture Foothill College is a community college located in Los Altos Hills, California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. ... A community college is a type of educational institution. ... Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in Palo Alto, California is known for being one of the finest in the state. ...

The mascot of the school is Timmy the Titan.^[1] The student newspaper is The Oracle, part of the High School National Ad Network. Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... Front page view of student newspaper The Daily Toreador. ... The High School National Ad Network is a project by the American Society of Newspaper Editors High School Journalism Initiative to steer national print advertising into high school newspapers. ...

Academic reputation

Newsweek ranked Gunn 53rd in the United States in 2003,^[2] 70th out of America's top 1,000 high schools in 2005,^[3] and 79th out of 1,200 in 2006.^[4] The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ...

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).^[5] For other uses, see SAT (disambiguation). ...

Education in mathematics and computer science 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. The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) is a prestigious high school mathematics competition held annually in the United States. ... The United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO) is an annual computer programming competition for secondary school students in the United States. ...

Senior pranks

Gunn High School has a long history of complex and involved senior pranks. This includes one incident on June 8, 1994, when an incorrectly concocted smoke bomb designed by three members of the graduating class was planted in a gutted and inactive water fountain on the high school quad, spewing during the lunch break a fireball of molten sugar and fertilizer, injuring 18 students.^[6][7][8]

Issues

Traffic has sometimes been a persistent problem each year for Gunn High School. With only one vehicle entrance to the main parking lot and drop off areas, backups occur on a daily basis starting about a half hour before and after classes. Gunn High School is also located along the Charleston-Arastradero corridor in south Palo Alto. The 2.3 mile roadway serves 11 schools and is lined with private residences, commercial uses and non-profits. In April 2003, the city initiated a Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan to address vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and to enhance the residential character of the corridor. In January 2004, the city council approved the plan for a trial demonstration. During the summer of 2006 construction crews finished work on the Gunn High School entrance. City workers constructed a dedicated right turn lane into the school and installed new traffic lights with sensors. An additional left turn lane out of the school was also added to improve traffic flow.

To promote alternative forms of transit to Gunn High School the school administration sells subsidized student bus passes, offers discount priority parking for carpools, and rewards bicyclists with food and gifts through the Pedal-for-Prizes program. Using money from the general fund the City of Palo Alto offers the free Crosstown Community Shuttle that links Gunn High School to the neighborhoods of south Palo Alto and Midtown.

Robotics Team

Gunn High School is renowned for its robotics team (GRT) which started in 1997. It is a group of 30-40 students skilled at anything from animation to welding who build a fully-functional robot in only a couple weeks. Gunn's Team 192 has consistently made the top 25 at the FIRST Robotics Competition. Gunn's team is led by Stanford graduate and former NASA employee Bill Dunbar.

Notable alumni

• Stanley Jordan, Class of 1977 — Jazz guitarist
• Ann Packer, Class of 1977 - author
• Kevin Reeds, Class of 1977 - Professional Sailor/Fundraiser
• George Packer, Class of 1978 - author
• David Leavitt, Class of 1979 - author, Family Dancing and The Lost Language of Cranes
• Marsh McCall, Class of 1982 - Television writer and producer
• 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 — Drummer, 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 - Wife of Google founder Sergey Brin
• Mehdi Ballouchy, Class of 2002 - Pro Soccer Player

For the single by Mike Oldfield, see Magic Touch (song). ... Ann Elizabeth Packer MBE (born 8 March 1942 in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, UK) is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long-jumper. ... George Packer (born 1960) is a novelist, journalist and editor. ... David Leavitt (born June 23, 1961) is an American novelist. ... Cover to The Lost Language of Cranes The Lost Language of Cranes is a novel by David Leavitt, published in 1986. ... Stephan Douglas Jenkins (born on September 27, 1964 in Oakland, California, USA), attended Henry M. Gunn Senior High School, is best known as the lead singer, songwriter , guitarist for [[Third Eye Blind]. Under Jenkins leadership, Third Eye Blind has sold over eight million copies of their three albums Third Eye... Third Eye Blind (frequently abbreviated 3eb) is aalternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. ... Jessica Yu (born 1966) is an American film director, writer, producer, and editor. ... Steve Almond was raised in Palo Alto, California. ... Rick Porras is an American producer, notably co-producing The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. ... This article is about the Peter Jackson films. ... Maroon 5 is a pop rock band from Los Angeles, California comprised of five members: Adam Levine (lead vocals, guitar), James Valentine (guitar), Jesse Carmichae (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass) and Matt Flynn (drums). ... Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. ... The B-52s are a New Wave rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, an important center of alternative rock. ... Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970 in Oakland, California) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and former male fashion model with Irene Marie Models, best known for his role as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless, which he originally played from 1994 to 2002, and is... For other uses, see Young and Restless. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Mehdi Ballouchy (born April 6, 1983 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan football (soccer) midfielder, who currently plays for the Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. ...

Homecoming

Gunn High School's most valued tradition is Homecoming Week, a week early in the year dedicated to student activities. There is an overall theme for the week with day themes specific to the classes that students dress up for. There are brunch- and lunchtime games at which classes compete for points. All these activities lead up to Thursday's Airbands (a dance to music that students organize and execute themselves) and the Homecoming Football game and Float competition on Friday. The Homecoming Court is introduced at halftime and the King and Queen are crowned during the game, in addition to announcing the Float results and the overall Homecoming winner.

Class Colors

• Freshman - Yellow
• Sophomores - Green
• Juniors - Black
• Seniors - Red

References

Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Gunn High School
• Gunn High School Alumni Site
• Gunn High School Student Newspaper, The Oracle
• Gunn High School Automotive Technology
• PAUSD (Palo Alto Unified School District) Site
• Gunn High School's The Partisan Review
• The Gunn Robotics Website