Prospect High School (Saratoga, California)

Prospect High School (PHS) is a four-year public high school of the Campbell Union High School District, located at the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Prospect Road in the northeastern corner of Saratoga, California, on its border with San Jose. It serves northern Saratoga, the eastern portion of West San Jose, and western Campbell. The school principal from the 2012-13 school year onwards is Joell Hanson, who served as vice principal for years under Diane Burbank. The majority of the students from Moreland Middle School and the Moreland School District feed into Prospect.

Academics

Prospect is dedicated to high standards of performance. Its curricula are continually evaluated and modified to reflect the needs of students and to assure that all students are challenged and supported in their academic growth. For the college bound student, Prospect offers numerous honors and Advanced Placement classes, surpassing California State University and University of California requirements. Vocational and technical coursework is offered through the elective program on campus and the Central County Occupational Center. In addition, the Special Education and English Language Development programs foster the spirit of full inclusion through mainstreaming and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) classes—other student support services include AVID, Homework Center, Math and English Workshops, Reading Intervention, and Title I. Ninety-four percent of Prospect's graduating seniors report that they will enroll in a two or four-year college or university.^[1]

In 2011, Prospect became the first school in the Campbell Union High School District to adopt Naviance, bolstering the campus College and Career Center with this guidance software.^[2] In addition to this, Prospect offers a varied curriculum, offering nine Advanced Placement and eighteen total Honors-level courses.^[3] Unique to Prospect are the Astronomy class, made possible by the easily recognized dome telescope; the Mandarin class, new for the 2012-13 school year and only offered at Prospect within CUHSD, the Accounting class in the Applied Arts department; and the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. Connections to West Valley College via the Middle College and College Advantage programs give college-bound high school students a jump on college admissions and credits.

Athletics

In addition to academic excellence, Prospect places a large emphasis on its many athletic programs. A member of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Prospect's teams and individual athletes frequently advance to the Central Coast Section championships.

• 1979 Varsity Softball defeated Hillsdale High School 5-1 for Prospect's first CCS title.^[4]
• 1982 Varsity Baseball team won first CCS men's title in school history by defeating Westmont (8-7).^[5]
• 1983-1986 100m breaststroker Jennifer Hau won the CCS championship four times consecutively with times of 1:07.43, 1:03.30, 1:02.66, and 1:03.89.^[6]
• 1985 100m backstroke swimmer Dave Meck won the CCS Individual Championship with a time of 52.72.^[7]
• 1988 Varsity Football team won WVAL division title by being undefeated (9-0). They lost in the quarterfinals of the CCS Div 1-3A playoffs to Wilcox High (25-6).^[8]
• 1988 Varsity swimmer Joyce Murphy won the CCS 100m freestyle championship with a time of 52.12.
• 1990 Varsity Badminton player Janelle Yamasaki won the Girls Singles CCS Championship.^[9]
• 1992 Men's Varsity Soccer team was declared CCS co-champion with Monta Vista after a scoreless game lasting 110 minutes.^[10]
• 1997 Varsity Football team won BVAL division title by being undefeated (9-0-1)).^[8]
• 2003 Track and Field individual athlete Ferman Smith won first place in the CCS high jump finals, leaping six feet, six and a half inches to advance to the CIF state championships.
• 2009 Men's Varsity Soccer team won CCS title in OT (3-2) by scoring three unanswered goals to overcome 2-0 halftime deficit against Terra Nova.^[10]
• 2009 Varsity wrestler Shohei Takagi wins the 135-lb CCS title.^[11]
• 2010 Men's Tennis team tied for the Santa Teresa division of the BVAL.^[12]
• 2011 The Field Hockey team were league champions in the West Valley Division of BVAL.
• 2011 Varsity Football team won Homecoming in double OT against San Jose High Academy (42-41) after erasing eight-point deficit in final minute of regulation.^[13]
• 2012 Track and Field individual athlete Kamara Biawogi won first place in the 110m hurdles CCS Finals with a time of 14.42, advancing to the CIF state championships.
• 2012 Varsity Softball team was co-league champions in the Santa Teresa division of BVAL.
• 2012 Men's Swimming 300m Freestyle CCS Individual Championship, John Lee, with a time of 7:59.39
• 2012 Men's Volleyball went undefeated in its league, winning the BVAL's Santa Teresa Division and advancing to the CCS Championships as the 10th overall seed.
• 2014 Men's Tennis team was co-league champions of the Santa Teresa division of the BVAL.
• 2014 Men's Swimming 100m Freestyle CCS Individual Championship, Arm Albakay, with a time of 2:43.32
• 2014 Men's Varsity Basketball team won CCS
• 2014 and 2015 Women's Track and Field named WVAL champs.
• 2015 Men's 4x4 team wins WVAL, goes to CCS and makes CCS top 8 as the youngest team at the meet
• 2015 Cross Country women's varsity team and individual male athlete Danny Rubino advance to CIF state championships.
• 2016 Varsity Badminton player Leonard Thang won the Boys Singles CCS Championship.
• 2016 Men's Varsity Basketball team won CCS

Campus

Prospect has a relatively small campus at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Spanning twenty-nine acres and just 14 buildings, Prospect serves 1,300 students with an average class size of 30 students. The original construction began in what was originally a plum orchard in 1966, the campus opening in September 1968 for the 1968-1969 school year. Since 2005, district bonds from Measure C and state funds have renovated most of the campus, most notably:

• In 2005, the $4.3 million science wing was completed. Designed with energy efficiency and advanced laboratories in mind, the building has automated radiant heating, an artistic sundial in the courtyard, and a robotically controlled fiberglass dome telescope.^[14][15]
• In 2006, the A-wing (English), B-wing (Administrative Facilities), and C-wing (Math and Social Sciences) were renovated.
• In 2007, the L-wing and the library were renovated. The library, while small, features a technology center, student art showcases, extensive collections and databases, and plenty of study space and natural light.
• In 2008, the main gymnasium was renovated. The baseball and softball fields were updated, and the two remaining fields were replaced with low-maintenance, beautiful synthetic turf fields.
• In 2010, the locker rooms and gymnasium lobby were renovated. For reasons unknown to students, the gymnasium lobby smells a thousand times worse than the locker rooms. Also, in 2010, the Panther mascot painted on the front of the school was updated to look more like a panther and less like a "beaver", as it was affectionately called.
• In 2011, the new Performing Arts center was completed. The main quad was landscaped.
• In 2012, both parking lots were redone. Solar panels were added to provide shade and renewable energy for students and faculty.^[1]

The cafeteria and remaining wings (art, music, and CTE) are scheduled for renovation as well, and the Johnson Field House has plans for renovation to update the facade, cooking facilities, and currently nonexistent restrooms.^[1]

Student organizations

Prospect High School has numerous clubs, teams, and extracurriculars that students can participate in.^[16] These clubs include:

• Acoustic Association
• Amnesty International Club
• Animal Rescue Club (defunct)
• Animanga Club
• Asian Student Union
• Astronomy Club - Prospect High School is the only high school in the Bay Area with a working observatory; the Astronomy class and Astronomy club use the robotically controlled fiberglass telescope to observe deep into outer space.
• Augmented Reality Arts Club
• Black Student Union
• California Scholarship Federation/Honor Society
• Chess Club
• Color Guard Club
• Cultural Exchange Club
• Drama Club
• Ethos Environmental Club
• Folklorico Dance Club
• French Club
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Habitat for Humanity
• Prospect Key Club
• Minecraft Club
• Mock Trial - The school Mock Trial team won its first Santa Clara County Championship in 2006, when it defeated Palo Alto High School.^[17] In 2011, the Mock Trial team defeated Saratoga High School to again win the County championship.^[18] In 2012, the team went undefeated in the county tournament, to repeat as county champions.^[19] After coming in second in 2014, Prospect achieved its 4th county championship win over the last 10 years. They were County Champions in 2015. ^[20]
• Model United Nations
• Ping Pong Club
• Quidditch Club (defunct)
• Red Cross Club
• Robotics Team – The Prospect Gearheads were founded in 2008. In 2009, they were the highest rookie seed and advanced to the finals at the Hawaii regional competition. In 2010, they made the semifinals at the CalGames and MadTown competitions, and in 2011, they repeated as semifinalists at MadTown and qualified for the CalGames finals.
• Speech and Debate Team - In 2012, the Prospect Debate Team was ranked as 75th in the nation for Parliamentary debate. In addition, the speech program has qualified for nationals twice. Prospect also hosts the annual Georgiana Hays Debate Invitational.
• Street Dance Club
• Teens Offering Peer Support
• Uke Club
• Ultimate Movie Watchers Club - In addition to watching the ultimate movies, this club is known for playing organized Ultimate Frisbee on the back fields at lunch.

Notable alumni

• Grant Geissman, (Class of 1971)
• Wayne Koestenbaum, (Class of 1976), American poet and cultural critic.
• Steve Harwell (Class of 1985), lead singer of Smash Mouth
• Jon Nakamatsu (class of 1986), concert pianist^[21]
• Jeff Jordan (Class of 1989), San Diego Lifeguard, was one of 5 lifeguards to recreate an historic 12-day dory voyage that roughly retraced the route taken in 1934 by two pioneer watermen .^[22]
• Jon Liggett, comic actor/producer
• Suzanne Peterson (née Martin) (Class of 1983) best selling author of The Loomatic's Guide to the Rainbow Loom.^[23]
• Gordy Carbone (Class of 1993), lead singer of the well known punk band The Forgotten and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards. He has co-hosted an XM Satellite Radio show with Lars Frederiksen, called Rancid Radio. He also has appeared on The Food Network grilling with Bobby Flay
• Brett Bonvechio (Class of 2000) San Antonio Missions baseball player (San Diego Padres' AA minor league team)^[24]

See also

• Santa Clara County high schools
• Campbell Union High School District

References

External links

• Prospect High School website