Type public comprehensive Principal Simone Rick-Kennel Grades 9–12 Phone +1 650-322-5311 Colors Maroon, Gold | Established 1951 Faculty 119 (2011–2012) Enrollment 2,275 (2015–2016) Mascot Menlo-Atherton Bear | |
Address 555 Middlefield Rd, Atherton, CA 94027, USA District Sequoia Union High School District Similar Sequoia High School, Menlo School, Woodside High School, Sequoia Union High School Di, Carlmont High School | ||
Menlo atherton high school dance team whistle
Menlo-Atherton High School (known as M-A to locals) is a four-year public comprehensive secondary school located in Atherton, California. Menlo-Atherton is part of the Sequoia Union High School District.
Contents
- Menlo atherton high school dance team whistle
- Academics
- Demographics
- Athletics
- Fine arts
- Other extracurricular activities
- References
Menlo-Atherton has been named one of the top secondary schools in the nation by the United States Department of Education as part of its National School Recognition Program. It was selected as a California Distinguished School by the California Department of Education in 2007 and 2013. In 2005, Newsweek ranked the school as the 259th best school in the United States. Menlo-Atherton also offers the most Advanced Placement courses in the district with seventeen, ranging from Studio Art to US History.
Since the closure of Ravenswood High School, Menlo-Atherton has been racially diverse, drawing from Atherton, Menlo Park, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, and Portola Valley. The school's motto is "Strength in Diversity".
Academics
Typically, 97% of graduates continue their education. Of these, 37% opt for two-year colleges, 60% go to four-year colleges.
M-A offers the following Advanced Placement courses: Art History; Biology; Calculus AB/BC; Computer Science; English Language/Composition; English Literature; Environmental Science; European History; French Language; Latin; Physics; Spanish Language; Spanish Literature (approximately every other year); Statistics; Studio Art; and US History. M-A has an 84% pass rate on AP exams, with just under 40% scoring a 5. It also has the Advanced Via Individual Determination program and the Computer Academy, programs for students seeking a smaller, supportive learning environment.
Demographics
2015–2016
Athletics
Menlo-Atherton offers a wide array of varsity and junior varsity level sports, including wrestling, badminton, cheerleading, dance, golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, water polo, swimming, lacrosse, soccer, cross country running, track and field, softball, and volleyball. The student-run Ultimate frisbee team was founded in the fall of 2008. All athletics teams are supported by the Athletic Boosters, which holds the annual Big Bear Run, a five kilometer race through the surrounding neighborhood.
Fine arts
Menlo-Atherton is home to a professional-level 492-seat theater, the Menlo-Atherton Center for Performing Arts. It is home to the school play and musical; band, orchestra, guitar, and choir concerts; the Menlo-Atherton Student Film Festival; the Bear Arts Expo, a collaboration between all of M-A's arts classes; the Senior Fashion Show; and many other school events. It also hosts events related to the City of Menlo Park, which partially financed its construction, and is one of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's regular venues.
The Advanced Jazz Ensemble regularly travels to festivals around the world, including the annual Reno Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival. The band is supported by the Band Boosters.
The Center is home to Menlo-Atherton's chapter of the International Thespian Society. Currently, they produce a play and a musical each year.
Other extracurricular activities
Menlo-Atherton is the home of KCEA, a radio station specializing in big band music and high school sports.
A magazine, The Mark, is distributed to students at no cost and the online newspaper, The M-A Chronicle, is regularly updated with stories involving the school community. Both are 2015-16 NSPA Pacemaker winners.