School type Public high school Founded 1901 Vice-Principal Chris Beischel Phone +1 925-682-4030 Number of students 1,372 | Motto "Victory with honor" Principal Liane Cismowski Vice-Principal Akilah Byrd Mascot Danny Devil | |
Similar Summit High School, Ygnacio Valley High School, College Park High School, Clayton Valley Charter H, Northgate High School Profiles | ||
Mount Diablo High School is a public high school located in Concord, California, United States. It is the oldest school in the Mount Diablo Unified School District, founded in April 1901.
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Academies
The school features several specialized programs, known as "academies". Originally these were opt-in; a student could join an academy or choose to pursue their education without taking academy classes. Beginning in 2012 all sophomores and freshmen and all incoming students were required to enroll in one of four academies. In part because this decision had been controversial, a year after the requirement was imposed the school district assigned a new principal to MDHS.
The academies are:
MDHS also has an active Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC). At one time, it also offered a FAME (Fine Arts, Media, Entertainment) Academy.
History
Although there were grammar schools in the area throughout the 1890s, the nearest high schools were in Berkeley and Oakland. In 1901, voters established what was then known as the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and classes were held in various temporary locations for the first two years, including the grammar school on Willow Pass Road and the Odd Fellows hall at the corner of what are now Salvio and Colfax Streets. On 14 February 1903, district trustees voted to construct the first MDHS building, which opened in 1904 and was torn down in 1963.
Digital Safari Multimedia Academy
The Academy was founded in the autumn of 1996 on a U.S. Department of Education grant to integrate vocational education with the core academic curriculum. The goal was to do this with professional multimedia design tools. Instead of using educational software, they would attempt to make it. Thus, as students who studied earth science, they would create interactive programs about the universe or geology. As they studied English they would create interactive book reports or websites about their favorite poets. As they studied social science, they would develop websites for model e-businesses or a CD-ROM about World War II.
Since 1997, the Academy has won two awards in the California Student Media Festival. In the spring of 2001, the academy produced a seven-day webcast of the International Science and Engineering Fair. The Academy, as of 2007, offers design services to businesses, non-profits and other community organizations. The Academy's project design methodology has been adapted by numerous programs around the country.
Since 1998, the Academy has graduated over 102 students from the Digital Safari. A large majority of graduates have chosen to continue their education beyond high school, choosing state and community colleges, graphic arts schools, or technical schools. The number of graduates in the multimedia and technical industries is growing, as more former students finish their career training. After three generations of seniors, the Class of 2007 was the first one to complete a three-year program.
DSA is still an active academy at Mt. Diablo High School, but is scheduled to close its doors at the end of the 2016 session. Cofounder Randy Depew left in 2014.