Albany High School (California)

Albany High School (AHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Albany, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. The school educates approximately 1,300 students from grades 9 through 12.

Albany High School
Current building, December 2004
Address
603 Key Route Boulevard

Albany
,
California
94706

United States
Coordinates37.895890°N 122.292421°W / 37.895890; -122.292421
Information
TypePublic high school
School districtAlbany Unified School District
PrincipalDarren McNally
Staff50.73 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,168 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.02[1]
CampusSemi-urban
Color(s)Red and white[2]
MascotCougar
NewspaperThe Cougar
Websiteahs.ausdk12.org

Achievements

In 2001, Albany was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for the maximum term of six years. Albany High School was #756 nationally ranked in 2016, and #119 among California high schools.[3] In 2013 Albany High School received an award for Distinction in Civic Learning from the California Courts. Associate Justice Carole Corrigan of the California Supreme Court presented the Award which honored the work of the social studies department and student clubs such as the Model United Nations program.[4][5]

Academic competitions

In the 2010–2011 academic year, Albany became home to a forensic (Speech and Debate) team. The Albany High Speech and Debate team[6] is a member of the Golden Gate Speech Association and the National Forensic League.

Music programs

The Albany High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Craig Bryant, has received top ratings and awards at the Folsom, Reno, and Santa Cruz Jazz Festivals. The 2010 group performed as a featured ensemble at the 2010 California Music Education Association State Conference in Sacramento. The band was also selected as a finalist for the 2010 Next Generation Festival, presented by the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the 2010 Essentially Ellington festival, presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, New York.[7]

STEM programs

Albany High School has many competing STEM teams, most notably Science Bowl, National Ocean Science Bowl, and Science Olympiad.

Since it was founded at Albany Middle School (Division B) in 2013, Albany's Science Olympiad has qualified for state 4 times. In 2017 and 2018, the Albany High School Science Olympiad (Division C) team won first place in the Bay Area Regional Science Olympiad, and placed 5th and 3rd overall respectively at State.[8]

The Science Bowl team won the 1993 Department of Energy National Science Bowl competition.[9] Albany High won its 2008 Science Bowl regional competition, defeating academic rival Mission San Jose High School. In 2009, Albany won its regional National Science Bowl competition, placing fifth nationwide.

In 2012, the school National Ocean Sciences Bowl team went to Baltimore for Nationals, where they took seventh place. In 2013, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl team went to Milwaukee for Nationals and took fifth place. In 2016, Albany went to North Carolina for Nationals, where it won first place in the 2016 Department of Commerce National Ocean Sciences Bowl competition.[10] In 2018, Albany won the regional NOSB competition, and placed fourth overall in the national finals in Colorado later that year. In 2019, Albany took home a second national championship in Washington, D.C., going undefeated in both the buzzer portion and the Scientific Expert Briefing portion of the competition.[11]

Athletics

Albany High's soccer team was successful in 2010, with the varsity boys' and girls' teams going undefeated in the winter season of 2010. The girls' volleyball team went to the Northern California State Championships in 2011, but lost. In February 2014, the girls' wrestling team took first place at the CIF State tournament.[12] In November 2021 senior Sophia Nordenholz ran the fastest girls time in the State Cross-Country Championships while winning the individual Division IV State Championship, posting the 7th fastest time in state meet history. At the same meet the boys' cross-country team won the Division IV State Championship, with junior Sean Morello taking 3rd place and sophomore Lucas Cohen taking 13th.[13]

Campus history

In 1997, Albany High School's main building and gymnasium, both completed in 1934, were deemed to be seismically unsound. They were demolished, and construction began on a new campus. During the four years of construction, between 1997 and 2001, classes were held in portable trailers. The new school building and gymnasium opened in 2001.[14] In 2020, a new addition was opened on the campus, including 8 large classrooms and a future design-build space.[15]

The school mascot is the cougar and the school colors are red and white. As of 2023 the principal is Darren McNally.

Instagram controversy

In fall of 2016 an Albany High student named Cedric Epple started an Instagram account on which he posted unauthorized photos of Black classmates along with the word nigger and images evoking lynchings. By March 2017, the account became public knowledge at the school, causing disruption. Cedric Epple and one other student, Kevin Chen, were suspended and recommended for expulsion. Epple was expelled in July 2017.[16] In the weeks following the suspension of students, there was a community rally and a student sit-in protesting racism at the school.[17]

On May 1, 2017, ten Albany High students filed suit against the school arguing that they had been punished unfairly for their involvement with racist harassment on Instagram. The students and their lawyers claimed that the school had violated their First Amendment rights by punishing them for actions that took place outside of school grounds and outside of school hours.[18] The lower court ruled in favor of five of the ten students in November 2017.[19] Eight of the ten ultimately settled their claims with the school.[20] Two appealed their claims to the Ninth Circuit. In December 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled unanimously in favor of the school district, saying that the Instagram account amounted to "severe bullying" and "contributed nothing to the 'market of ideas'."[21].

Neighborhoods zoned to Albany

The entire city of Albany is zoned to this school.[22] The University Village development, a student housing complex of the University of California Berkeley which houses families, is assigned to this school.[23]

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "Albany High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  2. http://www.albany.k12.ca.us/ahs/ Archived 2005-05-29 at the Wayback Machine [down]
  3. "Find California High Schools | US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report.
  4. Patch Staff, Albany Editor (May 9, 2013). "AHS to Celebrate State 'Civic Learning' Honor". Patch. Albany Patch. Retrieved 5 April 2023. {{cite news}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  5. "Civic Learning Award; Albany High School". California Courts. State of California. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  6. "AHS Debate Team Puts up a Good Fight - Albany, CA Patch". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  7. "2018 Sports All Star Teacher". NBC Sports. April 9, 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  8. "Northern California Science Olympiad Results". NorCal Science Olympiad. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  9. "NSB: 1st Place Teams and Prizes". Archived from the original on 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  10. "National Ocean Science Bowl". National Ocean Science Bowl. 2016-04-25.
  11. "2019 NOSB Finals". 21 February 2019.
  12. "California Interscholastic Federation" (PDF). www.cifstate.org. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  13. "2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships - California Interscholastic Federation". www.cifstate.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  14. Norin, Bill. "Fall Class of 1945". Fall Class of 1945. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  15. "Albany Unified School District Opens $9.8M High School Addition with Eight Modern Classrooms, Including a Design+Build Workshop". Albany High School. Albany Unified School District. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  16. Walsh, Mark (29 December 2022). "Court Upholds Discipline of Students for Instagram Posts That Targeted Black Classmates". Education Week. Education Week. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  17. "Albany students express anger, sadness after 'chaotic, crazy' meeting on racist Instagram". ABC7 News KGO. March 30, 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. Renda, Matthew (2 May 2017). "Students Punished Over Racist Posts File Free-Speech Suit". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  19. "Judge issues ruling on Albany High online posting lawsuits". 30 November 2017.
  20. "Albany parents furious over racist Instagram settlements for students".
  21. Aron, Hillel. "Ninth Circuit backs student expulsions over racist Instagram posts". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  22. "INITIAL STUDY ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL COUGAR FIELD IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT." Albany Unified School District. April 2006. 2. Retrieved on October 2, 2011. "The high school campus, with an enrollment of approximately 1,200 pupils in grades 9-12, and the middle school, with about 900, serve students in the entire District attendance area which coincides with the boundaries of the City of Albany"
  23. "Local Schools." University Village. Retrieved on October 2, 2011.
  24. Garofoli, Joe (1995-12-13). "Rancid Proves It's Punk Enough In A Blazing Show". Contra Costa Times. p. F01.
  25. Heater, Jay (2006-06-09). "Getting kick out of mixed martial arts: Griffin, a former Times' top 100 athlete from Albany High School, carries a 6-0 record into tonight's lightweight fight". Contra Costa Times. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  26. Viard, Alex (2007-10-30). "The Pack Interview". Drop Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
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