Acalanes High School Explained

Acalanes High School
Established:1941
Schooltype:Public high school
District:Acalanes Union High School District
Grades:4-20
Principal:Eric Shawn
Enrollment:1,303 (2020–21)[1]
Us Nces School Id:060165000032[2]
Conference:California Interscholastic Federation, North Coast Section; Diablo Foothill Athletic League
Colors: Royal blue and white
Nickname:Dons
Streetaddress:1200 Pleasant Hill Road
City:Lafayette
State:California
Zipcode:94549
Country:United States
Coordinates:37.9048°N -122.0984°W
Newspaper:Blueprint[3]
Yearbook:AKLAN
Website:School website
Footnotes:[4]

Acalanes High School is a public secondary school located in Lafayette, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, within Contra Costa County. Acalanes was the first of four high schools established in the Acalanes Union High School District. It was built in 1940 on what was then a tomato field, using federal government funds with labor provided by the Works Project Administration, the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency introduced by the Roosevelt administration. Lafayette businessman M.H. Stanley suggested the name "Acalanes", the name of Rancho Acalanes, the Mexican grant from which all land title within the City of Lafayette derives. Rancho Acalanes itself seems to have been named by its Hispanic settlers after the local Native American Bay Miwok tribe called Saklan (Saclan), referred to by Spanish missionaries as Saclanes.[5] [6] The first graduating class of 1941 selected the school colors of blue and white. For the school sports mascot, they chose the Don (a Spanish honorary title).

Academics

Acalanes offers a diverse course selection and a number of AP and honors courses. Among the electives offered are sports medicine, digital design, auto mechanics, studio arts from beginning to AP, video production, journalism, drama, photography, Mandarin (Chinese), Spanish, French, chorus, band (four groups), and orchestra.

Acalanes High won the regional competition of the National Science Bowl at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.[7] However, the school has consistently lagged behind local high schools Campolindo and Miramonte in more comprehensive rankings based on AP scores and overall academic quality. For 2013, Campolindo High School was ranked 131st in the nation by U.S. News & World Report,[8] Miramonte was ranked 173rd,[9] while Acalanes was ranked 275th.[10]

Athletics

California Interscholastic Federation

Football - 2023 Division 3-AA Champions[11]

Girls basketball - 1999 Division 3 Champions[12]

Girls volleyball - 2016 Division 3 Champions[13]

North Coast Section

Football - 2023 NCS IV Champions

Boys basketball - 2007 NCS III Champions

Diablo Foothill Athletic League

Facilities

In 1939, Acalanes was the first school designed by Ernest Kump and became the prototype for what came to be called the "California School", consisting of a complex of rectangular single-story modern buildings in parallel rows separated by gardens, with no hallways. Its openness to the outdoors and ease of expansion were revolutionary at the time, and the format was widely copied.[14]

The campus includes a track, several fields (an astroturf field, a grass field, and a baseball field), a pool, tennis courts, two gyms, weight room, two quads, and a performing arts center. Measure E bonds passed in 2008 provided for the complete renovation of the aquatic facilities, which was completed in the summer of 2011.

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Acalanes High. National Center for Education Statistics. March 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: National Center for Education Statistics. School Detail for Acalanes High. September 11, 2022.
  3. Web site: ACALANES BLUEPRINT. ACALANES BLUEPRINT. 9 April 2023.
  4. Web site: Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Acalanes High. ed.gov. 2 April 2015.
  5. Beeler, Madison S. 1955. Saclan. International Journal of American Linguistics 21:201-209.
  6. Beeler, Madison S. 1959. Saclan Once More. International Journal of American Linguistics 25:67-68.
  7. Web site: Office of Science. Energy.gov. 9 April 2023.
  8. Web site: National High School Rankings. U.S. News.
  9. Web site: National High School Rankings. U.S. News.
  10. Web site: National High School Rankings. U.S. News.
  11. Web site: State champs! Acalanes storms back to beat Birmingham for 3-AA title. December 9, 2023. December 9, 2023.
  12. Web site: Acalanes Girls Win State Hoops Title. April 2, 1999. December 9, 2023.
  13. Web site: CIF girls volleyball: Acalanes claims state title in 5-set thriller. December 3, 2016. December 9, 2023.
  14. Book: Bernard, Lance V. . Architecture and Regional Identity in the San Francisco Bay Area: 1870–1970 . Lewiston, New York . Edwin Mellen . 2007 . 9780773453401 . 116–18.
  15. Web site: FIA Hall of Fame - Nelson Piquet profile. July 24, 2024.
  16. Web site: Jewel Roemer - Women's Senior National Team - USA Water Polo. June 9, 2024.
  17. News: Thomas . Owen . November 30, 2022 . Salesforce's Marc Benioff is betting $28 billion on Bret Taylor. So who is he? . San Francisco Chronicle.

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