Monterey High School (Monterey, California)

Monterey Union High School in 1917.

In 1905, Monterey High School was combined with Del Monte Technical School to form Monterey Union High School. The wooden three-story building was destroyed by fire and a new school building was constructed on the current site by 1915. The school serviced students from as far north as Castroville to as far south as Big Sur and all of Carmel Valley. The other two districts, Pacific Grove and Carmel, only serviced students within their small city limits.[2]

As of 2020, Monterey High school serves 1,306 students in grade levels 9 through 12. The mathematical proficiency level is 38%, which is lower than California's average of 39%. However, the literacy rate is 65%, which rises above the state average of 50%. MHS ranks among the top 30 schools in the state of California. It also is listed among the top 1% for graduation rates in the state of California. [3]

The student-teacher ratio is 21.1, lower than state average of 23.1. [4]

The school's students are 50% Hispanic, 29% white, 5% black, 5% Asian, 3% Filipino, 1% Pacific Islander, ≤1% Native American and 7% have multiple ethnicities. The student body is 48% female and 52% male.

5% of the school's students are still learning English.

45% of the school's students are from low-income families.[5]

The school colors of green and gold came from the "golden hills of Mount Toro and the kelly green leaves of the coastal oaks," based on a student poem written for the 1906 yearbook. However, some believe that the school colors came from the original matador's uniform, which was kelly green and gold.[6]

Two school fight songs have been used in the history of Monterey High School. The current song, which bears the line "Toreadores who wear the green and gold...." was created in 1948 and its music was taken from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, but the words were written by a student.

The music of the older version was taken from the Washington state fight song.[6]

With the rich Spanish heritage in the city of Monterey, the Toreador was chosen as the school's mascot when it opened in 1905. The original Tony the Toreador caricature served as the face of the school for 80 years. The toreador mascot painted on the wall of the Randall Gym was designed by an art student in the 1990s.

The varsity teams were called the Toreadores, the junior varsity were called the Matadores, the sophomore teams or lightweight teams of earlier years were called the Picadores.[6]

The school's yearbook, originally called The Whisper, was not a traditional yearbook but a collection of student poems and pictures. The title was chosen to reflect the "whisper" of the student voices in their poems. Keeping with the Spanish tradition, the yearbook's name was changed to El Susurro.[6]

The newspaper of Monterey High School is called The Galleon and includes poetry and stories written by the students as well as articles about student life and upcoming courses.[7]

The school has two gyms: Randall Gym, which was built in the 1920s, and the smaller Harmon Gym, built in the 1940s. The gyms were named after the late coach Randy Randall and the late P.E. teacher Jean Harmon. The school is also home to the Dan Albert Stadium, named after the longtime Monterey mayor and former football coach.

Monterey High School contains 50 classrooms, a library, a lecture room, two gymnasiums, a dance studio, a music building, a cafeteria, a black box theater and an administration building. In 2010, the school district passed a $78 million bond, and funds have been designated to upgrade the school's infrastructure. Renovations were planned for the school's heating system, swimming pool, student bathrooms, counseling office and library and the construction of a college and career counseling center was planned, but the swimming pool, counseling office and college and career center were not built. The district has used general funds to upgrade technology resources across the campus.[9] Additionally, utilizing Measure P bond funds, a $15 million science center was scheduled to be completed by the end of Fall 2020.[10]

Through the California Partnership Academies program,[11] Monterey High School has three smaller academies for students with talents in fine arts (AMP), oceanographic sciences (MAOS), and sports and athletics (SPARC).[12]

Monterey High School offers a number of programs for students to enhance their academic experience.

• Mike Aldrete, MLB outfielder (1986–1996) and coach
• Tory Belleci, MythBusters
• Victor Cole, MLB pitcher (1992)
• Jim Colletto, college head football coach at Purdue (1991–1996) and NFL assistant coach
• Claude Crabb, NFL defensive back (1962–1968)
• Nick Cunningham, bobsledder, (placed 12th in the two-man sled at the 2010 Winter Olympics)
• Pete Cutino, all-time winningest college water polo coach in U.S. history [22]
• Herman Edwards, former NFL head coach (2001–2008) and defensive back (1977–1986);[23] current head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils
• Charley Harraway, NFL running back (1966–1973)[23]
• Pete Incaviglia, MLB player (1986–1998), former manager of the Grand Prairie AirHogs
• Joe Jackson, American football player
• ML Carter, American football player
• Ron Johnson, American football player
• Sabrina Lum, American swimmer who represented Chinese Taipei at the 1988 Summer Olympics[24]
• Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense (2011–2013), CIA Director (2009–2011), White House Chief of Staff (1994–1997), U.S. congressman (1977–1993)[25]
• Josh Randall, actor
• Nate Wright, NFL defensive back (1969–1980)[23]
• Greg Heydeman, Major League Baseball pitcher for the 1973 Los Angeles Dodgers
• Jimmy Taenaka, actor and USJF Jr. Judo National Champion
• Maurice Mann, former Canadian football wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft.Mann has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, Edmonton Eskimos, Washington Redskins, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the Toronto Argonauts.