Hilltop High School
Hilltop High School (formerly Hilltop Senior High) is a four-year public high school located in Chula Vista, California and is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD). The school colors are kelly green, white, and black. The school mascot is the "Lancer". Hilltop boasts the magnet program Foreign Language and Global Studies (FLAGS) as well as the Academies of Hospitality and Tourism (H&T), Information Technology (IT) programs, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Music Technology, Televideo, and Ballet Folklorico.
Hilltop High School | ||
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Address | ||
555 Claire Avenue , , , 91910 United States | ||
Coordinates | 32.6369°N 117.0587°W | |
Information | ||
Former name | Hilltop Senior High | |
School type | Public, high school | |
Motto | "The Focus at Hilltop is Academics" | |
Established | 1959 | |
School district | Sweetwater Union High School District | |
Principal | Karen T. Hernández | |
Teaching staff | 87.27 (FTE) (2018–19)[1] | |
Grades | 9–12[1] | |
Enrollment | 2,089 (2018-19)[1] | |
Student to teacher ratio | 23.94 (2018–19)[1] | |
Campus | Suburban[1] | |
Color(s) | Kelly Green White Black | |
Mascot | Lancer | |
Newspaper | The Lance | |
Yearbook | The Idyll | |
Website | Official website | |
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For the 2007–08 school year, former Montgomery Middle School principal Ernesto Zamudio took over as principal for Hilltop High School and replaced the retiring Jerry Rindone[2] who had served Hilltop since 1997. Rindone is currently serving as a member of the San Diego County Board of Education
Clubs and associations
Hilltop has many clubs and associations, including: AP Scholars, the BIBLE Club, Best Buddies, Girl's League, Humanities, MVPS, GSA, Metal (Music), Marine Science, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), FIRST Robotics, Interact, Chips and Salsa, and Chess and Cards.
Academics
Hilltop was named a California Distinguished School in 2005[3] and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
In the 2006–07 school year, the graduation rate was 93.3%.[4]
Hilltop has the highest number of AP courses available to all students and the highest AP pass rate out of the entire SUHSD at 72.8%.[4] Since the 1999–2000 school year, there has been a 25% increase in exams taken,[4] a 7% increase in the overall pass rate,[4] and a 30% increase in the total number of students testing.[4]
Athletics
Hilltop is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Section and the Mesa League of the Metro Conference. Hilltop competes in the following sports:
- Fall: cross country, football, women's volleyball, boys water polo, women's tennis, women's golf, field hockey
- Winter: basketball, soccer, wrestling, cheerleading, Roller Hockey, girls water polo
- Spring: track and field, men's volleyball, lacrosse, softball, baseball, swimming and diving, men's tennis, men's golf, lacrosse
Chula Vista Spartans are the Lancers longtime rival school, dating back to the '60s.
Longtime Hilltop Coaches elected as San Diego Sports Hall of Champions Coaching Legends:
- Don "Big Dawg" Rollins- JV Basketball (Don is currently third all time in Southern California JV wins)
- John Baumgartner - Baseball
- Janet Balsley - Field Hockey
- Chip Holmes - Track & Field
- Tim Tyler - Wrestling (Tyler was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame)
Demographics
In the 2005–06 school year, the school's Academic Performance Index place it 698 (base) where 800 is the California state goal with a state rank 5 out of 10.[5]
Notable alumni
Name | Grad Class | Category | Best Known For |
---|---|---|---|
Joan D. Vinge | 1965 | Literature | Hugo Award-winning Science Fiction Author of The Snow Queen series[6] |
Tom Waits | 1968 | Entertainment | American singer-songwriter, composer and actor[7] |
Cheryl Cox | 1966 | Politics | Mayor of Chula Vista[8] |
Kyle Foggo | 1972 | Crime | Pleaded guilty to fraud associated with the Duke Cunningham scandal[9] |
Brent R. Wilkes | 1972 | Crime | Convicted of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and money laundering associated with the Duke Cunningham scandal[9] |
Tami Bruce | 1985 | Sports | Olympic swimmer[10] |
Todd Pratt | 1985 | Sports | Major League Baseball player from 1992–2006 primarily with Philadelphia and the New York Mets[11] |
Mike Jacobs | 1998 | Sports | Major League First Baseman since 2005 currently a free agent[12] |
Charlotte Mayorkas | 2001 | Sports | LPGA Golfer, Three-time First Team All-American for UCLA[13][14] |
Desiree Linden | 2001 | Sports | Winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon[15] |
Greg Allen | 2011 | Sports | Professional baseball player[16] |
Notable faculty
- Rene Ortiz, former soccer player
- Dean Lister, multiple time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion [17]
References
- "Search for Public Schools - Hilltop Senior High (063864006484)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- "video biography".
- "Distinguished School Awards - California School Recognition Program". California Department of Education. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
- "Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card, 2005-06" (PDF). Hilltop High School. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
- "School Profile FISCAL YEAR: 2005-06 (General)". Education Data Partnership. 2005–2006. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
- "Sweetwater District Hall of Fame Welcomes a Dozen More". Sweetwater Union High School District :: News :: New Archive. Sweetwater Union High School District. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2008 – via www.suhsd.k12.ca.us.
- "Tom Waits Timeline: 1949 - 1975". Tom Waits Library. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- "How much clout does Cox combo carry?". SignOnSanDiego.Com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "Documents: Foggo rose despite his CIA misdeeds". San Diego Union-Tribune. February 26, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- Berkshire, Kim Q. (August 28, 1988). "She's Playing Hooky in Seoul". Los Angeles Times. San Diego. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- "The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Players Information". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "The Baseball Cube". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "UCLA Golf". UCLA. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "The LPGA". LPGA. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "USA Track & Field - Desiree (Desi) Linden". usatf.org. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- Kenney, Kirk. "Former SDSU outfielder Greg Allen shining in minor leagues". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hEh7thG1Y