Malibu High School
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Malibu High School (MHS) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
. The school is one of three high schools in the
Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District is a school district located in Santa Monica, California. The district serves the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, California, Malibu. It has ten elementary schools, two middle schools, three hi ...
and serves students in the city of Malibu and surrounding communities.


Location

The school is located in the northwestern part of Malibu, one block from the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
and the famed
Zuma Beach Zuma Beach is a county beach at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, California. One of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County, California, it is known for its long, wide sands and excellent surf. It consistently rank ...
in the Malibu Park district. Its address is on Morning View Drive, made famous by the breakout album by
Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
. The school spans of rolling hillsides between Merritt Drive to the south, Via Cabrillo Street to the north, and Harvester Road to the east. The campus is located next to Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, a public school, and Malibu Methodist Preschool & Nursery, a private pre-kindergarten school for ages 0–5. The school is accessible via the LA Metro bus line 534.


History

Malibu High School is on land that was originally part of Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. That campus was partitioned in 1963 to create Malibu Park Junior High School,Malibu High School 15th Anniversary Brochure, The Shark Fund: L. Rosenthal and Kaiser Marketing, Publisher: Kaiser Marketing and ColorGraphics 2007 named after its surrounding region in Malibu. With no public secondary school in Malibu, upon promotion from middle school the high school students commuted two hours roundtrip to
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
to attend
Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...
. In 1992, the district converted the Malibu Park Junior High School campus to its present combined middle school/high school, and allowed MHS's first freshman class to walk onto campus. The State of California erroneously shows the high school established in 1993. Classes were added every succeeding year, culminating in the original freshman class graduating in 1996. The high school's first principal was Michael Matthews. Under Matthews's tenure in 2003, the school earned its designation as a
California Distinguished School California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately 5-10% of California schools are awarded t ...
and first achieved a national ranking as #177 in '' Newsweek's'' Top 1200 Schools in America, a ranking system based on what percentage of a school's student body takes Advanced Placement exams in any given year. In 2007, MHS made the '' U.S. News & World Report'' list of the top 100 schools in the United States, ranking #98. Malibu High School saw some controversies in the 2000s. With the rise of social media, the school was featured in a 2007
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...
story about students posting videos of teachers on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. In 2008, incidents of vandalism caused a stir with racial implications. Palm trees on campus were removed in 2009.


Demographics

For the 2007–08 school year, MHS's student composition was: *1,303 enrolled students; 52.9% male, 47.1% female *Middle school (grades 6–8) class size averages 163.7 *High school (grades 9–12) class size averages 203.8 *Student demographics: 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.0% Asian, 1.1% Pacific Islander/Filipino, 9.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% African American, 84.7% White, 0.2% Multiple For the 2007–08 school year, MHS's teacher composition included: *High school: 64 certificated teachers; 53.1% male, 46.9% female *High school: Certificated teacher demographics: 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% African American, 87.5% White (non-Hispanic), 1.6% Multiple.


Environmental concerns

The
Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District is a school district located in Santa Monica, California. The district serves the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, California, Malibu. It has ten elementary schools, two middle schools, three hi ...
had performed a
polychlorinated biphenyls Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, Toxic Substances Contro ...
(PCB) cleanup of the school in 2009 and 2010 with the
California Department of Toxic Substance Control The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (or DTSC) is an agency of the government of the state of California. The mission of the DTSC is to protect public health and the environment from toxic harm. DTSC is part of the California En ...
(DTSC) advising. In October 2013, after three teachers developed thyroid cancer, a group of teachers grew concerned that environmental contaminants at Malibu High School may be to blame; caulk tested for PCB showed levels "slightly elevated" above the regulatory limit of 50ppm in November 2013. The three relevant government agencies, the DTSC, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon pro ...
(EPA) were informed and certain buildings were closed to students. According to various documents and interviews with local residents who were present during World War II, the Malibu High School site served as a military training center during that war. Upon recommendation of Hugh Kaufman, a senior EPA policy analyst, teachers approached
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, environmental protection organization of local, state, and national government natural resource and environmental professionals. PEER serves as a resource to poten ...
(PEER) for help. In February 2014, PEER attorneys wrote to the school district asking for a site assessment of the campus. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
responded in July 2014 that the school had never been a military site. The District hired an environmental firm named Environ, whose initial clean up plan was criticized for allowing elevated PCB levels to remain inside classrooms for 15 years or more, for not testing caulk in all rooms built prior to 1979 and for air quality monitoring of only one year. The plan was rejected by the EPA in April 2014. Environ released a second PCB clean up plan on July 3, 2014. Two weeks later PEER published PCB test results of caulking and dirt from rooms sampled in June, and not previously tested by the District, "at thousands of times the levels previously released to the public".


Academics

Malibu High School consistently ranks the highest in
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
and API scores among its district's three high schools. MHS has periodically been awarded honors by various ranking authorities; ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' Magazine's Top 1200 Schools in America ranked Malibu High #184. In 2007 ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Malibu High #98 of the top 100 schools in the country and awarded a gold medal. Over fifteen
Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses are offered at the school. Besides regular college-preparatory, honors, and Advanced Placement courses, the school is one of a handful in California that provides extensive resources for Special Education (SpEd) students. , 125 SpEd students were enrolled with 26 SpEd faculty at MHS, where roughly 10% of the student body are receiving 24% of the school's instructors.


Performing arts

Malibu High School has won several awards in instrumental and choral music. In 2011, all four MHS choirs received "Superior" ratings (the highest rating possible). In March 2014, the Malibu High School chorale choir performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. In the summer of 2016, the MHS Orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall.


Publications

The school's monthly newspaper monthly newspaper is known as ''The Current'', and the yearbook is called ''Aquarius''. ''The Inkblot'', a literary magazine, was added in 2008, showcasing student stories, poetry, cartoons, and illustrations; it was relaunched in 2016 as ''The Undertow''.


Zuma Project

During the school's first several years in existence, MHS students who took tenth-grade Biology or the Honors Marine Biology elective course participated in a year-long field ecology study known as ''The Zuma Project''. Taking advantage of the school's proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the program had students collect oceanographic and biological data as well as plankton samples every week during the academic year. The research program has been copied and used by other schools as part of the UCLA OceanGLOBE program. The project has since been discontinued.


Athletics

Malibu High School athletic teams are nicknamed the Sharks, and the mascot, a grinning
Mako shark ''Isurus'' is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks. Description The two living species are the common shortfin mako shark (''I. oxyrinchus'') and the rare longfin mako shark (''I. paucus''). They ...
, was designed by an art student in the first graduating class of 1996. The school is a charter member of the
Citrus Coast League The Citrus Coast League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference in California that is affiliated with the CIF Southern Section. Established in 2018, the league consists primarily of small public high schools in Ventura County, with one member eac ...
, a conference within the
CIF Southern Section The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF ...
that was established in 2018. Prior to that, Malibu was part of the Tri-County Athletic Association. A study published in 2007 by the MHS Site Governance Council reported that 75% of all honors and AP enrolled students participate in the school's sports programs. In 2019, the school switched its 11-man football program to an eight-man format. As a result, the school no longer competes in the Citrus Coast League in that sport.


Notable alumni

* Devendra Banhart, musician *
Jesse Billauer Jesse Billauer (born February 24, 1979) is a well-known surfer from Pacific Palisades, California. Billauer suffered an accident at the age of 17 on March 25, 1996, hitting his head on a shallow sandbar after being knocked off his surfboard by a ...
, motivational speaker and surfer *
Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic R ...
, musician *
Caroline D'Amore Caroline D'Amore (born June 9, 1984) is an American businesswoman, DJ, actress, and fashion model. She is the founder and CEO of Pizza Girl, Inc. She and her family own D’Amores Pizza, founded by her father. She began her career as a fashion mo ...
, model, DJ and actress *
Lauren Dukoff Lauren Dukoff (born 1984) is an American photographer noted for her portraiture and documentary work of celebrities and musicians, including the cover of the Adele album, '' 21''. Photography career Dukoff briefly studied photography at the Broo ...
, photographer *
Caitlin Gerard Caitlin Beverly Gerard (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress and filmmaker. Early life Caitlin Beverly Gerard was born in Los Angeles on July 26, 1988. She attended the International School of Los Angeles, a private French K-12 school, ...
, actress *
Kaia Gerber Kaia Jordan Gerber (born September 3, 2001) is an American model and actress. She is the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber. After starring in a series of ad campaigns for fashion brands since debuting at Fashi ...
, model *
Taylor Goldsmith Taylor Dawes Goldsmith is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He serves as the lead singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter of American folk rock band Dawes. Early life Goldsmith has a younger brother, Griffin. They ...
, musician *
Clay Greenbush Clay Greenbush (born 1968) is an American actor. He started his career at the age of ten months, with an uncredited appearance in ''Five Easy Pieces,'' a movie which starred his father, Billy Greenbush. He played a baby in the arms of Jack Nichol ...
, actor *
Bella Hadid Isabella Khairiah Hadid (born October 9, 1996) is an American model. In 2016, she was voted "Model of the Year" by industry professionals for Models.com. Over the span of four years, Hadid has made twenty-seven appearances on international '' ...
, model *
Gigi Hadid Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid ( ; born April 23, 1995) is an American model and television personality. In November 2014, she made her debut in the Top 50 Models ranking at Models.com. In 2016, she was named International Model of the Year by the ...
, model *
Brody Jenner Sam Brody Jenner (born August 21, 1983) is an American television personality, model and disc jockey. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. In 2005, Jenner appeared in the reality television series, ''The Princes of Malibu'', which ...
, television personality *
Burt Jenner Burton William Jenner (born September 6, 1978) is an American businessman, owner of West LA Dogs, and a professional off-road racing driver. He is the eldest son of television personality and Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and her first wi ...
, off-road racing driver * Chloe Rose Lattanzi, actress *
Blake Mills Blake Mills (born September 21, 1986) is an American songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in California. Biography Blake Mills was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, and grew up in Malibu, where he attended Malibu ...
, musician *
India Oxenberg India Riven Oxenberg (born June 7, 1991) is an American actress and documentary film producer. A granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, she is a relative of the House of Karađorđević, the former royal family of Serbia and, later, ...
, film producer *
Johnny Strange (adventurer) John Robert "Johnny" Strange (December 26, 1991 – October 1, 2015) was a world record holding adventurer. At 17, he became the youngest to climb the Seven Summits, a record now held by Jordan Romero at 15 years, 5 months and 12 days. He was bes ...
, BASE jumper and mountaineer *
Dominique Swain Dominique Swain (born August 12, 1980) is an American actress and producer. She came to prominence playing the title character in Adrian Lyne's 1997 film adaptation of ''Lolita'', alongside her supporting role as Jamie Archer in John Woo's ''Fac ...
, actress *
Jordan Wilimovsky Jordan Matthew Wilimovsky (born April 22, 1994) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in open water swimming. At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia, Wilimovsky won the gold medal in the 10 km open water event. Wilimovs ...
, Olympic swimmer


Notable faculty

* Louis Leithold, author of ''The Calculus'', a widely used high school and college textbook


In popular culture

*Scenes from the movie ''
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'' (2005) were shot at Malibu High School. The film was inspired by the international organization
Operation Smile Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr. and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair ...
and portrays real-life MHS figures such as former principal Dr. Mike Matthews (played by
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...
). MHS hosts a student chapter of Operation Smile to help fundraise, and every year, a few students accompany Operation Smile tours. *Scenes from the
Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner nam ...
''
Brink! ''Brink!'' is a 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie that depicts the sport of aggressive inline skating. Written by Jeff Schechter and directed by Greg Beeman, the film stars Erik von Detten as Andy "Brink" Brinker, a high school inline skater who ...
'' were also shot at MHS and
Zuma Beach Zuma Beach is a county beach at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, California. One of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County, California, it is known for its long, wide sands and excellent surf. It consistently rank ...
. *The TV series '' 90210'' showed a "Malibu High School" flag at a surf competition. *The school was referenced in the movie '' Double Take'' (2001) as
Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom '' Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film '' Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jef ...
's character's school.


References


External links

* ** {{authority control Buildings and structures in Malibu, California Educational institutions established in 1992 Public middle schools in California High schools in Los Angeles County, California Public high schools in California 1992 establishments in California