Northgate High School (Walnut Creek, California)
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Northgate High School (NHS) 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
located in the suburban Northgate neighborhood of
Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland, California, Oakland. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The most recent of five high schools in the
Mount Diablo Unified School District Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) is a public school district in Contra Costa County, California. It currently operates 29 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 5 high schools, with 7 alternative school An alternative schoo ...
, the school was built in 1974, and is home to approximately 1,500 students from Walnut Creek and
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
, grades 9–12. Its name derives from its location at the north entrance of
Mount Diablo State Park Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
.


History

Northgate High School opened in 1974 to relieve pressure on neighboring
Ygnacio Valley High School Ygnacio Valley High School (YVHS) is a public secondary school located in Concord, California, United States. It draws students from Concord as well as from the neighboring communities of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. The school opened in 1962, ...
in Concord. Students were gradually phased in; the school graduated its first class in 1976. Northgate was the last high school to be built in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. In September 1978, the school hosted a debate on Proposition 6, a state proposition which would have made it mandatory for school boards to fire openly gay and lesbian teachers. The debate was between the proposition's sponsor, John Briggs, and San Francisco supervisor
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...
. It was the last debate that Milk participated in before he was assassinated. In December 2007, a petition was made to move Northgate to the
Acalanes Union High School District Acalanes Union High School District is a public union high school district, high school district in Contra Costa County, located in the Bay Area of California. The district takes its name from Rancho Acalanes, an 1834 ranchos of California, Me ...
. The Mt. Diablo school district board and the Contra Costa County Office of Education both denied the petition. In 2016, a group named Northgate CAPS (Community Advocacy for our Public Schools) began a new campaign to separate Northgate High and its feeder elementary and middle schools into a new, separate school district. On May 2–3, 2017, the Contra Costa County Board of Education held public meetings on the petition. The county board recommended against the proposal; the state board of education could still take up the proposal but has not done so as of July 2018.


Academics

Northgate High School was named a distinguished school in 2007. The school employs 60 certified teachers. 21 Advanced Placement courses are offered in fields including science, math, English, foreign language, social science, and art. Approximately 97% of graduates attend four-year or two-year colleges and universities. The school had a 94% graduation rate in 2010–2011. Unlike some other schools in the Mt. Diablo district, Northgate does not have any formal academies. However, for freshmen it does offer a Global Perspectives "pathway". A fixed cadre of students takes three "threaded” classes (English 1, World History, and Art Design) that build connections between the content in all three. Project-based learning is designed to strengthen concepts taught in the classes. The course catalog also offers several sets of suggested courses for students with a specific interest, but these are not planned collaboratively; they include sequences in communications, environmental studies, animation, and engineering. Every senior must participate in a Mock Congress during the fall and must present a Senior Project at the end of the school year.


Extracurricular activities


Athletics

The Northgate High School Athletic Department oversees 2 competitive varsity athletic teams that compete in the Diablo Valley Athletic League (in the
North Coast Section The North Coast Section (NCS) is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation, governing the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, up along the northern coast of the state of California, from Fremont in the south to Crescent ...
of the
California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...
). Northgate's sports include football, cheerleading, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, track and field, softball, water polo, and wrestling. During the 2013-14 year, the school broke ground on a new center to provide a pool for the aquatics teams and facilities for the school's sports medicine program. The aquatics facilities were completed in 2015 and are now used for water polo and swim team practices and meets. The annual football game between Northgate and its cross-town rival
Las Lomas High School Las Lomas High School (LLHS) is a public high school in Walnut Creek, California, United States. It was founded in 1951 by the Acalanes Union High School District, and opened its doors in the fall of 1952 to its first graduating class. Las Lo ...
is nicknamed "The Battle of the Creek" after Walnut Creek, California.


Performing arts

All Northgate performing arts programs operate chiefly out of the Jack De Rieux Little Theatre, which was remodeled and enlarged in 2006. The instrumental music program consists of a
Concert Band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...
, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, two Jazz Bands, Orchestra, and
Marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
(all are regular courses except the extracurricular marching band). Concert band is the entry-level band consisting of only 9th grade students. Symphonic Band is the largest instrumental music group, typically consisting of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade members. Orchestra is a string orchestra that consists of students from all grades; the prerequisite is previous experience with private teachers or Orchestra in middle school. The audition process for Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band I, and Jazz Band II, the three most advanced bands, is competitive in nature due to a high number of talented students vying for a small number of spaces. In addition to concerts on campus, each spring the jazz ensembles usually hold a concert at
Yoshi's Yoshi's (also known as Yoshi's Jazz Club and Yoshi's Oakland) is a nightclub located in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The venue originally opened in 1972 as a restaurant in Berkeley, later moving to Claremont Avenu ...
nightclub in Oakland. All the other groups perform together at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek. Jazz I won the "Next Generation Jazz Festival" portion of the
Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...
in five consecutive years (2014–2018), a record for that competition. The choir program consists of several groups: the entry-level Concert Choir, which does not require an audition, Cantiamo (Level 2 Women's Choir), Il Coro (Level 2 Men's Choir), Bella Voce (Level 3 Women's Choir) and Madrigals (Level 3 Co-ed Choir). In order to be a part of Cantiamo or Il Coro, students must choose a song to audition with. To get into Bella Voce or Madrigals, any prospective member must have first spent at least one year in Il Coro or Cantiamo (some exceptions have been made in the past), and audition with a song of their choice and a selected choir piece. Cantiamo members trying out will decide whether they are trying out for Madrigals, Bella Voce, or both. Madrigals have a heavy winter schedule, as they do holiday gigs for restaurants and families that hire them. This fundraising activity has been in place since the late 1970s and occupies most of December for the members. Bella Voce performs a variety of gigs throughout the year as well. The funds from these activities support the students' spring tour. Bella Voce, Madrigals, Cantiamo, Il Coro and the Instrumental Music program all go to
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
in the spring to perform and participate in the musical programs that are held for high schools and other performing arts groups. This event is called "Disney Performing Arts" (formerly known as "Magic Music Days"). The drama program consists of four levels, the last being Production Workshop which produces at least one play per semester. Students have the opportunity to try working with all aspects of theater, including
stage lighting Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts.
,
sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating auditory elements of media. It involves specifying, acquiring and creating audio using production techniques and equipment or software. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking ...
, promotions,
scenic design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including Play (theatre), plays and Musical theatre, musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, wher ...
, props (
theatrical property A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...
), and
stage management Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including overseeing of the rehearsal proce ...
. Northgate also participates in the Devil Mountain Improv League, a completely student-created and student-run coalition of competitive high school improvisational theater students that has been around since 1996.


Architecture

Northgate High School has received both acclaim and criticism for its
brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...
architecture. The school is built into the side of a hill on Castle Rock Road, at the foothills of Mt. Diablo. The fact that the school's architect had designed some prisons during his career has led to a rumor that the school was first built as a prison. When the school was originally constructed, none of the classrooms had permanent walls; rather, they had half-high walls that could be moved to make more room if needed. Classrooms were later retrofitted with walls because the concept was considered a fire hazard. Movable walls in classrooms were replaced by full-height walls. The school closed for many months after the Loma Prieta Earthquake due to the discovery of
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
. During the 1990–91 school year, portable classrooms were used on the school grounds and the former Castle Rock Elementary grounds. The library sits in the main forum of the school and remains one of the only areas with five-foot walls, making the library very open, and is in clear view of the office on the second floor. In the center of the school is a small atrium, which has been variously used as a lounge area or as a native-plant garden with plants, a small pond, and even turtles.


In popular culture

The movie ''
The Principal ''The Principal'' is a 1987 action comedy film starring Jim Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr. and Rae Dawn Chong. Written by Frank Deese and directed by Christopher Cain, it was filmed in Oakland, California, and at Northgate High School in near ...
'' was partially filmed at Northgate High School. Northgate was chosen as a location for its partial-wall "open environment" classroom design, representing an easy teaching job at a "nice school" for the character Rick Latimer (
James Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in f ...
). After getting into trouble he is transferred to a tough school in Oakland, California.


Notable alumni and staff

* Keith Clearwater (1977): professional golfer *
Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and television producer, producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ...
(1980): television writer/producer (''
Diagnosis Murder ''Diagnosis: Murder'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery medical drama, medical crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son Steve, a homicide detective ...
'', ''
Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Principality of Montenegro, Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a ...
'') and novelist (''
Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'', ''The Walk'') *
Cathy Podewell Cathy Podewell (born January 27, 1964) is an American actress known for playing the role of Cally Harper Ewing on ''Dallas'' from 1988 to 1991, 2013. Early life and education Podewell was born in Evanston, Illinois. She moved to Walnut Creek, C ...
(1982): actress *
Kristen Babb-Sprague Kristen Elizabeth Babb, (born July 29, 1968) also known by her married name Kristen Elizabeth Babb-Sprague after February 1991, is an American former synchronized swimmer who competed for the Walnut Creek Aquanuts and was a 1992 Barcelona Olympi ...
(1986): Olympic swimmer * Doug Davis (1993): starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks *
Yul Kwon Yul Julius Kwon (born February 14, 1975) is an American television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in California. He first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the reality TV s ...
(1993): winner of the reality television show '' Survivor: Cook Islands'' * Ari Wallach (1993): American futurist and author *
Eva Marie Natalie Eva Marie Nelson (born September 19, 1984) is an American media personality, professional wrestler, model, actress and businesswoman. She is best known for her tenures in WWE from 2013–2017 and 2020–2021, where she performed under ...
(2002): fashion model, actress, valet, and professional wrestler *
The Story So Far (band) The Story So Far is an American pop-punk band from Walnut Creek, California, formed in 2007. They are signed to Pure Noise Records and have released five studio albums. History Formation and early releases (2007–2010) The Story So Far formed ...
: pop punk band


Gallery

File:NorthgateMainEntrance.jpg, Northgate High School, main entrance File:NorthgateForum.jpg, "Forum" meeting space, with main entrance at rear and cafeteria at left, viewed from mezzanine staff lounge File:NorthgateLibrary1.jpg, View of library and open area of main building, from mezzanine staff lounge File:NorthgateLibrary2.jpg, View of library from main office on mezzanine level File:NorthgateEastside.jpg, East side (Castle Rock Rd.), showing windowless concrete construction that is typical of the campus File:NorthgateNortheastside.jpg, Southeast corner File:NorthgateNorthside.jpg, South side


References


External links

* {{authority control Mount Diablo Unified School District High schools in Contra Costa County, California Walnut Creek, California Public high schools in California 1974 establishments in California