Skyline High School (Oakland, California)


Skyline High School is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States. It is part of the Oakland Unified School District.

Administration and academics

For the 2014-2015 school year, the principal was Vinh Trinh and the assistant principals were Marisol Arkin, Anya Gurholdt, Elin Peinado and Christina Macalino.
In July 2015, it was announced that Trinh was resigning. The interim principal as of August 2015 is Claude Jenkins. For the 2015-2016 school year, the assistant principals were Vinnie Blye, Emiliano Figueroa, Gary Middleton and Nikki Seaberg. The 2017-18 school year will see Nancy Bloom as the head principal, with Dr. Christina Macalino serving as the 9th Grade Atlas/Small Learning Communities principal.
Skyline High School students must choose one of four academies by their 10th grade year. Academies are "schools within a school" centered on career fields. Ninth grade students apply to the academy of their choice in the spring semester. Students study with the same team of teachers and group of students from 10th to 12th grades in their English/social studies and academy lab courses. Some courses include math and/or science, depending on the academy of choice. Students can take advantage of internships and paid summer jobs in their fields.

Location

Skyline High School is located on a campus at the crest of the Oakland hills. The school is near the Redwood Regional Park and has a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay Area. The school is located in a residential neighborhood away from commercial venues.

The Atlas Freshman House

In 2009, Skyline launched Atlas, a program for freshmen. In the Atlas system, each ninth grader is placed in a team named after a mythological figure represented by Skyline's mascot, the Titan. Atlas is the Titan who carries the heavens on his shoulders, so giving his name to the freshman house symbolizes a commitment to building a strong foundation for a new Skyline. Each ninth grader shares the same four teachers for Math, Social Studies, English, and Science. This provides teachers with a greater opportunity to intercommunicate about the students' social and academic development. Freshmen can take an "Advisory" period during which they receive lessons in academic and career planning, study skills, interpersonal development and citizenship. With each teacher serving as an advisor for 25 students, the Atlas system allows for greater connection between teachers, students, and families. As one teacher stated, "No one falls through the cracks."

Demographics

Skyline High School's first graduating class was the class of 1962. At that time, the student body was predominantly White. The school's demographics have changed over the years. In 2016-2017 Skyline had over 1800 students with an approximate demographic distribution of:
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