Hilltop High School
| Hilltop Senior High | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
555 Claire Avenue Chula Vista, California 91910 United States | |
| Coordinates | 32°38′13″N 117°03′31″W / 32.636899°N 117.058725°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | "The Focus at Hilltop is Academics" |
| Established | 1959 |
| School district | Sweetwater Union High School District |
| Principal | Dr. Thomas Gray |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 2486 |
| Color(s) | Kelly Green, White and Black |
| Mascot | Lancer |
| Newspaper | The Lance |
| Yearbook | The Idyll |
| Website | Club Directory |
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.
For the 2007-2008 school year, former Montgomery Middle School principal Ernesto Zamudio took over as principal for Hilltop High School and replaced the retiring Jerry Rindone (video biography) 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: 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[1] and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
In the 2006-2007 school year, the graduation rate was 93.3%.[2]
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%.[2] Since the 1999-2000 school year, there has been a 25% increase in exams taken,[2] a 7% increase in the overall pass rate,[2] and a 30% increase in the total number of students testing.[2]
Athletics
Hilltop Senior High is a member of the CIF San Diego Section they are in the Mesa League of the Metro Conference and 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 '60's. There is more information available at Hilltop Athletics Website
Longtime Hilltop Coaches elected as San Diego Sports Hall of Champions Coaching Legends: John Baumgartner - Baseball Janet Balsley- Field Hockey Chip Holmes - Track & Field Tim Tyler - Wrestling Tim Tyler was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Demographics
In the 2005-2006 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.[3]
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[4] |
| Tom Waits | 1968 | Entertainment | American singer-songwriter, composer and actor[5] |
| Cheryl Cox | 1966 | Politics | Mayor of Chula Vista[6] |
| John Tschogl | 1968 | Sports | NBA Basketball Player 1972-1975 with Atlanta and Philadelphia[7] |
| Bryan Wagner | 1980 | Sports | NFL Football Player Punter Last Team 1994 San Diego Chargers AFC Champion[7] |
| Tommy Hinzo | 1982 | Sports | Major League Baseball Player for Cleveland in 1987 and 1989[7] |
| Bob Natal | 1983 | Sports | Major League Baseball Catcher for the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins 1992-1997[7] |
| Todd Pratt | 1985 | Sports | Major League Baseball player from 1992-2006 primarily with Philadelphia and the New York Mets[7][8] |
| Charles Adair | 1989 | Sports | Professional Soccer Player in the USA from 1993-2003 now a coach with Virginia Tech[7] |
| José Silva | 1991 | Sports | Major League Pitcher from 1996-2002 primarily with Pittsburgh Pirates[7] |
| Terry Battle | 1994 | Sports | Attended Hilltop but later transferred to Sweetwater High School NFL from 1996-1997 primarily with Detroit Lions[7] |
| Sal Gallegos | 1994 | Entertainment | Drummer for Some Girls |
| Dean Lister | 1994 | Sports | 3X ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Champion and UFC fighter |
| Mike Jacobs | 1998 | Sports | Major League First Baseman since 2005 currently a free agent[9] |
| Charlotte Mayorkas | 2001 | Sports | LPGA Golfer, Three-time First Team All-American for UCLA[10][11] |
| Desiree Davila | 2001 | Sports | Professional Long-Distance Track Runner, US Olympian Marathon 2012 London Games, finished second at the Houston Half Marathon. |
| Ayiiia Elizarraras | 2005 | Entertainment | cast member of The Real World: Cancun |
References
- ↑ "Distinguished School Awards - California School Recognition Program". California Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card, 2005-06" (PDF). Hilltop High School. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ↑ "School Profile FISCAL YEAR: 2005-06 (General)". Education Data Partnership. 2005–2006. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ↑ "Sweetwater Union High School District News Archive". Sweetwater Union High School District. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "Tom Waits Timeline: 1949 - 1975". Tom Waits Library. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
- ↑ "How much clout does Cox combo carry?". SignOnSanDiego.Com. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hilltop High School - Alumni". Hilltop High School. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Players Information". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "The Baseball Cube". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "UCLA Golf". UCLA. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "The LPGA". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-02-21.