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Canyon Crest Academy, also known as CCA, is a public high school in San Diego, California. Founded in 2004, the school is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School District. Located near Cathedral Catholic High School and Torrey Pines High School in the upscale Carmel Valley neighborhood, CCA has developed a reputation for a strong focus on academics, technology, and the arts.
History
During the first school year at Canyon Crest Academy, only Freshman were admitted into the student body, with a new class of Freshman being added with each subsequent year. As a result, a complete student body did not exist on campus until the fourth year of instruction, when the original Freshman were attending their Senior year. During the first school year, the students were instructed in portable trailers located in the school's parking lot. It was not until well into the year that the majority of the construction of the actual campus was completed, and classrooms were able to be moved into the new buildings. Other parts of the campus, such as the gym and theater, did not open until later on as construction was still underway. All facilities were open and construction completed by the end of the second school year (2005-06).
Canyon Crest Academy's founding freshman class (class of 2008) was presented with the opportunity to select the school's colors and mascot, among other traditions. The students originally voted a black panther as the mascot, with red and black as the school's colors. However, the mascot was soon changed to a raven due to the similar mascot of a nearby school.
Although Canyon Crest Academy sponsors many sports teams, there is no football team, and there are no plans to add one. Students wishing to be involved in high school football typically opt to enroll in nearby Torrey Pines High School, which is well known for its excellence in the sport.
The school's founding principal was Mr. David Jaffe. After three successful school years as Principal, Jaffe accepted a promotion within the district, whereupon former vice-principal Mr. Brian Köhn assumed the office of Principal on July 1, 2007 for the 2008 school year.
Enrollment
Enrollment for the 2007-08 school year was about 1799[1]. Canyon Crest Academy draws from the local areas of North San Diego County such as Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas, resulting in a student body that primarily comes from affluent families. Being a school of choice, students are only placed into the school after submitting an application to attend. All students that applied to enroll in Canyon Crest Academy during the first three school years were admitted. However, for the 2007-08 school year, the first lottery was held to narrow down the incoming class size from the ever increasing pool of applicants. In the random lottery, approximately four out of five students were accepted from the applicant pool.
Curriculum
One unique aspect of Canyon Crest is Envision, an arts program with 6 divisions: Digital/Fine Arts, Theater, Cinema, Dance, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music. The program regularly sponsors shows & performances, and interacts extensively with professionals & teachers in the North County creative community. The Envision program also trains students in their particular field of interest, allowing unique opportunities such as being able to publish student work. Students also have the option of taking classes from MiraCosta Community College on the CCA campus, available after school.
Canyon Crest uses a 4x4 class schedule instead of the more common rotating block schedule, which means that students can complete eight full classes a year (four in the fall term and four in the spring term), rather than six year-long courses. CCA also offers a variety of elective classes not traditionally taught in public schools including American Sign Language, Japanese, Film and Society, Advanced Topics (math theories and phenomenons), Anatomy and Physiology, Science and Research (lab work conducting research, practice making research papers), Environmental Science, Stage Craft, Music Theater production, Rock Band (application only), Surf and Lifesaving, Recording Arts, Interior Design, and Fashion Design. The current student to teacher ratio (overall) is roughly 34:1. The school's 2007-08 API score was the highest in San Diego County.
In 2007, the College Board announced that CCA's class of 2008 led the nation in AP World History scores for schools of its size. The AP World History teacher was Mark Van Over. This accolade was published by the College Board in the 2007 AP Report to the Nation.
Graduates
Canyon Crest Academy's first graduating class was that of 2008. These graduates have achieved many honors during their high school careers and have been accepted into many top universities including Harvard University, Stanford University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, Tufts University and Carnegie Mellon University.
Notable events
In 2007, the band Senses Fail filmed one of their music videos on the school's campus, featuring the theater teacher Michael Schwartz as a strict English teacher.
See also
References
- ^ Report of Principal Cyka to Canyon Crest Academy Foundation, Sept 2007
External links
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