Gunderson High School

Gunderson High School
Location
622 Gaundabert Lane San Jose, CA
Information
Type	Public
Established	1976
School district	San Jose Unified School District
Principal	Kelly Knapp
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1100
Color(s)	Gold and Brown
Mascot	Grizzly Bear
Information	[phone]
Website	gunderson.sjusd.org

Henry T. Gunderson High School is a high school situated in the Blossom Valley area of San Jose, California which first opened in the fall of 1976. It drew the majority of its initial 10th - 12th grade student body from adjacent neighborhoods that were previously within the Pioneer and Leland high school boundaries. The new facility represented a then-unique architectural design of large interior common areas and corridors, and included an atrium for student smoking. It also features an Olympic-sized swimming facility, which was a rare amenity for high school sites in the region at that time. The school is part of the San Jose Unified School District and was given the maximum six-year accreditation in 2004, noting the performance of staff and faculty. As of 2012, the school principal is Kelly Knap, and the average annual enrollment is about 1100 students.

Technology program

Gunderson High School promotes itself as a Technology Magnet school offering a variety of classes through its technologically advanced academic program. The school is unique in that it is one of few high schools to offer a 1-to-1 laptop program, and the only school to offer the program (a $6 million project) within the San Jose Unified School District.^[1] At the beginning of the year, all students are assigned an Apple MacBook laptop computer. Yet due to budget cuts, the program has been limited to in class for the students use. Certain electives of the program include animation, multimedia design, digital photography, video production, computer aided design, and electronic music. Weekly school news, Gunderson Live, is also directed and broadcast by students on school televisions.^[2]

Extracurricular activities

• Journalism - Gunderson's school newspaper, The Paw Print, is run and maintained by journalism students and is published monthly.
• Mock Trial - The school's mock trial team competes in the annual California Mock Trial Program, where schools develop a student-run team of lawyers, witnesses, clerks, and bailiffs, and compete against one another in front of a real judge in a courtroom to win their team a verdict. Gunderson's mock trial team is also frequent competitor in local speech competitions. The Marshall-Brennan Institute is partnered with the class, by having third year law students from Santa Clara University teach a course on constitutional law through the Constitutional Literacy Project.
• Science Bowl - Gunderson's science bowl teams are regular participants in the DOE Regional Bay Area Science Bowl competition,^[3] held at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University.
• Hip-Hop Club - The hip-hop club, also known Strictly Outspoken, is known for hosting an annual hip-hop festival on campus, "Believe the Hype," featuring local emcees, graffiti writers, DJ's, b-boys, and prominent members of the Bay Area hip-hop community. The hip-hop club also hosts a "Bboy Jam" where acclaimed breakdancers in the area perform and battle with one another.
• Interact Club - Gunderson's Interact Club is the high school branch of Rotary International and its members aid in many community service events and fundraisers. Gunderson belongs to Interact's Northern California District 5170, the largest and most efficient district in the world. Every year a new International Project is picked concerning a current world issue (ex. 2009: End Polio Now, 2010: Shelterbox, 2011: Mary's Meals & Firelight Foundation) and the majority of the district wide fundraising efforts go towards these projects. Gunderson is part of District 5170 Area 7.
• Key Club - The school's Key Club is the high school branch of Kiwanis International and its members engage in numerous community service projects and fundraisers for multiple world-wide issues. The club belongs to Region 17 Division 12 South, and is one of the largest in the division.
• Human Right's Club - The Human Right's Club's main goal is to spread the awareness of human rights violations going on throughout the world. The club is noted for holding various school events and publicity stunts to bring obscure issues to light.

Notable alumni

• James Jones, NFL player

References

1. Gunderson High's laptops: Educational Blessing or unique Expensive Distraction? article in the San Jose Mercury News by Larry Slonaker (registration required)
2. Gunderson Live Broadcasts
3. DOE Science Bowl Info