Mt. Carmel High School (MCHS), a California Distinguished High School in 2005, is located in Rancho Peñasquitos, a community of San Diego, California. The school belongs to the Poway Unified School District and its mascot is the Sundevil.

The current principal is Tom McCoy. He was previously a principal in Oxnard, California before joining Mt. Carmel during the 2005-2006 school year.

Mt. Carmel High School is both a California Distinguished School Award winner and a National Blue Ribbon School. Historically the school's main rival has been Poway High School; other major rivals include Westview High School and Rancho Bernardo High School.

[edit] History

Mt. Carmel High School was built in 1974, with a few classes first held at the neighboring Black Mountain Middle School while the rest of construction finished. In 1999, the movie Bring It On filmed on the campus, with the locker room, weight room, and football scoreboard making it into the film.

[edit] Instrumental Music Program

Mt. Carmel's two-time Grammy award-winning band ^[2] and orchestra are directed by nationally-recognized director Warren Torns, now retired^[3]. The school's Marching Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble II are led by Garry McPherson. Recently, the Marching Sundevils performed for the 3rd time in the 2006 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. In 2005, Mount Carmel's Music Department hosted the Holiday Bowl High School Band Competition. The school will be performing in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl^[4]. The annual Mt. Carmel Tournament of Bands,has been held each October for the past 32 years, is a widely attended parade and field competition with over 30 bands in attendance. ^[5]

[edit] Renovation

In the spring of 2004, after the passage of California Proposition U and funds aprroved by district voters, the school received funding for a major renovation. The "Pardon our Dust"-sloganed renovation has since been completed. In addition to modernizing existing buildings, including the band room, the project constructed several new buildings, including a new facility for the wrestling and gymnastics teams. The "Theater at the Mount" was the last main building that was under construction, now completed, along with the choir and drama rooms.^[6]

[edit] Notable alumni

• Adam Lambert, American Idol Season 8 Finalist^[7]
• Billy Beane, General manager, Oakland A's
• Darren Balsley, Pitching coach, San Diego Padres
• Duke Preston, Football Player, Green Bay Packers
• Eric Anthony, Retired baseball player
• Eric Chavez, Third baseman, Oakland A's
• Eric Munson, Baseball player, Houston Astros
• John Hyden, Professional Volleyball Player
• Johnny Jeter, Pro Wrestler ^[8]
• Liza Del Mundo, Voice actress
• Jose "JC" Chavez, Radio personality
• Mark Risley, Emmy winning director
• Robyn Villanueva, Chicago Bulls Luvabull ^[9]
• Steve Cherundolo, Defender, Hannover 96, U.S. National Team (Soccer)
• Matt Miller, Football player, California High School Athlete of the Year in 1990^[10]

[edit] See also

• Primary and secondary schools in San Diego

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mt. Carmel High School official website.
• Mt. Carmel's Alumni class website.
• The Mt. Carmel drumline site.
• The Sun, Mt. Carmel's student newspaper.
• The Mt. Carmel Band Boosters Website.

Coordinates: 32°58′0″N 117°7′16″W / 32.966667°N 117.12111°W / 32.966667; -117.12111