North Monterey County High School is a high school in Castroville, California and was established in 1978. The high school serves the populations of Aromas, Castroville, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Elkhorn, and Salinas. North Monterey County High School is part of the North Monterey County Unified School District. North Monterey County High School is abbreviated on some official documents as NMCHS although it is more commonly known as either "North County" or "NC".
Before 1978, North Monterey County students traveled to Salinas for high school. Many local residents wanted to have their own high school so their children would not have to travel to Salinas for high school. In 1978, voters approved a bond measure to build the high school under the campaign slogan "Yes is Best". In the fall of 1978, North County opened its doors to a new student body that did not include a senior class. In June, 1980, the first class graduated from North County. In 1985, the high school won national recognition by President Reagan as one of the best 100 high schools in the country and subsequently won two distinguished California High School Awards in the 1990s. The school was recently recognized at the California Conference of Superintendents for its high Latino graduation rate.
Governance
North Monterey County High School's budget is determined by the Board of Trustees of the North Monterey County Unified School District. Internally, the administration of the school is led by Coordinators Jim Oneil, Laurel Gast, and Richard Gutierrez. There is an Activities Director that oversees school activities and an Athletic Director who manages school athletics. Some funding for the school is controlled by the School Site Council or SIP. The SIP committee is coordinated by the SIP Coordinator who is a salaried school official. The current SIP Coordinator is Ms. Laurel Gast. SIP committee members include parents, staff, the Principal, and students. The committee members elect a member to serve as their president.
Academics, Courses, Graduation Requirements
North County offers a selection of courses to its students. North County has ROP, art, photography, and tech courses. NC has an honors and AP program that includes several AP courses. The first AP course offered at North County was AP US History, currently taught by Mr. Robert Agan. The first AP US History class was taught by Bill O'Leary. NC's API test scores place North County as average in California, but NC's API scores in the context of similar schools ranks NC as above average .
Activities
Marching Band
The NMCHS marching band, directed by D. L. Johnson, has received attention for performances in China, Italy, Hawaii, and participation in President Clinton's second inaugural parade. Likewise, the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic & Jazz Bands have performed at these locales as well as competitions in Canada, Colorado Springs and the Monterey Jazz Festival to name a few.
