About Del Mar High School

1224 Del Mar Avenue
San Jose, CA 95128
T 408 626 3403
F 408 295 9476
24h Attendance 408 558 3063

Principal: Jim Russell
Vice Principal: Nancy Pinkel

Del Mar opened its doors in 1959 and has generated a long and storied past of excellence. All of us involved in the Del Mar High School of today, are working hard to build upon this rich tradition. Del Mar is a school on the move and we invite you to take the time to learn about the strong academic and activity programs available to our students. The staff, students and parent groups have worked hard to make a number of positive changes at Del Mar, and are committed to building upon those successes this year.

Founded: 1959

Enrollment: 1100

Colors: Black & Gold

Mascot: The Don

Adrienne Barbeau	Television and film star
William Drozdiak	Reporter, Washington Post and International Herald Tribune
Paul Egerman	Founder, IDX Systems Corporation
Rusty Hammer	Youngest mayor of a city in the United States (Age 21, City of Campbell)
Alan Tieger	Chief prosecutor, International War Crimes Tribunal, The Hague, Netherlands
Loren Toews	NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Three-time Super Bowl Participant
Don Transeth	College football player Washington State University
Ryan Wieber	Emmy-winning special effects artist and filmmaker
Dick Vermeil	Head football coach of UCLA and the Kansas City Chiefs. Began his teacher career at Del Mar High School in September 1960
Source: Wikipedia

April 6, 2008	Editorial: 'Courageous conversations' on education gap San Jose Mercury News
April 6, 2008	Smart vs. cool: Culture, race and ethnicity in Silicon Valley schools San Jose Mercury News
December 15, 2007	Teacher collects gifts for kids to give San Jose Mercury News The line of students stretched outside Carol Perez's classroom Thursday, buzzing excitedly as she opened the door to Room 23 and signaled that Holiday Workshop had begun. Each teen had received invitations to choose four gifts for family or friends - and no one wanted to be last. "There's something good for those who wait," Perez said perkily, pulling out costume jewelry and a laptop briefcase from her treasure closet.
November 23, 2007	Del Mar employes PLATO with impressive results The Campbell Reporter With the help of computers, students are excelling in math and closing the achievement gap at Del Mar High School. The results have been so successful that Association of California School Administrators members visiting the high school Nov. 8 praised the academic turnaround. Del Mar High School principal Jim Russell credits the hard work of teachers and the implementation of intervention programs, including PLATO, a computer-based algebra program.
June 22, 2007	Jim Russell is a principal with purpose The Campbell Reporter For years, Del Mar High School was a shadow of the stellar school it once was. The school had low test scores and morale and a shifting population; some described it as the “second-class citizen” of the Campbell Union High School District. So when Jim Russell took the helm in 2003, turning around Del Mar was no easy task. Russell, a tall, reserved man who makes it a point to know nearly every student’s name, fell into teaching and then school administration by happenstance. It turns out he was just the man for the Del Mar turnaround job.
May 08, 2007	No Longer the Underdog The Campbell Times In a story that reads like the script for a Hollywood movie Campbell Unified High School District underdog Del Mar High School will be recognized by the California State Department of Education as a 2007 California Distinguished School at the Distinguished School Awards Ceremony on May 18 in Anaheim, Calif. The award is a long time in coming for the school many used to refer to as the "ghetto school." And many are crediting the turnaround to the principal who took over the reigns four years ago: Jim Russell. ... What Russell offered Del Mar that others had failed to achieve was a desire to see students and staff take pride in their school and the experience and energy to bring that dream to fruition. "I've dealt with a lot of things over the years as a principal," he said, "And I've learned what you need to pay attention to and what you don't-you have to prioritize and keep your focus on the ball."
April 26, 2007	Del Mar High's Stunning Success San Jose Mercury News [Reprinted with permission] ...no school has worked harder and deserved the honor more than Del Mar High in West San Jose. It was evidence to a community of doubters of an impressive transformation. Four years ago, ... the school was on a short leash of tentative accreditation. It had lost middle class families when boundary lines were redrawn for reopening Branham High (another 2007 Distinguished School). That was when Jim Russell came out of semi-retirement to become principal. While it takes a collective effort to make change, there's no question who was most responsible for the turnaround. "With the new principal came new hope," Del Mar grad and now social studies teacher Stacey Sampson wrote in an e-mail.
November 15, 2006	Stick to It The Campbell Reporter These two are one of a kind. Gene Sampson and his daughter, Stacey, coach field hockey at Del Mar High School. With Gene leading the varsity team and Stacey heading up junior varsity, the Sampsons form a unique father-daughter coaching combination, a true tag team. "Probably once in a lifetime, maybe never, can you do something like this with your grown child," Gene says. "It's kind of cool."
November 1, 2006	Marching to a different beat and a win, too The Campbell Reporter Del Mar High School participated in its own version of Drumline, as band members picked up their instruments, put on their uniforms and headed out to the 36th annual Cupertino Tournament of the Bands. More than 3,000 youth and their families convened for a day of music competition at Cupertino High School on Oct. 14. This annual event is run by community volunteers, with the proceeds going directly toward the music program at Cupertino High School.
October 4, 2006	Del Mar scores big on the API, and school plans to celebrate The Campbell Reporter Del Mar High School has finally made the grade. When the California Department of Education released the annual Academic Performance Index scores in late August, Del Mar High School made the largest leap of the five traditional high schools in the Campbell Union High School District, jumping 39 points from 661 to 700 for the 2005-06 year. The goal for every California school is to reach a target score of 800.
October 3, 2006	Campbell schools impress with API test scores The Campbell Times Campbell schools showed impressive growth with the release of the 2006 Academic Performance Index (API) scores by the California Department of Education. "The majority of Campbell's elementary, middle and high schools showed incredible growth from 2005 to 2006, with Marshall Lane Elementary showing the least and Del Mar High School making the greatest gain. However, with an API score of 902, Marshall Lane holds the highest score of any Campbell Union School. What is evident from all the schools' scores is the dedication and commitment of their teachers, staff, parents and students."
May 9, 2006	Most local schools post steady API score gain The Campbell Reporter Del Mar High School scored 661 in 2005, which according to Principal Jim Russell was an increase of 63 points from their 2004 score of 598, the greatest growth in the district. "We are thrilled with our growth," he says, "and we're going to continue what we're doing. We have a lot of support classes to try to help kids gain skills." However, this growth was only briefly posted before being removed from the California Department of Education's report, upon their belief that the school did not have a valid 2004 API Base. "We did not have an API score reported in 2004," says Russell, "because we under-tested one subgroup in one test." His target goal for this, or next year, is to reach the '700 Club.'
August 25, 2004	After only a year, Principal Russell makes a big impact The Campbell Reporter It's only been a year since Jim Russell took over as principal at Del Mar High School, but staff and parents say that in that short time, he's turned the downtrodden school around and given everyone there a newfound sense of purpose. "When Jim Russell arrived at Del Mar, he rode in on a white horse," said Eric "Doc" Iverson, the director of activities for the high school. "The man has a vision."
September 10, 2003	Del Mar Principal is confident he can turn the school around The Campbell Reporter Jim Russell is hoping to make some changes. After working in the Campbell Union High School District for almost 30 years, he is testing his leadership skills as the new Del Mar High School principal. "It was a perfect fit," Campbell Union High School District Superintendent Rhonda Farber says. "Jim's very good at community building. He's knowledgeable and thoughtful."