Community Map

The link below will show a basic map of Skyline High and the immediate area near it. What stuck out the most when glancing at the map is that the neighborhood surrounding SHS is affluent. What is also telling is whats missing from the area. There are almost no nearby off campus resources that are available for students. The area is mainly residential and the only businesses that are close to SHS are a Safeway and the Oakland Hills Tennis Club.

The following map is a satellite image of the area. The imagery of the map is telling.  We notice the size of the houses near the school and there are swimming pools everywhere.

Our inquiries included: are the neighborhood families sending their children to SHS? What is the ethnic breakdown of the neighborhood and does it match up with the demographic splits of SHS? We believe that a school should be a vital part of the community in which it is located and as such, should be direct portrayals of each other in a cultural and social sense. Looking at the maps, it seems that the neighborhoods are not very representative of the school community-especially in a socio-economic sense. Yet, looking at the map did not answer many of the questions that arose from our analysis. Yes, it is rather telling that the neighborhood seems to be affluent.  However, we might not be able to determine whether the difference in the residential demographics in the 94619 zip code and who
attends SHS is as serious as we think. But, viewed collectively with other demographic data we have
unearthed, and our in field research, we see the convergence of diversity that is seen throughout Oakland generally.

Though the community surrounding SHS seemed to provide minimal resources for the student body,
we found that SHS has a vibrant student community that is very active. Students at SHS have many academic and extracurricular activities to choose from; ranging from compettive sports teams to academic advisory teams.

The Atlas Freshmen House
In 2009, SHS launched "Atlas" a freshmen advisory and academic program. In Atlas, freshmen are paired with the same teachers in Math, Science, English and Social Studies. The students are grouped into learning teams named by Greek mythological creatures called the Titans (the school's mascot). It seems as if this program grants students and teachers the longevity required to build interpersonal
relationships and nurture the type of collaborative learning environment that is so important to personal and academic growth. Freshmen also attend a weekly advisory meeting in which they recieve academic and career advice and work on study skills. As one teacher put it, "No one falls through the cracks."

Skyline Academy and Pathways
Students at Skyline may choose to pursue the general education courses or  enroll in an academy. There are three academies split up by career fields (green, education, and computer) and all academies are built to advance in difficulty as students progress in grade level, evetually culminating in a capstone project their senior year at SHS.
There are also four pathways that offer students with separate interests opportunities to engage in project based learning similair to how the academies operate. The four pathways are Kinesiology/Sports Business, Media Law and Democracy, Performing Arts, 2D/3D Art.
Pathways are electives. They seem to be more flexible than the academies and offer students are great opportunity to not only have a little control over their own high school classroom and educational experience but, develop their education in orientation with possible career goals they may have.
The academies, on the other hand, are funded by grants from the state of California and as a result,
have restrictions built in.

Though it seems as if there is nothing for the students in the surrounding community/surrounding neighborhoods, there is a richness in the resources that is the high school itself. Students can choose from 27 sports and a bevy of academic and extracurricular clubs and after-school programs.