improvement. (5) The college retention rate of students who received the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship as high school juniors averaged more than 75 percent in each year 2002-2004. (6) Retention of highly qualified faculty has increased over the last five years. Students Out of the approximate 1100 student body, 68 percent are minorities, and 69 percent receive a free or reduced lunch. 10.2% of the student population is transitional bilingual. 69% of the teachers hold master's degrees and 100% are considered "highly qualified" according to No Child Left Behind Guidelines. Smaller Learning Communities Program In August 2003, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation promised $540,000 over five years to the school to "support personalized learning environments where all students achieve." The school is thus sometimes referred to as a "Gates Grant school," in reference to the donation. The highly diverse school used the grant to engage in major restructuring as part of the "Smaller Learning Communities Program" (SLCP) which is intended to help large schools create smaller and safer communities within themselves. The program has received criticism, as parents complained that dividing the school into separate "houses" limited the selection of courses, and that attempts to "Raise the Bar" for all students had the effect of "dummying down" the challenges available to more able students., CPHS is now recognized as a leader in high school reform by the School Redesign Network at Stanford University and OSPI for the improvements in student learning and for narrowing the achievement gap. (SRN case study/ OSPI High Schools We Need). Daffodil Festival Every year, Clover Park participates in the Pierce County Daffodil Festival. A competition is held in house to select the Clover Park Princess, who goes on to compete against other regional schools, for the Daffodil Festival Queen title. The Queen title is considered the highest honor of the regional festival. The Clover Park band accompanies the float of Clover Park's princesses every year in the parade, held annually in April. Jaymee Marty is the only princess from Clover Park to become queen, in 1985. Notable alumni and staff Notable Clover Park High School alumni and staff members include: Sandi Gordon, soccer player for the United States women's national team John Greek and Rich Dangel, guitarists with The Wailers, who wrote "Tall Cool One" while at the school; Jackie Kellogg (1989 grad), MLB draft pick of the Kansas City Royals and CFL