SMALL SCHOOL GROOMS BIG STARS\Montclair preps 'em for life in the Hollywood spotlight.

Byline: Eric Sondheimer Daily News Staff Writer

Two unarmed security guards in faded blue uniforms stand erect at the entrance to Montclair Prep in Van Nuys. The private school with its $9,000-a-year tuition easily can be mistaken for an apartment complex as cars whisk by on Sepulveda Boulevard.

They guard the five-acre campus that hosts 500 students in grades 7 through 12. Last year, Sylvester Stallone paid for an extra security guard on campus because his son, Sage, was a senior at the school.

Soon, though, the guards' biggest headache could be chasing away screaming teen-age girls seeking out 17-year-old Montclair Prep senior and heartthrob-in-the-making Randy Spelling. The brother of "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Tori Spelling had a guest spot on the show earlier this month and has a starring role in "Malibu Shores," the NBC series expected to debut in March.

If Spelling does make it big, don't expect his fellow students and alumni to suddenly treat him like royalty. He'll have to wait in line.

The Montclair alumni list includes Michael Jackson, Cher and Frank Sinatra Jr.

Montclair Prep is one of an elite group of private institutions in the San Fernando Valley that are schools of choice among the rich and famous in the entertainment industry. TV and movie deals aren't being consummated in the hallways, but you never know what important entertainment bigwig might be attending a Montclair Prep athletic event, parents meeting or school play.

Movie and TV director Jonathan Sanger, whose two sons once played basketball at Montclair Prep, recently needed somebody to play a small role as a basketball official for the ABC series "The Marshal." Remembering his Montclair Prep contacts, Sanger hired girls' basketball coach Bob Webb. In another episode, Sanger directed an actor whose son is another former Montclair Prep basketball player.

On TV right now are ex-Montclair Prep students Sasha Mitchell ("Step by Step") and Eddie Cibrian ("The Young and the Restless"). Before them came Eve Plumb ("The Brady Bunch"), Danny Pintauro ("Who's the Boss?") and the Conrad brothers, Chris and Shane ("High Mountain Ranger"). Starring in motion pictures are ex-Montclair Prep students Steven Dorff ("S.W.F.," Backbeat") and Matt Winston ("Dave and Lily").

The daughter of Cybill Shepherd attends the school, as does aspiring actress Ashley Lyn ("Lord of Illusions"). The sons of actor Alan Thicke went to Montclair Prep, as did the sons of singer Ray Charles and the daughters of singer Barry White, according to school officials.

The school offers small classes (between 15 and 20 students) and is accommodating in allowing student leaves of absence for TV and movie assignments. Most attractive to many celebrities and celebrity children is the ability to attend school in relative obscurity.

"They're not singled out," said Carole Stevens, a Montclair Prep administrator. "They can be themselves. People don't gawk at them. They're treated as equals."

The students all dress alike (in regulation khaki or blue pants and white, navy or maroon polo shirts) and there is a certain uniformity to the parking lot as well: BMWs and sport utility vehicles.

An entrance exam guides students into one of four academic tracks, ranging from highly gifted to remedial. Ninety-eight percent of the 86-member 1995 graduating class went on to four-year schools, including UCLA, Stanford, Emory and Northwestern.

Principal Vernon "Doc" Simpson, who founded Montclair Prep almost 40 years ago, said he has tried to create a campus atmosphere where celebrities and what industry insiders call "non-pros" can blend.

"Most of our students are here because of word of mouth," Simpson said. "In this school, there are people who could buy the school with pocket money. Others, both parents are working and the grandmother is helping out."

Simpson said he felt particularly proud when Randy Spelling's father, producer Aaron Spelling, sent him a copy of Daily Variety with a handwritten personal note, "Thanks for making Randy the great kid he is today."

Simpson started his school in 1956 on the site of an old Jewish community center on Beverly Boulevard near CBS. He moved the school to its present site in Van Nuys in 1963.

Since then, the area has changed. Once surrounded by open space and private homes, Montclair Prep now shares the neighborhood with apartment complexes, strip malls and private businesses.

There's nothing special about Montclair Prep's drama program or its production facility - plays are held in the school gym. In contrast, Harvard-Westlake, a private high school in Studio City, and Beverly Hills High School are recognized for more elaborate programs and facilities.

But friendships made at Montclair Prep can open doors in the entertainment business.

David Sanger and Matt Winston graduated together in 1988, then went to different colleges - Sanger to Amherst and Winston to Yale. When they returned to the area in 1993, they teamed up to co-produce a play in Hollywood. Sanger directed and Winston played the lead. Now Sanger works as a production coordinator for a special-effects house and Winston just starred in his first movie.

"He and I will be creatively involved throughout our lives," Winston said.

Both come from families with strong entertainment connections. Sanger's father is a director, and Winston's is a special-effects whiz and monster maker.

"I really feel Montclair taught me how to write," David Sanger said. "When I was there, they had some of the best English teachers around."

Said Winston: "What I took from Montclair is a love of English literature."

Randy Spelling chose to attend Montclair Prep in the eighth grade. He drives from his home in Holmby Hills each day.

"You can be a normal teen-age kid," Spelling said. "I'm not saying at other schools you can't be, but I feel this is a very liberated school. It's a mix of so many different types of people."

It was Spelling's decision to avoid the glitter and celebrity-driven world of show business until this past year. Not that friends and others didn't know who his father was.

More than once, somebody has said, "Hey, get me on a show."

Bob Webb, the girls' basketball coach, tells him jokingly, "When you become a big star and they have a basketball scene and need a coach, don't forget about me."

Spelling selected Montclair Prep before he decided to pursue an acting career.

"I didn't know if that was really what I wanted to do," he said. "I kind of just wanted to go to school and not worry or think about it. I actually started doing a couple of home videos with my friends and started liking it, so I started taking acting lessons and classes."

Spelling's guest stint Jan. 3 on "Beverly Hills, 90210" as the stepbrother of Ian Ziering's character Steve Sanders earned him some impressive reviews for his small, but humorous role.

Last September, he shot the role of Flipper in "Malibu Shores," an NBC midseason replacement series produced by his father. It's about a group of Valley kids that go to war against rich Malibu brats. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Spelling plays a Valley dude who wears a tank top and blue jeans. His days going to school in the Valley may pay off.

Next up could be photos in teen magazines and fan letters. But he hopes his fellow students at Montclair Prep don't treat him differently.

"I just want to be normal and be friends with everyone," he said.

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Photo (1--Cover--Color) Randy Spelling, Tori's younger brother and a star in NBC's upcoming "Malibu Shores," is among the many students with celebrity roots who have attended Montclair Prep in Van Nuys. Phil McCarten/Daily News (2) Montclair Prep's Randy Spelling - son of Aaron, brother of Tori - works on the final exam in his senior composition class. Normally required to wear uniforms, students at the celebrity-heavy private school in Van Nuys are allowed to dress casually during finals week. Michael Owen Baker/Daily News (3) The ninth-grade class at Montclair Prep in 1973 included a pre-glove Michael Jackson, far right. (4) That's Cher - a year before she met Sonny - seated third from right, in the 1962 Montclair Prep yearbook. (5--6) Alumnus Eddie Cibrian, left, in his Montclair Prep high school photo, is now a star on "The Young and the Restless." Current Montclair student Ashley Lyn, right, is just breaking into the acting business.