Grandview High School (Aurora, Colorado)

Grandview High School

"We are ALL wolves"
Address
20500 E. Arapahoe Rd.
Aurora, CO 10018
Coordinates 39°35′33″N 104°44′49″W / 39.59250°N 104.74694°W / 39.59250; -104.74694Coordinates: 39°35′33″N 104°44′49″W / 39.59250°N 104.74694°W / 39.59250; -104.74694
Information
Type Public
Established 1998
School district Cherry Creek School District
Principal Dr. Lisa Sprague[1]
Faculty 235[2]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 2,851[3]
Color(s) Royal blue, black, and white             
Athletics Class 5A
Athletics conference Centennial League
Mascot Wolf
Newspaper The Grandview Chronicle
Website ghs.ccsd.k12.co.us

Grandview High School is the second largest high school in the Cherry Creek School District, with an enrollment of 2,851 students in grades 9 through 12. Grandview opened in 1998 as the district's fifth high school, built to accommodate a population boom in the district's growing southeastern region. Grandview is located in Aurora, Colorado and uses the wolf as its sports mascot, sporting the colors of blue, black and white.

Grandview High School was ranked 414th in the nation on Newsweek's list of the 500 best US high schools in 2016. Grandview was the only high school in the Cherry Creek School District and the City of Aurora to make the list.[4]

History

During the 1995–96 school year a committee of teachers, administrators, parents and students gathered to meet with architects to design the blueprints for High School 5. In January 1997, Linda Fox formally accepted the assignment as the founding principal. By March of that year, groundbreaking at the site began and a cadre of coordinating teachers were hired to create what would become Grandview High School. Fox, Associate Principal Harry Bull, bookkeeper Sherry Andrews, and secretary Vickie Davis settled into Rolling Hills elementary in a nearby neighborhood to spend a year preparing to open a new high school. The cadre joined them in the evenings and then full-time in January 1998.

According to Terry Conley, Executive Director of High Schools at the time, one clear message from parents was that they "wanted students to have a competitive edge upon graduation, and equal rights." From this, the school's mission statement evolved: "To inspire academic achievement, responsible citizenship, and individual development in a supportive environment."

With this goal in mind, colors and a mascot were chosen. In the fall of 1997, three names for the high school were submitted to the school board, with "Grandview" garnering the highest recommendation. In the winter of 1997–98, the school colors were chosen. Black, teal, and purple had the greatest number of votes until a student brought a photograph of Duke athletes in uniform to a community meeting. The entire group changed their votes to blue, black and white, which became Grandview's colors. Choosing the mascot proved more difficult. Wanting a mascot that made "good tracks," the "Let's Get Started" committee recommended the wolf over a hornet or diamondback.

As the year progressed, a staff was hired, curriculum decisions were made, and the school was built. On August 3, 1998, Fox received the keys to the building. With semi-trailers lined up to unload all the furniture, parents came to help assemble desks and ensure that the color-coded furniture made it to the right wings of the school. Books were unpacked, computers were set up, and the staff began to move in.

On August 24, 1998, Grandview proudly opened its doors to 830 ninth and tenth grade students.

In 2000, the principal of Grandview, Linda Fox, was promoted to Executive Director of High Schools, and Assistant Principal Harry Bull was selected to become the new Principal of Grandview High School.

In 2002, the Grandview cheer team won their first state championship.

In 2004, the highly esteemed Grandview volleyball team lost a close 5 set state championship match to Doherty High School.

In 2005, the volleyball team won their first state championship, defeating Doherty in four sets and going 30–1 on the season.

In 2006, the volleyball team won their second state championship. They defeated Eaglecrest in the semi-final after losing twice previously in the season to the Raptors, then defeated Chaparral in the state final.

In 2006, Dr. Harry Bull was promoted to Executive Director of High Schools. He would go on to become superintendent of the district in 2013. Assistant Principal Kurt Wollenweber was selected to become the new principal of Grandview High school for the 2007–2008 school year.

On December 1, 2007, Grandview's varsity football team defeated Douglas County High School to win the Colorado 5A State Football championship. The game was tied at the end of regulation play and Grandview won in the first overtime on a touchdown.

In 2007 the Grandview Poms team won the title of League and State Champions. At Nationals their dances, Poms and Jazz, earned them 7th place in Poms and 9th in Jazz.

On the night of October 12, 2008, an unidentified man drove his SUV through the front doors of the school in an apparent suicide attempt. After the accident, he was taken to Parker Adventist Hospital for minor injuries, and held in the mental health wing for observation. He was held on a $10,000 bond. The broad metal doors adjacent to the cafeteria were totally destroyed, and the administration feared that there would be damage to the structural integrity of the building. Therefore, classes were canceled for that subsequent Monday, but resumed on Tuesday after a thorough inspection. Noticeable changes were visible on the exterior of the school, with the lower cafeteria double doors being replaced with triple doors, and on the interior, with multiple changes being made to the counseling office where the SUV was lodged.[5]

In 2009 the Grandview Poms team placed fifth in the nation in the Large Varsity Poms division and ninth in the Large Varsity Jazz Division.

Also in 2009, the Grandview Cheerleaders placed fifth nationally in the Large Varsity Division at UCA Nationals.

In 2009, the Grandview Poms team won the title of League Champions, USA Regional Hip Hop Champions, and UDA Regional Large Pom Champions.

In 2010, the Grandview Cheer team won their second state championship.

By 2011, the Grandview boys' basketball team had made four Great Eight Appearances, advancing to the Final Four three times.

In 2013, Sarah Grobbel replaced Kurt Wollenweber as principal. Kurt Wollenweber assumed the position of concurrent enrollment coordinator for the district.

In 2014, the Grandview Poms team and the girls' softball team both won the 5A State Championship.

Also in 2014, a new wing was constructed on the west side of the school, and was opened for the 2014-2015 school year. The wing houses new world language classrooms, a lecture center, chemistry labs, graphic design classrooms, and business classrooms.

The wrestling team won the league championship in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2015.

In 2016, Sarah Grobbel was promoted to Executive Director of High schools, the same position that former principals Linda Fox and Harry Bull had transitioned to. Assistant principal Lisa Sprague was chosen by a board of students and staff members to replace Grobbel for the 2016-2017 school year.

Academics

Grandview offers a wide variety of courses for students to choose from. Grandview, like many other schools in the Cherry Creek School District, offers and has had tremendous success in their Advanced Placement Program, but Grandview does not have an IB program. Grandview also has a variety of Honors classes. The only AP course offered to incoming freshmen is AP Human Geography, and an essay and teacher recommendation is required.

Grandview's Chinese language curriculum is the strongest of the few schools that offer it in the Cherry Creek School District. Students have the option to participate in a home-stay in China every four years. There is a Chinese Club and National Chinese Honor Society. Spanish has a variety of teachers to accommodate the large number of students who choose to study it. There is a National Spanish Honor Society. French studies are also popular, with multiple teachers available. There is a French Club and National French Honor Society. Grandview also offers German language classes. There is a home-stay trip to Germany every other year. German students also do a home-stay with Grandview students in America. Classes are also offered in American Sign Language.

Advanced Placement

Grandview High School had the most students participating in AP courses in the state of Colorado for the 2014-2015 school year. 59% of the student body took AP exams that year and 88% of those students passed.[6] Grandview's AP success has been recognized with five John Irwin School of Excellence Awards given to Grandview from 2004-2009.[7]

Grandview offers the following Advanced Placement Classes:

English
Social Studies
Mathematics
Science
World Language
Other

State accountability report

In the 2013-2014 school year, Grandview achieved a "performance" accreditation for attaining 91.9% of eligible points in the state's accountability framework. Grandview met the state's performance framework for academic achievement, exceeded the framework in academic growth, met the framework in academic growth gaps, and exceeded the framework for postsecondary and workforce readiness.[8]

Standardized testing

Test School District State
9–10 TCAP Reading (percent of students meeting Advanced or Proficient) 82.96% 74.42% 67.58%
9–10 TCAP Writing (percent of students meeting Advanced or Proficient) 71.70% 61.84% 51.42%
9–10 TCAP Math (percent of students meeting Advanced or Proficient) 50.74% 46.11% 36.51%
11th ACT Reading 23.18 21.64 20.24
11th ACT English 22.98 21.57 19.40
11th ACT Math 22.69 21.61 19.95
11th Grade ACT Science 23.17 22.04 20.48

Athletics

Grandview offers most standard varsity sports, and has achieved notable success with its football, soccer, cheer, volleyball and pom-pom teams. Grandview's volleyball team has a notable record with state championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2014. The program has held high success largely in part to Coach Patty Childress.

Grandview also shares Legacy Stadium with Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest as its home field. The stadium retains artificial grass for its field that is used by several varsity sports such as soccer, football, and lacrosse.

In 2008, Sports Illustrated rated Grandview High School as having the best athletic program in the state of Colorado.[9]

Fall sports

Winter sports

Spring sports

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Grandviw High School Administration. Accessed August 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ Grandview High School 2014-2015 School Profile. Accessed May 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Colorado High School Activities Association profile for Grandview High School. Accessed March 20, 2007.
  4. ↑ "America's Top High Schools 2016". 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  5. ↑ http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=101719
  6. ↑ "How Does Grandview High School Rank Among America's Best High Schools?". www.usnews.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  7. ↑ "Colorado John Irwin Schools of Excellence Awards | CDE". www.cde.state.co.us. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  8. ↑ "SchoolView DataCenter".
  9. ↑ Top Programs: No. 1 in Each State – More Sports – SI.com
  10. ↑ "Greg Bird Named to SAL All-Star Team". Minor League Baseball. August 29, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  11. ↑ Hochman, Benjamin (June 4, 2012). "Kevin Gausman, former Grandview HS star, drafted at No. 4 by Orioles Read more: Kevin Gausman, former Grandview HS star, drafted at No. 4 by Orioles". Denver Post. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  12. ↑ Oakes, Courtney (March 8, 2010). "Grandview: 'Strength and pride combine'". Aurora Sentinel. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  13. ↑ Oakes, Courtney (March 8, 2010). "Grandview: 'Strength and pride combine'". Aurora Sentinel. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
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