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George Washington High School (Denver)
Encyclopedia
George Washington High School (also "GW", "GWHS", "G-Dubb" and "George") is located near the intersection of South Monaco Parkway and Leetsdale Drive in Denver, Colorado
. The school is located in the Glendale
neighborhood on the southeast side of Denver
. GW is recognized as the first school in Colorado to offer International Baccalaureate courses, beginning in 1984. GW is a large urban high school serving grades 9-12. GW is one of 14 high schools in the Denver Public Schools
system, and one of four named for a U.S. president.
Using federal government guidelines, 50.97% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
es.
in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
George Washington currently has 47 active clubs and the GW Athletic department currently offers 21 sports in JV and Varsity.
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The school is located in the Glendale
Glendale, Colorado
The city of Glendale is a Home Rule Municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,547 at the 2000 census. The entire city is surrounded on all sides by the City and County of Denver. Therefore, as a municipal entity, it is also an enclave...
neighborhood on the southeast side of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. GW is recognized as the first school in Colorado to offer International Baccalaureate courses, beginning in 1984. GW is a large urban high school serving grades 9-12. GW is one of 14 high schools in the Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools
The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools , is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.-History:...
system, and one of four named for a U.S. president.
History
George Washington's existing building was constructed in 1960 and has had many renovations since its opening. The Jolly Green Giant became George Washington's mascot in 1965 when GW students Ken Waters, Tom Turril and friends pulled a unique “prank” that survives to this day. Ken Walters called The Green Giant Co., which agreed to donate The Giant as GW’s mascot. The seniors put the Giant on the roof of the high school, with painted footprints running up the wall. The prank became notorious when the story appeared in newspapers and on television. Since then, The Giant has become a regular at pep rallies, basketball and football games, and has even had his senior portrait featured in the high school yearbook.Demographics
Enrolled in the 2009-2010 school year was 1,491 students.- 30.0% WhiteCaucasian raceThe term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
- 42.0% African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
- 22.3% LatinoLatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
- 0.8% Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
- 5.0% AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n
Using federal government guidelines, 50.97% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
Reduced price meal
Reduced price meal is a term used in the U.S.A. to describe a federally reimbursable meal served to a child who applies for and qualifies because the family’s income is between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty threshold...
es.
International Baccalaureate Program
George Washington High School became Colorado's first International Baccalaureate World School in April 1984. The school offers two dozen International Baccalaureate classes. In 2007, 100% of GWHS IB graduates went on to attend college (39% in-state, 61% out-of-state), with a mean ACT score of 28.5 and SAT of 1920. Historically, half of GWHS IB graduates receive merit-based scholarships.Athletics/Extracurriculars
The school newspaper is The George Washington Surveyor, which is part of the High School National Ad Network. The paper takes its name from president George Washington's lifelong association with geography and cartography. The Surveyor newspaper was the winner of the prestigious National Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press Association
The National Scholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 for high school and secondary school publications in the United States. The association is membership-based and annually hosts high school journalism conventions across the country...
in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
George Washington currently has 47 active clubs and the GW Athletic department currently offers 21 sports in JV and Varsity.
Notable alumni
- Chauncey BillupsChauncey BillupsChauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...
, NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player for the New York KnicksNew York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons - Sierra BoggessSierra BoggessSierra Boggess is an American theater actress and soprano singer. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with her two sisters, Summer and Allegra. The three of them were members of the Colorado Children's Chorale. Her parents are Kellun Turner and Michael Boggess...
, singer and actress - David Jacobson, RadioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program director/announcer "Deuce" on KPTT>http://www.957theparty.com/pages/deuce.html - Greg PrimusGreg PrimusGreg Primus is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Primus attended George Washington High School in Denver as well as Colorado State University....
, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player for the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Dianne ReevesDianne ReevesDianne Reeves is an American jazz singer. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.-Early life:Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan to a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke, is a...
, jazz vocalist, winner of Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal AlbumGrammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album has been presented since 1977. Until 2001 this award was titled the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance...
in 2001, 2002, 2004 & 2006 - Martin Moran, Broadway actor and author of The Tricky Part
- Brer Rabbit and Andy Guerrero, members of The Flobots
- Anita DiamantAnita DiamantAnita Diamant is an American author of fiction and non-fiction books. She is best known for her novel, The Red Tent, a New York Times best seller...
, author of The Red Tent and other fiction and non-fiction books