Granite Bay High School

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Granite Bay High School
Established 1996
Type Public secondary
Principal Michael McGuire
Students 2,100
Grades 9–12
Location Granite Bay, California USA
District Roseville Joint Union High School District
Colors Green,White and Black
Mascot Grizzly Bear
Newspaper The Granite Bay Gazette
Website granitebayhigh.org

Established in 1996, Granite Bay High School is located in Granite Bay, California, a suburb northeast of Sacramento, California. The school mascot is the grizzly bear. GBHS was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Secretary of Education in 2002. In 2003, GBHS ranked #655 on Newsweek Magazine's Best American High Schools list. In 2005, GBHS fell to #772 on the same list. In 2006, GBHS jumped to #673 on the list. The school's enrollment has increased significantly since its opening; GBHS currently serves about 2,100 students.


Contents

[edit] Notable Alumni

By Last Name

[edit] Intelligent Design Debate

GBHS garnered significant media attention before and when the Roseville Joint Union High School District (which GBHS is a part of) was sued by the non-profit foundation Quality Science Education for All. Larry Caldwell, president of QSEA, had children who attended GBHS. Also, many of his criticisms surrounding his lawsuit, Caldwell v. Roseville Joint Union High School District, were aimed at GBHS teachers. The lawsuit, filed in 2005, came about after about 2 years of debate by the RJUHSD school board and a 3-2 vote denying QSEA's proposed intelligent design curriculum. Caldwell's organization proposes "a science education that exposes students to scientific evidence that supports Darwin's theory of evolution, as well as scientific evidence such as the Cambrian Explosion that poses challenges to Darwin's theory, as recommended by the California State Board of Education."[1] Many community members and parents accused Caldwell of trying to push religious creationist doctrine into public school science classrooms.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Band and color guard

GBHS's Emerald Brigrade Marching Band is well-known in the area for its excellence. From its inception up until 2005, the Emerald Brigade was directed by Paul D. Everts. Since 2005, the Emerald Brigade has been directed by Lynn Kulikowski. The band has approximately 135 members.

[edit] Competitive Forensics

One of Granite Bay's programs is the competitive forensics team, which offers students the opportunity to compete in a variety of speaking events, ranging from dramatic interpretation to policy debate. Under the dedicated guidance of teacher and advisor Mrs. Rita Prichard--herself a member of the California High School Speech Association Hall of Fame--the Granite Bay Forensics team consistently finishes at the top of the Sacramento Valley Forensics League. Last year, GBHS sent 17 competitors to the State tournament, as well as seven to the National Competition. The team is currently guided by captains Rebecca Sower, Alex Kasner, Christopher Kolkey, Jonathan Kolkey, Sana Naeem, and Arsani Williams.

[edit] Technology Programs

Granite Bay High is home to many specialized computer technology courses which provide useful skills to students for future endeavors in the workplace. A program unique to Granite Bay High School is Granite Bay Information Technology, or GBiT. This program, scheduled as a class during the school year, provides students with the opportunity to engage in real-world technology support, web development, and management. This student-led and student-run group maintains all technology on campus and performs updates and upgrades to this technology, builds the school's award-winning web site and websites for outside customers, and provides faculty with technical training. Conceived and sponsored by Intel, this one-of-a-kind asset benefited the school and the local community since 1999.

[edit] Newspaper

The Granite Bay Gazette is considered one of the finest high school newspapers in the nation. Headed by Karl Grubaugh, the Gazette in 2006 has won many national newspaper awards. In the fall NSPA national journalism convention in Chicago, it won 3rd place Best of Show Special Edition, and in the spring NSPA convention in San Francisco, it won 2nd place Best of Show Special Edition and 10th place Best of Show for newspapers over 17 pages in length. It is part of the High School National Ad Network.

[edit] Future Business Leaders of America

One of Granite Bay High School's best-known clubs is the local chapter of FBLA.

[edit] Academic Decathlon

Granite Bay High School also has an Academic Decathlon team. Currently it is coached by English teacher Anthony Davis; previous coaches included Sharry Colnar and Marty Newborn. The team has had a long and successful past, winning the Placer County championship 7 of the last 8 years and often making it to California state competition. Arguably its most notable member ever was Erika Vause, who achieved the highest score in the state of California in 1999. The 2005-2006 captain of the team was senior Kevin Shiiba, and in 2006 is led by second-year members David Pinter and Alex Schmidley. David Pinter is well known for his grinding rhythms and melodic guitar riffs.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°43′55.41″N, 121°12′42.58″W