Green Hope High School
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| Green Hope High School | |
 |
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| 'Dare To Soar' | |
| Established | 1999 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public high school |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Principal | Dr. James E. Hedrick |
| Location | Cary, North Carolina, United States |
| Students | 2250 |
| Colors | Maroon and Green |
| Mascot | Falcons |
| Website | greenhopehigh.wcpss.net |
Green Hope High School is a school in Cary, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12. In 2006, approximately 2,250 students attended, and with a 95% graduation rate, about 530 seniors graduated. GHHS opened its doors in 1999, drawing only freshmen and sophomore students from neighboring overcrowded schools. It added a grade level for the two subsequent years and graduated its first senior class in 2002. It is located next to its sister school, Green Hope Elementary School, which is at an adjacent campus. Both schools are operated by Wake County Public School System. The site also features a tennis facility operated by the Town of Cary.
A recent growth in student population resulted in an off-site "9th Grade Annex" roughly 1/2 mile from the main campus. In the 2006-2007 school year, the 9th Grade Annex was turned into Carpenter Elementary to accommodate the rising number of students in Wake County.
The school mascot is the Green Hope Fighting Falcon; a statue of one graces the school's western lawns.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Green Hope High School (GHHS) is a primary example of a developing suburban education system. The school has an excellent academic record, as well as a reputation for managing the resources available to it. It has earned highest accolades in Wake County, placing it among the highest-performing public schools in North Carolina. The school's culture has evolved greatly since its inception, as teachers and administrators gain more experience and a developing school heritage evolves with the student body.
[edit] Academics
[edit] Departments
- Career and Technical Education
- Computer programming courses
- Cisco Systems Network Academy classes
- Includes wood-working, home- and business- economics classes
- English
- Fine Arts
- Orchestra
- Band
- Visual Arts - Student art gallery
- Math
- North Carolina Standard Course of Study
- AP Calculus and Statistics
- Physical Education
- (See Athletics, below)
- Science
- Physics —The physics department features some of the most well-equipped high-school labs in North Carolina. Oscilloscopes, Electronics lab materials, ballistic pendulum apparatus, and a Venturi tube for pressure experiments are just some of the available tools. Computers are also available for student use.
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Environmental Science
- Social Studies
[edit] Special Programs
- Media Center (Photo — Library and Computer Lab) and (Website)
- NovaNet
- Special Education
[edit] Sports and Athletics
The Athletics Department operates competitive and intramural sports at the high school.
| Listing of sports at Green Hope: | ||
| Mens Sports | Womens Sports | Coed Sports |
|---|---|---|
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[edit] School Organizations
Extracurricular activities, clubs, and other student organizations flourish as a result of student, parental, and faculty involvement.
These organizations include cultural, religious, academic, and intramural sports organizations.
Of particular note, due to high levels of student/faculty involvement are:
- Science Olympiad
- Film Club
- Literary Journal
- Environmental Club - participates in wetlands study, monitoring of campus wildlife and fauna, and academic/extra-curricular crossovers.
Other clubs include various honor societies, community outreach programs, extra-curricular foreign-language and culture clubs (French, Spanish, Latin), a school newspaper, and athletic boosters.
A full list can be found at the official site.
[edit] School Demographics
The school serves affluent Western Wake, including Cary and Apex. It also features a program to provide bus service from south Raleigh in order to meet state-mandated racial quotas.
As of 2006, redistricting and explosive population growth may cause dramatic demographic changes. Suburban neighborhoods, featuring multi-million dollar mansions, sit adjacent to old tobacco farms and rural land tracts.
6% of the student body is enrolled in honors or AP courses, compared with only a 4% state-wide average.
In 2005, 91% of students performed at or above grade-level. The school ranks as a North Carolina Honor School of Excellence and meets capacity requirements as a High Growth School.[1] [2] The school is one of the largest and newest high schools in the district. However, the school is a traditional (non- magnet) school by official designation (and funding considerations).
The school prides itself on technology integration - 100% of classrooms have internet access, and teachers and students use an online course-reporting and grading system.
[edit] Funding
Wake County is growing so rapidly that county planners are having difficulty providing the necessary services. Partially responsible is the North Carolina state policy of tax revaluation, which means that despite rising property values, the same net dollar amount flows into the education system.
In addition to the rising incremental cost as new students are added, there is also a large cost each time a new school must be built.
[edit] North Carolina State Lottery
In response to similar financial conditions across the state, North Carolina passed a bill providing for a state lottery. Though the lottery was fought and continues to be debated by members of the religious right, it provides an influx of money to educational establishments state-wide.
Despite this new source of funds, Wake County is still growing so fast that planners have decided to issue bonds [3]. Wake County has a AAA bond rating, so low-interest rates encouraged this funding approach.
Green Hope High School is a classic symptom of the struggle of a suburban community to acclimate to rapidly changing demographics, economic conditions, and social stratification. As funds become available, semi-permanent and permanent additions to the school are constructed. After only two years of operation, the school was deemed over-capacity.
[edit] History
The school is named for the older, historic Green Hope School, built in 1927. It provided Grades 1 through 12 during its lifetime as a consolidated school. This continued until 1952, when it was re-dubbed Green Hope Elementary School, providing primary-education while the higher grades were reallocated to nearby Cary or Apex High schools. Green Hope Elementary proudly became the first accredited rural school in Wake County. By 1963, it served 172 students. However, at the time, the school was a whites-only establishment.
[edit] Fire and Destruction
On August 15, 1963 at 1 AM, the school caught fire. Three fire departments responded: Apex, Morrisville, and Yrac. (Yrac Department was created in 1958 as a temporary reorganization of Cary Rural Fire District; in 1998 it was merged with Cary F.D. Yrac is Cary spelled backward, for reasons unknown at the time of this writing).
Despite this response, the school was totally destroyed. Damage was estimated at greater than $400,000, and the school was not reconstructed. The cause of fire was officially described as suspicious circumstances. However, arson was suspected as a cause, and firefighters reported a car speeding away from the blaze. Possible motives include opposition to the racial integration of the local districts. This process continued, however, expedited by the creation of Wake County Public School System in 1976. The goal of unifying the diverse racial and economic demographic of the growing community, and ensuring that the affluent suburbs and the poorer urban areas of Raleigh received equal and integrated education. However, the site of Green Hope School remained unoccupied until 1999.
The present location of the school is across the road from the old building site.
[edit] Green Hope Elementary School
| Green Hope Elementary School | |
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| 'Soaring To New Heights' | |
| Established | 2000 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public Elementary school |
| Grades | K - 5 |
| Principal | Lisa Spalding |
| Location | Cary, North Carolina, United States |
| Mascot | Falcons |
| Website | greenhopees.wcpss.net |
The elementary school began operation in 2000, one year later than the high school.
It too has earned recognition for academic performance, meeting qualifications as a School of Excellence for five consecutive years since it began operation. Green Hope ES runs on a quarter-system, 9-month schedule (although many other local primary schools run on year-round operations).
The school operates its own library and media center.
[edit] Falcon Mascot
The school mascot, like its sister high-school, is a falcon. Unlike the high school, a specific, real Peregrine falcon has been adopted to represent the school. Via the Wind over Wings conservation group, the school has adopted this bird (in exchange for sponsorship for the organization). Isis is a female Peregrine Falcon in the Hartford, Connecticut area. She was born around 2003, and eats small and medium-sized birds.
Though no falcons are known to inhabit the school grounds, other large raptors such as the vulture pictured at left are frequent sights. Continued encroachment onto animal habitats may cause migration or extinction of these local populations.
[edit] External links
- Official GHHS Site. (High school)
- Official GHES Site. (Elementary school)
- Stream Watch Academic and extra-curricular groups study and protect the school's on-campus natural wetland and wildlife habitat
- Yrac Fire Department Report of fire in 1963. This site also has a great history of North Carolina fire departments.
- History of Wake County Public School System Official website.
- History of Green Hope Elementary School Official website.
- History of Green Hope High School Official website.
- 2003 Valedictorians School's excellent academic record.
