| Mesquite High School | |
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W.I.T.H Pride (informal); Set your mission, get motivation, and achieve mastery (formal)
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| Location | |
| 500 South McQueen Road Gilbert, AZ 85233 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public High School |
| Established | August 1998 |
| School district | Gilbert Unified School District |
| Principal | Cecilia "Fuzzy Turtles" Peterson |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,452 students (Oct. 1, 2010) |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue and Silver |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Information | 480-632-4750 |
| Website | Mesquite High School |
| School courtyard | |
Mesquite High School is a high school within the Gilbert Unified School District.
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The school opened in August 1998 with only freshmen and sophomore students, while part of the school not yet completed. The first seniors graduated in May 2001, followed by the first senior class to attend all four years in Mesquite High School in May 2002.
There are six main buildings in the school, with a courtyard between the two major constructions. Unlike some high schools, Mesquite has no department hallways, with the exception of music, drama, and physical education. Mostly all classes are in the B, G, and A buildings and the portables located near the staff parking lot.[1] The A building holds the administration offices and the library, plus many of the science classrooms and a connection between the B and G buildings on the second floor. The auditorium plus music and drama classes are located in the F building, which is adjacent to the D building, home to the school's main cafeteria. There are also food courts in the B and G buildings. The gym and the physical education classes are located in the C building.
The school's journalism classes publish a student newspaper The Shade, while the school's yearbook staff (ROOTS) develops yearbooks for the year's end. There are 50 clubs present in the school, including Academic Decathlon, Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp, National Honor Society, Key Club, FBLA, Drama Club, Ecology Club (which handles the school's recycling program, and is supervised by Daryl Dubas), European club, Up and Coming Voters Club, an FFA chapter, etc. The school offers Gilbert's largest Speech and Debate team, which has tripled in size over the past four years. The school has a Student Council (STUCO) that has been awarded Council of Distinction a number of times by the Arizona Association of Student Councils. The school also has four orchestras, six choirs, and six bands (including marching and jazz bands).
Mesquite High School's bands are under the direction of Mr. Ron Andre and formerly Mr. Chris Rainer. Concert bands, including Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds, and Wind Ensemble, are year long programs and have four concerts throughout the school year.
In the 2007/2008 school year, Christopher Rainer was killed in a car accident. There was a ceremony to commemorate him. A new assistant band director, Sean Dennison, was hired to fill his position.
In addition to its own school logo, Mesquite frequently uses Kansas State University's Powercat symbol (as seen at right). As part of the licensing agreement between Mesquite and Kansas State, the student council donates $500 to the university every two years.[2]