| Valley High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 3650 Woodland Avenue West Des Moines, IA 50266 |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| School district | West Des Moines Community Schools |
| Principal | Mr. Jim Mollison |
| Faculty | 127.7 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Enrollment | 2,200 (as of 2009-10)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.3[1] |
| Color(s) | Orange and Black |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Information | 515-633-4000 |
| Website | www.wdm.k12.ia.us/valley |
Valley High School is a three-year public high school in West Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The school hosts grades 10-12. It is run by the West Des Moines Community School District. Freshmen attend a separate school, Valley Southwoods.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,200 students (largest in the state of Iowa) and 122 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 14.3.[1]
Contents |
In October 1895, the doors opened to the first established high school in Valley Junction at 415 Seventh Street (the site of the present Phenix Elementary Early Childhood Center). Valley Junction’s first graduation was held on May 31, 1901 with just nine graduates.
By 1916, the population had grown and a bond issue was passed for a new high school. Construction on the three-story $50,000 structure at Eighth and Hillside was competed in 1917.
In 1938, when Valley Junction changed its name, the school district changed, too, becoming the West Des Moines Independent School District. At this time, one high school, a junior high school and three elementary schools served the needs of the community. In the same year and thanks to a grant from the Public Works Administrations, a new concrete stadium was built just north of the high school on Eighth Street.
In 1962, 38 acres (150,000 m2) of farmland near 35th and Ashworth Road were purchased by the School Board for $116,000 as a site for a new high school. Construction of Valley High School was completed in four phases from 1963 to 1970. Valley became a four-year high school during the 1971-72 school year. Costing nearly $5.5 million dollars, Valley High School stretched almost one-quarter of a mile from end to end. Also in 1971, Valley opened the Metropolitan Conference’s newest and largest gymnasium. Additional classrooms, science labs, and other student spaces have been added over the years. The first year that the new school was open, it was used for classrooms for some sixth grade students and for the 9th grade year of the class of 1970. The next year, it became a three year high school. The graduating class of 1970 was the first class to attend 4 years in the new building.
At Valley High School, students are encouraged to be involved in a variety of ways. The administration has defined the four following areas: Academics, Athletics, Arts and Activities.
Valley offers almost 190 academic courses, including 14 Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses. Valley also has recently started an Honors Program, which is meant to be comparable to the IB (International Baccalaureate) Program. This program allows for highly motivated and advanced students to take college-level courses sooner than normal. Valley also has a "designated scholars" program, which allows students to specialize in one specific area of academics, such as math.
Valley High is well known throughout Iowa for its strong athletics. The school has been honored as the top school for 4A athletics in Iowa by the Des Moines Register in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. In the 1990s, the West Des Moines School District considered splitting Valley into two high schools, but the proposal failed because of a desire to maintain an advantage in athletics. There were claims made that the reason for the failure to split into two schools was a concern that the school district would not continue to grow, however this excuse ignores the fact that no district in Iowa is expected to grow to the current size of West Des Moines.
Valley's former Athletic Director, Steve Duncan, was named the National High School Athletic Director of the year in 2006.[2]
Football
The Valley High School football team has a successful past. They became a power in the mid 1970s when head coach Lee Crawford took over. In 1977, Valley's football team was the first Metro school to defeat Dowling Catholic in a decade, in a strange game held over two evenings due to a severe thunderstorm. They are a perennial power in the state of Iowa and have amassed a record of 306-122 in its tenure. Under head coach Gary Swenson the Tigers won the Iowa State 4A Championships in 2002, 2003, 2005,2008, and 2011. They've been to the semifinal game 9 times in the last 10 years. They are tied with Dowling Catholic High School, their rival, in playoff appearances. They went to the State Championship Finals from 2002-2005.
Baseball
The Valley High School Baseball team won the 4A state title four years in a row (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006).
Softball
The Valley High School Girls Softball Team won State titles in 1990, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010.
Girls Swimming
The Valley High School Girls Swimming and Diving team won the state title in 1974, 1975, in addition to winning it four years in a row (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008).
Girls Track
The Valley High School Girls won the 4A State Track and Field Meet in 2005.
Girls Soccer
The Valley High School Girls Soccer Team won the 4A State title in 2003, 2005, 2006,2007, 2010.
Boys Soccer
The Valley High School Boys Soccer club won the state title 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2006.
Boy Track and Field
The Valley High School Boys' Track and Field won the State title in Outdoor Track and Field in 1942, 1955, 1998, 2003 and 2006.
The Valley High School Boys' Track and Field won the State title in Indoor Track and Field in 1951 and 1952.
The Valley High School Boys' Track and Field won the State title in the Pentathlon in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Boys Swimming
The Valley High School Boys Swim Team won the 4A State title in 1984 and 2010.
Boys Tennis
The Valley High School Boys' Tennis Team won the State title in 1985, 1986, 1993, 2010.
The Arts, performing, aural, and visual, reflect the soul of Valley's strong tradition of success. The study of Art History, Art Criticism, Art Production, and Aesthetics guides the curriculum in the Visual Arts Department.
The Valley Music Department was honored with the first GRAMMY Signature School award in 1999.[3][4][5] The 240-member Valley Marchmasters were selected to perform in the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade.[4] In March 2007, the band traveled to Dublin, Ireland to march in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade.
In addition to the strong band program, Valley's orchestra has completed concert tours in Austria and Italy. The director of the orchestra is Phil Peters, who also teaches AP Music Theory and plays double bass in the Des Moines Symphony. In June 2007, the orchestra traveled to New York City, New York to play at Carnegie Hall as part of NYBOF'07.[6]
The school's Choir Department is headed by Linda Vanderpool. The show choir, jazz and core ensembles have performed in several national and international festivals from Carnegie Hall to Disney World, receiving awards at many tournaments.[7] The varsity show choir (Choralation) attended FAME Hawaii in March 2008. A new Junior Varsity show choir (Ignition) debuted at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year; Choralation Varsity is currently conducted by Dr. Keith E. Touchton while Ignition Junior Varsity is conducted by Heather Nail.
Drama participants, directed by Drama and Speech teacher, Stacy Hansen, have been selected as Iowa High School Speech Association All-State performers and have received the All-State Sweepstakes Trophy, as well as the Critic’s Choice Award.[4] The Drama Department is defending the All-State Sweepstakes trophy for the fourth year in a row.
The school newspaper is the Spotlight, a member of the High School National Ad Network. In the early 1980s, the Spotlight was named the best high school newspaper in the United States, earning a Pacemaker Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Additionally, many of the student journalists who worked on the Spotlight have received awards and other recognition from sources such as the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Los Angeles Times / National Scholastic Press Association, the Quill and Scroll, and the Journalism Education Association.
The school also has a high school radio station, KWDM, which broadcasts from 6am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. It is one of only two high school radio programs in Iowa and the only high school program in the state to have a fully digital production and on-air studio.[8]
Former Valley principal Vicky Poole was named Principal of the Year (2006) by the American News Teachers Association.
The school has announced plans to achieve 100% student involvement in some kind of activity. This program is meant to encourage all students to be more involved in their school through athletics, the arts, or some form of extracurricular activity. The administration believes (and numerous research studies have backed up this claim ) that students who are involved more in their school through extracurricular activities succeed more in curricular exploits, do better in secondary education or post education endeavors, and are more invested in their school.
Valley's extracurricular program is among the best in the nation, for example, Valley High School won the 2006 National High School Mock Trial Championship, held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and more recently won the state competition in 2011 .[9] Valley High School also has a nationally successful debate program, frequently sending debaters to the prestigious Tournament of Champions and National Speech and Debate Tournament. Valley hosts a major national circuit debate tournament, which has an octafinals bid to the Tournament of Champions. Valley has won more TOC national championships in Lincoln-Douglas Debate than any other team in the country. Their last finals appearance was in 2010. The debate team is by far the best in Iowa and one of the best in the country, winning sweepstakes at several tournaments a year. Compared to other schools, their team is huge and successful in Policy, Lincoln Douglas, and Public Forum debates, although the Policy team has declined in recent years.
Valley has a large selection of clubs for students to participate in. One club, noted for its uniqueness and rarity, is the Valley Abstinence Movement. The club promotes sexual abstinence before marriage. Since its beginning in 2006, it has been a controversial club in the high school. It is rumored that this club has caused a significant downfall of sexually proficient teenagers that has led to widespread disappointment.
In 1995, the West Des Moines school board voted to create Valley Southwoods, a school built specifically to house the 9th grade. Valley Southwoods was completed in the summer of 1996. Many members of the community question why the old school was not turned into the 9th grade only school, and have the new school turned into 10th-12th. The principal is Mr. Kent Abrahamson, and Southwoods is one of only two all 9th grade schools in the nation.
Valley, and the West Des Moines Community School District, are known for having and working toward a more open and accepting environment for people from all walks of life. Chet Culver, the former Governor of Iowa signed trailblazing legislation in 2008 at Valley that required all school districts to update their harassment policies, including gender identity, a classification which is frequently ignored across the country and across the world.[10] Beyond legislation, Valley and its district is active in enforcing their own policies and improving the climate for all students, best illustrated when Superintendent Doctor Tom Narak was the first recipient of the Kathy Collins Reilly “Courage in Education Award” which recognizes educators for courage and work for student equality.[11]
Construction at Valley was completed in 2008. Construction included demolishing the former east wing which housed language arts and social studies classrooms, expanding the parking lot, and building a new two-story southwest wing that houses the social studies, language arts, and visual arts departments. The school's media center was also demolished as a part of the former east wing and is now at the center of the school, along with the rebuilt administrative offices and counseling offices. More construction is planned for the near future, including a new auditorium.