Granada High School (California)

Coordinates: 37°40′29.53″N 121°47′21.75″W / 37.6748694°N 121.7893750°W / 37.6748694; -121.7893750

Granada High School

Granada High School Emblem
Location
400 Wall Street
Livermore, CA
Information
Type Public
Established 1963
School district Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District
Principal PJ Daley
Faculty 173
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,400
Color(s) Black and Gold         
Mascot Matadors
Newspaper The Pomegranate
Yearbook El Toreador
Information (925) 606-4800
Website Granada High School

Granada High School is a high school located at 400 Wall Street in Livermore, California. Granada High School opened its doors to students in January 1963. Situated on a 40-acre campus, it is the larger of two comprehensive high schools in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD). Granada was established as the town's second public high school in response to significant population growth in the 1960s. Livermore High School was the first high school in Livermore, and rivals Granada. The name Granada is a Spanish word meaning pomegranate. The school's official newspaper is called "The Pomegranate," which publishes monthly issues. The school mascot is a matador.

History

Granada High School is located in the midst of housing tracts in Livermore, California. Livermore changed from an agrarian community to a growing suburban community at the end of World War II. This change was escalated by the development of the research laboratory that started in the 1950s as a reaction to the United States' role as a nuclear power. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is still a major employer in the community. The growth of the Bay Area as a leader in the area of technology has also changed the nature of the Livermore community, as has the recent development of the local wine industry.

Granada High School opened in January 1963. It is one of two comprehensive high schools in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. There are presently five administrators, one hundred and eleven teachers, three counselors, and a fifty-four member support staff that includes custodians, campus supervisors, office clerical, a school resource officer, an athletic director, and instructional assistants. Although there has been significant turnover of staff in recent years, Granada remains a blend of experienced and new, with many of the teaching staff having been at Granada for over twenty-five years.


During the spring quarter of 2008, the new science wing opened. The science center has 14 classrooms. A media and library center also opened in 2008. The multimedia center is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; it has computers and books.

The Teacher/Student Ratio as of the 2014/15 school year was 1:28. As of the 14/15 school year, the ethnic makeup was:

Academics

The front of Granada High School

Granada High School's academic objective is to transform every student into an active learner.[1]

When the new school year started in 2008, the schedule changed from the block system to the trimester system. The school year features a three-trimester calendar with 5-semester-unit courses. A typical school day feature five 70-minute periods, with the exception of Wednesday, where periods are shortened to 50 minutes in order to incorporate Staff Development. The trimester schedule was formed to allow for more opportunities for students to take elective courses; for more flexibility in meeting student scheduling needs (students can attend periods 1-5, 2-5, 1-4, 2-4 or 1-3), depending on their post-high school goals and extracurricular commitment; to allow for slower pacing in math classes. Students must earn 230 credits to graduate (five credits per trimester for courses completed with a grade of “D” or better). Credits must include: four years of English; two years of math; two years of science (physical and life); three and a half years of social science; two years of physical education; one trimester of health; and one year from foreign language or career technical or visual/performing arts.

Granada High School offers a varied and comprehensive curriculum. The college preparatory program includes advanced, honors and the following Advanced Placement offerings for 2014-2015:

Students are not limited in the amount of AP/Honors courses they may take. In the Class of 2014, the highest GPA was 4.5, while the mean was 3.08. 59 students graduated with a GPA of 4.0 or higher. Granada’s student population reflects the demographics of the community, and approximately 34 percent of graduates attend four-year colleges upon leaving high school, and 51 percent go to two-year colleges. Close to 60 percent of Granada students meet the University of California and California State University A-G requirements for college admission.

Athletics

Granada High School has teams in 15 sports. These teams compete in the North Coast Section CIF (NCS) and East Bay Athletic League (EBAL).

Men's Sports:

Women’s Sports

The lacrosse team is relatively new to the school. It was created in 2005, as a club team. In the spring of 2007, the program made the transition to an EBAL team. During their first season the boys' team beat Livermore High School twice, including a shutout in the second game. Lately, however, the competition has become more fierce, with the Livermore Varsity Lacrosse team prevailing in more recent matches. The girls' lacrosse team has been very successful with many wins including several wins against Livermore High School.

Granada's baseball team has found success in recent years, under the helm of manager and former Granda grad Corrigan Willis, who has compiled a 111–68 record while heading the Matador baseball program.[2] Willis took over the program in the 2009 season and beginning in 2010, he has led Granada baseball to 6 consecutive playoff appearances. In 2013, Willis' squad featured 8 senior starts, as they finished the season with a record of 24–2, making in to the semifinals in the North Coast Section playoffs. The team featured San Francisco Giants draftee Ryan Kirby[3] and current Miami Marlins minor leaguer Casey Soltis.[4] The Matadors began the season with 20 consecutive victories, outscoring their opponents 190-39[5] over the course of the 26-game season. The pitching staff was led by seniors Jacob Payne and Anthony Olmo, who finished with records of 12–1 and 11–1, respectively. In 79 innings, Payne struck out 104 batters, allowing just 5 earned runs and 45 hits. Olmo was dominant as well, pitching 66 2/3 innings, while striking out 58 hitters and finishing with an E.R.A of 1.58. Offensively, the team was led by Seniors Ryan Kirby, Matt Richards, Dan Whitney, Vince Fernandez and Jordan Thrailkill. While the team only hit 6 total home runs, their collective batting average was .317. Kirby led the team with a .390 average, followed by Richards at .386 and Whitney at .382. Fernandez led the team in Runs Batted In, while Richards led the team with 32 hits.[6] Highlights from the dream season include a 20–1 win over Enochs High School and an 11–1 win over Tracy High School and current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim minor leaguer Jonah Wesely.[7] The team had a 13–1 record in their league games, as they won the East Bay Athletic league for the first time since the 1980s. The team was ranked as high as 2nd in the nation by MaxPreps during the course of the season.[8]

Parking

The student parking lot is capable of holding approximately 300 cars. Students are not allowed to park in the front parking lot or the parking lot alongside the shop classes, as these are reserved for staff and visitors. All parking on campus requires a permit.

Closed Campus Policy

High schools in Livermore have closed campuses. Students are not allowed to leave campus at break or at lunch. Seniors can earn off-campus lunch privileges by maintaining good grades (no F's), good attendance (no unexcused absences and three or fewer tardies to 4th period), and good behavior (no suspensions). Seniors will be given special ID cards that they MUST have in their possession in order to leave campus. Seniors who do not have their ID's will not be allowed to leave campus during lunch. The parking lots are considered off-campus and students will not be allowed to go back and forth to their cars during the school day.

Lunches

The district Campus Catering Services meet regularly with a student committee to pick items to be sold on campus. New federal regulations regarding the nutritional values of products sold on campus will have to be followed. This will eliminate some of the high calorie snack foods that have been sold in the past.

Student life

With Spirit Weeks occurring every trimester to unite the student body, Granada's massive student body has plenty of activities to do. In the beginning of the year, students participate in Homecoming, which is not just a football game and a dance, but a spirt week, the Homecoming Carnival, rallies, and skits, which occur throughout the week. Only Seniors are allowed to participate in the Off-Campus Lunch program, allowing them to go to nearby fast food restaurants and grocery stores. There is occasionally music at lunch in the Quad. According to Ben Dover, a recent graduate of Granada,"Granada is like a prison. The lunches are pretty bland and there is very little excitement. The facilities are also pretty trash."

Clubs on Campus

Granada currently offers 33 clubs to students.[9] From common clubs such as CSF to not-so common clubs like Smash Bros., there are opportunities for every student available:

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ Van Schaack, Chris. "Principal's Message". Granada High School. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  2. ↑ Willis, Corrigan. "Granada Baseball Coach History". MaxPreps. MaxPreps. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Kirby, Ryan. "Draft Tracker: 2013 First-Year Player Draft from MLB.com". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Soltis, Casey. "Casey Soltis". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Team Totals". MaxPreps.com. MaxPreps.
  6. ↑ "Team Stats". MaxPreps. MaxPreps. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Granada 2012-13 Baseball Schedule". MaxPreps. MaxPreps. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Mitch Stephens (April 30, 2013). "MitchMash: Mojo, victories continue for Granada's No. 2 baseball team".
  9. ↑ "Check Out Granada High School Clubs!". Granada High School. Granada High School. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  10. ↑ The Official Site of The San Francisco Giants: Team: Player Information
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