Columbia River High School
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| Columbia River High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Vancouver, Washington, Washington, USA | |
| Information | |
| Principal | Christina Iremonger |
| Staff | 122[1] |
| Enrollment |
1300 |
| Type | Public 4-year |
| Mascot | Chieftains |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Established | 1962 |
| Location | 800 NW 99th Street |
| Homepage | http://river.vansd.org |
Columbia River High School is a public high school in Vancouver, Washington, United States. It is part of the Vancouver School District (VSD). The school was opened to students in 1964. Columbia River has over 1,300 students.[2] Columbia River is a magnet school in the VSD for the International Baccalaureate Program, and was recently ranked 1307th by Newsweek on its list of America's Top High Schools. [3]
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[edit] IB Diploma Program
According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, Columbia River has offered the IB Diploma Program since January 1994. Columbia River offers IB level curriculum in the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, English, French, German, Spanish, History, Mathematics, Music Theory, Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge and Visual Arts.
[edit] Achievements
In September 2006 the Vancouver School District announced the names of students who earned recognition as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Of ten recipients, nine were students at Columbia River.[4] Two students were recognized as semifinalists in September 2007.[5]
[edit] Demographics
As of 1 October 2006 1317 students attend Columbia River High School. Of all students enrolled, 1183, or 85 percent identify themselves as White; 80, or 6 percent identify themselves as Asian; 56, or 4 percent identify themselves as Hispanic; 31, or 2 percent identify themselves as Black; and 15, or 1 percent identify themselves as American Indian. Among all grade levels, 16 percent of students are eligible for federally subsidized lunch. One student is enrolled in the English Language Learning program and 132, or 9 percent of all students receive Special Education. English is the primary language spoken at home for 95 percent of students. It is followed by Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian, which are each spoken by 1 percent of the student body. Of all students, 35 percent are enrolled on boundary exceptions.[6]
Compared to the Vancouver School District high school populace as a whole, Columbia River students are more white, more likely to speak English at home and less likely to be eligible for subsidized lunches.[7]
[edit] Standards-based Assessment
In Washington state, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) is administered annually to students in the tenth grade. For testing administered in spring 2006, 91 percent of Columbia River students met reading standards, 68 percent met math standards, 90 percent met writing standards and 50 percent met science standards.[8] This compares favorably to the District pass rates of 80, 48, 78 and 30 percent for each of the respective subjects.[9]
Columbia River passed in all areas of Adequate Yearly Progress.[10]
According to the most recent School Improvement Plan for Columbia River, a large achievement gap exists in WASL results between races. For example, 110 percent of Asian students passed the math section of the 2003 WASL; this compared to a 46 and 21 percent pass rates for White and American Indian students respectively.[11] Results for Black and Hispanic students are not reported.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Football
The Columbia River Chieftains teams play in the Greater St. Helens 3A League. Columbia River and Skyview High School have been rivals since the latter school's construction in 1998. This rivalry is particularly strong between the school's football teams. Despite being outnumbered in student body population (Skyview is a 4A school), Columbia River has fared well in these contests, losing for the first time in 2001 and then again in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the football team won the 3A Greater Saint Helens League Championship. The league's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year were both Columbia River football athletes.
[edit] Cross Country
The boys' cross country team won the academic state championship in 2001. In the same year the girls team won the district championship and placed third at state.[12]
[edit] Track and Field
The Columbia River boys track team placed second in the combined able-bodied and wheelchair category at the 2007 WIAA 3A state track and field championships.
[edit] Baseball
Columbia River won the 1989 Washington State 3A championships.
[edit] Columbia River in the News
Columbia River gained national media attention in December 2002 after a visit by Washington senator Patty Murray. In a question and answer session with the class of teacher Gary Lorentzen,[13] Sen. Murray stated: "We've got to ask, why is this man so popular around the world?" referring to Osama bin Laden, "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries that are riddled with poverty?" She elaborated that bin Laden had been "out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that." The remarks later became a political issue in her 2004 race against Republican challenger Rep. George Nethercutt.[14]
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Dennis Heck - Served in Washington State politics and founder of TVW.
- Stan Spencer - Former major league pitcher for the San Diego Padres
- Brett Pierce - Tight End in the NFL.
- Dan Frantz - 1996 Alumni and place kicker for the Chicago Rush (AFL).
[edit] References
- ^ Columbia River High School - Vancouver, WA
- ^ Columbia River High School Demographic Profile
- ^ America's Top Public High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com
- ^ Eisenhower Elementary School Closing Ceremonies
- ^ http://river.vansd.org/Newsletters/September%20October%20Newsletter%202007-2008.pdf
- ^ Columbia River High School Demographic Profile
- ^ High Schools Demographic Profile
- ^ Washington State Report Card
- ^ Washington State Report Card
- ^ http://portalsso.vansd.org/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/VSD_HOME_PUBLIC/SCHOOL_INFORMATION/SCHOOL_PERFORMANCE_REPORTS_04/SCHOOL_PERFORMANCE_REPORTS_04_INFO_PAGE/COLUMBIA%20RIVER.PDF
- ^ Microsoft Word - Narrative/Colu
- ^ 2006 FALL WIAA STATE ACADEMIC CHAMPIONS
- ^ Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor (Seattle Weekly)
- ^ 'Bizarre' praise of Osama
riles senator's challenger
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