Ashland High School (Oregon) Explained

Ashland High School
Streetaddress:201 S. Mountain Ave.
City:Ashland
County:(Jackson County)
State:Oregon
Zipcode:97520
Country:United States
Coordinates:42.1909°N -122.6995°W
Type:Public
District:Ashland School District
Campus:Rural
Accreditation:Northwest Association of Accredited Schools[1] [2]
Principal:Ben Bell [3]
Grades:9–12
Students:1,027 (2017-18)[4]
Ratio:20.30
Teaching Staff:50.60 (FTE)
Mascot:Grizzly[5]
Colors: Red and white
Conference:OSAA Midwestern League 5A
Newspaper:Rogue News
Established:1890
Picture Caption:Ashland School District administration building in 2013
Homepage:Official site

Ashland High School (AHS) is a public high school in Ashland, Oregon, United States, near the Southern Oregon University campus.

History

Fire

On June 3, 2006 at 2:30 pm, a fire broke out in the AHS room behind the gym during a farewell assembly for the seniors. Students and teachers were evacuated. The gym was heavily damaged and Mountain Avenue was closed for hours. No one was hurt during the fire. The fire department determined that the fire had been started by two students with firework sparklers.[6] [7]

Homecoming

The homecoming dance on September 25, 2015, was the first school dance at AHS to feature gender-neutral "homecoming royalty". The change was initiated by student body presidents and approved by the principal at the time, Michelle Zundel. The change received wide publicity and was announced to the student body in a video shown to all students during the mandatory "advisory" class.[8] [9]

On the afternoon of October 1, 2015, during the school's homecoming celebration, Ashland Police Department officers put the school into lockdown following a potential threat of a school shooting. An AHS alumnus had posted to Facebook a photo of a gun with threatening statements against the school. The Umpqua Community College shooting had taken place about three and a half hours prior, prompting the police to take the situation especially seriously. Students were kept in classes 10 minutes past the end of the day and the homecoming parade was cancelled.[10] The threat was later deemed too vague to represent a significant danger.[11]

Academics

In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 296 students, 239 graduated, 53 dropped out, one received a modified diploma, and three were still in high school in 2009.[12] [13]

The school received a silver ranking from U.S. News & World Reports 2010 "America's Best High Schools" survey.[14] [15]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. http://www.northwestaccreditation.org/schools/Oregon.pdf{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  2. http://www.oregonnaas.org/webpagefiles/All%20Accredited%20Member%20Schools.pdf Name
  3. Web site: Three new principals for 2015-16. Joe ZavalaAshland Daily Tidings. DailyTidings.com.
  4. Web site: Ashland High School. National Center for Education Statistics. December 3, 2019.
  5. Web site: OSAA - Error. osaa.org.
  6. Web site: June 3, 2006 Ashland Fire and Rescue Chief Woodley talks on his radio outside of the badly burned section of Ashland High School. Photos by Orville Hector - Daily Tidings. Blaze destroys AHS room Students evacuated, no. Alan Panebaker, Ashland Daily Tidings. DailyTidings.com.
  7. News: Suspected Arson at Ashland High School . July 28, 2006 . . Robert . Plain.
  8. Web site: Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen. Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune. MailTribune.com.
  9. News: This High School Has An Amazing Reason For Getting Rid Of Its Homecoming King And Queen . Huffington Post . 2014-10-06.
  10. Web site: City of Ashland, Oregon - Potential Threats Against Ashland High School Investigated, APD Press Release . 2015-10-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151002214130/http://www.ashland.or.us/News.asp?NewsID=3357 . 2015-10-02 .
  11. Web site: 'Alarming' Facebook post cancels Ashland High School Homecoming Parade. OregonLive.com. 2 October 2015 .
  12. News: State releases high school graduation rates. 2009-06-30. The Oregonian. 2009-07-01.
  13. News: Oregon dropout rates for 2008. 2009-06-30. The Oregonian. 2009-07-01.
  14. Web site: Best High Schools 2010 . 2009-12-09 . . 2010-01-16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100703082122/http://www.usnews.com/listings/high-schools/oregon/ashland_high_school . 2010-07-03 .
  15. News: Nine Oregon high schools ranked among best in nation . Graves. Bill. 2010-01-15. The Oregonian. 2010-01-16. https://archive.today/20100117023804/http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2010/01/nine_oregon_high_schools_ranke.html. 17 January 2010 . live.
  16. Web site: David Fincher. IMDb.
  17. Web site: Gaviglio shows MLB potential in stint with Cardinals. DailyTidings.com. November 24, 2014.
  18. 'Young Wife and Mother Dies Today' - Obituary of Elbert Gloria (Greer) Noelle - Ashland Daily Tidings, Ashland, Oregon, 6 June 1931 pgs, 1 and 4
  19. Web site: Two Applegate killings reported less than 12 hours apart. Ryan. Pfeil. 27 July 2016. Mail Tribune.