George Washington High School (Colorado) Explained

George Washington High School is located in Denver, Colorado, United States. GW is a large urban high school serving grades 9–12. George Washington is a part of the Denver Public Schools system.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown^[3] of the 1,182 students enrolled in 2019-20 was:

• Native American/Alaskan - 0.4%
• Asian - 4.9%
• Black - 22.5%
• Hispanic - 28.5%
• White - 37.9%
• Multiracial - 5.58%
• Native Hawaiian or Other - 0.2%

47.4% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

Extracurricular activities

Boys basketball

The George Washington High School boys basketball team plays in the Colorado High School Activities Association 5A class. In both 2017 and 2018, GW boys basketball was the Colorado state tournament runner-up.^{[4] [5]}

Newspaper

The school newspaper is The George Washington Surveyor, which is part of the High School National Ad Network. The paper got its name from president George Washington's lifelong association with geography and cartography. The Surveyor was the winner of the National Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association in 2007, 2008, and 2009.^[6]

Robotics

George Washington's robotics functions through FIRST Robotics, with the FIRST Robotics Competition team 1410 (founded 2004 as the Patriotbots, rebranded in 2008 as The Kraken), and FIRST Tech Challenge teams 17153 (founded 2019), 18677(founded 2020), 18678(founded 2020). The Kraken has won 3 regionals and 12 awards.^{[7] [8]}

Speech and debate

The George Washington Speech And Debate team consists of over 150 students, and is ranked 3rd in the nation as of March 1, 2023 by the National Speech and Debate Association.^[9]

Notable alumni

• Chauncey Billups, former NBA player and head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Won a championship and Finals MVP in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons^[10]
• Rodney Billups, assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.
• Sierra Boggess, theatre actress and singer^[11]
• Chris Brewer, professional football player
• Doug DeMuro, YouTube car journalist
• Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent and other fiction and non-fiction books
• Jonathan Freedman, journalist, winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
• Sharon R. Long, plant biologist
• Ostell Miles, football player
• Martin Moran, Broadway actor and author of The Tricky Part
• Mark Mullaney, former NFL defensive end, Minnesota Vikings
• Greg Primus, former NFL player for the Chicago Bears^[12]
• Dianne Reeves, jazz vocalist, winner of Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006^[13]
• Ed Smith, former NFL player for the Denver Broncos^[14]

Notes and References

1. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=0803360&SchoolPageNum=6&ID=080336000352 GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
2. Web site: Search for Public Schools - School Detail for George Washington High School. nces.ed.gov. US Department of Education. 10 November 2016.
3. Web site: Inequity at GWHS. 2020-12-29. GWHS. en-US.
4. Web site: Cochi . Brad . Eaglecrest wins thrilling back-and-forth 5A boys basketball championship game . CHSSA Now . 3 March 2020 . March 11, 2017.
5. Web site: Kosmider . Nick . Grandview captures first boys basketball state championship, completes school's 5A sweep . 3 March 2020 . March 10, 2018.
6. Web site: NSPA - Contest Winners. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120930194534/http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/winners/npm07.html. 2012-09-30. 2012-11-17. Studentpress.org.
7. Web site: FRC Event Web: Team 1410 . First Inspires . 4 October 2020.
8. Web site: FIRST Robotics Team 1410 - Release The Kraken! . 4 October 2020.
9. Web site: Rankings. 1 November 2021. National Speech and Debate Association.
10. Web site: Chauncey Billups Biography . JockBio . 1976-09-25 . 2012-11-17.
11. Web site: "Mermaid" star visits school that set her dreams afloat . The Denver Post . 28 August 2007. 2012-11-17.
12. Web site: Greg Primus Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College . .
13. Web site: Birnbaum . Robert . Dianne Reeves . The Morning News . 2007-11-13 . 2012-11-17.
14. Web site: Ramsey. David. Opinion: Former Bronco learned the game at CC. The Gazette. September 30, 2015. March 31, 2009.