Desert Ridge High School

Desert Ridge High School
Location
10045 E. Madero Ave. Mesa, Arizona, 85209, United States
Information
Type	Public High School
Established	2002
School district	Gilbert Public Schools
Principal	Dan Coombs
Faculty	100
Grades	9-12
Number of students	Approximately 2,600
Color(s)	Red and Black
Mascot	Jaguar
Rival	Skyline High School
Newspaper	The Spot Light (not currently active)
Yearbook	La Cordillera

Desert Ridge High School (DRHS) was founded in 2002 in Mesa, Arizona and is part of Gilbert Public Schools.

Overview

For the 2004-05 school year Desert Ridge High School received an "Excelling" from the Arizona Department of Education and has met all No Child Left Behind requirements since the school opened.^[1]

In 2005 chemistry and engineering teacher Sylvia Grace was honored with a $25,000 Milken National Educator Award. Through her involvement with Project Lead the Way, which she brought to Desert Ridge, Grace distinguished herself as a teacher who is intelligent, patient, and has a sense of humor, all of the qualities needed to win such an award. She was the only Arizona recipient of the award among the 100 educators honored nationwide.^[2]

In 2007 the DRHS Drama Department's production of The Odd Couple was selected to go the Arizona Thespian Society's Annual State Conference as a main stage performance, to be performed in front of the estimated 1,900 thespians attending the event in November.^{[citation needed]} In spring 2007 they had a production of the musical Footloose, and their production of Romeo and Juliet debuted on April 3, 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Desert Ridge's marching band is ranked among the top 5 Division III bands in the state, scoring a 69.6 at the 2009 State Marching Festival, and a 68.00 at the 2010 State Marching Festival.^[3]

Desert Ridge High School's football team made history in 2010, competing against high schools from all over Arizona to reach the state championships, which is the farthest the team has gotten in the history of the school, a great accomplishment. The Jaguars played in the state championship game which was held at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 13, 2010 against Hamilton High School, where it lost 13-21.^{[citation needed]}

Desert Ridge also holds 2 baseball state championship titles..^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "Desert Ridge High School Report Card 2005-2006". http://www.ade.state.az.us/srcs/ReportCards/798232006.pdf. Retrieved 2006-09-13. 
2. ^ Parker, Ray (2005-12-10). "Desert Ridge teacher wins U.S. award: $25K Milken". Arizona Republic. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/mesa/articles/1210gr-milkenZ11.html. Retrieved 2006-11-21. 
3. ^ 2010 Arizona State Marching Band Festival report from the Festival Results page on the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association site.

External links

• Desert Ridge High School
• Desert Ridge High School on AIA Online

Coordinates: 33°22′12″N 111°37′02″W / 33.3701°N 111.6173°W / 33.3701; -111.6173