| Gloucester High School | |
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| Location | |
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6680 Short Lane Gloucester ,Virginia 23061 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Publichigh school |
| Founded | 1955, 1975(in current building) |
| School district | Gloucester County Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Anthony Vladu |
| Principal | Stefan Mygas |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,549 (2023-24)[1] |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Red, White and Gold |
| Athletics conference | Virginia High School League AAA Peninsula District AAA Eastern Region |
| Mascot | Dukes |
| Website | ghs.gc.k12.va.us |
Gloucester High School is an accredited public high school located four miles fromGloucester Courthouse (thecounty seat) inGloucester County, Virginia, United States. It is operated byGloucester County Public Schools, aVirginia publicschool division.
The current complex was originally built in 1976, and has been expanded several times since. The current high school facility remains the only high school in the county, even though student numbers have risen steadily since its construction date. The current number of students ranges somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000.
A major addition was built onto the school in 1993 and functions mainly as the school's science wing. It is fully equipped with 3 computer labs, 2 full scale chemistry labs, as well as other classrooms with enough equipment for simple demonstrations. It is known to students and faculty as D-Hall. Included in the expansion was a foreign language hall at the opposite end of the building, built onto A-Hall.
Less extensive renovations have occurred since then, including the office and guidance offices in 2005. Beginning in April 2006, the industrial arts facilities were remodeled into new art rooms by the beginning of the following school year, freeing up the previous art rooms for normal classroom use. The old primary art room became the newsroom of the school newspaper, theDukes' Dispatch. During the summer of 2006, the school's television production facility was updated with new equipment and made into a studio. The school then began producing programming for its own localPublic-access televisioncable TV channel. The most recent renovations were completed in October 2006 and included a $700,000 renovation of the auditorium.
During the summer of 2007, Gloucester High began outfitting classrooms withLCD projectors. Most recently, another wing of the school began renovations to add a cardiovascular workout room. The room will includetreadmills and other cardiovascular workout machines.
Gloucester High School operates on a four by four scheduling structure. The school day begins at 7:40 AM EDT and ends at 2:40 PM EDT. Every day there are four periods that are approximately two hours long, which host one class each period. With one school year containing two semesters, there are 4 classes each semester which total into 8 classes over the course of a year. The exception to this rule are Dual and AP classes which are every other day over the course of a year, with some activities classes also following this rule. There are three lunch blocks, each 25 minutes in length, which take place over the course of the day's third block.[2]
The facilities of Gloucester High School include:
Gloucester High school is in theVHSL Region A Division 5 and plays in the Peninsula District ofVirginia.
Gloucester High School has been recognized for its drama department. Every year the drama department, or Duke Troupe, compete in a regional theater competition and perform two public shows a year: a fall play and a spring musical. Past shows includeSouth Pacific, Little Shop of Horrors, A Christmas Carol, Grease, Dracula, Footloose, Scheme of a Driftless Shifter, The Wizard of Oz, Anybody for Tea, Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, Disney'sHigh School Musical, and Disney'sBeauty and the Beast. The performances are open for participation by any student at the school (not just those enrolled in theater classes).
Gloucester High School operates a fully functioning dining room called "Dukes Bistro". The culinary program places a heavy emphasis on French cuisine, as well as Gloucester County's historical significance in the seafood industry. The culinary program has competed on a state and national level, winning first place in Virginia in 2009 and 2011.
At the beginning of the 2014–2015 school year, sophomore Gavin Grimm came out as a transgender boy and used a doctor's note to obtain permission to use male bathroom facilities at the school.[4] After about two months, an anonymous complaint was received, and theGloucester County School Board passed a policy resolution requiring that access to changing rooms and bathrooms "shall be limited to the corresponding biological genders, and students with gender identity issues shall be provided an alternative appropriate private facility".[5][6][4] When he refused to use the girls' bathroom, the school hastily converted a fewbroom closets intounisex bathrooms and offered those as an alternative.[4] He refused to use those, opting to use a bathroom in theschool nurse's office instead.[4]
Grimm then obtained legal representation from theAmerican Civil Liberties Union and sued the school infederal court. TheU.S. Department of Justice agreed to intervene in the case on Grimm's behalf, writing to the court thatTitle IX "prohibits discrimination based on sex, including gender identity, transgender status, and nonconformity to sex stereotypes".[7][8]After various rulings and appeals, the dispute escalated to theU.S. Supreme Court, which announced in October 2016 that it would take up the case.[9]
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