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Granada High School (California)

37°40′29.53″N 121°47′21.75″W / 37.6748694°N 121.7893750°W / 37.6748694; -121.7893750

Granada High School
Granada High School Emblem
Location
Map
400 Wall Street
Livermore, California 94550
United States
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1963
School districtLivermore Valley Joint Unified School District
PrincipalClark Conover[2]
Teaching staff96.38 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,234 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.18[1]
Color(s)Black and gold   
MascotMatador
NewspaperThe Pomegranate
YearbookEl Toreador
Information(925) 606-4800
WebsiteGranada High School

Granada High School is a public high school located at 400 Wall Street in Livermore, California, United States. It is part of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. Granada was established as the town's second comprehensive public high school in response to significant population growth in the 1960s.[3] Livermore High School was the first high school in the city, and is the cross-town rival of Granada.[4] The name Granada is a Spanish word meaning "pomegranate". The school's official newspaper is called The Pomegranate, which is published monthly.[5] The school mascot is a matador.[6]

History

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Granada High School is located in the middle of a residential district in Livermore, which changed from an agrarian community to a growing suburban community at the end of World War II.[6] A major contributor to this change was the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which started in the 1950s as a reaction to the United States' role as a nuclear power, and is still a major employer in the community.[6] Granada was built in the 1960s in response to significant population growth (from 1950 to 1960 the population grew from 4,364 to 16,068) caused by this change.[3][6] Between 1950 and 1960, Livermore's population quadrupled from 4,364 to 16,068.[6]

The first group of students to attend Granada, who numbered about 300, chose the school's colors, its mascot, and the school song.[7] The mascot and colors were chosen by a meeting of students, and the school song was written by the choral director.[6] The site for the school was obtained from the Sunset Development Corporation, which agreed to give the site to the school district in lieu of paying school fees for the housing development.[6][clarification needed] The name was chosen by vote and then approved.[6]

The nearby Oak Knoll was previously a cemetery, before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake knocked over most of the headstones, torrential rains in 1907 washed away most of the western slope, and the site was subsequently abandoned for the next 50 years or so, until it was formally reclassified as a public park in 1963, and is now used by athletic programs.[6]

Before 2001, the school had a tradition of trucks pulling large floats around the track, but after the replacement of the dirt track with all-weather material, the tradition was changed to building and performing on skit stages.[6]

In 2023, the school removed its International Baccalaureate program, citing high cost and low student usage.[8] After students and parents complained, questioning the district's budget numbers and interest metrics, and protesting at a board meeting, a streamlined version was reinstated.[8]

Schedule

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The school initially used a 6/8 period day schedule, but soon changed to a "TUFOLD" (Time Optimization for Optimum Learning Development) schedule, which divided the day into 24 20-minute "mods" and required students to schedule their own classes.[6]

In 1992, the school changed to a block schedule with three 90-minutes classes a day, and a fourth one-hour period to meet with teachers and complete homework.[6] A traditional semester was completed in 9 weeks.[6][dubious – discuss] This was modified in 1996 to be four 90 minute class periods, due to complaints and the necessity of applying for a time waiver from the state department of education due to the lack of instruction in the fourth period.[6]

In 2008 the school again switched to the trimester system, with five 70-minute periods and a 12-week trimester, with an optional ASE (Academic Support and Enrichment) period with which to meet with teacher before school started on early-release Wednesdays.[6]

In 2024, the school switched to a semester system again, citing relationship-building issues between teachers and students due to the short length of trimesters under the trimester system.[9] The school uses an A/B block schedule with four approximately 90-minute class periods each day, where students are expected to take 6 classes but can take up to 8 classes per year.[9]

Sports

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In 2024, Granada's baseball team won the CIF North California Division I championship,[10] after winning the CIF North Coast Section championship.[11]

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Granada High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Livermore Schools". Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b Bezis, Jason. "Livermore High School: 125 years of history". The Torch. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Granada High School History". Livermore Schools. Granada High School. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. ^ "The Pomegranate". The Pomegranate. Granada High School.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Granada High School 1963-2013: 50th Anniversary Celebration. Livermore: Granada High School. 24 May 2014.[dead link‍]
  7. ^ Jensen, Beth (13 May 2014). "Livermore's Granada High to celebrate 50th". The Mercury News.
  8. ^ a b Bailey, Cierra (2023-06-14). "LVJUSD reinstates International Baccalaureate program at Granada High". Pleasanton Weekly. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  9. ^ a b Bailey, Cierra (2023-11-21). "Livermore, Granada high schools shifting to semester schedule". Livermore Vine. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  10. ^ Miller, Dennis (2024-06-03). "Granada baseball caps near-perfect season with CIF NorCal championship". Danville San Ramon. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  11. ^ Miller, Dennis (2024-05-28). "Granada baseball wins NCS championship after marathon title game spanning two days". Pleasanton Weekly. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  12. ^ "The Official Site of The San Francisco Giants: Team: Player Information". Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
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