School Profile

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Administration
Principal:   Dr. Kent Mann
Assistant Principals:  Doug Jensen, Tom Kruger, and Cindy Wells
Dean of Students: Jennifer Badura
Activities Director: Joe Kutlas

Message From the Principal
Welcome to Grand Island Senior High!  I hope that you will find the information posted on our web site to be interesting and informative.  Senior High is a place where there is something for everyone.  WE are committed to making sure that every student, every day is a success at GISH.

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Making Good Schools Great
Grand Island is the fourth largest city in Nebraska with a population of approximately 45,450.  It is located in a rural setteing along the Platte River in South-Central Nebraska.  The economy is based on agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and tourism.  The Grand Island Public Schools have more than 8,000 students.  Our goal is to give every student a superb learning environment by providing:

 

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How Do We Measure Success?
Each year we evaluate our students' performance on nationally standardized ITBS and ITED test (Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Iowa Test of Educational Development) and state and district assesments.  We are proud of how we measure up - but we are striving to do even better.

2007-08 Third - Eleventh Grade Students ITBS/ITED Results
	# students	Reading	Language	Math	Core Total
Grade 3	650	58	69	67	66
Grade 4	644	60	73	70	69
Grade 5	616	58	68	67	65
Grade 6	587	48	60	64	58
Grade 7	592	48	56	61	55
Grade 8	535	51	58	59	56
Grade 9	499	47	52	56	52
Grade 11	371	51	53	56	54
District	4,494	52.9	62.3	63.2	60.2

 

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Staff
The GISH staff consists of 161 certified staff members, 69% have advanced degrees. 

Degree Level	Staff Members
M.S.Ed	103
EdS	3
EdD or PhD	5

School Counseling Services

Director of Guidance:  Gwenlyn Brown
9-12 Counselors: Jenna Christensen,  Melissa Luthi, Ron Moran, Andrew Manhart, Melanie Smith, Larry Uhing, and Dave Woods

Wellness Center

School Nurse

26 Support Staff 

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Technology
7 computer labs and 13 mobile labs
building-wide wireless access
Infinite Campus/Connect-ED - school-home communication

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Student Population
2,121 students
17.99% English Language Learners
13.55% Identified Special Education students
16.56% Student Mobility Rate
97.00% Special Needs Index

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Special Programs
Dual Credit/Early Entry Courses
Advanced Placement Courses
Honors Courses
Tech Prep Courses
Medical Pathway
Construction Technology Pathway
Engineering Tours
Air Force Junior ROTC
English Language Acquisition
High Ability Learner Program
Special Education Program
UNL Academy
TeamMates Mentoring Program

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School Day
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Monday-Friday

Breakfast Program
7:30 - 8:00 a.m.

Office Hours
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

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Academic Performance
Each year we evaluate our students' performance on nationally standardized tests, and measure parent and community satisfaction with Grand Island Public Schools.  We are proud of how we measure up - but we are striving to do even better.

GISH 11th Grade Students Meeting or Exceeding State Standards
	2005-06	2006-07
Mathematics	66.31%	76.53%
Reading	77.44%	78.20%
Writing	80.11%	88.28%

 

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Class Rank
Rank in class is determined by a strike system.  All GRADED classes are included; pass/fail classes are not included in the class rank.  Students must be enrolled in 25 credits to be on the honor roll.

Grades	AP Courses	Regular Courses	Remedial Courses
A	5.00	4.00	3.00
B	4.00	3.00	2.00
C	3.00	2.00	1.00
D	2.00	1.00	.00
F	.00	.00	.00

note: When five students are tied for #1, the next student ranks #6.  

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GPA Distribution

Class of	75%	50%	25%
2003	3.44	2.78	2.07
2004	3.40	2.67	2.00
2005	3.43	2.65	2.11
2006	3.47	2.74	2.18
2007	3.54	2.76	2.11
2008	3.49	2.74	2.18
2009	3.26	2.63	2.02

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ACT Mean Composite

 

Class	02-03	03-04	04-05	05-06	06-07	07-08	08-09
Local	22.4	21.3	21.4	21.7	22.0	21.5	21.2
Nebraska	21.7	21.7	21.8	22.9	22.1	22.1	22.1
National	20.8	20.9	21.9	21.1	21.2	21.1	21.1
Local% Tested	59%	55%	52%	57%	52%	58%	57%

ACT School Code 280-955

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Post High School Plans 

Class	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
4 year College	29%	35%	39%	35%	36%
2 Year College	41%	34%	33%	41%	34%
Military Service	5%	7%	4%	3%	4%
Other	13%	17%	24%	18%	2%

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Advanced Placement (AP)/Dual Credit (CCC)/Accelerated Courses (ACC)

 

Course	Semesters
AP Chemesty	2
AP Physics	2
AP Calculus (CCC)	2
AP Macro Economics (CCC)	1
AP Micro Economics (CCC)	1
AP Government (CCC)	1
AP World History (CCC)	2
AP U.S. History (CCC)	2
AP Literature/Composition (CCC)	2
English 101 (CCC)	1
English 102 (CCC)	1
English Honors 1-2	2
English Honors 3-4	2
Public Speaking (CCC)	1
Spanish 7-8 (CCC)	2
Pre-AP Calculus (ACC)	2
Pre-AP Chemistry (ACC)	2
Certified Nursing Assistant (CCC)	1

 

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Alternative Education Opportunities

 

Assigned Independent Study (AIS):
an opportunity for students to take core courses individually.  Students work on site with an accredited instructor on a personalized learning plan.
("IS" on the transcript and denotes independent study)

AFJROTC:
a partnership with the United States Air Force.  The curriculum comprises studies in Aerospace Science and Leadership Education.

Success and New Direction (SANDS):
an educational setting off-site designed to serve students' between the ages of 16 to 20.  SANDS offers a personalized alternative to the traditional classroom.

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NDE/NCA Accreditation:
The Nebraska State Department and North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement have both accredited Grand Island Senior High.

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Calendar:
The school day consists of 8 periods.  The school year consists of two 18-week semester grading periods.  For daily classes, students earn five credit hours per course per semester.

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Grading Scale

A	90-100%
B	80-89%
C	70-79%
D	60-69%
F	Below 60% (Fail)
P	Non-graded course (Pass)

^ denotes credit withheld due to attendance

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Graduation Requirements

English	40
Mathematics	30
Physical Ed	10
Science	30
Social Studies	30
Total Credits	240

 

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2009/2010 Core Curriculum

 

Abbreviation		Type of Class
AP		Advanced Placement
CCC		Central Community College Dual Credit
TP		Tech Prep
IS		Independent Study
ELA		English Language Acquisition
RWI		Reading Writing Intervention
B		Remedial
SI		Sheltered Instruction
Underscore		College Prep
H		Honors
*		Weighted Grades
Communicative Arts		Social Studies
English 1-2 or H*		American History 1-2
English 1-2 RWI or SI		American History RWI or SI
English 3-4 or H*		AP U.S. History (CCC)*
English 3-4 SER or SI		World Geo/History 1-2
English 3-4B		AP World History (CCC)*
English 5-6		World Geo/Hist 1-2B
English 5-6B		Personal Economics B
English 7-8		Economics
English 7-8B		AP Macroeconomics (CCC)*
English 101/102 (CCC)		AP Microeconomics (CCC)*
AP Literature/Composition*		Government
Public Speaking (CCC)		AP Government (CCC)*
Modern Problems (CCC)		Government B
World Languages		Sociology
Spanish (4 years)		Psychology
Spanish 7-8 (CCC)
German (4 years)		Science
French (4 years)		Science 1-2
Mathematics		Biology
Math 1-2		Biology B
Prealgebra		Enviornmental Sci 1-2
Extended Algebra 1-2		Environmental Sci B
Algebra 1-2		Practical Astronomy B
Geometry		Astronomy
Algebra 3-4		Astrophysics
Pre-Calculus		Physics
Pre-AP Calculus		AP Physics*
Discrete Math		Physiology
Probability/Statistics		Chemistry 1-2
AP Calculus (CCC)*		Pre AP Chemistry
		AP Chemistry*

 *Underscore denotes NCAA approved

The Grand Island Senior High extended curriculum includes a wide variety of courses in AFJROTC, Business, Family Consumer Science, Fine Arts, Medical, Technology, and Physical Education.