Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)

Ulysses S. Grant High School (commonly Grant High School) is a public high school in the Grant Park neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States.

Ulysses S. Grant High School
Address
2245 Northeast 36th Avenue

Portland
,
(Multnomah County)
,
Oregon
97212

United States
Coordinates45.539034°N 122.626514°W / 45.539034; -122.626514
Information
TypePublic
Opened1924
School districtPortland Public Schools
PrincipalJames McGee
Grades9–12[1]
Number of students2,003 (2020–2021 enrollment)[2]
Color(s)Blue and grey   [3]
Athletics conferenceOSAA Portland Interscholastic League 6A-1[3]
MascotGenerals[3]
NewspaperGrant Magazine
Websitehttp://pps.net/grant
The facade of Grant High School

History

Ulysses S. Grant High School opened in September 1924, with 1,191 students.[4] Many of the schools in the Portland Public School district that were built between 1908 and 1932 were designed by architects Floyd Naramore and George Jones. During the early 1920s, so many schools were being built simultaneously in Portland, the district had to hire another architectural firm to design Grant High School, which is in the Classical Revival style by architects Knighton and Howell. In November 1923, the bricklayers working on Grant went on strike after the district tried to cut costs by using a maintenance worker to lay bricks.[5][6]

After the Vanport flood in May 1948, Grant was home to the Vanport Extension Center (now Portland State University) through the summer of that year.[7] Three motion pictures have been filmed at Grant High School: The made-for-TV movie Reunion (1980), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), and Nearing Grace (2005).

Funded by a $482 million bond measure approved in 2012, A two-year modernization and expansion project of Grant High School began in June 2017 and was completed in the summer of 2019. The interior of the building was gutted and has been completely rebuilt. The project includes a new two-story common area, a new gymnasium, seismic retrofitting, and additional classroom space.[8]

Exterior of U.S. Grant High School in Portland, Oregon (2019)
Aerial view of Grant High School (2023)

Student profile

In the 2016–2017 school year, Grant's student population was 67.8% white, 8.2% African American, 6.8% Hispanic, 4.7% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 11.7% mixed race.[2] About 25% of Grant's students live out of boundaries and transfer in.[9]

In 2008, 92% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 443 students, 388 graduated, 39 dropped out, six received a modified diploma, and ten were still in high school in 2009.[10][11] In 2009, 27% of the students were transfers into the school.[12]

Curriculum

Special programs

Grant High School houses the last installment of the Japanese Immersion Program, a 13-year immersion program, begun at Richmond Elementary and continued at Mt. Tabor Middle School.

Extracurricular activities

Grant's Constitution Team has been the state champion thirteen times (2002, 2004–2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022), and has won the national competition three times (2013, 2015, 2018).[13][14][15][16]

In 2011, Grant's student newspaper, The Grantonian, was replaced by the 36-page full-color monthly Grant Magazine. In its first year, the magazine won Best In Show at the Oregon Fall Press day.[17] It has also won the Columbia University Scholastic Press Association's Gold Crown award three years in a row, from 2014 through 2016.[18]

Athletics
South end of Grant High School

GHS's mascot is the Grant General, in honor of its namesake General and 18th US President, Ulysses S. Grant.

State championships
  • Men's football: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1963 (tie with North Salem)
  • Men's gymnastics: 1982
  • Men's baseball: 1958
  • Men's basketball: 1969, 1986, 1988, 2008, 2018[19]
  • Men's soccer team: 2008
  • Men's tennis: 2005[20]
  • Men's swimming: 2010
  • Men's cross country: 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964 [21]
  • Women’s soccer: 2021
  • Men's track and field: 1930, 1931, 1939, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1988[22]
  • Women's cross country: 1974,[23] 2012 [24]
  • Jazz band: 2022

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Oregon School Directory 2017-18" (PDF). Oregon Department of Education. p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2018.
  2. "School Profiles & Enrollment Data 2016-2017" (PDF). Portland Public Schools. p. 199. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. "Grant High School". Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. Polich, Edward L. (1950). A history of Portland's secondary school system with emphasis on the superintendents and the curriculum (Thesis/dissertation). University of Portland. p. 97. OCLC 232551057.
  5. "Director Attacks School Architect". The Morning Oregonian. November 22, 1923.
  6. "Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)". Oregon Digital. University of Oregon. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  7. Polich, Edward L. (1950). A history of Portland's secondary school system with emphasis on the superintendents and the curriculum (Thesis/dissertation). University of Portland. p. 160. OCLC 232551057.
  8. "Grant Modernization" (PDF). Portland Public Schools. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  9. Kimberly Melton (January 27, 2010). "K-8 growth may help lift Grant High School's enrollment". OregonLive. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. "State releases high school graduation rates". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  11. "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  12. Melton, Kimberly (February 4, 2010). "How many transfer, and where do they go?". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  13. "We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution". Classroom Law Project. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018.
  14. "Grant Constitution Team comes home as national champs". Hollywood Star News. Portland. June 7, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  15. "Grant's Constitution Team wins state, earns trip to nationals". Portland Public Schools. January 22, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  16. "We the People High School Constitutional Competition". Civics Learning Project. Retrieved September 3, 2023. Oregon State Competition Overall Results: 1st Place – Grant High School (Portland)
  17. NWSP (October 26, 2011). "Fall Press Day 2011 Best of Show Winners". Northwest Scholastic Press. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  18. Jaquiss, Nigel (March 23, 2015). "Grant High School Magazine Wins Regional and National Honors". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  19. Nick Daschel (March 10, 2018). "Grant ends two years of misery against Jefferson, beats Democrats 63-62 to win Class 6A boys state title". OregonLive. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  20. Oregon School Activities Association - Tennis 2005
  21. http://www.osaa.org/crosscountry/history/boysxcteamchampions.pdf
  22. Oregon School Activities Association - Championship Archive
  23. http://www.osaa.org/docs/bxc/records/1974g.pdf
  24. "2012 Cross Country Results". Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  25. Hallett, Alison. "Happening This Weekend: EVERYTHING". Portland Mercury. October 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  26. Bancud, Michaela (July 15, 2019). "Book Report: 'Mean Girls' meets the Bard". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019.
  27. "Former Salem Boy, Victor Jory, Leads Film Names in Visit Here". Statesman Journal. October 13, 1951. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. Bailey Jr., Everton (August 21, 2013). "Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton dies; former Portland resident". OregonLive/The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  29. Cheng, Gracye (June 1, 2007). "Donald P. Hodel '57". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  30. Pink Martini | The Band Archived July 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  31. Wagner, Brent C. (April 17, 2010). "Ndamukong Suh to donate $2.6 million to NU". Husker Extra. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  32. Volvo for life Awards: Robina Suwol
  33. Watt, Ryan (September 10, 2004). "Many miles behind her: Record setter is one of state's least-known athletes". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
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