Grant High School (Los Angeles)

Ulysses S. Grant High School[2] is a public high school in the Valley Glen neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the east-central San Fernando Valley. It is located adjacent to Los Angeles Valley College.

Ulysses S. Grant High School
Address
13000 Oxnard Street

Valley Glen
,
California
91401

United States
Coordinates34°10′38″N 118°24′57″W
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoWhat we are to be we are now becoming.
Established1959 (1959)
School districtLos Angeles Unified School District
PrincipalRebecca McMurrin
Teaching staff83.34 (FTE) (2018–19)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,986 (2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.83 (2018–19)[1]
Color(s)  Brown
  Orange
  White
MascotLancer
NewspaperThe Odyssey
YearbookThe Shield
Websitewww.granths.org

It is part of District North 2 of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school serves several areas, including Valley Glen, much of Sherman Oaks, and sections of both Van Nuys and North Hollywood.[3]

Its mascot is the Lancer and the school colors are brown, orange, and white. The school motto is: "What we are to be we are now becoming."

The school newspaper is called The Odyssey in reference to President Grant's first name - Ulysses - the main character in Homer's epic The Odyssey. There is a school tradition that, on or about April 1, a satirical issue is distributed called the "Oddity", which contains comical and irreverent articles. Past "articles" have been about finals being canceled, the school being closed, rats infesting the cafeteria, clothing-optional P.E. classes, etc.

The school yearbook is called The Shield.

Connected to Grant High School is a communications/technology magnet which emphasizes smaller class sizes and communications technology electives including film/video production, broadcast journalism, computer technology, graphic communications, and performing arts.[4]

History

Grant opened as a high school in September 1959.[5] Grant's original purpose was to serve as a high school for the families of World War II veterans who were moving into the San Fernando Valley.[5] Its first students were baby boomers moving into suburban houses in the Valley.[6]

It was in the Los Angeles City High School District until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD.[7]

Reut Cohen of Neon Tommy, a publication of the Annenberg Media Center, wrote that in the 1970s and 1980s the school was "regarded as an excellent public institution."[8]

In the 1990s there was ethnic tension between the Armenian students and the Hispanic and Latino students. An LAUSD official stated a belief that the tension may have originated from earthquake relief drives held in the 1980s which were meant to benefit Armenia and Mexico.[9] Cohen stated that the ethnic tensions were a major factor in the decline of Grant's reputation in the 1990s.[8]

The tensions exploded on October 21, 1999 when a fight between an Armenian girl and a Latina girl turned into a fight among 200 students. The fight resulted in 40 students being detained and minor injuries being inflicted on 10 students, some teachers, and a maintenance worker. No serious injuries occurred.[9] In January 2000 the students signed a "peace treaty" to prevent future fighting. By February banners were erected which promoted peace.[10] By October of that year there were discussion programs aimed at further reducing tension.[11]

A fight involving almost 500 students occurred on March 8, 2005.[12]

In 2006, Grant was relieved of many 9th and 10th graders by the opening of East Valley High School, which planned to phase in grades 11 and 12 in the following two years.[13]

Ethnic tensions reappeared during an Armenian remembrance event in 2008.[8]

Grant was featured in Newsweek magazine's April 17, 2008 cover story about 25 years of divorce in America; Grant was chosen as a prototypical suburban high school and the article featured members of the class of 1982 and their marital stories.[6]

Academic and artistic feats

In the late 1960s, a local L.A. television station aired a game show called It's Academic, which featured competition among L.A. area high schools in a quiz show format. Grant won the competition both years that the show was on the air.

In 1977, students at Grant achieved a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the world's largest musical chairs game (record since broken).

Grant students are also credited with helping to paint one of the largest murals in the world—the Great Wall of Los Angeles—in the Tujunga Wash that lies on the border of the campus. The mural, which depicts southwestern U.S. history from prehistoric times, is 2,754 feet (840 m) making it the longest mural in the United States.

Grant's award-winning Academic Decathlon team placed 11th out of 64 schools in the 2009 regional competition.

In 2018 Grant High School had the highest growth of any high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District in SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment California) testing, with an increase of 18 points in the English language arts section and 17 points in the math section.

[14]

Small Learning Communities

Grant High School will divide their school into multiple smaller learning communities in order to better create an environment of inclusion and additionally serve students with a curriculum that also includes their interest. Teachers will use techniques that have been tested and proven to be successful in academic success.[15]

The freshman academy is designed to help incoming freshman adapt to the High School environment. The freshman academy will continue its focus on Math, Social Science, Science, English, and PE with methods that will help students better prepare freshman for the next years to come. Not only will they focus on academic preparation but it will also focus on social enhancements with hopes of gaining more student involvement in extra curricular activities.[15]

Sophomore Academy/(Has yet to be determined) [15]

Upper Grade Academies/(Has yet to be determined) [15]

Magnet Programs

College Prep of Digital Arts Magnet at Grant High School is a magnet program within Grant High School that focuses on enhancing college level skills. The program's center of interest is on Advancement placement and Honor level proficiency. Due to our global society that is in a state rapid growth the program prepares the students for future workplaces that will be in high demand. In order to strengthen their skills they include web-based research, visual rhetoric, video production, broadcast journalism, and digital imaging into their curriculum.[16]

Since the year 1990 Humanities has been a small academy at Grant High School. The purpose of this academy was to build a sensed community and to challenge students academically. In August 2018, Humanitas was newly established as the "Humanities Magnet for Interdisciplinary Studies. The program would remain consistent of its original mission but with new enhancements. Students enrolled in this program will have access to Los Angeles Valley Community College, college courses, that are specifically open to the students in this program. The classes will count towards High School and College classes. In addition, Humanitas students have the ability to go on field trips and participate in school activities that are only accessible to them.[17]

Demographics
See also: History of the Armenian Americans in Los Angeles, History of the Mexican Americans in Los Angeles, and History of the Central Americans in Los Angeles

In the mid-20th century the school used a tracking program which resulted in many Jewish students, who anticipated attending colleges and universities, together. Deborah Dash Moore, the author of To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A., wrote that this made the presence of these Jewish students "more visible than numbers alone would warrant."[18] Grant offered Modern Hebrew classes.[18]

In 1978 the school had over 3,000 students.[6] In 1999 the school had 3,400 students,[9] and there were 3,300 students in 2000. That year the student body was 51% Hispanic and Latino, 36% White, 6% African-American, 4% Asian, and 2% Filipino. Most of the Hispanic and Latino students were Mexican American and many of the Whites were Armenian American.[11] As of 2000 the students originated from 48 countries.[19] As of 2010 65% of the students were Hispanic and Latino, and 20% were Armenian.[20]

The Hispanic and Latino students, as of 2015, often originated from families who migrated from Mexico and Central America and were born in the United States; they prefer to identify by their countries of origin even though they are grouped together as Hispanic and Latino. The Armenian students, as of 2015, originated in a wave of immigration from Armenia and the former Soviet Union that began in the early 1990s.[21]

Culture

In 2000 the socialization point for the Latinos was the south side of the school's quad, while the Armenians socialized in the north side. As of that year, fights between Armenian and Latino students often occurred in October. As of 2000 the common belief at the school was that Latinos wore baggy clothes while Armenians dressed more conservatively.[11]

Film program

Grant has a film program for students either considering a career in that field or with a general interest. Students that have completed his program have earned numerous awards such as certificates, CINE Golden Eagles, trophies and other means of recognition. The students are allowed to freely create stories of their own.

Los Angeles city athletic championships
  • 1964 Boys Swimming
  • 1965 Boys Swimming
  • 1974 Boys Tennis
  • 1975 Boys Pole Vault (Howard Kwasman)
  • 1986 Boys Baseball
  • 1991 Boys Golf
  • 1992 Boys Golf
  • 1993 Girls Soccer
  • 1994 Girls Soccer
  • 1996 Girls Gymnastics
  • 2012 Boys Pole Vault (Martin Lopez)
  • Retired numbers: #13 Rod Beck (Baseball), #21 Nevil Vega (Baseball), #25 Gilbert Arenas (Boys Basketball)

Clubs And Organizations

Clubs and organizations at Grant High School include the following:

  • A.C.L.U.
  • Academic Decathlon
  • Anime Club
  • Armenian Club
  • Band
  • Cheer
  • Chess Club
  • Christian Club
  • College Tours
  • Community Club
  • Dance Club
  • Debate Club
  • Environmental Club
  • FIDM Fashion Club
  • Filipino Club
  • Humanitas
  • International Food Club
  • JSU
  • Latinos Unidos
  • Mathletes
  • Politics
  • Super Hero/ Sci Fi Club
  • Twilight Zone Club
  • Y.A.M Club

[22]

Renovations

Due to Grant High School being built in 1959 much of its buildings are outdated. LAUSD has conducted a project proposal that would modernize the school and create space for more students as a result of Los Angeles' rapid growing suburbia. The new plan would start by creating a structure that would better accommodate to students with disabilities under the ADA act. (Americans with disabilities) 41 of Grant's classrooms will be demolished and 31 classes would be rebuilt. 48 classes will be remodeled and 14 of them would remain the same. The library and M&O (maintenance and operations) building will be newly rebuilt. The entire 100 building will be torn down in order to create a newly renovated; career center, health unit, administrative building, and an office for the school police. The sewers, water, utilities will be upgraded in order to create a more sanitary environment. In addition, Grant Hall (Auditorium) will be modernized and the school's landscape will be upgraded.[23]

Notable alumni

Use as a filming location

Grant High School has been featured in a number of film and television productions. This is due to the long strip of road (known as "Lancer Lane") that runs between the eastern boundary of the school and a scenic greenbelt, walking path, and the Tujunga Wash, and the availability of ample parking—combined with the ease of moving equipment around. Grant High School is also recognized as among the best high schools in the country for its film/video productions made by students of the communications/technology magnet.

Among the professional film and television productions that have utilized Grant High School as a filming location:

Many music videos including:

References
  1. "Search for Public Schools - Ulysses S. Grant Senior High (062271003052)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. "Ulysses S. Grant High School". Grant HS website. LAUSD. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. "Ulysses S. Grant High School".
  4. "Magnet Program". Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  5. "School History – About Us – Ulysses S. Grant High School".
  6. Jefferson, David J. "The Divorce Generation Grows Up." Newsweek. April 12, 2008. Retrieved on January 4, 2016.
  7. "Los Angeles City School District". Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  8. Cohen, Reut. "Grant High's Novinger Uses Empathy To Help Keep The Peace" (Archive). Neon Tommy, Annenberg Media Center. January 6, 2011. Retrieved on January 5, 2016.
  9. Sauerwein, Kristina. "Ethnic Tension Blamed for Grant High Melee." Los Angeles Times. October 23, 1999. Retrieved on January 4, 2016.
  10. Briggs, Johnathon E. "Banners Seek to Prevent Rips in the Social Fabric." Los Angeles Times. February 11, 2000. Retrieved on January 4, 2016.
  11. MacGregor, Hillary E. "Program Seeks to Reduce Latino-Armenian Tensions at School." Los Angeles Times. October 22, 2000. Retrieved on January 4, 2016.
  12. "Hundreds of Students in Brawl at Grant High." Los Angeles Times. March 9, 2005. Retrieved on January 5, 2016.
  13. Project Details
  14. "Principal's Message – About Us – Ulysses S. Grant High School".
  15. "SLCS – Academics – Ulysses S. Grant High School".
  16. "Grant CPDA Magnet High School | Los Angeles".
  17. "Humanitas - Academic Departments and Programs - Ulysses S. Grant High School".
  18. Moore, Deborah Dash. To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.. Harvard University Press, 1994. ISBN 0674893050, 9780674893054. p. 86.
  19. Peabody, Zanto. "Beyond the Millennium." Los Angeles Times. June 23, 2000. Retrieved on January 5, 2016.
  20. Aghajanian, Liana. "Culture Clash: Armenian and Hispanic Relations in the Past, Present and Future" (Archive). Ararat Quarterly. July 6, 2010. Retrieved on January 5, 2016.
  21. Sorrells, Kathryn. Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social Justice. SAGE Publications, September 8, 2015. ISBN 1483313379, 9781483313375. p. 220.
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  23. https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/135/LAUSD_Grant%20Draft%20IS-MND%2010-16-17_FINAL.pdf
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