Ames High School
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (July 2010) |
Coordinates: 42°02′25″N 93°38′03″W / 42.040209°N 93.634203°W
| Ames High School | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
Ames High Aims High
|
|
| Address | |
| 1921 Ames High Drive Ames, Iowa, 50010 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| Established | 1921 |
| School district | Ames Community School District |
| Superintendent | Dr. Tim Taylor |
| Dean | John Burke |
| Principal | Spence Evans |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1422[1] (2009-10) |
| School Color(s) | Orange and Black |
| Song | Ames High Loyalty |
| Athletics conference | Central Iowa Metropolitan League Iowa Conference |
| Nickname | Little Cyclones |
| Rival | Marshalltown Bobcats |
| Newspaper | The WEB |
| Yearbook | SPIRIT |
| Website | Official site |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009) |
Ames High School is the sole high school in Ames, Story County, Iowa.
Contents |
[edit] Academics
January 2008 — Ames High School has been named one of the top high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. In its recently released rankings, the magazine awarded Ames High School a silver medal, one of only two Iowa high schools to receive such a distinction. John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids is the only other Iowa school to earn a silver award.
Nearly one third of Ames High students retain a grade point of 3.5 or higher. Ames High School typically produces the second greatest number of National Merit Scholars in the state, with Iowa City West High School typically obtaining the most. In the class of 2011, there were 16 National Merit Finalists and 17 National Merit Commended Students from Ames High. Thirteen Ames High School students have been named presidential scholars since 1964. Ames High School has an ACT average of 24.8, and a SAT average of 1261. The majority of Ames High School students go on to higher levels of education; in the class of 2010, 71% of graduates enrolled in four year colleges and universities. An additional 20% attended community colleges or vocational schools. Approximately half of Ames High Graduates attending college at Iowa Regents Universities maintain a grade point average above 3.0 in their freshman year. Ames High School has a Graduation rate of 93%.[2]
The history of Ames High School as documented by the Ames Historical Society.
In 2011, Ames High School was ranked fifth in the Iowa AP Index, which is an annual release by the Belin-Blank Center that recognizes accredited Iowa high schools for providing Advanced Placement opportunities. The AP Index is calculated by taking the number of AP exams taken divided by the number of graduates.
Ames High School offers several AP, honors, and accelerated classes. The AP Courses include Biology, Physics B, Chemistry, Calculus AB, Statistics, US History, European History, US Government, Psychology, Language and Composition, Literature and Composition, Art History, French, German, and Spanish.
[edit] Athletics
Ames High School is a member of the Iowa Conference of the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. Teams sponsored by the school include football, boys and girls cross-country, boys golf, girls swimming, and volleyball in the fall season. During the winter season, the school sponsored sports are boys and girls basketball, wrestling, and boys swimming. There is also a hockey team with the Ames team name, but it is not school-affiliated. The spring consists of girls golf, boys and girls track, boys and girls tennis, and boys and girls soccer. Summer sports are baseball and softball. The head of athletics activities is Judge Johnston.
[edit] Cross country
The boys cross-country team won the District Title, advancing to the State Meet. The Little Cyclones were led with the meet win by senior captain Sam Bird.
The girls cross-country team won the 2007 Conference Title. Coach Kirk Schmaltz won the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year. The girls finished in 2nd place behind defending state champions Dowling Catholic High. They also qualified for the State Meet.
[edit] Golf
The girls golf team was crowned champions for the State Tournament in 08/09 and the 2007 boys golf team finished 1 stroke behind the first-place team to finish 2nd at the State Tournament.
[edit] Football
The 2007 football team finished the season 5-4. Tight end Ben Cotton signed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Linebacker Josiah Fitzsimmons and Offensive Lineman Alex Olinger have signed with South Dakota State. In 2008 the Little Cyclones finished with an 8-4 record advancing to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
Jamie Burrow earned a scholarship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1997 and started at middle linebacker for the Huskers in the 2002 Rose Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes. In 1996 the Little Cyclones were conference champions and finished with a 9-0 CIML record and a 12-1 overall record. They also advanced to the state championship game. The 1995 team was 9-3 and advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs. The '97 Senior class was arguably the greatest football class in Ames High history with a combined 2 year record of 21-4.
[edit] Volleyball
Ames High Volleyball started out the 2010 season ranked first in the State. They also won the Conference Title.
[edit] Swimming
The Ames High boys swimming team is noted for its numerous conference titles, undefeated seasons, 7th place at State in 2007 preceded by 5 top 5 finishes in the State meet. The boys swim team has been coached by Dan Flannery since 1998. The Ames High Girls swim team won its first ever state meet in 2010
[edit] Basketball
The Ames High Basketball team is coached by Vance Downs, with a state ranking of #1 and national ranking of #4. They completed the 2007-2008 season with a 20-3 record. The team's history is highlighted with a 1991 State Championship led by Fred Hoiberg who went on to play for the Iowa State Cyclones and later in the NBA, and has returned to coach Iowa State's men's basketball team. With a roster packed with three definite Div. 1 bound players Jesse Pritchard, going on to Yale and Harrison Barnes, a Senior, is one of the top players in the nation and is going to the University of North Carolina. Barnes father, Ron Harris, was a star at Iowa State under Johnny Orr in the 80's. The 08-09 team went undefeated in the regular season with a record of 21-0. The Cyclones went on to win the Iowa 4A (Large School) State championship and finish a perfect 26-0.The Cyclones have won eight championships in school history.
2010
The basketball team remained undefeated through the 09-10 season and won their second straight State championship. Ames became the first team from the big-school class to repeat as undefeated state champions. Michael Weber, Harrison Barnes, and Doug McDermott were all named to the all-tournament team. James Kohler received the Class 4A Iowa High School Athletic Association student-athlete achievement award. Ames won 53 straight games, dating back to the start of the 08-09 season. More than 13,000 fans attended the state final (2010), setting a tournament record. The previous best was 11,972 in 1997.
[edit] Wrestling
The Ames wrestling team is coached by Drew Kelly. Kelly is a former three time state champion at Chars Chity High School in Northern Iowa.
The team qualified six Wrestlers for State last year, and has three wrestlers ranked in the top ten this year.
[edit] Soccer
The Ames High boys soccer team enjoyed a very successful 2008-2009 season, playing in the class 3-A state championship game, though losing 3-2 to Iowa City West. The Little Cyclones had two players, Michael Schmidt (goalkeeper) and Bubu Palo (forward) selected to the All State team. The girls soccer team 2011 season had a 5-5 record while losing to Des Moines East in sub-state. Goalkeepers Liz Kaloupek (senior) and Marissa Terando (freshman) had a combined season total of 108 saves. Kenna Kenton (sophomore) led the team with 9 goals.
[edit] Boys Tennis
For the first time in school history, the Boys Tennis team won the state championship for Iowa in 2011, defeating the Iowa City West Trojans in a come-from-behind win to clinch the state title. The Ames team went undefeated for the year, and has lost only one meet in the past two years (losing to West Des Moines Valley in the State Championship Game in 2010). The 2011 team was powered by Seniors Nirvan Tyagi, Sam Frishman, and Peter Yin; juniors Victor Wang, Calvin Song, Bryan Graveline, and Alex Constant; and Sophomores Alex Qin (who i also a number one fan of Chris Xin and leader of the main fan group), Tommy Pitcher, and Alex Huang. Ames also performed well at the 2011 Individual State Tournament: Alex Qin took 7th place and Tommy Pitcher 8th place in Singles; Calvin Song and Victor Wang took second place in doubles, and Nirvan Tyagi and Alex Huang took 6th place in doubles. Coached by Miriam Skrade, "The First Lady of Ames Tennis", the Ames High Boys Tennis Team is looking forward to an exciting year in 2012 defending their state championship crown.
[edit] Girls Tennis
The Ames High Girls Tennis team, under the leadership of longtime Coach Len Thiede was undefeated 2009-11 and have been 4A State Tennis Team Champions for three years in a row.
[edit] Boys Track and field
Since 1941 Ames High has won an unprecedented 20 state championships and 9 state runners up in track and field.
[edit] Rugby
This is an athletic club that meets at North River Valley Park Tuesday-Thursday every week at 4:30 pm. Games are held on Saturdays starting April 4. They were the 7s State Champions for 2010.
[edit] Campus
The school rests on a 74-acre (300,000 m2) campus which includes a 20-acre (81,000 m2) natural prairie reserve. The building has been recently renovated to incorporate new lockers, a wrestling room, a larger cafeteria, a modernized gym, and new weight room equipment.
[edit] Fine Arts Department
The student body at Ames High School is heavily involved in music. There are three concert bands (Symphonic, Concert, Freshman), three choirs (Chorale, Choir, and Freshman), two orchestras, three jazz bands, a pep band, and several instrument choirs (Horn, Clarinet, Flute, and Percussion). Other notable fine arts events include: Madrigal, with a select groups of students performing in chamber choir, string ensembles, and a brass choir; the Marching Band, where all band members perform in parades and at every home football game; and the spring Solo-Ensemble Contest.
[edit] Drama Department
Steven Woolery, English teacher, is the head of the drama department. Seniors Alex Canfield and Zack Hackbarth have been elected Thespian co-Presidents for the 2010-2011 school year. The drama department typically puts on two plays and one musical during the school year. The productions for 2007-2008 were Inherit the Wind in the fall, The Sound of Music in the winter, and "The Protagonist," a special student-written, directed, and choreographed two-act musical. The productions for 2008-2009 were Pride and Prejudice, Babes in Arms, and The Curious Savage. In 2009-2010, the productions were The Crucible, Grease (musical), and All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which departed from the traditional plot-driven play and instead offered a series of intertwined vignettes. In the fall of 2010, senior Zack Hackbarth starred as detective Charlie Nickels in the comedy noir Kill Me, Deadly, with sophomore Emily Linch playing opposite as Nickels' murderous love-interest, Mona Livingston. In December, Hackbarth also directed the first annual fundraising event for the Thespian society, a short production of A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz. Despite minor setbacks and time constraints, the show turned out to be a tremendous success. A stage adaptation of Annie Get Your Gun is in the rehearsal stages and will be presented in February as the winter musical.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Harrison Barnes, Led Ames High School to back-to-back undefeated state championships in basketball from 2008-2009 & 2009-2010. Current member of University of North Carolina baseketball team, #1 ranked recruit in the country.[3]
- William D. Bond, Inventor, Mechanical Engineer.
- David M. Dobson, software developer
- Leslie Hall, rap artist and front-woman of Leslie and the Ly's
- Fred Hoiberg, current Iowa State Cyclones basketball coach and former NBA player
- Ted Kooser, poet and 13th Poet Laureate of the United States
- Edward Mezvinsky, former congressman in the United States House of Representatives
- Margaret Lloyd, operatic soprano
- Doug McDermott, college basketball player for Creighton University
- Brian Smith, photographer and author of Art & Soul
- Neal Stephenson, contributor to Wired and author known for his speculative fiction works
- Jeroen van de Weijer, Professor of English Linguistics at Shanghai International Studies University
[edit] References
- ^ Iowa Department of Education: 2009-2010 Iowa Public School District PreK-12 Enrollments by School, Grade, Race and Gender (Spreadsheet) URL accessed on July 7, 2010
- ^ http://www.ames.k12.ia.us/AHS/AHS.html
- ^ espn.com
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
