Desert Edge High School

Desert Edge High School is a public high school in Goodyear, Arizona, United States. Operated by the Agua Fria Union High School District, it is the third school in the district.

History

Desert Edge High School was completed in two phases. Architect EMC2 Group was contracted to construct Desert Edge High School prior to 2002, and contracted Sun Eagle Construction to complete the first phase.

Desert Edge opened in 2002 to a class of 138 freshmen, accepting sophomores in 2003, juniors in 2004, and seniors in 2005. Leslie Anderson was selected as the school's first principal. Since 2005, Desert Edge has used fundraisers to support its programs, such as its athletic program. In 2005, it held a golf fundraiser at the Tuscany Falls golf course in PebbleCreek. To incentivize lower-income students, Desert Edge started a rewards program in 2003; it then partnered with a local IHOP restaurant to offer gift cards.

In 2005, the AFUHSD proposed a expansion to Desert Edge's campus. The project was completed that same year by Adolfson & Peterson Construction, who were concurrently contracted to construct Verrado High School, totaling $12.7 million in costs, $9.1 million of which was paid for using funds from the Arizona School Facilities Board (SFB), while the remaining $3.6 million was paid for using standard District B bond funds. Construction was completed four weeks ahead of schedule and $450,000 under budget.

Campus

Desert Edge High School was designed by architecture firm EMC2 Group and constructed in two phases; the first phase was constructed by Sun Eagle Construction, while Adolfson & Peterson Construction completed the second phase. The phases were completed in time for the 2002-2003 and 2005-2006 school years, respectively.

The campus covers and has a capacity of 1,600 students. Comprising the main campus are classrooms, administrative areas, a media center, a gymnasium, a 522-seat fine arts auditorium, a career technology area, and a student bookstore. Desert Edge uses informational interactive kiosks to provide information on, among other things, the water and electricity savings of the building, bus routes, and the weather.

Designed as an energy efficient building, Desert Edge implements multiple high-performance energy saving strategies, such as daylighting and demand controlled ventilation. Water efficient strategies implemented at Desert Edge include water-cooled chillers with a water-side economizer. Adjacent water-based cooling towers use a chiller bypass, taking advantage of Arizona's arid climate. The energy efficiency of building materials was also considered; the school's masonry walls use R-19 cavity insulation, while its metal deck roof uses R-30 insulation. The school's windows are dual-paned with a U-factor of 0.33.

In addition, Desert Edge's campus engages in outdoor sustainable practices, such as drip irrigation and xeriscaping. Indoors, motion and daylight sensors are used that automatically turn off lights, depending on if people are present in the room and what the time of day is. These practices further increase the energy efficiency of Desert Edge, especially in comparison to other, more conventional schools.

Academics

Curriculum

In 2006, Desert Edge began a cooperative relationship with Estrella Mountain Community College, allowing students to earn college credits in the Maricopa Community College District after school at Desert Edge.

Since 2010, Desert Edge has offered a program for middle school students to enroll in high school classes through the adjacent Avondale Elementary School District.

Extracurricular activities

Music

The Desert Edge music program is represented by the Desert Edge Music Organization, which organizes an annual music festival known as "Edgestock".

Robotics

In March 2020, Raytheon Technologies donated $2,000 to Desert Edge to start a VEX Robotics team.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni from Desert Edge include Mitchell Watt, basketball player for Reyer Venezia of the Lega Basket Serie A.

References

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Public high schools in Arizona
Schools in Maricopa County, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Educational institutions established in 2002
2002 establishments in Arizona