Eagle River High School (ERHS) is a public
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in
Eagle River, a suburb of the city of Anchorage in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. Opened in 2005, it serves students living in Eagle River and on
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
. Enrollment in the 2016-17 year is 894. The current principal is Timothy Helvey.
General information
Eagle River High is part of the
Anchorage School District
The Anchorage School District (ASD) manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 107th largest school district in the United States, serving over 45,000 students in more than 90 schools.
...
. The school board allowed the school's colors and mascot to be selected by the students before the school opened, with the results being the Wolves in navy blue and silver. In 2006, students were also permitted to selected its mission statement, which is a simple, three-word statement of "Community, Excellence, Respect".
History
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 31, 2003 with construction on the school completed in August 2005. The main purpose of this school was to relieve the overfilled schools around the
Anchorage School District
The Anchorage School District (ASD) manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 107th largest school district in the United States, serving over 45,000 students in more than 90 schools.
...
, primarily
Chugiak High School
Chugiak High School is a public high school located in Chugiak, Anchorage, Alaska, and a part of the Anchorage School District. Chugiak's mascot is the Mustang and the school colors are blue, black, and white. In 2005, Chugiak's student population ...
and
Bartlett High School. When designed, the school was strategically placed to take advantage of the local community of Eagle River and the nearby mountains. ERHS was initially designed to host 800 students, though the school is built for further growth, as the gym, library and the cafeteria are designed to hold 1,600 students. In addition, a large field on the north side of the school has been left open for construction of a secondary academic wing, effectively doubling the school's capacity. In 2013, a new statewide rating system for academics ranked ERHS the highest school in the Anchorage School District, and second in the state.
Campus Building
Eagle River High School is located on a site on the south side of
Eagle River off of Yosemite Drive. Over 7000 workers and contractors from USKH Inc. and Davis Construction and Engineers began assembly of the 182,000 sq/ft building on July 31, 2003, beginning with the groundbreaking ceremony. Construction of the building took about 2 years, ending in August, with the ribbon cutting ceremony on August 17, 2005. With 46 instruction rooms, and ceilings in the commons area, the school partially fulfills the public need. The floor plan has the same basic design as the 1,600-student
Dimond High School
A. J. Dimond High School (DHS) is a public four-year high school in Anchorage, Alaska, and is a part of the Anchorage School District. It has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Dimond serves students in the ...
but is about half the size, using one wing of classrooms instead of two.
The cost of the building was 54 million dollars, with 2% of that being paid for by the state of Alaska through the school debt reimbursement program. The school services students from the
Eagle River area as well as
Fort Richardson and the
Chugiak
Chugiak is an unincorporated community in the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska, situated approximately northeast of downtown Anchorage.
Geography
Chugiak is located between Eagle River to the south and Eklutna to the nort ...
area. Most of the school's original population came from what were Chugiak High School and Bartlett High School attendance zones.
Academics
Eagle River High School's classes range from advanced placement (AP) to special needs courses.
Some of the advanced placement (AP) classes that the school offers include:
* Calculus
* Physics
* Chemistry
* Statistics
* Biology
* Literature
* Language
* US Government
* US History
* World History
* European History
* Economics
The school's first school year, 2005–2006, showed favorable results from the SBA and HSGQE tests, placing Eagle River High School around 10% higher than the
Anchorage School District
The Anchorage School District (ASD) manages all public schools within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the 107th largest school district in the United States, serving over 45,000 students in more than 90 schools.
...
in reading, writing and math.
Athletics
Eagle River is part of Region IV, which competes with all of the other Anchorage-area schools. Eagle River participates in the 4A class. Interscholastic sports are sanctioned by the
Alaska School Activities Association
The Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) is the regulating body for high school interscholastic activities in Alaska and is Alaska's member to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
History
The Alaska High School Activ ...
.
These sports include:
* Football
* Flag football
* Hockey
* Softball
* Girls' Soccer
* Boys' Soccer
* Basketball
* Bowling
* Tennis
* Cross Country Running
* Cross Country Skiing
* Track and Field
* Wrestling
* Volleyball
* Cheer Leading
* Swimming/Diving
* Gymnastics
Notable State Championships
During the school's first season in 2005–06, the girls' softball team won the
Alaska Large Schools State Championship.
Competitive co-ed cheer won ASAA State 2012 under the coaching of Melissa Brady from the
Alaska Large Schools State Championship.
References
External links
Eagle River High School websiteEagle River High School Student Government website
{{authority control
2005 establishments in Alaska
Anchorage School District
Educational institutions established in 2005
High schools in Anchorage, Alaska
Public high schools in Alaska