GWHS IB Diploma Program
2010-2011 — News & Events
Updated on
October 22, 2011
Results from the National Speech and Debate Tournament, June 13-18, Dallas, TX
First Place in Policy and Cross Examination Debate goes to new National Champions Sam Clark and Miles Owens. The last time a student from Colorado won this event was in 1953, 58 years ago. The last time a student from Colorado reached the final round was in 1971, 40 years ago!
Sam and Miles debated sixteen rounds of competition to secure their national title, topping the 195 policy teams who attended the tournament. The photo (above) by Kevin Owens shows Miles and Kevin celebrating with head coach, Maryrose Kohan and assistant coach Greg Sobetski (a DU student).
This event is typically won by students from schools that travel the so-called "national circuit" in debate, and have large budgets and coaching staffs. This victory is even more impressive in that it came from students who don't attend such a school. A big Woo-Hoo for Sam and Miles! You didn't make just your school proud, but your whole state.
In further National Debate news: Matt Zavislan achieved fourth place in Lincoln-Douglas debate, in a field of over 200 competitors. Matt made it to round 14 of the tournament. Well done! Langston Williams was a semi-finalist in Congressional Debate. Dan Morgan-Russell made it to the top 30 in International Extemporaneous Speaking, and Angie Neslin was in the top 30 in Original Oratory These events also started with over 200 competitors.
As a result of these outstanding achievements in CX, LD, and Congressional Debate, George Washington won the School of Excellence Award in Debate. This award is given to the schools that log more than 40 rounds of debate during the tournament.
2011 Colorado History Day GWHS Results
On Saturday, May 7, 30 of our George Washington Patriots participated in Colorado History Day. This year's theme was "Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences."
Of our 12 entries, 9 were in the finals, with 8 of our entries being awarded 1st, 2d, and 3d Place championships. Our 1st and 2d Place champions will go on to represent GWHS, Denver Public Schools, and Colorado at National History Day at the University of Maryland campus June 11- 16. Congratulations to our Patriots!
[ Read the Results ]
George Washington High School Senior Earns 4-Year Navy ROTC Scholarship
George Washington High School senior Patrick Tapp recently learned he's been awarded a US Navy 4-year ROTC scholarship to study Civil and Environmental Engineering at CU-Boulder starting in the Fall Patrick's time in DPS has been a record of solid achievement beginning with the Gifted and Talented program at Steele Elementary School, followed by Hamilton Middle School where he was in the International Preparatory Magnet program and in the Junior National Honor Society. Patrick has been in the International Baccalaureate program at GWHS for four years. From 2nd grade he was fully involved in scouting and is now an Eagle Scout.
[ READ MORE ]
Six Daniels Fund Scholars at GW
Congratulations to IB students (left to right) Kara Bausch, Valencia Watson, Laura Moore, and Philong Than, former IB student Keleka Blair and traditional student Sarah Campbell – GW's 2011 Daniels Scholars.
Daniels Scholars receive funding to attend the college or university of their choice. The scholarship is not "full ride," but is supplemental to all other financial resources available to the student. Successful applicants demonstrate strength of character, leadership, and a record of accomplishment in giving back to the community.
[ READ MORE ]
Last Incoming Freshman Placement Testing on April 30
April 30 is the last day for incoming Freshman to take their math, French and Spanish tests: 9AM math and 10AM French/Spanish (0ptional for placement into second year).
Speech & Debate Heads to the Nationals
Congratulations to the following Speech and Debate Students who qualified for the National Tournament, to be held in June in Dallas: Langston Williams, Suzanna Steele, Dan Morgan-Russell, Michael Homiak, Angie Neslin, Matt Zavislan, Sam Clark, Miles Owens, Sarah Pierce, Lucy Shen and Richard Medina.
IB Grad Earns 4-year Scholarship
Congratulations to Patrick Tapp for being awarded a 4-year Navy ROTC Scholarship to CU-Boulder, majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Mathletes Shine
Congratulations to the following Mathletes on their fine performance at the Annual Math Day Competition this past Tuesday at Metro State. Our upper-class team composed of Amelia Brunner, Zach Busse, Alex Port and Devon Stork won Second Place in the Geometry event. The underclassmen team of John Halliday, David Kolet and Zach Segal were Fourth in the Algebra contest. Please congratulate the students for a fine performance!
2011 DPS GWHS History Day Results
On Saturday, April 9, seventy-two of our George Washington Patriots participated in the District-wide National History Day Regional Competition. This year's theme was "Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences." Of our thirty entries, twenty of our 1st, 2d, and 3d Place champions will go on to represent GWHS at Colorado History Day at the University of Colorado Denver campus on Saturday, May 7. Congratulations to our Patriots! [ Read About the Results ]
2nd Annual GW Restaurant Night on April 12
Here's a great way to catch dinner before the mandatory IB Junior Meeting. Please support our school by participating in the 2nd Annual GW Restaurant Night at SAM TAYLORS Bar-B-Q at 435 S. Cherry St. this coming Tuesday, April 12, from 4PM to 8:30PM. Dine In or Take Out. 10% of all proceeds go to GW's After Prom. Tell them you are from GW.
GW Speech and Debate Earns Three State Titles
GW Speech and Debate is proud to announce that it won three state titles this weekend. Sam Clark and Miles Owens won CX Debate for the second year in a row! Dan Morgan-Russell won in International Extemporaneous Speaking; Mali Garrett-Mills won in Original Oratory; Maddie Hughes took third in Original Oratory; Matt Zavislan took third in LD Debate; Sarah Tran and Tanner Sandoval took third in CX Debate.
JROTC Queen of the Ball
Friday night (March 4, 2011) more than 550 JROTC Cadets gathered at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center for the 118th Annual Military Ball. Kalah Haley was announced as Queen of the Ball, selected from among 10 top female cadets, one from each DPS school. Congratulations to Kalah. She was stunning! [ READ MORE ]
Donate Raffle Items and Your Time to GW's Prom and After-prom on May 14
GW's Student Leadership has worked very hard to plan a wonderful Prom and After- Prom. To ensure that these events are successful it is tradition that all Freshman and Sophomore parents step up to the plate now to volunteer to help at the After Prom held at GW. Your help is needed! So please volunteer! You can also give support by participating in our fun fund raising events that are coming up.
[ READ MORE ]
Kate Rowe (left) and Valencia Watson (right)
Patriot Women Invited to State Playoffs
Senior IB'ers Valencia Watson and Kate Rowe wrapped-up their GW basketball careers as key members of the 2010-11 Lady Patriots Basketball Team. The team finished with a 12-10 regular season record, good enough for second place in the Denver Prep League and an invitation to the State 5A Playoffs.
Front Row L-R: Kara Bausch, Catherine Maguire, Erica Czajka, Chloe Briney, Carolyn Marsh, Paige Witter, Abby Godec. Back Row L-R: Julia Murphy, Maya Learned, Alexandra Guy (DSA student), Amelia Brunner. Not pictured: Laura Moore
Patriot Women Swimmers Set Records
George Washington HS (and the GW IB program) was well represented at the CHSAA Girls State Swimming Championship in Fort Collins, on February 11 and 12. Qualifiers in individual events were Catherine Maguire (100 breast), Erica Czajka (50 free, 100 fly) and Paige Witter (200 IM, 100 fly). The GW 200 free relay team of Alexandra Guy, Chloe Briney, Erica Czajka and Laura Moore finished 13th at state and set a new all-time team record with a time of 1:42.91. The 200 medley relay team of Carolyn Marsh, Erica Czajka, Catherine Maguire and Maya Learned also set a new all-time team record during the course of the season.
GWIB Athletes Headed to Columbia and Stanford
The NCAA's National Signing Day for football and five other sports garnered a lot of media attention recently. Rowing and swimming signing dates come in April and Ivy League schools do not participate in the National Letter of Intent process at all, so GWIB seniors Amelia Brunner and Ben Holston were not part of the hoopla. Not that they don't deserve it. They are just on a slightly different path. [ READ MORE ]
Julia Murphy Named Outstanding Female Student-Athlete
IB senior Julia Murphy was one of 11 young women recognized as an Outstanding Female Student-Athlete of the Year by the Board of Education of DPS at its February 17th meeting. Each traditional DPS high school, plus Bruce Randolph High School, selects one female student-athlete for this honor, which coincides with National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD).
Seven of the 11 GW nominees came from the ranks of the IB program: Laura Gabriel, Callie Hitchcock, Catherine Maguire, Grace Michaels, Kate Rowe, and Valencia Watson (plus Julia). The three traditional program nominees were Jazsymn Johnson, Brittany Lewis (who recently signed with CU for Women's Track), and Jasmine Lewis. The 11th nominee was Alexandra Guy, who attends DSA. All 11 students are to be congratulated for this recognition from their coaches and teachers. [ READ MORE ]
Seven George Washington Students Move On
in National Merit Competition
The National Merit Scholarship Program has now determined which of the 16,000 Semifinalists named in September 2010 have met all requirements to advance to Finalist standing in the competition. All Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2011.
George Washington High School is proud to announce that all seven of its National Merit Semifinalists have advanced to Finalist standing. Those students are Amelia Kucic, Elizabeth (Izzie) Gall, Sarah Wolberg, Matt Symonds, Devon Stork and (not pictured) Sam Clark and Ben Johnson.
Assistant Principal, Sara Leikin, said, "We are extremely proud of these students and their academic records. We wish them all the best as they await Merit Scholarship notification."
The selection of some 8,400 Merit Scholarship winners is now in progress. In March, NMSC will begin mailing scholarship offers to winners.
IB Sophomore Recognized for Service
Ann Moorman was recently honored as one of 4 Colorado students as a Distinguished Finalist in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Ann is an IB sophomore. She raised more than $900 to support a young Ethiopian girl’s high school education through the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund. She has also conducted numerous service projects, including sewing neck coolers for Iraqi soldiers, making hats and scarves for the homeless, and distributing food to low income families.
Wednesday, February 16, 6 PM —
Distribution & Explanation of
Practice ACT Results to All GW Juniors & Their Parents
Distribution and explanation of Practice ACT results to all GW juniors, and their parents, by Asst. Principal Sara Leikin. A Kaplan representative will also be present to discuss ACT prep strategies. ACT test prep will be offered to GW juniors in the afternoons the week of CSAPs (February 28 – March 3), but IB will be having classes those afternoons. (See February 26 for an IB ACT prep event.)
88th Annual Governor Shafroth Prize
for Extemporaneous Speaking
Coach Maryrose Kohan beams as IB students Dan Morgan-Russell (junior) and Margaret Schaack (freshman) win both the men's and women's competitions in the annual Shafroth Extemporaneous Speaking Contest. GW students have taken first place in 7 of the last 10 contests. GW IB students who've won in recent years include Brendan Patrick, Emma Thompson, Aerik Francis, Lawson Williams, and Joanna Foote.
Presiding over the event was Morrison Shafroth, great-grandson of the Honorable John F. Shafroth, who was known in Colorado politics as "Honest John." Shafroth served in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1903, as Governor of Colorado from 1909 to 1913, and in the United States Senate from 1913 to 1919. The contest is open to DPS high school students. The prize was established in January of 1921 through a gift to DPS from Governor Shafroth. Each Denver high school is invited to send one male and one female student to speak on local, national, international, or philosophical issues. The two champions named annually are each awarded a savings bond.
IB Student Summer Retreat in Keystone
Keystone Science School has worked closely with IB ARMS to put together this great opportunity for our students. Registration is open to ALL IB students! This is an outdoor camping experience, so students will either need to bring or rent a sleeping bag. They can contact Dave Miller, the organizer of this event for additional information (see web page).
GWIB Senior Appointed to US Military Academy
Cristian Mendoza-Espinosa has been appointed to the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, with a nomination from US Congresswoman (and IB parent) Diana DeGette. Cristian reports to "Beast Barracks," the historic induction process, on June 27th of this year. Four years later he will be commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army with an initial service obligation of 5 years. [ READ MORE ]
IB Program Evaluation for
Juniors, Seniors and Their Families
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) requires affiliated programs, like George IB, to conduct a self-evaluation every five years as part of the IBO's accreditation process. The self-evaluation provides a way to understand how well the program is fulfilling the IBO's requirements and it will provide information that will help guide George IB's continued development in the coming years. [ COMPLETE THE SURVEY ]
GWHS Gateway Project
George's Gateway Project (to upgrade the north entrance to the school) has received a matching grant for the project overall and we are going to be installing the donor brick area over spring break this March. We are trying to sell as many bricks as possible before February 10 to have the engravings included in the initial installation. Learn more on the project's web site.
ChemClub International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) Grant
GWHS's Chemistry Club (affiliated with the American Chemical Society) has been awarded a $400 IYC 2011 grant to do environmental chemistry projects based on water samples analysis from nearby recreational parks. The club plans to have groups of students studying different parks for a certain interval of time and then compare the data collected to the local community habits/practices. George's club has forty-four members and is led by Abby Godec (senior); Dr. Joyti More is the club's faculty sponsor.
To celebrate the IYC 2011, ACS gave grants to high school chemistry clubs to do creative activities to increase students' interest in chemistry and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.
Speech & Debate @ the Cherry Tree Chop
Congratulations to the Patriot Speech and Debate Team Members, who divided their efforts between competition and ensuring that last weekend's Cherry Tree Chop ran smoothly! The results for our competitors:
- First place: Dan Morgan-Russell Foreign Extemp
- Second Place: Eli Gordon/Langston Williams PF
- Third Place: Rachel Crowe Poetry
- Fourth Place: Aiden Murray/Jacob Waters PF
- Fifth Place: Monisha Lensink-Vasan Oratory
- Sydney Sibelius/Ellis Aune CX
- Sixth Place: Elijiah Durso-Sabina LD
Outstanding Speaker in Congressional Debate Carlos Talamante
Coach Maryrose Kohan and the GW Speech and Debate Parents' Organization wish to pass on a big "thank you!" to all the parents and students who helped work the tournament!
Speech & Debate Update
On December 3-4, 2010, the George Washington High School Speech and Debate Team competed in a national-level tournament for debate events in Alta, Utah. Patriots excelled on the national scene by taking first place in Public Forum debate and breaking into the late rounds in several other events. Ethan Melnick and Brendan Patrick took First Place in Public Forum debate. Read all of the results from the competition at Alta.
GW's Speech and Debate team competed at the Cheyenne Holiday Classic on December 17-18 and came home with three first place awards: Angie Neslin – Original Oratory, Matt Zavislan - LD Debate, and Brendan Patrick/Ethan Melnick - PF Debate. Read all of the results from the Cheyenne competition.
Our Patriots have excelled again!
Special congratulations to those who competed at the national-level tournament at Glenbrooks (Chicago) on Nov. 20-21, and to those who broke to the elimination rounds: Dan Morgan-Russell competed in semi-finals, finishing in the top twelve in Extemporaneous Speech, and the team of Brendan Patrick and Ethan Melnick competed in the octo-finals in Public Forum Debate.
Way to go! And thank you to the team coach, Maryrose Kohan, for taking them!
And many of our Patriots competed locally at the Mullen tournament held in Greeley on November 20th:
Mullen Results:
2nd Place:
PF Debate Emma Thompson and Miles Moore
3rd Place:
CX Debate Sam Clark and Miles Owens
4th Place:
CX Debate Nadira Matin and Davis Berlind
6th Place:
PF Debate Adrian Johnson and Jackson Zeiler
Finalists:
Angie Neslin: Original Oratory
Adam Wise and Hope Cornish: Duo Interp
Izzie Gall: Humor
Katya Witvliet: Drama
George Speech & Debate Comes Out Swinging
Congratulations to our team and coaches for an excellent first varsity tournament yesterday! The team won the tournament's Sportsmanship Award. The Blake Mara Award is unique to this tournament, and was created in the memory of a few students from Mountain Vista who died in a car accident a few years ago. The award is a testament to the fine coaching by Maryrose Kohan, and the Patriot Spirit our team displays when representing GWHS!
Sixteen students (including some novices!) placed in the final rounds. Check out all the news on the George Speech & Debate website and click on the "Team Results" tab.
New Friends of IB Scholars Fundraising Program
GW's Friends of IB Scholars Foundation is participating in an exciting new fundraising program. The Foundation now has its own website featuring thousands of partner stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Apple, The Home Depot and many more. When you make a purchase on www.marketamerica.com/georgeib, the Foundation receives royalties and you earn up to 35% cash back on qualified purchases.
Watch for specials posted on the GeorgeIB Facebook page.
[ READ MORE or DOWNLOAD A PDF ]
Six GWHS Players Named to the All-City Softball Team
Six GWHS varsity players have been named to the honorary All-City softball team (all are in George's IB program).
Kelce Gerlits - 1st Team
Laura Gabriel - 2nd Team
Lauren Josephs - 2nd Team
Angie Neslin - 2nd Team
Hope Cornish - Honorable Mention
Audrey Norlander - Honorable Mention
Great job to these players and the whole team this season!
GW Softball Wins Come-from-Behind Victory
On October 7, 2010, the GW varsity softball team completed its regular season and honored its graduating seniors, Laura Gabriel, Kelce Gerlits, Lauren Josephs, and Audrey Norlander, all of whom are IB students, in grand style, with a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the bottom of the seventh inning against John F. Kennedy High School. [ READ THE WHOLE STORY ]
Four GWIB Seniors Named National Hispanic Scholars
Congratulations to Elena Aragon, Pablo Pantoja-Quiñones, Cristian Mendoza Espinosa (pictured left to right) and Donovan Martinez (not pictured), who have qualified as 2010 National Hispanic Scholars! The College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program was initiated in 1983 to identify outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students. Honorees score in the top 2.5% of the 200,000 eligible students who took the PSAT last October.
[ READ THE WHOLE STORY ]
National Merit Program Commends 8 GWIB Seniors
Congratulations to Maddie Hughes, Matt Webb, Tai Chen, Leorah McGinnis, and Ben Holston (pictured left to right) and to Amelia Brunner, Alex Port, and Meghan Swisher (not pictured) on being named Commended Students in this year's National Merit Scholarship competition. The commendation recognizes their high scores – the top 2-3% of the 1.5 million students who took the test; >200 index score – on last October's PSAT.
Unlike our seven Semifinalists, the Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships. They are given the opportunity, however, to name two colleges or universities to which they would like to be referred by National Merit Scholarship Corp. Some of these students may also become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
We are very proud of these outstanding students and wish them all the best in their college process!
Two GWIB Seniors Receive 2010-2011
National Achievement Program Honors
Congratulations to Rahwa Netsanet, Semifinalist, and Laura Moore, Outstanding Participant, for their success in this year's National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students.
[ READ THE WHOLE STORY ]
GWIB Student/Parent Directory
Your family's information for the 2010-2011 GWIB Student/Parent Directory is due to Gail Saxton (gailsaxton@comcast.net) by October 1.
IB Students Climb (run) Mountains (literally)
Four GW IB students participated in an extraordinarily challenging event, the 17.1 mile Imogene Pass Run, on September 11. The race begins in the town of Ouray, CO (elevation 7810 ft) and climbs 10 miles and 5304 vertical feet to the summit of Imogene Pass (elev. 13,144 ft) before dropping 7.1 miles down to the town of Telluride (elevation 8750 ft). Our students performed well. On the boy's side, Matt Webb, Ben Johnson and Alex Port came in 1st, 3rd, and 4th (times of 3:10:58, 3:21:22 and 3:32:36, respectively) in the male, 15 - 19 age group. On the girl's side, Matt's sister, Ellie Webb, came in 1st side-by-side with her friend, Ellie Pope, in the female 15-19 age group, (time of 3 hrs 55 minutes). Information about the race can be found at: http://www.imogenerun.com/.
Congratulations and good luck to
GW's seven National Merit Semifinalists!
George IB seniors (left to right) Amelia Kucic, Elizabeth (Izzie) Gall, Sarah Wolberg, Matt Symonds, Devon Stork and (not pictured) Sam Clark and Ben Johnson qualified as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists by scoring 212 or above (>99th percentile) on the October 2009 PSAT. They are among 251 Colorado Semifinalists who will continue in this year's competition for scholarships sponsored by colleges, corporations, and the National Merit organization.
This year's Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) is on October 16, with a registration deadline of September 23. [ More Info ]
Devon Stork Hits the Trifecta on SAT Subject Tests
and Scores a Perfect 36 on the ACT
IB senior Devon Stork was one of 24 students honored by the Colorado State Board of Education at a September 15th luncheon for achieving a perfect score on the April 2010 ACT taken by all Colorado public school juniors. Nationally, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all students who took the ACT scored a perfect 36. The national average composite score is 22.
Even within this rarified group, Devon is a remarkable standout. He has also achieved perfect scores (800) on not one, not two, but three SAT Subject Tests: Math II, Biology, and Chemistry. Subject tests are taken by a smaller group of students, typically those who are applying to the most highly selective colleges, because those colleges require the additional tests. Thus, an above average student will often score closer to the Subject Test average of 500, because most of the other test takers are above average too. Devon's three scores fall in the 97th-99th percentile of these academic superstars, which is just flat-out amazing.
Congratulations, Devon, on four jobs extremely well done!
Important College Planning Meetings in September
Saturday, September 11 at Noon – "Self-Advocacy in the College Process" or "How to present yourself to colleges on your application, in interviews, and during campus visits" – seniors only please
Tuesday, September 14 at 6:30 – "The Admissions Game," a workshop with national admissions consultant Peter Van Buskirk. All are welcome!
Saturday, September 25 at Noon – "The Realities of Financial Aid." This information is VITAL for anyone who hopes to get aid to pay for college. All years are strongly encouraged to attend.
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