Gila Ridge High School is a high school in Yuma, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Yuma Union High School District. It opened to freshman and sophomores for the 2007/08 school year. The school mascot is the Hawks. The school is located on 24th St, which is home to many other schools in the Yuma County District, including Desert Mesa Elementary, Mary A. Otondo Elementary, Castle Dome Middle School, Ron Watson Middle School and Sunrise Elementary. Gila Ridge is also located west of Arizona Western College. In May 2010, Gila Ridge High School held its first graduation, of students who had started at Gila Ridge as sophomores. In May 2011, the school's four-year graduating students became known as the first "100% Hawk" class. Gila Ridge High School also won the City Championship title in 2014. The Hawks took the title from the Cibola Raiders who had held the title for the past seven years straight. On February 26, 2018, a shooting threat in detail and resemblance to the Parkland shooting began to circulate which lead to the cancellation of classes on the following Tuesday. Extra precautions were taken at other schools in the district.
Performing Arts
Dance
Gila Ridge's Dance department is run by Mrs. Tamra White. This department consists of four different levels of classes: Modern Dance 1, Modern Dance 2, Modern Dance 3, and Performing dance. In this department, the student will learn about many of the body's muscles, dance history, and dance styles such as Ballet, Jazz, Tap, HIp-Hop, and Contemporary as well as learn the art of improvised dance. All dance classes count as the student's PE and FA credit.
Modern Dance 1
The Modern Dance 1 class is open to all students grades 9-12. It is most commonly taken by Freshman and acts as both a Physical Education and Fine Arts credit. Students are required to participate in after school rehearsals and the Spring Dance Concert during the second semester.
Modern Dance 2 & 3
Modern Dance 2 & 3 are available to students who have taken Modern Dance 1 for one year. Class size is arranged via an audition process in-class during the second semester of the year prior. Once the student has reached this level of dance, they may perform in the Fall Dance Concert as well as the Spring Dance Concert.
Performing Dance
Hawk's Performing Dance class is composed of exceptional dancers selected via an after-school audition process. The dancer must be able to do his/her right and left splits, fouettes, as well as other challenging dance moves if he/she is to be accepted into Performing Dance. Acceptance into this class also warrants acceptance into Gila Ridge's Hawks Performing Dance Team. The dance team will perform at pep-rallies, football games, and has-in the past-gone to dance competitions for titles. The Performing Dance class performs at both the Fall and Spring Dance Concerts.
Drama
Gila Ridge's Drama department and Drama Club is instructed by Mr. Forrest Straley, a former Theatre professor at AWC and professional theatre actor. This department consists of 3 classes, Drama, Production & Performance, and Theatre Production; all of which count as FA credit.
Drama I
Gila Ridge's Drama class acts as an introduction to acting and theatre. The students learn the basics of acting, stage combat, and shakespeare. Gila Ridge's Drama class is available to students grades 9-12.
Production & Performance
Plainly explained as Advanced Drama, or Drama II, Production & Performance not only expands on what is learned in Drama I and explores the art of acting, but teaches the students how to conduct themselves professionally in auditions, rehearsals, etc. Decidedly more difficult than the standard "Drama" class, succession in Gila Ridge's Production & Performance class requires dedication to the craft and a genuine interest in the theatre arts. This class is available to students grades 10–12.
Theatre Production
Theatre Production's curriculum consists of building, painting, and striking sets as well as learning the basics of technical theatre.
