Highlights and Achievements from George Washington High School
From the Desk of Dr. Davis
Dear GWHS Community,
Though May always feels like the whirlwind that blows us into a smoother summer, we can't miss an opportunity to ask you all to take a pause. This issue of the Patriot Post will be well worth your reading time, as it is full of incredible accomplishments from our students.
First, of course, we celebrate our Class of 2025 seniors. They are off to great things, and we wish them success and happiness (and invite them to come back to enjoy an athletic event at GWHS anytime!).
Besides our pride in our graduating class, we are excited to display all our students can do. From eSports CHSAA state championships to JROTC archery finalists, from talented student-artists to Robotics awards, so many of our students deserve congratulations.
Enjoy this issue, and we look forward to welcoming our students home in August!
With Patriot Pride,
Dr. Dackri Davis
Principal | George Washington High School
IB Learner Profile Trait
With each issue of the Patriot Post, we highlight an attribute from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile. The Learner Profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. Each characteristic implies a commitment to help all members of the GWHS community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.
To be principled, we act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
CADA Athletic Director of the Year
Please join us in congratulating Brendan Netherton, who has been recognized by the Colorado Athletic Directors Association (CADA) as the Athletic Director of the Year, representing the Denver City League! This prestigious honor highlights Brendan’s exceptional leadership, tireless dedication, and unwavering commitment to student-athletes and school spirit. His work has elevated our athletic programs and created a positive, inclusive culture that champions both character and competition. We’re proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition—congratulations, Brendan!
Brendan Netherton (center) receiving CADA Athletic Director of the Year
Spring Sports Highlights
As the 2024–2025 school year wraps up, we are proud to recognize the achievements of our spring sports programs. From regional tournaments to state championship appearances, George Washington student-athletes competed with heart, integrity, and Patriot pride. Here's a recap of an outstanding spring season:
Boys Swim and Dive
The Patriots capped off an exciting season with standout performances at the CHSAA State Championships.
Diving:
Macland Taylor: Twelfth place
Benjamin Parsons: Seventeenth place
Swimming:
200 Yard Medley Relay: Fourteenth place (1:40.49)
Luke Fountain, Edgardo Garcia-Escobar, Kameron Cyphers-Bell, Alek Walczak
200 Yard IM:Edgardo Garcia-Escobar: Twelfth place (2:00.06)
500 Yard Freestyle: Keegan Merson: Eighteenth place (5:04.76)
100 Yard Breaststroke: Edgardo Garcia-Escobar: Eighth place (59.36)
400 Yard Freestyle Relay: Sixteenth place (3:25.89)
Honorable Mention All-League: Travis Nguyen, Phillip Abad, Jhoan Salas
Unified Track and Field We are proud of our Unified athletes representing GWHS at the CHSAA State Track and Field Unified Events at JeffCo Stadium!
Participants: Anthony Cortes-Gomez, Jordan Reaves, Adama N'Diaye, Ruben Nicolas-Ortiz, Jose Gonzalez-Palomares
Events: 100m Dash, Shot Put, Long Jump
Their spirit and sportsmanship truly embody what it means to be a Patriot. We are incredibly proud of all our athletes and coaches for their commitment, teamwork, and achievements this season. Go Patriots!
Class of 2025 Highlights
The incredible hard work the Class of 2025 has displayed over the past four years has paid off, with students earning over $16.5 million in scholarship dollars, not including any need-based financial aid. The Class of 2025 also includes a Boettcher Scholar, John Sheehan, which awards highly-accomplished seniors across the state $80,000 over four years to any Colorado college or university, and two DPS Retired Employees' Association Foundation Scholars, Oakley Thomas and Isabelle Sabo, which awards impressive seniors up to $40,000 over four years. This year’s graduating Patriots have been admitted to hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States, Canada and abroad.
Our 2025 graduates will be pursuing certificates and degrees in nearly every discipline imaginable at numerous in-state institutions (including Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Colorado system, the Colorado State University system, Regis University, Community College of Denver, Community College of Aurora, Pickens Technical College, Emily Griffith Technical College, Colorado College, University of Northern Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, Western Colorado University, Fort Lewis College and the University of Denver), as well as at out-of-state and out-of-country schools (including Northwestern University, University of California Los Angeles, University of California Santa Barbara, McGill University [Canada], Cornell University, Gonzaga University, Northeastern University, George Washington University, University of Oregon [2], Grinnell College [2], Rochester Institute of Technology, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, University of Vermont, Yale University, Loyola University Chicago, Chapman University, University of Arizona, University of Washington, United States Air Force Academy [2], Hiram College, San Diego State University, Miami Dade College, University of Kansas, Creighton University [2], University of Utah [2], Bryn Mawr College…the list goes on!).
DPS Food and Health Council in the News
Our DPS Food and Health Council was recently featured in an ABC 7 newscast. The Council consists of students who meet monthly to review new recipies and provide feedback, as well as help improve produce quality through foods raised in our very own greenhouse. Check out the story and video HERE!
GWHS E-Sports Wins 2025 CHSAA State Championship
Congratulation to the 2024-2025 Patriot E-Sports team for winning this year's CHSAA State Championship for Super Smash Bros! They competed against 190 teams across the state, and beat Douglas County High School in the finals. The team earned a spot in the National Championship and will play the best team from each state.
In February, The Kraken traveled to Duluth, Minnesota, competing in the Northern Lights Regional, and in March, they took the field at Denver’s DU Magness Arena. There, The Kraken advanced to the playoffs and made it to Round 4 before being eliminated. At the Denver event, they were honored with the Gracious Professionalism Award, which celebrates teams that exemplify the core values of FIRST: intense competition balanced with kindness, respect, and cooperation both on and off the field. Beyond competition, The Kraken made strong connections within both the Colorado and global robotics communities, mentoring Northfield High School’s rookie team (Northfield Night Bots) and hosting a visiting team from the Czech Republic before the Denver competition. Kraken plans to continue their outreach efforts in the local community, leading STEM programming for K–12 students at the Montbello and Central Libraries, and the Girl Scouts’ DreamLab.
This fall, the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) team had an incredible season, competing in multiple events and ultimately qualifying for the state championship! With a strong foundation in place, they are excited to welcome new members to the FTC team next year and continue building on this success.
The team is open to students of all backgrounds and skill levels. Students are welcome to stop by and/or join throughout the year. To get involved, please fill out the INTEREST FORM or email cmbenjamin08@gmail.com for more information.
The Kraken Robotics Team 1410
The Kraken Robotics Team 1410
Visual Arts Spring Arts Show
GWHS visual arts students have excelled in a variety of art shows and contests this spring. Our art students and teachers work hard to stretch and grow their creativity and skills in drawing and painting, sculpture, digital art and photography. Isabelle Sabo won a gold key award from Scholastic with her "Rats on a Subway." GWHS had two media category winners in the Congressional Art Competition, from Colorado District 1, and received awards from Congresswoman Diana Degette. Jude Howard won best photograph and Pailey Ausbrooks won best mixed media/collage. GWHS artists also had a strong showing at the Citywide High School Art show with awards going to Sonja Hammond-Smith, Ignazi Hollon, Jude Howard, Tyler Salim, Clove Smith and Parker Trammell.
"Rats on a Subway"
by Isabelle Sabo
Art show panel
Pailey Ausbrooks
receiving award
Jude Howard
receiving award
Harvard Crimson Journalism Summit
In April, three Journalism students (Jaden Barrios Pablo, Gracie Arellano and Riley Duignan) took the opportunity to visit Boston, MA and participate in the Harvard Crimson Journalism Summit. Students were able to speak to journalists from all over the country, tour Harvard, and see Boston.
GWHS Student to Represent USA in Germany This Summer
Jensen Tsao has been selected for the USA under-16 team to represent the US Dragon Boat team. He will travel with his team to Germany this summer to compete at World Dragon Boat race. Go Team USA!
GWHS JROTC Students Attend Annual Awards Ceremony
Select members of the GWHS JROTC program attended the DPS JROTC Annual Awards Ceremony held at South High School on Wednesday, April 16. Students received certificates, ribbons and medals for their excellent leadership and participation within the JROTC program. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to the JROTC program!
Pictured from left to right (front row) are Jordan Sawyer, Gladys Salgado, Taliha Moulayanis, Sonja Hammond-Smith, Kingston Goos and Franco Salazar. Pictured from left to right (back row) are Kent Pelham, Anthony Gonzalez, William Breaux, Roxy Thaw, Matt Heistad and Cole Ledges.
GWHS JROTC Students Compete at Black Hills Raider Challenge
The GWHS JROTC Raider Team competed at the Fourth Annual Black Hills Raider Challenge on Saturday, April 26 in Rapid City, South Dakota. The event consisted of a 5K run, one-rope bridge, gauntlet, cross country rescue, obstacle course and a physical endurance course. The Raider Team placed third in the 5K run, third in the one-rope bridge and third in the gauntlet event. The team received a trophy for placing third overall among 42 competing teams. The raider team had the opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore and the historic town of Deadwood while in South Dakota. Congratulations to our JROTC Raider Team!
Pictured from left to right (front row) are Nathan Lupo, Gavin Weber, and Sam Datz. Pictured from left to right (back row) are Kent Pelham, William Breaux, Matt Heistad, Joaquin Hernandez and Cole Ledges.
GWHS JROTC Color Guard Performs at Rockies Game
The GWHS JROTC Color Guard presented The Colors at the Colorado Rockies baseball game held on Sunday, April 27 at Coors Field. The team performed extremely well and were asked to return for future baseball games. The color guard members stayed after the presentation of colors and watched the game. Great job, Color Guard!
Pictured from left to right are Kingston Goos, Gladys Salgado, Bryan Curiel and Franco Salazar.
Geometry in Construction Class Completes Major Project
The GWHS Geometry in Construction class recently finished up their final project of the year for the Baseball team. The students built an 8 foot by 8 foot shed for the team to use for equipment storage. Geometry in Construction is a two-period class, including one period of Geometry and a second period of construction, specifically carpentry. Prior to building the shed, the class worked on building smaller projects such as benches, a scale model of a house, and a ball-collecting bin for the Robotics team. This year has been a very exciting one! When the students come to class, the first question they ask is, "Are we doing construction today?"
GIC Students with Baseball Shed
GIC Students with Baseball Shed
GWHS Model United Nations Update
GWHS's Model UN team sends a thank you to all the community members and students who participated this year. Having finished our second year with MUN, our team has gained valuable experience, which we plan on carrying forward to drive improvements next year. Our team is planning to host a MUN event at GWHS next school year during the second semester. The goal of this event is to build up funds in order to attend a MUN event outside of Colorado. If you enjoy international relations, current events, and role play, then the GW MUN club is right for you - consider joining! Contact Alex_Parker@dpsk12.net for more info!
Model UN Team
Model UN Team
GWHS Student Receives #MyPlanDPS Student Achievement Award
One of our amazing seniors, Roland Swank, was recently featured in Our DPS Weekly! Roland received the #MyPlanDPS Student Achievement Award for his future plan: to become a Venture Capitalist focused on impacting struggling communities in Indonesia.
Weekly Food Pantry Serves Record Number, Powered by Students and Community
Each week, the Food Pantry at GWHS continues to grow, both in the number of people we serve and the power of our community’s support! What started as a small initiative has now become a vital resource for many, and a powerful example of what’s possible when students, families, and neighborhoods work together.
Last week, the pantry hit a new milestone by serving 103 individual students and staff. Since each pantry user typically represents a household, and our surveys show an average household size of just over six people, that means we provided meals for approximately 618 individuals—an incredible 175% growth since September.
One of the things we’re most proud of is how efficiently we’ve been able to keep up with this increased demand, thanks in large part to strategic sourcing, including free high-quality items like ground beef, chicken, and sometimes even milk from Food Bank of the Rockies (FBoR). To help stretch resources even further, pantry organizers have implemented a smart rotation system for high-demand items like cooking oil and ketchup, offering them on alternating weeks to ensure everyone gets a fair shot at these essentials.
One of the most exciting aspects of the pantry’s evolution has been the growing involvement of students. A dedicated group of student volunteers now helps run much of the weekly operation. Their energy and commitment have not only sped up the process for shoppers, but also transformed the atmosphere of the pantry.
Fresh Produce Available
Student Volunteers
Two Students Participate in International DECA Competition
From April 27 through April 30, GWHS juniors Ben Zemel and Diego Holguin competed in the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida. The ICDC brings together roughly 10,000 students from around the world to test their skills in business knowledge and application. Congrats to these hardworking students!
Diego Holguin / Ben Zemel
GWHS Speech and Debate Heads to National Tournament
Twenty-six members of GWHS's Speech and Debate Team are headed the the National Tournament in June. The tournament, sponsored by the National Speech and Debate Association, will take place Saturday, June 14 through Friday, June 20 in Des Moines, Iowa, where the association is headquartered. This is the 100th anniversary of the National Speech and Debate Association and an array of celebrations are planned in addition to the competition. Our amazing and talented qualifiers are:
