Yuma High, Gila Ridge to host annual open houses on Monday

Yuma High and Gila Ridge invite families to their respective schools Monday night for Open House.

Gila Ridge is having its 11th annual Open House while Yuma High is celebrating 109 years of educating Yuma County students.

The event at Gila Ridge will kick off at 5 p.m., when student schedules will be available for parents to pick up in the dining room until 5:25 p.m. Once schedules are picked up, a short presentation will be held in the auditorium at 5:30 p.m. Beginning at 5:50, relatives will follow a shortened version of their daily schedules.

Due to the shortened schedule, individual parent conferences will not take place during Open House at either high school. However, if parents would like to schedule a parent-teacher conference on another day, they are encouraged to do so. Teachers at Yuma High will have conference signup sheets in their classrooms.

Yuma High’s event will run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, and new Principal Robert Chouinard will be on hand to greet parents and students, said Eric Patten, YUHSD’s community relations and communications director.

At both schools, students will have the chance to learn about the Ready Now Yuma initiative, which represents the district’s commitment to ensuring that every student graduates ready for success in college and career.

Both campuses will be open for visitors and parents to visit classrooms, meet teachers, tour campus facilities and interact. Additionally, there will be multiple presentations for visitors, including booths for student clubs and activities as well as some athletic teams. Maps will be available at Yuma High.

Yuma High School predates Arizona statehood. In 1909, the Arizona Territory taxpayers voted to organize a union district from several elementary districts. In September of that year, Yuma High School began with four teachers in three rooms near the corner of Main and 3rd Streets. At the end of the first year, 12 seniors graduated.

The next year, 1910, saw the school move to the newly abandoned Yuma Territorial Prison. For the next three years, the prison was to be the home of Yuma High School. Teachers conducted classes in the cellblock area and the school held assemblies in what had been the prison hospital.