During the past two years, the challenges faced by GHS students and staff made the cautious return to activities and sports even more joyful this semester. These are some of the Foothiller achievements this semester.
Footloose
In 1921, Grossmont’s first play, “All of a Sudden Peggy”, was performed. One-hundred-and-one years later, drama teacher Amity Ecker described this year’s production: “The Foothiller Players opened the first musical production, Footloose, on the Main Stage in our new theater. The show was a celebration of the opening of the new theater and was a collaboration with the Dance and Theatre departments at GHS. Prior to opening night, there was a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, where students were honored with certificates from California State senators and assemblymen and which was featured on KUSI. More than 50 students were involved in the show, and they played to sold-out houses over six evenings of the production run.”
Staff Members of the Year
These staff members were selected for their professionalism, their dedication, and their caring:
Science teacher Stephanie La Berge-Luhnow, chosen by the Grossmont HS teachers as their Teacher of the Year. She will be featured in the fall SDCOE Teacher of the Year showcase.
Drama Teacher Amity Ecker, selected by GHS students as its Golden Apple Teacher of the Year.
GHS Nurse Bambi Arredondo, chosen by the GHS staff as its Classified Employee of the Year.
Athletics
Congratulations to our 2022 league and CIF championship sports teams.
Girls water polo finished second in CIF Open Division Championship and won its eighth league championship since its first championship in 1998. Coach Danielle Cook shared, “This is a season I’ve always dreamed about as a coach. The work of everyone from the coaching staff, parents, to the amazing young women in the water really came through in the end. We battled every day to be better than the day before, and every member of the team played an important role to help achieve these goals.”
Boys basketball, 33rd league championship since its first in 1924.
Boys soccer, 10th league championship since its first in 1973.
Boys golf, 14th league championship since its first in 1983.
Boys lacrosse, 13th league championship since its first in 2005. According to Coach Nick Hernandez, “We had a great season this year with an incredibly talented group of young men. Our win against Torrey Pines High School was one of the biggest wins in our program’s history. Grossmont finished the regular season ranked number three in San Diego County.”
Boys tennis, 44th league championship since its first in 1939. Coach Wayne Eddington shares, “We were young and talented in singles and had a few veteran doubles teams. That combo produced an excellent team and season. 15-1 overall and 8-0 in league play. The top two singles players were Blake Lorenzo who was selected League MVP and Jun Dilmaghanian who advanced to the Final 16 in the CIF SD City Tournament.”
Boys volleyball, GHS’s 20th league championship since its first in 1991, and its second CIF championship. Coach Aaron French described the season: “The Grossmont boys volleyball team worked hard day in and day out throughout the season. Because of their passion for the game and their willingness to push themselves, they were able to battle adversity and win the CIF Division 3 championship.”
Throughout the semester, Foothiller students and staff worked to return to a sense of normalcy; the students’ and the coaches’ accomplishments are impressive, reflecting the pride and achievement of Foothillers in and out of the classroom.
GHS Museum closed May 25 until fall 2023
While we are closed, we will have an “office” in the social science lounge in the lower quad. There, we will have access to our file cabinets, a copy of each yearbook, the bound newspapers, and other research items we use frequently; we will continue to write our monthly columns.
Reunions are welcome to contact us to schedule a campus and district office tour with prior arrangement. Visit our website at foothillermuseum.com to learn more about GHS, past and present. Contacts: (619) 668-6140 and [email protected].
Upcoming reunions
Class of 1958: Tuesday, July 5, GHS campus and district office tour and lunch. Contact Mike Vitkauskas at [email protected].
Class of 1972: Saturday, Sept. 10 (6 to 10 p.m.). Contact [email protected].
Classes of 1980, 1981, and 1982: July 29 main event and July 30 family picnic, GHS campus and district office tour. Contact [email protected].
Class of 1992: Saturday, Aug. 27. To RSVP and purchase a ticket, alumni will need to visit: reunion-specialists.com/reunion2.php?reunion=939#.YocipeiZO3A
– Connie and Lynn Baer write on behalf of the Grossmont High School Museum.
