Mesa Ridge High School

Mesa Ridge High School
Address
6070 Mesa Ridge Parkway Colorado Springs, Colorado 80911 United States
Coordinates	38°43′19″N104°42′37″W / 38.72196156335326°N 104.71037873151258°W / 38.72196156335326; -104.71037873151258
Information
Type	Public school
Established	1997(27 years ago) (1997)
School district	Widefield 3
CEEB code	060259
Principal	Levka Craft
Staff	70.50 (FTE) [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,287 (2018–19) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.26 [1]
Color(s)	Purple and black
Athletics conference	4A Southern Colorado Springs Metro League
Mascot	Grizzly
Website	mrhs.wsd3.org

Mesa Ridge High School is a school in Widefield School District 3, a school district in El Paso County, Colorado. The school is zoned to receive students from Fountain, and the Colorado Springs suburbs of Security and Widefield. Mesa Ridge opened in 1997. The first graduating class commenced in 2000. Mesa Ridge is the newest of three high schools in the district, after Widefield High School and Discovery High School. The district also includes a K-12 online school, The Haven.

Academics

Mesa Ridge is a comprehensive public high school offering traditional high school courses as well as honors and Advanced Placement, Career & Technical Programs, and Concurrent Enrollment. ^[2]

Career & Technical (CTE) Programs include Automotive Services; Business Management & Marketing; Cabinetry and General Construction through the MiLL; Cosmetology through ISSA; Information Technology; and Work-Based Learning. ^[2]

Mesa Ridge also offers Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national program that brings together industry, higher education, and public schools to prepare students for post-secondary careers. Students can study Biomedical Science and Engineering. ^[2]

Mesa Ridge is also an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) school. ^[3] AVID is a national program designed to close college opportunity gaps. ^[4] In 2021, 100% of Mesa Ridge students enrolled in AVID were accepted to 2-year or 4-year colleges. ^[5]

Activities

Mesa Ridge High School has many clubs, organizations and activities. In 2021, the school offered nearly 30 clubs for students to participate in, as well as co-curricular programs like Marching Band, Sources of Strength, Yearbook, Student Cabinet, and NJROTC. ^[6]

Marching band

• In 2009, The Pride of Mesa Ridge received the GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award and $5000 from the GRAMMY Foundation. ^[7]
• In 2016, The Pride of Mesa Ridge was featured in the song "Fine On My Own" By the alt rock band Trapdoor Social. ^[8]

NJROTC

• The NJROTC unit won the Colorado Navy Drill, Physical Fitness and Academic Championship 15 years in a row (2000-2014). ^[9]

Winter guard & percussion ensemble

• The Winter Guard team has won five State Championships (2001, 2006, 2012, 2022, 2023). ^[10]
• The Mesa Ridge Percussion Ensemble won State in 2012. ^[11]

Other activities

• The mathematics club has had distinguished achievements, including a first-place finish in the 2005 Colorado State University-Pueblo mathematics competition. The team has produced honorable mentions several times in school history.

Athletics

Mesa Ridge offers the following athletic programs: ^[12]

• Baseball
• Basketball (men's/women's)
• Cheer (co-ed)
• Cross Country
• eSports
• Football
• Golf (men's/women's)
• Soccer (men's/women's)
• Softball
• Swimming (men's/women's). This is a combined team with Widefield High School. Athletes are known as the Grizzliators.
• Tennis (men's/women's)
• Track & Field
• Volleyball (women's)
• Volleyball (men's). This is a combined team with Widefield High School. Athletes are known as the Grizzliators.
• Wrestling (men's/women's)

Achievements

Basketball (women's)

• In 2014, the team won the 4A State Championship title. ^[13]

Basketball (men's)

• In 2024, the team won the 5A State Championship title. ^{[14] [15]}
• In 2023, the team won the 5A State Championship title. ^[16]

Winter Guard

• In 2023, the team won the RMCGA Scholastic AA State Championship. ^[17]
• In 2022, the team won the State Championship title. ^[18]

Wrestling

• In 2024, Isabella Cross (110) won the 4A Women's State Championship ^{[19] [20]}
• In 2024, Isaiah Jones (165) won the 4A Men's State Championship ^{[19] [20]}
• In 2023, Isabella Cross (125) won the 4A Women's State Championship, ^[21] becoming the first female state wrestling champion in Widefield School District history.

Notable alumni

• Kylie Shook (Class of 2016). WNBA (New York Liberty). ^[22]
• Fatima Maddox (Class of 2003), WNBA (Houston Comets). Harlem Globetrotters. ^[23]

External links

• Widefield School District 3

References

1. "Mesa Ridge High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
2. "Academics - Mesa Ridge HS". mrhs.wsd3.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
3. "AVID - Mesa Ridge HS". mrhs.wsd3.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
4. "AVID® / Closing the Opportunity Gap in Education". www.avid.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
5. "About Us - Mesa Ridge HS". mrhs.wsd3.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
6. "Activities - Mesa Ridge HS". mrhs.wsd3.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
7. MCGRAW, CAROL (5 May 2009). "It's music to their ears: Mesa Ridge HS gets $5k from Grammy Foundation". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
8. Trapdoor Social - Fine On My Own ft. The Pride of Mesa Ridge,.
9. mcgraw, carol (27 January 2014). "Mesa Ridge JROTC takes state championship". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
10. "Archives". Rocky Mountain Color Guard Association. 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
11. "RMPA". rmpa.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
12. "MHS Teams - Mesa Ridge HS". mrhs.wsd3.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
13. "Mesa Ridge defeats Broomfield for Class 4A girls basketball title". The Denver Post. 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
14. "5A Boys Basketball: Mesa Ridge Wins Back-to-Back Championships". chsaanow.com. 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
15. "Bryce Riehl scores 30 points to lead Mesa Ridge past Windsor to win second straight Class 5A title". The Denver Post. 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
16. "5A boys basketball: Mesa Ridge caps off perfect season with program's first championship". chsaanow.com. 11 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
17. "The Pride of Mesa Ridge - Color Guard". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
18. "MRHS Winter Guard outperforms the competition to earn state title". Fountain Valley News. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
19. [e-mail], The Gazette (2024-02-18). "State wrestling finals recap: 10 local athletes bring home state titles". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
20. "Five Teams, 196 Individuals Win State Wrestling Titles". chsaanow.com. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
21. Mohrmann, Dan (2023-02-19). "Running list of 2023 CHSAA state wrestling champions". Colorado Preps. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
22. "Colorado native Kylee Shook embarks on rookie WNBA season: "It feels great representing my state"". The Denver Post. 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
23. "Mesa Ridge alum Fatima Maddox "made to be Globetrotter"". The Denver Post. 2015-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-15.