Glastonbury High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States.
As the only high school in Glastonbury, it serves around 2,000 students and employs around 150 faculty members. As of 2023, the school ranks 1,158th out of a possible 17,680 high schools nationally and is ranked 23rd out of a possible 198 high schools in Connecticut.
Contents
Departments
Glastonbury High School has two support departments: School Counseling and Special Education/Pupil Services.
In addition to the two main support departments, students can receive extra assistance through the Math Center, Reading and Writing Center, and the Library Media Center.
For more emotional and mental support, Glastonbury High School also offers a Student Support Center. This support center is open to any and all in need of a break or a place to talk. This room is supervised by 2 of the school’s support/counseling based staff members. Furthermore, this room is a prime example of the district’s partnership with BluePath, a therapy dog service that provides the schools with some effortlessly cuddly support. Glastonbury High School’s student support center service dog is Jackson.
The Mary A. Kingsbury Library at Glastonbury High School provides research material in the building and at home with a variety of print resources (i.e. books, magazines, reference material) and paid Internet databases (e.g. newspaper archives).
Activities
Glastonbury High School (GHS) offers a variety of clubs and activities for students, including rowing, cross-country, football, swimming and diving, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, wrestling and track teams. The school also offers a variety of clubs, boasting over a hundred of them.
Athletics
Glastonbury High School's athletic programs were ranked among the best in the state and country in 2015, coming in at number 1 in Connecticut and 14 nationally. The school's team name was the Tomahawks until 2020, when the name changed to the Guardians.
State championships
The Glastonbury Guardians have won state championships in the following sports and seasons:
Renovations and building history
A renovation was completed in September, 2007. New science labs and classrooms were added to the school. The old science wing, auditorium, and gym facilities received major renovations, and the library and cafeteria each received an addition.
The Glastonbury Education Foundation funded a state-of-the-art digital television studio in May, 2008.
Glastonbury High School was built in 1953 and had renovations done in 2007 when a science wing was added.
In June 2016, the school board approved plans to build a brand new artificial turf soccer field with lights on the Baldwin Fields behind the school building. The field is planned to be built in 2017 and is estimated to cost around $1.6 million. Included in the plan are bleachers for 250 spectators, a fence around the field, and ball netting to catch loose balls. Space will be set aside for another project in the future which will include storage, bathrooms, and locker rooms.
In 2022 the school opened a new "STEAM" lab in the E wing where the automotive workshop was once located. The lab features software and technology to help students conduct their own research. The addition cost $300,000 to construct and an additional $400,000 to fully furnish. The renovation also included a renovation of the adjacent graphics design classroom.
Notable alumni
Laura Ingraham (1981), conservative political commentator, author, and radio host
Amy Brenneman (1982), actress, writer and producer
Jarosław Wałęsa (1995), member of the European Parliament for Poland
Dan Barrett (1999), musician, co-creator of rock band Have A Nice Life and solo projects Giles Corey & Black Wing
Ocean Vuong (2006), poet, essayist, and novelist
Donn Cabral (2008) cross country and track runner, competed in 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics
Alexandra Rojas (2013), political commentator, Executive Director of Justice Democrats