The first high school class at Gresham High School was taught in 1902-1903, after the residents of Gresham decided that the students in their schools should receive higher education. A grade was added each year until the first senior class graduated in 1906, consisting of only two people.[5]
The Gresham High School building was constructed in 1914 and opened in 1915 as Union High School No. 2.[6] Before then, high school classes were taught in a schoolhouse that is now the site of the defunct West Gresham Grade School.[7] Both the first edition of the yearbook and the first edition of the newspaper, The Argus, were published in 1916. Sometime in the late 1920s or 1930s, the school renamed to Gresham Union High School.
Since the school's opening, there have been many improvements to the grounds to accommodate the increasing number of students and their safety. In 1922, a gymnasium and auditorium were built, followed by a south wing of classrooms in 1936. In 1940, through the Works Progress Administration, the current gym, an updated auditorium, a north wing of classrooms, and an agriculture building were constructed. In 1971, the building was remodeled once again, and a new Health-Physical Education unit was added. The same year, the original grandstands, made completely of wood, burned to the ground in less than 30 minutes. The new grandstands were completed the following year. In 1993, a new Physical Education building was completed behind the grandstands.[8]
In 2000, the Gresham-Barlow School District approved a $40.2 million bond, and Gresham High School got an expanded library and counseling office, six new classrooms, a new cafeteria and kitchen, and more. Through this bond, the school district also updated other older buildings and built Springwater Trail High School and the Center for Advanced Learning.
In 2016, the Gresham-Barlow School District and the voters of Gresham passed a $291 million bond to replace most parts of the school,[9] with construction beginning in 2018 and ending in 2021. Until the recent remodel,[10] the school still had asbestos tiling and pipe insulation throughout the building and numerous architectural faults.[1]
In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 450 students, 366 graduated, 45 dropped out, 15 received a modified diploma, and 24 were still in high school in 2009.[12][13]
The Theatre Arts Department offers students opportunities ranging from acting in main stage productions, including a full length musical, to directing or working as crew members backstage. Students work with theatre professionals throughout the Portland area, including a residency with Portland Center Stage, and working with influential organist Martin Ellis.
The choir program consists of Encore Choir, Gresham Men's Choir, Treble Choir, Concert Choir, and Overtones. For five years in a row, the Gresham High School Concert Choir placed in the top five in the OSAA State Choir Competition.
The Gresham High School Band program consists of Jazz Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, Pep Band, and Pit Orchestra. The first Gresham High School Band was in 1926.
Although the Gresham Barlow School District cut millions of dollars from the budget for the 2009/2010 school year, the band and choir programs were able to continue at Gresham High School because of peaceful student protests through song.[1]
Gresham High School produces two newspapers: The Gresham Argus and The Gopher Gazette. They are produced by separate staffs and are budgeted by their own advertising efforts. The newspapers have different audiences as well; the Gresham Argus is delivered to students in class, and the Gopher Gazette is distributed via postal mail to parents of students and businesses in the community. The Gopher Gazette recently lost funding and had to switch to an online format.
