For many, the holiday season is a time to slow down, reconnect with loved ones, and reflect on the things that moved and inspired us. In that spirit, I’d like to pause from our regular Board of Ed business and happenings this month and highlight some of the fantastic achievements of our students and staff.
In academics, Granby High School achieved its highest rank ever in U.S. NewsBest High Schools. Granby is in the top 20 in Connecticut, top seven in Greater Hartford. Eighty-three percent of juniors met the SAT benchmark in Evidence-based Reading and Writing, which is the highest percentage at goal for that cohort. Ninety-four percent of the Class of 2024 took at least one of our 32 college credit bearing courses. Eighty-nine percent of students taking an AP course received a score of three or better and 117 students enrolled in Early College Experience (ECE) courses, earning a total of 704 college credits.
In sports, our Granby Bears student athletes gave us huge reasons to cheer and celebrate: the GMHS volleyball and field hockey teams went 19-1 and 13-2-1, respectively, to become NCCC Conference Champions. Our boys’ soccer team went 11-2-3 earning second place NCCC and our girls’ soccer team went 11-4-1, earning third place NCCC. Granby Bears Football went 7–2 as of this writing and currently sits in second place in the Pequot Uncas division, and both the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams finished the season strong in competitive races.
In music and the arts, several students just put on an outstanding performance of the Twisted Tales of Poe (and we can’t forget that amazing rendition of Footloose last year). Fourteen choir students and two orchestra members were selected for the Middle School Northern Regional Festival Choirs, which demonstrates the strength of our music program. Seven students received the prestigious Young Writers Award, showcasing their exceptional writing talents.
The Granby Board of Education is committed to supporting our staff and students in raising the bar of academic excellence in our schools and looks forward to another year of continued growth. We are proud to support extracurricular activities that help our students develop athletic and artistic talents, identify and work toward goals while learning self-discipline, emotional management and communication skills. We are blessed and grateful for Granby administrators and educators who have helped build the foundation on which our students are achieving and will continue to build upon for life.