Robbinsdale Cooper High School
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| Robbinsdale Cooper High School | |
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| Established | 1964 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| Principal | Jeff McGonigal |
| Location | New Hope, Minnesota, United States of America |
| Students | approx. 2,000 |
| Mascot | Hawk |
| Colors | Blue and Orange |
| Website | www.rdale.k12.mn.us/chs/ |
Robbinsdale Cooper High School is a public secondary school located in New Hope, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. Cooper, as it is informally referred to, became an IB World School in July 1998, and now offers the IB Middle Years (MYP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs along with a wide variety of courses and curricula suited to the needs of every student. RCHS offers a comprehensive fine arts and music program, as well as many extra-curricular activities, including, among other things, a broad selection of athletics. RCHS is annually home to more than 2000 students and as of the school year 2006-2007 has exactly 2007 students. Cooper students and Alumni are referred to as Hawks, after the school's mascot.
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[edit] School History
Cooper Senior High School, as it was originally known, was built in 1964 to accommodate increasing enrollment in the Robbinsdale Area School District (Independent School District 281). Once called the most modern high school in the area, Cooper was advanced in both structure and Audio Visual technology. It was named for district superintendent Edwin J. Cooper, and for years "E.J." was a popular guest at school gatherings. Like many other institutions, CHS originally catered to grades 10 through 12, but switched in time to a 9 through 12 grade system. The first principal to oversee the school was Lyndon Ulrich.
In 1982, declining enrollment in the district forced the closure of one of the district's high schools. Robbinsdale High School, a sister school to Cooper, was chosen after contentious debate. In an effort to placate Robbinsdale residents, the two remaining high schools within the district, Cooper and Armstrong, were renamed Robbinsdale Cooper and Robbinsdale Armstrong. The students elected will elect a new student body class President the first week of May. Currently, Sameer Adam stands far ahead of his competitors.
[edit] Academics
| Advanced Curricula | ||
|---|---|---|
| Area of Study | IB Courses | AP Courses |
| Mathematics | Math Studies SL | Calculus AB |
| Math Methods SL | Statistics | |
| Math HL | ||
| Languages | English HL | English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition | ||
| Spanish SL | Spanish Language | |
| Spanish HL | Spanish Literature | |
| French SL/HL | ||
| German SL/HL | ||
| Natural Sciences | Physics HL | Physics B/C |
| Chemistry HL | ||
| Social Sciences | History of the Americas SL | Government |
| World History HL | European History | |
| Business SL | ||
| Fine Arts | IB Art HL | |
^ - The IB Program terms SL and HL shown above are abbreviations for Standard Level and Higher Level, respectively. Within the IB Diploma Program, a Standard Level course is one generally covered in one year, while a Higher Level course requires two years of study. One exception to this rule is the IB Math Methods SL course at RCHS, the material of which is covered over the course of two consecutive years to ensure complete understanding of the Calculus curriculum.
[edit] Cooper Athletics
The Cooper Hawks' main rival are the Armstrong Falcons and the two have had a strong rivaly like that of the neighboring Maple Grove Crimson and Osseo Orioles.
| State Team Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Soccer, Boys | 1 | 1978 |
| Fall | Swimming, Girls | 2 | 2005, 2006 |
| Winter | Wrestling | 2 | 1965 and 1969 |
| Spring | Tennis, Boys | 1 | 1970 |
| Softball, Girls | 1 | 1985 | |
| Spring (Club) | Lacrosse, Boys | 2 | 1999 and 2000 |
| Total | 9 | ||
[edit] Interesting Tidbits
- The school's geographical coordinates are .
- The Quill, the newspaper of RCHS, is recognized as a Minnesota All-State Silver Newspaper.[1] The Quill's current editors-in-chief are David Hiel and Noah Johnson.
- RCHS has topped Newsweek's annual ranking, making in one of the top 10 best high schools in Minnesota several years in a row.[2]
- Cooper entered into the MSHSL North Suburban Conference in 2005. Numerous successes have abounded in a less competitive conference including the Girls' Swim Team Conference Champions award in 2005 and 2006 and the Boys' Basketball Team Conference Champions award in 2006.
- In 2006, Cooper's basketball team finished 2nd in state behind Hopkins High School. This was the first time since 1975 that the team had made it to the state tournament.
- In 2006, Cooper Senior Robert Cegla tied for 8th place with Sylvania Northview Senior Sundeep Mutgi in the National Tournament of Debate. This marks the highest placement ever for a student in District 281 (5 out of the top 20 national finalists were from Minnesota).
- The Cooper Lego Robotics team were State Champions in 2007.
- One of the best teachers in the entire school is Sandy Hawkinson or "The Hawkinator". She is one of the Modern Chemistry and IB SL Chemistry teachers.
- Robbinsdale Cooper has the Third Highest mobility rate of any other schools in the state of MN.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Actor Steve Zahn, who has starred in many films, including Saving Silverman, Sahara, National Security, and That Thing You Do[3].
- United States Marine Scott Modine, who was killed in 2005 while serving in Iraq.
- Steve Plasencia, a two time Track and Field athlete on the US Olympic Team[4]
- Meteorologist Aaron Shaffer, the weekday morning meteorologist for KCWY-TV News 13, and former Weather Central meteorologist.
- Hip-Hop Recording Artist Brother Ali, has recorded critically aclaimed records including Shadows on the Sun, Champion EP and his newest record The Undisputed Truth. He is signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and has toured with acts Atmosphere, Rakim and many others.
- NHL Hockey player Lance Pitlick, who has played for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.
- Former college football player Dan Nystrom, who was a placekicker for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. On November 6, 1999, he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Penn State Nittany Lions, which at the time was ranked #2 in American college football. This was the first major upset win during coach Glen Mason's 10-year coaching career with the Gophers.
- Pop Recording Artists The Jets, an 80’s pop band which was also a family group. They charted five Top 10 songs: "Crush On You," "You Got It All," "Cross My Broken Heart," "Rocket 2 U," and "Make It Real."
- Former National Football League football player Dan "Boomer" Johnson, a tight end for the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1987. In Super Bowl XIX, a 38-16 Dolphins' loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Johnson caught 3 passes from quarterback Dan Marino for a total of 28 yards and 1 touchdown.
- Former NHL Hockey player Jim Johnson, a defenseman for several teams between 1985 and 1998, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota North Stars, the Dallas Stars, the Washington Capitals, and the Phoenix Coyotes.
- Dan Terhaar, a radio sports reporter and hockey play-by-play announcer. He has been the television voice of the Minnesota Wild since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.
- Photojournalist Sean Skinner, The Emmy Winning Photojournalist from WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also currently is the Stadium Announcer for the Robbinsdale Cooper Football Team.
[edit] External links
- Robbinsdale Cooper High School
- International Baccalaureate Organization
- Collegeboard AP Program
- Newsweek Magazine's Top High School Rankings
