Robbinsdale Cooper High School
| Robbinsdale Cooper High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
8230 47th Avenue North , United States | |
| Coordinates | 45°02′27″N 93°23′05″W / 45.0409°N 93.3848°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1964 |
| School district | Robbinsdale Area Schools |
| Principal | Christina Hester |
| Number of students | approx. 2000+ |
| Mascot | Hawk |
| Colors | Orange and blue, (Pale pumpkin and navy) |
| Website | www.chs.rdale.org/ |
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.[1] RCHS offers a comprehensive fine arts and music program, as well as many extra-curricular activities including a broad selection of athletics. RCHS is home to about 2000 students. Cooper students and Alumni are referred to as Hawks, after the school's mascot.
School history
E. J. 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 audiovisual technology. It was named for district superintendent Edwin J. ("E.J.") Cooper, and for years E.J. was a popular guest at school gatherings. The school's first principal was Lyndon Ulrich. In its first year, Cooper held classes for kindergarten as well as grades 10 through 12. After that, it held grade 10 through 12 school. Because the needs of the school district have changed, the school now teaches grades 9 through 12.
In 1982, declining enrollment in the district forced the closure of one of the district's 3 high schools. Robbinsdale High School was chosen for closure 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.
Cooper Athletics & Activities
| State Athletic Team Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Activity | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Soccer, Boys | 1 | 1978 |
| Spring | Tennis, Boys | 1 | 1970 |
| Softball, Girls | 1 | 1985 | |
| Lacrosse, Boys | 2 | 1999 & 2000 | |
| Wrestling, Mens | 2 | 1965 and 1969 | |
| Total | 6 | ||
| State Finearts Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Activity | Number of Championships | Year |
| Winter | Lincoln-Douglas Debate | 1 | 2007 |
Cooper entered into the MSHSL Metro West Conference in the fall of 2014. From 2005 to 2014, Cooper teams competed in the now-defunct North Suburban Conference.
The Girls' Swim Team won the North Suburban Conference Championship in 2005 and 2006. The Boys' Basketball Team won the Conference Championship in 2006, and finished 2nd in the state tournament behind Hopkins High School. This was the first time since 1975 that the team had made it to the state tournament. In 2010 Cooper Sophomore Brenna Walek set 4 Minnesota State High School League records for softball including home runs in a single game (4), consecutive home runs (4), RBIs in a game (9), and walks in a single game (4).
In the 2010–2011 Boy's Hockey season, the Hawks beat their archrival the Armstrong Falcons. It was the first win against Armstrong since 1995. This 2010-11 team tallied 14 wins, their most since 1984. The Girl's hockey team was also quite successful in 2010-11, racking up 7 wins which tied their all-time high. However that season would be their last as the girls' team merged with the Armstrong Falcons in the fall of 2011. The boys' hockey team merged with the Armstrong boys' team in the fall of 2014.
Traditionally, the Cooper Hawks' primary athletic rivalry has been with the Armstrong Falcons.
Notable alumni
- Steve Zahn, actor[2]
- Omar Ansari, owner/CEO of Surly Brewing Company[3]
- Kevin Norberg ('71), member of Dale Warland Singers
- The Jets, pop musicians
- Douglas McCain, jihadist killed in Syria[4][5][6]
- Troy Kastigar, jihadist killed in Somalia[7]
- Steve Plasencia, track and field athlete, Olympian
- Cindy (Seikkula) Peterson, speedskater and Olympian
- Lance Pitlick, NHL player
- Dan "Bomber" Johnson, NFL player
- Jim Johnson, NHL player
- Max Murphy, MLB player in the Minnesota Twins farm system[8]
- Rodney Williams, professional basketball player
References
- ^ International Baccalaureate program
- ^ Steve Zahn references
- ^ "City Pages Artists Of The Year 2007"
- ^ Koplowitz, Howard (August 26, 2014). "Who Is Douglas McAuthur McCain? American Killed Fighting For ISIS". International Business Times. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ McNeal, Gregory S. (June 13, 2014). "Americans Fighting For ISIS Could Face Array Of Criminal Charges". Forbes. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ Ibrahim, Mukhtar (June 12, 2014). "Jihad in Syria lures Somalis from Minnesota". MPR. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "High school buddies followed similar path to jihad".
- ^ [1]