Grosse Ile High School

Academics

Grosse Ile High School has one of the highest graduation rates (96%) of all Michigan public school districts. Among districts with at least 100 graduates, GIHS has been in the Top Ten statewide for the past three years.

96% of graduates from Grosse Ile High School attend college, and many go to top 100 universities. GIHS boasts the highest ACT scores in the downriver area, including a composite average of 23.1 in 2012, and scores are steadily on the rise. In 2012, the senior graduating class earned 3.1 million dollars in scholarship money. For a small school, Grosse Ile has many academic and extra-curricular opportunities. Academically, this includes many online and dual-enrollment options, allowing all students to have a rigorous and personalized curriculum.

AP classes are very popular at this school—out of approximately 650 total students in the building, about 300 AP tests are taken. GIHS offers 10 AP classes and additional AP options online. Three foreign languages (Spanish, French, and German) are offered. 26 vocational program options are available onsite or through the Downriver Career Technical Consortium. GIHS also participates in foreign exchange program, with students come from all corners of the world to learn at Grosse Ile High School, most often China and Germany.

Alumni

Max Gail - Stage, Television, and Film Actor, years active: 1970–present

John Gibroni - Professional Racecar Driver, years active: 1999-2012

William Knudsen - Automotive Industry Executive and U.S. Army General

Cameron Waterman - Inventor of the Outboard Motor

Anngilyn Dombrowski - Registered Nurse and Humanitarian Clown with Dr. Patch Adams

Athletics

Grosse Ile High School's mascot is the Red Devil. Their main rival is Riverview Community High School. The Red Devils compete in the Huron League. GIHS has 28 varsity sports, and the various programs have won 24 state championships. Last year the school awarded more varsity letters than the number of students enrolled. Attending sporting events to support peers is also very common at Grosse Ile High School. The official student section of GIHS is called "Red Nation".

Boys' sports include:

Red Devil football has been outstanding in the past couple of seasons. The Red Devils captured back-to-back district championships in 2011 and 2012, and they won a regional championship in 2011. The sailing team (coed) won a state championship in 2011. The boys' soccer team won a Division II State Championship in 2002. And have been district and regional championships 2000-2014. The boys' tennis team has won 16 consecutive Huron League titles, and has made numerous consecutive appearances in the state finals, including a runner-up finish in 2010. They captured a regional championship in 2012. The boys' golf team captured a Huron League championship and a district championship in 2012, before placing third in the state tournament.

Girls' sports include:

The girls' cross country team had a season to remember in 2012, capturing New Herald, Huron League, and Regional championships, and earning themselves a trip to the state championships. The girls' golf team, a program that has won many state championships, earned championships in 2011 and in 2009, with a runner-up finish in 2010. In 2012 they captured a Huron League title. The Red Devil volleyball team won a News Herald title in 2012. Girls' competitive cheer won a state championship in 2010. They won a district championship in 2013, and they consistently qualify for the state championship. The girls' tennis team won a regional championship in 2012, and they also qualify for the state championships on a yearly basis.

Grosse Ile High School also has its share of coaching legends. In summer 2012, tennis coach, John Shade, was inducted into the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame. Jim Bennett, the girls' golf coach, was named as the 2012 National Federation of State High School Association's Coach of the year. Boys' golf coach, Charlie Butler, was named Division III Coach of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association.

Fine Arts

Grosse Ile High School is very supportive of the fine arts, and GIHS has very successful band, choir, and theatre organizations.

Band

The band program is under the direction of Mr. Adam Hendry. In the fall, the Red Devil Marching Band performs a halftime show at home football games and numerous competitions. Past themes have included "Motown", music from the Incredibles, Phantom of the Opera, big band music, Nightwatch, West Side Story, music by The Doors, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James Bond, with their most recent 2016 show being "The Music of Harry Potter". The Red Devil Marching Band earned second place with a caption award for best music at the 2011 Trenton Invitational, and second place at the 2012 Carlson Invitational. The Red Devil Marching Band has earned a medal in many recent years at the MSBOA District 12 Marching Band Festival, including Division 1 ratings in 2010 and in 2011. During concert band season, the program has two bands, the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble. Both bands earned Division 1 ratings at the 2011 and 2012 MSBOA District 12 Band Festivals, and the Wind Ensemble earned a Division 2 rating in 2013.

Chorus

The choral program includes two groups: the Madrigal Choir and the Women's Glee Club. In 2012, the Madrigal choir earned a Division 2 rating at MSVMA District Choral Festival, and they participated in the state choral festival as well.

Theatre

Thespian Troupe 2860, under the direction of Mr. Stephen Kiersey, is a very successful program. The organization puts on three productions each year including a play in the fall, a musical in the spring, and a student-directed one act play festival in the winter. Past plays include The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, You Can't Take It with You, Dracula, The Imaginary Invalid, Southern Hospitality, and After Juliet. Past musicals include Once Upon a Mattress, The Fiddler on the Roof, Bye Bye Birdie, Grease and Little Shop of Horrors.

Clubs and Student Organizations

Grosse Ile High School has more than 20 different clubs and extracurricular organizations. The Grosse Ile High School Student Council is a very active organization that promotes school spirit, plans Homecoming festivities and school dances, works to raise money for charity, works to appreciate staff and student achievement, and promotes a positive school atmosphere. This organization is an active member of the Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies. In the past, this organization has won the Award of Excellence from the Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS), and in 2010 their adviser, Michelle Foster, was named MASC/MAHS Adviser of the Year.

GIHS also has an NHS chapter that works to promote scholarship, character,leadership, and service in their community. A new group at Grosse Ile High School called Students Taking A New Direction (STAND) works to promote a more positive school climate at Grosse Ile High School by bringing in influential speakers and holding student-led discussion groups. This is the school's largest organization by membership, including over 140 students and numerous adult advisers. Link Crew, a group new to GIHS that holds fame nationally, works to help freshmen students become adjusted to the high school environment. Science Club is in charge of the school's recycling program and also participates annually in the Science Olympiad competition. There is also a Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization in this school. GIHS has a Key Club which works to impact the world through charity fundraising. GIHS has three foreign language clubs (Spanish Club, French Club, and German Club). They have an Anime Club for those interested in Japanese culture. Finally Grosse Ile High School also has a Rotary Interact Club which promotes service by participating in Thanksgiving food delivery, shopping for Christmas gifts for underprivileged children, and throwing a party for those children in the Delray area of Detroit. Many of these clubs also set up a themed water station every year at the annual Rock CF half marathon where they compete against other clubs to see who has the coolest water station.

Grosse Ile recently introduced a FIRST Robotics Team for the 2014/2015 year, FRC Team #5498. The "Wired Devils", made up of students from grades 9-12, made it all the way to the World Championships competition in St Louis, Missouri, and were able to achieve the prestigious Rookie Inspiration Award while doing so. They also won many awards at the state and district competitions they attended throughout the season.