Duke Update December 14, 2025
Holiday fun has hit GHS! This week we celebrate the holidays with decorations in the halls and holiday school spirit week. Tomorrow, wear your ugly holiday sweater! Check GHS social media for details. We end the week with a Winter Sports Pep Rally!
Reminder - Friday, December 19th is a full day for students and staff. Winter Break begins on Monday, December 22nd until Friday, January 2nd. We hope that all of our students, and staff have a relaxing and enjoyable Winter Break! The next Duke update will be in 2026!
Congratulations to Our Nurse Aide Program! Our first-semester cohort has successfully completed clinicals at Sanders and Walter Reed Hospital—and we received positive feedback from both sites!
On Tuesday, our NJROTC program will be having their annual inspection. We wish them success and know they will do well!
On Tuesday, our GHS Choral dept has their holiday concert at 7pm. Our very own principal, Mr. Brayboy will even accompany them on the drums for a song. Don't miss out!
We say goodbye to our bookkeeper, Mrs. Darlene Early, who has retired after 20+ years with GCPS. She will be dearly missed. We welcome our new bookkeeper Ms. Lisa Chandler.
CROCHET CLUB* We will meet next Monday December 15th in Mrs Fernandez's room, 138, right after school until 4:30. We will touch base on our collaborative projects and enjoy some cozy and relaxing yarn time together. Hope to see you there!
This Tuesday, December 16th and Wednesday, December 17th Renaissance will have a sugar cookie bar during all lunches as the Quarter Reward. Students, bring your red or yellow Ren card to lunch on 12/16 or 12/17 to receive your cookie!
The Explorers club - the contest is still on to sell the most chocolate by our next meeting December 15th. - Please turn in any funds raised over the holiday weekend and pick up more chocolate to sell! Whoever sells the most will win an awesome gift basket from the club!!
Counseling
Seniors: Now is the time to apply for scholarships. The GHS Scholarship Application has been e-mailed to your school-based e-mail and it can also be accessed from your Naviance account. Paper copies are available in the Counseling Office. This application enables you to apply for multiple local scholarships with just the one application. If you are thinking of attending any trade school or a 4-year or 2-year college, you should apply for local scholarships using this application. The deadline of March 11th will approach quickly. No late applications will be accepted. Please contact the Counseling Office if you have any questions.
Current 11th grade students and families, since the first week of December the school counseling office has been conducting scheduling meetings to get ready for your senior year! Please use the Sign Up Genius Link located in the school counseling hub in Canvas to make your appointment or reach out to your school counselor for more information. If the available dates and times do not work for your schedule, please reach out to your student’s school counselor.
Athletics
Winter Sports athletes, please continue to check and communicate on your Team App for updates from coaches regarding any conditioning over the break.
This is the final week to submit your athletic handbook signatures!
We wish success to our Wrestling team who are scheduled to compete at the Deep Creek Tournament over the holiday break!
Daily Reminders:
Senior and Junior parents/guardians: Please visit the GHS website under the Senior Corner for the Jostens Holiday Flyer. It includes a variety of discounts for cap and gown units, junior rings, and much more — please hurry while these discounts are available!
Early dismissal pick-up does end promptly at 2:20 PM. If you need to pick your student up early, please arrive PRIOR to 2:20 PM.
Lost and Found: Students, check the Lost and Found daily if you have misplaced any items.
Bus Notes Reminder: All students who need to submit a bus note must turn it in to the Main Office in the morning. Notes should be provided at the start of the school day to allow time for review and approval. Submitting notes later in the day may result in delays or the note not being approved.
The Activity Bus will depart GHS at 5:30 p.m. for the remainder of the school year. The bus runs Monday through Thursday only. Please see the link for scheduled Activity bus stops: https://5il.co/3sjxt
Parents/guardians must be at their student’s designated stop when they arrive. If a student will not have a ride from their stop, a completed permission form must be turned in. Copies of the form are available in the Main Office, and completed forms should be given directly to the Activity Bus driver.
Yearbooks are now available for pre-order on yearbookordercenter.com using code 4758.
Additional parking passes are on sale via School Cash Online for Juniors and Seniors. Passes will be on a first come first served basis. If you have already purchased a pass but have not yet selected your spot, please bring your completed parking pass application along with a screenshot or printed copy of your receipt to the Main Office.
Safety: All GCPS students go through security and weapons detectors each morning. Please continue to encourage students to be careful not to bring prohibited items to school such as vapes and lighters. Thanks for your support!
That concludes our Duke Update. Happy Holidays, Dukes!!