Summerlin school excels in sports

Since Palo Verde High School opened its doors in The Arbors Village of Summerlin in 1997, the school has been recognized for several athletic and academic accomplishments.

"We've had a decade of great performance," said Dan Phillips, principal of Palo Verde High School. "And we expect this tradition to continue for years to come."

Highlights of recent accomplishments in fall sports include the girls' varsity cross country team, which recently placed second in state for academics and seventh in state for athletic performance.

"You don't hear a lot about our cross country teams, but their simultaneous success in both athletics and academics is worthy of recognition," he said.

According to women's varsity cross country coach, Robert Davis, the women's cross country team holds a combined average grade point of 3.79.

"We have a relatively young team with only one senior, but we anticipate becoming an even stronger competitor over the next few years. We are particularly proud of our athletes' academic performances and encourage them to keep up their grades as they train and hone their athletic skills."

Other fall sports at Palo Verde include football, women's golf, men's soccer, tennis and women's volleyball. Under the stewardship of Coach Darwin Rost, the Palo Verde football team has gone to the state playoffs every year since 2000 - the first year the school had a varsity team.

Additional programs held during the winter and spring seasons include basketball, bowling, soccer, wrestling, baseball, diving, men's golf, softball, swimming, men's volleyball and track and field. All teams compete in the Class 4-A division.

"We have a full calendar of athletic programs," Phillips said. "Not only does it teach our students good sportsmanship, discipline and hard work, but it contributes to the school spirit on campus."

"We're proud of both our community's scholars and athletes," said Tom Warden, vice president of community and government relations for The Howard Hughes Corp. "We especially appreciate our high school athletes who work as hard in the classroom as they do on the track or playing field."

Developed by The Howard Hughes Corp., an affiliate of General Growth Properties Inc., Summerlin began to take shape in 1990. The 22,500-acre master-planned community is located along the western rim of the Las Vegas valley.

The community is currently home to more than 95,000 residents. With about 7,500 acres still to develop, including its urban core, Summerlin Centre, Summerlin is continuing to unfold.

Summerlin is home to more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin trail system, nine golf courses, a dozen houses of worship, shopping centers, medical and cultural facilities, business parks, 22 public and private schools and more than 100 actively selling floor plans.

For more information on the master-planned community, visit summerlin.com or call 888-898-5015.