Hudson High School (HHS) is a public high school in Hudson, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Hudson City School District and is located a 72-acre (29 ha) campus that has been developed to include a variety of athletic fields, such as six tennis courts, a lighted baseball field, track, and football stadium. As of the 2014â€"15 school year, the school has an enrollment of 1,631 students, mainly from Hudson and neighboring Boston Township. Athletic teams are known as the Explorers with school colors of navy blue and white, and compete in the Suburban League National Division.
Administration
Since 2009, the head principal has been Brian Wilch.
In March 2005, many of Hudson High School's student body staged a walkout to protest the firing of their principal, Roger Howard. The story caught the attention of local television stations, as well as Michael Moore, who mentioned it on his website.
Facilities
The current building, opened in August 1992, is designed to grow with the community. It was designed by Lesko Architects of Cleveland, Ohio. The academic wing of the high school was built to accommodate 1600 students in 104 teaching stations, while the core facilities such as the library, commons, auditorium, hallways, and offices were designed for a student population of 2200 to 2400. The academic wings are expandable at the east and west ends to increase its capacity to 2400 students. An expansion on the west side of the building was completed in time for the 2006-2007 school year.
Education
The school was established in 1885, and the first class of students graduated that year.
Today, a number of special education programs and educational options for gifted students are available. Hudson offers numerous courses at the accelerated level, as well as 22 Advanced Placement (AP) courses. HHS also offers several multi-period enrichment classes that include English and Social Studies curricula, including Networking, Contemporary Issues, Service Learning, and New Dimensions. Advanced Placement courses in World Languages are also available. In addition, HHS has technical offerings including basic computer skills, AP Computer Science, and a web design and programming class. Hudson High School also has a music program that includes five choirs, two orchestras, a full marching band, three jazz bands, four concert bands, and a percussion ensemble. The high school also publishes a student newspaper, The Explorer.
In 2013 the school was ranked #447 on the America's Most Challenging High Schools list by The Washington Post. Hudson High School was ranked #64 in the nation in 2014.Hudson High was also ranked #235, #179 and #221 in US News Best High Schools Rankings in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively..
The high school is also part of the Six District Educational Compact, a joint program of six area school districts (Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Kent, Stow-Munroe Falls, Tallmadge and Woodridge) to share access to each of their vocational training facilities and career resources.
Athletics
Hudson High School is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the National Division of the Suburban League and offers 25 sports and 58 teams in athletic competition. The school colors are navy blue and white. The sports teams are called the Hudson Explorers, named in honor of Hudsonite Lincoln Ellsworth. Hudson's rivals include Solon High School and Stow-Munroe Falls High School. Hudson High School's motto is "Don't Give Up The Ship", in honor of Commodore Perry's ship on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
Hudson Memorial Stadium opened in 2012 and is a privately funded stadium with 6,000 seats located on the high school's current campus, replacing the 3000-seat Lavelli Field at the old high school. It was dedicated by the Murdough Family in honor of all the men and women, including those of Hudson, who have sacrificed their lives in war. The school is also in the process of developing the Hudson Tennis Center, which will be completely funded through donations; phase I was unveiled in Fall of 2015 for a cost of $280,000, which included six new courts replacing the six that were installed when the school was built in 1992. The courts were rebuilt from the ground up and included redesigned water drainage between the baseball field and parking lot. Phase II of the Hudson Tennis Center project is planned to include four additional courts, lighting on all courts, and a tennis pavilion. It is projected to cost an additional $900,000. Completion is slated for whenever necessary funding is reached.
State championships
- Girls field hockey â€" 1984,1986,1996
- Girls soccer â€" 2000
- Boys soccer â€" 2002
- Boys cross country â€" 2001
- Girls softball â€" 2007
- Boys lacrosse â€" 2011
- Boys Golf Will Kurtz - 2015
- Girls Tennis Molly Sandberg - 2016
National championships
- Boys soccer â€" 2002 by ESPN
Musical groups
Hudson High school offers wind ensemble, orchestral, and choral programs. Together they form the Hudson High School Music Association (HHSMA)
Bands
The school's band program primarily includes their marching band, concert bands, and jazz bands.
Concert bands
The concert bands are divided into three concert bands by audition: Wind Symphony, Blue Symphonic Band, and White Symphonic Band. Wind Symphony is recognized as the most advanced group with the Blue Symphonic Band and White Symphonic Band being equal in skill. Seating is determined by individual auditions with the directors.
Jazz bands
The jazz band currently has two levels of performance: Jazz I and Jazz II. Jazz Ensemble I is recognized both locally and Nationally as one of the finest high school jazz ensembles in the nation. They routinely host guest artists from local and National professionals, collegiate professors and name acts such as The Count Basie Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson, THe Woody Herman Orchestra, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and others. Roberto Iriarte is the head of jazz ensembles.
Orchestra
Hudson High School's orchestra is split into the Chamber Orchestra and the Sinfonietta group, the Chamber Orchestra exhibiting the more advanced players. Many of the individuals enrolled in the school's orchestral program also attend strong orchestral programs outside of school such as the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Akron Youth Symphony. This orchestra program, run by Roberto Iriarte, is one of the best in the nation and has attended competitions both domestically and abroad.
Choir
There is a general choir program, a chamber choir, and a show choir. They were invited to and traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York to perform.
Extracurricular activities
Some active student organizations include the following. Others can be formed with faculty adviser support.
Notable alumni
- Elmer Brandt - also known as Buzz Clic, guitarist for punk rock band the Rubber City Rebels
- John Edwards - professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association and NBA Development League
- John Herrick - novelist
- David Kirkpatrick- film producer, screenwriter, and studio executive
- Dante Lavelli - former professional football player in the National Football League and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Liam Lynch - musician
- Bill Nagy - professional football player in the National Football League
- Louie Rolko - professional soccer player in the USL First Division
- Ward Welch - better known as Rod Firestone, guitarist and lead singer for punk rock band the Rubber City Rebels
- Brian Winters - professional football player in the National Football League
- Ryan Wyatt - current head director at YouTube (Google), 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30
References
External links
- Official website
- Hudson City School District official website