Shaker Heights High School

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Shaker Heights High School

Motto	"A community is known for the schools it keeps"
Established
Type	Public
Head	Michael Griffith
Location	Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA
Campus
Enrollment
Faculty

Colors	Red and White
Homepage	www.shaker.org(district site)

Shaker Heights High School is a public high school at 15911 Aldersyde Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio. It is part of the Shaker Heights City School District. Approximately 2000 students attend the school, which is known for the quality of its honors and AP classes and the number of National Merit Scholars it produces each year. Shaker High is ranked #188 in Newsweek's list of the Best High Schools in America.[1] The school colors are red and white and its mascot is the Raider. The school is noteworthy for its hockey, tennis and swimming teams.

The population of Shaker Heights is less than 50% African American, however Shaker Heights High School is more than 50% African American. The school has received national attention for its efforts to close the gap between achievements of minority students and non-minority students. One of the most active organizations at the school is the Student Group on Race Relations (SGORR).

Shaker Heights High School sports a science wing with a roughly fifty-seat planetarium and several lab rooms. Sciences offered include Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Environmental Sciences, and Biology, all of which sport Honors-level courses, and the majority now sport Advanced Placement level courses, which pressure some students to achieve more than necessary, causing undue stress.

The marching band has, as of September 2006, nearly 350 musicians. This also includes the Raiderettes, a dance team that performs with the band.

Asian Studies are offered in cooperation with Beachwood High School and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The program focuses on the history, literature, art, politics, and contemporary society of China (in even-numbered years) and Japan (in odd-numbered years).

Shaker's Theatre Arts Department is nationally regognized and has been named a Center of Excellence in Education by the National Council of Teachers of English.

SHHS is also known for its award winning student newspaper The Shakerite. The Shakerite has won numerous awards, including the 2006 Golden Flash Award. Both the Columbia Scholastic Press and the National Scholastic Press Assiociation named The Shakerite 'All-American,' the highest high-school journalism honor in the country.

Shaker Heights High School has come under fire because of its open campus policy, however, this is just a "college preparatory environment," says Principal Michael Griffith.