University High School (Tucson)

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University High School

Established	1977
Type	Public (magnet) secondary
Principal	Rosy Beetcher
Students	633
Grades	9–12
Location	421 N. Arcadia Ave. Tucson, Arizona USA
Oversight	Tucson Unified School District
Campus	Urban
Colors	Black and white
Mascot	Penguins
Website	edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/uhs/

University High School (UHS) is an accelerated public high school in Tucson, Arizona, originally known as Special Projects High School (SPHS). University High School is in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). Its mission statement identifies it as "a special function high school which serves students who are academically focused and intellectually gifted and provides curriculum and social support not offered in the comprehensive high school."

The school does not have its own campus, and currently shares a campus with Rincon High School. This often leads to the comic abbreviation R/U High. University High shared a campus with Tucson High School before moving to Rincon's campus at the beginning of the 1985-86 school year.

The school mascot is the penguin. When it was known as Special Projects High School, the mascot was the skunk. Both mascots give the school its colors, black and white.

University High participates with Rincon High School on athletic teams. The theater and music groups (choir, orchestra, and band) are also joined with Rincon High, as well as the school library. Students from both schools are generally able to take classes that are only offered in the other school. Some extracurricular activities are separate between the schools, such as Academic Decathlon and Science Olympiad.

While UHS is a public school, entry is limited to around 180 students a year selected based upon a combination of an entry exam score and 7th and 8th grade GPAs. Also, unlike most schools, the only students who are admitted after freshman year replace the students who leave.

UHS students graduate after taking a minimum of 4 Advanced Placement (AP) classes, with many opting to take additional AP courses, some even taking up to 14. In 2004 the school had the greatest percentage of students passing the AP exams for United States History, Comparative Politics and English Language of any high school in the world.[1] Also, nearly all of students continue on to college with 50-75% achieving one or more scholarships.

[edit] Notable Traditions/Customs

November: Senior Sale
January: Senior Debates/Mock election
April: UHS Film Festival
Early May: UHS appreciation day assembly
Graduating students receive "penguin" mints referring to the large caffeine concentration of the mints and the mascot