Herbert Hoover High School (West Virginia)

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Herbert Hoover High School is a public high school in Clendenin, West Virginia. The current principal is Mr. Roy Jones, who has been with HHHS since August 2003.

Herbert Hoover High School claims that it is a "magnet school for technology" (i.e. a school to attract students by the use of technology in many classes), but in 2006 Hoover lost this status. Hoover also claims offers a diverse array of technology classes, though they are very limited. The only classes that support this statement are Digital Photography and Computer Graphics. Computer Science was offered in previous years, but finding qualified teachers has been difficult and thus it is no longer available. Computer Gaming (a poorly simplified version of Computer Science) was offered during the 2004-2005 school year but has since been discontinued.

[edit] History

The Construction of the school was completed in September of 1963. It was first renovated in 1968 when the Little Theater was added. The second renovation came about when Kanawha County Schools implemented the middle school concept in the summer of 1991. A Commons Area and classrooms were added at this time as well as additions to the library. Nine portables were placed back of the school to handle the addition of 9th graders.

The Flood of 1997, which washed away part of the bank behind the school and put three inches of water throughout the building, brought about the renovation of our gym and some of our portables. Another flood occurred in the summer of 1998 and resulted in some minor damage to the gym floor. A new auxiliary gym was added in 2002.

The library was again renovated in 1998 to make room for one of the new WV Success Computer Labs. Other Labs were added later bringing the total labs to seven. A Distance Learning Lab was implemented in 2003.

In 2001 the county removed three of the nine portables. Two others were moved out during the summer of 2002. Yet another two were removed during the summer of 2006. The only two that remain are used for the Junior ROTC program.

[edit] Criticism

Many students and parents have complained about the poorly executed anti-bullying program. It has been reported that students have been harassed and even had legitimate death threats made against them in the presence of teachers, who took no action whatsoever.

There is also a lack of ethnic groups at this school, mostly because of its local reputation on being a blue-collar, all-white, redneck school. Students of African American, Asian, and occasionally Hispanic backgrounds are often threatened by their fellow peers and usually transfer to one of the two public high schools within the city of Charleston, Capital or George Washington, which are often perceived to have a better learning atmosphere.^[1]

The lack of technology courses, efficient computers, and computer literate teachers has also caused concern for students wishing to graduate with a technology major. Students were recommended to enroll in the CAD program at the Carver Learning Center, which is difficult to fill due to the number of other high schools in the county offering the class. During the 2004-2005 school year Shelley Moore Capito gave Jones a grant to improve the school's technology programs. In the 2006-07 school year this grant was taken away because it was not used for technology. Whether or not this money was used to improve the school's appearance is unknown, but there has certainly been improvements on the school's floor tiles and wall paintings. It is believed that a portion of the funds went into demolishing the Art Room and the two other classrooms in that hallway to build a newer, bigger room for art classes. Much trouble came in the third quarter of 2006 when some students were led into contact with the asbestos (formerly) inside the walls. No action was taken until a week after the walls had been torn down.