North High School (Des Moines)

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North High School
Established	1922
Type	Public Secondary
Principal	Dr. Vincent Lewis
Dean	Janet Boyd
Students	1,156^[1]
Grades	6-12
Location	501 Holcomb Avenue Des Moines, Iowa USA
Oversight	Des Moines Public Schools
Campus	Urban
Colors	Pink and Green
Mascot	Polar Bear
Website	dmps.k12.ia.us/schools/3North/

North High School, usually referred to simply as North, is a secondary school located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is one of five secondary schools under the district of the Des Moines Public Schools.

The school's mascot is the Polar Bear.

1 Campus
2 Students
3 Faculty
4 Extracurricular activities
5 Curriculum
6 Notable alumni
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Campus

North High School is centrally located at 501 Holcomb Ave. near the Des Moines River. The main building overlooks baseball and softball stadiums to the east and a recently new football stadium to the west.

[edit] Students

North has over 1,600 students in attendance.

[edit] Faculty

Dr. Vincent Lewis is the Principal at North High School. He previously served as Principal at Brody Middle School.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

North has an outstanding drama program, earning many awards and attending state competetions each year.

The music program includes prep choir, concert choir and chamber choir, a choir for selected students. The choir tours the city around the holiday season and throughout the rest of the year performing for various groups and clubs. Our program also competes in state competitions each year.

The Band is also active at North. There is a Pep Band for basketball games and Marching band for football games. There is also a concert band, orchestra and a jazz band.

There are many various sports at NHS as well. These include; basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, wrestling, football, swimming, cheerleading, bowling and golf.

Other extracurriculars include Student Council, The Oracle newspaper staff, Tower yearbook staff, National Honor Society, Science Club, Academic Decathlon, Art Club, Key Club, Sisters for Success, Student Activities Council (SAC), Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and Science Bound.

[edit] Curriculum

The school district requires that students take a number of core academic courses, if they wish to graduate and receive a diploma. This includes Social Studies, English, Mathematics, Science, Art, and Physical Education. The exact amount of academic credit needed to satisfy graduation requirements is determined by the school district.

All students are required by the district to enroll in four subject courses and a Physical Education course. However, the school compels lower-class students to schedule a full day of classes, in order to ensure satisfaction with district graduation requirements. Juniors and Seniors have the option of having an "open period" during the first or last period of the school day (Seniors may have open periods during any period). However, Juniors require parental permission to have an open period.

The district requires four years of Physical Education. Freshmen and sophomores usually take their P.E. courses at the school. Juniors and Seniors have the option of taking alternative P.E. programs.