North Salem High School

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Location
North Salem High School

Salem, Oregon, United States
Information
Principal	John Honey
Enrollment	1,985 (as of November 2nd, 2007)
Type	Public 4-year
Mascot	Vikings
Color(s)	Red and Black
Established	1906
Information	503-399-3241
Homepage	http://north.salkeiz.k12.or.us/

North Salem High School is a secondary school in Salem, Oregon, United States, that was founded in 1906. Its graduating class of 2006 recently celebrated the school's one-hundred year anniversary. North Salem was the first high school to be built in the city of Salem, Oregon, and when initially opened, its name was simply Salem High School. However, upon the completion of South Salem High School in 1954, it was renamed North Salem. North Salem High School is in the Salem-Keizer School District and has a population of approximately 1,988 students in the 2006-2007 school year.

The current building at 14th and D streets opened in 1937, replacing an earlier building at High and Marion streets, which is now the site of Macy's. The school's mascot is the Vikings. And the current Principal is John Honey.

North Salem High has also had a consistent representation at the Crystal Apple Awards.

In 2007, North Salem was listed for the second consecutive year as one of Oregon's "Persistently Dangerous Schools" (as defined and mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act).^[1]

1 History
2 Academics
3 Smaller Learning Communities
4 Music
5 Athletics
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The original Salem High School building, opened 1906, was at the location of the now defunct Meier and Frank building in downtown Salem. The decision to move the location to a more spacious space was eventually made and in 1937 the new Salem High School building was opened. The new location was, at the time of its founding, on the fringes of developed Salem. The name of Salem High School was changed in 1954 to North Salem High School when South Salem High School opened that year. Over the years, many additions have been made to the building, with the latest addition, the West Wing, being completed in 2001.

[edit] Academics

Like many Marion County schools, North Salem High School has historically had a high drop-out rate, regularly exceeding the state average. During the 2001-02 school year, the drop-out rate stood at 29.83%. However, the drop-out rate has been improving steadily since 1997, when the drop-out was 39.90%^[2]

The following is a list of departments and their respective heads:

Department	Chairperson
English	Laura Reid
Social Sciences	Jim Litchfield
Science	Frank Hanson

[edit] Smaller Learning Communities

North Salem High School has been on the forefront of the new teaching style of small learning communities. North has had a system of academies in place for several years that allows students to receive an endorsement in a specific area of study, much like a major in a post-secondary learning environment. These academies would present graduates with a certificate of endorsement upon successful completion of both required credits for the academy and the Oregon state requirements for High School Graduation. Requirements for an endorsement usually include taking required classes as well as a final project related to the student's area of study.

As of the 2006-2007 school year academies included:

Academy	Head
Tech@North	Don Kirkwood
Engineering	Rob Tinnel
Health Services	Shelly Dougherty
Business	Jon Abel
Environmental Sciences	Jon Yoder

[edit] Music

The school has traditionally had a very successful music program. The orchestra program is directed by Larry Garrett, and the choir is directed by Dr. Jeremy Dehut. North Salem has been nationally recognized by the Grammy Foundation as a "Grammy Signature School" multiple times, and the band, choir and orchestra consistently place at state. In 2005, the band tied with South Salem High School to win the OSAA 4A State Band Championship^[3].

[edit] Athletics

North Salem Athletics suffer in some areas such as football, where in the 2007-2008 season, Varsity only won 1 game. North Salem tennis did not win one match all season.