Shaker Heights High School
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| Shaker Heights High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA | |
| Information | |
| Head teacher | Michael D. Griffith |
| Students | 1,876 |
| Faculty | 175 |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | "A community is known for the schools it keeps" |
| Color(s) | Red and white |
| Established | 1918 |
| Homepage | Shaker Heights High School |
Shaker Heights High School is a public high school located in Shaker Heights, Ohio, an east side suburb of Cleveland. The high school is part of the Shaker Heights City School District. Shaker Heights High School is known for its excellence in education, and is consistently ranked among the top districts in the state for National Merit semifinalists, the achievement of its diverse student body, and AP scores.[1] According to a 2004 survey by The Wall Street Journal, Shaker is also one of the top feeder schools in the nation for admission to the most selective colleges and universities.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Shaker has also been recognized by Money and Redbook magazines.[citation needed] In 1998, the school was named a Grammy Signature School by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Foundation in recognition of its outstanding music programs.[3] The school colors are red and white and its mascot is the Raider. The school is also noteworthy for its hockey, tennis, fencing, crew and swimming teams.
The population of Shaker Heights is approximately 40% African American, however Shaker Heights High School's African American enrollment is 60% (partly because the school district includes parts of Cleveland).[4] 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).[5]
Shaker Heights High School sports a science wing with a roughly fifty-seat planetarium and several lab rooms. Sciences offered include Physics, Bioethics, Oceanography, Geology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Environmental Science, and Biology, most of which are offered at the Honors level, the majority also offering Advanced Placement level courses.
The marching band has, as of September 2007, nearly 350 musicians. This also includes the Raiderettes, a dance team that performs with the band. The marching band went on a trip to Beijing and Shanghai, China in late March/Early April 2007.
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).
SHHS's award-winning student newspaper, The Shakerite, has won numerous awards, including the 2006 Golden Flash Award and the top award a high school paper can earn The Pacemaker. This was awarded for the 2005-2006 school year, and was the second time The Shakerite received the award. Both the Columbia Scholastic Press and the National Scholastic Press Association named The Shakerite 'All-American', the highest high-school journalism honor in the country.[citation needed]
Shaker is original in the way that is has many after school activities, mainly student run. New clubs are easy to create so there are some for everyone. Controversial issues, and school topics, as well as language and sport clubs are available for all to join.
Shaker Heights High School has an open campus policy, which is in keeping with its "college preparatory environment", according to Principal Michael Griffith.
[edit] Shaker's Theatre Arts Department
The Shaker Theatre Arts Department was founded in its present form by former Artistic Director James Thornton, and has prepared many students for successful careers on stage and screen. Shaker Theatre Department offers a variety of classes, allowing the students to have a full view and access to the "circle" of theatre. Classes include Improv/Shakescenes, Playwriting, and Acting (taught by Department Chair Christine McBurney), as well as the theatre management classes Theatre Production Seminar and Ensemble Coordination Manegment Course and the unique Ensemble Program, taught by Shaker alum Erik Johnson '98.
The Shaker Theatre season includes the Fall Mainstage production (alternating yearly between musical and non musical performance), The Ninth Grade Theatre Experience (written and performed by the ninth graders in the department), New Stages (the student generated playwriting festival), and the Spring Ensemble Show (a performance consisting of movement theatre, music, poetry, and prose as performed by the Junior, Advanced, and Senior Acting Ensembles).
Other Shaker Theatre Showcases include the Theatre Social, Fall Ensemble Preview,Improv show, Winter Solstice Sharings, Shakescenes, and Theatre awards.
Distinguished alumni of the Shaker Theatre Arts Department:
- Andy Borowitz '76
- Michael McElroy (actor)[6] '84
- Sarah Knowlton ’87
- Gabrielle Perrin ’87
- Tracy Nicole Chapman[7] '88
- Jamie Babbit ’89
- Beth Stevens '89
- Michelle Federer '91
- Matthew Thornton '92
- David Wain '93,
- Carter Bays '93
- Andrew Kober '02
- Betsy Hogg ’06
Every new Broadway season since 1991 has included one or more Shaker Theatre alum in major New York productions. In addition, Shaker Theatre alums hold positions in every area of professional theatre and the entertainment industry.[8]
[edit] Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
Shaker Heights High School is known for its sporting success in hockey, baseball, tennis, basketball, field hockey, fencing, and swimming. The hockey team has won three state titles. The football team has won many local Lake Erie League Titles. Shaker's neighboring sporting rivals include Cleveland Heights High School, Mentor High School, University School, Hathaway Brown, and St. Ignatius.
- Baseball - 1965,1976 [9]
- Hockey – 1981,1993,2001[10]
- Boys Golf – 1958,1959,1967[10]
- Boys Track and Field – 1926[10]
- Boys Swimming – 1954-2006[10]
- Wrestling – 1954 [11]
- Girls Field Hockey – 1991 [10]
[edit] Other State Championships
[edit] Distinguished alumni
- Paul Newman, actor and race car driver[12]
- Roger Penske, race car driver, team owner, and business entrepreneur
- Susan Orlean, writer
- Jim Brickman, musician
- Andy Borowitz, creator of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Kathy Mulcahy, mayor of Orange Village, Ohio
- Jane Campbell, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio
- Nate Clements, NFL football player
- John Bixler, actor
- Katrina Firlik, neurosurgeon and writer of memoir Another Day in the Frontal Lobe
- Jeff Gerth, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
- David Pogue, technology writer, journalist and commentator
- Caroline Hoxby, labor economist
- Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County commissioner
- Michelle Federer, Broadway actress- original company of Wicked: The Musical
- Scott Savol, finalist on the television show American Idol
- David Icove, Former FBI Academy Instructor and Forensic Engineer
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.shaker.org/about/schools/high/documents/HSProfile2007withColleges.pdf
- ^ "Wall Street Journal Recognizes Shaker as a Top Feeder School for Elite Colleges", Shaker Heights Schools, 2004-04-02.
- ^ "Shaker Heights High School Perform in Gibraltar", Vox.gi, 2007-03-25. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Section 1
- ^ Student Group on Race Relations. Accessed 2007-09-29
- ^ Michael McElroy (II)
- ^ Internet Broadway Database: Tracy Nicole Chapman Credits on Broadway
- ^ NewStages25
- ^ Yappi. Yappi Sports Baseball. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ a b c d e OHSAA. Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
- ^ Yappi. Yappi Sports Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ http://www.shaker.org/about/schools/woodbury/newsletters/documents/woodnet04jan12.pdf
[edit] External links
