| Carmel High School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Veritas Scientia Mores (Truth Knowledge Character) |
| Established | 1887 |
| Type | Public high school |
| Students | 4600 |
| Location | Carmel, Indiana, USA |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | Greyhound |
| Website | CHS |
Carmel High School is a public high school in Carmel, Indiana whose name is commonly abbreviated to CHS. It is part of the Carmel Clay School District and has an enrollment of around 4,600 students,[1] making it the largest high school in the state of Indiana by number of students.[2]
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Carmel High School has a long history dating back to 1887 when the cornerstone for the first CHS was laid on a building located on the south side of the town of Carmel. A second building was opened in 1922 on the present school site and housed students K through 12 until 1958. Only sophomores, juniors, and seniors attended the school from 1964 to 1995. The current high school building dates from 1958. Since that opening there have been five additional construction projects that have expanded and renovated the building. The 2005-2006 school year marked the opening of the newest addition, the Freshman Center. In 2012 they will expand their gym department into the Fieldhouse parking lot.[3]
The school operates on a block eight schedule with each class around 90 minutes long and meeting every other day. The days are named after the school's colors: Blue Days consist of periods B1, B2, B3, & B4, and Gold Days consist of periods G1, G2 (SRT), G3, & G4. SRT (Student Resource Time) is the school's prep period. The teacher who supervises the students during SRT is considered the homeroom teacher of the students. Most school assemblies are held during the SRT period. Lunch period takes place during period B3 and G3 of each day and are based on what department the student has class in during that time. Due to the student traffic and the large campus, passing periods between classes are 10 minutes long.
The Greyhound has been the school's mascot since the early 1920s, and athletics have been a source of community activity and pride throughout the years. CHS offers 20 sports in interscholastic competition. Students are also offered many extracurricular and intramural opportunities through an extensive activities program. CHS has won the most Indiana state championships, coming in at over 100 total with the hundredth being the 07-08 girls basketball state championship. Also, the Girl's Swimming and Diving team holds the record of the most consecutive state championships of any high school girls sport. The team has won 25 straight titles from 1986 to 2011.[4] The Girl's Swimming and Diving team has won 26 state titles altogether. Other notable streaks include Girl’s Cross Country (1984-85 through 1988-89), Boy's Swimming and Diving (1989-90 through 1993-94), and Girl’s Soccer (2000-01 through 2004-05) with five consecutive runs; Boy’s Cross Country (1976-77 through 1979-80) and Boy's Swimming and Diving (2000-01 through 2003-04) with four consecutive runs. Most recently, the Carmel High School Boy's Soccer team won the 2006 state championship and finished ranked #2 nationally. They have won 6 Boy's state tennis championships, most recently in 2011. Carmel won its 7th (1978, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1989, 2007, 2011) state football championship on November 26, 2011 when the Carmel Football team defeated Penn High School 54-0 to win the Indiana AAAAA State Championship. On March 1, 2008 the Carmel High School Girl's Basketball team defeated South Bend Washington to win the AAAA State Championship, increasing Carmel High School's total of state championships to 100.
On Saturday, October 28, 2006, they were home to the state champion soccer team that beat out Elkhart Central 4-1. Carmel had an undefeated season of 23-0.
In the 2007-2008 School Year, Carmel was home to the state champion football, girls' swimming, girls' basketball teams, and Symphony Orchestra, giving Carmel more than 100 state championships. The girl's swim team alone has won 25 consecutive state championships.[5]
Though not officially recognized as a championship by the IHSAA, Carmel's hockey team, the Icehounds, have won three consecutive state titles, and 6 state titles since 2002.
In 2011 Carmel High School's Men's Volleyball Team, coached by Jon Harmon and Darrin Richardson, became IBVCA (Indiana Boy's Volleball Coaches Association) state champions. Their rival - Roncalli faced a bitter defeat. The scores for the sets were 23-25,25-18,28-26,17-25,15-9, Carmel being the first number and Roncalli being the second. Good job Hounds!
In 2011, Boys and Girls lacrosse both won state titles; the boys defeating Cathedral and the girls defeating Culver.
In 2011, the Men's football team won a state championship played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts.
In 1999, the Wind Symphony I was named the ISSMA Concert Band State Champion.
The Carmel High School Marching Greyhounds were ISSMA State Champions in 1991, 2001, and 2002. The band was named BOA National Class AAA Champion in 2001. The band has been a BOA National Finalist 14 times, and was named BOA Grand National Champion in 2005. The Marching Band has won regionals in Toledo, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Oxford, Atlanta, Louisville, and Kettering. The Carmel High School Marching Greyhounds were invited to perform in the 2004 London New Year's Parade in London, England. In 2007 the Carmel Marching Band was invited to play on the USS Missouri, and also with the Hawaii's Royal Band. In 2007, the marching band was named Bands of America Regional Champion in Indianapolis and Atlanta, GA. At the 2008 BOA Grand National Finals the marching band won the caption for best music. The marching band has also been selected to play in the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The current head of the Dr. William H. Duke Center for the Performing Arts and head of the band program is Richard Saucedo, who is a well-known composer and presence in the international music world.
Carmel High School also boasts 4 concert bands and 4 jazz bands, which are known for their quality on the state level and have won State titles in the past. The top concert band, Wind Symphony I, was invited to perform at the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival two times and also performed at the prestigious 2005 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. In 1999, the Wind Symphony I was named the ISSMA Concert Band State Champion. Every year, the jazz bands host "Jazz at the Ritz" at the Ritz Charles Banquet Hall in Carmel, Indiana.
The program boasts enrollment of over 400 students each year.
Carmel High School Orchestras has the honor of being recognized as one of the leading public school orchestra programs in the nation. Under the direction of Soo Han, Director of Orchestras, and James Woomert, Associate Director of Orchestras, the program includes over 250 students divided into three string orchestras (Concert, Sinfonia, and Camerata) and two full orchestras (Philharmonic and Symphony). The Carmel Symphony has been named Indiana State School Music Association’s Concert Orchestra State Champion 14 times, most recently in 2011. The Carmel Philharmonic Orchestra won Fourth Place in the 2011 ISSMA Concert Orchestra State Finals. The orchestra has toured and performed all over the world including places such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The Symphony Orchestra performed at the prestigious 2009 Midwest Clinic in Chicago. In addition, the orchestras have performed with many international performing artists such as Zach de Pue (Time for Three and Concertmaster - Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra) and Rachel Barton-Pine (violin virtuoso).
Carmel High School currently operates a local television station, broadcast on Bright House channel 99. The station's name is CHTV, which stands for Carmel High Television. The radio station, WHJE 91.3 "the edge" is the 2007-2008 and just recently named the 2008-2009 IASB Station of the year, and is run by the students in three different levels of classes. The first level is radio lab, then radio staff, and finally radio management. WHJE has whje.com a live web stream. Both the TV station and the radio station broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The TV and Radio station spent a total of 1.2 million dollars on new equipment (2008).
Pinnacle yearbook is an award-winning publication, receiving recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Indiana HIgh School Press Association. Additionally, the publication has received Indiana Hoosier Star Awards and has been placed in the Walsworth Publishing Company's Gallery of Excellence. Pinnacle is a student-run yearbook, currently under Nicole Wilson, adviser and communications teacher.
The school newspaper, the "HiLite", has received national recognition including a Superior rating from Quill & Scroll, the Hoosier Star award and other general awards from the Indiana High School Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and several individual awards for "HiLite" staff members. The "HiLite" was awarded 1st place by the National Scholastic Press Association in both the spring and fall of 2008. The newspaper has two regular sections, a pullout (called the "Acumen") every other issue, and additional bonus sections for Homecoming, prom, and Graduation. It is distributed to all students and staff, as well as at several public places in Carmel, such as the public library. The newspaper maintains a staff of 80 students and is advised by Jim Streisel, a communications teacher at Carmel.
Carmel High School has a large number of non-athletic competitive teams. Many of these are successful in regional, state, and national competitions. The band, orchestra, the Ambassadors & the Accents (the school's show choirs), Econ Team, the speech team, the debate team, FIRST robotics team, Academic Super Bowl, American Mathematics Contest (AMC, AIME, USAMO), Science Olympiad, and Economics Challenge teams have all won state and national awards. The Ambassadors ranked in the top four for the 2009 to 2010 season.[6] The school newspaper, the HiLite, and the yearbook, the Pinnacle, have likewise received state and national awards for excellence. The school also has a team in the Westfield Insurance Brain Game and has won the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference Academic Challenge a number of occasions.
Due in part to its large size, Carmel High School has many varied clubs. There are over 120 clubs and organizations in the high school. These range in type, with academic clubs such as Academic Super Bowl, Science Olympiad, and Model Rocketry and Aviation Club; entertainment clubs such as the Chess Club and Rising Stars the drama club; and activism clubs such as The Healthy Environment Club, Young Republicans and Young Democrats, and Student Advocates of Gender Equality. Many other clubs are available, and students can form clubs by finding a faculty member to sponsor them. Carmel High School is also home to the nation's largest dance marathon, which benefits Riley Children's Hospital. [1]
The 2006-07 school year implemented a new PLC (Professional Learning Communities) system called late start in which for every Gold Day Wednesday (usually every other week), school does not start until 8:30 AM. However, the students that travel to school by bus must arrive at the normal time around 7:30 AM. As a result, there are no professional half days. This time is used by teachers to work together on lesson plans, tests, and other items, giving them time to coordinate lessons for shared classes (U.S. History, for example) and improve their teaching. This was one of Principal John Williams' new initiatives when he became principal.
Additionally, and unrelated to the above paragraph: The top 25 system has been canceled and has been replaced by a Distinguished Graduate program in which students earn points not only for good grades but also through participation in extracurricular activities such as sports and music. The Distinguished Graduate program began in the 2007-2008 school year.
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