Hamden High School

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Hamden High School
"To Everyone There Openeth A Way."
Location
Hamden, Connecticut
Information
Type Public
Established 1935
Principal Gary Highsmith
Grades 9-12
Color(s) Green and Gold            
Mascot Green Dragon
Website http://www.hamden.org/page.cfm?p=2272
Hamden High School
Location 2040 Dixwell Ave., Hamden, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°22′3″N 72°55′19″W / 41.36750°N 72.92194°W / 41.36750; -72.92194Coordinates: 41°22′3″N 72°55′19″W / 41.36750°N 72.92194°W / 41.36750; -72.92194
Area 8 acres (3.2 ha)
Built 1935
Architectural style Colonial Revival
Governing body Local
NRHP Reference # 94001378[1]
Added to NRHP December 12, 1994

Hamden High School is a four year high school for grades 9 through 12. It is located at 2040 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut. It is part of the Hamden Public School System and is the only public high school within the town of Hamden.

The school was built in 1935 and is still in operation today, although it has gone through numerous renovations. The most recent renovation was the removal of previous additions along with part of the original building, and the addition of 3 additional wings, all of which are attached to the original front wing to form a square. One of its most notable features is a golden cupola atop a clock tower, at the front of the building. Below the clock tower sits a small circular window, with two draping plaster banners on the sides seeming to form the letter 'M,' and giving the building the nickname "the MOM building."

As of the 2008-09 school year, the school had roughly 2,000 students. While most students come from the Hamden Middle School, many others come from private and magnet schools in the surrounding area.

Administration

Each assistant principal is in charge of a "house" organized by the students' last names, with the exception of freshmen, who are together in one house, lead by the same administrator.

Campus

Hamden High School's historic main building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 1994.[1]

Hamden High has four main wings. These are the A, B, C, and D wings. Each wing is sometimes called by a nickname. A is the "Dixwell Side", B is the "Parkway Side", D is the "Chili's Side", and C is the "Backyard" and is the only side with four accessible floors. The C wing has an auditorium and gym on its first floor. A public pool is in the C-Wing basement. On the second floor is the Cafe and School Store. The library is located on the first floor A-Wing with the Career Center located just above it. The school restaurant is located on the first floor D-wing. In the middle of HHS, there is a courtyard, which students usually use as a thru-way. The A wing is generally for the social sciences and humanities, B wing for English and Science classes, C wing for lecture halls, chemistry, physics and some miscellaneous offices, and D wing for math, foreign languages and technical studies. The school's culinary arts program is located in the D wing. The first floor's B and C wings are noted as being the HQ for the HHS Art classes, the B wing primarily for visual arts such as ceramics or graphic design, and the C wing for the performing arts; acting, concert band, orchestra, and choir.

Daily schedule

First period starts at 7:31am while school ends at 2:00pm. Lunch is held beginning at period 4 and ends after period 8. Each lunch wave is a period long, which makes for 5 lunch periods throughout the school day. Eight periods are held each day. Students are required to take a minimum of 5.5 credits per year. 4 minutes are given to pass between each period. etc. Extracurricular activities are held after the final bell commences at 2:00pm.

Academics

Students at the high school register for classes depending on their years of experience in that course and the difficulty.

Experience levels are 1,2,3,4, and sometimes 5, 1 meaning a freshman or first year course, and 4 meaning a senior or fourth year course. A student could possibly get a "5" experience course if they studied that subject at Hamden Middle School and couldn't get it as an AP course (mostly for Foreign Languages).

A level of difficulty would then be chosen: 5,7,or 9 (or AP). A "5" course is easiest and is an average/beginner course. A "7" is above average, and a "9" is advanced, the hardest possible class if it can't be given as Advanced Placement credit (AP). A "9" class is equal to an honors class. "9" classes and AP classes are the same, except for AP, the student can receive college credit after the Advanced Placement exam. "9" classes and AP classes are given the same weight on the weighted GPA scale.

The two numbers from "year" and "difficulty" are combined to describe a class. For instance, "English 19" is a freshman honors English class (only given to students from HMS in TAG teams during their 8th grade year, with permission from their 8th grade English teachers). "Spanish 55" would be an average level Spanish course for seniors who took Spanish at HMS. "AP Calculus" is advanced placement Calculus for students at any grade level who has already completed the math curriculum through "Precalculus 49" (or "Precalculus 47" with teacher approval). An example of a class that experience levels aren't determined by grade would be "Concert Band 25", which means it is the student's second year of Concert Band at Hamden High School (regardless of grade; this person could be a junior) and they are taking it at the most basic level.

Arts

Hamden High School is home to Hamden Mainstage Ensemble, the school's resident theatre company. The fall plays and spring musicals are normally directed by Mr. Eric Nyquist, one of the HHS acting teachers. The winter plays are directed by Mr. Tim Brown, another acting teacher at HHS. Hamden Mainstage shows have high attendance rates, especially for the spring musicals. In 2010, Backstage Ensemble was created. It is a completely student-run branch of Mainstage Ensemble. The first show was "The Last Five Years". And in 2011 they presented their sophomore production of Sondheim's "Putting It Together." The production was directed by Leroy J.R. Walton

In 2010, student Justin Ahn (class of 2011) was named to play clarinet with the United States All-American Marching Band which is part of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The game was nationally televised on NBC in January 2011.[2]

Athletics

Hamden High School competes in the CIAC of Connecticut, within the Southern Connecticut Conference, and class LL. Sports offered are:

Fall:

  • Badminton (Women)
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross-Country
  • Field-Hockey (Women)
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Swimming (Women)
  • Volleyball (Women)

Winter:

  • Basketball
  • Cheerleading
  • Gymnastics
  • Ice Hockey
  • Indoor Track & Field
  • Swimming (Men)

Spring:

  • Baseball (Men)
  • Golf (Men)
  • Lacrosse
  • Softball (Women)
  • Tennis
  • Track & Field

(there is also a competitive dance club and a competitive marching band)

Green Bowl

Hamden High School maintains a long-standing football rivalry with Notre Dame High School. Hamden's Green Dragons and Notre Dame's Green Knights have met in the "Green Bowl" on Thanksgiving Day for 63 consecutive years.

Boys' hockey

Hamden High School also has a storied boy's ice hockey program. The team has won a combined 17 CIAC sanctioned state championships and also a National Championship in 1976. The team is currently coached by Bill Veneris(member of the 76' national championship team) Todd Hall (member of the 89 state championship team, Hartford Wolf Pack) and George Jerolman (member of the 89' state championship team) The team recently claimed its first state title in 20 years during the 2008-2009 Season. Hamden then repeated as state champions the following year 2009-2010, beating Fairfield Prep by a score of 6-5. This was the first time a public school had repeated as division 1 state champions since the 1976 Hamden national championship team. Hamden is consistently competitive year in and year out and has many rivals, the longest standing being its rivalry with West Haven High School, but also Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame High School.

Boys' Track and Field

The 2010 team won three United States High School National relay titles. During the indoor season, the team won the Nike Indoor National Distance Medley Relay title in Boston, MA. The team ran the seventh fastest time in United States history. During the outdoor Season, the team won the New Balance National Distance Medley Relay and 4 x 800 meter Relay title. The team ran the sixth and twelfth fastest times in the United States in the two events. The times run by the team were national leaders in each of the events. The relay teams were named by Track and Field News as US #1 and all earn All-American status. Senior Chris FitzSimons was named Gatorade track athlete of the year in the state of Conn.

Notable alumni

See also

  • List of high school football rivalries (less than 100 years old)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. 
  2. ↑ http://www.goarmy.com/events/all-american-bowl/marching-band/justin-ahn.html

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