Hudson High School (Ohio)

Hudson High School
Address
2500 Hudson-Aurora Road
Hudson, Ohio, 44236
United States
Coordinates 41°15′15″N 81°25′00″W / 41.254097°N 81.416674°WCoordinates: 41°15′15″N 81°25′00″W / 41.254097°N 81.416674°W
Information
Type Public
Established 1885
School district Hudson City School District
Principal Brian Wilch
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 1,631 [1] (2014-2015)
Color(s) Navy Blue and White
         
Athletics conference Northeast Ohio Conference
Mascot Explorer
(In honor of Lincoln Ellsworth)
Rival Solon Comets[2]
Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs[3]
Newspaper The Explorer
Yearbook The Log
Website Hudson High School

Hudson High School, part of the Hudson City School District, is a public high school located at 2500 Hudson-Aurora Road in Hudson, Ohio, United States. The school sits on a 72-acre (290,000 m2) campus that has been developed to include a variety of athletic fields, such as six tennis courts, a lighted baseball field, and a track. The high school football stadium is a new, privately funded stadium with 6,000 seats located on the high school's current campus replacing the 3000-seat Lavelli Field at the old high school. This new turf field, now known as Hudson Memorial Stadium, is dedicated by the Murdough Family in honor of all the men and women, including those of Hudson, who have sacrificed their lives in war.[4]

Administration

There are four principals at Hudson High School. Since 2009, the head principal has been Brian Wilch.[5] The three unit principals are Natalie Wininger, Bryan Bedford, and Maureen Gorsuch.[6] Former head principals include:

In March 2005, many of Hudson High School's student body staged a walkout to protest the firing of their principal, Roger Howard. The story caught the attention of local television stations, as well as Michael Moore, who mentioned it on his website.[8]

Facilities

The current building, opened in August 1992, is designed to grow with the community. It was designed by Lesko Architects of Cleveland, Ohio. The current student population is just over 1600.[1] The academic wing of the high school was built to accommodate 1600 students in 104 teaching stations, while the core facilities such as the library, commons, auditorium, hallways, and offices were designed for a student population of 2200 to 2400. The academic wings are expandable at the east and west ends to increase its capacity to 2400 students. An expansion on the west side of the building was completed in time for the 2006-2007 school year.

Education

The school recognizes 1885 as the year Hudson High School was established, as the first class of students graduated that year.

Today, a full range of special education programs and educational options for gifted students are available to meet the needs of a wide range of students. Hudson offers numerous courses at the Accelerated level, as well as 19 AP courses, including an AP Studio Art class for the 2011-12 school year. HHS also offers several multi-period enrichment classes that include English and Social Studies curricula, including Networking, Contemporary Issues, Service Learning, and New Dimensions.[9] In addition, HHS has technical offerings including basic computer skills, AP Computer Science, and a web design and programming class.[10] Hudson High School also has a music program that includes five choirs, two orchestras, a full marching band, three jazz bands, four concert bands, and a percussion ensemble. The high school also publishes a student newspaper, The Explorer.

In 2013 the school was ranked #447 on the America's Most Challenging High Schools list by The Washington Post.[11] Hudson High was also ranked #235 and #179 in US News Best High Schools Rankings in 2013 and 2014, respectively..[12]

The high school is also part of the Six District Educational Compact, a joint program of six area school districts (Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Kent, Stow-Munroe Falls, Tallmadge and Woodridge) to share access to each of their vocational training facilities and career resources.[13]

Athletics

Hudson High School is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Northeast Ohio Conference,[14] and offers 25 sports and 58 teams in athletic competition. The school colors are navy blue and white. The sports teams are called the Hudson Explorers, named in honor of Hudsonite Lincoln Ellsworth. Hudson's rivals include Solon High School[2] and Stow-Munroe Falls High School.[3] Hudson High School's motto is "Don't Give Up The Ship", in honor of Commodore Perry's ship on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

State championships

National championships

Musical groups

Hudson High school has prominent wind ensemble, orchestral, and choral programs. Together they form the Hudson High School Music Association

Bands

The school's notable band program primarily includes their marching band, concert bands, and jazz bands. The participants in the Marching and Concert Bands have the opportunity to take advantage of biennial trips across the nation, such as Orlando, Florida, to showcase their talents.

Marching Band

During the summer and fall, all students enrolled in the school's band course perform with the full marching band, attending a week-long band camp over the summer. The marching band, whose motto is "Loud is Good", has achieved great success, performing at prominent events such as the Ohio State University's first skull session of 2014. They regularly attend the football team's games, attend numerous local band shows throughout the fall season, and serve as a pep band for school events such as pep rallies and athletic send-offs. They annually host the "Parade of Bands", inviting local bands to perform at Memorial Stadium.

Concert Bands

The concert bands are divided into three concert bands by audition: Wind Symphony, Blue Symphonic Band, and White Symphonic Band. Wind Symphony is recognized as the most advanced group with the Blue Symphonic Band and White Symphonic Band being equal in skill. Seating is determined by individual auditions with the directors.

Jazz Bands

The jazz band currently has three divisions: Jazz I, Jazz II, and Jazz Lab.

Orchestra

Hudson High School's orchestra is split into the Chamber Orchestra and the Sinfonietta group, the Chamber Orchestra exhibiting the more advanced players. Many of the individuals enrolled in the school's orchestral program also attend strong orchestral programs outside of school such as the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Akron Youth Symphony.

Choir

The school's choir program has achieved great success. There is a general choir program, a chamber choir, and a show choir. They have recently been invited to and traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York to perform.

Clubs and activities

The school's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[17] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[18]

The school's Academic Challenge Team is considered one of the best in the county and the state, having won both their fall and winter league tournaments in the 2010-2011 school year.

The school's Science Olympiad team is up and rising in the region and state. In 2013, the squad secured 1st place in regional competition. They also consistently place in the upper rankings of state competition.

Some active student organizations include the following. Others can be formed with faculty adviser support.

  • Academic Challenge
  • American Sign Language Club
  • Asian Awareness Club
  • Business Club
  • Chess Club
  • Chinese Honors Society
  • Community First Advisory Board
  • Computer Science Club
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • French Honors Society
  • Hiking Club
  • International Club
  • Key Club
  • HUDDLE
  • Mock Trial
  • Mu Alpha Theta
  • Knitting Club
  • Latin Club
  • Model UN
  • Mock Trial
  • Project Support
  • National Honor Society
  • Newspaper (Explorer)
  • Psychology Club
  • Spanish Honors Society
  • Student Government
  • Writer's Club
  • Yearbook

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hudson High School / Enrollment Trends
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barrone, Rob (September 30, 2009). "Hudson drops first game to rival Solon". Hudson Hub Times (Record Publishing Co, LLC). Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Barrone, Rob (February 22, 2009). "Big shooting night goes for naught as Hudson beats Stow". Stow Sentry (Record Publishing Co, LLC). Retrieved August 24, 2010. ... the Bulldogs hosted neighboring and Northeast Ohio Conference River Division rival Hudson Feb. 13.
  4. ↑ Carney, Jim (December 22, 2009). "$2 million gift to help build Hudson stadium". The Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  5. ↑ Hudson High School / Wilch Biography
  6. ↑ Hudson High School / Main Office Staff
  7. ↑ Troglen, Tim. Business manager, principal retire Hudson Hub Times, June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  8. ↑ MichaelMoore.com
  9. ↑ Hudson High School / English
  10. ↑ Hudson High School / Computer Science
  11. ↑ "America's Most Challenging High Schools". The Washington Post. 2013.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ "The Six District Educational Compact Overview". SixDistrict.com. Six District Educational Compact. 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  14. ↑ "Member Schools". NOC. 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  15. ↑ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  16. ↑ ESPN RISE. "FAB 50 - FALL 2009 RANKINGS: FINAL". Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  17. ↑ "Executive Board Pre-File Application". OhioJCL.org - June 2007. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  18. ↑ "OJCL Constitution". OhioJCL.org - July 2002. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2002. Retrieved August 16, 2010. ... by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL.

External links