Sitka High School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Sitka High School
established = 1940s
city = Sitka
state = Alaska
country = U.S.
type = Public secondary
grades = 9–12
head_label = Principal
head = Howard Wayne
campus = Open
students = 400
mascot = Wolves
website = [http://shs.ssd.k12.ak.us/ http://shs.ssd.k12.ak.us/]
picture =

Sitka High School (abbreviated SHS) is the principal high school for the Southeast Alaskan community of Sitka and the Sitka School District.

The school's student body is primarily composed of Caucasians, Alaskan Natives, and Asian-Pacific Islanders.

Academics

Three Advanced Placement courses are offered: AP Statistics, AP Calculus, and AP Human Geography.

Howard Wayne is the current principal and Charlie Robison is the current vice principal.

Extracurriculars

Sitka High School's sports teams are known as the "Sitka Wolves" with female teams sometimes known as the "Lady Wolves" with all teams competing at the 4A level of interscholastic competition in Alaska (as dictated by the Alaska School Activities Association), the highest level of competition available in the state — for schools with an enrollment greater than 400. In the spring of 2006 the School School Board narrowly voted down (3-2) a proposal to move Sitka High School down to a 3A level for all interscholastic activities. SHS's traditionally most successful sports are softball, baseball, swimming, and wrestling with the former two claiming state championships in the 2004-2005 school year and with baseball and swimming claiming championships in the 2005-2006 school year. So far in the 2006-2007 school year boys swimming has claimed another state championship. In the past 3 years Sitka High School has won the Region V 4A Wrestling championships twice. SHS is also renowned for its competitive drama, debate, forensics (DDF) team, which has multiple state championships under its belt including a forensics state championship in 2005-2006, and its music program and jazz band, which has taken awards at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and Columbia Basin Jazz Festival.

Sitka High's traditional rivals consist of the boarding school Mt. Edgecumbe High School which is also located in Sitka (across the O'Connell Bridge on Japonski Island), and its 4A southeast rivals Juneau-Douglas High School and Ketchikan High School.

As of 2006, the school has an enrollment of just over 400 students making it the third largest high school per enrollment in Southeast Alaska behind Ketchikan High School and Juneau-Douglas High School, the 21st largest in Alaska, and the smallest of the 21 4A classified schools in the state.

itka High School Auditorium

facility currently being constructed to the high school and will be the community's first fully-dedicated, multi-disciplinary performing arts facility. Although the Auditorium has been post-poned many times, it is estimated to be done with construction and usable by March 2008.

3A Switch

As of 2007, Sitka high school has made the decision to move from 4A to a 3A school because of the lack of student bodies during 2005-07. This will affect many activities and sports such as Swimming, Wrestling, Basketball, etc. This decision will take effect in the 2008-09 school year.

ee also

*List of high schools in Alaska
*Mt. Edgecumbe High School
*Pacific High School

External links

* [http://shs.ssd.k12.ak.us/ Sitka High School website]
* [http://ssd.k12.ak.us/ Sitka School District website]