Meridian High School (Idaho)

Coordinates: 43°36′44″N 116°25′01″W / 43.61209°N 116.41683°W / 43.61209; -116.41683

Meridian High School
Meridian High School logo
Location
1900 W. Pine Ave. Meridian, Idaho United States[1]
Information
Type	Public[1]
Founded	1904[1]
School district	Meridian[2]
Principal	Geoff Stands[3]
Faculty	87[1]
Grades	9-12[1]
Number of students	1881[1]
Color(s)	Blue & Gold[3]
Sports	5A[3]
Mascot	Warrior[3]
IHSAA Division	5A[3]
Website	Meridian High School

Meridian High School is a four-year public secondary school within the Meridian School District located in Meridian, Idaho, comprising grades 9-12.

History

The school began classes in the year of 1904 at the corners of Pine Street and Meridian Road, in a one-room schoolhouse. Meridian High was the first high school in the Meridian area. During most of the twentieth century, Meridian and surrounding areas were separated from Boise to the east by a significant amount of agricultural land, which later became developed.

In 1975, a larger, more modern campus (initially containing four buildings) was built at the present location, at the intersection of Pine Ave. and Linder Rd. With enrollment already exceeding capacity when the new campus opened, an addition to the classroom building was completed the following year. Growth continued into the mid-1980s, forcing the school to adopt a split-shift schedule to accommodate the 2,400 students attending a facility built for 1,800.

Until 1987, it was the only high school in the Meridian School District, and had the largest enrollment in the state. With rapid growth in the Meridian and west Boise area, four additional high schools were built in the next two decades to relieve congestion:

• Centennial High School in 1987.
• Eagle High School in 1995.
• Mountain View High School in 2003.
• Rocky Mountain High School in 2008.

In the fall of 2007, a new PTC building was constructed, housing three new shops and adding additional space for students and faculty. Additional space for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) was also established.

School Information

The school enrollment currently stands at 1755.

The school sits on a sprawling campus, with six permanent buildings, connected by an outdoor courtyard. The school has changed buildings three times since forming, all at different locations near the center of Meridian.

• The main classroom building has a designated hall for each of the four grade levels, a library, and the main office.
• The Warrior Gym contains the original gym, locker rooms, weight rooms, wrestling room, and athletic department offices;
• The Performing Arts building includes rooms for the band, choir and drama departments with an auditorium and stage;
• Beside the Performing Arts building is the Art building, that has multi purpose rooms.
• Behind is the Warrior Stadium, the home to the 2005 and 2007 5A State Football Champions.
• Where the old football practice field and softball field once stood is now the Agriculture Building, home to a prominent FFA program.

Sports

The Warriors are home to over 60 District and 25 State Championships. The most recent additions were the 5A State Football and State and National Dance Championships.

Students compete in a variety of Sports offered; Fall sports include: Boys and Girls Soccer, Football, Cross Country, Volleyball

Winter sports include:Wrestling, Boys and Girls Basketball, ice hockey.

Spring sports include: Baseball, Softball, Golf, Tennis, Track, and Lacrosse.

Year-round sports: Swimming and Cheer

Year-round activities: Dance, Competitive Speech and Debate

School newspaper

The Meridian High Newspaper, the Warwhoop, has history dating back to the 1940s. The current layout design program used is Adobe InDesign CS3. The Warwhoop's historic papers are located in Meridian High School in the current newspaper room.

Notable alumni

• Ron Packard ('49) - former congressman from California
• William Agee ('56) - controversial business executive

Yearbook

The school's yearbook is called the Mana Ha Sa which is said to be how MHS is pronounced by some unspecified Native Americans. The current layout design program used is Adobe InDesign CS3.

Bands

The band program consists of three bands: Marching, Symphonic, and concert.

See also

Meridian School District (Idaho)

External links

• Meridian High School - official site
• MHS Class of 1979 - Reunion Website
• MHS Class of 1980 - Reunion Website | 30YR Reunion is July 23 - 25, 2010
• MHS Class of 80 Facebook page - MHS80 Reunion Facebook page

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Meridian High School". Public School Review. http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/22746. Retrieved 2009-04-29. 
2. ^ "High Schools". Meridian School District. http://www.meridianschools.org/Schools/High_Schools/High_Schools/. Retrieved 2009-04-29. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Idaho High School Activities Association". IHSAA. http://www.idhsaa.org/directory/08-09FINALDirectory.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-29.