Hug High School

Infobox_School
name =Hug High School


motto =
established =1968
type =Public
affiliation =
district =Washoe County School District
grades =9-12
president =
principal =Andrew Kelly
head of school =
dean =
faculty =
staff =
students =
enrollment =1274 [ [http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/schools/high/ Washoe County School District ] ]
athletics =4A
conference =Sierra League
colors =Green and White
mascot =Hawks
motto =Honor Pride Spirit Loyalty

free_label =
free_text =
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free_text2 =
location =2880 Sutro Street Reno, NV 89512
information =775-333-5300
website =http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/hug/

Procter R. Hug High School is a fully accredited public high school in Reno, Nevada and belongs to the Washoe County School District. Hug High was built on a hillside in northeast Reno in 1968 to serve students from rapidly growing areas in northeast Reno, northwest Reno and the Northern Valleys.

Like many other local schools, Hug High was named for a member of the local school board. Procter R. Hug was a college athlete, teacher, athletic coach and Washoe County School Superintendent who went on after retirement to serve as a Nevada State Senator.

History

Hug High's first principal, Bud Garfinkle, opened the school for the 1968-69 academic year with only freshmen, sophomores and juniors; the first senior class graduated in 1970. As Hug was founded in the late 60's when the U.S. was undergoing intense social change and political turmoil (especially in relation to guaranteeing equal rights to all of its citizens and fighting an increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam), the events of this period contributed to the idealism of the school's first years. In a recent letter, Garfinkle reiterates these sentiments: "I feel as if I gave birth to a child... A child born at a time when our nation was wrestling with many new ideas: that all people should be treated equally, regardless of race, color or creed." As the most ethnically diverse high school in the district, it could be said that shifts in Hug's fortunes have often provided a litmus lest to the community at large as to how far it has come to achieving these ideals.

Enrollment peaked in the early 70's, and again in the early 80's. Hug High currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,274 students in grades 9-12. [ [http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/schools/high/ Washoe County School District ] ]

Its nine buildings (Academic Buildings A, B and C, the Industrial Arts building, the Gymnasium, the Little Theater and Cafeteria building, the Library, the Administration building, and JROTC rifle range) are set on a multilevel series of terraces, and most are connected by covered outdoor walkways. The facades of most of the buildings are covered in dark green serpentine stone panels, and the equally green campus has been landscaped with a wide variety of trees and plants over the years. Reno's first "school on the hill," the campus offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Truckee Meadows to the south and of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the southwest. The campus has been decorated over the years with numerous murals and mosaics depicting the mascot, school colors and the letter "H" for Hug.

Academics

Over the years, Hug has offered both a general-education and a full college-preparatory curriculum, and many of its alumni have gone on to attend some of the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, with some earning Ph.D.'s, J.D.'s and other advanced degrees. In recent years, Principal Andrew Kelly has instituted a "small schools" program, converting the A, B, and C buildings and the Gymnasium annex into semi-autonomous academic entities, in order to create a more individualized, less anonymous academic environment for students and teachers alike.

Today Hug offers classes in English, from English as a Second Language up to Advanced Placement levels, mathematics from Algebra I to Calculus AB, sciences such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Spanish, French, Industrial arts and physical education, as well as numerous elective courses. In 2003, the Academic Olympics (AO) team placed 4th in Washoe County and the Science Bowl team competed in the Nevada regional competition. In 2004, the AO team placed 3rd in the district, the Science Bowl team placed 4th in the Nevada Regional, and the Robotics team placed in the top third in the Chesapeake Regional in Annapolis, Maryland.

Athletics

Hug competes in the Sierra League of the Northern Nevada 4A Region (large school). The campus has a lighted stadium for night games, tennis courts, and a baseball field, also on a descending set of hillside terraces. Hug has been successful in boy's basketball, football and boy's track this decade. The boy's basketball team won the Regional title in 2002, the football team was the state runner-up in 2005, along with the Northern Region championship, and the boy's track team won the state title in 2001.

History and Student Life

Sociopolitical background. In its early years, Hug High often ran at close to its planned capacity, but after the construction of other high schools in northwest Reno and northern valleys from 1982 onward, it eventually lost much of its student population from neighborhoods outside of the northeast section of the city, mainly due to the ongoing district politics of school zoning that has usually served to favor wealthier and mostly white neighborhoods in the area and further exacerbate the socioeconomic divide. While Hug has almost always had a higher percentage of students from ethnic minorities and low-income families than other schools in the district, since the late 80's the student body has undergone a even more extreme demographic shift, underscoring the underlying problem of racial and economic segregation that still could be said to characterize the administrative policies of the school district and region as a whole. Furthermore, the local mainstream press has quite often been biased in its coverage: all too eager to repeat the stereotypes of underachievement, yet apparently either unable or unwilling to contextualize the challenges that the school faces within a more general sociopolitical framework.

Academic achievements. In spite of these persistent challenges, over its forty-year history Hug High has still managed to excel in many academic areas. First and foremost, it has succeeded in providing a comprehensive secondary education that allowed many of its students to continue on and succeed at the college level. Moreover, thanks to dedication of its faculty and staff and the persistence of its students, it has often stood out in the Reno-Sparks area for its numerous, and at times unique, academic programs and extracurricular activities. For example, in the 1970's and 80's, it had a fine theater program under the direction of local actor and director Eve Loomis. Along with numerous musical, dramatic and dance performances, she founded a traveling children's theater troupe, the Hug High Harlequins, which traveled to elementary school audiences all over Northern Nevada. In the 1970's and 80's there was also a Shakespeare Club, active in organizing yearly fieldtrips to Shakespeare performances of professional theater companies under the supervision of English teacher Joanne Walen. This group was also commonly known as "Little Willy's Gang." Hug High, along with crosstown high school partner Wooster High, co-hosted the prestigious National Association of Student Councils conference in June of 1982, bringing hundreds of high school student leaders from all over the country to the Hug campus for its three-day leadership workshop. At that time, Hug was also competitive in speech and debate at the state level, and had a marching band that eventually went on to represent the state in the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, DC.

Cultural diversity at Hug has often provided the added benefit for all students to learn from a cultural diversity they might not be exposed to at other district schools. Whether the Native frybread lunches of the First Americans Club and Black History Month pageants of the 1970's and 80's (both organized under the mentorship of counselor Dolores Feemster) or the Cinco de Mayo celebrations and Polynesian dancing that characterize student life today, students continue to add to the history of student life at Hug through exploring and sharing their multifaceted cultural heritage with others. The tenacity of the hawk, whether that Hug students, faculty or alumni, also stands as a reminder to government leaders, administrators, educators and the community at large to make good on the ideals of social equality and academic opportunity that Hug has stood for since its founding forty years ago.

Traditions. The school mascot is the Hawk. Although the school colors originally chosen by the student body were kelly green and white, the school administration later modified them in the 1980's to a darker forest green and white. The school yearbook is called the "Talon", and the school newspaper is called "Soar." Its drill team is called the Shamrocks. The traditional school totem was the Spirit Claw, given to the class at each school assembly deemed to have shown the most school spirit.

School songs

School Anthem (sung to the tune of "Aura Lee")

As the Hawk soars overhead, rising high are we.Honor, spirit, make us proud, of our loyalty.Sacrifice, pay the price, proud are we to be,The Spirit of America: Hug High Hawks are we!

Fight Song (sung to the tune of "When the Saints")

Oh when the Hawks, go flying in,Oh when the Hawks go flying in,We'll be there to cheer the victors,When the Hawks go flying in! (Unlike most other schools in the area, Hug has two school songs: a School Anthem and a Fight Song. Traditionally, both school songs are played at pep rallies and games by the Hug High Pep Band, and each is accompanied by a short routine performed by the Hug High Cheerleaders and Songleaders. The Fight Song is usually played during games and rallies, whereas the School Anthem is only played at the end. )

References