Highland High School

Highland High School (HHS) is a public high school located in Gilbert, Arizona, USA. It was built in 1992 and is part of the District of Gilbert Public Schools. It is divided into grades 9-12, and in 2010, the school had a student body of 2,957.

In athletics, the school is known as the Highland Hawks. Highland is a member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's 6A Conference and competes in Division I for all AIA sports.

Highland High School is 4301 E. Guadalupe Road at Gilbert, Arizona, on the south side of Guadalupe, between Recker Road and Power Road. Its campus includes a two-storey main building and separate buildings for athletics, administration and performing arts. It has a gymnasium, three baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a marching band, a softball field, and two soccer fields. The school features a student-run convenience store, the Spirit Store, which also sells Highland branded goods. The on-campus cafeteria offers options for school meals as well as offerings from nationwide vendors. The library will serve the student body from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Highland academic offers are organized in 12 departments: Agriculture, Business, English, Family & Consumer Science, Fine & Performing Arts, Industrial Arts, Mathematics, Modern Language, Physical Education/Education, Science, Social Studies and Special Education.

Honorary courses are offered in English literature, laboratory science and mathematics for first and second year students. Upperclassmen may then choose to take part in any of the 17 Advanced Placement (AP) courses taught at the school. Highland students holding at least 3.8 GPA during the first three grading quarters are recognized as Golden Scholars at a ceremony at the end of each year. Graduation from Highland involves a baccalaureate service and a ceremony to begin. Highland was honored as a Blue Ribbon School in 2004.

The Student Life

Highland hosts more than 70 student clubs and activities. The school participated in FIRST Robotics either as a stand-alone entity or in partnership with other schools or universities. In 2007, 2008, 2009 it won the AZ Regional FRC Competition. It was won by LA Vegas FRC in 2008. In 2011 and 2012, the AZ regional FTC competition won. It took first place at the university level at NURC in 2009 and 2010 in cooperation with teammates from Arizona State University. The Sparkfun AVC (Autonomous Vehicle Challenge) competition won in 2012.

The School's Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter won first in 2007 for its ag sales team in the state. Other Highland groups include Academic Decathlon contingents. The dances sponsored by the school are Homecoming, Winter Formal, Morp (Valentine's Dance; "Prom" spelled backwards, where the girls ask the boys) and Prom.

Twenty-three percent of HHS students participate in a day-to-day seminary program run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has a religious instruction building adjacent to the campus.

Performing Arts

Highland's band program has more than 300 students enrolled. The marching band received national recognition and marched at the Fiesta Bowl Parade (1999), the Disneyland Light Parade (2000), the Roses Parade Tournament (2001), and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2004), ranked #4 at the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championships in 1999 and 2009.

The Concert Choir traveled to New York City in March 2007 to perform at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Mormon Tabernacle Choir Director Craig Jessop. Previously, she performed at the Chicago Orchestra Hall and at the 1998 MENC National Conference.

The Highland Orchestra also performed at Carnegie Hall (2002), and its Symphonic Orchestra performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in 1997, 2007 and 2013. HHS is the only school in Arizona that has been selected twice to perform at the Midwest Clinic.