Helena High School

Helena High School
Helena High School
	The original building, circa 1891
Address
	1300 Billings Avenue; Helena, Montana; United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1876
School district	Helena Public School District
Principal	Steve Thennis
Teaching staff	80.99 (FTE)
Grades	9 through 12
Enrollment	1,087 (2022–23)
Student to teacher ratio	13.42
Color(s)	Cardinal red and white
Athletics	AA (largest class in Montana)
Mascot	Bengals
Nickname	HHS
Rival	Helena Capital High School
Accreditation	Montana Office of Public Instruction
Website	Helena High website

46°35′43″N 112°01′08″W / 46.59528°N 112.01889°W / 46.59528; -112.01889

Helena High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Helena, Montana, United States. It is part of the Helena Public School District. Founded in September 1876, it is the oldest high school in the state of Montana.^[2] A new building was completed in August 1935 and it was almost destroyed a few months later in the 1935 Helena earthquake.^[3] In 1955, the building became Helena Junior High School (now Helena Middle School) and Helena High School moved into its present location at 1300 Billings Avenue, just off Montana Avenue.

Curriculum

Four foreign languages are taught at Helena High: French, German, Latin, and Spanish. The English Department, with 22 faculty, offers instruction in English literature and composition, as well as elective studies. Students are encouraged to take honors and Advanced Placement (AP) in English, math, science, and history. There are also many elective options.

Extracurricular activities

There are many extra-curricular clubs and activities for students to get involved at Helena High School.^[4] School teams and clubs include:

Basketball – Boys and Girls
Cross Country – Boys and Girls
Fast Pitch Softball
Football
Soccer – – Boys and Girls
Swimming
Tennis – Boys and Girls
Track and Field – Boys and Girls
Volleyball
Wrestling
Speech and Debate
Mock Trial

Notable alumni

Max Baucus, former United States Senator and United States Ambassador to China (graduated in 1959)^[5]
Steve Bullock, former governor of Montana
Dan Carpenter, NFL placekicker for the Buffalo Bills
Gary Cooper, Academy Award winning actor (dropped out in his sophomore year)
Chuck Darling, member of 1956 Summer Olympics basketball gold medalists, First team All-American at University of Iowa
Pat Donovan, NFL tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
David Fuller, politician. Montana state senator
L. Ron Hubbard, author and the founder of Scientology; enrolled at Helena High during his junior year
Carol Judge (1958), First Lady of Montana (1973–1980); healthcare activist and registered nurse^[6]
Ian MacDonald (born Ulva Pippy), actor on film and television^[7]
Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists
Maile Meloy, author
Jacob Hahn, Cybersecurity expert and speaker
Kimberly Reed, director and producer of Prodigal Sons
William Roth, former member of the United States Senate from Delaware
Danny Sprinkle, head basketball coach of Utah State University
A. L. Strand, president of Montana State College (1937–1942) and Oregon State University (1942–1961)^[8]
Joseph P. Mazurek, former Montana Attorney General and member of the Montana Senate

Notable faculty

Mary S. Cummins (1854-1904), teacher and principal of Helena High School

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c "Helena High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
^ Superintendent of Public Instruction, p. 57. Accessed 2011-05-10.
^ "Helena, Montana 1935 10 19 04:48 UTC (local 10/18) Magnitude 6.3 Intensity VIII". Historic Earthquakes. USGS. 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
^ http://hhs.helenaschools.org/extracurricular/activities/ Helena High School website
^ Max Baucus. "A National Leader With Montana Values". Max Baucus. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
^ "Carol Ann Judge, 73". Daily Inter Lake. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2015-01-04.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Ulva Pippy dies in Bozeman". The Independent Record. Montana, Helena. April 14, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Dr. A.L. Strand Elected President State College to Succeed Dr. Atkinson." Helena Independent. July 13, 1937.

Bibliography

Superintendent of Public Instruction. Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Vol. II. Montana Department of Public Instruction. Helena, Mont.: Independent Publishing Co., 1903.

External links

Official Helena High School Web site

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[NCES-1] "Helena High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 14, 2024.

[Founding-2] Superintendent of Public Instruction, p. 57. Accessed 2011-05-10.

[USGS-3] "Helena, Montana 1935 10 19 04:48 UTC (local 10/18) Magnitude 6.3 Intensity VIII". Historic Earthquakes. USGS. 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.

[4] ttp://hhs.helenaschools.org/extracurricular/activities/ Helena High School website

[5] Max Baucus. "A National Leader With Montana Values". Max Baucus. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-22.

[dilake-6] "Carol Ann Judge, 73". Daily Inter Lake. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2015-01-04.^{[permanent dead link]}

[ir-7] "Ulva Pippy dies in Bozeman". The Independent Record. Montana, Helena. April 14, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

[StrandElected-8] "Dr. A.L. Strand Elected President State College to Succeed Dr. Atkinson." Helena Independent. July 13, 1937.

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