Hickory High School
School Profile
Hickory High School offers a wide‐range of Academic, Art and Athletic opportunities. These programs offer multiple opportunities for the diverse population that attends Hickory High School. These opportunities constitute the AAA Recognition of Excellence program.
At Hickory…
Hickory High School houses 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students. These grades equal approximately 840 students. The approximately 60 professional staff members are dedicated, diverse, accommodating and willing to help in the academic as well as social arenas. The entire professional staff is considered Highly Qualified according to NCLB and PDE regulations. The professional staff has earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in secondary education, administration, specialty areas and guidance.
Academics & Curriculum
89 % of seniors attend four‐year colleges. 8 % of seniors choose two‐year colleges. Each graduating class averages 5-7 students who will join the US military.
The Class of 2020 has exceeded all previous classes by being awarded over 3.1 million dollars in scholarship monies. This feat demonstrates HHS students’ dedication and commitment to Academics, the Arts, and Athletics at HHS.
Act Composite Score: 23.0 SAT: 519 Critical Reading 506 Math 510 Writing
The HHS Program of Studies booklet (available online) is used to guide students through their high school careers. It is designed to prepare students for their next step. The core classes of English, science, math and social studies offer different levels of academic rigor. General, academic, advanced and Advanced Placement (AP) classes are available for all students to explore and challenge their academic limits.
Four years of Spanish and French world language, with accelerated options, are available.
The HSD is proud to host our annual Career Week each February. At HHS this week highlights a variety of post‐secondary options, military careers and interview procedures.
An alumni panel constitutes a very important question and answer session with all sophomores.
HHS is also proud of our affiliation with Business Week and the ACES Program. The Americans for Competitive Enterprise System has entered into a venture providing high quality, business education experiences through a week‐long Business Week Program each fall.
HHS has teamed with the City of Hermitage and the eCenter at Lindenpointe to offer the Entrepreneurship Academy. In 2020, seven HHS seniors and students from neighboring districts will embark on a year‐long program that introduces them to- S.T.E.A.M –Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. This program combines real‐world business experience with creative design.
The Hermitage School District and Hickory High School offers a QUEST program designed to meet the needs of the gifted and talented.
Specifically designed instruction for students with learning difficulties, emotional and behavioral difficulties, vision, language and speech concerns are available as well.
Programs designed to aide students in the preparation for PSSA exams are also available. These involve specific interventions that cover eligible content in either, reading, math or both.
HHS AP scores have risen steadily and now exceed national and state averages! We are proud to report that over the last 5 years, our students average 125 taken with 57 % of all HHS AP students who tested scored a 3, 4, or 5 on their exam.
In addition, HHS now offers 11 AP courses in a variety of core academic areas. In 2013 HHS was recognized as an AP Honors School for participation, offerings and performance. During the last 5 school years, 330 students have taken an AP exam w/ 71% achieving either a 3,4, or 5.
Dual Enrollment opportunities, through local colleges and universities exist for qualifying seniors.
Hickory High School offers the full complement of Mercer County Career Center options. HHS students may attend the career center to acquire specific vocational, work‐related and college preparatory skills.
HHS is very proud of SilverCords Program. A voluntary community service program in which students volunteer their time in the Shenango Valley and receive recognition for their efforts. This program utilizes 100’s of community organizations, churches, and local businesses to permit HHS students to give back to the community and provide a valuable human resource. Hundreds of students at HHS are involved in the program and their efforts are appreciated. A strong community equals a strong school…
A full explanation of credits, available classes, dual enrollment procedures, AP courses, freshman – senior requirements and Mercer County Career Center programs are available in the course of study booklet found on the Hermitage School District website. In addition, the school counselors offer a wide‐range of services from career prep, college scholarships, social counseling and peer support. Please visit the guidance section of the HSD website.
Technology
Hickory High School is proud to be one-to-one device school. All students in grades 8-12 have personal Chromebooks for their daily use.
All parents/guardians can access their son/daughter’s grades and teacher assignments through Powerschool. This is an online program that uses secure passwords to access all academic information for each student in every class.
Basic computer classes as well as programming and advanced programming classes are available for every student.
Please visit the HSD website or any school to receive a copy of the Mobile Device Policy.
At Hickory High School …
Students are provided the opportunity to express themselves appropriately and interact with the faculty and administration. A strong peer‐mediation program that assists students to resolve their conflicts peacefully is active and well. An ambassador program that shows student leaders how to positively influence their peers is in development.
A Student Assistance Program (SAP) works in conjunction with the Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission to identify, provide support and assist students in need. Teachers volunteer their time to meet twice a month and discuss referrals of students experiencing a variety of concerns identified by caring and trusted staff members.
In Closing…
At Hickory, EXCELLENCE is the expectation. We are very proud of our students’ academic accomplishments, artistic endeavors and athletic achievements. We are proud of our facilities and community support for our school. We strive for constant improvement, a dedication to high‐achievement and the building of positive relationships between our students and staff. We stress the need for all students to become well‐rounded individuals and stress the importance of how you represent yourself, your family, your school and your community. Hickory High School is proud of its traditions, its past and we are excited about the future…the HIVE is alive with activity and promise!
‘BY THE NUMBERS’ for the class of 2020…
In Academics:
- Recognized as an Advanced Placement Honors School
- 52 seniors possessed a cumulative GPA 93% and over and are wearing their honor cords this evening
- 60 seniors were recognized at the Annual Academic Awards Banquet for having a 97% GPA and above.
- 15 seniors placed at the regional tournament in Academic Games and 3 students qualified for the national tournament.
- Finally, 11 seniors possessed a HHS cumulative average ABOVE a 100% for four years
In the Arts:
- 91 seniors were involved in either marching, jazz, pep, and/or concert band band
- 5 seniors have earned all county, region, or district honors in band
- 21 seniors were involved in orchestra or chamber orchestra.
- 14 seniors earned all county, district, or region honors in orchestra.
- 41 seniors were involved in the choir program
- 8 seniors earned all county, region, or district honors in choir.
- 5 seniors were recognized at the local or state level for excellence in painting/drawing, photography, and ceramics with 1 being named a state and national finalist!
- 17 seniors have participated at some point in their school careers in the senior class play.
- 23 seniors participated at some point in their career in the annual spring musical
- In the Silver Cord’s program 5th year of existence DOZENS seniors have taken this opportunity to volunteer in the community for a combined total of 1015 hours of community service.
In Athletics:
- * In their 4 years as a Hornet: 20 region titles have been won
- 13 District 10 titles have been won
- 2 state titles and 2 state runnerup’s were earned
- 4 final four’s in PA and 6 elite 8’s in PA were earned
- 3 seniors have earned allstate athletic honors multiple times
- And finally…21 seniors were awarded the Barbara A. Dzuricsko AAA Award for Excellence in Academics, the Arts, and Athletics.
Chris Gill
High School Principal 11-12
Diane Brest
High School Principal 8-10