Hortonville High School

Hortonville High School is a high school located in Hortonville, Wisconsin. The only high school in the Hortonville Area School District, it serves students in grades 9 to 12 from the communities of Hortonville and Greenville, and portions of Center, Dale, Ellington, Grand Chute, Hortonia, and Liberty.

Hortonville High School
Address
155 Warner Street

Hortonville
,
Wisconsin
54942

United States
Coordinates44°20′13″N 88°37′59″W
Information
TypePublic, Coeducational
School districtHortonville Area School District
SuperintendentTodd Timm
PrincipalThomas Ellenbecker
Teaching staff70.90 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,268 (2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio17.88[1]
Color(s)Red & white    
SongWashington & Lee
AthleticsWIAA District 1
Athletics conferenceFox Valley Association / Valley Football Association
Mascot"Polie" the Polar Bear
NicknamePolar Bears
AccreditationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
NewspaperBear Facts
YearbookPolar Bear
WebsiteHortonville High School

Campus

Hortonville High School is located on a 37.5-acre campus bounded by Warner Street, Olk Street, Nash Street, and Towne Drive on the east side of the Village of Hortonville. In addition to academic areas, the building includes the school district administration offices, an 800-seat performing arts center, a field house and auxiliary gymnasium, a fitness center open to district residents, a branch of Wolf River Community Bank and a newly constructed cafeteria and commons area.

The 3,000-seat Wolf River Community Bank Stadium at Akin Field is located at the northeast corner of the campus and is home to the football, soccer, and track teams. Off-campus athletic facilities include: Commercial Club Park (varsity baseball), Otto Miller Athletic Complex (softball, freshman and junior varsity baseball, and soccer), Greenville Community Park (baseball and softball), Greenville Lions Park (cross country), Grandview Golf Club (golf) and Community First Champion Center (hockey).

History

Construction of the first high school building in Hortonville began in 1899 near the corner of Pine and Cedar Streets, with the first high school classes being offered in 1902. In 1906, Hortonville graduated its first senior class, which consisted of 17 students. During this time, athletic events were held at the Hortonville Community Hall and Opera House, where due to the temperature of the facility, the teams earned the nickname "Polar Bears".[3]

In 1953, the Hortonville Union High School District was formed which consolidated the existing high school with the surrounding rural school districts. The high school relocated to its current location in 1956. In 1962, an addition to the building connected the high school to the elementary and middle schools located to the north. At this time, the separate elementary and high school districts were combined and the high school was renamed Hortonville High School. Major additions occurred in 1965, 1976 and 1984, during which time the building housed the entire district.[3]

Since 1991, five elementary and middle school buildings were constructed within the district, with the vacated space in the original building being converted after extensive remodeling into high school use. In 1994, the field house and performing arts center additions were completed. In 2014, a new cafeteria and commons area, new administrative offices, and extensive remodeling were completed. The school's football field underwent renovations in 2018.[4]

1974 Teachers' strike

During the 1974 school year, teachers belonging to the Hortonville Education Association, a teachers union, went on strike following months of unsuccessful contract negotiations with the school board. At this time, strikes by teachers were illegal under state law. The strike received national attention as the 84 striking teachers were replaced by strikebreakers and classes resumed, a move that was unprecedented at the time. Thousands of union activists convened on Hortonville to join the picket lines, which led to political unrest within the community. The case ultimately went to the United States Supreme Court.[5] The union claimed that the disciplinary hearings held by the Hortonville Board of Education were prejudiced because of the board's role as the bargaining unit for the district. In a 6–3 decision authored by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, the court found the board had the power to discipline the teachers.[6]

Academics

A minimum of 24 credits are required for graduation, as well as 36 hours of community service. Courses are offered in: art, business, computers, and marketing, English, family and consumer science, health, mathematics, music, personal finance, physical education, science, social science, manufacturing engineering and technology, world languages, and yearbook production.[7]

Seniors who want to develop job skills in an area related to post-high school career goals can enroll in School Supervised Work Experience.

Advanced Placement classes include: biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, English literature and composition, environmental science, human geography, psychology, physics, Spanish, studio art, U.S. governmental and politics, U.S. history, and world history.

Distance learning through the K-12 Schools/College Alliance for Distance Education (KSCADE) allows students to take courses during the school day from other locations via a video network.

Hortonville High School students can take classes taught at the high school through Fox Valley Technical College and receive both high school and technical college credit.

The Youth Options program enables students to leave the high school campus to take courses during their junior and senior years at either a university or a technical college.

Extracurricular activities

Academic activities and clubs

Hortonville High School offers the following academic activities and clubs: anime club, archery club, art team, debate, diversity group, environmental club, FCCLA (Future Career & Community Leaders of America), forensics, GSA (The Gay-Straight Alliance), German, H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Peers Engage), link crew, math club, math team, National Honor Society, PAWS (Peers Assisting With Students), robotics team, rocket club, school play, ski club, Spanish, Spanish Honor Society, spirit club, student council, WIHA (Wisconsin Interscholastic Horsemanship Association), and yearbook.[8]

Band offerings include: jazz ensemble, marching band, pep band, pit orchestra, solo/ensemble and color guard/winter guard.

Choral offerings include: male choir, musical, show choir, solo/ensemble, and vocal jazz.

Athletics

Hortonville High School competes in Division 1 of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and is a member of the Fox Valley Association. The school offers baseball, basketball (boys and girls), cheer leading, cross country, dance, football, golf (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), softball, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.[9]

Hockey is offered to both boys and girls through cooperative teams with nearby high schools. Boys may join the Neenah-Hortonville-Menasha Rockets, which is fielded in conjunction with Neenah and Menasha high schools. Girls may join the Fox Cities Stars, which is fielded in conjunction with Freedom, Fox Valley Lutheran, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, Neenah, New London, St. Mary Central, and Xavier high schools.

The Polar Bears have made 15 state tournament appearances: eight times for spring baseball, once for girls' basketball, and five times for softball. The baseball team won the state title in 1987, 1997, and 1998, with the softball team winning the title in 1996 and 2000.

Growth in enrollment at HHS has prompted several athletic conference changes over the years. Conferences the school has been a part of include the: Little Nine Conference (prior to 1970), East Central Conference (1970-1999), Valley 8 Conference (1999-2007), Bay Conference (2007-2014), and Fox Valley Association/Valley Football Association (2014–Present).[10]

Feeder schools

Students entering HHS typically come from the district's three public middle schools: Fox West Academy, Greenville Middle School, and Hortonville Middle School and from the district's three private schools: Bethlehem Lutheran, Immanuel Lutheran, and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic.

Recognition
  • HHS has been a National Association for Sport and Physical Education STAR School since 2005.[11]
  • In 2009, HHS was one of only three high schools in the state to receive Gold Status in the Governor's School Health Award Initiative. The awards are given to schools in recognition of their effort to develop programs, policies and resources that support students' academic achievement and long-term physical health.[12]
  • In 2009, HHS was the third school in the nation recognized as a StormReady Supporter.
  • HHS was featured on an episode of the MTV reality series Made, which aired on June 14, 2008.[13]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Hortonville High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  2. Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved 2012-07-08
  3. http://www.hasd.org/schools/hs/HHS%20Centennial%20Book%202005.pdf
  4. Tetzlaff, Trent (April 11, 2018). "Renovations on Hortonville High School's Wolf River Community Bank Stadium set to begin". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. "Education: The Hortonville 84". Time. May 27, 1974.
  6. http://educational-law.org/337-hortonville-joint-school-district-no-1-v-hortonville-education-association.html
  7. "Counseling - Hortonville Area School District". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Hortonville Area School District - Athletics".
  10. http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130926/APC0904/309260260/Hortonville-poised-leave-Bay-Conference
  11. http://www.aahperd.org/Naspe/stars/index.html
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Prom King | Ep. 905 | MADE | Full Episode Video | MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  14. Goff, Tom (September 7, 1991). "No. 1 opts to be No. 2". Appleton Post-Crescent. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
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