Hurricane High School (Utah)

37°10′30″N 113°17′42″W

Hurricane High School
Hurricane High School
Address
345 W Tiger Blvd

Hurricane
,
Utah
84737

United States
Information
Other namesHHS,H-Town
TypeHigh School
MottoPreparing Students for Life
EstablishedSeptember 1918 (1918-09)
School districtWashington County School District (Utah)
PrincipalDaniel McKeehan
Teaching staff44.39 (FTE)[1]
Grades10–12
Enrollment1,063 (2019–20)[1]
Student to teacher ratio23.95[1]
Color(s)Red, Black and White 🟥⬛⬜
YearbookTyphoon
Websitehhs.washk12.org

Hurricane High School is the only high school in Hurricane, Utah, United States. It enrolls students in grades 10–12 from Hurricane and surrounding communities, including La Verkin, Toquerville, Hildale, Virgin, Rockville, and Springdale. As of the 2022 school year, there are 1,141 students enrolled. The student population has grown by 9% over the last five school years.[2] In 2017, a total of 296 students graduated with an 89% graduation rate. USBE Data and Research 2017

Hurricane High's school colors are red, black and white. The school mascot is a tiger.

History

The first school classes were held in Hurricane in 1906 in the living room of Ira E. Bradshaw's home, consisting of grades one through eight. Hurricane's first high school class graduated in the 1927–1928 (1928) school year.

Photo of old Hurricane High School building with a red truck parked in front of it before its demolition in spring 2004.
Photo of old Hurricane High School before its demolition in spring 2004. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places from April 9, 1986, to April 28, 2005, and was located at what eventually became the Hurricane City Fine Arts Building.

A two-story red brick high school building was built during the Great Depression with help from the federal government's Works Progress Administration.[3] The building was completed and the school opened just after Thanksgiving in 1936.[3]

The school chose the colors red and black because those are the colors on a hurricane warning flag. The school originally chose the Red Devil as its mascot in the mid-1920s, but many of the students' parents complained due to the big LDS church influence in the town.Shortly after the complaints from parents, the school then had a student vote between the Blue Jays, Black Pirates and Tigers. The students voted for the tiger as their new mascot, and it was an animal that could be rendered easily in black and red.[4]

In 1974, a new gymnasium and three classrooms were completed at the school site. Students walked between the old high school building and the new building for classes. In 1978, classrooms and a cafeteria were added, and grades 9–12 moved to the new building. The old building remained in use for other grades until it was demolished in the spring of 2004. An auditorium, auxiliary gym, and administrative office areas were added in 1996. In 2001, a science hall was added and named for the outgoing principal, Robert Goulding.

The school's enrollment growth forced an expansion of the existing building. The expansion opened in 2012.[5]

Daniel McKeehan is the principal at Hurricane High School, replacing former principal Darin Thomas in 2023.[5]

Hurricane High School Principals
Principal[5] Years [5]
Vivian Decker1917–1918
A. L. Winsor1918–1919
H. Val Hafen1919–1921
Willard O. Nisson1921–1924
Lorenzo Parker1924–1928
Milton E. Moody1928–1929
Glenn E. Snow1929–1932
Leeman Bennett1932–1938
Maurice Nuttal1938–1958
J. Ordean Washborn1958–1961
David R. Pearce1961–1969
Wayne Edwards1969–1983
Harold Tenney1983–1985
Rob Goulding1985–2001
Roy Hoyt2001–2008
Kevin Pederson2008–2012
Jody Rich2012–2018
Darin Thomas2018–2023
Daniel McKeehan2023–present

Athletics

Hurricane High is a 4A school and is a part of Region 9 of the Utah High School Activities Association, and has teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.[6] The school also has a speech and debate team, and students from the school's music programs participate in the UHSAA's Solo and Ensemble competitions.The school has long standing rivalries with Cedar High, Dixie High, Pine View High, Desert Hills High and Snow Canyon High in region 9 sports. They also have had some pretty intense sporting events against Crimson Cliffs High school, despite Crimson Cliffs high being by far the newest high school in the county.

School State Championships:

Baseball: 1 – 1956

Boys Basketball: 2 – 1982, 2012

Girls Basketball: 5 – 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2000

Football: 1 – 2011

Boys Track: 8 – 1984, 1989, 1990, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

Girls Track: 2 – 1984, 1993

Volleyball: 2 – 2008, 2013

See also

References
  1. "Hurricane High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. "Hurricane High School (2021-22 Ranking) | Hurricane, UT". Public School Review. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  3. "New Deal Projects". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  4. Vincent, Stephen (February 10, 2014). "Hurricane High School: Roaring with Pride". The Spectrum. St. George, Utah. p. A1. Retrieved March 13, 2018. Of all the Southern Utah high schools, Hurricane's name, colors and mascot may have some of the murkiest details, mixed with legend and fact. Definite proof may be elusive, but if the pieces are assembled, Hurricane's mascot and colors have a logical sense of progression. From a gust of wind came the name Hurricane. From the hurricane warning flag came the colors red and black, and from those colors came the name 'Tigers'.
  5. "Hurricane High School Hurricane, Utah – Hurricane High School". hhs.washk12.org. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  6. "UHSAA Regions & Classifications". uhsaa.org. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
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