Helena High School

This article is about a high school in Montana. For the high school in Alabama, see Helena High School (Alabama).

46°35′43″N 112°01′08″W

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)[1]
Grades	9 through 12
Enrollment	1,087 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	13.42[1]
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

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

1. "Helena High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
2. Superintendent of Public Instruction, p. 57. Accessed 2011-05-10.
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. http://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.
6. "Carol Ann Judge, 73". Daily Inter Lake. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2015-01-04.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. "Ulva Pippy dies in Bozeman". The Independent Record. Montana, Helena. April 14, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "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