Saguaro High School

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Saguaro High School
Motto Sabercats, Ho!
Established 1965
Type Secondary Public School
Principal Mrs. Annie Preston
Students 1736
Grades 9-12
Location 6250 N. 82nd Street,
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
District Scottsdale Unified School District
Colors Black and Gold
Mascot Sinbad, The Sabercat
Yearbook The Saguaro Sentinel
Newspaper The Saguaro Sabercat
Website http://www.susd.org/Saguaro/
Looking up at the back of the stadium, 2006, before construction and remodeling
Looking up at the back of the stadium, 2006, before construction and remodeling

Saguaro High School is a former A+ and Blue Ribbon Schools Program certified high schools of the Scottsdale Unified School District in Scottsdale, Arizona.[1][2] Saguaro was opened in 1965. It is a 4A Div.1 school.

Beginning in 2006, Saguaro underwent massive renovation in response to the swelling student population (mostly caused by the huge inflow of families to North Scottsdale) and aging facilities. The school district is still oddly-shaped, with a pocket of North Scottsdale students carved out of what was once the Desert Mountain High School district due to massive overcrowding of the latter.

Saguaro has made a vehement rival of Chaparral High School, and sporting events between the two schools are often attended by multiple police officers and guards in response to past fist-fighting and vandalism.

Contents

[edit] The Area

Saguaro is located at the crossroads of Hayden Road and McDonald Road, two blocks from the 101 Freeway funneling into North Scottsdale. It is located in what is colloquially known as Central Scottsdale or the Shea Corridor, in close proximity to Old Town Scottsdale and the Fashion Square Mall. The student body is very diverse, hailing anywhere from lower-class to extremely wealthy families (made evident by the presence of luxury cars interspersed in the student parking lot). Despite this, socioeconomic tensions between students are relatively low.

[edit] Science Department

Saguaro's Science Olympiad teams consistently score in the top two schools at the Arizona State Science Olympiad competition, a testimony to the school's rigorous science program. The school also has an excellent record at the statewide Chemistry Challenge at Northern Arizona University.

[edit] Performing Arts

Saguaro High School has all five disciplines in its performing arts department: Orchestra, Band, Dance, Theater, and Choir. There are three choirs: a Men's Choir, a Woman's Choir (dubbed "The Cat's Meow"), and the coed Voices of Saguaro, the latter of which has attended multiple national competitions. The band department boasts a marching band, and an upper-and-lower-level concert band set (Symphonic and Concert band, respectively), as well as a jazz band during the spring when marching band is not in session. There is also a winter color guard and winter percussion line, both of which have performed together in the past, but also perform separately.

These are the programs the marching band has performed recently:

2001-2002: Irish music
2002-2003: "Cinema Blockbusters" (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings)
2003-2004: "Pictures at an Exhibition" (arranged by then-director Julie French)
2004-2005: "The Mask of Zorro"
2005-2006: "Superheroes"
2006-2007: Arrangements of the band Chicago
2007-2008: A Tribute to Stan Kenton

[edit] Athletics

The SHS Varsity Football Team won the school's second State Championship in Football in 2006 by a score of 41-21.[3] They also won in 2007 with a close score of 23-21 due to an amazing kick by Steven "Whales" Chiapetti.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Trivia

Was built on the site of an old landfill.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.azedfoundation.org/srp-list.html
  2. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF)
  3. ^ http://www.aiaonline.org/story/?id=6278

[edit] External links


High Schools of Scottsdale Unified School District
•Arcadia High School
• Coronado High School
• Chaparral High School
• Desert Mountain High School
• Saguaro High School
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