University High School (Tucson)

University High School
Location
421 N. Arcadia Ave. Tucson, Arizona, USA
Coordinates	32°13′35″N 110°53′20″W
Information
Type	Public (magnet) secondary
Established	1976
Oversight	Tucson Unified School District
Principal	Elizabeth Moll
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	847; 2,072 combined with Rincon(Oct. 1, 2010)
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Black and white
Mascot	Penguin
Newspaper	"The Perspective"' uhsperspective.org
Website	edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/uhs/

University High School (UHS) is an accelerated public high school located in Tucson, Arizona, originally known as Special Projects High School (SPHS), University High School is in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). The mission statement of UHS identifies it as "a special function high school which serves students who are academically focused and intellectually gifted and provides curriculum and social support not offered in the comprehensive high school."

Location and Features

The school currently shares a centrally located campus with Rincon High School. UHS was located at the Tucson High School campus before moving to Rincon's campus at the beginning of September 1985.

The mascot at UHS is the penguin. When it was known as Special Projects High School, the mascot was the skunk. Both mascots give the school its reputable colors of black and white. While UHS is a public school, entry is based upon a combination of exam scores and 7th and 8th grade GPAs. Unlike most schools, the only students who are admitted after freshman year replace the students who leave.

Relationship with Rincon

University High students participate in Rincon's athletics and fine arts programs. Students from both schools are generally able to participate in classes that are only offered by the other school. A few extracurricular activities are separate between the schools, mostly competitive clubs such as Academic Decathlon, the chess team, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and Science Olympiad. Generally, school clubs are commonly open to both Rincon and UHS students.

AP Offerings

UHS students graduate after taking a minimum of 4 Advanced Placement (AP) classes (AP English as upperclassmen and AP US History and AP US Government), while many opt to take additional AP courses, some even complete as many as 16. In 2004, the school had the greatest percentage of students passing the AP exams for United States History, Comparative Politics and English Language of any high school in the world. Also, nearly all of students continue on to college with 50-75% achieving one or more scholarships. As of 2009, the following AP courses are offered (28 of the 31 that the College Board offers):

APs

• AP English Literature
• AP German Language
• AP English Language
• AP Spanish Language
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Spanish Literature
• AP European History
• AP World History
• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Physics B
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Phys C (Mechanics)
• AP Macroeconomics

• AP Phys C (Electricity & Magnetism)
• AP U.S. History
• AP Govt & Politics: US
• AP History of Art
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Studio Art
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Music Theory
• AP Statistics
• AP Psychology
• AP French Language
• AP Computer Science A
• AP French Literature
• AP Computer Sci AB

Honors as a preparatory school

In December 2009, US News and World Report identified UHS as one of "America's best high schools- Gold Medal list". In 2007, US News and World Report ranked UHS at 13 among public high schools as well as earning a gold medal in achievement according to US News' ranking system. In May 2006, Newsweek named UHS as one of "The Public Elites," schools that, "NEWSWEEK excluded...from the list of Best High Schools because so many of their students score well above average on the SAT and ACT."

In 2005, it was honored as a Blue Ribbon school.

Notable Traditions

General:

April: UHS Film Festival

May: Arts Under the Stars

Seniors:

November: Senior Sale/Green Elephant Sale

January: Senior Debates/Mock Election

May: Senior Night, Senior Breakfast

Juniors:

Poetry Slam

Vote in Senior Election

Freshmen:

BOOST Summer Program (Before the start of school)

One-Time Wonders:

On the last day of school in 2000, Alice Cooper's "School's Out" was played over the school's PA system.

The last week of school in 2001, the RHS/UHS Marquee was changed to include the phrase "All Your Base Are Belong To Us." Although never officially claiming responsibility for the act, Stage Crew may have been involved.

Notable alumni

• Gabrielle Giffords, US Representative from Arizona's 8th district
• Thomas Harlan, author and game designer
• Martha Crawford Heitzmann, vice president for research and development, Air Liquide, France
• Jessica Grace Wing, composer and film-maker

References

• [6]

External links

• UHS Website
• Alumni Association for Special Projects/University High School
• School Newspaper "The Perspective"