St. Helens High School

St. Helens High School (SHHS) is a public high school located in St. Helens, Oregon, United States. The city was founded in 1850 and the high school was built in the 1950s. [3] During the 2022-2023 academic year, it served approximately 960 students. [4]

St. Helens High School
Address
Map
2375 Gable Road

, ,
97051

United States
Coordinates45°50′59.06″N 122°49′56.09″W / 45.8497389°N 122.8322472°W / 45.8497389; -122.8322472
Information
TypePublic
Established1950
School districtSt. Helens School District
PrincipalKaty Wagner
Grades9–12
Number of students798 (2022-2023)[1]
Color(s)Lemon and black   [2]
Athletics conferenceOSAA 4A-1 Cowapa League[2]
MascotLion[2]
Team name(St. Helens) Lions
RivalScappoose High School
Websitewww.sthelens.k12.or.us/Domain/88

An auxiliary filming for the movie Twilight took place at the school in April 2008.[5]

Academics

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In 2015, St. Helens High School had a class size of 224 students. 73% were on-time graduates and 45 dropped out.

In 2014, St. Helens High School had a class size of 259 students. 85% were on-time graduates and 27 dropped out.[6][7]

St. Helens High School offers nine Advanced Placement (AP) classes and 33 opportunities for college credit through Portland State University, Mount Hood Community College, and Portland Community College.[8]

Extracurricular activities

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St. Helens High School's clubs include drama club and robotics club, which takes part in the FIRST Robotics Competition.

Sports include football, boys' and girls' soccer, volleyball, cheer, color guard, marching band, swim team, wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, track & field, golf, baseball, softball, and boys' and girls' tennis.

In 2019 claims that opponents of St. Helens had been subjected to years of racist taunting were reported in the media and discussed in the State Senate.[9][10]

Accomplishments

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  • Football 3A state champions – 1992, 1996[11]
  • Track & Field Boys 5A state champions – 2007[12]
  • Volleyball 5A state champions – 2014[13]
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From 2005 to 2018, St. Helens High School knew of multiple incidents regarding the sexual misconduct of the history teacher, football coach, and track coach. The track coach, Kyle Wrobleski, was arrested in 2018 and found guilty. In March 2024, the St. Helens School District had to pay the student $3.5 million in a civil rights suit lawsuit settlement.[14][15] In November 2024, choir director Eric Stearns and former math teacher Mark Collins were arrested for alleged sexual assault. This led to the placement of the principal and superintendent on paid administrative leave, the resignation of the school board chair, and for calls for the firing of the entire school board.[16][17]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "St Helens High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "St. Helens".
  3. ^ "Home Page | City of St Helens Oregon". www.sthelensoregon.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  4. ^ "About Us / About Us". www.sthelens.k12.or.us. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  5. ^ Swan, Darryl (2008-04-02). "'Twilight' descends on St. Helens". Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  6. ^ "State releases high school graduation rates". The Oregonian. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  7. ^ "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". The Oregonian. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  8. ^ "SHHS School Course Guide". Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Herron, Elise (30 January 2019). "Oregon Sen. Lew Frederick Condemns Racism at Portland-Area High School Basketball Game". Willamette Week. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  10. ^ Denning, Max (5 February 2019). "Athletes at Oregon's Most Diverse High School Describe a Yearslong Pattern of Racial Harassment When They Travel to a Rival School". Willamette Week. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  11. ^ "OSAA Football Championships" (PDF). OSAA Records & Archives. Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Boys Track and Field Team State Champions 2007" (PDF). OSAA Records & Archives. Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Volleyball State Champions 2014" (PDF). OSAA Records & Archives. Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  14. ^ "St. Helens School District to pay $3.5 million over coach's sexual abuse".
  15. ^ Jensen, Alex (14 March 2024). "Settlement in St. Helens student's sex abuse suit largest in Oregon public school history". KGW-TV. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  16. ^ Land, Joni Auden (2024-11-15). "St. Helens school officials for years sat on multiple reports of sexual abuse, police say". OPB. Archived from the original on 2024-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  17. ^ Foran, Andrew; Plante, Aimee; Jones, Joelle (2024-11-14). "St. Helens HS closed through Monday as protests over sex abuse charges continue". KOIN.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Hector, Alley (2008-09-24). "Celebrity dating drama - The Hugh Hefner, Criss Angel, Holly Madison triangle". The Oregonian. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
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