Sycamore High School (SHS) is a four-year public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in the northeast suburbs of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. It is the only high school in the

Sycamore Community School District Sycamore Community School District is a school district in southwestern Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. Sycamore High School offers more than 223 courses including six global languages, more than 20 AP course offerings, and post-AP level classes.

Campus

The schools occupies a suburban campus. The present building was designed to accommodate 2000 students in 1974. It was built in a modern style, employing the progressive and experimental

open classroom An open classroom is a student-centered learning space design format which first became popular in North America in the late 1960s and 1970s, with a re-emergence in the early 21st century. Theory The idea of the open classroom was that a large ...

concept wherein no permanent walls separated the classrooms. It has since been expanded and internal walls have been added as the school has grown.

Curriculum & Academics

All students follow compulsory courses in English, maths, sciences, social studies, fine arts, and health and physical education. Elective subjects include business technology, computer science, family and consumer sciences, music and technology. Sycamore offers 42 accelerated and

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses. The school has a 99.1% graduation rate, and 90% of students go on to attend college. Sycamore regularly has among the highest number of National Merit Scholars in Ohio. In 1999, Sycamore had a record 35 National Merit Scholars. That year, three students also scored perfect scores on the major college entrance examinations. Sycamore has been highly placed in the

National Science Bowl The National Science Bowl (NSB) is a high school and middle school science knowledge competition, using a quiz bowl format, held in the United States. A buzzer system similar to those seen on popular television game shows is used to signal an an ...

, and the Ohio Math League competition, and won the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics competition in 2000, 2001, and 2007. Sycamore has been historically successful in science fairs; students compete at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Regional Science Fair and many go on to compete at the state science fair at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. In 2013, Sycamore won the "Harold C. Shaw Outstanding School Award" at the state science day. Only four schools in Ohio merited this honor.

Clubs and activities

Sycamore offers over 50 clubs and other extra-curricular activities for students. Sycamore's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL) and

National Junior Classical League The National Junior Classical League (National JCL or NJCL) is a youth organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League (ACL). Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises more than 1,000 Latin, Greek and Classica ...

(NJCL). Sycamore's DECA program is nationally recognized and has had several state and national competitors.

Student publications

''The Leaf'' is the official high school news magazine of Sycamore High School. After 60 years as a black-and-white newspaper, the 2013-14 editorial staff transformed the student-run newspaper into a magazine, with selective pages in color, and made ''The Leaf's'' online platform interactive. The magazine is in print and has grown to include graphics as well as articles. ''The Log'' yearbook is distributed to all students in Sycamore High School. ''Ink'' is an annual literary magazine published by members of the Creative Writing Club.

The Arts

The Sycamore Music Program has been nationally recognized as an ''Outstanding Music Education Program'' by

NAMM The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

. The Sycamore High School Marching Band has achieved an OMEA Superior Rating and competes in three circuits: OMEA, Mid-States Band Association and

Bands of America Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the United States, such as the annual Grand National Championships. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), ...

. In 2016, they attended MSBA Class 4A Championships, achieving 2nd place overall. In 2017, they attended the BOA Grand Nationals in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium was ...

. The Sycamore High School Orchestra is an all-string orchestra and has scored highly in state competitions. The school stages regular productions in its auditorium, ''The Aves Theatre'', as well as traveling to participate in OMEA performances and competitions.

Athletics

Sycamore High School competes in the

Greater Miami Conference This is a list of high school athletic conferences in the Southwest Region of Ohio, as defined by the OHSAA. Because the names of localities and their corresponding high schools do not always match and because there is often a possibility of ambigu ...

(GMC), under the

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

(OHSAA). The school participates in 22 GMC sports as well chess and academic quiz team. It also competes in 3 sports not offered by the GMC (Boys' & Girls' Water Polo, and Boys' Hockey). Collectively, as of 2017, Sycamore had won 143 total Team GMC Championships, which was the second most of any school in the conference. The school has developed a strong rivalry with

William Mason High School William Mason High School, also known as Mason High School (WMHS or MHS), is a four-year public high school located in the Mason City Schools district in Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. History Mason High School's first commencement ...

from Mason, Ohio, prompting the spread of the slogan, "Go Aves, Beat Mason".

State championships

Sycamore High School has won 18 Team State Championships * Boys' Tennis- 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022 * Girls' Lacrosse- 2007, 2009, 2014 * Boys' Lacrosse- 2004 * Girls' Water Polo- 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 * Boys' Water Polo- 1976, 1978, 1985 * Girls' Swimming and Diving- 1992 * Baseball- 1948 The school has won 46 individual State Championships in events such as wrestling, track, diving, swimming, golf, tennis, and gymnastics.

Notable alumni

Jane French Jane French is an American singer/songwriter. French is well known for her song "Breathe", which was the theme song for the NBC soap opera ''Passions''. As a child, French grew up in Montgomery, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. French learned piano a ...

, musician *

Jeannine Hall Gailey Jeannine Hall Gailey (born April 30, 1973) is an American poet. She has published five books of poetry and two books of non-fiction. Her work focuses on pop culture, science and science fiction, fairy tales, and mythology. Early life and educati ...

, poet *

Darius Hillary Darius Mikail Hillary (born April 5, 1993) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Wisconsin. College career At Wisconsin, Hillary appeared in 54 games, which tied a school record, while starting in 40 consecutiv ...

, NFL

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Jason Matthew Smith Jason Matthew Smith (born November 8, 1972) is an American film and television actor. Background Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was raised in the mid-west with his three siblings and parents, and a pig farm. He lived in Cincinnati through h ...

, actor *

Dan Ketchum Daniel Ketchum (born October 7, 1981) is an American former swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Ketchum earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle ...

, Olympic swimmer * Stewart Mandel, sportswriter *

Daniel Mason-Straus Daniel Mason-Straus (born July 27, 1984), is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. He previously competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former two-time Bellator Featherweight Champion ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter * Michael Matthews,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL)

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

* Erin McPike, television news correspondent * Sydney Morton, actor * Justin Murray, NFL

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

* Mark P. Painter, jurist *

Shefali Razdan Duggal Shefali Razdan Duggal (born November 22, 1971) is an Indian-American political activist and diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to the Netherlands. She was previously appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States Holocaust ...

United States Ambassador to the Netherlands The United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam. In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland. According t ...

* Kate Rockwell, actress *

Kenny Schoeni Kenny Schoeni (born January 4, 1984, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a retired American soccer player. Career Youth and College Schoeni attended Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio before going to play college soccer at Vanderbilt University from ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS)

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Peter Tomsen Peter Tomsen (born November 19, 1940) is an American retired diplomat and educator, serving as U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992, United States Ambassador to Armenia between 1995 and 1998, and was Deputy Ambassador at the Un ...

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Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

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* David Uible, local politician and businessman *

Kevin Youkilis Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979), nicknamed "Youk" , is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red S ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

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References

External links

* {{authority control High schools in Hamilton County, Ohio Public high schools in Ohio Educational institutions established in 1974 1974 establishments in Ohio