Sycamore High School is a four-year public

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. It is the only high school in the Sycamore Community School District and 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 original 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 larg ...

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

Curriculum and 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. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

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 The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships. The program is managed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded not-for-profit ...

in Ohio. In 1999, Sycamore had a record 35

. 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, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

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

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. 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 and organized by the American Classical League (ACL). Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises more than 1,000 Latin, Greek a ...

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

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

club competes in both the

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition operated by ''FIRST''®. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work to build robots capable of competing in that year's game. Robots c ...

and the

FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other te ...

. The Sycamore Fencing Club is the oldest continuously run such high school club in Greater Cincinnati.

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.

Arts

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

NAMM Foundation The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is a not-for-profit global trade association dedicated to the music products industry. Originally founded in 1901, NAMM is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and represents 15,000 global memb ...

. 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. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), founder Larry McCormick's goal was to provide e ...

. 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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

. 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 ambig ...

(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 comp ...

(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 (Ohio), Mason City Schools district in Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. History Mason High Sc ...

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

State championships

Sycamore High School has won 20 Team State Championships * Boys Tennis- 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024 * 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, tennis, diving, swimming, golf, and gymnastics.

Notable faculty

* Peyton Ramsey

Notable alumni

* Malar Balasubramanian, pediatrician *

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 six 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 educatio ...

, poet * Darius Hillary, NFL

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

Jason Matthew Smith Jason Matthew Smith (born November 8, 1972) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for playing Hendorff aka Cupcake, USS Enterprise crew member, in ''Star Trek'' film franchise. Background Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, h ...

, actor * Dan Ketchum, Olympic swimmer *

Stewart Mandel Stewart Lance Mandel is an American sportswriter who focuses on college football and college basketball. He is the editor-in-chief of college football coverage for ''The Athletic''. Mandel has covered college football for ''Sports Illustrated'' and ...

, sportswriter *

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

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighter * Michael Matthews,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL)

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

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

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

* Mark P. Painter, jurist * Shefali Razdan Duggal,

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 ...

* Scott Roberson, CIA Officer and police detective killed in

Camp Chapman attack The Camp Chapman attack was a suicide attack by Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi against the Central Intelligence Agency facility inside Forward Operating Base Chapman on December 30, 2009. One of the main tasks of the CIA personnel station ...

* Kate Rockwell, actress * Kenny Schoeni,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS)

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

Brandon Sosna Brandon Sosna (born ) is an American sports administrator and executive who is the senior vice president of football operations for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He leads contract negotiations for the team and o ...

, sports administrator and executive *

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 ...

United States Special Envoy Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the United States' diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-la ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, U.S. Ambassador to

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

* 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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB)

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Carson Foster Carson Foster (born October 26, 2001) is an American competitive swimmer. He won two medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was a triple gold medalist at the 2019 World Junior Championships and a double silver medalist at the 2017 World Junior ...

, Olympic swimmer

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