Forest Hills Northern High School Explained

Forest Hills Northern High School
Streetaddress:3801 Leonard NE
Country:USA
Zipcode:49525
Pushpin Map:Michigan#USA
Established:1972
Grades:9–12
Enrollment:1134 (2022–23)[1]
Teaching Staff:59.41
Ratio:19.09
Us Nces School Id:2614610
Principal:Amena Moiz
Nickname:Huskies
Colors:Columbia blue, black and white
Lastupdate:May 16, 2024

Forest Hills Northern High School is a public high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools district, the other two being Forest Hills Central High School and Forest Hills Eastern High School.

Academics

Curriculum

To graduate, students must receive twenty-two and one half (22.5) credits. The minimum graduation requirements for Forest Hills Northern include four credits of English; four credits of mathematics; three credits of science; three credits of social science; one credit of physical education and health; one credit of visual, performing, applied arts; and two credits of a foreign language.[2]

The school offers several Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Each semester, students who take an AP course will have 0.021 added to their cumulative grade point average. The school also offers a project-based learning program called Project Next, which involves students identifying and solving real-world problems.[3] [4] Forest Hills Northern has language immersion programs for Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.[5]

Recognition

The 2024 U.S. News & World Report high school rankings listed Forest Hills Northern as #612 in its National Rankings and #14 in its Michigan High School Rankings.[6]

In 2023, Forest Hills Northern was among the 20 Michigan schools with the highest SAT scores.[7]

Extracurriculars

Athletics

In athletics, the school competes as a member of the Ottawa-Kent Conference. Forest Hills Northern offers the following varsity Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) sports:[8]

Additionally, the school offers a co-ed rowing club with varsity status in the spring athletic season.[9] [10]

Clubs

Forest Hills Northern has several clubs, including National Honor Society, Rotary Interact, Model United Nations, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), and HOSA – Future Health Professionals.[11] [12]

Additionally, the school offers multiple clubs based on cultural identity, including the Black Student Union (BSU) and Asian Student Association (ASA).[13] [14]

The Michael Sadler Foundation launched a new program called GameChang3rs at Forest Hills Northern in 2019. The program involves high-school volunteers, called "ambassadors", teaching younger students about leadership, academics, service, character, teamwork and resilience. The GameChang3rs initiative is dedicated to Michael Sadler, a Michigan State football player who died in a car crash in 2016.[15] [16]

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 1,134 students enrolled in 2022-2023 was:

16.5% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.

Notable alumni

In popular culture

Forest Hills Northern High School is prominently featured in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie A Smile as Big as the Moon.[25] The movie is based on the 2002 memoir of the same name, which was written by a special-education teacher and football coach at Forest Hills Northern, Mike Kersjes.[26] Both the memoir and the movie recount Kersjes's experiences as he works to take his special-education class to Space Camp.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Northern High School. nces.ed.gov. July 5, 2020.
  2. Web site: Final High School Course Description Guide 2023-24 . May 16, 2024 . Forest Hills Public Schools.
  3. Web site: Jarema . Morgan . 2020-02-11 . School News Network: Forest Hills Northern H.S. Project NEXT . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  4. Web site: French . Ron . 2024-05-13 . A Michigan school devoted to innovation. Here’s why others won’t follow. . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  5. Web site: Moroney . Kyle . 2014-12-09 . Dual language immersion program gives students a 'rich world lens' . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  6. Web site: Northern High School – U.S. News Rankings . May 16, 2024 . US News.
  7. Web site: Frick . Melissa . Levin . Scott . 2023-11-27 . Here are the top 10 Grand Rapids area high schools with the highest SAT scores . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  8. Web site: MHSAA > Schools. 2020-07-05. www.mhsaa.com.
  9. Web site: Program Overview . 2024-05-17 . FHN Rowing Club . en.
  10. Web site: Judson . Jen . 2014-06-20 . Forest Hills Northern crew team growing by leaps and bounds . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  11. Web site: Participating Schools . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  12. Web site: FHN Co-Curricular Activities . May 16, 2024 . Forest Hills Public Schools.
  13. Web site: Bunchman . Meghan . 2023-02-17 . Forest Hills parents concerned about ‘Black History Month Spirit Week’ . 2024-05-17 . . en-US.
  14. Web site: CHI-PAC . 2023-07-24 . Asian Student Association (ASA) Spicy Noodle Challenge Forest Hills Chinese Immersion . 2024-05-17 . Forest Hills Chinese Program . en-US.
  15. Web site: Weakley . Teresa . 2023-08-31 . Gamechang3rs turns students to teachers at Forest Hills H.S. . 2024-05-17 . . en-US.
  16. Web site: Hoffman . Lindsay . 2019-03-05 . Michael Sadler Foundation launches "GameChang3rs" initiative to empower young leaders . 2024-05-17 . . en.
  17. Web site: 2016-06-24. About Chris - Chris Afendoulis CPA for State Representative. 2020-10-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624194644/http://www.chrisafendoulis.com/about_chris. 2016-06-24.
  18. Web site: 2018-08-06. Chris Afendoulis, District 73 - Michigan House Republicans. 2020-10-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180806054855/http://gophouse.org/representatives/westmi/afendoulis/. 2018-08-06.
  19. Web site: Kaminski . Steve . 2009-08-18 . Still recovering and lacking a ride, Grand Rapids' Johnny Benson won't race again this season . 2021-02-06 . . en.
  20. Web site: Greg . Chrapek . 2017-02-10 . Basketball a family tradition for Kozal family at Forest Hills Northern . 2023-11-09 . mlive . en.
  21. Web site: 2011-05-28 . Mitch Lyons Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110528203310/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LYONSMIT01 . 2011-05-28 . 2020-10-10.
  22. Web site: Van Gilder . Rachel . Doles . Jack . December 28, 2023 . Forest Hills Northern grad drafted to Major League Soccer . WOOD-TV.
  23. Web site: Gr . Steve Vedder The . Press . Rapids . 2011-03-24 . Ex-local stars Steve Scheffler, David Kool to speak at Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast . 2020-10-10 . mlive . en.
  24. Web site: Kaminski . Steve . 2019-07-11 . Retired NFL lineman Jared Veldheer back in Grand Rapids to host youth camp . 2020-10-10 . mlive . en.
  25. Web site: 2012-01-29. 'A Smile as Big as the Moon' starring John Corbett airs at 9 tonight on ABC (video). 2020-10-10. mlive. en.
  26. News: 2002-04-16. One giant step for disabled children. Christian Science Monitor. 2020-10-10. 0882-7729.

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