Croton-Harmon High School (CHHS) is a secondary school

Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 located in the village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Croton-on-Hudson, New York

Croton-on-Hudson, New York

Croton-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 8,070 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Cortlandt, in New York City's northern suburbs...

. It is administered by the Croton-Harmon School District, and serves 9th-12th grade students. There were 503 students enrolled in the 2006-2007 school year. Due to an increase in students since its original construction, it was expanded in the 1950s with a gym, and then again in 2005/06 with 8 new classrooms, an auxiliary gym, and a new library. The most recent addition met fierce opposition by some residents, but the budget was finally passed after the six years of debate that resulted from the 1999 budget passing by a mere nine votes. The recent addition has received minor criticism for its overuse of a dark shade of blue.

History

• The school was built in 1923.
• During the second World War, a small radar post was placed on the roof (It has long since been dismantled).
• in the 1950s, the first expansion was made onto the school.
• The school has a time capsule donated by the Class of 2006 to be opened by the class of 2056.
• In 2005 and 2006, the school underwent another expansion of several classrooms.
• The school has a plaque donated to the first World War I
  World War I
  World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
  
   soldier who died from Croton-On-Hudson.

Classes Offered

The school offers the usual range of high school classes, as well as the following AP classes: Biology, Macroeconomics, Calculus AB, Physics, Chemistry, Spanish Language, French Language, English Language, English Literature, Statistics, Studio Art

Studio art

Studio art is made of art and studio, and the term has several implications depending on the context used. The term encompasses all art forms, be they performing or visual.-Definition:...

, Environmental Science, World History, and US History.
There are several language classes such as Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Mandarin Chinese, and English as a Second Language (ESL). The school also offers a number of electives including music and art classes.
Honors courses are only offered in the English department. All ninth grade and tenth grade students are enrolled in Regents level English courses. Any student has the option of completing additional rigorous coursework to earn an Honors designation for these courses. Eleventh grade students can be selected for an honors Level English course.

Unique Opportunities

Croton-Harmon Options and Opportunities for a Senior Experience (CHOOSE)

CHOOSE is an experiential education opportunity that invites seniors to apply their knowledge and skills to an area of personal interest. In lieu of attending traditional classes, students spend their last eight weeks of high school serving as interns in an apprenticeship in the greater community. Students keep a daily journal of their experiences and complete a research project. The experience culminates with a presentation to an audience of peers, faculty and community members.

Student-Faculty Congress (SFC)

SFC ensures that all members of the school community have a voice in shaping the direction of the high school. The congress has authority to recommend action on school rules, scheduling, and all other non-curricular matters. There are 26 voting student members and 10 voting faculty members in the Congress.

CHAP (Croton-Harmon Advisory Program)

CHAP offers each student a personalized experience at Croton-Harmon High School. Students meet in a relaxed atmosphere under the guidance of a teacher or administrator who serves as a facilitator throughout a student’s high school years. Discussions are centered around school-related problems, communication skills, leadership skills, and class events. Advisory groups have a student-faculty ratio of 13.

Telescopes

The High School has a 10" Dobsonian and 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope available for student use.

Mission Statement

PHILOSOPHY/MISSION STATEMENT

All Croton-Harmon students will love to develop the habits of mind and social skills to become lifelong learners, able to contribute to the well being of society.

Objectives

The Croton-Harmon School District states several objectives for their students on the school, distrcit wedsite. The goals are

• Challenging all children to reach high expectations.

• Including parents and the wider community as partners in the educational endeavor.

• Fostering a climate of mutual respect for classmates and teachers alike.

• Developing student skills that will enable them to meet the challenges that lie ahead in a responsible manner.

• Teaching students to communicate effectively and confidently to various audiences using appropriate strategies.

• Teaching students how to listen and respond effectively.

• Teaching students to use the research process appropriately.

• Emphasizing depth of learning over breadth of curricular content.

• Individualizing teaching strategies to meet the unique educational goals of each student.

• Learning which emphasizes the interaction of students with students as well as students with teacher.

• Learning to think freely and to appreciate the serendipitous nature of life.

• Committing to both the entire school program and one’s particular discipline.

• Developing and maintaining an optimum learning environment through continued commitment to small class size.