Helena High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Helena, Montana

Helena, Montana

Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...

. It is part of the Helena Public School District. Founded in September 1876, it is the oldest high school in the state of Montana.

Curriculum

Four foreign languages are taught at Helena High: 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...

, German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, and 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...

. The English Department, with 22 faculty, offers instruction in English literature and composition, as well as elective studies. Students are encouraged to take honors English and Advanced Placement (AP) during senior year. Elective offerings include debate, speech, journalism, and creative writing. An AP Language elective for juniors and seniors is new for 2009-2010.

Notable alumni

• Colin Meloy
  Colin Meloy
  Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...
  
  , the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon
  Portland, Oregon
  Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
  
  , folk-rock band The Decemberists
  The Decemberists
  The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
  
  .
• Max Baucus
  Max Baucus
  Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S...
  
  , the Senior United States Senator
  United States Senate
  The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
  
   from Montana graduated in 1959.
• The late Delaware Senator Bill Roth
• L. Ron Hubbard
  L. Ron Hubbard
  Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
  
  , the founder of Scientology
  Scientology
  Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
  
  , enrolled at Helena High during his junior year
• Maile Meloy
  Maile Meloy
  Maile Meloy is an American author of fiction. She was born in Helena, Montana, where she was also raised.Meloy graduated from the University of California, Irvine with an M.F.A...
  
  , author
• Dan Carpenter
  Dan Carpenter
  Daniel Roy Carpenter is an American football placekicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
  
  , placekicker for the Miami Dolphins
  Miami Dolphins
  The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Pat Donovan, played tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
  Dallas Cowboys
  The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
  
  
• Steve Bullock
  Steve Bullock (Montana)
  Steve Bullock Is the current Attorney General of the U.S. state of Montana. He was elected to office in November 2008 and sworn in on January 5, 2009. He is the 20th Attorney General of Montana.- Early life and education :...
  
  , the current Attorney General of the State of Montana
• Kimberly Reed, director and producer of the film Prodigal Sons (film)
  Prodigal Sons (film)
  Prodigal Sons is a 2008 American documentary produced and directed by Kimberly Reed.-Background:In the 1960s Carol McKerrow is a married woman living in Montana. She and her husband Loren, believing that she is infertile, adopt a baby boy they name Marc...
  
  

External links

• Official Helena High School Web site