North Hills High School
| North Hills High School | |
|---|---|
 Pride, Tradition, Excellence. | |
| Location | |
|
53 Rochester Road Pittsburgh, PA 15229-1189 Coordinates: 40°31′34″N 80°01′33″W / 40.526081°N 80.025769°W United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| School district | North Hills School District |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,403 |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Mascot | Indians |
| Information | 412-318-1400 |
| Website | North Hills Senior High |
North Hills High School is a suburban high school located in Ross Township, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh. It serves students in grades 9-12 in the North Hills School District. The school's mascot is the Indian and its official colors are red and white.
Athletic History
North Hills High School had a storied football tradition in quad Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) play. Its program was number #1 in the country in 1987 and it won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Championship in 1993.
Famous football alumni from the high school include former Washington Redskins and New York Giants linebacker and former Penn State football star LaVar Arrington, former Buffalo Bills and safety Mark Kelso.
Music Programs
Both the Marching Band and Symphony Band have a long history and are very well respected, being one of only a very few high school bands to participate in the inauguration ceremony of President George W. Bush. Warren S. Mercer, Jr., North Hills High Band Director for 31 years until 1992, elevated the North Hills High School Symphony Band to national prominence. Mr. Mercer has received numerous awards to include being elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association in March 1972 and is the recipient of a citation of excellence from the National Band Association.
The NHHS Symphony Band has a long and proud tradition, beginning in the 1950s with James Caruso, Warren Mercer, David Matthews, and currently Len Lavelle. The Symphony Band has earned a reputation of excellence, consistently receiving superior ratings at state and national festivals. The Symphony Band has also maintained the longest-running series of commissioned works of any high school band in the United States, beginning in 1965 with Philip Catelinet's Fantasy Mother Hubbard. Other commissioned works for the Symphony Band have been written by Mr. Don Gillis, Mr. Edward Madden, Mr. Robert Jager, Mr. Jerry Bilik, Mr. Rex Mitchell, Mr. Vaclav Nelhybel, Dr. Paul Whear, Mr. Norman Dello Joio, and Dr. Joseph Willcox Jenkins. Guest conductors through the years have included, Dr. William Revelli, Dr. Richard Strange, Dr.James Neilson, Dr. James Dunlop (PSU), Mr. Vaclav Nelhybel and in March 1973, Arthur Fiedler, Director of the Boston Pops Orchestra. ( References: MENC Music Educators National Conference January 19–22, 1973, Boston North Hills Symphony Band Bio Sheet, and.[1])
The NHHS Symphony Band was awarded the first Sudler Flag of Honor by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation in 1983. The NHHS Symphony Band has won the highest honors in its section at the Carnegie Awards Festival sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. It has performed at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association State Convention 1965, 1971, 1995, 1998, 2014, and 2016; the Mid-West National Band Clinic, Chicago, Illinois, 1966, 1970, 1983, and 1987; the Mid-East Instrumental Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1967; the Music Educators National Convention in 1973, 1997, and 2015. In more recent years, the band played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.