Rock Hill High School faculty and staff is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by setting high expectations through rigorous coursework in all content areas. Rock Hill High has provided students the opportunity to be creative in academics, the arts, athletics, extra-curricular activities, character development, and community involvement this past year. We had 29 students graduate with highest honors, 29 with honors, and 104 received a gold seal diploma. One hundred and fourteen students were CATE completers, and 15 seniors attempted to earn an IB diploma. Out of 438 graduating seniors, 232 earned LIFE and 27 earned Palmetto Fellows scholarships. The grand total of all scholarships offered to graduates was over $11.4 million dollars. In the arts, the Rock Hill High School Band of Distinction was a SCBDA 5A State Finalist in the most competitive class in South Carolina. The band placed 5th overall out of 16 bands at the SC Marching Band Championships. The band had 9 students selected to the SC Region Three Band and one student selected for the SC All State Band. The Rock Hill Winter Guard placed 1st in Scholastic 3A in the Carolina Winter Ensemble Association Championship. Five members of the Rock Hill Color Guard performed with the District Independent Winter Guard this season. They placed 12th overall in the open class at the Winter Guard International World Championships. The Rock Hill Winds, in their first year of existence, placed 1st in Scholastic A class in CWES and 9th overall at the WGI World Championships. Rock Hill High’s Chorus Program had 20 members named to the South Carolina All State Chorus. Nine members were named to the SC American Choral Directors' Association Honor Choir. The Rock Hill High School Theatre Department was named the Best New School at the SC Speech and Theatre Association Festival in March. Four performances received a Superior rating, and in the final rounds RHHS students ranked first place in Duet Comedic Acting and first place in Duet Dramatic Acting. The Orchestra Department of Rock Hill High had one student selected for the 2017 SCMEA Orchestra Division’s Region 1 Honors Orchestra. The Visual Arts Department had their artwork displayed and recognized for excellence in our school, community, and region. Two students received awards at the Yorkville Show. Eight students received awards in the Teacher’s Choice Art Show at the Council of York County, including two 1st place awards in their categories. At the regional level, nine RHHS students received Scholastic awards, including a Gold Key Award. In Athletics, Rock Hill High had nineteen athletes sign scholarships, and fifty-two senior scholar athletes. Seven of this year’s senior class went to all-star games, while six others played in other local all-star games. Twenty-three individual athletes made state tournaments in Cross Country, Swim, Wrestling, and Track and Field. We had one state championship in Wrestling, and two individual state champions in Wrestling. Volleyball, Football, Wrestling, Girls Basketball, Girls Track, and Boys Golf took home region championships. Rock Hill High finished with 11 teams making the playoffs, 61 all-region athletes, two region players of the year, and six region coaches of the year. All faculty and staff continued to focus on improving students’ achievements on End of Course, ACT, and SAT testing. Graduation rate has improved, and we will continue to focus our efforts on improving in all areas. We will continue to work with students to provide the world class knowledge and skills needed to compete in a global society. The Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program continued this year to improve school climate and character education at Rock Hill High School. Students were recognized with over 2,000 Bearcat Bucks for showing Bearcat PRIDE (Participation, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, & Excellence). We hope to have continued success with our positive intervention program.
Christina Farley, SIC Chair
Arthur W. Ahl, II, Principal