Helpful Information About South Hardin High School

• South Hardin High School is a 9-12 facility that includes 290 students.   Students receive instruction from twenty-two full time instructors, six part-time instructors, a full time Guidance Counselor, and a full time Principal.   Instruction is supported with Directors in the areas of technology, curriculum, and special education, two office personnel, and a well trained and veteran para-educator staff of five.

• The high school staff is constantly striving to stay up to date in an ever-changing world.   Current entire staff development initiatives include the Instructional Practice Inventory process, Content Area Reading, Differentiated Instruction Through Technology, and the Iowa Core Curriculum.   Professional Development opportunities for specific areas are ongoing, with one of many examples being Formative Assessment. In the fall of 2010, SHHS became one of the first 50 high schools in Iowa to provide a laptop for all students.

• High School students can choose from an ever-expanding curriculum including 15 disciplines and over 100 different courses.   Classes are offered in a modified block schedule that offers students the opportunity for both 45 minute and 90 minute classes, as well as career exploratory experiences off campus during the school day. Students’ choices offer numerous opportunities to strengthen skills already introduced, and/or to explore advanced levels of thinking.  Students needing extra time can access the after school program offered four nights each week.

• South Hardin High is constantly looking for ways to strengthen technology opportunities and offerings.   In addition to the new 1:1 laptop program, numerous sections of technology classes have been added.   Technology instruction and hardware is assisted by the district’s Instructional Support Levy, which is to a great degree earmarked for technology.   Students are instructed in part by a technology instructor, added in 2007.

• Vocational course offerings are a sense of pride at SHHS.  Multiple offerings in business, home economics, agriculture, art, and industrial technology give students real world exploration opportunities.  Among the features of these programs are one of the areas most active FFA programs, a working restaurant offered to the public 12 times a year, and a construction class that has built and sold multiple homes and office buildings. Several vocational areas offer dual credit opportunities through Iowa Valley Community College.

• Twelve sections of seven different college level courses are offered at South Hardin High School through Ellsworth Community College.  In the past five years the number of credits earned by students has increased from just over 200 in 2005-2006 to well over 600 last year, resulting in an estimated yearly savings of approximately $60,000 to our constituents.  In the past four years,  62% of SHHS seniors have graduated with some form of college credit, half of which earned 15 or more credits while in high school. Similar numbers are registered for college classes this school year.

• South Hardin High offers some of the best facilities in the state of Iowa.   The High School building was opened in the fall of 1993 and is often mistaken by visitors as a new building.  Included is a state-of-the-art auditorium with seating for 496, a fitness room which is also available to the public, a fully functioning wood shop, welding bays, gymnasium and wrestling room and many classroom amenities.  The grounds at SHHS include the following improvements since 2001; all-weather track, scoreboards on all fields, baseball-softball concession stand, bus barn and maintenance areas, our signature wind generator, and most recently a new wrestling room and two new classrooms completed in 2008.

• Great results do not come without great support.   Active supporting organizations include Dollars for Scholars, which annually awards in excess of $50,000 in scholarships, the South Hardin Athletic Club which is a multiple state winner of booster club awards, the South Hardin Music Boosters whose contributions have included a trailer for music groups to use in travel to contests, and the Tiger Teamwork Foundation which provided South Hardin academics with major financial of support each year since 2006.  Included in Tiger Teamwork support has been a new construction class trailer, sponsorship of the after school program, sponsorship of a Careers Day, and providing the driving force behind the new school/community electronic message board located at the Kum and Go corner in Eldora.