Reno High School

History

Reno High was the first high school in Reno, which is celebrated by its well-known motto: "Reno High-- older than Reno". High school students in Reno were originally taught in the basement of a building on the corner of First and Virginia streets, on the future site of the Mapes Hotel. In 1869 students were moved to a one-room school, and in 1879, due to Reno's expanding population, a larger high school, called "Central School," built near Arlington and Fourth Streets. This school was commonly referred to as "Reno High School" and 1879 is the generally accepted date of the school's founding. In 1910 a fire in the chemistry lab destroyed the school's main building. The school was rebuilt in downtown Reno in 1912, at a site now occupied by the Old Sundowner Casino. The architecture of the 1912 campus closely resembled that of present-day Mt. Rose elementary school at Lander Street and La Rue Avenue, and McKinley School on Riverside Drive.

In 1951, Reno High moved to its current location on Booth and Foster streets, south of the Truckee River and Idlewild Park. The 71 acres (29 ha) campus is less than 200 yd (180 m) from the Truckee River.

Campus

Reno High has a large campus at the corner of Booth Street and Foster Drive in the city's older southwest neighborhood district. Reno High occupies a two-story brick building with architecture that is unique among Washoe County schools. The Reno High campus is within 200 yards (180 m) of the Truckee River, which receives its water flow from alpine Lake Tahoe.

Reno High boasts 71 acres (29 ha) of campus space, large green areas, a unique student quad, modern football/baseball/tennis and track and field facilities,the large Kahl Fieldhouse, and many tennis courts. A distinctive red arch brick structure adorns its main entrance, which sits behind a circular driveway that has a large newly renovated 50 ft (15 m) tall brick "R" on the grass in the center. Reno High is unusual among high schools in having an alumni center building on the Reno High campus. The large round brick building was completed in January 2000, and houses a large collection of yearbooks, memorabilia, and school artifacts, including the 1879 school class bell.

The RHS principal is Mr. Kris Hackbusch. Reno High does well academically, and was ranked in the top 400 high schools nationally in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 by Time Magazine.

Athletics

Reno has won numerous state championships this decade. The boys' cross country team has been most dominant, winning 11 state championships (5 on them being consecutive). The girls' basketball team won the State Championship in 2001 then won back to back state and region championships in 2013 and 2014. The football team won the state title in 2003, the baseball team won in 2004 and the boys basketball team won the championship in 2006, knocking off North Las Vegas' Rancho High School. The Huskies compete in the Sierra League of the Northern Nevada 4A Region, which is the large-school level. Since 2003, the Reno High boys' sports varsity teams have won Nevada state championships in football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, diving, and snow skiing. On Friday, February 22, 2008, the Reno Huskies defeated Cheyenne High of Las Vegas 76 to 72 for their second state basketball championship in the past three seasons. The Huskies have won at least one state championship in 7 different sports, in every year from 2002 to 2008. Men's soccer at Reno High School has been a sport with controversy and some students feel soccer has been notorious for the lack of acknowledgment it receives from the school's athletic department.

Speech & Debate

Reno High School has a large and successful speech and debate team. The team placed first in the Sagebrush District (covering Northern Nevada) every year from 1996 to 2010 and won Nevada state championships in 2000, 2006 and 2007. The Reno High School Speech and Debate Team participates in the following events: Lincoln Douglass, Policy, Public Forum, Congress, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Original Oratory, Impromptu, Story Telling, Foreign Extemporaneous, and Domestic Extemporaneous. The current teacher of the class, and coach of the team is Mrs. Christy Briggs. The team also puts on an annual Night of Comedy and Drama in the school theater, and hosts a tournament at Reno High School every year. The participants of this tournament are teams from the Sagebrush District. The team sends members to the National Debate tournament yearly, where many often do well.

Orchestras

Reno currently has three performing Orchestras:

All three orchestras are directed by Gerald Willis. The Chamber Orchestra tours each year, participating in college level master-classes and festivals at schools and Universities such as Stanford University, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University and University of the Pacific. Members of the Orchestras audition for and consistently participate in the Reno Philharmonic Youth Symphonies, the Washoe County Honor Orchestra and the Nevada State Honor Orchestra.

Bands

The Reno High School Band program is currently directed by Rachael Cowell. The program is successful in yearly festivals and competitions.

Performing Arts

The Reno High School Theater Program, known as the Booth Street Players, presents 3 to 4 shows a year along with out side school community performances. The Fall production is a play and The Spring production is a musical. Past shows have included Little Shop of Horrors, Our Town, Grease, The Boy Friend, and Pippin (the last of which included students trained in silk aerial acrobatics).

Publications

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

The current instructors of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program at Reno High School are Sergeant Major (Ret) Rick Camacho, and Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Nicole Gardner.

Notable alumni