Mentor High School is a public high school located in Mentor, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Mentor Exempted Village School District (informally, "Mentor Schools"). At one time, it was the largest high school in Ohio based on single building enrollment. For the 2008–2009 school year, it shifted from a three-year school (grades 10–12) to a four-year high school (grades 9–12), serving approximately 2,700 students. Mentor High School educates students from Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, and parts of Kirtland Hills and Concord Township in Lake County, Ohio.[5] Both middle schools from the Mentor Exempted Village School district, Memorial Middle School, Shore Middle School, feed into Mentor High School. The third middle school, Ridge Middle School, closed before the 2018–2019 school year had commenced, and has since been repurposed as an elementary school.

Mentor High School
The Mentor Cardinal
Address
Map
6477 Center Street

Mentor, Ohio

, ,
44060

United States
Coordinates41°41′40″N 81°20′14″W / 41.69444°N 81.33722°W / 41.69444; -81.33722
Information
TypePublic, Coeducational high school
Established1923
StatusOpen
School districtMentor Exempted Village School District
SuperintendentCraig Heath[1]
PrincipalJason Crowe [1]
Faculty140 certified staff members
Teaching staff126.15 (FTE)[2]
Grades912
Enrollment2,671 (2020-21)[2]
 • Grade 9609 (2020-21) [2]
 • Grade 10600 (2020-21) [2]
 • Grade 11727 (2020-21) [2]
 • Grade 12702 (2020-21) [2]
Student to teacher ratio21.17[2]
Color(s)Scarlet and Gray[3]    
Fight songAcross the Field
AthleticsBoys Baseball
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
Bowling
Cheerleading
Boys Cross Country
Girls Cross Country
Girls Fastpitch
Football
Boys Golf
Girls Golf
Gymnastics
Ice hockey
Boys Lacrosse
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Rugby
Girls Rugby
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Swimming/Diving Team
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
Boys Track & Field
Girls Track & Field
Volleyball
Wrestling
Athletics conferenceGreater Cleveland Conference
MascotThe Fighting Cardinal
NicknameThe Mentor Cards
Team nameThe Fighting Cardinals[3]
AccreditationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
Websitementorhigh.mentorschools.net

Attendance area edit

It serves Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, a portion of Kirtland Hills, a portion of Concord Township,[6] and a portion of Chardon Township.[7]

Academics edit

Ohio Department of Education ratings edit

Mentor High School received ratings of excellent from the Ohio Department of Education from the 2003–2004 school year through the 2011–2012 school year. Since the 2011–2012 school year, the Ohio Department of Education has been constructing a new statewide evaluation model and has not released overall building ratings.[8]

National Merit Scholars edit

Mentor High School continues to see an increase in student achievement of National Merit recognition.

  • 2016-2017 School Year; 7 Finalists, 10 Commended Students
  • 2015-2016 School Year; 4 Finalists, 1 Semifinalist, 11 Commended Students
  • 2014-2015 School Year; 2 Finalists, 3 Commended Students
  • 2013-2014 School Year; 2 Finalists, 1 Commended Student

[9][10][11]

Independent rankings edit

Mentor High School has received the following independent rankings.

  • 2016 US News High School Rankings: Bronze Medal #163 in Ohio [12]
  • 2016 Niche High School Rankings: #40 in Ohio [13]

Advanced Placement offerings edit

Mentor High School offers an extensive selection of 23 Advanced Placement courses including the following.[14]

  • AP Art
  • AP Art History
  • AP Biology
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Physics
  • AP Environmental Science
  • AP English Lit & Comp
  • AP English Language & Comp
  • AP Seminar
  • AP Research
  • AP Psychology
  • AP European History
  • AP U.S. History
  • AP Human Geography
  • AP American Government
  • AP Economics (Micro & Macro)
  • AP Spanish
  • AP German
  • AP French
  • AP Stats
  • AP Calculus AB & BC
  • AP Computer Science A
  • AP Computer Science Principles

College Credit Plus offerings edit

Mentor High School offers a College Credit Plus program where students may earn college credit through taking courses at nearby Lakeland Community College. Two pathways are offered including a 15 credit option and 30 credit option. For the 30 credit pathway, students may choose an area of specialization including the following.[14]

  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
  • Humanities
  • Business

Career Tech Education offerings edit

Mentor High School, through Lakeshore Compact, offers the following Career Tech Education programs in the district and through community partnerships with Lakeland Community College, Euclid High School, Wickliffe High School, and Auburn Career Center. These include the following programs.[15]

  • Urban Agriculture (Auburn)
  • Studio Art & Visual Design (Euclid)
  • Marketing & Business Administration (Mentor)
  • Construction Management (Lakeland & Euclid)
  • Early Childhood Education (Mentor)
  • Teaching Professions (Euclid)
  • Automation & Robotics (Euclid)
  • CAD/Engineering (Lakeland)
  • Allied Health (Mentor)
  • Exercise Science & Sports Medicine (Euclid)
  • Culinary Arts (Euclid)
  • Networking & IT Security (Lakeland)
  • Programming & Software Development (Lakeland)
  • Criminal Justice (Euclid)
  • Fire Science/EMT (Euclid)
  • Advanced Manufacturing (Lakeland)
  • Welding (Euclid)
  • Automotive Technologies (Mentor)
  • Mentor Fire EMT Academy (Mentor)
  • Business Essentials (Mentor & Euclid)
  • Patient Care (Euclid)
  • Cardinal Works (Mentor)

Extracurricular activities edit

Band edit

There are four concert bands at Mentor High School. These include Freshman Band, Grey Band, Scarlet Band, and Wind Ensemble, at increasing levels of skill. All four bands compete in OMEA contests.

Fighting Cardinal Marching Band edit

 
President Barack Obama signs a memorial wall designed by former art student Anthony Gajary at Mentor High after a campaign event, 2012. The wall was also signed by John McCain in 2008

The Mentor High School Fighting Cardinal Marching Band, commonly called the FCMB, is a music program. The band plays at most home and away football games as well as competing at several competitions. The FCMB received its first "Superior Rating", the highest rating possible for competitions at the state contest, in 2004 under the direction of Mr. Shawn Vondran and Mr. Byron Hunsicker. During the 2012–2013 school year, the band earned another Superior rating at state contest with their show "I Believe." They also performed live for Fox 8 News in front of The Rock and Roll hall of Fame, and performed at a campaign rally when President Obama came to Mentor High School during the 2012 Presidential Election. The band qualified for the state contest again in the fall of 2014, where they received their third Superior rating with their show entitled "The Divine Comedy."[citation needed] More recently, the band earned three superior ratings in a row at OMEA State Finals for the 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 marching seasons, with the shows "To Boldly Go!", "The Hands of Time" and "Uninvited" respectively. This was accomplished under the current band director, Stephen Poremba.[failed verification][citation needed][16]

Orchestra edit

Mentor has four orchestras in its program, including Concert, Sinfonia, Symphony, and Mannheim. Concert Orchestra is the smallest group, composed of stringed instruments and requires no audition to join. Sinfonia is a string-only ensemble for younger students who are committed to practicing but not yet prepared for Symphony Orchestra. Symphony Orchestra is the largest group and consists of string, percussion and wind instruments. Mannheim Chamber Orchestra is the most selective group and consists entirely of stringed instruments.

Choir edit

There are four curricular concert choirs that perform at concerts, festivals, and OMEA adjudicated events throughout the year. In addition, there are two vocal chamber ensembles and an auditioned show choir.

Science Olympiad edit

Mentor Science Olympiad has demonstrated a recent history of success. Top team finishes at the Ohio State Tournament include a first-place performance in 2017, second place in 2015, second place in 2009, and second place in 2007.[17] Top team finishes at the National Tournament include a fourteenth-place finish in 2017, fifteenth-place finish in 2015, seventh-place finish in 2009, and fifth-place finish in 2007.[18]

Athletics edit

 
Mentor fans in the crowd at Canal Park during the 2019 OHSAA Division I baseball championship game

Mentor High School is classified as a Division I High School in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Formerly of the Lake Erie League (LEL) and the Northeast Ohio Conference (NOC), Mentor now competes in the Greater Cleveland Conference (GCC)[19]

The Mentor Cardinals have won several team and individual state championship titles and have many state appearances sponsored by the OHSAA.[20]

Team State Champions

Athletic highlights edit

  • Mentor (25-5) defeated Toledo Rogers (21-8), 76–67, to win the boys basketball Division I state championship in front of 9,566 in Value City Arena on the campus of Ohio State University located in Columbus, OH. In the semi-final game, Mentor defeated previously undefeated Columbus Northland (29-1), 80–69.
  • Coach Lee Tressel led the Mentor Cardinals football team to 34 consecutive victories in the 1950s.[21]

Clubs and organizations edit

  • Actively Caring
  • Anime/Video Gamers Club
  • AP Mentors
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Book Club
  • CARDS Anti-Bullying
  • Community Service
  • Cooking Club
  • Cross Country Ski Club
  • Creative Writing Club
  • Dance Team
  • DECA (Association of Business and Marketing Students)
  • Ecology Club
  • Fishing Club
  • Future Leaders Club
  • GAHTAH
  • Green Mentor Club
  • HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
  • Improv Club
  • The Inkwell (on-line school newspaper)
  • Intramurals
  • KPop Club (Korean Pop Culture Club)
  • Math League
  • Mock Trial
  • Model U.N.
  • National Honor Society
  • PRIDE (Gay/Straight Alliance)
  • RPG Club (Role Playing/Pen and Paper Games)
  • Red Lightning Club (Photography Club)
  • Refuge (Christian Student Group)
  • Robotics Team
  • Sailing Club
  • Snowboarding/Ski Club
  • Speech and Debate Club
  • Student Government
  • Theatre
  • Web Team
  • World Travelers
  • Yearbook

[22]

Notable alumni edit

Student suicides edit

Five students died by suicide in an approximately four-year period ending in 2008, allegedly as a result of harassment or bullying from fellow students.[24] The suicides prompted two of the families to file lawsuits against the school,[25] one of which was settled out of court in 2014 and the other was dismissed in 2015.[26][27] This is depicted by the 2014 documentary Mentor.[28]

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ a b "Mentor Public Schools". www.mentorschools.net.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Mentor High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  4. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "About Our District." Mentor Public Schools. Retrieved on June 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lake County, OH" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Geuga County, OH" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "Pages - Archives". reportcard.education.ohio.gov.
  9. ^ "Mentor Public Schools News Article". www.mentorschools.net.
  10. ^ "Mentor Public Schools News Article". www.mentorschools.net.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ Mentor High School
  13. ^ "Explore Mentor High School". Niche.
  14. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Programs". www.lakeshorecompact.org.
  16. ^ musicmhs. "Music Mentors – Week of November 11th, 2019". Music Mentors. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "State Tournament Results". July 19, 2017.
  18. ^ "Past Tournament Results - Science Olympiad". www.soinc.org.
  19. ^ "Seven Northeast Ohio high schools set to form Greater Cleveland Conference". November 13, 2013.
  20. ^ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  21. ^ "Coach Tressel Family Tree". Archived from the original on March 31, 2008.
  22. ^ webmaster@mentorhigh.com, MHS Web Team. "MentorHigh.com :: Activities". www.mentorhigh.com.
  23. ^ Trieu, Allen (June 7, 2018). "Hard work improves MSU commit Nick Samac's stock". Detroit News. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Krouse, Peter (September 20, 2010). "5 student suicides put focus on bullying issue in Mentor". Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  25. ^ Barr, Meghan (October 8, 2010). "1 Ohio school, 4 bullied teens dead at own hand". Mentor, Ohio: AP via NBC News. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  26. ^ Wolff, Carlo (April 3, 2014). "School bully suit decision satisfies parents, attorney". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  27. ^ Read, Tracey (March 3, 2015). "Appellate court upholds judge's ruling on Mentor High suicide case". News Herald. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  28. ^ "Learning lessons from 'Mentor' - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.

External links edit