Coach Steve Kanner has been selected as National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), NFHS West Section and NFHS National Coach of Of The Year for boys golf. A tremendous honor for Coach Kanner who has dedicated his career to education-based athletics and has had tremendous success in building the Hamilton program into a nationally recognized program.

Congratulations to Emilie Ma! in addition to being the Cactus Wren’s Chapter winner for the DAR Good Citizen Award, she has also been chosen from among several other chapter applicants as the State of Arizona’s award winner!

Two Hamilton High School Air Force Junior ROTC cadets were recently selected for the Air Force Chief of Staff Private Pilot Scholarship Program. Hamilton senior Zac Plamondon and junior Landry Howard were identified in the 11 January 2021 announcement from Headquarters Air Force JROTC. The program, also known as the "AFJROTC Flight Academy" is an Air Force initiative in collaboration with the commercial aviation industry to address a national pilot shortage.

This highly competitive scholarship, valued at over $22,500, is an all-expense-paid flight training and college course credit program conducted during the summer at 23 select partner universities across the country. 230 AFJROTC cadets were competitively selected from over 2500 applicants from the 125,000+ Air Force JROTC cadets attending 900 high schools across the country and at Department of Defense installations worldwide. Attendees will receive comprehensive, FAA-certified ground instruction and over 40 hours of flight instruction, giving each student the opportunity to earn an FAA Private Pilot Certificate (private pilot license), with no commitment to military service required or implied.

Hamilton cadets have made it through the rigorous selection process every year since the AFJROTC Flight Academy's inception in 2017. Last year, an unprecedented 5 Hamilton cadets were chosen but unfortunately, the 2020 program was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's 8-week program is on track for June and July. Cadets Plamondon and Howard will receive their university flight school assignments in March.

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/News/Article/2483043/hq-afjrotc-announces-2021-flight-academy-scholarship-winners/fbclid/IwAR0DOzu889OdbmrCgPzZ8XgzjGOUBzkYdz15cNsmY4vvOBok_zoyQSNu794/

Hamilton JROTC seniors Nathan Fey, Sierra Munroe, Sophia Navarro, and Zac Plamondon recently earned an unprecedented total of 16 nominations to three U.S. military service academies. To be considered for admission to the US Military Academy (West Point), the US Naval Academy, or the US Air Force Academy, applicants must be extremely well-rounded students with exceptional academic, leadership, and athletic abilities. They face a rigorous application process and are required to earn nominations from one or more sources, including: Presidential, Vice Presidential, Members of Congress, and high-performing JROTC programs designated as "Distinguished Units" (Hamilton AFJROTC is a perennial Distinguished Unit).

Nathan Fey: Congressional Nomination to the US Naval Academy; Congressional Nomination to the US Military Academy (West Point)

Sierra Munroe: Congressional Nomination to the US Air Force Academy; Congressional Nomination to the United States Naval Academy; JROTC (HHS Distinguished Unit) Nominations to the US Air Force Academy and US Naval Academy

Sophia Navarro: Presidential Nomination to the US Air Force Academy; 3 Congressional Nominations to the US Air Force Academy; JROTC (HHS Distinguished Unit) Nomination to the US Air Force Academy

Zac Plamondon: Congressional Nomination to the US Naval Academy; Congressional Nomination to the US Air Force Academy; JROTC (HHS Distinguished Unit) Nominations to the US Military Academy (West Point), the US Naval Academy, and the US Air Force Academy

This is a tremendous accomplishment for these dedicated, selfless students.

Underclassman yearbook photos have been RESCHEDULED! They will now be taken on Thursday, Feb. 4 and Friday, February 5. New student, retakes, and students who missed their photo being taken in the fall of last year should plan to do so on these dates

Missed the Virtual Parent Night - High School Course Registration ? Click below to hear information about Activities & Athletics, Counseling and Programs offered at Hamilton. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us by phone at 480-883-5000 or by email at contactHHS@cusd80.com.

Congratulations to Trevor Engle and Jibrael Alsooz for making the ALL STATE JAZZ BAND! The All State Jazz Band only takes 4 alto saxes, Trevor was 1 of the top 3. The band also only takes 8 Trumpets and Jibrael was 5th. This is a huge honor! Great job Husky Pride Jazz Band Kids.

Successful 3-day tournament competing online against 91 schools and 433 entries at the Cougar Classic hosted by the University of Houston. !

IN SPEECH

Dramatic Interpretation: 2nd place Navaneeth Unnikrishnan

DUO Interpretation: 3rd place Vishwa Annamalai & Pranav Arun

DUO Interpretation: 1st place Karan Bhullar & Shreya Tripathi

Informative: 1st place Trisha Panse

Original Oratory: 2nd place Iris Lai

Program Oral Interpretation: 2nd place Trisha Panse & 5th place Bella Faria

IN DEBATE

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate: 2nd place Gowri Biju and 1st place Leela Raj-Sankar

Public Forum Debate: 2nd place Shravan Pejavar & Raunak Mukherjee

The speech and debate team ended their month of tournaments with the Scorpion Spectacular hosted by BASIS Peoria.

In speech events:

DUO Interpretation: 4th place Karan Bhullar & Shreya Tripathi

Dramatic Interpretation: 2nd place Navaneeth Unnikrishnan

Poetry: 6th place Leela Raj-Sankar

In debate events:

Open division Policy: 1st Place Teresa Nguyen and Melissa Lin, and in 2nd Place Xenia Zhao and Manasvi Jagtap

Varsity Public Forum: 2nd Place Orli Sanyal and Medha Tambe

As a team, Hamilton came in third overall out of 37 schools competing!

My Agriculture Business Management class participated in the PAYBACK challenge contest. After playing the online game about selecting colleges and making financial and personal choices, they had a to compose a written or video response on how COVID has changed their views and plans for college. I'm excited to announce that Jason Boileau was selected as the recipient from Arizona as an honorable mention award for his response. He won a $1,000 scholarship for educational expenses. If you have him in class or see him this week, tell him congratulations!

How'd you like to support students AND have the chance to win $27,000 off the MSRP of a new Toyota or $20,000 in cash? All it takes is a ticket purchased for our Winner's Choice Car or Cash Raffle! Better yet, purchase two! Open CEF Poster Raffle flyer below for more information:

One of our wonderful Hamilton students, Kristopher Luo, has donated UV Sanitations boxes for phones, masks, etc… He personally designed the box himself and had it manufactured. The box contains an aromatherapy option and you can add essential oils to it to help your mask smell fresh. He was able to pay for the manufacturing of these devices with money earned from his internship and 3D printing business.

Congratulations! Esther Kong for winning the Silver Key Award in the Scholastic and Art Writing Awards. She created a film titled "Baby". Way to go Esther!!

Husky Family! Stop by the bookstore to purchase a class shirt for $10 and take a look at other Hamilton gear that is available. Bookstore hours are 7:00am - 3:00pm.

Please be advised - HHS Student parking in the surrounding neighborhoods or in retail store parking lots may be prohibited. Signs may be posted that vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense. Student parking is available on campus in the student lot. Parking spots are available for $40.00 for the remainder of the school year.

All community members are welcome to attend these FREE presentations online at Google Meet - please see link below.

Please save the date for our upcoming Parent Presentation on February 3rd on "Teen Depression and Suicide Awareness."

"The teen years can be extremely difficult and depression affects teens far more often than we realize. Teen depression goes beyond just moodiness. It's a serious health problem that impacts every aspect of a teens life. Fortunately, it's treatable and parents can help. Your love, guidance and support can go a long way in helping your teen overcome depression and get their life back on track. In fact, it is estimated that one in five adolescents from all walks of life will suffer from depression at some point during their teen years. However, many depressed teens never receive help because it isn't always easy to differentiate between normal teenage growing pains and depression."

How can you tell if your teen is depressed?

While occasional bad moods or acting out is to be expected during the teenage years, depression is something different. The negative effects of teenage depression go far beyond a melancholy mood. Depression can destroy the essence of your teen’s personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, despair, or anger and can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts.

The following are some signs and symptoms of teen depression:

Sadness or hopelessness

Irritability, anger, or hostility

Tearfulness or frequent crying

Withdrawal from friends and family

Loss of interest in activities

Poor school performance

Changes in eating and sleeping habits

Restlessness and agitation

Feelings of worthlessness and guilt

Lack of enthusiasm and motivation

Fatigue or lack of energy

Difficulty concentrating

Unexplained aches and pains

Thoughts of death or suicide

Teen depression is also associated with a number of other mental health problems, including eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors. While depression can cause tremendous pain for your teen—and disrupt everyday family life—there are plenty of things you can do to help your child start to feel better. The first step is to learn what teen depression looks like and what to do if you spot the warning signs.

Please contact the hotline numbers below for additional support if your child is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts.

Crisis Hotline Numbers

24 hour Crisis line: 602-222-9444 EMPACT (Mobile Crisis Team): 1-866-205-5229

Teen Lifeline (24 Hour Hotline): 602-248-8336

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Parent Presentation Details:

Date: ​February 3rd (Wednesday Evening)

Time: 6pm - 7:15pm

Virtual Location: ​Link - https://meet.google.com/nje-pyyf-ikw?hs=122&authuser=0

Presenters: ​Michael Klinkner, LCSW and Elizabeth Fedrick, PhD, LPC (therapists at Evolve Counseling and Behavioral Health Services)

Facilitator: ​Rajani Rastogi, LMSW (HHS Social Worker)

Student Presentation Details:

Date: ​February 3rd (Wednesday Evening)

Time: 6pm - 7:15pm

Virtual Location: ​Link - https://meet.google.com/ewx-kkbr-vht

Presenter: Julianne Haddad, LMSW

(all​ students who attend will receive 2 volunteer hours. Please contact Julianne for more details at haddad.julianne@cusd80.com)

Please join us next week for our presentation to learn more about depression and suicide prevention.

No need to register - just login on day of presentation.

Mission: To prepare students to be successful in their academic, personal and professional lives.

Website: https://www.cusd80.com/hhs
Location: 3700 South Arizona Avenue, Chandler, AZ, USA
Phone: 480-883-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonHighSchoolAZ/
Twitter: @Hamilton_High