| Mt. Edgecumbe High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
 1991 photo of buildings of the former Sitka Naval Operating Base, as then used by MEHS for classrooms and dormitories. | |
| Address | |
 | |
1330 Seward Avenue 99835 United States | |
| Coordinates | 57°03′11″N 135°21′13″W / 57.05306°N 135.35361°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1947 |
| Superintendent | Suzzuk Mary Huntington [1] |
| CEEB code | 020085 |
| Staff | 23.80 (FTE)[2] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Number of students | 434 (2018–19)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 18.24[2] |
| Color(s) | Cardinal and gold |
| Athletics conference | Alaska Region V |
| Mascot | Brave and Lady Brave |
| Website | www |
Mt. Edgecumbe High School (abbreviated MEHS) is a public boarding high school in Sitka, Alaska in the United States. Located on Japonski Island, across Sitka Harbor from the northwestern corner of downtown Sitka, the school is situated on a portion of Sitka's former World War II-era military installations.
Established in 1947 after the military abandoned the area, the school was originally operated by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as part of a network of boarding high schools for Alaska Natives. These included schools in Eklutna and Wrangell. After several decades of operation by the BIA, the school was briefly closed in the 1980s. It was reopened by the Alaska Department of Education, which operates it today.
For administrative and statistical purposes, MEHS is considered by the state to be a school district, albeit one consisting of only one school.[3] The enrollment was 421 students as of October 1, 2014. The student body, both in its former and current incarnations, is predominately from rural Alaska. For a time, until the resolution of the Tobeluk v. Lind lawsuit and the subsequent construction of K–12 schools in most rural communities, MEHS was one of the few viable options that many rural students had to obtain a high school education. The BIA schools in rural villages provided schooling only until the eighth grade.
Today, the school still attracts rural residents, primarily students from communities too small to qualify for state school funding. It also attracts exceptional athletes who seek to develop their skills beyond the competition within their local school districts.
The school is named for Mount Edgecumbe, which is located on Kruzof Island. It is a 3,077 feet (938 m) high, historically active volcano[4] that is visible from the campus. The mountain was named by British Captain James Cook in 1778 for George, Earl of Edgecumbe.
Outside of the school year, the campus has hosted summer camps such as the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. This has relocated to the campus of the former Sheldon Jackson College, which has closed. In 2018 it hosted a portion of the inaugural Outer Coast College Summer Seminar.
- ^ . April 26, 2022 https://education.alaska.gov/news/releases/2022/4.26.22%20Mary%20Huntington%20Suzzuk%20Named%20Mt.%20Edgecumbe%20High%20School%20Director.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c "Mt. Edgecumbe High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Mt. Edgecumbe High School Profile". education.alaska.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Sitka, KCAW-; Sitka, Robert Woolsey, KCAW- (May 25, 2022). "Alaska Volcano Observatory reclassifies Mt. Edgecumbe as 'historically active'". KTOO. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)