Forest Hills Northern High School

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Coordinates: 42°59′07″N 85°34′35″W / 42.98514°N 85.57626°W / 42.98514; -85.57626
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Forest Hills Northern High School
Address
Map
3801 Leonard NE

Grand Rapids
,
Kent County
,
Michigan
49525

United States
Coordinates42°59′07″N 85°34′35″W / 42.98514°N 85.57626°W / 42.98514; -85.57626
Information
TypePublic
Established1972
School districtForest Hills Public Schools
NCES School ID2614610[1]
PrincipalAmena Moiz[2]
Teaching staff59.41 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12[1]
Enrollment1134 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.09[1]
Color(s)Columbia blue, black and white[2]    
Athletics conferenceOttawa-Kent Conference[2]
NicknameHuskies[2]
Websitewww.fhps.net/northernhs
Last updated: May 16, 2024

Forest Hills Northern High School is a public high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools district, the other two being Forest Hills Central High School and Forest Hills Eastern High School.

Academics[edit]

Curriculum[edit]

To graduate, students must receive twenty-two and one half (22.5) credits. The minimum graduation requirements for Forest Hills Northern include four credits of English; four credits of mathematics; three credits of science; three credits of social science; one credit of physical education and health; one credit of visual, performing, applied arts; and two credits of a foreign language.[3]

The school offers several Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Each semester, students who take an AP course will have 0.021 added to their cumulative grade point average.[3] The school also offers a project-based learning program called Project Next, which involves students identifying and solving real-world problems.[4][5] Forest Hills Northern has language immersion programs for Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.[6]

Recognition[edit]

The 2024 U.S. News & World Report high school rankings listed Forest Hills Northern as #612 in its National Rankings and #14 in its Michigan High School Rankings.[7]

In 2023, Forest Hills Northern was among the 20 Michigan schools with the highest SAT scores.[8]

Extracurriculars[edit]

Athletics[edit]

In athletics, the school competes as a member of the Ottawa-Kent Conference. Forest Hills Northern offers the following varsity Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) sports:[2]

  • Baseball (boys)
  • Basketball (girls and boys)
  • Bowling (girls and boys)
  • Cross country (girls and boys)
  • Football (boys)
  • Golf (girls and boys)
  • Gymnastics (girls)
  • Ice Hockey (boys)
  • Lacrosse (girls and boys)
  • Skiing (girls and boys)
  • Soccer (girls and boys)
  • Softball (girls)
  • Swimming and diving (girls and boys)
  • Tennis (girls and boys)
  • Track and field (girls and boys)
  • Volleyball (girls)
  • Wrestling (boys)

Additionally, the school offers a co-ed rowing club with varsity status in the spring athletic season.[9][10]

Clubs[edit]

Forest Hills Northern has several clubs, including National Honor Society, Rotary Interact, Model United Nations, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), and HOSA – Future Health Professionals.[11][12]

Additionally, the school offers multiple clubs based on cultural identity, including the Black Student Union (BSU) and Asian Student Association (ASA).[13][14]

The Michael Sadler Foundation launched a new program called GameChang3rs at Forest Hills Northern in 2019. The program involves high-school volunteers, called "ambassadors", teaching younger students about leadership, academics, service, character, teamwork and resilience. The GameChang3rs initiative is dedicated to Michael Sadler, a Michigan State football player who died in a car crash in 2016.[15][16]

Demographics[edit]

The demographic breakdown of the 1,134 students enrolled in 2022-2023 was:

  • Male - 50.3%
  • Female - 49.7%
  • Asian - 9.8%
  • Black - 6.7%
  • Hispanic - 5.5%
  • White - 73.2%
  • Multiracial - 4.8%

16.5% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Notable alumni[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

Forest Hills Northern High School is prominently featured in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie A Smile as Big as the Moon.[25] The movie is based on the 2002 memoir of the same name, which was written by a special-education teacher and football coach at Forest Hills Northern, Mike Kersjes.[26] Both the memoir and the movie recount Kersjes's experiences as he works to take his special-education class to Space Camp.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Northern High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "MHSAA > Schools". www.mhsaa.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  3. ^ a b "Final High School Course Description Guide 2023-24". Forest Hills Public Schools. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Jarema, Morgan (2020-02-11). "School News Network: Forest Hills Northern H.S. Project NEXT". WGVU News. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. ^ French, Ron (2024-05-13). "A Michigan school devoted to innovation. Here's why others won't follow". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  6. ^ Moroney, Kyle (2014-12-09). "Dual language immersion program gives students a 'rich world lens'". mlive. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  7. ^ "Northern High School – U.S. News Rankings". US News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Frick, Melissa; Levin, Scott (2023-11-27). "Here are the top 10 Grand Rapids area high schools with the highest SAT scores". mlive. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ^ "Program Overview". FHN Rowing Club. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  10. ^ Judson, Jen (2014-06-20). "Forest Hills Northern crew team growing by leaps and bounds". mlive. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  11. ^ "Participating Schools". HOSA. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  12. ^ "FHN Co-Curricular Activites". Forest Hills Public Schools. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Bunchman, Meghan (2023-02-17). "Forest Hills parents concerned about 'Black History Month Spirit Week'". WOODTV. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  14. ^ CHI-PAC (2023-07-24). "Asian Student Association (ASA) Spicy Noodle Challenge | Forest Hills Chinese Immersion". Forest Hills Chinese Program. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  15. ^ Weakley, Teresa (2023-08-31). "Gamechang3rs turns students to teachers at Forest Hills H.S." WOODTV. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  16. ^ Hoffman, Lindsay (2019-03-05). "Michael Sadler Foundation launches "GameChang3rs" initiative to empower young leaders". WXMI. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  17. ^ "About Chris - Chris Afendoulis CPA for State Representative". 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  18. ^ "Chris Afendoulis, District 73 - Michigan House Republicans". 2018-08-06. Archived from the original on 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  19. ^ Kaminski, Steve (2009-08-18). "Still recovering and lacking a ride, Grand Rapids' Johnny Benson won't race again this season". mlive. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  20. ^ Greg, Chrapek (2017-02-10). "Basketball a family tradition for Kozal family at Forest Hills Northern". mlive. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  21. ^ "Mitch Lyons Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com". 2011-05-28. Archived from the original on 2011-05-28. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  22. ^ Van Gilder, Rachel; Doles, Jack (December 28, 2023). "Forest Hills Northern grad drafted to Major League Soccer". WOOD-TV.
  23. ^ Gr, Steve Vedder | The; Press, Rapids (2011-03-24). "Ex-local stars Steve Scheffler, David Kool to speak at Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast". mlive. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  24. ^ Kaminski, Steve (2019-07-11). "Retired NFL lineman Jared Veldheer back in Grand Rapids to host youth camp". mlive. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  25. ^ "'A Smile as Big as the Moon' starring John Corbett airs at 9 tonight on ABC (video)". mlive. 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  26. ^ "One giant step for disabled children". Christian Science Monitor. 2002-04-16. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2020-10-10.

External links[edit]

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