Science Hill High School Newsletter

Students and Families,

It is hard to believe that we are in the last month of the first semester. I want to encourage all students to continue to work hard and finish the semester strong.

Thank You

SHHS would like to send a huge thank you to our Student Activities Council for collecting and organizing food to distribute to our own Topper families prior to Thanksgiving. Our students did a tremendous job donating food. 76 Food Boxes were delivered to SHHS families!

EOC Testing

We have officially entered the End of Course Testing season. Students who are currently in English 1, English 2, Algebra 1 Honors, Algebra 2, Geometry, Biology, and US History will take an EOC over the next two weeks.

EOC testing provides an opportunity for students to show what they have learned, and gives us an opportunity to evaluate our instructional practices.

If you have any questions about an EOC test, please reach out to your student’s teacher.

Winter Sports

Winter sports have started and our teams are competing regularly. Please come out and support our student-athletes as they represent our school and our community.

Teams in season are Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Wrestling, Swimming and Diving, and Bowling. All schedules are available on the school website.

Go Toppers!

Josh Carter

SHHS Principal

On December 16, students in Algebra 1 Honors, Algebra 2 and Geometry will take End of Course exams. Make sure you bring your charged Chromebook and the calculator of your choice. All other students will have an asynchronous day, with online assignments to complete.

The end of the second nine weeks is December 20. That day is a half-day for students, followed by Winter Break.

Take a look at our online calendars to stay up to date with what's going on at Science Hill:

'Tis the season for concerts and shows! There are plenty of performances from our Arts programs coming up in December. Go to one (or more)!

• Dec. 8 - Winter Concert feat. Topper Chorus, Treble Choir and Chamber Choir with the Science Hill Jazz Ensemble, 2:30 p.m. in SHHS Auditorium. Free event, open to the public.

• Dec. 10 - Timeless Music for the Holidays presented by the Science Hill High School Orchestra, 7 p.m. in SHHS Auditorium. Free event (donations welcome), open to the public.

• Dec. 13 - Improv Production by the Science Hill Showstoppers, 7 p.m. in SHHS Studio 535.

• Dec. 13-15 - "Grease" presented by the Science Hill Choir and Orchestra programs, 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 14, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in SHHS Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.

• Dec. 17 - Winter Concert performed by the Hilltopper Band, 7 p.m. in SHHS Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

Science Hill History teacher Ben Davenport is the 2025-26 District-Level Teacher of the year in the high school category! A selection committee chose Mr. Davenport from a field of his outstanding fellow educators nominated for the honor.

He and the district's other Teachers of the Year, Karen Bunch (Towne Acres) and Brandie Wishon-Sanchez (Indian Trail), will now move on to compete for Regional Teachers of the Year. If they win, they could advance to the Grand Division and statewide competitions.

Science Hill has provided a permanent space to house the Bridge Program, which helps the school's most vulnerable students with their basic needs by providing food, personal hygiene items, school supplies, and clothing.

Now with a new space, the PTSA needs to raise $10,000 to finish the space to tailor it to the needs of the program. Please consider donating to this project to serve our local students, if you're able. Donations may be made on the PTSA's givebacks online store.

Tryouts for for Science Hill's new Twirl Team will be held this spring! Prospects should have some basic experience, so those interested may want to consider starting lessons now.

Lessons are available from Libby Deitschmann (volfan682009@hotmail.com) or Emily Ham (tigeralumni@gmail.com).

Everyone needs a little advice and support at times. Our dedicated counselors are always ready to help! Check out the SHHS Counseling page, or email a counselor directly below:

• Joe McPherson (last names A-Carp) mcphersonj@jcschools.org
• Kim Thompson (Carr-E) thompsonk@jcschools.org
• Dr. Stacey Philbrick (F-Hon) philbricks@jcschools.org
• Ryan Goines (Hoo-Maq) goinesr@jcschools.org
• Suzanne Reaves (Mar-Pa) reavess@jcschools.org
• Seth Douglas (Pe-Sti) douglass@jcschools.org
• Eva Price (Sto-Z) pricee@jcschools.org
• Josh Jarnigan (Career Counseling) jarniganj@jcschools.org
• Chad Plaisted (Topper Academy) plaistedc@jcschools.org

• Seniors should be finished or almost finished with their college applications and should now be looking for scholarships. There are several scholarships listed on the Financial Aid/Scholarships page. If you have any questions or concerns, contact your counselor.

• FAFSA is now open. If you have not scheduled a meeting with Holly Frye to help you with this, email her at hfrye@niswongerfoundation.org.
  

• The TN Promise deadline has been postponed to January 15 because of the impacts of Hurricane Helene.

• Make sure that you have an updated resume ready to go, whether you are going to school, military or straight to the workforce. You WILL need one.

AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone experience, allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest.

Students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio.

The course culminates in an academic paper of 4,000–5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense.

To research their topics, many students conduct research using voluntary surveys. Please see these linked surveys potentially involving JCS students to help AP Research students with their projects. All surveys/interviews must have informed parental consent before they are taken, and your student is not required to participate in any project in any way.

Daily Announcements
Check out our announcements page that are updated daily on the website! This is where you can find more information about detailed events, student opportunities, club meetings and more! Follow the link above or press the button on the website's main page that can be found by scrolling halfway down.

Social Media

Social Media can be a great communication tool to push out important events and information in a fun and entertaining way. Both our official Instagram (handle: sciencehill_jcs) and Facebook (ScienceHillJCS) are used to showcase what's going on at the hill both academically and athletically while keeping both families and students informed with the most updated information

All student and parent forms can be found in our Main Office in two main places: on a grid on the wall by the main entrance or on our counters.

On Wall in the Main Office

PTA Forms - How to sign up and be informed with PTA events and news.

JCS Communication Tools - Information on how to stay connected with Johnson City Schools.

Gradebook Portal Request Form - To request access to PowerSchool parent account.

DMV Form - Needed to obtain their learner's permit. It must be filled out and signed before taking it to the DMV.

Community Service Hours Form - Log form for students' community service hours. Must be signed by a the volunteer supervisor.

Transit Request Forms - Must be filled out, approved, and on file before students can use the school bus system.

Medicine Administration Permission Form - Must be filled out and turned into the nurse if students have medicine that needs to be taken during the school day.

Parent Observer Request Form - To request access to Canvas parent account.

On the counter in the Main Office

Lunch Form - For more information about our lunch program. There is a QR code that will direct on how to fill out forms regarding free and reduced lunch.

School Map - For a layout of the school so that students are able to locate their classes.

Drop-Off/Pick Up Map - For car drop off and pick up locations.