Sunrise Mountain High School

Summary

Sunrise Mountain High School is a public secondary school located in Peoria, Arizona, and is part of the Peoria Unified School District. The school opened its doors in August 1996. It is the district's second-smallest high school by enrollment, larger than only Cactus High School.[3]

Sunrise Mountain High School
Location
Map
21200 N 83rd Ave, Peoria, Arizona, USA
Coordinates33°40′38″N 112°14′24″W / 33.677335°N 112.239886°W / 33.677335; -112.239886
Information
TypePublic secondary
Motto'Committed to Excellence"
Established1996
PrincipalVance Setka
Faculty99.61 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment2,018 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio20.26 [1]
Color(s)      Purple, White and Gold
MascotMustangs
NewspaperThe Mustang Express
YearbookThe Stampede
AIA Class5A - Northwest[2]
WebsiteSunrise Mountain High School

Overpopulation problem edit

Sunrise Mountain dealt with considerable overgrowth in the early and mid-2000s. With 2,440 students by 2005, many freshmen classes were pushed out to "Frosh Island", a nearby former elementary school, now Legacy Traditional School Peoria.[4] Between each period a bus would shuttle students between "Frosh Island" and the main campus so that classes such as physical education, band, advanced science, and choir could be attended by freshmen. The use of this campus was discontinued by Sunrise Mountain following the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The overpopulation problem has been relieved by the creation of Liberty High School. Liberty is now larger than Sunrise Mountain by some 600 students.[5]

Performing Arts edit

Sunrise Mountain has a marching band, concert band and jazz band. The jazz band competes yearly in the Northern Arizona University jazz competition. The Sunrise Mountain High School marching band competes in the Arizona Marching Band Association (AzMBA) under Division 3A[6] and undergoes the nickname, "The Pride of Sunrise".[7]

Sunrise Mountain has choral, orchestra, and piano programs representing the Peoria Unified School District. Sunrise Mountain is the only school in PUSD to have an orchestra.[8] The choir has achieved superior in several festivals over the past years, including Superior with Distinction, which was won by the Varsity Choir at the NAU Jazz Festival in February 2017.[8]

Sunrise Mountain is home to a drama program and a dance program. Every year, the thespians perform in the annual arts festival.

The Sunrise Mountain theater club was included in a segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on June 5, 2022.[9]

Sports edit

Sunrise Mountain has many various types of sports.[10] Sunrise Mountain Mustangs have had a long-standing rivalry between fellow Peoria District schools, Liberty Lions, and Centennial Coyotes.

Notable alumni edit

Feeder schools edit

All of the following are K–8 schools:[11]

  • Apache
  • Coyote Hills
  • Frontier
  • Parkridge

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Sunrise Mountain High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Team Info - Sunrise Mountain Mustangs Football (Peoria, AZ)". www.maxpreps.com.
  3. ^ "Cactus High School in Glendale, AZ - US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Legacy Traditional School in Peoria | Kindergarten to K-8 Tuition Free". Peoria | Legacy Traditional School. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "High Schools in Peoria Unified School District". U.S. News. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "Bands – Arizona Marching Band Association".
  7. ^ "Pride of Sunrise". Sunrise Mountain High School Marching Band. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Choir/Orchestra / Overview". http.
  9. ^ School Police: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), retrieved April 29, 2023 (8:37-9:35)
  10. ^ "Sunrise Mountain Sports". Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  11. ^ "Peoria Unified School District / Homepage". Sunrise Mountain High School. Retrieved July 31, 2023.