Every Knight, Every Day, Whatever It Takes!

During this time of national health concerns and school shut down, Desert Sands Unified School District students and staff are focused on staying safe. The articles that will appear in this column over the next several weeks have been taken from the archives. For the next several weeks, we will reintroduce you to the seven high schools of Desert Sands Unified School District. They all provide an outstanding education and offer many extra-curricular activities. But each is unique, offering traditional and non-traditional means of providing students with a path to high school graduation, college preparation, and workplace success.

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Welcome to Shadow Hills High School, home of the Knights. Bestselling author Grant Cardone is best known for his approach to any and all matters stating,  “Let the rest do whatever….while YOU approach every situation with a WHATEVER IT TAKES mindset!”

This year’s school theme focuses on building the collective efficacy as a professional learning community recommitting ourselves to our school vision by proclaiming, “Every KNIGHT, Every Day, Whatever It Takes!” We are celebrating ten years as the newest high school in Desert Sands Unified School District.

We are a school that creates rigorous and relevant educational experiences for ALL focusing on establishing positive relationships and effective communication with all stakeholders in our educational community. SHHS continues to build on our success and learn from our challenges as we continue to improve our culture and climate and increase student achievement especially during this challenging year.

Our vision is to foster a growth mindset in our students, encourage academic achievement, and promote global citizenship. We strive to develop critical thinkers who analyze the questions of today to create solutions for tomorrow.

We Knights pride ourselves on learning, leadership, systems, instruction, and culture. Our motto is “Knights Do It R.I.G.H.T.” At the core of our motto are the values that represent what expect of all stakeholders – Respect, Integrity, Greatness, Honor, and Teamwork. We have one of Coachella Valley’s highest number of students who have completed the CSU/UC A-G requirements and some of the highest Biliteracy Seal Diplomas, Golden State Seal Merit Diplomas, and Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma graduates.

At the core of that tradition is a caring and committed teaching staff that provides many opportunities for student learning and success with AVID schoolwide (Advancement Via Individual Determination).  To that end, our curriculum provides access and equity in our Career Technical Education program with pathways such as technology landscape, aviation, emergency management, computer science, and education.

SHHS boasts a robust Advanced Placement with courses taught at a college level.  SHHS is one of approximately 1,000 schools worldwide to implement AP Capstone—an innovative diploma program that allows students to develop skills in research, collaboration, and communication.

We are also proud to have a strong and healthy relationship with College of the Desert (COD). We offer dual enrollment courses to our students, with the most students enrolled in the program than any other local comprehensive high school.

As we continuously improve our capacity to foster the growth and development of  21st century skills in our learners, we offer various extracurricular opportunities, getting students connected in something beyond the regular school day. Student clubs and organizations, performing arts groups, and athletic teams offer students the chance to be part of something positive and rewarding. Our amazing ASB (Associated Student Body Council) includes various state and nationally recognized clubs and organizations like Renaissance, Link Crew, California Cadet Corps Rotary Interact, and California Scholarship Federation to name a few.

Information on student meal service and supplemental learning during school closures can be found by clicking here.