North Hills Senior High School is a suburban high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The school's mascot is the Indians

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 and its official colors are red and white.

North Hills Senior High School has had a storied football tradition in quad Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...

 (WPIAL) play. Its program was number #1 in the country in 1987 and it won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....

 (PIAA) Championship in 1993.

Famous football alumni from the high school include former Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

 and New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 and former Penn State football star LaVar Arrington

LaVar Arrington

LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...

, former Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 safety Mark Kelso

Mark Kelso

Mark Alan Kelso is a former American football player who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the tenth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 177 lbs. safety from North Hills High School and the College of William & Mary, Kelso played in eight NFL seasons and his entire career with the...

, former University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 and current physical education teacher, Eric Kasperowicz.

Both the Marching Band and Symphony Band have a long history and are very well respected, being one of only a very few high school bands to participate in the inauguration

Inauguration

An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....

 ceremony of President

President

A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

  Warren S. Mercer, Jr., North Hills High Band Director for 31 years until 1992, elevated the North Hills High School Symphony Band to national prominence. Mr. Mercer has received numerous awards to include being elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association in March 1972 and is the recipient of a citation of excellence from the National Band Association. The NHHS Symphony Band was awarded the famous Sudler Flag of Honor by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation in 1983. The NHHS Symphony Band has won the highest honors in its section at the Carnegie Awards Festival sponsored by Carnegie-Mellon University. It has performed at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association

The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, more commonly known as PMEA, is the Pennsylvania state-level affiliate of MENC: The National Association for Music Education. PMEA is a statewide non-profit organization of over 5,000 members reaching thousands of students, dedicated to promoting the...

 State Convention 1965 and 1971; the Mid-West National Band Clinic, Chicago, Illinois, 1966, 1970, and 1987; the Mid-East Instrumental CLinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1967; the Music Educators National Convention, Washington, D.C., and in Boston 1973. In more recent years, the band played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The band sought to enrich its musical program by commissioning a composition from major composers. Such commissioned works have been written for the band by Mr. Don Gillis, Mr. Edward Madden, Mr. Robert Jager, Mr. Jerry Bilik

Jerry Bilik

Jerry Bilik is an American composer, arranger, songwriter, conductor, and director of stage productions.Bilik studied with Tibor Serly who had been a student of Béla Bartók...

, Mr. Philip Catelinet, Mr. Rex Mitchell, Mr. Vaclav Nelhybel

Václav Nelhýbel

Václav Nelhýbel was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for student performers. He is considered one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century....

, Dr. Paul Whear, and Mr. Norman Dello Joio

Norman Dello Joio

- Life :He was born Nicodemo DeGioio in New York City to Italian immigrants. He began his musical career as organist and choir director at the Star of the Sea Church on City Island in New York at age 14. His father was an organist, pianist, and vocal coach and coached many opera stars from the...

. Guest conductors through the years have included, Dr. William Revelli

William Revelli

William D. Revelli was the director of bands, including the Michigan Marching Band, at the University of Michigan for 36 years from 1935-1971. During his 36 years as director, the Michigan Marching Band won international acclaim for its musical precision...

, Dr. Richard Strange, Dr.James Neilson, Dr. James Dunlop (PSU), Mr. Vaclav Nelhybel and in March 1973, Arthur Fiedler

Arthur Fiedler

Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...

, Director of the Boston Pops Orchestra

Boston Pops Orchestra

The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....

. ( Reference: MENC Music Educators National Conference January 19-22, 1973, Boston North Hills Symphony Band Bio Sheet)