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C. K. MCCLATCHY HIGH SCHOOL

3066 Freeport Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95818 Telephone: 264-4400

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Humanities and International Studies Program

HISP
www.ckmhisp.org/

The C. K. McClatchy High School Humanities and International Studies Program provides the Sacramento area community with an exciting and challenging course of study of outstanding quality. HISP prepares students for successful entry into postgraduate education and provides options for possible career choices. The HISP magnet offers a rich curriculum of history, geography, and literature through an in-depth study of various cultures and an examination of the dynamics of these cultures in the 21^st Century.

The Humanities and International Studies Program offers a rigorous honors curriculum for able students who choose to work hard for an outstanding education. HISP prepares these students for success at any college or university in the country.

HISP students learn firsthand from scholars,political activists, artists, intellectuals and religious leaders about cultures few high school students have the opportunity to study.

HISP graduates are sought after, even recruited, by the top universities in the United States. Since 1985, virtually 100 percent of HISP graduates have gone on to college.

By the time they graduate, students will have visited the houses of worship of a wide range of the world’s dominant religions and shared the music, dance and art of far-off, yet important places.

HISP graduates enter a rapidly shrinking world with a strong sense of their own purpose and place because they are exposed to their own cultural histories as part of the diverse cultural history of mankind.

HISP students are fully integrated into McClatchy’s academic, social and extracurricular activities. In fact, HISP students are very active in sports, student government, drama, and all of the other activities that comprise a rewarding and valuable educational experience.

McClatchy’s Humanities and International Studies Program is unique. Students who enroll in the program will experience a vital, participatory and valuable high school curriculum enriched by numerous cultural opportunities. Artists, poets, dancers, and actors regularly visit our campus. HISP classes are rigorous, thought provoking, enjoyable and demanding. The program strives to produce life long learners in an atmosphere of acceptance and support that encourages academic excellence. The program emphasizes a cooperative bond between parents, teachers and students where each learns from the other. The courses and the approach to teaching in HISP prepare high school students for intellectual and academic achievement without making success unattainable.

HISP is a four-year program open to any incoming freshman regardless of where they live. Students must submit a completed application, a transcript since seventh grade, and recommendations from at least three teachers. Additionally, because HISP emphasizes strong writing skills, all students must take a supervised writing test offered at McClatchy during the spring of the preceding school year.

More than 85 percent of students who start in HISP complete the program, a far higher percentage than in similar honors programs offered at other area high schools.

All courses at the junior and senior levels are designated as honors courses on transcripts, and the twelfth grade literature course is Advanced Placement.

HISP faculty members are selected based on their expertise, experience, and their commitment to the program and its students.

Sacramento City College is within walking distance of McClatchy High School and allows students to concurrently enroll and earn college credits.

Program Overview

The Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) was founded in 1985. It is structured in a four-year sequence that includes a literature and composition course, a complementary social science course, and a humanities or liberal arts elective.

The ninth grade explores the history and literature of Western civilization and its influence on the 20^th century. Building upon this foundation of Western history and philosophy, second year HISP students expand their world-view to encompass the cultural richness of all nations and all continents. The tenth grade includes four nine-week blocks each on Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. Emphasis is placed on geography, comparative cultures, and religions, which are compared and contrasted with those of the West.

The eleventh and twelfth grade courses in American Studies are honors blocks designed to complement each other in structure and content. Materials include the complete text of classic and contemporary literature that is often only excerpted in other college preparatory classes. Issues of local, national, and international concern are analyzed and discussed.

Senior HISP courses are the culmination of a four-year study to provide students with the necessary information and skills for further study in the fields of international relations, political science, philosophy, law, economics, public service, foreign language, foreign service, teaching, writing, and advanced study in liberal arts. This program also provides scientific and technically oriented students the grounding in humanities so imperative for all decision-makers.

HISP students take seven classes per semester instead of the regular six as an option in grade nine and as a requirement in grade ten. The extra class must be an approved elective from the humanities or liberal arts area. Students take a minimum of three years of foreign language and may select from French, Spanish, and Latin. During the four years in HISP, students read at least 40 complete books in literature classes. In the summer, students prepare for the coming school year by reading and writing fiction and non-fiction works chosen from specific lists relevant to their study. Community service is also required.