Hillwood High School

Public school in Tennessee, U.S.

Athletics conferenceTSSAA Class 5A, Region 6Team nameLightningWebsiteschools.mnps.org/hillwood-high-school

James Lawson High School is a public high school located in Nashville, Tennessee, and is part of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). Athletic teams are known as the Lightning and the school colors are baby blue and yellow. James Lawson opened in 2023.

Academics

Hillwood offers all levels of academics. Standard and honors level courses are available along with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. Hillwood became one of the first IB World Schools in Tennessee in February 2004. It offers the Diploma Programme. Additionally, the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is available. Hillwood is a Technology Site Demonstration school.

Athletics

There are many sports available for students to participate in. The Topper Athletic Club is a parent/faculty organization that helps support all sports teams. They generally meet once a month. All sporting events are overseen by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA).

Sports at Hillwood High School include:

Baseball
Basketball (boys & girls)
Bowling (boys & girls)
Cheerleading
Cross Country (boys & girls)
Football
Golf (boys & girls)
Soccer (boys & girls)
Softball
Tennis (boys & girls)
Track (boys & girls)
Volleyball
Wrestling
Dance Team

Team accomplishments

The football team was state championship contender in the 1990s and early 2000s before their move from AAAA (4A) to AAAAA (5A), which was Tennessee's highest class. Now there are six classes and Hillwood is in 5A.

The baseball team won Hillwood's first state championship in any sport when they won the TSSAA AAA state championship over Maryville High School in 1977. William Brennan, who would later be a Major League pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, played for Hillwood in 1981.

The basketball team was coached by Ricardo Patton in 1986–87. He later went on to coach college basketball at the NCAA Division I level for Colorado and later for Northern Illinois.

Rivals

Hillwood has a few sports rivals. Their main rivalry is with Hillsboro High School in the annual "Battle of the Hills". Other rivals include John Overton High School, Glencliff High School, McGavock High School, and Father Ryan High School. Montgomery Bell Academy was previously a major rival as the schools are only two miles apart, but Hillwood has not been very competitive with that school since the public/private split.

Extracurricular activities and clubs

Marching Band
Concert Band
Piano
Chamber Choir
Dance
Music Understanding
Orchestra
Theater
Model United Nations
Youth in Government
HOSA
DECA
Debate
Mock Trials
National Honor Society
International Thespian Society
Student Council
Student Government Association
Student Ambassadors
International Day
Latino Achievers
Gender and Sexuality Alliance
School newspaper, "The Topper Times"

Notable alumni

Olivia Hill, politician and engineer^[1]

References

^ Wadhwani, Anita (September 25, 2023). "Olivia Hill, Tennessee's first transgender elected official: "My main goal is to just do my job."". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved September 26, 2023.