Harriton High School is a public secondary school in Rosemont, Pennsylvania serving portions of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The school is located on the Philadelphia Main Line.
Harriton is one of two high schools in the Lower Merion School District; the other is Lower Merion High School.
History
Harriton High School is situated on a portion of the plantation grounds belonging to Charles Thomson, son-in-law of Richard and Hannah Harrison, giving Harriton High School its name. Thomson was secretary (1774–1789) of the Continental Congresses as well as the Convention to debate and negotiate the Constitution of the United States.
Harriton High School was designed in 1957 by architect Vincent Kling and opened in 1958. Kling's design consisted of five buildings connected by covered walkways otherwise open to the elements, a style unusual for the region (and that it shared with Welsh Valley Middle School, built at the same time). Kling intended to create a modern design that encompassed a simple and effective layout with a focus on natural light and an airy environment. Ironically, Harriton's 1958 campus buildings surrounded a mostly concrete courtyard and was nicknamed "the Tombs" (despite the natural light and air).
By 2009 a new three-story building had replaced Kling's 1958 design, providing more sports and academic facilities to serve the growing student body.
Clubs and activities
Science Olympiad
Harriton hosts a successful Science Olympiad chapter. The team has placed among the top 10 at the Science Olympiad National Tournament for 21 consecutive years, winning three national championships and 16 consecutive state championships in that span.
Harriton competes in the Southeastern Region for Regionals and Pennsylvania for States. Although they have not run any invitationals in the past, Harriton participates in multiple invitationals, including Conestoga, Twin Tiers (Athens), Solon, Wright State, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell, UPenn and Princeton. In the states competition, Harriton held the longest winning streak of any Pennsylvanian team—athletic or not—placing first place at State for sixteen consecutive years (1997 to 2013). At the National competition, the team won the national title in 1995, 2001 and 2005.
Academic Decathlon
Harriton High School features a chapter of the United States Academic Decathlon. The chapter participates in the Eastern Pennsylvania Regional Competition.
Music at Harriton
Harriton's music department features a full concert band, orchestra, and performance jazz band. Every fall and spring, Harriton stages a music concert featuring all the ensembles, as well as an occasional string quartet and percussion ensemble. While it does not support a marching band, Harriton does have its own "RAM Band" which plays at home and away football games.
Every year Harriton musicians audition for positions in the PMEA district band and/or orchestra.
Harriton Banner
The school newspaper had been called the Harriton Forum or the Harriton Free Forum since the opening of Harriton High School in 1957. In October 2006, it was renamed the Harriton Banner.
Technology Student Association (TSA) Harriton TSA has had successes at regional, state, and national competitions, including a TSA national championship in Prepared Presentation in 2010. Harriton TSA members held five of the eight Pennsylvania TSA state officer positions. The four Lower Merion School District TSA chapters, including Harriton's TSA, consistently win more awards than any other school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Harriton Student Council (HSC)
HSC is the main body of representation for the Harriton student body and holds meetings that are open to any Harriton student. Members are divided into six committees: Students' Rights, Events, Communication, Finance, Planning, and Technology. There is a sub-committee under Students' Rights that was established after the district initiated the 1:1 laptop-to-student initiative (the Students' Rights Technology Sub-Committee). Council is the organizing and executing body of the annual "Mr. Harriton" competition, one of the flagship productions at Harriton High School. "Mr. Harriton" is a competition between male students engaging in a "beauty pageant" style competition. The event is held in a comedic spirit and raises money for charity. The Student Council collects revenue through ticket sales and catalog advertising. In 2014, the Student Council raised a record $17,000, all of which went to charity. In December 2018, the name of the event was changed to "Dr. Harriton" to reflect the fact that anyone may participate.