History
The Hanna Boys Center School has always been a part of a larger program of treatment and learning. The development of the school program reflects increased enrollment and changing student demographics over the sixty years of operation. On September 5, 1950, the school opened for the first full year. The school was staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis in the early days. The original buildings included the principal’s office, a small infirmary space, the gym, pool area, and six classrooms (rooms 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10). Room 10 also served as the library. Throughout the years, other building extensions have been built. In September 1955, the shop area and rooms 1, 2, and 3/4 were finished and occupied. Kearney Auditorium was completed and dedicated in May 1957. In 1963, rooms 12 and 13 were added and used for a choral room and arts classroom. In 1968, a new building was constructed which included the new library, a staff room, and a classroom reading clinic. In time, the reading clinic became the adjustment room. The principal’s office and adjustment room were switched with one another and changed to their current location in the summer of 1998. The last addition was completed in April 2002 and includes rooms 14, 15 and 16. At the same time, rooms 12 and 13 were modernized to become a science and music room.
Small class size is the key to success at Archbishop Hanna High School. There are 16.4 full-time equivalent teachers for 107 boys. The school is staffed for ten students per class. Most of our entering students have very poor grades, attendance problems, and have been suspended or expelled from their previous schools. Fifty percent of our boys read below their grade level. Twenty eight percent of our current students are formally classified as having been in a special education program. The Academic Advisor monitors class size, credits, graduation requirements for high school students, and schedules all students for classes. Also, the Academic Advisor consults with teachers, caseworkers, and the contracted school psychologist regarding student progress and grades.
Archbishop Hanna High School offers a very unique educational experience with a low student/teacher ratio, where students can get the help and attention they need to succeed. Students appreciate the school, the level of work they accomplish and the teachers’ confidence that they can succeed. The experienced and dedicated school staff are enthusiastic about their work, have the resources and support available to them, and enjoy working with the types of boys who come to Hanna. From 1996-1999, the Hanna School had three principals in three years. Mr. Jim Hiss served as principal from 1999-2004 (five years). Mr. Dennis Crandall took over as principal in June 2004, after serving at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa for thirty years.
When Mr. Crandall was hired as the principal in June 2004, he met with retiring principal Jim Hiss and was informed of the need for Hanna Boys Center School to gain WCEA/WASC accreditation in grades 11 and 12. Prior to this time, all students in grades 11 and 12 were enrolled at Sonoma Valley High School. The Hanna School was accredited in grades 6 through 10 at that time. During the next year and one-half, from September 2004 through December 2005, the faculty and staff worked on curriculum and all issues related to a Substantive Change in accreditation status to include grades 11 and 12. After preparing a report for the WCEA/WASC Substantive Change application (as a part of the three-year WCEA/WASC mid-term report) in January 2006, a two-person visiting team came to Hanna Boys Center School in March 2006. In June 2006, Hanna Boys Center School received approval for the Substantive Change request and is now accredited in grades 7 – 12.
In September 2006, Hanna Boys Center School changed its name to Archbishop Hanna High School to reflect its new accreditation status and emphasize the fact that AHHS is a Catholic high school. Archbishop Hanna High School is composed of two programs, a middle school program for grade 8, and a high school program for grades 9 through 12. Hanna Boys Center continues to send some group home boys to Sonoma Valley High School in order to meet their academic and social needs. Archbishop Hanna High School graduated 8 seniors in 2008, with 7 additional graduates from Sonoma Valley High School. Seventeen seniors plan to graduate in 2009 (12 from Archbishop Hanna High School and 5 from Sonoma Valley High School).