08/21/2026
70 Years of Spartan Pride 💙🤍
The 2026/27 school year marks 70 calendar years since the first Spartans walked the halls of the Big H!
While 2026/27 is technically HAHS’s 71st school year, and the school district itself was officially formed in 1952, we want to take some time throughout this year to celebrate the last 70 years of Hempfield history and Spartan Pride.
Throughout the school year, we’ll be sharing some fun facts and interesting information from the very first school year in 1956/57.
But before we get to that first year, we have to go back a little further.
Before There Was HAHS…
The first move to establish a high school occurred on June 8, 1898. The minutes of the Board of Education for the township recorded a proposal to investigate the possibilities of building a secondary school in our area.
From that time until 1956, students attended neighboring high schools.
On November 17, 1952, articles of agreement for the Hempfield Area Joint Schools, now known as the Hempfield Area School District, were adopted. Work then began in earnest to establish a high school.
The size and capacity of the senior high school were determined by a review of the student population as of 1952 and projected six years into the future. The board recognized potential growth, and the building was planned to provide additions as needed in the future.
Approximately 57 years after that first proposal, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new high school was held on a cold and rainy afternoon on Monday, February 28, 1955.
As construction of HAHS moved forward, students continued attending neighboring high schools until the new school was ready to welcome its first students for the 1956/57 school year.
And that was only the beginning…
Throughout this anniversary year, we look forward to sharing more about that first school year.
We hope these posts bring back memories for our longtime Spartans while giving newer generations a chance to discover pieces of HASD history they may have never known.
Here’s to 70 Years of Spartan Pride, and all the Spartans who have been part of the story
Hail Hempfield 💙🤍