Activities

Engaged Students

Life at Union Public Schools is more than just homework. Union believes a successful student is an engaged student and the district provides a wide variety of activities. More than 14,000 Union students are involved in some form of the arts and more than 1,600 students are involved in Union’s athletics and spirit programs. Leadership programs are abundant from Student Council to clubs and organizations.

Union Public Schools provides many extracurricular activities and organizations for students. These organizations include academic teams to art clubs,  athletics to fine arts, and more.

Key Club, National Honor Society and Student Council are always actively seeking various community service projects and offer an abundance of manpower and enthusiasm. See Student Organizations for a list of student clubs for grades 6-12.

The High School - along with the Union High School Freshman Academy - also boasts a nationally recognized program of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Many of the programs are nationally recognized. If you have a question about activities or events at the High School, please call the main number and ask for the Activities Office.

Parents

Parents are invited and encouraged to visit Union activities when appropriate. We also invite our parents to serve as helpers and chaperones. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Student Life Office at the High School or your school’s principal’s office.

Parents are also urged to participate and volunteer with their school's PTA chapter.

Gold Key Club

Union Public Schools invites senior citizens to become Gold Key Club members and attend any of our school-sponsored activities as our guest.

The Gold Key Pass gives Union supporters who are at least 62 years of age and living on a retirement income free admittance to home athletic events as well as the many outstanding performances and programs hosted by the Union Fine Arts Department.

For more information about obtaining a Gold Key Pass, call the Education Service Center at 918-357-4321 or email us.

Union High stands proud forever!
Loyalty rides high.
Memories, forget them never
As the years go by.
Friends, we make from year to year.
Watch as goals are reached
Union High will always be dear
To our destiny.  

History of the Alma Mater

Did you know this piece of history about the Union Alma Mater?

The original tune is from "Annie Lisle," an 1857 ballad by Boston, Mass., songwriter H. S. Thompson.  The tune was later used as the Alma Mater for Cornell University, and has since been used by colleges and high schools all over the country including ours.

It took the work of a few people to rediscover the original lyrics and the tune for the Alma Mater used by Union High Schools in the early half of the 20th century.

Shortly after Denise Vaniadis, retired director of Student Life, came to Union in 1992, she worked with then Principal Dave Stauffer and Kenille Elmore, then director of Union Choirs, to bring back the Alma Mater which had not been sung in decades.

“Denise and Dave were instrumental in wanting to bring back the Alma Mater,” explained Linda Blythe, an administrative assistant at the High School. “Kenille was the choir director at the time. I know we were singing the Alma Mater in 1994-95. We have sung the Alma Mater in all assemblies, retreats and graduations since then.”

Elmore found the lyrics.

“The words I found in an old Union yearbook,” Elmore recalled.  “I think it was the 1921 yearbook.  Then, I found the tune that was used.  Doug Henderson arranged two tunes for my choir.  One was too contemporary sounding, the other was more traditional.  That is the one I started using and is still being used to this today. Hopefully, this history will never get "lost" again.”