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Hal Hale can't believe it's been almost 50 years since he was elected Hillcrest High's first student body president.

"It was an exciting time," Hale said of being part of a brand-new school in 1962 and helping to write Hillcrest's Constitution.

At first it was "a little bit difficult" for Hale, a basketball star, to leave Jordan High before his senior year.

"At Jordan, we had built up a lot of traditions, and we'd just taken state in basketball," said Hale who went on to play guard for the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association.

But Hale soon felt at home at Hillcrest and was eager to start traditions at his new school. Recently he was back at his alma mater to participate in Hillcrest's week of 50th anniversary activities, including the "Burning of the H" ceremony in which a large "H" was set aflame under a sky of fireworks. The tradition began in 1975.

"It's really a big crowd pleaser," said Erin Hawkins, Hillcrest's current student body president and the first female to hold that office. "It's a big tradition and something that links people together."

Before the ceremony, alumni and students watched a nostalgic slide show and learned about the early days of Hillcrest, including the debate to determine a mascot.

The two finalists were the Huskies and the Hillbillies.

Current students shake their heads when they think that they could've been known as the Hillcrest Hillbillies. It just doesn't fit: Hillcrest is the only school in Canyons or Jordan district to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate program for ambitious, college-bound students, and last year the school made Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools" list.

"We're so grateful to be Huskies," Hawkins said.

Senior class president Jack Vawdrey said there's something special about "Husky pride."

"We've never had the best sports teams," Vawdrey said, "but that doesn't stop our indomitable spirit. Our traditions are alive, and Husky pride never dies."

Hillcrest fell 48-7 in its homecoming game with Herriman, but its athletic teams have won more than 30 state championships throughout the years.

Hawkins said Hillcrest is known most for its inclusive nature.

"We've always been such an accepting school," Hawkins said. "All around, you always hear about how Hillcrest accepts everyone, and we have so much school spirit and school pride. We're just so connected at the school, and it's been awesome."

Hale, whose professional basketball career was cut short when he was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam, found it rewarding to interact with Hawkins, Vawdrey and their classmates during the week of student-planned festivities, which included a parade and pregame tailgating in addition to the "Burning of the H."

"You hear so much about how young people are going to the dogs, and you worry about the next generation that's coming along," said Hale, who coached and taught at Jordan High for 34 years, and is now retired. "But I tell you I was really impressed with all the young people and how they acted. They are just fantastic young people."

Hillbillies they are not.