West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South

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West Windsor-Plainsboro High School-South Campus
Location
346 Clarksville Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550

Information
Type Public high school
Established 1973
School district West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Principal Roseann Bonino
Asst. Principal Robert Banks
Donna Gibbs-Nini
Faculty 113 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades 9 - 12
Enrollment 1,613 (as of 2009-10)[1]
Student to teacher ratio 14.27[1]
Color(s) Green and gold
        
Athletics conference Colonial Valley Conference
Team name Pirates
Rival Knights
Newspaper 'The Pirate's Eye'
Website

West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Princeton Junction in Mercer County, New Jersey, serving students in Grades 9 through 12. The school is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, a regional school district serving students from West Windsor Township (in Mercer County) and Plainsboro Township (in Middlesex County).

The high school was opened in 1973 as West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. In 1997, the school was renamed by appending "South" to the school's name, because of the opening of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.[2]

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,613 students and 113 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.27-to-1.[1]

Contents

[edit] Awards and recognition

During the 1992-93 school year, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education[3], the highest award an American school can receive.[4][5]

In August 2011, The Star-Ledger's Inside Jersey ranked the school 1st among the 330 public schools in the state of New Jersey.[6]

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 9th in New Jersey and 407th nationwide.[7]

The school was the 16th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 21st in 2008 out of 316 schools.[8] The school was ranked 9th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[9] The school was ranked 5th in the 2004 issue. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was ranked 1st during the same year.

On the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 97% of the 2009-10 class passed the verbal section, while 96% were proficient on math.[10] The school offers several honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in various subject areas. The school does not rank students, but it uses a weighted GPA. Many students from the school are accepted to highly selective schools around the country, including the Ivy League.

The school's 2010 graduating class had the second-highest SAT scores in rankings calculated by the New Jersey Department of Education, with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South having a combined score of 1,843 on the three sections of the test, behind the 1,860 achieved by Princeton High School students.[11]

[edit] Extracurricular activities

The school newspaper is called The Pirate's Eye, which won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal award in 2007 and again in 2008. The school's radio station is WWPH 107.9 FM, shared with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.

[edit] Athletics

The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Pirates participate in the Colonial Valley Conference, which includes high schools from Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. The school mascot is the Pirate and the school colors are green and gold. Secondary school colors used as accents include black and white. From 1973 to 2003, the Pirate football team bore a "Golden Dome," or a yellow helmet, which for much of that time was blank without a decal. Now, the football team bears a "Snowcap," or a white helmet bearing a yellow pirate flag on it. Some of South's historically dominant athletic teams include both Boys' and Girls' swimming and diving, tennis, and golf.

The North-South high school rivalry is a heated affair, with the annual football game in 2007 drawing nearly 8,000 spectators from two towns with a combined population slightly larger than 40,000.[citation needed] North won the 2007 edition, 21-9, to even the all time series at 3-3. The loss was the Pirates only defeat until they lost the Sectional Championship Game to Howell High School. South won in 2008 with a 49-13 victory over North.

There is also an older rivalry with Hightstown High School called "The War of the Windsors", an annual football game in which the winner takes home "The Mayor's Trophy."[12]

The South Varsity Boys' tennis squad has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of New Jersey high school tennis teams. The 2007 season was one of the more successful seasons in recent school history. Although the team did not capture the state title, it secured a #2 ranking in the state and was very close to defeating the #1 ranked team. This season also featured a South singles player to advance to the quarterfinals of the State Singles Tournament and the first doubles team to win the State Doubles Tournament. The 2007 boys tennis team won the Central, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win against East Brunswick High School.[13] The most dominant period displayed by the team was from 1996 to 2000, when they reached the Tournament of Champions finals for five consecutive years, and also featured singles players in the finals and semifinals of the State Singles Tournament in each of those years. The South Varsity Boy's tennis squad was ranked #2 in the state for five consecutive years during this span. In 1996 and 1997, four out of the seven players on the squad were nationally ranked tennis players. During this period, the team captured five consecutive Central New Jersey Group IV state titles, five consecutive Group IV state titles, and an unprecedented sweep, in which they did not lose one single match, of the Mercer County Tournament four years in a row. The 2000 Group IV title marked the fourth consecutive year in which the team had defeated Cherry Hill High School East for the group title.[14] The 2011 team won the Mercer County Tournament for its second consecutive year.[15]

The South Varsity Boys' golf team is one of the top programs in the state and is widely recognized for its accomplishments.[citation needed] Ranking consistently within The Star-Ledger's Top 10 high school golf teams, they have exhibited tremendous success at the county, sectional, and state level. Notable seasons include the 2006 and 2007 seasons in which they captured the 2006 Cherry Valley Invitational, 2006 Mercer County Championship, placed 2nd at the 2006 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship, placed 2nd in Group III at the 2006 State Championship, placed 2nd at the 2007 Mercer County Championship and won the 2007 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship. Over the last two years, the team has established an impeccable record: losing just 3 times and winning well over 30 matches. One of their greatest victories took place in the 2007 season against Princeton High School. These two historically bitter rivals battled for the title of dominating team in Mercer County and placed their respective state rankings of #2 and #4 on the line.[citation needed] At the end of the day, the South team prevailed with a stunning victory of 186-187 that came down to the last putt of the last player of the last group. The Pirates put an end to the Tigers previous three-year unbeaten record in Mercer County matches. They exited the 2007 season as the #12 ranked team in the state.[citation needed]

The girls swim team won the Central - A state sectional championship with a 97-73 win over Montgomery High School.[16] The girls' swimming team also came in first place at the 2008 Mercer County Tournament, with Notre Dame in second. In the 2008-09 season saw an undefeated CVC season, and MCT first place, a sectional championship, and finally the state title, winning the Public A state championship against the top seeded Westfield High School Blue Devils with a score of 90-80.[17] Both the girls' and boys' swim teams were the Colonial Valley Conference Champions for the 2007-08 season. The 2010 girls team tied 85-85 with Westfield for the Public A title, only the second time that a tie occurred in the tournament final.[18]

The girls varsity cheerleading squad placed 1st in 2008 in the small division at the annual CVC cheerleading competition held at High School North. This is the first time South's cheerleaders have placed 1st in the CVC competition.

The boy and girls cross country teams have also had great success in recent years. South's own Brian Leung was the 2007 New Jersey Cross-Country Champion and the team finished 7th in the state, the program's best season to date. The boys cross country team also won a state sectional title in 2008.

The year 2010 marked the Pirate Boys' best cross-country season to date. They won the Mercer County Championship (snapping rival WW-P North's four-year winning streak), won the Central Jersey Group IV title, finished second in Group IV, and a strong 3rd place at the state meet, before finishing 5th at the Nike Northeast Regional.[19]

[edit] Model United Nations

The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Model United Nations program dates back to the late 1970s and consists of approximately 40 students between grades 9-12. The South MUN team picks conference rosters based on open-session mocks held in the school prior to every conference. The club annually consists of two advisers and five elected officers. Typically, the mocks involve more than 100 students vying for a limited number of conference spots, with roster decisions being made by the elected officers. As opposed to other successful high school MUN teams, South delegates, once selected, conduct individual research outside of school. As a result, club meetings are almost nonexistent. South MUN consistently wins delegation awards at conferences hosted by universities such as Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania (Ivy League Model United Nations Conference), Georgetown University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University. In 2011, SouthMUN won such an award at every attended conference, winning Best Small Delegation at RUMUN, Outstanding Large Delegation at PMUNC, Best Large Delegation at ILMUNC, Best Small Delegation at North American Invitational Model United Nations, and Outstanding Large Delegation at CMUNC.

[edit] Science Olympiad

The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Science Olympiad Team has been one of the best teams in the nation. In 2006 and 2007, they won 1st place in the regional and state competition, thereby earning spots in the national tournaments at Indiana University Bloomington and Wichita State University. They placed 11th in 2006 then 6th in 2007, out of more than 50 of the nation's most talented teams.[20] In 2008, the team earned 3rd place in regionals, and 2nd at states, losing to rival team West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. In 2009, the team placed 2nd at regionals, losing to North but came back at states to win 1st. They attended the Nationals competition at Augusta State University from May 15–16. At the tournament, the team placed 13th in the nation, and 1st place in Protein Modeling. Other events in which the team placed in the top 8 were Cell Biology, Chemistry Lab, Dynamic Planet, Environmental Chemistry, It's About Time, Junkyard Challenge, Picture This and Remote Sensing. In 2010, the school placed 1st in the state and 18th in the nation at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

In 2011, the School once again placed 1st in the entire state beating out its sister school, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The High School South Science Olympiad team won Third Place at the National Tournament held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011; this is the highest honor ever achieved by High School South in this competition. The team received a Gold Medal in Dynamic Planet; four Silver Medals in Microbe Mission, Ornithology, Protein Modeling, and Sumo Bots; a Bronze Medal in Chemistry Lab; a Fourth Place Medal in Helicopters; a Fifth Place Medal in Mission Possible; and two Sixth Place Medals in Ecology and Mousetrap Vehicle. In addition, the team received a Gold Medal in Materials Science, a trial event.[21]

[edit] Music and arts

The award-winning music program at South has earned state acclaim. There are currently three orchestras, two of which are philharmonic, two choirs, and three bands. In the Spring of 2007, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concert Choir toured in Russia. Over the years this program has traveled to other venues such as the Azalea Festival in Norfolk, Virginia, Scotland, Austria, and Boston, Massachusetts. This year they will be going to Hawaii. Other music programs including three a cappella groups, two jazz bands, and the award-winning Pirate Marching Band and Colorguard. The marching band/guard have won numerous awards in regional, state, and national competitions. They placed first in 2005 in the USSBA Group II Open category. The band finished third at the 2007 United States Scholastic Band Association National Championships, competing as a Group II band at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 16, 2007.[22] In 2011, the South Choir performed at Carnegie Hall.

[edit] Science Bowl

In 2010, the team secured a first place finish at the regionals held in the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.[23] The team placed 9th in the nation. In the 2011 school year, the team placed 2nd in the regional competition.[24]

[edit] Academic Decathlon

On March 11, 2011, South's Academic Decathlon team was ranked 1st in their region and in state and represented New Jersey at the 2011 National Academic Decathlon competition in North Carolina. At regionals, 7 out of 9 of their decathletes were named best overall decathletes. At states, 5 out of 9 were named best overall decathletes. Jeffrey Kuan set a new record and initiated the "1000-point Club." Ming-Ming Tran was honored with the Reinauer Scholarship, awarded to the top scoring decathlete in New Jersey, one of two students at the school to win the award.

[edit] International science / mathematics competition

A number of students from the school have been recognized for their performance in international competition. Rebecca Shi was a 2011 Gold Medalist and the 1st place winner at the International Biology Olympiad,[25] Ante Qu a 2011 Gold Medalist at the International Physics Olympiad,[26] Sofia Izmailov was 2007 Bronze Medalist at the International Chemistry Olympiad.[27] Bohua Zhan was a 2006 Silver Medalist at International Olympiad in Informatics.[28] and Ian Le was a 2001 Gold Medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad.[29]

[edit] FIRST Robotics

High School South shares a FIRST robotics team with High School North, where it was founded in 2006. The team is listed as Team 1923, and goes by the nickname "The MidKnight Inventors". They compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The team has been very successful in its previous years by winning New Jersey Regional in 2009 and the prestigious award of Engineering Inspiration at Boston Regional in 2010. The team has qualified for the FIRST Robotics World Championships for the past three seasons. The team has a rigorous 6-week build season under FIRST guidelines after the kickoff in January when the game is revealed, and competes in various competitions in March and April.

[edit] History

Before the opening of the school in 1973, students were sent to Princeton High School in the Borough of Princeton. In the 1990s, population growth in the district necessitated an additional high school, and in 1997 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was built and "South" was added on to the end in order to help differentiate between the two.

[edit] Schedule

The high school operates on a rotating class schedule from 7:40 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. daily. Classes are an hour long with a 5 minute passing period between classes. Lunch is at the same time for all students from 10:54 to 11:35 (because of this, seniors are allowed to leave school for lunch to reduce crowds). There are three classes before lunch and three after lunch. The schedule cycle is 4 days. On an A-Day, classes 1, 4, 3, 5, 8, and 7 meet, with 2nd and 6th period missed. On a B-Day, classes 2, 1, 4, 6, 5, and 8 meet, with 3rd and 7th period missed. C and D Days follow the same pattern. If a science class requires lab time, 20 minutes of the lunch period are used once every four days, following the 4-day cycle, thus allowing for a six-credit course instead of the traditional five-credit course. AP Chemistry/Biology and AP Physics are seven-credit courses since the lab time extends into the full hour of study hall instead of lunch once every four days.

[edit] Referendum

A district-wide referendum was passed in January 2006, which resulted in many improvements for High School South.[30] Among those were a new gym, more parking spaces, a new cover for the pool, more classrooms, improvements on the HVAC system, and artificial turf for the football field. The improvements were done in stages starting with the 2006-2007 school year, with completion expected by the end of 2008.[31] The estimated cost of the projects included in the referendum was $23 million. As of now, January 2010, all projects have been completed including the new pool "bubble" enclosure. However, even as the aforementioned improvements have occurred, the school still continues to lack parking space, classroom space, internal infrastructure, including hallway maintenance and maneuverability, and a fully functioning HVAC system.

[edit] Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:[32]

  • Roseann Bonino - Principal
  • Robert Banks, Assistant Principal
  • Donna Gibbs-Nini, Assistant Principal

[edit] Notable alumni

The following attended what is now West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 29, 2011.
  2. ^ District Landmarks, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Accessed June 16, 2011.
  3. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
  4. ^ "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  5. ^ "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test" The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  6. ^ Kaimann, Frederick. "New Jersey's Best Public High Schools", The Star-Ledger. Accessed September 17, 2011.
  7. ^ Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South", The Washington Post. Accessed July 24, 2011.
  8. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 19, 2011.
  9. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  10. ^ West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South 2010 School report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 16, 2011.
  11. ^ Cusido, Carmen. "Three Mercer County high schools - Princeton and both West Windsor-Plainsboro highs - are among top 5 SAT scorers in state", The Times (Trenton), February 27, 2011. Accessed June 16, 2011. "Princeton High’s verbal score was 611, and its writing score was 614. Princeton High students scored highest in math, with a score of 635. The school’s combined score was 1,860. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South came in second, with a combined SAT score of 1,843, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was fifth with a combined score of 1,815."
  12. ^ O'Gorman, George. "Knights' Time: North is big dog in War of the Windsors", The Trentonian, October 17, 2009. Accessed June 16, 2011. "The new version of the “War of the Windsors” will be played for the eighth time, with South holding a 4-3 lead in a rivalry that began three years after WW-P North opened its doors."
  13. ^ 2007 Boys Tennis - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed June 7, 2007.
  14. ^ Redd, C. Kalimah. "Cherry Hill East Boys Fall Short In Finals The Cougars Once Again Could Not Topple Mighty West Windsor-plainsboro For The State Group 4 Title.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 26, 2000. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Cherry Hill East, The Inquirer's top-ranked team in South Jersey, was attempting to defeat West Windsor-Plainsboro, a mountain of a program that has defeated the Cougars in the state boys' tennis finals for the last three years. After West Windsor won two of the three singles matches - Michael Nagelberg got the lone East win - it came down to doubles. Both Cougars pairs won the first set, and a state title seemed imminent for East.But the momentum suddenly swung West Windsor's way, and the Pirates went on to a 3 1/2-1 1/2 victory to win the state Group 4 championship."
  15. ^ LoPrinzi, Ann. "West Windsor-Plainsboro South repeats as Mercer County boys' tennis champion", The Times (Trenton), April 28, 2011. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Although Zheng, the second seed, earned five points for his team in four match wins, it was not enough to overtake MCT boys’ tennis team champion West Windsor-Plainsboro South."
  16. ^ 2007 Girls Team Swimming - Central - A, NJSIAA. Accessed June 5, 2007.
  17. ^ Pratico, Mark II, "CVC SWIM PREVIEW: DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN?", The Trentonian, December 1, 2009. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Last year, the West Windsor Plainsboro South girls swim team broke the mold and captured its first NJSIAA Public Group A state crown after falling short in the previous two seasons.This season, to head coach Paul Hamnett’s delight, the Pirates return significant talent in every event from last year’s perfect season, which should make for an interesting campaign as Hamnett’s club vies to defend its CVC, Mercer County Tournament and State titles.... Ketchmark also anchored the Pirates’ 400-meter freestyle relay team in the deciding race of the state championship meet for the Pirates last year in their 90-80 win over Westfield."
  18. ^ Monaco, Lou. "NJ Girls Swimming: Westfield, West Windsor South tie for Public A championship", The Star-Ledger, February 28, 2010. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Westfield and West Windsor-Plainsboro South are so evenly matched, they have battled in the state final four straight years. So it was apropos that this year's state final would come down to the final two races of the meet.... Westfield (15-1-1) and West Windsor South (14-1-1) fought to an 85-85 tie at the NJSIAA/Riegel Printing Public A championships Sunday at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. It was only the second time in the 37-year history of the girls' state meet that co-champions were crowned."
  19. ^ Fisher, Rich. "HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Jim Rosa does it again in groups", The Trentonian, November 6, 2010. Accessed June 16, 2011. "Robbinsville won CJ Group I for the third straight year, West Windsor-Plainsboro North claimed CJ III for the fourth consecutive season and WW-P South took CJ IV after finishing second last year."
  20. ^ Division C Scores and Ranking - 2007, Science Olympiad. Accessed January 14, 2008.
  21. ^ Staff. "HSS Science Olympiad Team Garners Third Place", West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, May 25, 2011. Accessed May 29, 2011.
  22. ^ Group I, M&T Bank Stadium, November 16, 2007, United States Scholastic Band Association. Accessed November 18, 2007.
  23. ^ "West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South and Princeton's Witherspoon School Win Top Prizes at Regional Science Bowls: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Hosts Competitions", Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, March 5, 2010. Accessed August 2, 2011.
  24. ^ High Technology High School wins DOE’s New Jersey Regional High School Science Bowl, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, March 4, 2011. Accessed August 2, 2011.
  25. ^ United States Wins 4 Gold Medals at the International Biology Olympiad, Center for Excellence in Education. Accessed August 1, 2011.
  26. ^ US TEAM SCORES FIVE MEDALS AT THE 42nd INTERNATIONAL PHYSICS OLYMPIAD, Physics Today. Accessed August 1, 2011.
  27. ^ N.J., Calif., Utah students win 4 medals for US Chemistry Olympiad team, Eurekalert!. Accessed August 1, 2011.
  28. ^ Piele leads U.S. computer team to medals in Mexico, University of Wisconsin–Parkside. Accessed August 1, 2011.
  29. ^ 2001, United States - US Team Results, Mathematical Association of America. Accessed August 1, 2011.
  30. ^ http://wwpsd.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3592819/File/District%20Landmarks%
  31. ^ Forester, Greg. "WW-P projects near completion as classes resume on Thursday", Princeton Packet, September 2, 2008. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  32. ^ School Listing, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Accessed March 19, 2011.
  33. ^ Kevin Barry player profile, Atlanta Braves. Accessed May 20, 2007. "Graduated from Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in Princeton Junction, NJ."
  34. ^ Tracy, Ryan. "Obama taps WW-PS alum for technology post", The Times (Trenton), April 21, 2009. Accessed January 27, 2011.
  35. ^ Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Joe Alves, Melinda Dillon, Douglas Trumbull, The Making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1997, Columbia Pictures
  36. ^ "Cinema: Head to head; Welshman Matthew Rhys grappled with Kathleen Turner onstage and, in his new film, The Abduction Club, he gets to wrestle with Alice Evans. Meanwhile, Ethan Hawke manhandles his missus, Uma Thurman, in the drama Tape. So who of the two is the real hands-on Hollywood hotshot?", The Daily Mirror, July 19, 2002. "Ethan grew up in a single-parent family in New Jersey. Joining The drama club at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School changed his life. A casting director spotted him in a School production of Saint Joan and she landed him a part alongside River Phoenix in The endearing 1985 children's film, Explorers."
  37. ^ a b Miller, Lynn. "More West Windsor Filmmaking Stars on the Horizon", West Windsor & Plainsboro News, December 15, 2007. Accessed December 15, 2007. "Two West Windsor-Plainsboro High School graduates are following in the footsteps of two other filmmakers from West Windsor, Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Singer, Class of 1984, and McQuarrie, Class of 1986, have recently joined together for the filming of “Valkyrie,” a controversial film about Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the German Army officer who tried to do away with Hitler during World War II."
  38. ^ [1]
  39. ^ Broadcasters profiles, Milwaukee Brewers. Accessed October 14, 2007.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°18′39″N 74°36′47″W / 40.310794°N 74.61299°W / 40.310794; -74.61299

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