Parkland High School (Pennsylvania): Difference between revisions
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, [[United States]], is a public [[high school]] serving students in grades 9 to 12. It is the only high school for the [[Parkland School District]]. |
, [[United States]], is a public [[high school]] serving students in grades 9 to 12. It is the only high school for the [[Parkland School District]]. |
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With 3,187 students in the 2005-2006 academic year, Parkland is the second largest high school in Pennsylvania's [[Lehigh Valley]], behind [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]]'s [[William Allen High School]]. The school is located at 2700 North [[Cedar Crest Boulevard]] in South Whitehall Township. |
With 3,187 students in the 2005-2006 academic year, Parkland is the second largest high school in Pennsylvania's [[Lehigh Valley]], behind [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]]'s [[William Allen High School]]. The school is located at 2700 North [[Cedar Crest Boulevard]] in South Whitehall Township. |
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==History== |
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Prior to 1949, Parkland High School was known as South Whitehall High School.<ref name=PARKLANDhistory>[http://www.northwhitehall.org/earlyhistory/DOC052507.pdf A History Of North Whitehall] Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010</ref> On July 1, 1949, North Whitehall and South Whitehall merged to create Parkland Union School District with Upper Macungie joining in 1950.<ref name=PARKLANDhistory></ref> Construction for the old Parkland High School on Orefield Road began in 1953.<ref name=PARKLANDhistory></ref> In 1999, the current Parkland High School on Cedar Crest Boulevard was opened and the old Parkland High School on Orefield Road was renamed Parkland Middle School.<ref>[http://www.parklandsd.org/wp-content/uploads/hs_profile.pdf Parkland High School Profile] Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010</ref> |
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==Academics== |
==Academics== |
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Revision as of 01:52, 22 February 2010
| Parkland High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
2700 North Cedar Crest Boulevard , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1949 |
| Principal | Howard Lessel |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Enrollment | 3,187 (as of 2006-2007) |
| Newspaper | The Trumpet |
| Yearbook | Par Key |
| Information | 610-351-5600 |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| Colours | Red and Grey |
| Website | Parkland High School |
Parkland High School, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania , United States, is a public high school serving students in grades 9 to 12. It is the only high school for the Parkland School District.
With 3,187 students in the 2005-2006 academic year, Parkland is the second largest high school in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, behind Allentown's William Allen High School. The school is located at 2700 North Cedar Crest Boulevard in South Whitehall Township.
History
Prior to 1949, Parkland High School was known as South Whitehall High School.[1] On July 1, 1949, North Whitehall and South Whitehall merged to create Parkland Union School District with Upper Macungie joining in 1950.[1] Construction for the old Parkland High School on Orefield Road began in 1953.[1] In 1999, the current Parkland High School on Cedar Crest Boulevard was opened and the old Parkland High School on Orefield Road was renamed Parkland Middle School.[2]
Academics
Parkland High School is known for its competitive academic programs. The class of 2007 boasted 15 National Merit Finalists and a mean SAT score of 1603, with 81% taking the test and 65% going to a four-year college.[3].
Parkland is a four-time winner (1988, 1990, 2001 and 2007) of Scholastic Scrimmage, a televised academic contest during which teams from Pennsylvania high schools compete in rapid recall of factual information. Since the beginning of the competition, only Emmaus High School has won more Scholastic Scrimmage competitions.
The Parkland School District offers a vast selection of core and elective courses at college-preparatory, gifted, honors, and advanced placement levels. Additionally, the school district maintains a relationship with Lehigh County Technical Institute that allows Parkland students to pursue a more technically-oriented curriculum.
In 2004 and 2006, the school's Scholastic Scrimmage team finished third in Pennsylvania's Academic Competition in Harrisburg. The team qualified for Pennsylvania's Academic Competition again in 2009, winning the CLIU regional tournament. Parkland also has a strong tradition of excellence in regional debate leagues, having won many championships, most recently in 2005 and 2006. The school also is competitive in FBLA-PBL and Science Olympiad competitions, regularly sending contingents to states. In 2001 and 2002 the school participated in the FIRST competition and in 2002 won the Virginia regional and took second in the Philadelphia regional, allowing them to send the robotics team to Epcot Center for the national championship. In 2005, the robotics team placed fourth nationally and received rookie of the year honors at the MATE Robotics Competition in Houston, TX.
Parkland's Political Science Club offers students the opportunity to participate in various Model United Nations conferences. Parkland consistently sends winning delegations to the Kutztown, Wyomissing, LVIAC, and Ivy League Model United Nations Conferences. For the last several years, Parkland has been the LVIAC Model UN champion. The political science club also runs several additional events, including a Model Congress[4] during the 2008-2009 school year.
The Parkland Debate team is considered the strongest in the LVIAC. Parkland frequently remains undefeated in Debate and has advanced to the LVIAC debate finals the last 6 consecutive years. During the 2008-2009 school year, the debate team hosted a Parliamentary debate tournament.
During the 2006-2007 school year, a group of sophomores brought the Odyssey of the Mind competition to the district. Two teams were formed, both advancing to the State competition, and one advancing to the World Finals at Michigan State University where it placed 8th in Problem 5. This team also won the prestigious Ranatra Fusca creativity award. At the 2008 Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Competition, Parkland secured 2nd place in Problem 3 and 1st place in Problem 5. In 2009, Parkland won 1st in Problem 2, 2nd in Problem 4, and 1st in Problem 5. Parkland also advanced to the 2009 World Finals where it placed 7th out of 58 teams.
During the 2007-2008 school year, students founded several additional clubs: the Philosophy Forum, the Magic Club, the Young Republican's Club, and the Parkland Pictures Film Club. Furthermore, students started The Trojan Horse, a humor magazine offshoot of the Parkland LitMag Club.
Arts
Parkland has many musical groups, including orchestral ensembles, choral groups, and a concert band, jazz band, marching band, indoor colorguard, and indoor drumline. The marching band competes in the Tournament of Bands (TOB) circuit, attending the Atlantic Coast Championships yearly as a Group 3 unit. The Indoor Colorguard and Percussion units both compete in the Tournament Indoor Association (TIA) circuit and attend the Weekend in Wildwood championships annually. The Indoor Percussion unit also competes in the Mid-Atlantic Percussion Society (MAPS) circuit. Both the Indoor Colorguard and Indoor Percussion have won several TIA awards throughout their competitive seasons. Recently, both Indoor Percussion and Indoor Colorguard have been promoted to Open Class. The jazz band competes locally and plays at varsity basketball games. Every four years, the music department organizes a trip to Disney World.
The school's music program sent five musicians to the Pennsylvania Music Educators Conference (PMEA) state music festivals in the 2004-2005 academic year. PMEA organizes competitive auditioned ensembles each year, of which the state groups are the most prestigious. Approximately 500 students are selected for these ensembles each year. In the 2006-2007 academic year, they sent three musicians to the All-State music festivals. In the 2008-2009 academic year, Parkland sent 9 violins, 3 violas, 1 double-bass, and 1 clarinet to participate in District 10 Orchestra; 2 violinists and 1 violist proceeded through Region IV/V Orchestra to participate in PMEA's 2009 All-State Orchestra.
The theater department puts on several productions each year, including one large musical. In the spring of 2006, the arts department was honored with 5 Freddy Awards given out by the State Theater in neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania, including "Best Female Lead" and "Best Overall Production" for its rendition of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Nominated for 16 Freddys in 2008, Parkland won the award for Outstanding Scenic Design for their production of Les Miserables. Each year, the Freddys are awarded to recognize excellence in high school theater in the Lehigh Valley.
Parkland is known for its annual Festival of the Arts that takes place in the spring. Students organize the event that includes live concerts in the Auditorium, festival food and games on the front quad, displays of high school art work, and live demonstrations and exhibits by local artists.
Also offered in the school is an intensive multi-level creative writing program in continuation for fifteen years. The course is offered to students of every grade level and operates as a writing workshop within the school. Students are encouraged to explore both prose and fiction disciplines and to enter in various regional and national competitions.
Parkland has a dedicated art gallery called the Trojan Art Gallery that is led by art teacher Richard Shemonsky and a selected student art gallery director.[5]
Athletics
Parkland competes in the Lehigh Valley Conference in District XI of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Parkland's primary athletic rivalry is with Emmaus High School in neighboring Emmaus. Cumulatively among all of its sports, Parkland has secured nine Pennsylvania state championship titles. Parkland holds the record for the most Lehigh Valley Conference championships in six sports: boys cross country running, football, girls softball, girls swimming, boys tennis and boys track and field. The school has won more Lehigh Valley Conference championships in all sports than any other in the conference.[6]
Parkland is particularly well known for several exceptional athletic programs, including its girls and boys' basketball and girls and boys swimming teams, both of which won Pennsylvania state championships in 2006. The school's girls softball team won the first Pennsylvania state-wide championship ever held (in 1975).
Basketball
In the 2003-2004 season, the boys basketball team advanced all the way to the state finals before bowing out to Penn Hills High School by a score of 57-48.[7]. In the 2004-2005 season, the girls basketball team captured the PIAA state championship title.
Cross country
The Parkland boys and girls cross country teams have consistently been atop their division. In 2004-2005, both the girls' cross country team took second place in the Pennsylvania state finals.
Football
2002 team
In 2002, the Parkland football team won the Pennsylvania AAAA State Championship, led by All-American Austin Scott. The season culminated in a 34-12 victory over Woodland Hills High School at Hersheypark Stadium. The team ended the year ranked 6th in the nation by USA Today.[8]. Scott compiled 3,853 yards (fourth most nationally in American high school football history) and 53 touchdowns. These were Pennsylvania State records until 2008, when they were broken by Zach Barket of Schuylkill Haven Area High School.
2008 team
In 2008, the Parkland football team finished the season 15-1, and concluded the regular season undefeated for the second year in a row. They lost the PIAA AAAA championship to Pittsburgh Central Catholic 21-0. The game was played on December 15, 2007 at Hersheypark Stadium.[9]. One of the key components on the team was Morning Call Player of the Year, wide receiver/defensive back Jaleel Clark. He has since moved on to play at Missouri University.
Ice hockey
Parkland's ice hockey team participates in the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL). Both Parkland's varsity and junior varsity teams have won their league's championships numerous times. On March 12, 2008, Parkland's junior varsity team won its fifth consecutive championship. The varsity team recently claimed its third title in 5 years, as they swept Northampton in a best of 3 series. This was Parkland's third overall title as well ('04, '06, '08)
Swimming
The girls swim team were PIAA class 3A state champions in 2001, 2003, and 2006 and have been ranked in the top 10 nationally. The boys have won district championships several times over the past 15 years. In 2004-2005, both the boys' and girls' swim teams took second place in the Pennsylvania state finals.
Tennis
The Parkland boys tennis team won the District XI AAA championship in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 and advanced to the final 8 in the state all four years. In 2007, Parkland claimed both the District XI singles 1st place, 3rd place, and 4th place titles along with the 1st place and 2nd place doubles titles. In 2008, Parkland claimed the District XI singles 1st place and 4th place titles, in addition to the 1st place and 2nd place doubles titles. The 2008 season marked the third consecutive season that Parkland secured the District XI singles, doubles, and team titles.
Volleyball
The Parkland boys volleyball team has won 6 District XI titles (1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2008) and (1994, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009) District XI Runner-Up. The Trojans finished 3rd at the PIAA Championships in 1996 (losing to eventual champion Hempfield in semifinals), 1997 (losing to eventual state runner-up Central York in semifinals) and 2009 (losing to eventual state runner-up Penn Hills in semifinals).
Lacrosse
Women's lacrosse is the newest sport addition to Parkland High School. Becoming a Varsity PIAA recognized sport last year, the program is advancing. Parkland hosts a tournament every year at Orefield Middle School, and hosts teams such as Central Catholic, Liberty, Nazareth, Emmaus and Southern Lehigh. The team recently beat a new team Easton 15-3. [10]
Staff
The school is supported by eight administrators one transitional coordinator, two supervisors, 16 department chairs, 10 counselors, two psychologists, three nurses, 188 teaching professionals, and 113 support staff.
Notable alumni
- Michaela Conlin, actress, Fox's Bones.
- Peter Gruner, professional wrestler known as Billy Kidman.
- Daylin Leach, Pennsylvania state senator.
- Tim Massaquoi, professional football player, Buffalo Bills.
- Aimee Mullins, actress, World Trade Center.[11]
- Adam Richman, professional musician.
- Austin Scott, former professional football player, Cleveland Browns.
- Donald Snyder, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1981-2000, and Majority Whip.[12]
- Brant Weidner, professional basketball player, San Antonio Spurs.[13]
- Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada.[14]
- David Oberdoester, award-winning editor/designer, Shooters Post and Transfer.
References
- ^ a b c A History Of North Whitehall Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010
- ^ Parkland High School Profile Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010
- ^ "2007-2008 Profile". Parkland School Division.
- ^ http://www.phsmodelcongress.weebly.com
- ^ Trojan Art Gallery Official Site Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010
- ^ LVIAC Historical Stats.
- ^ "Pennsylvania State Rankings" (PDF). EPASports.com. March 24, 2004.
- ^ "Final 2002 Super 25 Rankings". USA Today. December 24, 2002.
- ^ "Central won't settle for imperfect season". PittsburghLive.com. December 14, 2007.
- ^ http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/IbOj6Obr2EadVmyiCIzo4A/parkland-trojans/girls-lacrosse/home.htm
- ^ Macmillan Speakers - Aimee Mullins Bio Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010
- ^ "Donald William Snyder (Republican)". Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2000-02-01.
- ^ http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31808225_ITM
- ^ Lauren Weisberg Official Bio Retrieved of Feb 21, 2010