Sun Valley High School (Pennsylvania)

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Coordinates: 39°51′31″N 75°25′00″W / 39.8586°N 75.4167°W / 39.8586; -75.4167
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Sun Valley High School
Location
Map
Aston
,
Pennsylvania
19014

United States
Information
School typePublic, Secondary
Established1960
School districtPenn-Delco School District
PrincipalJohn Paul Roskos
Faculty75.80 (FTE)[1]
Grades9th - 12th
Enrollment1,070 (2023–24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.12[1]
Color(s)  Navy Blue
  Vegas Gold
AthleticsPIAA
Ches-Mont League
MascotVanguard
RivalChichester High School
Feeder schoolsNorthley Middle School
Websitepdsd.org/Domain/92

Sun Valley High School is a public high school in Aston, Pennsylvania, a part of Delaware County in the Philadelphia suburbs. It is the only high school in the Penn-Delco School District.

The school's mascot is the Vanguard, though its logos, statue, and costume all depict a griffin, a mythical creature. The official school colors are navy blue and vegas gold.[2]

Academics[edit]

Curriculum[edit]

Core classes-math, English, social studies, and science-are based on a three-tier system based on student ability, from academic classes to honors level to Advanced Placement. Sun Valley uses a weighted GPA to reflect the change in difficulty between tiers.[3] In order to graduate, students are required to take four years of math and English, three years of social studies and science, and a total of nine elective credits (which can be divided over the four years).[3]

Standardized Testing[edit]

Students in the state of Pennsylvania are required to take the Keystone Exams in order to complete select courses and to graduate. Keystone Exams are required for Algebra I, Biology, and Literature. Sun Valley has a 23.7 percentile score on overall Keystone Exams. In mathematics, Sun Valley had a 61% proficiency rate, a percent above the state average. In reading, Sun Valley has a 46% proficiency rate, which is 24% lower than the state average.[4]

Proficiency Math Reading
Below Basic 10% 15%
Basic 29% 39%
Proficient 45% 46%
Advanced 16% 0%

Sun Valley offers various Advanced Placement classes. The school has a 58% passing rate, putting it in the 75th percentile.[4] Sun Valley does not offer IB exams.

Arts[edit]

There are four band ensembles at Sun Valley (Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Freshmen Percussion), as well as two choir ensembles (Concert Choir and Chamber Choir). The concert ensembles perform two concerts every year, one in the winter and one in the spring. In the spring the two concerts are held separately, while the winter is combined. The later also features the Freshmen Percussion ensemble, featuring developing percussionists. In the winter, the choir holds a fundraising performance entitled Decades, in which students perform pieces from the 1960s to today. The audition-only Chamber Choir performs at choir concerts and at various other local events.

The Sun Valley Marching Vanguards have had unprecedented success for the school at regional competitions, winning six total championships. They won the TOB Atlantic Coast Championship four times: 1977 (tie),[5] 1979,[6] 1980,[7] and 1981.[8] The band now competes in Cavalcade of Bands' American division. In the Cavalcade they Will Have two Open Class championships (2021 and 2022).[9]

The Sun Valley theater department performs a musical every spring. Recent productions include How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz, and The Lion King. The department has been recognized several times by the Greater Philadelphia Cappies, a regional award ceremony for high school theater. The school's 2021 production of A Christmas Carol set the school record for most Cappie wins, earning two Cappies off of four nominations. Sydney Lamoureux won the Cappie for Best Comedic Actress in a Musical, and Gianni Palmarini won the Cappie for Best Male Vocalist in a Musical. These are two of the most competitive categories in the Cappies competition.[10] The 2022 production of How The Grinch Stole Christmas set the school record for most nominations (5), along with one win.[11]

The art program at Sun Valley often features student artwork throughout the region, displaying them in local establishments and the district's annual calendar. The school holds an annual art show called Arts Alive!, which features art from all students enrolled in Sun Valley's various art classes that year.

Athletics[edit]

Sun Valley competes in the PIAA's Ches-Mont League, along with 13 schools from Chester County. Prior to 2007, Sun Valley competed in the Del-Val league, along with other nearby schools.[12] Sun Valley fields varsity teams in 15 PIAA-sanctioned sports:[13]

Fall Winter Spring
Cross Country Basketball Baseball
Field Hockey Indoor Track Lacrosse
Football Swimming & Diving Softball
Golf Wrestling Boys' Tennis
Soccer Track & Field
Girls' Tennis
Volleyball

The Sun Valley cheer team competes at various competitions throughout the winter. In 2019 and 2020, they were selected to attend the UCA National Cheer Championships in Walt Disney World.[14]

Though not officially a school sponsored sport, Sun Valley fields a boys' ice hockey team that competes in the Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League (ICSHL). Four times (2008, 2014, 2019, and 2020) the team earned a spot in the Flyers Cup tournament, which serves as the championship for high school ice hockey in the eastern half of Pennsylvania.[15][16][17][18]

The school sponsors a unified bocce team that competes against other schools as part of the Pennsylvania Special Olympics. The team has made three trips to the state tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania, earning silver medals in 2018 and 2019.

Sun Valley also operates a rec league style ultimate Frisbee tournament. Students are drafted onto teams ran by various teachers. The teams then compete in a season that runs from late-November into February.


The most successful of all sun valley sports is wrestling with a student even holding a 87-14 record

Thanksgiving[edit]

The Sun Valley varsity football team faces off against rival Chichester on Thanksgiving Day each year. The two teams alternate hosting duties, with Sun Valley hosting the 2021 edition, in which Chichester wins 20-13. Sun Valley currently leads the series 22-13.[19][20]

Demographics[edit]

Race[edit]

As of 2016-17:[21][22]

Group Number of Students Percentage of Student Body
All 1,053 100%
White 898 85%
Black 81 8%
Asian 31 3%
Hispanic 25 2%
American Indian/Alaska Native 0 0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1 0.1%
Two or More Races 17 2%

Gender[edit]

As of 2016-17:[21][22]

Gender Number of Students Percentage of Student Body
Male 536 51%
Female 517 49%

Economic[edit]

According to the NCES, 226 students (approximately 21% of the student body) are eligible for free lunches, with another 32 (approximately 3%) eligible for reduced lunches.[21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Sun Valley HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  2. ^ "Official Colors & Logos". PDSD.org. Penn-Delco School District. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Sun Valley Student Handbook" (PDF). Penn-Delco School District. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Sun Valley HS". US News. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  5. ^ "11-13-1977: 1977 Atlantic Coast Championships". TOB-Info. Tournament of Bands. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. ^ "1979 Atlantic Coast Championships". TOB-info. Tournament of Bands. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  7. ^ "1980 TOB Atlantic Coast Championships". TOB-info. Tournament of Band. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  8. ^ "11-14-1981: TOB Atlantic Coast Championships Group 3 Bensalem, PA". TOB-info. Tournament of Bands. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  9. ^ "American Champions" (PDF). Cavalcade of Bands. Cavalcade of Bands. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Sun Valley Theater Wins Two Top Cappie Awards!". SVHS Theater. Sun Valley High School Theater. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  11. ^ "2018-2019 Cappies Nominees" (PDF). Cappies Blog. Greater Philadelphia Cappies. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  12. ^ Vito, Christopher. "Sun Valley has no regrets in league switch". Delco Times. Delaware County Times. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Sun Valley athletic information". PDSD.org. Penn-Delco School District. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  14. ^ "SUN VALLEY: CHEER FOR CHEER-- THE TEAM IS GOING TO NATIONALS". pdsd.org. Penn Delco School District. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  15. ^ Sottile, Dave. "CPIHL honor roll: Five league teams selected to play in Flyers Cup tournament". Penn Live. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  16. ^ Walmsley, Fran. "29th Annual Flyers Cup Preview". NHL.com. Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Central hosts Flyers Cup game tonight". York Daily Record. York Daily Record. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Flyers Cup Participants Announced". NHL.com. Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  19. ^ Chaykun, Harry. "Wait pays off for Thompson, Chichester in win over Sun Valley". PA Prep Live. Delaware County Times. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Thanksgiving High School Football Scores, Highlights". CBS Philly. CBS Philadelphia. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  21. ^ a b c "Sun Valley HS". NCES. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Sun Valley High School". USNews. US News. Retrieved 28 August 2019.

39°51′31″N 75°25′00″W / 39.8586°N 75.4167°W / 39.8586; -75.4167

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