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| Abington Senior High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Abington, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, 19001 United States  |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Secondary |
| School district | Abington School District |
| Principal | Jeffrey Fecher |
| Grades | 10th through 12th |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Enrollment | 1,967 (2006) |
| Color(s) | Maroon and White |
| Mascot | Galloping Ghost |
| Rival | Cheltenham High School |
| Website | Abington Senior High School |
Abington Senior High School is a three year co-educational high school (Grades 10 to 12), located in Abington, Pennsylvania. As of 2009, the current enrollment is 1,925, and the school principal is Dr. Jeffrey Fecher[1]. Abington students are leaders in PSSA scores in the state of Pennsylvania and have won many technology-oriented awards from Dell and Microsoft.[2][3]
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Mascot
The school's mascot is the Galloping Ghost. It is named after University of Illinois college star and professional football player Red Grange, whose nickname was The Galloping Ghost, due to the way he slipped through opposing defense "like a ghost." Upon his visit to the school, the mascot was named in his honor. There has been much controversy over the Galloping Ghost mascot. Owing to its genesis from Red Grange, it is often portrayed as a football player wearing a ghost costume, rather than an actual supernatural ghost. Some think that the costume resembles the infamous attire of the Ku Klux Klan. However, allegations that this is intentional are officially dismissed. In addition, the mascot of Abington's rival school, Cheltenham, is a Panther.
Demographics
The 2009-2010 enrollment is 1925 pupils with 631 in the senior class.[4] The total number of faculty assigned to the high school is 142. At the same period, the racial make-up of the student body was: 72.75% White; 18.19% Black; 1.82% Hispanic or Latino, 6.93% Asian or Pacific Islander, 0.31% Native American or Native Alaskan. 7.8% of the students were eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch.
Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements: A minimum of 210 points (21 units) in grades 9-12 and the following course units: English (4), social studies (4), mathematics (3), science (3), arts and humanities (1), additional electives (4.6), and physical education/health (1.4).
Advanced placement
A total of 127 candidates took 243 AP Examinations in May 2005 (78% scored 3 or higher)[citation needed]. AP courses currently offered at the high school include: AP American Studies, AP Biology, AP Calculus, AB BC, AP Physics, AP French V, AP German V, AP Spanish V, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science A AB , AP English IV, AP Studio Art, AP Government and Politics: U.S., AP Music: Theory, AP Macro/Microeconomics.
School district
The school district has an enrollment of 7,527 pupils who come from a variety of communities and social levels.[citation needed]
The Abington School District was involved in a famous legal case relating to prayer in school, Abington School District v. Schempp, which was heard in the United States Supreme Court on February 27-28, 1963. The the ruling handed down on 17 June 1963 decided 8-1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, and declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be an unconstitutional violation of the separation of Church and State. The chief justice presiding over the case was Earl Warren.
Honors and distinctions
Abington Senior High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon High School in 1998-99 school year. Abington was a National Service Learning Leader School in 1998 and 2001.
In 2008-2009, Abington won the "Triple Crown" of awards for public school districts in the United States. In 2008, America's Promise Alliance named Abington one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" for the third year. Shortly thereafter, Money Magazine/CNN named Abington as one of the "Top 100 Best Places to Live" in America. In its 2009 list of America's best high schools, U.S. News & World Report awarded Abington Senior High School a Bronze Medal.
Facilities
The school completed construction of a large football stadium in 2006. The stadium is named after Stephen A. Schwarzman, an alumnus of the school.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Abington Senior High School include:
- Dr. Amar Bose, Class of 1947. Leader in the development of electronic and stereophonic technology. Chairman and founder of Bose Corporation.
- Ellery Schempp, Class of 1958. The inventor of the MRI machine, as well as the leader of the Schempp vs. Abington court case, which led to the banning of organized prayer in all public schools.
- Susan Seidelman, Class of 1969. Director of five feature films and one of the top woman film directors in the United States.
- Stephen A. Schwarzman, Class of 1965. Founder and Chairman of the Blackstone Group, the largest private equity firm in the United States.
- Bob Saget, Class of 1974. Comedian and popular television celebrity.
- Shawn Wooden, Class of 1991. Football player. University of Notre Dame, the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears.
- Jennifer Su. Actress, singer, and television news reader in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Africa.
- Brittany Hatch, Class of 2003. Contestant on America's Next Top Model Cycle 8.
- Ellie Daniel, Class of 1968. Gold, silver, and bronze Olympic swimming medalist.
- David Christiana, Class of 1978. Professor, Dept. of Illustration, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson. Illustrator and Author.
Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008) |
- The book Bee Season by Myla Goldberg features a main character (Aaron) who attends Abington Senior High School.
- Until 1983, the building housing the senior high school was used only for 11th and 12th graders, with 9th and 10th graders in a separate building, which is now Abington Junior High School.
- First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at Abington Senior High School on March 13, 2008.
- President Barack Obama spoke at Abington Senior High School on October 3, 2008.
References
- ^ Contact Us Page, Abington Senior High
- ^ http://www.abington.k12.pa.us/super/points.html Abington School District Points of Pride
- ^ http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/corporate/vision_national/spring2006_index_full.html#c1 FutureReady Awards Honor Education Visionaries
- ^ About Us Page, Abington Senior High
External links
See also
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