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| Established | 1955 |
|---|---|
| Type | Public secondary school |
| Principal | Amy Meisinger |
| Students | 2,000 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | 200 Irish Road, Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Colors | garnet and gray |
| Mascot | The Pioneer (Craig Harold Schneck) |
| Yearbook | The Pioneer |
| Newspaper | The Spoke |
| Website | www.tesd.k12.pa.us/stoga/,[5] |
Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township,[1] Pennsylvania, United States, is the only secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District.
Conestoga, nicknamed "'Stoga," is located 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line. Frequently ranked by organizations as one of the best schools in Pennsylvania and currently ranked as the seventy-ninth in the United States by U.S. News & World Report,[2] Conestoga offers more Advanced Placement (AP) classes and boasts more National Merit Semifinalists than any other school in the state, public or private. Last year, students took 1,148 AP tests in total, of which 93% were passed with a 3 or higher. The average SAT score for the Class of 2008 was 594 in math, 580 in reading and 579 in writing.
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College and university matriculation
96% of Conestoga graduates advance to colleges and universities; 93% of them to four-year colleges and universities. The graduating Class of 2006 sent one or more students to Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, Boston College, Georgetown University, New York University, Brigham Young University, Syracuse University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Notre Dame du Lac, Carnegie Mellon University, and Villanova University. The most popular university choice for Conestoga students is Pennsylvania State University. The second most popular choice is the University of Pittsburgh. Fifty-two percent of Conestoga students leave Pennsylvania to attend colleges and universities, and more than 52% attend private institutions after graduation.[3]
Departments
Conestoga has eight academic departments: Business/Technology, English, World Languages, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, and Wellness/Fitness/Family & Consumer Science. Students must earn 24 credits in order to graduate. 1 credit is equivalent to a year-long class, which meets every day for 43 minutes. Thus, the seven periods at Conestoga are 43 minutes in length, but the 8th period meets for 44 minutes, so that Conestoga’s school day can be precisely 7 hours long (7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.). Students must earn 4 credits in English, 2 in Languages, 3 in Math, 3.5 in Social Studies, and 3 in Science.
Distinctions and honors
Newsweek magazine has consistently rated Conestoga highly in its annual ranking of public high schools. Conestoga has been ranked 312th (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2008, 301st (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2007, 170th (1st in Pennsylvania) in 2006,[4] 195th in 2005,[5] and 197th in 2003.[6]
The US Department of Education has acknowledged Conestoga as a Recognized School of Excellence.[2]
U.S. News & World Report ranked Conestoga 79th of America's Gold Medal High Schools in 2007.[2]
SAT
In 2008, Conestoga seniors performed at least 70 points above the national average in every section of the SAT:[3]
| Test Type | National Average | Conestoga |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 502 | 580 |
| Math | 515 | 594 |
| Writing | 494 | 579 |
National Merit/College Board Recognition
The Conestoga Class of 2009 includes 21 National Merit Semifinalists, 35 National Merit Commended Students, 1 National Achievement Scholar, and 1 National Hispanic Scholar award recipients.[3]
Advanced Placement Program
In May 2008, 573 Conestoga students, or 30% of the student body, took 1103 College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. A score of 3 or higher was earned on 95% of the tests. AP courses offered at Conestoga are listed under Curriculum. This school year, the College Board will recognize 268 of these students as a Scholar, Scholar with Honor, Scholar with Distinction, State Scholar, or National Scholar.[3]
The Siemens Foundation for Advanced Placement has honored Conestoga twice with the 2006-07 High School Award and 2005-06 Student Award. This program highlights exceptional achievement in science, math, and technology.[7][8]
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
Conestoga students consistently perform well on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), which is administered in Reading, Mathematics, and Writing to every eleventh grader in public schools throughout the state. The average scaled scores for Conestoga students were among the highest in the state in 2008.[3]
| Test Type | State | Conestoga |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1470 | 1680 |
| Math | 1360 | 1600 |
| Writing | 1340 | 1600 |
Stoganews.com
Conestoga is home to one of the only student-produced daily updated news Web site on the Main Line, Stoganews.com. It is produced by the staff of TETV and The Spoke. Stoganews.com was recently named one of the best high school newspaper Web sites in the country by Columbia University.[9]
Extracurricular Activities
Athletic Teams
Conestoga competes in 17 different sporting events generally within the Central League.[10]
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Cross Country | Cross Country | Winter | Basketball | Basketball | Spring | Baseball | Softball | ||
| Football | Field Hockey | Swimming | Swimming | Lacrosse | Lacrosse | |||||
| Golf | Golf | Indoor Track | Indoor Track | Track | Track | |||||
| Soccer | Soccer | Wrestling | Cheerleading | Tennis | ||||||
| Tennis | ||||||||||
| Volleyball | ||||||||||
| Cheerleading |
Athletic Clubs
Fall
- Ice Hockey
Winter
- Ice Hockey
- Squash
Spring
- Crew
- Rugby
Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (November 2009) |
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2009) |
On November 14, 2008, a picture of Conestoga High School played a cameo role in a photo on the USA Network series The Starter Wife, Episode 107, The French Disconnection. Conestoga was used as a backdrop for a photo of lead character "Molly", played by actress Debra Messing, with her high school boyfriend
Notable alumni
- Craig Lucas - CHS '69. Tony-award nominated American playwright, has written a number of plays, including Reckless which Conestoga performed in 2006.[11]
- Grant Shaud - CHS '79. Played Miles Silverberg on Murphy Brown.[12]
- Jennie Eisenhower - CHS '96. Actress, granddaughter of Richard Nixon and great-granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower - currently directing the fall drama and spring musical at Conestoga. [13]
- David Bush - CHS '98. Starting/Relief Pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.[14]
- Marquis Weeks - CHS '00. Running Back for the Seattle Seahawks, has gone back and forth from their practice squad to active roster, played in college for the University of Virginia.[15]
- Mark Herzlich - CHS '06. Boston College linebacker who won his battle with Ewing's sarcoma. Before his cancer diagnosis, Herzlich was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as a finalist for the Butkus Award. In 2009, Herzlich was the awarded the second-ever Honorary Lott Trophy.[16][17][18]
References
- ^ "Tredyffrin township, Chester County, Pennsylvania." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c Gold Medal Schools - US News and World Report
- ^ a b c d e http://www.tesd.k12.pa.us/stoga/profile.pdf
- ^ The 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com
- ^ The 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com
- ^ 2003 List: The Top High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com
- ^ 2006 Siemens Awards for AP Winners
- ^ 2007 Siemens Awards for AP Winners
- ^ Columbia Scholastic Press Association: CSPA Announces 2009 Online Newspaper Crown Finalists
- ^ Conestoga High School PIAA
- ^ The Suburban and Wayne Times - Conestoga play unexpectedly leads to the playwright - in the yearbook
- ^ [1]
- ^ MainLineLife.com
- ^ ESPN - Dave Bush Stats, News, Photos - Milwaukee Brewers - MLB Baseball
- ^ CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
External links
- Conestoga's homepage
- T/E School District homepage
- Conestoga Baseball
- Conestoga Girl's Lacrosse
- Conestoga Boy's Soccer
- Conestoga Wrestling
- Conestoga Cross Country and Track and Field
- 'Stoga Music Department
- 'Stoga News
- Conestoga Volleyball
Coordinates: 40°02′50″N 75°27′12″W / 40.04716°N 75.45332°W
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