Conestoga High School, Tredyffrin, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, is the only secondary school
in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
.
Conestoga, nicknamed "'Stoga," is located 20.006 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line
. Currently ranked as a Silver Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, Conestoga offers more Advanced Placement (AP) classes and boasts more National Merit Semifinalists (37 from Class of 2010) 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.
, Yale University
, Brandeis 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 University
, Boston College
, Georgetown University
, University of Richmond
, New York University
, Syracuse University
, University of Notre Dame du Lac, Carnegie Mellon University
, Villanova University
, and Emory 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.
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, 3 in Science, and 1 in 2 of the special areas (Wellness/Fitness, Visual/Performing Arts, or Business/Technology).
U.S. News and World Report consistently includes Conestoga High School in their annual list of America's "Best High Schools." U.S. News & World Report ranked Conestoga 79th of America's Gold Medal High Schools in 2007. In 2011, Conestoga was ranked as a Silver Medal School.
The US Department of Education
has acknowledged Conestoga as a Recognized School of Excellence.
State Scholar, or National Scholar.
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.
(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.
Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania
Tredyffrin Township + Dyffryn ) is a township located in eastern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,332 at the 2010 census. Originally settled in the late 17th century, Tredyffrin is bounded by Delaware and Montgomery counties...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is the only secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is a school district based in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
.
Conestoga, nicknamed "'Stoga," is located 20.006 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line
Pennsylvania Main Line
The Main Line is an unofficial historical and socio-cultural region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising a collection of affluent towns built along the old Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad which ran northwest from downtown Philadelphia parallel to Lancaster Avenue , a road...
. Currently ranked as a Silver Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, Conestoga offers more Advanced Placement (AP) classes and boasts more National Merit Semifinalists (37 from Class of 2010) 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.
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 2009 sent one or more students to Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, University of Notre Dame du Lac, Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, and Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. The most popular university choice for Conestoga students is Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. The second most popular choice is the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Fifty-two percent of Conestoga students leave Pennsylvania to attend colleges and universities, and more than 52% attend private institutions after graduation.
Departments
Distinctions and honors
In the past, Newsweek magazine has rated Conestoga High School highly in its annual ranking of public high schools, although Conestoga is not included in Newsweek's rankings for 2011. Conestoga was ranked 312th (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2008, 301st (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2007, 170th (1st in Pennsylvania) in 2006, 195th in 2005, and 197th in 2003.U.S. News and World Report consistently includes Conestoga High School in their annual list of America's "Best High Schools." U.S. News & World Report ranked Conestoga 79th of America's Gold Medal High Schools in 2007. In 2011, Conestoga was ranked as a Silver Medal School.
The US Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
has acknowledged Conestoga as a Recognized School of Excellence.
SAT
In 2008, Conestoga seniors performed at least 75 points above the national average in every section of the SAT:| 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.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.
The Siemens Foundation
Siemens Foundation
The Siemens Foundation is a non-profit organization run by Siemens AG. It is responsible for the Siemens Westinghouse Competition, a prestigious science award for high school students in the United States, and also is involved in the Siemens AP Scholar Award...
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.
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
Conestoga students consistently perform well on the Pennsylvania System of School AssessmentPennsylvania System of School Assessment
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...
(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.
| 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 The Spoke and TETV. Stoganews.com was recently named one of the best high school newspaper Web sites in the country by Columbia University.Athletic Teams
Conestoga competes in 17 different sporting events generally within the Central League.| 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 |
Notable alumni
- Elizabeth HoffmanElizabeth Hoffman (professor)Elizabeth Hoffman is the Executive Vice President and Provost and professor of economics at Iowa State University. From 2000 to 2005, she was President of the University of Colorado System, where she is President Emerita...
- CHS '64. Executive vice-president, Iowa State University, president emerita, University of Colorado System. - Craig LucasCraig LucasCraig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
- CHS '69. Tony-award nominated American playwright, has written a number of plays, including Reckless which Conestoga performed in 2006. - Greg Osberg - CHS '75. President & CEO of Philadelphia Newspapers (owners of The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, & Philadelphia Daily NewsPhiladelphia Daily NewsThe Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
). Former president of NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. - Grant ShaudGrant ShaudGrant Shaud is an American actor known for having played the character of Miles Silverberg on the 1990s TV sitcom Murphy Brown.-Early life:...
- CHS '79. Played Miles Silverberg on Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
. - Todd GlassTodd GlassTodd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...
- CHS '82. Comedian, Actor. A comedian since High School, Todd appeared as a contestant on the 2nd and 3rd seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Sarah Silverman Program, and had his own Comedy Central Presents special. His acting credits include TV Shows such as "Friends", "Home Improvement", and "Married with Children". His recent film credits include Marmaduke (voice) and Be My Baby. - Jennie Eisenhower - CHS '96. Actress, granddaughter of Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and great-granddaughter of Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
- has directed the fall dramas and spring musicals at Conestoga in past years. - David BushDavid BushDavid Thomas Bush is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed...
- CHS '98. Starting/Relief Pitcher for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. Signed with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in August 2011. - Marquis WeeksMarquis WeeksMarquis Weeks is an American football running back currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
- CHS '00. Running Back for the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, has gone back and forth from their practice squad to active roster, played in college for the University of Virginia. - Mark HerzlichMark HerzlichSandon Mark Herzlich, Jr. is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
- CHS '06. Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
linebacker who won his battle with Ewing's sarcoma. Before his cancer diagnosis, Herzlich was the ACCAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
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 TrophyLott TrophyThe Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. IMPACT is an acronym for: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the personal character of the winning player as well as...
. In 2011, Herzlich signed with the New York Giants as a free agent.