Abington Senior High School

Abington Senior High School is a three year co-educational high school (Grades 10 to 12), located in Abington, Pennsylvania. The current enrollment as of 2006 is 1,967. As of 1995, the school principal is Dr. Robert Burt [ [http://abington.k12.pa.us/shs/?page=Contact Contact Us Page, Abington Senior High] ] . Abington students are leaders in PSSA scores in the state of Pennsylvania and have won many technologically-oriented awards from Dell and Microsoft. Fact|date=August 2008

Mascot

There is some controversy amongst students over the school's mascot, which 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. The Ghost is represented by a tall, pointed head which, in combination with a head-to-toe white costume, somewhat resembles a person in Ku Klux Klan regalia. There are periodically movements within the school to change the appearance of the mascot, usually to a ghost with a more rounded (therefore less controversial) head, but as of 2006 none have come to fruition. The large mosaic of the Ghost on the floor of Abington Senior High School's main lobby has mystified some visitors who are unaware of the school mascot and mistakenly interpret it as a celebration of White supremacy. The irony of the mascot is further accentuated by the fact that rival Cheltenham High School's mascot is a large black panther.

Demographics

Demographics Abington Senior High Demographics YearEnrollment 1984 2007Student-Teacher Ratio 19.3 2005Free & Reduced Lunch 7.8% 2005White, non-Hispanic 72.75% 2005Black, non-Hispanic 18.19% 2005Hispanic 1.82% 2005Asian/Pacific Islander 6.93% 2005Native American or Native Alaskan 0.31% 2005

The 2005-2006 enrollments are : 1967 pupils, with 655 in the senior class. The total number of faculty assigned to the high school is 142.Fact|date=August 2008

Grading system

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)Fact |date=August 2008. 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 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.

chool district

The school district has an enrollment of 7,527 pupils who come from a variety of communities and social levels.Fact|date=August 2008

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. 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.

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 religion in all public high 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.
* Dutch Schrap, Class of 1992. Actor, entertainer, and "America's Favorite Santa"
* Brittany Hatch, Class of 2003. Contenstant on "America's Next Top Model" Cycle 8.
* Ellie Daniel, Class of 1968. Gold, silver, and bronze Olympic swimming medalist.

Trivia

*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.

*Senator Barack Obama spoke at Abington Senior High School on October 3rd, 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.abington.k12.pa.us/shs/ Abington Senior High School]
* [http://www.abington.org/ Abington Township]

ee also

*List of high schools in Pennsylvania