Orchard Park High School

Orchard Park High School
Address
4040 Baker Road Orchard Park, New York, 14127  United States
Information
School district	Orchard Park Central School District
CEEB Code	334325
Principal	Mr. Jonathan Wolf
Teaching staff	116.1 (FTE) (as of 2007-08)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,693 (as of 2007-08)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	14.6 (as of 2007-08)[1]
Color(s)	Maroon and White
Athletics	NYSPHSAA Section 6
Mascot	Opie the Quaker
Team name	Quakers
Newspaper	The Voice
Website	http://www.opschools.org/highschool.cfm

Orchard Park High School is a secondary school in Orchard Park, New York. The school has approximately 1725 children in grades 9-12. The students are divided among three houses with a principal for each house and a principal who oversees the entire school.^[2][3]

History and description of Campus

The main portion of the current high school building was completed in the late 1940s, and served from then until 1976 as the junior high school. In 1976, a large addition and renovation process doubled the size of the building and it became the high school. (The old junior high gym became the pool and added the gym adjacent to it. Also added is the three-story classroom addition and an auditorium adjacent to the original building.) (The former high school became a Middle School, which currently houses grades 6-8.)A common complaint regarding building design is that the narrowest staircase (capable of fitting only two people abreast) is in a central location; heavy between-period traffic often becomes congested in a bottleneck. The building had undergone only minimal refurbishment and changes since the late 1970s until the summer of 2008.

2008-2010 Renovations

In 2008 renovations began in the science wing, the auditorium, the locker rooms, and turned the stage in the cafeteria into the new weight room. The old weight room is now a technology room. The Freeman entrance was also renovated, adding a larger hallway to the exit as well as a handicap ramp. All the renovations were complete by September 2010.^[4]

Curriculum

Extracurricular activities

Student groups and activities include Cancer Awareness Club, History Club, Math Club, Science Olympiad Team, Philosophy Club, Masterminds, Model Congress, Mock Trial, Book Club, Student-Run Literacy Magazine (Still Life), Ecology Club, Model UN, Destination Imagination, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Teachers of America, SOIL club and Rock Climbing Club. The school also has an interactive student, teacher, parent, and administrator government program known as STAP-Comm.

Athletics

Athletic opportunities include Cross-country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, wrestling, baseball (1988 New York State Class A Champions) basketball, archery, swimming and diving (1999-2000 New York State Champions), rifle, bowling, tennis, lacrosse, field hockey, gymnastics, winter guard, golf (2008 ECIC Team Champions), club hockey (winner of the last eight "Super Thursdays" for the Southtowns Club Hockey League), and volleyball (2008 New York State Champions).^[5]

Performing arts

Orchard Park is home to the Quaker Marching Band (2007 New York State Field Band Conference Champions), and several additional ensembles including Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Checkmates, Jazz Ensemble, String Orchestra, Full Orchestra, Swing Chorus, Choraliers, Mixed Chorus and Girls' Chorus. Students at Orchard Park High School can also participate in a strong theatrical program well known for their musicals and dramas.

School Spirit and Traditions

The school mascot is Opie the Quaker. Orchard Park has its share of traditions. Freshmen asking for directions are often pointed towards the nonexistent "fourth floor" of the three-story building, even being tricked into climbing a restricted ladder that leads to the roof. The school colors are Maroon and White.

Homecoming Week

Like most schools, O.P.H.S. has a school spirit week on the week before homecoming, with themes such as neon day and school color day. On Friday of spirit week they have a pep rally and a Powder Puff game which features the junior girls versus the senior girls. On Saturday of that week there is a parade in the morning, the varsity football game in the afternoon, and the dance later that night.

Notable alumni

• Jim Burt (American football), NFL player^[6]
• Jon Corto, NFL Special teams, Buffalo Bills^[7]
• Brian Dux, BLL MVP^[8]
• Dave Hollins, Former MLB third baseman, now Baltimore Orioles scout^[9]
• Larry Pfohl (Lex Luger), professional wrestler^[10]
• Ron Pitts, former NFL player, Now NFL on FOX Sports broadcaster^[11]
• Josh Thomas, Indianapolis Colts defensive end^[12]
• Craig Wolfley,former NFL Player^[13]
• Ron Wolfley, former NFL player, brother of Craig Wolfley.
• William Sadler, Actor

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "School Detail for Orchard Park High School". National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=362190003110. 
2. ^ http://www.opschools.org/
3. ^ http://www.opschools.org/highschool.cfm?subpage=71
4. ^ Orchard Park Bee September 2009
5. ^ http://www.opschools.org/athletics.cfm
6. ^ "Jim Burt NFL & AFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurtJi00.htm. 
7. ^ "Jon Corto". National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/joncorto/profile?id=COR782664. 
8. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (2008-11-16). "Former Canisius star in coma after car crash". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lastshot111607. 
9. ^ "Dave Hollins Batting Statistics". The Baseball Cube. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/H/dave-hollins.shtml. 
10. ^ "Larry Pfohl on TV.com". http://www.tv.com/larry-pfohl/person/187580/summary.html. 
11. ^ "Ron Pitts Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PITTSRON01. 
12. ^ "Josh Thomas". National Football League. http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=bio&player_id=279. 
13. ^ "Craig Wolfley Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WOLFLCRA01.