Conestoga High School

Conestoga High School
Conestoga High School in 2006
Address
200 Irish Rd Berwyn , Pennsylvania 19312 United States
Coordinates	40°02′50″N75°27′12″W / 40.0472°N 75.4533°W / 40.0472; -75.4533
Information
Other names	Conestoga Senior High School, CHS
Former name	Tredyffrin Easttown High School
Type	Comprehensive public high school
Motto	A Tradition of Excellence
Established	October 27, 1954;70 years ago (1954-10-27)
School district	Tredyffrin/Easttown
NCES District ID	4223640 [1]
Superintendent	Richard Gusick
CEEB code	390295
NCES School ID	422364001423 [2]
Principal	Amy Meisinger
Teaching staff	149.00 (FTE) [3]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,361 (2023–2024) [3]
Student to teacher ratio	15.85 [3]
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Garnet and gray
Mascot	The Pioneer
Nickname	Stoga
USNWR ranking	378th
National ranking	36th (Newsweek) 1st (Niche School District Ranking)
Newspaper	The Spoke
Yearbook	The Pioneer
Feeder schools	Tredyffrin Easttown Middle School Valley Forge Middle School
Website	Conestoga Homepage

Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, ^[4] Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, ^[5] though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place. ^[6]

Conestoga, commonly referred to as "Stoga", is 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line.

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. One credit is equivalent to a year-long class. ^[7]

Distinctions and honors

In 2016, Niche.com ranked the Tredyffrin Easttown school district first in the United States. In the 2016 edition of Newsweek 's "America's Top High Schools", Conestoga High School was ranked 36th in the nation and the 1st in Pennsylvania. ^[8]

National Merit/College Board Recognition

The Conestoga Class of 2022 includes 39 National Merit Semi-finalists, the most in Pennsylvania. ^[9] The Conestoga Class of 2018 includes 34 National Merit Semi-finalists, 26 National Merit Commended students, and 2 National Hispanic Scholars. ^[10]

Extracurricular activities

Student Journalism

The Spoke

Conestoga is home to a student-produced news website, Spoke.news (formerly Stoganews.com). It is produced by the staff of The Spoke, Conestoga's student run newspaper. The Spoke has been the recipient of several national awards. ^[11]

Civic engagement

In 2017, Conestoga was the first high school to receive the Pennsylvania Governor's Civic Engagement Award for registering 85% of eligible students to vote. ^{[12] [13] [14]} In 2018, the students who ran the drive brought the organization "New Voters" to the national level. ^[15]

Athletic teams

Conestoga competes in 17 different sporting events generally within the Central League. ^[16]

	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

• Dave Bush, former professional baseball player, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays
• Brian Chippendale, rock drummer and vocalist
• Jake Cohen, professional basketball player, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli national basketball team
• Chris Donovan, professional soccer player, Philadelphia Union ^{[17] [18]}
• Jennie Eisenhower, actress, granddaughter of President Richard Nixon, and great-granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Robert Ellis, author
• Drew Endy, bioengineering professor, Stanford University, and founder of the Registry of Standard Biological Parts
• FanFan, singer and actress
• Gregg Foreman, musician and actor
• Todd Glass, comedian and actor ^[19]
• Steve Gerben, Actor, Producer, Writer
• Pat Heim, professional lacrosse player
• Mark Herzlich, professional football player ^[20]
• Roger Hobbs, author
• Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice-president, Iowa State University, president emerita, University of Colorado
• Keith Hughes. former professional baseball player ^[21]
• Kasie Hunt, political correspondent
• Chris Hurst, TV anchor and member of the Virginia House of Delegates
• Abbi Jacobson, actress and co-creator of Comedy Central TV series Broad City
• Larry Krasner, 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia
• Brendon Little, professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs ^[22]
• Craig Lucas, Tony Award-nominated playwright
• Mt. Joy, Indie folk/rock band featuring alumni Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper ^[23]
• Brian Munroe, Pennsylvania State Representative
• P.T. Ricci, professional lacrosse player ^[24]
• Johanna Schmitt, professor of evolution and ecology, University of California, Davis and professor of natural history, Brown University
• Grant Shaud, actor
• Tommy Shields, professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs
• Glenn R. Simpson, journalist ^[25]
• Melissa Shusterman, Pennsylvania State Representative ^[26]
• Marquis Weeks, professional football player

Hazing scandal

In 2015, there was a legal case involving students who were in their first year at Conestoga High School. Among them was a 14-year-old male freshman who was a part of the varsity football team. Many of the older football players regarded this young student as overly self-assured and confrontational.

During the course of the legal proceedings surrounding inappropriate text messages, the father of the accused minor informed the school that his son had experienced bullying several months earlier at the hands of the Conestoga football team. This included an incident in which a broomstick was inserted into his son's rectum. Complying with legal obligations, this report was forwarded to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, who then sought guidance from the District Attorney's Office.

Subsequently, three juveniles chose to acknowledge their involvement in acts of harassment. They confessed that two individuals had physically restrained the victim while the third used a broomstick to intimidate him. These charged juveniles admitted that their intention had been to instill fear in the victim. ^[27]

References

1. "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Tredyffrin-Easttown SD". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
2. "Search for Public Schools - Conestoga SHS (422364001423)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
3. "Conestoga SHS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
4. "Figure 2.9.1 Community Facilities Tredyffrin Township Comprehensive Plan & Historic Preservation Plan". Tredyffrin Township . Retrieved September 29, 2022. Conestoga High School
5. "Home". Conestoga High School. Retrieved September 29, 2022. 200 Irish Road | Berwyn, PA 19312
6. "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Berwyn CDP, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved September 29, 2022. - Compare map with the school's postal address.
7. "2022-2023 Program of Studies" (PDF). Conegsta High School. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 9, 2024.
8. "America's Top High Schools 2016". Newsweek . August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
9. "Conestoga High Students Lead List Of National Merit Semifinalists With 39 Named". Tredyffrin-Easttown, PA Patch. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021.
10. "In the News – Detail Page". tesd.net. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
11. "NSPA - 2012 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners" . Retrieved August 1, 2023.
12. "Conestoga High School's New Voters Club honored with Civic Engagement Award". Main Line Media News. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
13. State, Pennsylvania Department of. "Pennsylvania Department of State Honored Conestoga High School for Voter Registration Achievement" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
14. "Conestoga New Voters Club Earns Governor's Civic Engagement Award". Tredyffrin-Easttown, PA Patch. December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
15. Orso, Anna (April 5, 2018). "These Philly-area teens got 100 classmates to register to vote. Now, they're taking the next step". inquirer.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
16. "PIAA – Schools – Directory – Conestoga High School". piaa.org.
17. "Chris Donovan - 2021 - Men's Soccer". Drexel University Athletics. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
18. Union, Philadelphia. "Roster | PhiladelphiaUnion.com". Philadelphia Union. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
19. "Todd Glass | Yuks". Todd Glass | Yuks. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
20. "Mark Herzlich, New York Giants, Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
21. Riley, Matt (August 18, 2009). "Wayne's Keith Hughes still living the dream on the local diamond". Mainline Media News. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
22. "Brendon Little Class of 2015 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA". Perfect Game. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
23. Rowland, Hobart (April 24, 2018). "Conestoga High School Grads Find Success with Band Mt. Joy". Main Line Today. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
24. "PT Ricci - Volunteer Assistant Coach". conestogalacrosse. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
25. Flegenheimer, Matt (January 8, 2018). "Fusion GPS Founder Hauled From the Shadows for the Russia Election Investigation". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
26. "About". Melissa Shusterman. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
27. "Conestoga Hazing: Authorities Issue Statement To 'Set The Record Straight'". Tredyffrin-Easttown, PA Patch. June 29, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2023.

External links

• Conestoga's homepage
  • School profile
  • Program of Studies
  • District Schools
• T/E School District homepage