A small portion of land that is between Pelham and Pelham Bay Park, with a total of 35 houses, is a part of the Bronx, but is cut off from the rest of the borough due to the way the county boundaries were established. The New York City government pays for the residents' children to go to Pelham Union Free School District schools, including Pelham Memorial High School, since that is more cost effective than sending school buses to take the students to New York City schools. This arrangement has been in place since 1948. As of 1997 one student at Pelham Memorial lived in this section, and New York City paid Pelham School District $15,892.86 per year for that student.[4]
History
Prior to 1918, the Siwanoy School housed elementary and secondary students in Pelham. However, the population was growing and the facility was no longer able to accommodate all of the students. It was decided that the Pelham Memorial High School would be a memorial to World War I and all wars in which Pelham residents fought. "Honor Here the Ideals for Which They Fought" is the inscription above the main auditorium stage.
PMHS, which cost $373,000 to build, was dedicated on May 6, 1922. At the time it was completed, it was the biggest high school with the biggest field in Westchester County. This was the first of three sections that would later be constructed and attached as the number of students continuously increased. The second section, facing Corlies Avenue, was completed in 1924, costing $350,000. The third section, facing Franklin Place, was completed in 1929, with a cost of $575,000. The building continued to be enhanced throughout the years, including a new annex in 1963. This annex allowed for more classrooms and new science laboratories.
Later in the 20th century, the auto mechanic and other show classrooms were removed from the annex and converted to modern computer laboratories and art rooms. Wiring was also upgraded for new technology.
Community donations resulted in a new modern language lab, a bio-technology lab, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment in the auditorium. Recently, the school has been significantly renovated. These changes included an upgraded library, auditorium, and science laboratories.[1]
Academics
Pelham Memorial High School students take a college preparatory curriculum that includes several mandatory classes for graduation. This includes 4years of English, 4years of social studies, 3years of a foreign language, 3years of math, 3years of science (Earth Science is taken prior to high school in 8th grade at Pelham Middle School, and Living Environment and Chemistry are required classes), and one art or music class in order to qualify for an Advanced Designation Regents Diploma, as opposed to a Regents Diploma. Health must be taken for one semester and physical education must be taken for all 4years.[5]
The Social Studies Department provides courses which follow the New York State Core Curriculum. Students are provided an honors program which includes four Advanced Placement courses and multiple Syracuse University Project Advance courses, in addition to regents courses. At the culmination of the two-year Global History and Geography Courses the respective regents exam is taken, typically in tenth grade. The United States History and Government regents exam is typically administered in 11th grade. For students taking AP United States History, a concurrent Political Process Seminar is given in podcast form to satisfy the government requirement for graduation. Otherwise, students may take any of the Participation in Government, American Law, Criminal Justice, Sociology, or Politics and Public Policy courses as a senior to complete the requirement. AP European History and AP U.S. Government and Politics are also available to seniors. Students enrolled in AP European History complete their state economics requirement by enrolling in an Economics Seminar course. Otherwise an Economics course can be taken as a senior.[7]
In grades nine and ten, students can take either regents or honors English courses. As of the 2015–16 school year, honors classes are open enrollment, and students who wish to take an honors class do not need to meet any criteria to do so. As a junior, either regents or Advanced Placement English Language and Composition can be taken. Finally in a student's senior year, they may take Advanced Placement Literature and Composition. During a student's freshman year, they must take Freshman Writing Seminar to graduate. This is a course designed to improve individual writing and learning abilities.[7]
The Pelham Mathematics Department has undergone changes as a result of the Board of Regents restructuring its standardized exams. The department presently offers regents, honors, and advanced placement courses. Qualified eighth grade students are given the opportunity to take Integrated Algebra Honors to put them on the accelerated track. The Integrated Algebra regents exam is required to graduate. Following this same sequence, students take Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus AB/BC. The Geometry regents is offered at the end of the course, and students who complete Algebra II/Trigonometry may take the Algebra II/Trigonometry regents if they so choose, but this regents exam is now optional, as of the 2016–17 school year. Students who wish to take the Algebra II/Trigonometry regents exam must take a supplementary zero period class in the second semester, as the new curriculum and the regents exam now focus on different aspects of algebra and trigonometry. Also offered to juniors and seniors is AP Statistics. During the 2011–12 school year, a Science Research pilot program was offered, allowing students to improve their statistical abilities for competition. There is an alternative two-year sequence of algebra which can be taken as well, typically in 9th and 10th grade.[7]
The Music Department no longer offers AP Music Theory, but Music Theory 1 will be returning at the start of the 2017–18 school year. Band, Chorus, or Orchestra can be taken during zero period, from 7:32 - 8:12 am. Marching Band is mandatory for all band students, and a select Jazz Ensemble course is offered during seventh period every other day (formerly known as Stage Band). Students usually have to audition for this ensemble. Chorus also has a smaller ensemble, Chamber Chorus, held during seventh period every other day, which students must audition to enter.
Chamber Chorus participates in NYSSMA Majors each spring, as does the Orchestra. The Orchestra received a gold with honors distinction, the highest award possible, in spring of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Chamber Chorus received gold with honors distinction in spring of 2016 and 2017.[8] In the spring of 2018, the Jazz Ensemble began to participate in NYSSMA Majors and received a silver rating.
The Science Department follows the New York State Core Curriculum. All honors-level science courses cover additional topics which are not included in the core curriculum and go into greater depth with those topics which are included. All eighth grade students take Physical Setting: Earth Science, and take the regents as their final exam. As freshmen, students typically take Living Environment (Biology), then Physical Setting: Chemistry and Physical Setting: Physics are taken during sophomore and junior year respectively. Students interested in pursuing a career in science or medicine frequently take AP Biology or AP Environmental Science as a junior or senior. AP courses include AP Physics B, AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. The latter has the reputation of being the hardest course offered at Pelham, and therefore is only given every other year. The Health Studies course is required to graduate and is normally offered to sophomores. However, this semester course may be taken at any point.[7]
The Science Research Department is a four-year elective program situated in the school's Biotechnology Laboratory. It allows students with a declared interest in science to conduct original research alongside of researchers at college, university, hospital, and medical school laboratories. The courses include Introduction to Science Research, which introduces students to the research experience with the basic skills necessary to conduct research experiments. Science Instrumentation and Problem Solving is the next course in the sequence. This teaches students how to adequately prepare reagents, perform sterilization exercises, run and maintain a biotechnology laboratory. Students also are instructed in various molecular biology techniques, such as DNA amplification via polymerase chain reaction, restriction enzyme analysis, and bacterial culture, identification, and transformation. In the summer before 11th grade, research students find a mentor to work with on an original research experiment. This is carried throughout most of the junior year with the students working on paper to present their findings. This is subsequently entered into the Siemens-Westinghouse and/or Intel Science Talent Search, as well as other science competitions. Students have previously been named semifinalists and region finalists, winning college scholarship money. Teacher Steven Beltecas has played a critical role in improving the school's performances at these competitions.[7]
The World Language Department prepares students for a life in a contemporary society where globalization brings many different cultures and languages together. Modern foreign languages include French, Spanish, and Italian I II and III. There are also honors/AP courses in French and Spanish. Spanish and Italian have a Syracuse University Project Advance course instead of this. Latin is offered to Latin IV/V. One foreign language credit is required to graduate; however, three are required to graduate with distinction. Students often take a two-year sequence of one language as seventh and eighth graders, which counts as one credit on their high school transcript.[7]
Rankings
In Niche's 2021 ranking, Pelham Memorial High School was ranked as the third best school in Westchester County, and the 20th best public high school in the state. In addition, Pelham's Science Research program is routinely recognized in competitions such as the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Honor societies
Pelham Memorial High School's Knight and Lamp Chapter of the National Honor Society is guided by the four principles of scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Juniors and seniors with an unweighted average of 89 and a weighted average of 91 are eligible for consideration. Students must exercise positive influence on their peers and contribute to the school environment. They should be leaders in the classroom, at work, and in extracurricular activities. A candidate should be able to demonstrate respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, caring and citizenship. Students must have completed ten hours of service to the school or community during grades 9 and 10 for juniors, and during grades 9, 10 and 11 for seniors. Once inducted, 40hours must be completed by the end of the academic year. NHS students provide free tutoring to any students who request it through their guidance counselors.[7]
Language honor societies include the French Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Italian Honor Society. The French Honor Society chapter is the Pelham Memorial High School Chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français. The Latin Honor Society Chapter is simply a local chapter. The Spanish Honor Society is The Federico Garcia Lorca Chapter. The Italian Honor Society is the Vittorio Emmanuele Chapter of the Società Onoraria Italica. These societies require an 80 average GPA and a 90 average in the year of induction. Students are eligible based on their grades in the first two quarters of their level IV and V years. Students must provide tutoring services upon request.
The school also has a chapter of the New York State Mathematics Honor Society for students with one and one half years of high school math while enrolled as a student in a high school only. Students must also presently be enrolled in an honors or AP course with an 85% average in all math courses and an 85% GPA.[9]
The school has a chapter of the New York State Science Honor Society. This requires students to have completed four semesters of high school or college science. Candidates must have an 85% science course average and an 80% GPA. They must also have a 75% average in high school or college mathematics courses. Peer tutoring is strongly encouraged.[10]
Pelham Memorial High School's chapter of Tri-M Music Honor Society requires students to maintain a minimum of 90% in their music class, achieve a score of 90 or better at Level 5 or 6 at NYSSMA Solo Festival, maintain a scholastic average of 80% or better, and work toward improving the Music Program. Tri-M members musically help younger students as well as their peers. Tri-M members perform in recitals at school. They also helped raise funds to build houses for the needy in the US as well as abroad.
Clubs
With over 30 clubs, the high school list of PMHS clubs can be found here: -AcaPelicans Group, Animal Welfare Club, Art Club, Asian Culture Club, Biology Club, Book Club, Breast Cancer Awareness Club, Buddy Bunch, Chemistry Club, Creative Writing Club, DIY Club, Do Something Club, DOOR Magazine, Environmental Science, Forensic Speech, French Club, Gaelic League, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Habitat for Humanity, Italian Club, Latin Club, Math Team, Medical Careers Club, Mental Health Awareness Club, Military History Club, Model United Nations (Model UN), Motorsports History Club, Operation Smiles Club, The Pel Mel, Pelham Together Club, Political Debate Club, Red Cross Club, Sock 'n' Buskin, Student Association, Students for Refugees, Women's Empowerment Club, Yearbook Club, Youth to Youth Club (Y2Y), Young Democrats Club, Young Republicans Club, and Young Playwrights Festival.
Theater
Sock 'n' Buskin is a theater troupe within the school, nominated annually by the National Youth Arts Awards for their plays and musicals. Notable productions in recent years include Mamma Mia! (2019), Brighton Beach Memoirs (2018), and Hello Dolly! (2018). The theatre program has produced three winners of The Roger Rees Awards: Sarah Liddy (2014), Meredith Heller (2020), and Liam Ginsburg (2022).
Traditions
"Olympics" is a school-wide event that lasts multiple months. First, students team up with their grade to create a theme (usually an alliteration, like Superhero Sophomores), make the best decorations pertaining to that theme, and choreograph a Silly Walk (The Silly Walk is a short skit with music and dancing). There is also a canned food drive that counts for points. Then, on Olympics Day, students participate in various events, with the goal of attaining the most points. Some of these events include Floor Hockey, Basketball, Guess That Song, Chess, and Lip Service (in Lip Service, someone gets a random song and has to lip sync and dance to it). Then, at the end of the day, the grades each perform their Silly Walk skit in front of the rest of the school. The points from decorations, events, attendance, the canned food drive, and the Silly Walk are then totaled and a winner is declared.
The seniors are known to have many traditions, including the senior Haunted House, Scavenger Hunt, and Talent Show. The Haunted House is a student association-organized fundraiser event that takes place in October. It involves the senior class, each wearing Halloween-themed outfits and makeup, being stationed in rooms throughout the high school, that are decorated accordingly. People can pay to be led through the rooms to have the seniors scare them. The Senior Scavenger Hunt is a non-school organized event where the seniors are separated into groups with a checklist of tasks to complete, each being worth varying amounts of points, and whoever gets the most points at the end wins. These tasks can range from jumping in a pond to getting a tattoo. The other major senior event is the Senior Talent Show, which consists of performances by members of the student body, as well as skits where students will mock their teachers.
Though there is no Homecoming dance, there is Spirit Week in the days leading up to the Homecoming football game, where each day students will dress in various outfits.
Sports
Pelham's hockey team has competed at the state level multiple times, and officially won a state title in 2017. More recently, its hockey team won a second state title in 2022 and its men's lacrosse team won the section title in a nail-biter against rival Rye in 2018. The field hockey team also won the section against Mamaroneck, a three-time state winning high school in the last 20 years, in 2020.
Kevin Clancy AKA Barstool KFC (born 1984), Writer, podcaster and radio host best known as a blogger at Barstool Sports.
Related Research Articles
The Bronx High School of Science is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.
Seattle Preparatory School, popularly known as Seattle Prep, is a private, Jesuit high school located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington.
Cupertino High School, colloquially referred to as "Tino", "CHS", is a four-year comprehensive public high school located near the Rancho Rinconada and Fairgrove neighborhoods of Cupertino, California, USA. The school serves mostly suburban residential and areas in eastern Cupertino, southern Santa Clara, and west San Jose.
In New York State, Regents Examinations are statewide standardized examinations in core high school subjects. Students were required to pass these exams to earn a Regents Diploma. To graduate, students are required to have earned appropriate credits in a number of specific subjects by passing year-long or half-year courses, after which they must pass at least five examinations. For higher-achieving students, a Regents with Advanced designation and an Honors designation are also offered. There are also local diploma options.
Mathematics education in New York in regard to both content and teaching method can vary depending on the type of school a person attends. Private school math education varies between schools whereas New York has statewide public school requirements where standardized tests are used to determine if the teaching method and educator are effective in transmitting content to the students. While an individual private school can choose the content and educational method to use, New York State mandates content and methods statewide. Some public schools have and continue to use established methods, such as Montessori for teaching such required content. New York State has used various foci of content and methods of teaching math including New Math (1960s), 'back to the basics' (1970s), Whole Math (1990s), Integrated Math, and Everyday Mathematics.
Bergen County Technical High School, also known as Bergen Tech (BT), is a four-year, tuition-free public magnet high school located in Teterboro, New Jersey serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Bergen Tech is part of the Bergen County Technical Schools, a countywide district that also includes Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, Applied Technology in Paramus, and Bergen Tech in Paramus. The school is nationally recognized, as students have the opportunity to be engaged in a technical major while fulfilling college preparatory classes and having the opportunity to take a wide variety of electives.
Belmont High School is a four-year public high school in Belmont, Massachusetts, United States. It had 1,364 students enrolled and a student/teacher ratio of 16.3:1 in the 2022–2023 school year. It placed #290 in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report national rankings and #3 for Massachusetts.
Liverpool High School (LHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Liverpool, New York, northwest of Syracuse in the Liverpool Central School District, serving ninth to twelfth grade students. It is the only high school in the district. LHS generally accepts students graduating from Liverpool Middle School, Soule Road Middle School, Chestnut Hill Middle School, and Morgan Road Middle School. The school is governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
Christian Brothers Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory, junior and senior high school for boys founded in 1859 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) is located in the town of Colonie, New York near the Albany International Airport on a 126-acre (0.51 km2) campus built in 1998. Christian Brothers Academy is independently run by a board of trustees.
Susan E. Wagner High School is a New York City public school located at 1200 Manor Road in Staten Island, New York. The school is owned and run by the New York City Department of Education. It opened in September 1968, and was named in honor of Susan E. Wagner (1909–1964), the late wife of former mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. On average, the school has about 3,300 students. Wagner's school colors are Navy and White, with the Falcon as the mascot. Wagner has a variety of programs including the Law and Politics program, the Virtual Enterprise program, the Scholars Academy, Air Force JROTC, Theatrical Arts program, and annual SING! productions. The school has the largest marching band in New York City, with over 150 members. The school received the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in the 1988–1989 school year.
Superior High School (SHS) is one of two high schools in Superior, Wisconsin, the other being Maranatha Academy. The School District of Superior opened SHS in 1965 as Superior Senior High School (SSHS) to replace East and Central High Schools. Those schools became middle schools, which were both closed and torn down in 2003..
The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, formerly Kingsborough High School for the Sciences at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY from 1993 to 1999) is a four-year high school, located in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York. Leon M. Goldstein High School is screened-admission public school under the administration of the New York City Department of Education.
North Pocono High School is a public, four-year high school located in Covington Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The school building was built in 2009. It is the only high school in the North Pocono School District, which covers a vast territory in northeastern Pennsylvania, including parts of Wayne County and all of southern and east-central Lackawanna County.
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School was an all-girls Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is the country's first all-girls diocesan Catholic high school.
Vincent Memorial Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Calexico, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego The school serves approximately 300 students.
The Ursuline School is an American all-girls', independent, private, Roman Catholic middle and high school located on a 13-acre (53,000 m2) campus in New Rochelle, New York, in Westchester County.
Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Elizabeth, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of Elizabeth Public Schools. The academy accepts students in ninth through twelfth grades in Elizabeth who have passed the requirements for enrollment. The academy is operated by the Elizabeth Board of Education. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2013. The school's college-preparatory curriculum prepares students for four-year colleges and universities.
The International School of Qingdao, colloquially known as ISQ, is a private, independent, co-educational, tuition-based international school located in Qingdao, China, serving the city's expatriate community and educating children age 3 through 12th grade. A North American, college preparatory curriculum is offered with English as the language of instruction.
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school. A high school diploma is awarded after completion of courses of studies lasting four years, typically from grade 9 to grade 12. It is the school leaving qualification in the United States and Canada.
Lockport City High School is a comprehensive public high school located on Lincoln Avenue in Lockport, New York, United States, east of the city of Niagara Falls in the Lockport City School District, serving ninth to twelfth grade students. It is the only high school within the district, and is the successor to Aaron Mossell Junior High School. The school is governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. The high school was established in 1954.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
