Penn Wood High School

Last updated

Penn Wood High School
Location
Penn Wood High School
100 Green Avenue
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania 19050
Coordinates 39°56′44″N75°16′21″W / 39.9455292°N 75.2725847°W / 39.9455292; -75.2725847
Information
Former nameLansdowne-Aldan High School
Type Public High School
MottoTo Teach the Art of Living Well
Established1927;98 years ago (1927)
School district William Penn School District
PrincipalStephen Chicano [1]
Grades10-12
Color(s)  Maroon
  White
  Navy Blue
Team namePatriots
NewspaperThe Penn Wood Gazette
Feeder schoolsPenn Wood Ninth Grade Academy
Website Penn Wood High School

Penn Wood High School is a public high school in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the William Penn School District, which serves the boroughs of Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon. [2]

Contents

History

Penn Wood High School, originally Lansdowne High School, was opened in 1927. The architect was Joseph Linden Heacock, and the builder was John McShain who went on to build the Kennedy Center, The Jefferson Memorial and The Pentagon. [3] Today, it is one of the oldest public school buildings in Pennsylvania. Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the motto carved above the door reads "To Teach the Art of Living Well", attributed to Seneca. Carved in limestone above the motto are a female figure holding a Greek Temple, and a male figure holding a cog.

The school is the result of the 1982 merger of 3 previous high schools: Lansdowne-Aldan High School, Yeadon High School and Darby-Colwyn High School. [4] The merger was ordered by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in light of findings that the school district was racially segregated. [5] The schools' merger prompted protests from white residents of Lansdowne and Aldan, which culminated in Aldan public officials suing unsuccessfully to secede from the school district in 1995. [5]

The school suffered extensive fire damage due to suspected arson in 2013. [3] Following an outpouring of local community support, Penn Wood was able to successfully re-open the school prior to the 2013-14 school year. [6]

Overview

Penn Wood offers a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities, including art and music programs, athletics, and academic enrichment opportunities. [7]

Athletics

Penn Wood's sports teams are called the Patriots, and they compete in the Del Val League. [8] The school's track and field program is particularly well regarded, and has produced multiple Olympic athletes. [9] In 2009, Penn Wood's boys basketball team won the first PIAA Class AAAA State Championship in school history. [10]

Currently, the school's athletics program includes: [11]

SeasonSports
Fall Cross-Country, Cheerleading, Football, Soccer, Girls Tennis, Volleyball
Winter Basketball, Bocce, Indoor Track & Field, Wrestling
Spring Baseball, Softball, Boys Tennis, Flag Football, Track & Field

Notable alumni

Penn Wood alumni

Pre-merger alumni

Darby-Colwyn High School

Lansdowne-Aldan High School

Yeadon High School

References

  1. ↑ "Principal's Message". williampennsd.org.
  2. ↑ "WPSD at a Glance". WPSD. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Mari Schaefer (April 18, 2013). "Delco High School Damaged by Early Morning Fire". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  4. ↑ Laura Wisely (August 19, 2021). "Ex-Penn Wood Boss is Finally Moving On". Delaware County Daily Times . Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Patrick, Kellie; Mastrull, Diane; Emeno, Alletta (May 18, 2004). "Isolated in the Suburbs - Some Leave the City for Better Schools and Find Things are Not Much Different". The Philadelphia Inquirer – via NewsBank.
  6. ↑ Mike DeNardo (August 15, 2013). "Fire Damaged Penn Wood HS on Track to Open on Time". CBS News . Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Clubs & Activities". williampennsd.org. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ "The Del Val League". delvalleague.com. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Hoffman Park Mural Honors Penn Wood Sports Legends". williampennsd.org. February 20, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  10. ↑ Paul Luce (August 19, 2021). "It's a Party for Penn Wood's State Champs". Delaware County Daily Times . Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Athletics". williampennsd.org. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Dawn Burrell", USA Track & Field, November 8, 2002.
  13. ↑ "Super Power", SI Vault, July 1, 1991.
  14. ↑ "Track and Field: Penn Wood's Eric Futch Claims National Title, to Join Darrell Hill at Worlds". Delaware County Daily Times . August 19, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Penn Wood Graduate Darrell Hill Wins National Championship in Shot Put". yeadonborough.com. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Duane Johnson - 2012-13 Men's Basketball". esuwarriors.com. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Baylor's Shawn Oakman: The Gigantic Man Behind the Meme". bleacherreport.com.
  18. ↑ Nayeli Rodriguez (September 29, 2009). "Living Up to the Name". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Member Biography, James N. Robertson". archives.state.house.pa.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  20. ↑ Michael Bradley (October 17, 2019). "Netflix's 'The Irishman' Brings a Delaware Organized Crime Figure to Life". delawaretoday.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  21. ↑ Bill Murphy (September 23, 2021). "Pat Croce's Book Pirate Soul is a Celebration of the Colorful Buccaneers who Roamed the Seven Seas". mainlinemedianews.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Bruce Harlan". International Swimming Hall of Fame . Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Scholarships, Awards Given at Landsdowne". Delaware County Daily Times . June 13, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved October 1, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "John Rauch(2003)". National Football Foundation . Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Remembering John Stanford, His Life and Legacy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
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