Seneca Valley High School

For the high school located in Pennsylvania, see Seneca Valley School District.

Seneca Valley High School
Address
19401 Crystal Rock Drive Germantown, Maryland 20874 United States
Coordinates
Information
Type	Public secondary
Motto	Soaring Towards Excellence
Established	1974
School district	Montgomery County Public Schools
Principal	Marc Cohen
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,349 (2008)
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Kelly green and gold
Mascot	Screaming Eagle
Rival	Northwest High School
Newspaper	The Talon
Website	SVHS website

Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is an American public high school (grades 9-12) in Germantown, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools. As of 2005, its enrollment was 1,700 but with the opening of new schools in the area it has dropped to a little less than 1,400 students.

History

Seneca Valley High School sits on land which was once the site of a dairy farm owned by baseball player Walter Perry Johnson, having been purchased by him in 1935. Johnson lived there with his five children and his mother, as his wife died, until his death in 1946.

1970s

Seneca Valley High School opened in 1974 as the first high school in Germantown and remained the only one until 1998, when Northwest High School opened. In its first year of operation, the 1974 to 1975 school year, under Principal Nathan Pearson, Seneca Valley hosted students grades seven through ten. In the following 1975 to 1976 school year, the school operated grades nine through eleven, with 8th graders transferring to the newly opened Ridgeview Junior High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. During the 1976 to 1977 school year, Seneca Valley transformed into what was then a senior high school, hosting grades ten through twelve, graduating its first class in June 1977.

1980s

Finally in 1988, Seneca Valley changed to the present state of full-fledged high school with grades 9-12.

1990s

The class of 1992, was the first to graduate all upper high school years in one facility.

Programs

As of 2010, Seneca Valley was deemed an IB school, meaning that they offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate program. SVHS previously used to offer the Cambridge program, which was linked to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, but the program was phased out with the class of 2011.

Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

The Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) unit at Seneca Valley High School was established in 1983. Seneca Valley's NJROTC unit is a recipient of the Distinguished Unit Award and the award of "Most Improved Unit" for the 2006-2007 school year.

Sports

A pair of referees at the 2008 Battle for the Kings Trophy game.

The school colors are Kelly green and gold, and the mascot is the Screaming Eagle. Seneca Valley's football biggest rivalry is with fellow Germantown neighbor, Northwest High School.

Seneca Valley's football team is one of the most accomplished public school programs in Maryland history. They have a record 12 state football championships, with the most recent title coming in 2002. Seneca Valley won the state title in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2002.

The Battle for The King's Trophy

The Battle for the King's Trophy or the Battle for Germantown is an annual football game between Northwest High School and its main rival, Seneca Valley High School. Located only 1 mile apart, the rivalry started in 1999 when Northwest first opened. The rivalry has been recognized as one of the fiercest in Maryland by local media, including all 4 major news networks, The MD Examiner, The Gazette, The Washington Post and several other media stations in the area. The Battle for Germantown is the cause of pep rallies, tailgating parties, and intense hype at the two schools and among fans in Montgomery County. Every year, the winner of the game receives the King's Trophy, and is deemed the "Kings" of Germantown.

Notable alumni

• Paula White (1984), Televangelist and Pastor, Paula White Ministries
• Mark Bryan (1985), Lead Guitar, Hootie and the Blowfish
• Dean Felber (1985), Bass Guitar, Hootie and the Blowfish
• Neil Fallon (1989), Vocalist, Clutch (band)
• Dan Maines (1989), Bass Guitarist, Clutch (band)
• Jean-Paul Gaster (1989), Drummer, Clutch (band)

External links

• Seneca Valley High School
• Seneca Valley Football
• Seneca Valley Lacrosse
• Seneca Valley Class of 1979 Alumni
• Seneca Valley High School at the Wayback Machine (archived October 11, 1999)
• Seneca Valley High School at the Wayback Machine (archived August 13, 2001)