Unionville High School (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)

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A four-year, comprehensive high school, Unionville High School enrolls approximately 1,300 students. Accredited by the Middle Atlantic States Association of Secondary Schools, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Unionville High School has received state recognition for excellence and high achievement in the preparation of students for higher education. Each year, more than 95% of the Unionville High School graduating class takes the SAT examinations. Over 92% of all graduating seniors pursue some form of higher education.

Unionville High School
Location
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
United States
Information
Type Public High School
Established 1985
Principal Jim Conley
Assistant Principals Kurt Barker and Rudi Reif
Grades 9-12
Number of students Approximately 1300
School color(s) Navy & Gold- although many sports teams use white and navy
Athletics Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Website

Academics

Curriculum

Unionville has a 1:12 teacher-to-student ratio,[1] allowing it to offer a wide range of both core and elective classes for its students. Its core departments- English, Social Studies, Math, and Science- are based on a four-tier system in order to allow for the variety of student capabilities, from First Level and Academic classes to Honors and Advanced Placement ; in an attempt to broaden its curriculum, the school recently began to offer differentiated classes within those tiers, such as a choice between an American Literature Survey and Contemporary Young Adult Fiction for 11th grade Academic English students.[2] Every graduating student must take four years each of English and Social Studies and three years each of Math and Science, among other requirements.[3]

Achievement

Unionville High School has received state recognition for excellence and high achievement in preparing students for higher education; it consistently ranks as one of the top public high schools in the state of Pennsylvania, according to Pennsylvania's high school's standardized tests, the PSSAs,[4] and in 2008 the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District had the highest PSSA scores in the State of Pennsylvania.[3]

College Readiness

Unionville employs a 6-member full-time counseling staff,[5] much of whose time is spent on the college application process, including meeting with every junior and senior at least once per year to determine their post-secondary educational needs and how the office can best facilitate them;[5] 94% of graduating seniors in 2008 are currently attending college, 96% of which are four-year institutions.[3] Additionally, Unionville's SAT results are significantly higher than the national average, with a combined average of 1716 on the 2400 scale in 2008;[6] there were 4 National Merit Semifinalists in 2010.[7]

Activities and Awards

Unionville High School has a total of 72 registered clubs (about one club for every 20 students), including five intra-school academic competition teams (such as Debate Team and Future Business Leaders of America), four honor societies, and several national and international organizations (such as Amnesty International and Habitat for Humanity), in addition to quirks such as the Bocce Club and the Unionville Signers (promoting the education of sign language).[8]

Athletics

Unionville High School is home to many successful athletic teams. Unionville had been, consistently, a dominant team in the SCCL (Southern Chester County League); however, the league merged in 2006 with the Chest-Mont League.

Demographics

Race

  • White: 98.4%
  • Asian: 0.5%
  • Hispanic: 0.7%
  • Black: 0.4%

[9]

Gender

  • Male: 47%
  • Female: 51%

Trivia

Unionville High School was given as the alma mater of "John David Stutts", the man who (fictionally) killed "Buckwheat" (both characters played by Eddie Murphy) on a 1983 episode of Saturday Night Live.[10] The skit says Stutts actually grew up in Lima, Ohio, but the Pennsylvania-based Unionville High got the credit after the UHS drama club put on a production of "Who Shot Buckwheat?". (SNL also showed the school's real exterior on-air.)

Notable alumni of Unionville High School include Kate Barber,[11] captain of the US Women's Field Hockey Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and Amanda McGrory, paralympic gold medalist.

Other notable alumni include Emery Abdel-Latif, who married during the Occupy Wall Street in 2011[12] and Kenneth Mazik, who was responsible for driving an SUV onto the runway at Philadelphia International Airport in 2012. [13]

See also

References

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