Wissahickon High School | |
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Location | |
521 Houston Road, Ambler, Pennsylvania, United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public |
Established | 1929 |
Opened | 1966 (Current Building) |
School district | Wissahickon School District |
Principal | Dr. Lynne Blair |
Enrollment | ~1,400 (2015) |
Color(s) |
Blue Gold |
Mascot | Trojans |
Rival | Upper Dublin High School |
Newspaper | The Trojan Times |
Website | Wissahickon High School |
Wissahickon High School is the sole public high school of the Wissahickon School District, and is located in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
Wissahickon High School has received numerous awards in recent years. It was rated as one of the top thirteen hundred high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine in 2008. Wissahickon students continue to rank well above the average PSSA test scores statewide in reading, math, and writing for all grades. 81% of Wissahickon graduates enroll in a 2 or 4-year college/university program. Ten Wissahickon students were named as National Merit Scholar semifinalists in 2009.
The Wissahickon athletic department is currently admitted under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and by school size is sanctioned under District I. The high school boasts 2 artificial turf fields and 1 stadium which serves the Wissahickon Bever football, men and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, women's field hockey, and numerous community club teams. Wissahickon has an athletic rivalry with Upper Dublin High School. The Wissahickon basketball team is ranked 10th in Philadelphia by CSN philly.com. The 2011 Wissahickon boys tennis team made states for the first time in school history. The soccer team in 2010 was ranked up to 10th in the state and 7th in the area at the end of the season by the Philly Inquirer. Wissahickon is also known for its prolific baseball play. The program changed coaches in 2008 and again in 2013 and has steadily worked their way back to conference champions and state contenders.The Boys track team has won the American Conference Championship 10 of the last 12 years and boasts 21 individual Pa. State Champions, 3 State Relay Champions, 80 State Medalists (2nd thru 8th) and has won 3 State Championship team titles (1967 'B', 1972 'A', 1982 'AAA'). The Trojan football team were the 1973 & 1987 BuxMont Champions. The Trojan hockey team placed second in the Delaware Valley Hockey League in the 2014-2015 season. The school's QuizBowl team competed in the 2016-2017 QuizNet National Championship.
In 2007, the school became the subject of regional news coverage when school administration announced that all students attending Wissahickon High School would be required to wear clear or mesh backpacks, or not use a backpack at all. The decision was made to ensure safety at the school, and followed a recommendation made in a school safety report by District Attorney Bruce Castor. The decision was met with a strong negative response from students who banded together in an initiative to put used jumbo tampons in the front pocket to exhibit the lack of privacy. The school board allowed the measure to go into effect, stating it was not their place to rescind the policy. Wissahickon was the third high school in Montgomery County to implement such a policy. At the start of the 2018-2019 school year, the policy was no longer a requirement.