Bensalem High School
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| Bensalem High School | |
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| School type | Public |
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| Established | 1969 |
| Principal | Francis J. Perry |
| Students | approx. 3,000 |
| Location | 4319 Hulmeville Road Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 |
| Information | (215) 913-2245 ext. 3000: Phone |
| Website | Bensalem Township School District High School profile page |
Bensalem High School is a public high school in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Contents |
[edit] History
Planning for the original Bensalem Township High School (Bensalem High School or BHS for short) began in 1920 with the acquisition of land adjoining the school property known as the Cornwells Heights Elementary School, at 2400 Bristol Pike. A. Oscar Martin, registered architect, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was selected to design a building along the lines and scope established by the Board of Education. Mr. Martin had years of experience in designing school buildings. The architect prepared drawings in 1920, using the existing two-story stone building of two classrooms as a nucleus. He developed a progressive planning system of which one unit was constructed that same year. It consisted of one classroom and one end of the central corridor.
After final installments and improvements, the building was formally dedicated and opened in March of 1930. At the time, only 212 had enrolled in the school.
(Note: This history requires more information about the development of the second BHS at 2201 Street Road, which in 1969 became the Neil A. Armstrong Middle School when the present-day BHS, mentioned below, opened at 4319 Hulmeville Road.)
Later, a new Bensalem High School was built; the old one being made into Neil A. Armstrong Middle School, with a new capacity for 6,000 students and about 3x as much space as the previous school. This building was dedicated November of 1968, and opened in 1969.
Present-day Bensalem High was built in two phases over multiple years with the northern-most wing and central portion containing the auditorium known as the "old" building and the southern-most wing known as the "new" building. Not coincidentally, the gymnasium in the older wing is known as "Gym 1" while the gymnasium in the newer wing is "Gym 2." Similarly, the older cafeteria is known as "Cafeteria A" and the newer "Cafeteria B."
Interestingly an arena-style basketball gymnasium was never built at present-day Bensalem High School, which is why the school's varsity boys basketball team continues to play its home games in the much larger gym at the former BHS, Neil A. Armstrong Middle School, on Street Road. The Bensalem School Board recently closed Armstrong due to declining enrollment throughout the school district in grades 6 to 8, with students subsequently able to enroll in the district's two other middle schools nearby. Nevertheless, the high school boys basketball team still uses the Armstrong gym throughout the winter season.
Dating back at least to the 1980s, rumors have circulated periodically that the school district was considering erecting a "field house" facility on open land on the high school campus. Though, for reasons mentioned earlier, it is true that building a multi-purpose, varsity-level indoor athletic facility would be logical for the school, the rumors have never been substantiated.
The present-day BHS campus also includes an outdoor football/soccer/track and field arena, Bensalem Township Memorial Stadium. The bowl-style design features a below-grade playing surface and concrete stands on both the home and visitors sidelines. Underneath the home stand are fully-enclosed locker rooms for both the home and visitor teams, with full shower and plumbing facilities, and coaches rooms. The locker rooms can be accessed directly from field level, allowing a constant separation of athletes from spectators throughout any event. In addition, both the home and visitor stands have full concessions facilities along the exterior spectator concourses.
At the time of its erection in the 1970s, the stadium was considered state-of-the art, with the vast majority of schools throughout Pennsylvania still using metal or wooden grandstands. Even today, it is rare for a high school to have locker room and shower facilities within its stadium. Despite its obvious age, Bensalem Township Memorial Stadium is still considered one of the top high school football facilities in the football-rich state of Pennsylvania as evidenced by its selection in 2004 to host the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAA (large school) Eastern Championship game (also statewide semifinal) between Neshaminy High and Easton High School.
Over the years, the stadium has also hosted the Philadelphia region's premiere high school outdoor track and field meet, the District One Championships, on numerous occasions. In the early 1980s, the stadium was the first in Bucks County and one of the first in Pennsylvania to employ a synthetic track. At the time, other large public schools in Lower Bucks County including Nesahminy, William Tennant, Harry S Truman, Pennsbury and Council Rock all used antiquated cinder tracks. Another asset to the Bensalem Township track facility is its Olympic-style eight-lane width. Because of space limitations and and high resurfacing costs, many high schools feature narrower tracks, which do not meet the requirements of true championship-style meets.
[edit] Features
The building is two stories high, also with a large underground floor (personnel only) and features:
- Ten business education rooms
- Thirty eight standard classrooms
- A music center; with:
- Two band rooms
- an orchestra room
- a choir room
- and several practice/private tutoring rooms
- A metal shop
- A wood shop
- Power mechanics shop
- Metal drawing room
- A library fit to handle 25,000 volumes
- Cafeterias A, B, and C
- An auditorium to seat 2,000
- Earth-Sciences room
- Sewing room
- Four seminar/meeting rooms
- Audion
- Full-sized gymnasium
- Smaller gymnasium
- Nurse's office + suite
- Administrative/guidance/personnel offices
- A Pool going to 10' w/ six lanes and six diving blocks.
- Photography dark rooms
This is an incomplete list
[edit] Performing Arts
[edit] Acting/Performing
Besides the various talent shows and events scattered across the years, Bensalem HS puts on one musical each year. Students also attend the Pennsylvania Thespian Conference each year, sometimes bringing a one-act.
The most recent show was Cinderella, with parts from all grade levels involved, accompanied by a small adult "orchestra" (comprised of no more than 10 musicians).
[edit] Marching Band
The Bensalem High School Marching Band is a Group 3 performing and competing marching band. It has in recent years held very high places in the ACC competitions, and last took 1st place in their 2003 season.
The band is funded by the participants (children + parents), through payments and fund raising. The School District of Bensalem Township also contributes little more than 12% of costs, usually covering instrument rentals and repair, and not transportation. The group is supported by the Bensalem HS Music Boosters and run by directors of the band.
In 2006, the Marching Band budget accounted for more than 90% of the band budget, leading to the Jazz, Indoor Drumline, and Wind programs to be canceled. This action may be reversed, however, if proficient fundraising is made.
[edit] Recent shows
2003 - The Lost Continent of Atlantis (songs unknown) - Placed: 1st & TIA All-Chapter Champions
2004 - Ride - Placed: 4th TOB Region Championships
- Songs:
- Ride
- Call of the Mountain
- Koldoon
2005 - Reflections - Placed: 2nd Regional AAC's
- Songs:
- Reflections of a Douche
- Reflections of Sound
- Reflections of Light
2006 - Cirque du Soleil: Quidam - Placed 23rd (T.O.B)
- Songs:
- Atmadja
- Ninkou Latora
- Quidam
- Incantation
[edit] Clubs/Extra Curriculars
Bensalem High School has a variety of clubs and after school activities for the attending students including:
- Multicultural club
- Choir (taking class is required)
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- Freshman Choir
- Women's Choir (females grade 10-12)
- Concert Choir (Grades 10-12 male and female, auditions necessary)
- Men's Choir (meets after school, male only, grades 10-12, auditions necessary)
- feminus vocalus (meets after school, females only, auditions, grades 9-12)
- Band (class is required)
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- Jazz Band
- Concert Band
- Indoor Drumline
- Woodwind Band
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- Total Orchestra
- Freshman Orchestra
- Upperclassman Orchestra
- FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
- Model UN
- Ski Club
- Mock Trial
- Chess Club
- Debate Team
[edit] Athletics
One athletic team in the school's history has won a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship. The 1987 boys spring track and field team scored 30 team points in the PIAA Class AAA meet at Shippensburg University to share the team title with Glen Mills, a private residential alternative-disciplinary school which was (and is) permitted by the PIAA to compete on the public school level despite its practice of enrolling students, many of them top-level athletes, from numerous other states. [1] Ironically, one of the top athletes on the 1987 Bensalem team, Jim Cooper, was enrolled at Glen Mills in the 1985-86 academic year, only to return to his hometown school for 1986-87 after his obligation to Glen Mills had been completed. In 1987, Cooper won gold medals at 400 meters and as anchor of Bensalem's 4x400-meter relay. Other members of the gold medal-winning relay were Joe Nigro, B.J. Cooper (Jim Cooper's brother) and Dante Austin. Austin placed third individually in the 800 meters, while the 4x800 relay of Dave Brown, Bill Townsend, Austin and Jim Cooper placed fourth. Ken Worthen was Bensalem's head coach. Neither Bensalem, nor Glen Mills might have won the title that year had another contending team, Ridley High, not been disqualified from the 4x100 relay when the team's anchor runner threw his baton in disgust after crossing the finish line. Though Ridley failed to win the 4x100 event final, it had finished in a points-scoring place.
In 2004, the Bensalem High boys indoor/winter track team won a state team championship awarded by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association.[2] The PIAA does not sanction winter track. In the championship meet at Penn State University, sprinters John Thompson, Lamonte Louis and Reggie Carter provided the nucleus of the winning squad. They led the Owls' 4x200-meter relay to a gold medal and the 4x400 to a silver. Individually, Thompson won the triple jump and placed third in the 200 meters. Louis, despite being hampered by a leg injury, placed fourth in the 200. Carter, just a sophomore, placed third in the 400. Bensalem scored 45 team points to better Henderson High of West Chester by 15 and more than double the 22 points scored by North Penn of Lansdale and Cardinal O'Hara of Springfield. Mary Ellen Malloy was Bensalem's head coach. Malloy began coaching at Bensalem as an assistant under Worthen in the 1987-88 school year.
Bensalem's boys track team also has the unique distinction of producing the first 7-foot high jumper in Pennsylvania high school history. Chris Becton did it in the late 1970s. In the late 1960s, Jim Allahand won Bensalem's only PIAA cross country title of any kind as he claimed individual gold in the state championship meet.
Worthen, the coach of the 1987 spring track championship team and a native of State College, Pa., was a teammate of Allahand at Penn State University.[citation needed]
Ralph Tamm is perhaps the most prominent football player in the school's history for his accomplishments after graduating from Bensalem High. Tamm earned All-America honors as an offensive lineman at West Chester University, was selected by the New York Jets in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL draft and played in the NFL from 1990 to 1999. He won Super Bowl XXVI with the Washington Redskins and Super Bowl XXIX with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Browns, Bengals, Broncos and Chiefs.
