J.P. McCaskey High School
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| Established | unknown |
|---|---|
| Type of institution | Public high school |
| Enrollment | Approx. 3000 students |
| Location | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Colors | Red and Black |
| Mascot | Tornado |
| Website | http://www.lancaster.k12.pa.us/high_school/mccaskey/index.htm |
J.P. McCaskey High School is a public high school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Located on the east side of Lancaster, it is named after John Piersol McCaskey, a Lancaster educator. The McCaskey campus consists of two buildings: J.P. McCaskey, which is usually referred to either as "JPM" or simply "JP"; and McCaskey East, which is referred to as "East". Also on the McCaskey campus are a number of playing fields (for soccer, baseball, softball, and field hockey), tennis courts, and a stadium. Nearby are Wickersham Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School.
[edit] Academics
There are eight small learning communities (SLC's) at McCaskey, some of which are housed at McCaskey East, some at J.P. McCaskey, and some elsewhere in Lancaster: Arts & Humanities, Career Connections, School of Media Studies and Communication, IB/Honors, Institute of Technology (MIT), Public Leadership & Service, Technical & Business Careers (VoTech), and the McCaskey School of Health Sciences.
The Honors SLC, formerly ‘Pre-IB’ and usually referred to as ‘IB’ or ‘Honors’, includes numerous Advanced Placement courses and a full International Baccalaureate curriculum for juniors and seniors. The Votech SLC includes numerous areas of concentration, including computer aided drafting, graphic communications, building trades maintenance, early childhood education, law enforcement, electronics, and business.
McCaskey is one of five schools in the state to offer an International Baccalaureate Diploma. Each year, around 10 students are candidates for the diploma. Most students aiming to pursue a rigorous academic curriculum choose the Honors SLC in 9th grade, but few choose to continue with the full diploma program due to both the academic difficulty and the complex and extensive requirements.
[edit] Background
J.P. McCaskey was named after John Piersol McCaskey, an educator, composer, and mayor of Lancaster from 1906-1910[1]. He taught at Lancaster's Boys' High School starting in 1855 and later became the principal. McCaskey High School, which integrated the single-sex high schools of Lancaster in the 1930's, was completed in 1938 as a WPA project. The building's lobby interior as well as elements of the façade facing N. Reservoir St., are examples of the Art Deco style.
Many McCaskey staff resent the allegedly biased press coverage McCaskey receives. At a public alumni function in May 2006 to recognize notable alumni, an alumnus, currently a Lebanon Valley College admissions representative, said in a speech that McCaskey students were "neither the best nor the brightest." This comment, which drew outrage from some students in attendance, highlights McCaskey's reputation among Lancaster's neighboring suburban schools, of being a 'bad inner city school' due to the large percentage of students living below the poverty line.
Notwithstanding its reputation, many of the students of McCaskey High School are friends to the City of Lancaster; McCaskey's musical groups and a number of its sports teams are involved activities designed to support philanthropic causes. In time, annual fundraisers and no-cost concerts may serve to soften the public perception of the school but only a demonstrable improvement in the academic success of its students will rescue it from its reputation as a below-average public institution.
