Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School
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| District | Mechanicsburg Area S.D. |
| Location | Mechanicsburg, PA, |
| School Type | Public |
| Enrollment as of 2006-07 | 1200 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Surroundings | Suburban |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| School Colors | Maroon/Steel |
| Alma Mater | "Mechanicsburg High" |
Mechanicsburg Area Senior High is a secondary school located on 500 South Broad Street in the borough of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Contents |
[edit] Communities
Mechanicsburg Area Senior High (MASH), which accepts Students ranging from Grade 9-12, serves several communities, including the Boroughs of Mechanicsburg, Shiremanstown, and Upper Allen Township.
The students begin at one of the elementary schools: Elmwood, Upper Allen/Shepherdstown, Northside, or Broadstreet (All K-5). They then progress to Mechanicsburg Middle School (6-8), and then Mechanicsburg High School (9-12).
[edit] School Information and History
The school dates back to the late 1800s, and a photo dated 1898 shows a graduating class of 34. This was at Simpson Street school, which is now the "Schoolhouse Apartments". Once the school expanded past capacity, a new high school was built on Elmwood Avenue (That school has since been the Intermediate School and now Elmwood Elementary). In the 1970s, the present school was built on 500 South Broad Street.
The alma mater, an original piece, is as follows.
"Mechanicsburg High School"
Mechanicsburg High School,
You're the dearest school to me.
Mechanicsburg High School,
True to you we'll always be.
Fairest colors, maroon and steel,
Faith in you we'll always feel.
Dearest school beneath the sky,
Mechanicsburg High!
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
On November 10, 2007 at 11:22 p.m., the Mechanicsburg Marching Band performed their 2007 show, "An Irish Heritage" and made a championship three-peat at the Tournament Of Bands Group III Atlantic Coast Championships at the University of Delaware's Alumni Stadium in Dover, DE with a record-tying score of 98.80 (Set by themselves, twice). They were additionally awarded for Best Music, Visual, Auxiliary, and Brass. It was their 9th ACC victory in school history, having won Group IV in 1992, '94, '95, and '96, and Group III in '99, '00, '05, and '06. They also continue to hold the Group III high-score record (98.80 in 2005 and 2007) and the Group IV record (98.80 in 1994). These three 98.80s also stand as the overall highest scores received in the history of Tournament Of Bands.
Mechanicsburg is also noted for its indoor percussion ensemble, a competitor in the WGI and TIA Percussion circuit. In 2006, they won 1st at KIDA Championships, and in 2007, they were promoted to the World class in the WGI circuit.
2006 Mechanicsburg Scholastic A class guard went to Dayton, OH for WGI championships, coming out eighth in the world. They were moved up to Scholastic Open class. The 2007 season ended with the Open guard as semi-finalists at WGI championships. In 2008 the mechanicsburg scholastic open colorguard broke top 15 at world championships making them a WGI finalist, and number one colorguard in Pennsylvania.
MASH is well known for its musical theatre department.[citation needed] Their past productions have ranged from The Wizard of Oz to The King and I, and from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to this past year's production, 42nd Street. Their musical for the 2007 seasons will be Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Mechanicsburg has produced several prominent musicians, including Bret Michaels, the lead singer of the metal band Poison. Also, Tara Finkboner a criticlly acclaimed acapello soloist and former president of The Young Adult Race Relations (Y.A.R.R.).
Mechanicsburg also hosts Lift For Life, an annual weightlifting competition held in early March at the High School to raise money for kidney cancer. Don Shirley (below), the late baseball coach at MASH, died of kidney cancer and his son, Scott, thought of the competition and shared it with the fellow members of the Penn State football team. Both Mechanicsburg and the Penn State football program carry on the annual event. On March 1, 2008, Mechanicsburg's Lift For Life raised over $10,000 with teams from three high schools in the area.
In 2008, Mechanicsburg student Ceena Ford made news across the country for a picture taken with former President Bill Clinton 1.
[edit] Athletics
[edit] Football
Football games are held on Friday nights. The football program is currently in the AAA rank of the PIAA Classification system, and they are members of the Mid-Penn Keystone Division and formerly Mid-Penn Division II, which they were champions of in 1982, 1983, 1986, 1996, and 2001. The football program has over 700 career wins, joining other Central Pennsylvania teams Carlisle and Steelton-Highspire in this exclusive club. In the 1980's, Mechanicsburg was known as one of the top programs in Central Pennsylvania, and arguably one of the top programs in Pennsylvania, however since a state playoff system did not exist, there is no way to tell who the top teams were. Many alumni of the program compete at major Division I universities, including Penn State, The University of Pennsylvania and The University of Connecticut. In 1986, under the guidance of late head coach Rich Lichtel, Mechanicsburg won their first PIAA District 3 AAAA Championship. They were also runners-up in 1983 and 2004. The Wildcats play at John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Park Stadium (located in the back of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park). A unique aspect of Frederick Field is that at least once every Friday night, a train ("The Victory Train") rolls through on the tracks just across the fence from the field. Every year, Mechanicsburg plays nearby rivals in Northern York in Week 3 (Known by some as the "Battle of Route 15" as both towns are easily accessible and adjacent on Route 15) and Carlisle in Week 1, but discontinued its series with cross-town rival Cumberland Valley High School after the 2001 season.
On September 21, 2007 the Mechanicsburg Football family and the entire community suffered a great loss when 60 year Head Coach Rich Lichtel died. He died at 7:01 p.m., exactly one minute after his Wildcats kicked off against rival Middletown. Up to his passing, he had recorded 160 wins, including a District III Championship in 1986 and several second places in the District. Known as having an expertise in the quarterback position (himself being a record-setting quarterback at Bloomsburg University), 7 out of 15 of Lichtel's quarterbacks were given full scholarships to Division I colleges, and helped his players receive over $2 Million in scholarship grants. He was incredibly well-respected throughout the state of Pennsylvania and will be remembered for his sense of humor and love of practical jokes.
Currently, John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Park Stadium is undergoing installation of an artificial turf surface by Fieldturf Montreal. The installation began on May 11, 2008 and is expected to be completed in mid-summer 2008. The field will change from a football-only facility to hosting Football, Lacrosse, and soccer and field hockey games if needed. The funds necessary were raised by the Wildcat Foundation as a part of a $2 million Capital Campaign to benefit the school and community.
Significant athletic alumni and retired numbers
Chris Hakel (William and Mary, NFL 4th Round)
Shawn Abner (Major League Baseball, Number 16 Retired)
Zach Frazer (University Of Connecticut, holds PA state single season passing record)
Mike Edwards (Major League Baseball)
Scott Erney (Rutgers, Big 33 Quarterback)
Doug Erney (William and Mary, Big 33 Quarterback)
Bud Kohlhaas (Number 61 Retired)
Dan Lewis (Number 41 Retired)
Ryan Priest (Number 45 Retired); Lafayette College Hall of Fame [1]
[edit] Baseball
The baseball program has also been marked with great success. The program has existed since the 1920s, and the team has won multiple division titles, and advanced to the state tournament twice. The Baseball team is currently in the AAA classification in the PIAA, and competes in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division. The program has produced several players presently competing at Division I colleges and universities. In October 2005, the Wildcat baseball family lost 471 win coach Don Shirley to kidney cancer. The current coach is Clay McCallister. The Wildcats play at Shirley-Rickenbach Field at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, named after the late Shirley and Bill Rickenbach, present head coach for the Mechanicsburg Cardinals Semi- Pro Twilight League team.
Significant athletic alumni and retired numbers:
Shawn Abner (#1 Pick in 1984 MLB Draft by the Mets, Number 16 Retired)
Ben Abner (Drafted in the 5th round of the 1984 MLB Draft)
Wes Roehr (All-American at Penn State University)
Mike Edwards (Number 7 Retired)
Don Shirley (Number 8 Retired)
[edit] Basketball
The Basketball program is listed in the AAAA classification in the PIAA, and competes in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division with rivals Trinity and Red Land. The current coach is Bob Strickler. The program is perennially successful, winning the PIAA District 3 AAAA title in the 1994-1995 season, headed by Mike Edwards. In 2004, 2005, 2006 (under the AAA classification), and 2008 (as a AAAA team) the program has qualified for the PIAA state playoffs. In the 2008 season Mechanicsburg reached the 20 win plateau and reached the second round of the PIAA AAAA Tournament. In 2007, the Wildcats are led by Sr. Chris White, Sr. Greg Bretz, Jr. Jake Ziegler and brothers Sr. Steven Edgar, and So. Dylan Edgar. Other team members include Jr. Andrew Bohn, So. Matt Dunn, Jr. Matt Koveleski, Jr. Majok Majok, Sr. Michael Miller, So. David Slagle, and Fr. David Strausbaugh. The girl's team is headed by Clay McAllister. Other team members include So. Taylor Miller and Srs. Jenni Walker and Emily Rainey.
[edit] Men's and Women's Soccer
The Men's Soccer program is listed in the AAA classification in the PIAA, and competes in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division. The current coach is Tony Lougee. The team plays their home games at Northside Elementary's "Cage" on the north side of town, which is one of the few soccer-only stadiums in the area with the capability to host night games. The program has won their division in 2006, and was PIAA District III Runners-up in 2005. They have advanced to the state tournament in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Mechanicsburg has also trained a two-time PARADE High School All-American in Bobby Warshaw, a midfielder and Stanford commit.
Also, both the Men's and Women's Soccer teams have gained recognition for their performance in the classroom. In 2006, both teams were awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom. A total of 332 soccer teams from throughout the USA have earned this award. To qualify, the team must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. Mechanicsburg was one of 46 schools receiving the honor for both teams and one of the two schools in PA.
[edit] Men's Cross Country and Track
The Men's Cross Country and Track programs are listed in the AAA classification in the PIAA, and compete in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division. The current coach is Karl Robinson with Assistant Andy Bitz. The teams run meets at both Soldier and Sailor Memorial Park as well as the High School track facility. In 2005-2006 they had a 19-3 season, repeated a win at the Big Spring Invitational, had a second place finish at the Mid-Penn Cross Country Championships, Keystone Division title, and the highest team finish at the District III Championships in school history. Senior James Boyer qualified for the PIAA State Championships. As for Track, Seniors James Boyer, Josh Foulds, and Brandon Lane, as well as Freshman Zach Benner broke the school's 4xMile Record at the annual Cedar Cliff relays by 6 seconds.
