| Moon Area High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 8353 University Boulevard Moon Township, PA, 15108, United States |
|
| Information | |
| Funding type | Public |
| School district | Moon Area School District |
| Principal | Barry Balaski |
| Asst. Principal | Susan Kazmierczak |
| Enrollment | 1200 |
| Color(s) | Red White and Black |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Information | (412) 262-9040 online at moonarea.net |
| Website | Moon Area High School |
Moon Area High School is a public high school located in the Moon Area School District in Pennsylvania. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Crescent and Moon townships. It is now located at 8353 University Boulevard. The new Moon Area Campus is nearing completion with the opening of the state-of-the art New Moon Area High school.(2011) The old high school, located at 904 Beaver Grade Road,will house 5th- 8th grades while all 5 Moon Township Elementary school's will house grades K -4 (2012)
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Moon Area High School student athletes are able to compete in 23 sports and cheerleading.[1] In most instances, Moon sports compete in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), District VII of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).
The Moon Area football team competes in the WPIAL Class AAA Parkway Conference, which is made up of geographical foes Hopewell, West Allegheny, Montour, Ambridge, Central Valley, Blackhawk and New Castle.[2]
In 1998, Moon won the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Moon defeated Blackhawk 34-7 to claim the title.[3] The Tigers then went on to the PIAA Class AAA Championships in Hershey, only to fall 10-0 to Allentown Central Catholic High School.[4]
The Moon Area boys soccer team has had much success in the WPIAL over the years. In 2003 they beat Thomas Jefferson 2-1 to win the WPIAL AA Championship. The team was led to victory by Adam Lippencott, Dan Ross, Eric Lani, Derek Jockman, Branden Stroup, Matt Smith, Seth Smith, Justin Phillip and Corey Donaldson. In the semi-final game before the championship Moon beat Mars 2-0. Adam Lippencott scored one of the goals from over 70 yards away thus setting the unofficial WPIAL longest goal record.[5]
In 2004, the Moon Area girls soccer team won the WPIAL Championship defeating Norwin 3-1. The team fell 2-0 to Downingtown West in the PIAA State Championship, but made school history being the first girls' soccer team to win a district championship and compete in the state final. In 2006, they returned to the WPIAL Championship and earned the silver with a 2-0 loss to Pine-Richland. The girls then went on to Hershey to face Downingtown West a second time and, just like 2004, brought home a silver medal after another 2-0 loss.[6]
In 2006, the Moon Area boys won the section championship. The boys also won the Central Catholic Invitational in 2006 and 2007, and came in second in 2008. The boys also came in second place at the MAC Championships in 2008. The Moon Area Girls Cross Country team has won the section championship in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. The girls team came in first in the Central Catholic Invitational in 2008, and first in MAC invitational in 2007 and 2008. Also, the girls took second place in the Boardman Spartan Invitational, one of the biggest High School races on the east coast. In 2010, the team traveled to Maymont, Virginia to participate in the Maymont XC Invitational, with the boys varsity coming in 1st place overall, as well as one of the boys winning the entire race. The girls varsity and JV came in 3rd as a team in their races as well.
Moon swimming has over 30 Midwestern Athletic Conference and WPIAL section championships. The Moon boys swimming team boasts a state championship from 1980 and runners-up in 2001. The boys also have won WPIAL Championships in 1996 and 1997 with runners-up titles in 1980, 1995, 1997 and 2002.
The girls team has had even more success, winning state titles in 1996 and 1997. The girls boast WPIAL titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. They were runners-up in 2003.[7]
Since 1978, Moon Area has produced 87 WPIAL champions.[8]
The Moon Area boys basketball team made school history, winning three consecutive WPIAL championships - 2004, 2005, 2006. The team was crowned state champions in 2004.[9]
In the 2006-2007 season, Moon entered the WPIAL Class AAAA, but will go back down to WPIAL Class AAA in the 2008-2009 season.[10]
The Moon Area girls basketball team, in recent years, has had much success in WPIAL and PIAA competition, with a 2003 and 2005 WPIAL championship. The Lady Tigers have also reached the final four of the PIAA state playoffs multiple times.[11]
Although Moon Area's hockey program has never been a stand out, mostly due to being an independent program without financial support from the school district, multiple runs into the playoffs have been made, and currently hold a six season stretch (2002–2003, 2003–2004, 2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008) of receiving a berth in the PIHL playoffs. In 2007, they won the PIHL Class AA Section Championship.[12]
The Moon Area High School baseball team competes in the WPIAL's Class AAA. Moon's current Section 3-AAA opponents include Hopewell, Chartiers Valley, West Allegheny, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey* and Montour. (* - McGuffey replaces South Park in 2009)
The team is one of the premier programs in Western Pennsylvania and across the state, reaching the WPIAL playoffs eight of the last ten years and entering the PIAA playoffs four of the last seven years. Moon won back-to-back state titles in 2001 and 2002, defeating Central Dauphin, 2-0, and Bethlehem Liberty, 3-2, Moon also won the 2009 WPIAL Baseball Title 3-2 vs Chartiers Valley. respectively.[13]
The Moon Area boys track and field team won the section championship for both the 2006, 2007, and 2010 season, and the girls team won section championship in 2008 and 2009. Also to add to new success, the boys 2010 team was the first team ever in Moon boys track history to three way tie a playoff meet for first.
The gymnastics team has held strong when PIAA was cut back in 1995. Moon Area Gymnastics was taken over by head coach Amy Caprino in the 1980s. In 1994, Moon won the WPIAL and PIAA title making it their first ever. In 1995 PIAA dropped the gymnastics program (not WPIAL) making Moon Area the forever standing PIAA Gymnastics Champions. But shortly after a group of coaches formed the PA Classic committee creating a new state meet called PA Classic. Since then Moon Area has been WPIAL runners-up numerous times just being a few points shy of gold. In 2008 Moon Area was able to defeat North Allegheny, setting a new school record of 143.9. Although they have won many state titles in the silver division in the past (1998, 2001, 2003, 2004), they have recently won the gold division title. Moon Area shut out WPIAL rivals Baldwin High School in 2007, 2008 and 2009, winning the highest division at the state meet making them 3PEAT State Champs. In 2009 the tigers set another new school record of 144.3 defeating longtime rivals Baldwin. Moon Areas sections includes Montour, Hopewell, Central Valley, Fox Chapel, South Side Beaver, Pine Richland, Baldwin and North Allegheny. Moon has also produced several individual WPIAL and State Champions.
The Moon Boys Volleyball team made the second round of WPIAL AA Playoffs in the 2011 season. They came in fourth in WPIAL, and second in their section.
The school's marching band is a member of PIMBA (The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association) competing in the Class AAAA division. In 2010, Moon Marching band took first in their Pimba competition, after having achieved second place, with a score of 85.13, in 2007.
On October 25, 2008, the band placed 2nd in their division and 5th overall out of 24 bands with a score of 88.93,[14] the highest in the band's history.
Queen
On November 7, 2009, the band placed 2nd in their division at the PIMBA championships with a score of 87.88. Their show was entitled, "Sounds from Afar." The band leadership increased from 2 to 3 field commanders, and the show included the following songs:
On October 30, 2010, for the first time ever, the band placed 1st in their division at the PIMBA championships, receiving a score of 88.80. Their show was entitled, "Renaissance" and included the following songs:
The audition-based Symphonic Band has received "superior" ratings at PMEA Adjudications from 2007 through 2011, including "superior" ratings in every category in 07, 08, 09, and 11. The ensemble performed in the Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Spring 2008.
The music department hosted the world famous Pittsburgh Symphony Brass under the direction of trumpet player George Vosburgh in Spring 2009.
An offshoot of the marching band's color guard unit, the competitive indoor ensemble performs in TRWEA (Three Rivers Winter Ensemble Association) in the Scholastic Color Guard Regional A division.
At the beginning of the 2007 school year, exposed mold was discovered in a portion of the building.[24] After a private company was called in to clean up the area, school officials declared that the building was safe.