| West Branch Area School District | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | public |
| Religious affiliation(s) | none |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | Approx. 1,500 students (2010-2011) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 18:1 |
| Area | Rural |
| Color(s) | Red, White, and Blue |
| Mascot | Warriors |
The West Branch Area School District is located in Morrisdale, Pennsylvania. It was created in 1958 by the joining of Cooper Township High School and Morris Township High School. Schools in the district include West Branch Area Elementary School and West Branch Area Junior/Senior High School. Both of the schools reside in a conjoined building. The current school building was completed in 1964, with an addition to the high school recently finished in 2005. A new baseball field was built but leased to a local little league team for 25 years which expires in 2036.
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West Branch's mascot is the Warrior. Their team motos are "Warrior Power" and "Warrior Pride". They participate in the PIAA District 6 with Single-A classification in all but wrestling and baseball, where they compete in Double-A. Noteworthy athletic achievements include four PIAA individual state champions in wrestling (Jerry White, Robert English, Justin Owens, & Jared Ricotta) , winning a district championship in football in 1988, a district championship in baseball, a team district duals championship in wrestling, and other various conference championships. Former Warrior baseball players Ed Veres and John Prestash were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft straight out of high school. Larry Beightol, a former football player at West Branch, is an offensive line coach in the NFL, most recently working with the Detroit Lions. Wrestling State Champion Jared Ricotta, after starting four years for the Duquesne Dukes Division I Wrestling Team and capturing three Northeast Regional Titles was recruited by NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports as a professional tire changer. Starting in Fall 2010, West Branch and local school Philipsburg-Osceola School District agreed to a co-op boys soccer deal. Any 9-12th grade boy wishing to play soccer now plays with the Philipsburg Soccer team.
As of Winter Sports 2011/2012 (December 20)
The West Branch band also has a shining history, as they've played in such cities as Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Harrisburg. Most recently, the band goes to Disney World bi-yearly to play in the Fourth of July parade. The band wins many awards and helps to uphold the proud traditions and history of West Branch High School. Two years ago, the former band director and creator of many of the school's traditions, Mr. William Gabel, retired. He was replaced by former elementary music teacher and West Branch alumni, Mrs. Jennifer Ennis Sproull.