Irvington High School (New York)

Coordinates: 41°02′26″N 73°51′39″W / 41.040447°N 73.86073°W

Irvington High School
Location
40 N. Broadway
Irvington, New York
United States
Information
Type Public
Principal David Cohen
Enrollment approx. 650
Assistant Principal Deborah Mariniello
Colors
Mascot		 Green and White
Bulldog
School President Matthew Rubin
Website http://www.irvingtonschools.org

Irvington High School is a public high school in Irvington, New York, part of the Irvington Union Free School District in Westchester County. U.S. News and World Report rated IHS as number 30 in New York State on its list of America's best high schools as of the end of 2012.[1]

History

Irvington High School is located where "Cedar Lawn", the estate of Dylan Freier – one of the founders of Stern's department store – once stood. The three-story stone "cottage" with a circular tower, originally built in the 1860s by Augustus Corey Richards, was destroyed by fire and then torn down in 1961 to make way for new quarters for the high school,[2] which had outgrown the Main Street School building which it then occupied.

The new building opened for the 1965-1966 school year, but was then extensively rebuilt in the 1980s. Before the 2003-2004 school year, new buildings for the high school and Irvington Middle School were constructed and annexed to the existing high school building, due to the school district's growing population.

Activities

Athletics

Basketball

The Varsity Girls Basketball team is among the top teams in the school. Throughout the years of existence the team has won numerous trophies and titles, including a State Championship and Federation Championship in 1990 and recently a 2010 Federation and State Championship. More recently, they won 2011 State Championship. Coached by longtime coach Gina Maher, after whom one of the school's gymnasiums is named.

Football

The 1986 Bulldogs team, coached by Bill Dyer, went undefeated (10-0), completing its perfect season with a Section One bowl victory over Pawling H.S.

Track and Field

With numerous state, county, league and class sectional titles, the team's most recognized achievements are in pole vaulting (past New York State champions), mile run, 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800. The team won the 2010, 2011 and 2012 League Championships. It is coached by Christopher Barry, Daryl Thorton, Gina Maher, and formally Jim McGarry, who retired in June 2010.

Cross Country

Just like the track and field team, Irvington XC has gained local fame with their many league (2009 champions), county (2009 champions) and sectional (2009 runner-ups) wins. It is coached by Christopher Barry and Daryl Thorton.

Golf

The Varsity Golf team has seen recent success under retired teacher William Dyer. After a 15-year drought from their last league championship, the golf team went undefeated 2010, beating Ardsley High School in the championship finale. The team has a notably unique new tradition of wearing names and numbers on the backs of their polos, something that was previously unseen in the sport of golf.

Soccer

The soccer team has seen recent success, with the last league title coming in the 2012-2013 season. A brief sectionals run was ended as Irvington fell to Lady of Lourdes.

Sports rivalries

Irvington High School is rivals with its neighboring village, Dobbs Ferry High School. Other big rivalries include the Briarcliff Bears and the Pleasantville Panthers. In the past there used to be a bonfire where bear stuffed animals were burned.[3]

Music

Band

The IHS band, the largest extracurricular activity at the school, is directed by Debra Tuzman and typically consists of between 100-160 members. In 2007, the band performed at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center and in Montreal in the spring of 2008 under the direction of Lawrence Corio. In spring 2009, the band traveled to London to perform. Tuzman also directs the Wind Ensemble, which in 2007, under the direction of Lawrence Corio, received a gold medal with distinction at the NYSSMA festival. The Wind Ensemble is a group of approximately 40 students. In December 2007, the ensemble played in the MetLife Tower in New York City, and since then has done so each year. Tuzman also directs the Jazz Ensemble and supervises the Jazz Combo, which is student-run and has nine members. In February 2011, the concert band, wind ensemble and jazz combo toured the country of Belgium. In February 2012, the concert band performed at Carnegie Hall along with 6 other schools in the U.S. The concert band took second place during the festival. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, Corio retired from the district, and the band is now conducted by Debra Tuzman.

Orchestra

The IHS Orchestra program is directed by Alan Goldberg. They traveled to Washington, DC in the spring of 2010 and won a silver award. In February 2013, the Orchestra and Chorus traveled to Italy, where they performed in multiple venues.

Chorus

The IHS chorus program is directed by Janet Gillespie. The Concert Choir typically consists of about 85 members, and is open to all students. Chorale, the auditioned chamber choir, traveled to Montreal in 2008 and was awarded a gold medal at NYSSMA in 2007 and 2009. At NYSSMA in 2010, the Concert Choir earned a gold medal and the Chorale earned a silver medal. In February 2013, the orchestra and choir traveled to Italy, where they performed in multiple venues.

Clubs

Student Government

The IHS Student Council aids in organizing High School and community service events, including Homecoming Weekend, the grade vs. grade Color Wars, and Open Mic nights, often integrating these events with community service endeavors, from raising money for a variety of charities, to collecting holiday gifts for children, to having food drives for local food shelters. Also, members of the Student Government collaborate with a larger segment of the community through the Community Advisory Board, which includes parents from the PTSA, teaching faculty, school administrators, and representatives from the local government including police officers, trustees, and the mayor, to plan events for students from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and discuss substance abuse issues.

Drama Club

The Drama Club is run by Diana Selenow, who is not a teacher at the school but a director brought in by the school administration. The Club typically mounts two productions a year, a drama in the late Fall and a musical in late Winter. Beginning in 2009, due to dismal ticket sales for fall plays, the fall production has since become Broadway Jr. shows. Since 1996, the productions have been directed by Selenow and a senior as an assistant director. Recent productions include:

Latin Club

The Latin Club is the largest club on campus and advised by Latin Department Chair Michele Cella. It is structured around the Roman Republic, governed by two consuls and one scriba/quaestor (secretary/treasurer); there are also three students involved with public relations. The club organizes an annual Haunted House, hosted in the town's Main Street School, which draws crowds from throughout the community, makes and sells chocolate during the holidays, and assists the school administration and the Irvington Education Foundation with their respective district-wide mailings. The club is also known for its annual Saturnalia party, a winter solstice festival that serves as the club's main get-together and features a highly competitive cake-making competition, and "Topless Dinner", a pasta sauce making competition.

Schedule

Irvington High School runs on a 9-period schedule. Some classes are taught every other day only, depending on whether it is an "A" or "B" day. Additionally, certain art and music classes, such as band, chorus, and orchestra, are held during a tenth period. Periods are approximately 45 minutes long. School begins at 7:50 in the morning and ends at 2:35 in the afternoon. Tenth period continues an additional 45 minutes.

Otto Awards

In 1990, as part of an effort to encourage increased self-esteem among the student body, a committee put together an in-school awards program modeled on the Academy Awards. All students vote on grade-specific awards and decide who in their class should win the award. Teachers who are willing to do the show and senior students present the awards via humorous sketches parodying events of that year in both pop culture and within the school. More often than not, Scott Mosenthal and assistant principal John Fink will play characters in some form of story arc, usually a film parody. Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Toy Story, Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz and The Blues Brothers have all been parodied at this event in that fashion. In 2003, to coincide with gym teacher Bill Otivich's retirement, the awards were named in his honor to the Otto Awards. Underclassmen are also represented via student-provided entertainment, usually musicians performing though in recent years puppetry and stand-up comedy acts have appeared in the Ottos.

Notable alumni

See also


References

  1. ↑ "Gold Medal Schools" U.S. News and World Report (May 8, 2012, revised May 30, 2012)
  2. ↑ Spikes, Judith Doolin and Leonne, Anne Marie. Irvington: Then & Now. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009 ISBN 9780738565194
  3. ↑ MaxPreps Irvington High School Boys Basketball Winter 07-08

External links