Seneca Valley School District

The Seneca Valley School District is a public school district in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is centered on Jackson Township and nearby Cranberry Township, a quickly growing municipality. It also encompasses the boroughs of Harmony, Evans City, Callery, Zelienople and Seven Fields, as well as the townships of Forward, Jackson, and Lancaster.

Elementary schools

Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School

Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School (C.V.E.) serves Zelienople, PA, Harmony, PA and environs, including parts of Jackson Township, Cranberry Township, and all of Lancaster Township. The school is located at 300 Pittsburgh Street in Zelienople, PA. Mrs. DeeAnn Graham, Principal.

CVE, one of four elementary schools in the Seneca Valley School District, provides their young learners with differentiated learning opportunities that promote high-level thinking and problems solving skills. The dedicated teachers, administration and support staff work closely with parents to plan active, engaging learning opportunities for 740 students in grades K-4. Student support services include: Language Support, Learning Support, Autistic Support, Speech/Occupational/Physical Therapy and Title One Reading Support.

The CVE Parent/Teacher Organization, (visit Facebook page "CVEPTO'"), the school courtyard has been updated to include gardens that harvest student grown vegetables. The PTO is currently in the midst of a fundraising campaign to build a natural, outdoor playground for the students.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 86%^[1]
Math - 90%

Evans City Elementary School

Evans City Elementary School serves Evans City, PA, Callery, PA and environs, including Forward Township and parts of Cranberry Township and Jackson Township. The school is located at 345 Rear West Main Street (Pennsylvania Route 68) in Evans City, PA and is colocated with Evans City Middle School.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 82%^[2]
Math - 83.9%

Haine Elementary School

Haine Elementary School serves primarily western Cranberry Township, PA. The school is located at 1516 Haine School Road in Cranberry Township, PA and is colocated with Haine Middle School.

Haine Elementary School recently received two Keystone Awards from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for Meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in three consecutive years for its students' results on the statewide PSSA testing. The school also boasts an active and involved Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 83%^[3]
Math - 91%

Rowan Elementary School

Rowan Elementary School serves primarily eastern Cranberry Township, PA and Seven Fields, PA. The school is located at 8051 Rowan Road in Cranberry Township, PA.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 89%^[4]
Math - 94%

Middle schools

Grades 5-6

These middle schools were created with the intention of adjusting elementary students to high school. The schools use a "team-teaching" approach wherein students will have a classroom to which they are assigned, and the entire class will move to a different room for different classes such as science, math, or social studies. While the students stay with their same class, they experience changing teachers and changing classes for the first time.

Evans City Middle School

Evans City Middle School serves students who attended Evans City Elementary School and Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School. The school is located on 345A Rear West Main Street (PA Route 68) in Evans City, PA and shares a building with Evans City Elementary School.

The school's facilities include the "Little Creek Nature Trail", built by staff, students, and volunteers. Evans City Middle School has extensive involvement from its Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and local police who provide a D.A.R.E. program to its students.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 73%^[5]
Math - 82%

Haine Middle School

Haine Middle School serves students who attended Haine Elementary School or Rowan Elementary School and is located on 1516A Haine School Road and shares a building with Haine Elementary School.

The school has an active Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) which organizes events such as career fairs annually. The school also hosts its own PRIDE team, which organizes cleanups of the school's campus by its students.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 78%^[6]
Math - 85%

Grades 7-8

Seneca Valley Middle School

Seneca Valley Middle School serves all students within the district and is located on the main campus in Harmony, Pennsylvania. The current address of the school is 122 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037

The middle school is set up to adjust students further into high school life. While students freely change classes as in an American high school, five of their eight daily classes are all with teachers who teach on a team. These five teachers teach the same set of students on a "team" so that students will have classes with the same group of students and not have to deal with stresses on the same day, missing many classes for field trips, and so on. These teams also act as a microcosm of the high school atmosphere, instilling their own 'team spirit' on students and hosting team parties. The eighth grade teams are the Falcons, Hawks, Condors, Owls, and Eagles. The seventh grade teams are the Panthers, Cougars, Lions, Tigers, and Bobcats.

In recent times, the school has won many awards, most notably the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Award, recognizing it as one of the best middle schools in the country and the Keystone Award for Annually Yearly Progress on the PSSA. Individual teachers and teams have received numerous prestigious awards as well. Students have won awards for many activities within the school, including notable awards by the academic games team and consistent high performance by the school's choir.

In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 34th out of 141 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on three years of student academic achievement in PSSAs in: reading, math writing and one year of science.^[7] (Includes schools in: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Westmoreland County, and Washington County

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
Reading - 89%^[8]
Math - 88%

The school offers a choir program, a student band, an option to learn foreign languages, classes in performing arts, and classes in various mediums of design. In addition, seventh grade students are required to take one term of each French, Spanish, Latin, and German intended as an introduction. Eighth grade students are required to take six weeks of three different home economics courses and six weeks of three different industrial shop classes.

Extracurriculars

The school recognizes many sports which compete amongst each other or against different schools. These sports include boys' and girls' basketball, cheerleading, cross country, boys' and girls' soccer, softball, ice hockey, roller hockey, swimming, table tennis, and wrestling. Competitive and non-competitive clubs include academic games, art club, chess and checkers club, computer club, environmental club, helping hands club, library club, newspaper, sportsman's club, video club, weightlifting club, word games club, yearbook committee, and rocketry club. The school provides bus transportation at 4:30 on most days and 5:45 on all days to facilitate participation in after-school activities.

High schools

The middle school, intermediate high school, and senior high school are located together on one main campus in Harmony, Pennsylvania.

The high schools are part of an 'open campus' system wherein students may on occasion have a class in a building they are not assigned to by grade and must walk to their class in the other building. The high schools also share most extracurricular activities and ensembles such as the band and JROTC.

Seneca Valley Intermediate High School

Seneca Valley Intermediate High School (IHS) serves all students within the district and is located on the main campus in Harmony, Pennsylvania.

The IHS includes facilities such as a 1,100-seat auditorium, gymnasium, swimming pool, weight room, music rooms, art rooms, and many biology and chemistry labs. A courtyard has been updated and facilitated within the school and is available to students. The IHS benefits its students by featuring regular dance competitions, school movie nights, and spaghetti dinners.

Newspaper

The IHS publishes its own newspaper, the Seneca Arrowhead. A wide variety of classes are offered to students within the IHS, mostly from students in 9th or 10th grade, though 11th and 12th grade students take classes within the building as well. The SHS also has its own newspaper, the Seneca Scout.

Seneca Valley Senior High School

Seneca Valley Senior High School serves all students within the district and is located on the main campus in Harmony, PA. The current senior class, class of 2015, has over 550 students.

Academic Achievement
2009 PSSAs students on grade level
11th Grade Reading - 81%, In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.^[9]
11th Grade Math - 70%, In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level
11th Grade Science - 51%, State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.

As of April 30, 2007, the new addition to the Senior High School has been opened for student use.

The senior high school's facilities include a small auditorium, gymnasium, music rooms, art rooms, industrial technology facilities, home economics facilities, special education facilities, and many science laboratories.

The Senior High School hosts a student-run preschool, publishes a literary magazine called the Raider Review, and a monthly newspaper, the Seneca Scout, which also distributes a magazine at the end of the school year.

Budget

In 2007, the average teacher salary in the district was $51,977 for 186 days worked. The district ranked second in Butler County for average teacher salary in 2007.^[10]

Seneca Valley administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $591. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.^[11]

Football

The Seneca Valley Raiders football team has been in existence since the district's first year in 1967. Head coaches, Terry Henry ??-1995, Rick Shepas 1996-1997, Mike Buchert 1998-2000, Bob Ceh 2001-2002, Ron Butschle came to the program after winning an A State Championship at Sto-Rox High School in 2003. Don Holl 2009 - 2014 Butshle has compiled a 15-32 record with a 5-15 section record over the last five seasons. Butshle resigned in 2008 giving the new head coaching job to Don Holl, the recent head coach of Erie Cathedral Prep High School where he amassed a 35-14 record in his tenure there. Since taking over the program in 2009, Don Holl has led the raiders to a 35 and 18 record with 4 playoff victories in three seasons from 2011 to 2013.

Notable Players Tony Conti (1998) Quarterback, University of Richmond; Donny Barclay (2008), Offensive lineman for West Virginia University, and Green Bay Packers; CJ Brown (2009),Quarterback, University of Maryland; Kevan Smith (2006), Quarterback turned baseball Catcher, University of Pittsburgh, and Chicago White Sox organization; Brandon Fusco, Offensive Lineman, Slippery Rock University and Minnesota Vikings (2011) WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

1989 Class AAA Playoffs: QUARTERFINALS - Seneca Valley 35, Greensburg Salem 20. SEMIFINALS - Seneca Valley 30, Brownsville 6 - CHAMPIONSHIP (Three Rivers Stadium) Aliquippa 17, Seneca Valley 9

1991 Class AAAA Playoffs: FIRST ROUND Mt. Lebanon 34, Seneca Valley 8

1995 Class AAAA Playoffs: QUARTERFINALS - Seneca Valley 27, Ringgold 0 - SEMIFINALS - Upper St. Clair 24, Seneca Valley 13

1997 Class AAAA Playoffs: QUARTERFINALS - Seneca Valley 27, Mt. Lebanon 10 - SEMIFINALS - Upper St. Clair 14, Seneca Valley 10

1999 Class AAAA Playoffs : FIRST ROUND - Mt. Lebanon 35, Seneca Valley 14

2011 Class AAAA Playoffs : FIRST ROUND - Seneca Valley 30, Penn Hills 13 Second Round - Seneca Valley 10, North Allegheny 35

2012 Class AAAA Playoffs : FIRST ROUND - Seneca Valley 50, Hempfield Area 20 Second Round - Seneca Valley 32, Mt. Lebanon 13 - SEMIFINALS - North Allegheny 47, Seneca Valley 17

2013 Class AAAA Playoffs : FIRST ROUND - Seneca Valley 36, Hempfield Area 10 Second Round - Woodland Hills 28, Seneca Valley 14

Notable Alumni

• Jason Conti (1993) Retired Outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks, Major League Baseball.
• Zach Jackson (2001) Pitcher, Cleveland Indians, Major League Baseball. (Currently playing for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, AA Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals).
• Derek English (2003) Attorney at law, Syracuse, NY
• Peet Poillon (2005), Midfielder, Denver Outlaws, Major League Lacrosse.
• Kevan Smith (2006) Quarterback, University of Pittsburgh. Catcher, Winston-Salem Dash. (High-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox).
• Brandon Fusco (2007) was selected with the 172nd pick in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, National Football League.
• Don Barclay (2008), Offensive Lineman for the Green Bay Packers, National Football League.
• Cory Mazzoni (2008), Pitcher, Binghamton Mets. (AA Affiliate of the New York Mets)
• C.J. Brown (2009), Maryland Terrapins Quarterback.
• Matthew J. Smith (2012), Georgetown University Right Handed Pitcher
• Chad Albert (2012), Juniata College Middle Blocker
• Gabe Edwards (2012), Oberlin College Cornerback

References

External links

• Seneca Valley Homepage
• Seneca Valley Middle School on School Matters' Surveys
• Seneca Valley Senior High School on School Matters' Surveys

Coordinates: 40°47′34″N 80°04′32″W / 40.79282°N 80.07565°W / 40.79282; -80.07565