Moon Area High School
Encyclopedia
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)
(WPIAL), District VII of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
(PIAA).
In 1998, Moon won the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at Three Rivers Stadium
in Pittsburgh
. Moon defeated Blackhawk 34-7 to claim the title. The Tigers then went on to the PIAA Class AAA Championships in Hershey
, only to fall 10-0 to Allentown Central Catholic High School
.
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.
Since 1978, Moon Area has produced 87 WPIAL champions.
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.
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.
(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.
Queen
The ensemble performed in the Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Spring 2008.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Moon Area School District
Moon Area School District
The Moon Area School District is located about 13 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It serves a portion of the West Hills/Airport Area that includes Crescent and Moon townships...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Crescent
Crescent Township, Pennsylvania
Crescent Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 2,640 at the 2010 census....
and Moon
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Moon is a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The origin of its name is unknown for certain, although it has been suggested that it derives from a...
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)
Athletics
Moon Area High School student athletes are able to compete in 23 sports and cheerleading. In most instances, Moon sports compete in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic LeagueWestern Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...
(WPIAL), District VII of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
(PIAA).
Football
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.In 1998, Moon won the WPIAL Class AAA Championship at Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Moon defeated Blackhawk 34-7 to claim the title. The Tigers then went on to the PIAA Class AAA Championships in Hershey
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
, only to fall 10-0 to Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School is a private, parochial school located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
Boys Soccer
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.Girls Soccer
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.Cross country
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.Swimming & Diving
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.
Since 1978, Moon Area has produced 87 WPIAL champions.
Boys Basketball
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.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.
Girls Basketball
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.Ice hockey
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.Baseball
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.
Track and field
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.Gymnastics
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.Boys Volleyball
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.Marching band
The school's marching band is a member of PIMBAPimba
Pimba is a Portuguese depreciatory term used for qualifying a variety of popular Portuguese pop and folk solo singers as well as bands, possibly inspired in Schlager, who focus on simplistic catchy songs with rough lyrics frequently driven by metaphors with sexual meanings, or focused on basic and...
(The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association is a nonprofit organization that provide high school marching bands of western Pennsylvania a chance to compete with other schools in the area. Founded in 1993, the organization has grown to nearly 30 schools and is a well known event in...
) 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.
2007 Show
- Incredibles part 1 (The Glory Days)
- Incredibles part 2 (Life's Incredible Again)
- Diego's Goodbye
- The Mask of Zorro
2008 Show
On October 25, 2008, the band placed 2nd in their division and 5th overall out of 24 bands with a score of 88.93, the highest in the band's history.Queen
- Bicycle RaceBicycle Race"Bicycle Race" is a single by the English rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls". The song is notable for its video featuring a bicycle race with...
- Killer Queen
- Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon
- Bohemian RhapsodyBohemian Rhapsody"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
2009 Show
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:- Kashmir
- A Night in Tunisia
- Caravan
- Kismet Egyptian Danza
2010 Show
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:- Thick As A BrickThick as a Brick-Differences between various CD releases:By 2011 the album received three major releases on CD: the first release , the MFSL-release , and the 25th Anniversary Edition . Whereas the first release and the MFSL-release run with identical speed, the 25th Anniversary edition runs 0.5% slower...
- Jethro Tull - Bouree - Jethro Tull
- Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel
- Running Hard - Renaissance
Symphonic Band
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.
Pittsburgh Symphony Brass
The music department hosted the world famous Pittsburgh Symphony Brass under the direction of trumpet player George Vosburgh in Spring 2009.Winter Guard
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.Notable alumni
- Chuck AberChuck AberChuck Aber is an American actor.A graduate of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Aber appeared in the films Creepshow and The Silence of the Lambs , He has appeared in commercials and in the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood...
, Class of 1963, appeared on Mister Roger's Neighborhood as Neighbor Aber. - Jodi ApplegateJodi ApplegateJodi Applegate is an American news anchor for WPIX New York. She formerly anchored WNYW-TV's Good Day New York and News 12 Long Island.-Life and career:...
, Class of 1982, is an Emmy Award-winning host for Fox 5's "Good Day New YorkGood Day New YorkGood Day New York is a weekday morning news and entertainment feature show which airs on WNYW, the New York City flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company...
." She previously worked at NBC News as co-anchor of "Weekend Today" and "Later Today." She also worked at MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
covering Princess Diana's funeral and Fox25WFXTWFXT is a television station owned and operated by the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Boston, Massachusetts. The station's studio and office facility is in Dedham, Massachusetts, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts...
in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. - John CalipariJohn CalipariJohn Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
, Class of 1978, is the head coach for the University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
men's basketball team. - Lou ChristieLou ChristieLuigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco , known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s , including his 1966 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes" and his incredible 3 octave vocal range.-Biography:Sacco was born in Glenwillard,...
, Class of 1961, is a singer/songwriter with popular hits like "Lightning Strikes" and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine." - Brandon WilsonBrandon WilsonBrandon Wilson is known as an author of non-fiction travel narratives and explorer.-Early years:Born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, son of Dr. Edgar and Mary Beth Wilson is the eldest of 3 children...
, Class of 1971, is an explorer and Lowell Thomas Award-winning author and photographer of Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of FaithYak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of FaithYak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith is a nonfiction travel narrative by American writer Brandon Wilson set in Tibet.-Summary:In 1992, the author, his wife Cheryl, and their Tibetan horse Sadhu set off on an ancient pilgrimage trail from Lhasa, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal.The original...
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(2008) and Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps (2010). - Bob DavieBob Davie (coach)Robert Edwin "Bob" Davie, Jr. is the head coach for the University of New Mexico Lobos. He is a former ESPN analyst and former American football player...
, Class of 1972, was a former head coach at Notre Dame and a current sports commentator. - Rich MilotRich MilotRichard Paul Milot is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played his entire nine year career with the Washington Redskins from 1979 to 1987. He played college football at Penn State University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1979 NFL Draft....
, Class of 1975, Former Linebacker Penn State 1975-1979, and the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
1979-1987. Played in three Super Bowls, (XVII, XVIII, XXII). Winning two times in XVII and XXII. - Keith TowerKeith TowerKeith Raymond Tower , is a former professional American basketball player.A 6'11" forward-center from the University of Notre Dame, Tower was never drafted by an NBA team but did manage to play in 4 NBA seasons from 1993 to 1997. He played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee...
, Class of 1988; former NBA player - Shannon Perrine, Class of 1990, currently serves as weekend anchor at Pittsburgh's WTAE-TVWTAE-TVWTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
. - A. Q. ShipleyA. Q. ShipleyAllan Quay "A. Q." Shipley is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Penn State....
, Class of 2004, a free-agent footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
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and the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.