West Genesee High School
Encyclopedia
West Genesee High School (colloquially referred to as West Genny or WG), is an American
public high school
in Camillus
, New York
serving ninth
through twelfth grade
students. The school is part of the West Genesee Central School District
.
, a western suburb
of Syracuse, New York
. The graduating class was 96% white (non-Hispanic) students according to the 2006-2007 school report West Genesee Report Card.
(AP) courses to its students. These courses are generally considered "much more rigorous than the general course offerings".
Courses offered include English Language & Composition
, English Literature & Composition
, World History
, US History
, Statistics
, Calculus
, Physics
, Biology
, French Language
, Spanish Language
, Studio Art
, Music Theory
.
Project Advance (SUPA) program. The students receive Syracuse University college credits, but the courses are taught by teachers named adjunct instructors by S.U. and are taught in classrooms at the high school as a part of a student's regular day.
Courses offered through Project Advance
include Economics
, English, Psychology, Public Affairs, and Sociology.
, a local community college. Like the SUPA courses, these courses are taught in classrooms at the high school.
Courses include Financial Accounting, Astronomy
, CAD
, Computer Information Systems, Contemporary Business, Photography
and Precalculus
.
's Section 3.
Students are able to participate in baseball
, basketball
, bowling
, cheerleading
, cross-country
, football
, golf
, hockey
, lacrosse
, soccer, softball
, swimming
, tennis
, track, volleyball
, and wrestling
.
, finishing the season 1st in the national high school rankings 8 times since 1990.
The team has won 15 New York State championships, including four consecutive between 2002 and 2005, and 27 Section III championships.
As of 2006, the program has produced 49 high school All-America
ns since 1971.
John Desko
, the head coach of Syracuse University
's men's lacrosse team
is a former player and alumnus of the school.
The girl's lacrosse team is also a regional power. The team began in 1995 and quickly rose to local and national prominence. The team has won five state championships in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Between 2001 and 2003, the Lady 'Cats won 67 consecutive games, and as of 13 October 2008 the team has won 48 consecutive games dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season.
The West Genesee hockey program has enjoyed its first undefeated season (25-0) in school history and has recently won its 3rd back-to-back-to-back sectional and regional championships. Coach Frank Colabufo has added his 250th win to his 22 year career record.
Notable alumni include Stephen Mallaro and Ryan Michel.
offensive formation known as the Wildcat formation
is said to have gained its name from the school's mascot and the original formation comes from the school's offensive playbook. The Miami Dolphins
of the NFL, for whom former West Genesee football coach Steve Bush now coaches, have used the formation successfully many times during the 2008 season
.
In the fall of 2007, the football team claimed its first New York State Class AA Championship. The team's head coach was former Syracuse assistant coach Steve Bush who is now on the staff of the Miami Dolphins
.
These include Academic Decathlon
, Drama Club, the first ECOS chapter (Environmentally Conscious Organization of Students), Foreign Language Clubs, Into the Mind's Eye (student literary magazine), Math League
, Mock Trial, Model UN
, Honor Society
, R2 (Respect and Responsibility), Ski Club, Student Council and Class Senates
, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Outdoor Club, and Yearbook Club.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public high school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
in Camillus
Camillus (town), New York
Camillus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, U.S. The population was 24,167 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Roman military leader Marcus Furius Camillus by a clerk interested in the classics....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
serving ninth
Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
through twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
students. The school is part of the West Genesee Central School District
West Genesee Central School District
The West Genesee Central School District is a public school district located in suburban Syracuse, NY. The district covers and is centered in the town of Camillus, but also serves parts of Elbridge, Geddes, Onondaga, and Van Buren. Student enrollment as of the 2006-2007 academic year is 5,113...
.
Overview
The school enrolled 1,737 students in the 2006-2007 school year. It is located in Camillus, New YorkCamillus, New York
Camillus, New York is located in Onondaga County. There are two parts to Camillus, New York:*Camillus, New York *Camillus, New York...
, a western suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. The graduating class was 96% white (non-Hispanic) students according to the 2006-2007 school report West Genesee Report Card.
Recognized Academic Programs
The school offers a number of college-level course options for students through a variety of different programs.Advanced Placement Courses
West Genesee High School offers a wide variety of Advanced Placement ProgramAdvanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
(AP) courses to its students. These courses are generally considered "much more rigorous than the general course offerings".
Courses offered include English Language & Composition
AP English Language and Composition
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
, English Literature & Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The Course:This course is designated for motivated students with a command of standard English, an...
, World History
AP World History
Advanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
, US History
AP United States History
Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
, Statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, Calculus
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, Physics
AP Physics
AP Physics defines three categories of high school physics courses: A, B, and C. Category A refers to general introductory physics courses that are not mathematically rigorous...
, Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, French Language
AP French Language
Advanced Placement French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course...
, Spanish Language
AP Spanish Language
Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
, Studio Art
AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
, Music Theory
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
.
Syracuse University Project Advance
In Addition to AP courses, the school offers a number of courses through the Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
Project Advance (SUPA) program. The students receive Syracuse University college credits, but the courses are taught by teachers named adjunct instructors by S.U. and are taught in classrooms at the high school as a part of a student's regular day.
Courses offered through Project Advance
Project Advance
Syracuse University is an educational program that provides high school students with the opportunity to take Syracuse University courses in their own schools during the regularly scheduled school day. After successful completion of the course they can request to transfer the credits they earn...
include Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, English, Psychology, Public Affairs, and Sociology.
Onondaga Community College
The school also offers courses for college credit through Onondaga Community CollegeOnondaga Community College
Onondaga Community College is an accredited two-year educational institution that services Onondaga County, New York at three campuses. Onondaga Community College is a college of the State University of New York system and one of 30 locally sponsored community colleges throughout New York...
, a local community college. Like the SUPA courses, these courses are taught in classrooms at the high school.
Courses include Financial Accounting, Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, CAD
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
, Computer Information Systems, Contemporary Business, Photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and Precalculus
Precalculus
In American mathematics education, precalculus , an advanced form of secondary school algebra, is a foundational mathematical discipline. It is also called Introduction to Analysis. In many schools, precalculus is actually two separate courses: Algebra and Trigonometry...
.
Athletics
West Genesee High School's athletic teams are known as the "Wildcats". Their colors are blue and gold. All of the teams compete in the NYSPHAANew York State Public High School Athletic Association
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is the governing body of interscholastic sports for many schools in New York. It consists of 768 member high schools from the state divided into 11 numbered sections...
's Section 3.
Students are able to participate in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American 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...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and wrestling
Submission wrestling
Submission wrestling or Combat wrestling in Japan, is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds...
.
Lacrosse
The boy's lacrosse team, coached by Hall-of-Famer Mike Messere is widely recognized as one of the premier high school lacrosse teams in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, finishing the season 1st in the national high school rankings 8 times since 1990.
The team has won 15 New York State championships, including four consecutive between 2002 and 2005, and 27 Section III championships.
As of 2006, the program has produced 49 high school All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns since 1971.
John Desko
John Desko
John Desko is the head coach of the men's lacrosse team at Syracuse University taking over the reins in 1999 from Hall of Fame coach Roy Simmons, Jr....
, the head coach of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
's men's lacrosse team
Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse
The Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team represents Syracuse University in NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. The Orange have won 10 NCAA championship titles, and currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's lacrosse conference...
is a former player and alumnus of the school.
The girl's lacrosse team is also a regional power. The team began in 1995 and quickly rose to local and national prominence. The team has won five state championships in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Between 2001 and 2003, the Lady 'Cats won 67 consecutive games, and as of 13 October 2008 the team has won 48 consecutive games dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season.
Ice hockey
The West Genesee hockey team is a 3-time NYS Champion both in 1990, 2001, and 2010.The West Genesee hockey program has enjoyed its first undefeated season (25-0) in school history and has recently won its 3rd back-to-back-to-back sectional and regional championships. Coach Frank Colabufo has added his 250th win to his 22 year career record.
Notable alumni include Stephen Mallaro and Ryan Michel.
Wildcat Offense
The American footballAmerican football
American 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...
offensive formation known as the Wildcat formation
Wildcat offense
|- style="text-align:center;"| || |- style="text-align:center;"| Base Wildcat || Speed Sweep|- style="text-align:center;"| || |- style="text-align:center;"| QB Counter || Split Zone|- style="text-align:center;"...
is said to have gained its name from the school's mascot and the original formation comes from the school's offensive playbook. The Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL, for whom former West Genesee football coach Steve Bush now coaches, have used the formation successfully many times during the 2008 season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
.
Athletics
A number of West Genesee's athletic teams have won state championships. As mentioned above, boy's lacrosse has won fifteen times. Boy's wrestling and girl's lacrosse have both won five. Girl's swimming has won three times. Boy's hockey and boy's track both have won three state championships. Football, boy's golf, girl's soccer have all won one state championship. Daniel Balestra was the lone state champion for boys swimming.In the fall of 2007, the football team claimed its first New York State Class AA Championship. The team's head coach was former Syracuse assistant coach Steve Bush who is now on the staff of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Marching band
The Wildcat Marching Band is nationally acclaimed. The Wildcats have placed first in the New York State Field Band Conference Championship 32 times (30 formal championships) in the competition's 38 year history. The Wildcats have earned first place in the Falls Church Tournament of Bands and the St. Petersburg Festival of States, appeared in the Washington Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, several nationally televised Buffalo Bills and Jets games, and participated in 23 BOA regional and national shows, winning Class AA regionals 3 times.Clubs and activities
In addition to academics and athletics, West Genesee High School also offers a number of clubs and other extracurricular activities.These include Academic Decathlon
United States Academic Decathlon
The United States Academic Decathlon is an annual high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon Association. The competition consists of seven multiple choice tests, two performance events, and an essay...
, Drama Club, the first ECOS chapter (Environmentally Conscious Organization of Students), Foreign Language Clubs, Into the Mind's Eye (student literary magazine), Math League
Math League
Math League is a mathematics competition for elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States. The Math League was founded in 1977 by two high school mathematics teachers, Steven R. Conrad and Daniel Flegler. Math Leagues, Inc...
, Mock Trial, Model UN
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
, Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, R2 (Respect and Responsibility), Ski Club, Student Council and Class Senates
Student governments in the United States
In the United States, these groups are often known as student government, associated students, student senate, or less commonly a student's union...
, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Outdoor Club, and Yearbook Club.