West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Encyclopedia
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South is a four-year comprehensive
public high school
located in Princeton Junction
in Mercer County
, New Jersey
, serving students in Grades 9 through 12. The school is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
, a regional school district
serving students from West Windsor Township
(in Mercer County
) and Plainsboro Township
(in Middlesex County
).
The high school was opened in 1973 as West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. In 1997, the school was renamed by appending "South" to the school's name, because of the opening of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,613 students and 113 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.27-to-1.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
In August 2011, The Star-Ledger's
Inside Jersey ranked the school 1st among the 330 public schools in the state of New Jersey.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
, the school was ranked 9th in New Jersey and 407th nationwide.
The school was the 16th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 21st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 9th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. The school was ranked 5th in the 2004 issue. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
was ranked 1st during the same year.
On the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment
(HSPA), 97% of the 2009-10 class passed the verbal section, while 96% were proficient on math. The school offers several honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in various subject areas. The school does not rank students, but it uses a weighted GPA. Many students from the school are accepted to highly selective schools around the country, including the Ivy League
.
The school's 2010 graduating class had the second-highest SAT scores in rankings calculated by the New Jersey Department of Education
, with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South having a combined score of 1,843 on the three sections of the test, behind the 1,860 achieved by Princeton High School
students.
.
, which includes high schools from Mercer
, Middlesex
and Monmouth
Counties. The school mascot is the Pirate and the school colors are green and gold. Secondary school colors used as accents include black and white. From 1973 to 2003, the Pirate football team bore a "Golden Dome," or a yellow helmet, which for much of that time was blank without a decal. Now, the football team bears a "Snowcap," or a white helmet bearing a yellow pirate flag on it. Some of South's historically dominant athletic teams include both Boys' and Girls' swimming
and diving
, tennis
, and golf
.
The North-South high school rivalry is a heated affair, with the annual football game in 2007 drawing nearly 8,000 spectators from two towns with a combined population slightly larger than 40,000. North won the 2007 edition, 21-9, to even the all time series at 3-3. The loss was the Pirates only defeat until they lost the Sectional Championship Game to Howell High School. South won in 2008 with a 49-13 victory over North.
There is also an older rivalry with Hightstown High School
called "The War of the Windsors", an annual football game in which the winner takes home "The Mayor's Trophy."
The South Varsity Boys' tennis squad has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of New Jersey high school tennis teams. The 2007 season was one of the more successful seasons in recent school history. Although the team did not capture the state title, it secured a #2 ranking in the state and was very close to defeating the #1 ranked team. This season also featured a South singles player to advance to the quarterfinals of the State Singles Tournament and the first doubles team to win the State Doubles Tournament. The 2007 boys tennis team won the Central, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win against East Brunswick High School
. The most dominant period displayed by the team was from 1996 to 2000, when they reached the Tournament of Champions
finals for five consecutive years, and also featured singles players in the finals and semifinals of the State Singles Tournament in each of those years. The South Varsity Boy's tennis squad was ranked #2 in the state for five consecutive years during this span. In 1996 and 1997, four out of the seven players on the squad were nationally ranked tennis players. During this period, the team captured five consecutive Central New Jersey Group IV state titles, five consecutive Group IV state titles, and an unprecedented sweep, in which they did not lose one single match, of the Mercer County Tournament four years in a row. The 2000 Group IV title marked the fourth consecutive year in which the team had defeated Cherry Hill High School East
for the group title. The 2011 team won the Mercer County Tournament for its second consecutive year.
The South Varsity Boys' golf team is one of the top programs in the state and is widely recognized for its accomplishments. Ranking consistently within The Star-Ledger
s Top 10 high school golf teams, they have exhibited tremendous success at the county, sectional, and state level. Notable seasons include the 2006 and 2007 seasons in which they captured the 2006 Cherry Valley Invitational, 2006 Mercer County Championship, placed 2nd at the 2006 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship, placed 2nd in Group III at the 2006 State Championship, placed 2nd at the 2007 Mercer County Championship and won the 2007 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship. Over the last two years, the team has established an impeccable record: losing just 3 times and winning well over 30 matches. One of their greatest victories took place in the 2007 season against Princeton High School. These two historically bitter rivals battled for the title of dominating team in Mercer County and placed their respective state rankings of #2 and #4 on the line. At the end of the day, the South team prevailed with a stunning victory of 186-187 that came down to the last putt of the last player of the last group. The Pirates put an end to the Tigers previous three-year unbeaten record in Mercer County matches. They exited the 2007 season as the #12 ranked team in the state.
The girls swim team won the Central - A state sectional championship with a 97-73 win over Montgomery High School. The girls' swimming team also came in first place at the 2008 Mercer County Tournament, with Notre Dame in second. In the 2008-09 season saw an undefeated CVC season, and MCT first place, a sectional championship, and finally the state title, winning the Public A state championship against the top seeded Westfield High School
Blue Devils with a score of 90-80. Both the girls' and boys' swim teams were the Colonial Valley Conference Champions for the 2007-08 season. The 2010 girls team tied 85-85 with Westfield for the Public A title, only the second time that a tie occurred in the tournament final.
The girls varsity cheerleading squad placed 1st in 2008 in the small division at the annual CVC cheerleading competition held at High School North. This is the first time South's cheerleaders have placed 1st in the CVC competition.
The boy and girls cross country
teams have also had great success in recent years. South's own Brian Leung was the 2007 New Jersey Cross-Country Champion and the team finished 7th in the state, the program's best season to date. The boys cross country team also won a state sectional title in 2008.
The year 2010 marked the Pirate Boys' best cross-country season to date. They won the Mercer County Championship (snapping rival WW-P North
's four-year winning streak), won the Central Jersey Group IV title, finished second in Group IV, and a strong 3rd place at the state meet, before finishing 5th at the Nike Northeast Regional.
program dates back to the late 1970s and consists of approximately 40 students between grades 9-12. The South MUN team picks conference rosters based on open-session mocks held in the school prior to every conference. The club annually consists of two advisers and five elected officers. Typically, the mocks involve more than 100 students vying for a limited number of conference spots, with roster decisions being made by the elected officers. As opposed to other successful high school MUN teams, South delegates, once selected, conduct individual research outside of school. As a result, club meetings are almost nonexistent. South MUN consistently wins delegation awards at conferences hosted by universities such as Princeton University
, University of Pennsylvania
(Ivy League Model United Nations Conference), Georgetown University
, George Washington University
, Johns Hopkins University
, and Cornell University
. In 2011, SouthMUN won such an award at every attended conference, winning Best Small Delegation at RUMUN, Outstanding Large Delegation at PMUNC, Best Large Delegation at ILMUNC, Best Small Delegation at North American Invitational Model United Nations
, and Outstanding Large Delegation at CMUNC.
As of now, SouthMUN is currently ranked third in the nation by MUN blog Best Delegate.
Team has been one of the best teams in the nation. In 2006 and 2007, they won 1st place in the regional and state competition, thereby earning spots in the national tournaments at Indiana University Bloomington
and Wichita State University
. They placed 11th in 2006 then 6th in 2007, out of more than 50 of the nation's most talented teams.
In 2008, the team earned 3rd place in regionals, and 2nd at states, losing to rival team West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
.
In 2009, the team placed 2nd at regionals, losing to North but came back at states to win 1st. They attended the Nationals competition at Augusta State University
from May 15–16.
At the tournament, the team placed 13th in the nation, and 1st place in Protein Modeling. Other events in which the team placed in the top 8 were Cell Biology, Chemistry Lab, Dynamic Planet, Environmental Chemistry, It's About Time, Junkyard Challenge, Picture This and Remote Sensing. In 2010, the school placed 1st in the state and 18th in the nation at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
In 2011, the School once again placed 1st in the entire state beating out its sister school, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The High School South Science Olympiad team won Third Place at the National Tournament held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011; this is the highest honor ever achieved by High School South in this competition. The team received a Gold Medal in Dynamic Planet; four Silver Medals in Microbe Mission, Ornithology, Protein Modeling, and Sumo Bots; a Bronze Medal in Chemistry Lab; a Fourth Place Medal in Helicopters; a Fifth Place Medal in Mission Possible; and two Sixth Place Medals in Ecology and Mousetrap Vehicle. In addition, the team received a Gold Medal in Materials Science, a trial event.
, Scotland, Austria, and Boston, Massachusetts. This year they will be going to Hawaii. Other music programs including three a cappella
groups, two jazz bands, and the award-winning Pirate Marching Band and Colorguard. The marching band/guard have won numerous awards in regional, state, and national competitions. They placed first in 2005 in the USSBA Group II Open category. The band finished third at the 2007 United States Scholastic Band Association
National Championships, competing as a Group II band at M&T Bank Stadium
in Baltimore, Maryland on November 16, 2007. In 2011, the South Choir performed at Carnegie Hall.
. The team placed 9th in the nation. In the 2011 school year, the team placed 2nd in the regional competition.
At regionals, 7 out of 9 of their decathletes were named best overall decathletes.
At states, 5 out of 9 were named best overall decathletes.
Jeffrey Kuan set a new record and initiated the "1000-point Club."
Ming-Ming Tran was honored with the Reinauer Scholarship, awarded to the top scoring decathlete in New Jersey, one of two students at the school to win the award.
, Ante Qu a 2011 Gold Medalist at the International Physics Olympiad
, Sofia Izmailov was 2007 Bronze Medalist at the International Chemistry Olympiad
. Bohua Zhan was a 2006 Silver Medalist at International Olympiad in Informatics
. and Ian Le was a 2001 Gold Medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad
.
robotics team with High School North, where it was founded in 2006. The team is listed as Team 1923, and goes by the nickname "The MidKnight Inventors". They compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition
. The team has been very successful in its previous years by winning New Jersey Regional in 2009 and the prestigious award of Engineering Inspiration at Boston Regional in 2010. The team has qualified for the FIRST Robotics World Championships for the past three seasons. The team has a rigorous 6-week build season under FIRST guidelines after the kickoff in January when the game is revealed, and competes in various competitions in March and April.
in the Borough of Princeton
. In the 1990s, population growth in the district necessitated an additional high school, and in 1997 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
was built and "South" was added on to the end in order to help differentiate between the two.
system, and artificial turf for the football field. The improvements were done in stages starting with the 2006-2007 school year, with completion expected by the end of 2008. The estimated cost of the projects included in the referendum was $23 million. As of now, January 2010, all projects have been completed including the new pool "bubble" enclosure. However, even as the aforementioned improvements have occurred, the school still continues to lack parking space, classroom space, internal infrastructure, including hallway maintenance and maneuverability, and a fully functioning HVAC system.
Comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
public high school
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 Princeton Junction
Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Princeton Junction is also a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak station on the Northeast Corridor line.Princeton Junction is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within West Windsor Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey...
in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, serving students in Grades 9 through 12. The school is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is a regional school district in New Jersey, serving students from West Windsor Township and Plainsboro Township ....
, a regional school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving students from West Windsor Township
West Windsor Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of Census 2010, West Windsor had a population of 27,165. The median age was 39.6. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 54.9% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 37.7% Asian, 1.0% some other race and 2.6% reporting two or more races...
(in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
) and Plainsboro Township
Plainsboro Township, New Jersey
Plainsboro Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 20,215.Plainsboro was incorporated as a township on May 6, 1919...
(in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
).
The high school was opened in 1973 as West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. In 1997, the school was renamed by appending "South" to the school's name, because of the opening of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,613 students and 113 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.27-to-1.
Awards and recognition
During the 1992-93 school year, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
In August 2011, The Star-Ledger's
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
Inside Jersey ranked the school 1st among the 330 public schools in the state of New Jersey.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, the school was ranked 9th in New Jersey and 407th nationwide.
The school was the 16th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 21st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 9th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. The school was ranked 5th in the 2004 issue. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
was ranked 1st during the same year.
On the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment
High School Proficiency Assessment
The High School Proficiency Assessment is a standardized test administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey high school students in March of their junior year...
(HSPA), 97% of the 2009-10 class passed the verbal section, while 96% were proficient on math. The school offers several honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in various subject areas. The school does not rank students, but it uses a weighted GPA. Many students from the school are accepted to highly selective schools around the country, including the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
.
The school's 2010 graduating class had the second-highest SAT scores in rankings calculated by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
, with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South having a combined score of 1,843 on the three sections of the test, behind the 1,860 achieved by Princeton High School
Princeton High School (New Jersey)
Princeton High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Princeton Regional Schools district, which serves all public school students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township...
students.
Extracurricular activities
The school newspaper is called The Pirate's Eye, which won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal award in 2007 and again in 2008. The school's radio station is WWPH 107.9 FM, shared with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School NorthWest Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
.
Athletics
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Pirates participate in the Colonial Valley ConferenceColonial Valley Conference
The Colonial Valley Conference is an athletic conference in Central Jersey composed of a group of high schools located primarily in Mercer County, New Jersey, with one member school in Monmouth County and one in Middlesex County...
, which includes high schools from Mercer
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, Middlesex
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
and Monmouth
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
Counties. The school mascot is the Pirate and the school colors are green and gold. Secondary school colors used as accents include black and white. From 1973 to 2003, the Pirate football team bore a "Golden Dome," or a yellow helmet, which for much of that time was blank without a decal. Now, the football team bears a "Snowcap," or a white helmet bearing a yellow pirate flag on it. Some of South's historically dominant athletic teams include both Boys' and Girls' 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...
and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, 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...
, and 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....
.
The North-South high school rivalry is a heated affair, with the annual football game in 2007 drawing nearly 8,000 spectators from two towns with a combined population slightly larger than 40,000. North won the 2007 edition, 21-9, to even the all time series at 3-3. The loss was the Pirates only defeat until they lost the Sectional Championship Game to Howell High School. South won in 2008 with a 49-13 victory over North.
There is also an older rivalry with Hightstown High School
Hightstown High School
Hightstown High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from three communities in Mercer County and Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the East Windsor Regional School District. Students come from East...
called "The War of the Windsors", an annual football game in which the winner takes home "The Mayor's Trophy."
The South Varsity Boys' tennis squad has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of New Jersey high school tennis teams. The 2007 season was one of the more successful seasons in recent school history. Although the team did not capture the state title, it secured a #2 ranking in the state and was very close to defeating the #1 ranked team. This season also featured a South singles player to advance to the quarterfinals of the State Singles Tournament and the first doubles team to win the State Doubles Tournament. The 2007 boys tennis team won the Central, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win against East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school serving students in grades 10 through 12 in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, operating as part of East Brunswick Public Schools. The school was recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in the 1990-91...
. The most dominant period displayed by the team was from 1996 to 2000, when they reached the Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (NJSIAA)
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions is the sports tournament for New Jersey high schools that determines which high school will be crowned as the #1 overall team in the state for each sport...
finals for five consecutive years, and also featured singles players in the finals and semifinals of the State Singles Tournament in each of those years. The South Varsity Boy's tennis squad was ranked #2 in the state for five consecutive years during this span. In 1996 and 1997, four out of the seven players on the squad were nationally ranked tennis players. During this period, the team captured five consecutive Central New Jersey Group IV state titles, five consecutive Group IV state titles, and an unprecedented sweep, in which they did not lose one single match, of the Mercer County Tournament four years in a row. The 2000 Group IV title marked the fourth consecutive year in which the team had defeated Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Cherry Hill Public Schools...
for the group title. The 2011 team won the Mercer County Tournament for its second consecutive year.
The South Varsity Boys' golf team is one of the top programs in the state and is widely recognized for its accomplishments. Ranking consistently within The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
s Top 10 high school golf teams, they have exhibited tremendous success at the county, sectional, and state level. Notable seasons include the 2006 and 2007 seasons in which they captured the 2006 Cherry Valley Invitational, 2006 Mercer County Championship, placed 2nd at the 2006 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship, placed 2nd in Group III at the 2006 State Championship, placed 2nd at the 2007 Mercer County Championship and won the 2007 South/Central Group III State Sectional Championship. Over the last two years, the team has established an impeccable record: losing just 3 times and winning well over 30 matches. One of their greatest victories took place in the 2007 season against Princeton High School. These two historically bitter rivals battled for the title of dominating team in Mercer County and placed their respective state rankings of #2 and #4 on the line. At the end of the day, the South team prevailed with a stunning victory of 186-187 that came down to the last putt of the last player of the last group. The Pirates put an end to the Tigers previous three-year unbeaten record in Mercer County matches. They exited the 2007 season as the #12 ranked team in the state.
The girls swim team won the Central - A state sectional championship with a 97-73 win over Montgomery High School. The girls' swimming team also came in first place at the 2008 Mercer County Tournament, with Notre Dame in second. In the 2008-09 season saw an undefeated CVC season, and MCT first place, a sectional championship, and finally the state title, winning the Public A state championship against the top seeded Westfield High School
Westfield High School (New Jersey)
Westfield Senior High School, or simply, Westfield High School is the only public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Westfield Public Schools. It was established in the early 1900s at its original location on Elm Street until 1951 when it was...
Blue Devils with a score of 90-80. Both the girls' and boys' swim teams were the Colonial Valley Conference Champions for the 2007-08 season. The 2010 girls team tied 85-85 with Westfield for the Public A title, only the second time that a tie occurred in the tournament final.
The girls varsity cheerleading squad placed 1st in 2008 in the small division at the annual CVC cheerleading competition held at High School North. This is the first time South's cheerleaders have placed 1st in the CVC competition.
The boy and girls 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...
teams have also had great success in recent years. South's own Brian Leung was the 2007 New Jersey Cross-Country Champion and the team finished 7th in the state, the program's best season to date. The boys cross country team also won a state sectional title in 2008.
The year 2010 marked the Pirate Boys' best cross-country season to date. They won the Mercer County Championship (snapping rival WW-P North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
's four-year winning streak), won the Central Jersey Group IV title, finished second in Group IV, and a strong 3rd place at the state meet, before finishing 5th at the Nike Northeast Regional.
Model United Nations
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Model United NationsModel 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....
program dates back to the late 1970s and consists of approximately 40 students between grades 9-12. The South MUN team picks conference rosters based on open-session mocks held in the school prior to every conference. The club annually consists of two advisers and five elected officers. Typically, the mocks involve more than 100 students vying for a limited number of conference spots, with roster decisions being made by the elected officers. As opposed to other successful high school MUN teams, South delegates, once selected, conduct individual research outside of school. As a result, club meetings are almost nonexistent. South MUN consistently wins delegation awards at conferences hosted by universities such as Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(Ivy League Model United Nations Conference), Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. In 2011, SouthMUN won such an award at every attended conference, winning Best Small Delegation at RUMUN, Outstanding Large Delegation at PMUNC, Best Large Delegation at ILMUNC, Best Small Delegation at North American Invitational Model United Nations
North American Invitational Model United Nations
The North American Invitational Model United Nations, or NAIMUN, is one of the oldest Model UN simulations for high school students in North America. Since 1963, the conference has been a forum in which a dynamic range of young students come from around the world to seek, through discussion,...
, and Outstanding Large Delegation at CMUNC.
As of now, SouthMUN is currently ranked third in the nation by MUN blog Best Delegate.
Science Olympiad
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Science OlympiadScience Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
Team has been one of the best teams in the nation. In 2006 and 2007, they won 1st place in the regional and state competition, thereby earning spots in the national tournaments at Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
and Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
. They placed 11th in 2006 then 6th in 2007, out of more than 50 of the nation's most talented teams.
In 2008, the team earned 3rd place in regionals, and 2nd at states, losing to rival team West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
.
In 2009, the team placed 2nd at regionals, losing to North but came back at states to win 1st. They attended the Nationals competition at Augusta State University
Augusta State University
Augusta State University is a public university located in Augusta, Georgia, United States and is the oldest institution in the state of Georgia ....
from May 15–16.
At the tournament, the team placed 13th in the nation, and 1st place in Protein Modeling. Other events in which the team placed in the top 8 were Cell Biology, Chemistry Lab, Dynamic Planet, Environmental Chemistry, It's About Time, Junkyard Challenge, Picture This and Remote Sensing. In 2010, the school placed 1st in the state and 18th in the nation at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
In 2011, the School once again placed 1st in the entire state beating out its sister school, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The High School South Science Olympiad team won Third Place at the National Tournament held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011; this is the highest honor ever achieved by High School South in this competition. The team received a Gold Medal in Dynamic Planet; four Silver Medals in Microbe Mission, Ornithology, Protein Modeling, and Sumo Bots; a Bronze Medal in Chemistry Lab; a Fourth Place Medal in Helicopters; a Fifth Place Medal in Mission Possible; and two Sixth Place Medals in Ecology and Mousetrap Vehicle. In addition, the team received a Gold Medal in Materials Science, a trial event.
Music and arts
The award-winning music program at South has earned state acclaim. There are currently three orchestras, two of which are philharmonic, two choirs, and three bands. In the Spring of 2007, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concert Choir toured in Russia. Over the years this program has traveled to other venues such as the Azalea Festival in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Scotland, Austria, and Boston, Massachusetts. This year they will be going to Hawaii. Other music programs including three a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
groups, two jazz bands, and the award-winning Pirate Marching Band and Colorguard. The marching band/guard have won numerous awards in regional, state, and national competitions. They placed first in 2005 in the USSBA Group II Open category. The band finished third at the 2007 United States Scholastic Band Association
United States Scholastic Band Association
The United States Scholastic Band Association was formed in the Fall of 1988 to provide high school band programs with a competitive circuit featuring top judges from across the continent and a venue for the US Scholastic Band Championship....
National Championships, competing as a Group II band at M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Served by the Hamburg Street station of...
in Baltimore, Maryland on November 16, 2007. In 2011, the South Choir performed at Carnegie Hall.
Science Bowl
In 2010, the team secured a first place finish at the regionals held in the Princeton Plasma Physics LaboratoryPrinceton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an...
. The team placed 9th in the nation. In the 2011 school year, the team placed 2nd in the regional competition.
Academic Decathlon
On March 11, 2011, South's Academic Decathlon team was ranked 1st in their region and in state and represented New Jersey at the 2011 National Academic Decathlon competition in North Carolina.At regionals, 7 out of 9 of their decathletes were named best overall decathletes.
At states, 5 out of 9 were named best overall decathletes.
Jeffrey Kuan set a new record and initiated the "1000-point Club."
Ming-Ming Tran was honored with the Reinauer Scholarship, awarded to the top scoring decathlete in New Jersey, one of two students at the school to win the award.
International science / mathematics competition
A number of students from the school have been recognized for their performance in international competition. Rebecca Shi was a 2011 Gold Medalist and the 1st place winner at the International Biology OlympiadInternational Biology Olympiad
The International Biology Olympiad is a science olympiad for students in sixth form . The first academic international Olympiads after the International Mathematical Olympiad were launched under the auspices of the United Nations in the 1960s...
, Ante Qu a 2011 Gold Medalist at the International Physics Olympiad
International Physics Olympiad
The International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
, Sofia Izmailov was 2007 Bronze Medalist at the International Chemistry Olympiad
International Chemistry Olympiad
The International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads....
. Bohua Zhan was a 2006 Silver Medalist at International Olympiad in Informatics
International Olympiad in Informatics
The International Olympiad in Informatics is an annual computer science competition for secondary school students. The first IOI was held in 1989 in Pravetz, Bulgaria....
. and Ian Le was a 2001 Gold Medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad
International Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
.
FIRST Robotics
High School South shares a FIRSTFirst
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
robotics team with High School North, where it was founded in 2006. The team is listed as Team 1923, and goes by the nickname "The MidKnight Inventors". They compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
. The team has been very successful in its previous years by winning New Jersey Regional in 2009 and the prestigious award of Engineering Inspiration at Boston Regional in 2010. The team has qualified for the FIRST Robotics World Championships for the past three seasons. The team has a rigorous 6-week build season under FIRST guidelines after the kickoff in January when the game is revealed, and competes in various competitions in March and April.
History
Before the opening of the school in 1973, students were sent to Princeton High SchoolPrinceton High School (New Jersey)
Princeton High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Princeton Regional Schools district, which serves all public school students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township...
in the Borough of Princeton
Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
The Borough of Princeton is a borough and is one of the two municipalities making up Princeton, New Jersey. It lies in Mercer County, New Jersey, and is completely surrounded by Princeton Township, from which it was formed in 1894...
. In the 1990s, population growth in the district necessitated an additional high school, and in 1997 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
was built and "South" was added on to the end in order to help differentiate between the two.
Schedule
The high school operates on a rotating class schedule from 7:40 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. daily. Classes are an hour long with a 5 minute passing period between classes. Lunch is at the same time for all students from 10:54 to 11:35 (because of this, seniors are allowed to leave school for lunch to reduce crowds). There are three classes before lunch and three after lunch. The schedule cycle is 4 days. On an A-Day, classes 1, 4, 3, 5, 8, and 7 meet, with 2nd and 6th period missed. On a B-Day, classes 2, 1, 4, 6, 5, and 8 meet, with 3rd and 7th period missed. C and D Days follow the same pattern. If a science class requires lab time, 20 minutes of the lunch period are used once every four days, following the 4-day cycle, thus allowing for a six-credit course instead of the traditional five-credit course. AP Chemistry/Biology and AP Physics are seven-credit courses since the lab time extends into the full hour of study hall instead of lunch once every four days.Referendum
A district-wide referendum was passed in January 2006, which resulted in many improvements for High School South. Among those were a new gym, more parking spaces, a new cover for the pool, more classrooms, improvements on the HVACHVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
system, and artificial turf for the football field. The improvements were done in stages starting with the 2006-2007 school year, with completion expected by the end of 2008. The estimated cost of the projects included in the referendum was $23 million. As of now, January 2010, all projects have been completed including the new pool "bubble" enclosure. However, even as the aforementioned improvements have occurred, the school still continues to lack parking space, classroom space, internal infrastructure, including hallway maintenance and maneuverability, and a fully functioning HVAC system.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Roseann Bonino - Principal
- Robert Banks, Assistant Principal
- Donna Gibbs-Nini, Assistant Principal
Notable alumni
The following attended what is now West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South:- Kevin Barry (born 1978), right-handed relief pitcher for Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. - Aneesh ChopraAneesh ChopraAneesh Paul Chopra is the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States .Chopra previously served as Virginia’s fourth Secretary of Technology. Prior to his government service, Chopra was Managing Director for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals and...
(born 1972), Chief Technology Officer of the United States. - Cary GuffeyCary GuffeyCary Guffey is a former American child actor. He is best remembered for his debut in the role of Barry Guiler in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind .-Biography:...
(born 1972), actor, Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
. - Ethan HawkeEthan HawkeEthan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
(born 1970), Oscar-nominated actor. - Christopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrie is an American screenwriter, producer and director. His screenplays include The Usual Suspects, for which he won the 1996 Academy Award, The Way of the Gun and Valkyrie....
(born 1968), writer/director The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
and The Way of the GunThe Way of the GunThe Way of the Gun is a 2000 American film produced by Kenneth Kokin, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs, Nicky Katt, and James Caan. It is considered a cult film. To date, this is the only film that McQuarrie has...
. - James Murphy (born 1970), musician (LCD SoundsystemLCD SoundsystemLCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
), producer (DFA RecordsDFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
), DJ - Bill SchroederBill Schroeder (baseball)Bill Schroeder is a former Major League Baseball player and a current television sports broadcaster...
(born 1958), former major league baseball player who is now a broadcaster for the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. - Bryan SingerBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
(born 1965), director of the films The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
, X-MenX-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
and Superman ReturnsSuperman ReturnsSuperman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
, and of the TV series HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, which is set at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.
External links
- School website
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
- West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South webpage
- Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- School Newspaper
- South Choir website
- South Model United Nations website