West Chester Henderson High School (Pennsylvania)

History

The original school, named West Chester High School, was located at North Church and Biddle Streets in West Chester. The first graduating class was composed of five girls who graduated in 1866. The next graduation did not occur until 1869. Since that year, the school has graduated a class annually. In 1906, a new school was built adjacent to the old one on North Church Street. During this time the Garnet and White, the annual yearbook, was established and continues to this day. In 1923, the Student Council was created to help students and staff work together. With the expansion of athletics, the school needed room for sports fields. In 1923 a stadium was built on Penn Street and stands to this day. The stadium is named J. Oscar Dicks Stadium after the man on the School Board's Athletic Committee who helped lobby for the stadium.

On December 22, 1947, fire destroyed the school. The principal at the time was B. Reed Henderson and the rebuilt school would later be named after him. Onlookers to the fire witnessed catastrophic failure of the roof and flames estimated at 100 feet high. The community was stunned by the destruction of their beloved school. Parents from outside the district had paid extra money to send their students to the school, which was well known for its academic excellence. At the time of the fire, plans were already underway to build a new school on the property next to the athletic stadium. In the interim, students from the high school were placed in the adjacent junior high building until the new school was completed. The school operated on half days for junior high students and the other half for high school students.

In February 1951, the West Chester Joint High School was opened at the school's current location on Montgomery Avenue. The word "joint" was used because surrounding townships who send students here had helped pay for the construction. In 1954, a junior high occupied east side of the building, but became part of the high school after growing enrollment. In 1968, the school was renamed B. Reed Henderson High School after the longest serving principal of any high school in the district. In 1966, the surrounding areas officially became the K-12 West Chester Area School District. Rising enrollment once again outpaced building capacity and West Chester East High School was built. The building was renovated in the 1970s, adding a new library and second cafeteria. In later years, the auditorium was refurbished and bathrooms updated. In 2003, renovations and additions took place.

Accomplishments

Academics

Henderson is a home to many successful academic teams including the Mathematics Team, which has won numerous state math contests, the Academic Team, Science Olympiad, and Physics Olympiad. The Henderson Academic Team won the 2011 and 2012 Pennsylvania State Championship in a tournament held at the capital building in Harrisburg. Henderson also has a great variety of clubs; one of the most popular, the Astronomy Club, has recently acquired a high powered telescope through a generous donation.

Athletics

Henderson athletic teams are part of the Ches-Mont League. Many of Henderson's sports teams have had good seasons, winning numerous Ches-Monts, Districts and State Championships. These teams include baseball, boys' soccer, field hockey, football, girls' tennis, basketball, swimming, cross country, and track and field. Specifically the boys' cross country, girls' tennis, track and field teams, and the boys' basketball team have been Ches-Mont Champs for multiple years. Several individuals have been named All-Americans in their sport. Several athletes have gone on to win NCAA championships in college and several have made the Olympic Trials. In 2010, the Baseball team won the school's second Ches-Mont title, and first AAAA state championship title. The team, led by seniors Sean McCormick, John Iezzi, and Kyle Hooven, beat District 1 rival Owen J. Roberts 7-0 in the state title game. In 2007 the Varsity Hockey team won the Flyers Cup Championship and were crowned Pennsylvania State Champs at the Class A level with a victory over Penguins Cup winner Freeport, the same year their football team went on to the AAAA District 1 championships. The girls' soccer team won a national championship in 1997 and won the state championship in 1995, 1998 and 1999. They also played in the State Championship in 1996 although they lost 0-1. The boys' soccer team were the state champions in 2002 and state runners up in 2004 and 2005. The boys' cross country team won back to back state titles in 2002 and 2003 and finished second to eventual national champion Coatesville High in 2006. Currently, the team is ranked 13th in the country and 1st in the state and is looking to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) after winning the 2009 PIAA State Championship. At Nike Indoor Nationals in 2007 the boys' distance medley relay won the national championship, edging Fork Union high school by 1/2 of a second. In 1991, the 4x400 relay won the Championship of America race at the Penn Relays defeating several international teams and was the only US team to win the event between 1985 and 1996. They recently won the PIAA State Championship of 2012. In 2011, the girls' track and field 4x800m relay team, composed of Janie Augustyn, Michelle Tracy, Suzanne Sanders, and Natalie Deacon, won the state championship and broke a 29-year-old state record. The new state record is 8:55.43, which was also the fastest time in the nation in 2011.

Notable alumni