Great Valley High School
Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania
Address
225 Phoenixville Pike

Malvern
,
Pennsylvania

United States
Coordinates40°03′24″N 75°34′02″W / 40.056763°N 75.567095°W / 40.056763; -75.567095
Information
School typePublic, Secondary
Established1962
School districtGreat Valley School District
PrincipalHeidi Capetola
Teaching staff92.82 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,319 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.21[1]
Color(s)   Blue and White
MascotPatriot
Websitehttp://www.gvsd.org/gvhs

Great Valley High School is a comprehensive, college preparatory, public high school located in eastern Chester County. It is located in East Whiteland Township,[2] near Malvern, Pennsylvania. Located on the same campus as Great Valley Middle School at 225 North Phoenixville Pike,[3] it is the only high school within the Great Valley School District.

This high school serves students residing in the Great Valley School District in Grades nine through twelve and enrolls roughly 1,150 to 1,175 students per year. The student to teacher ratio is approximately 14:1.

During the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, then-Senator Barack Obama gave a speech in Great Valley's gymnasium.[4]

Academics

Great Valley is consistently ranked among the top public high schools in Pennsylvania.[5] The Washington Post ranked Great Valley High School among "America's Most Challenging High Schools", ranking 9th in the State Of Pennsylvania.[6]

The U.S. News & World Report ranks the school 7th in the state and 613th nationally.[7] Newsweek Magazine ranks the school at 169th in the country. The College Board listed the school on the AP® Honor Roll.[8]

Students at Great Valley High School score in the top 1% in the state in Math and Science. In 2012, Great Valley High School was ranked #1 in the state for student performance in Science.[9]

Athletics Program

A logo for GVHS's athletics program

Great Valley High School is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Students are subject to guidelines and principles determined by this organization. More locally, Great Valley is a member of the Ches-Mont League and PIAA's District One region. It used to belong to the now defunct Southern Chester County League. Great Valley's largest athletic rival is the Unionville High School Longhorns. The high school offers athletics in all high school grades. In addition, it has an intramural program.

The school has been to and won various state championships. The most recent girls state championship win was by the lacrosse team in 2002, 2005, and 2015. The most recent appearance was in 2006 when the boys soccer team lost in the championship game, but they did win states in 1989, 1990, and 1993. The boys tennis team appeared in the team state championships in 2008 but lost in the semifinals. The tennis team however won states in 2018 after beating Radnor High School. In 2010, the boys baseball team made their first trip to the state tournament, winning their first game before losing in the quarterfinals. The boys cross country team placed 11th (2010), 8th (2011), and 6th (2012) in the state championship meet. In 2011, the 4 × 400 m relay of Great Valley's storied track & field program came in first in the High School Boys Suburban ChesMont 4x400 event in the Penn Relays, with a time of 3:25.51[10]

Notable events

In 1969, two students stole a corpse from the cemetery and hung it from the flag pole. Both were arrested.[11]

President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting at Great Valley High School in the gymnasium during his 2008 election campaign. The meeting was open to the public and several students won the opportunity to sit in the meeting while the rest watched a live taping of it. Two Great Valley students were selected to sing The Star-Spangled Banner before Obama and those who attended the meeting.[12]

Notable alumni

Renovation

A $36 million renovation was completed on the 1962 building in 2006. An addition was added to house the school's STEM classrooms as well as the construction of a new courtyard and lobby, with the expectation that the renovation will allow the school district to serve the Great Valley region for years to come.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Great Valley HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Zoning Map". East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  3. ↑ "Contacts." Malvern, Pennsylvania: Great Valley School District, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ Mauriello, Tracie. "Obama lays out his education proposals" (includes photo of Sen. Obama speaking at Great Valley High). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 10, 2008, p. 7 (subscription required).
  5. ↑ About Page. Malvern Pennsylvania: Great Valley School District Education Foundation, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Pennsylvania Schools - The Washington Post". apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
  7. ↑ "Great Valley High School" (overview and statistics), in "Best High Schools." Washington, D.C.: U.S. News & World Report, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ "AP® District of the Year Awards: 2nd Annual Honor Roll." New York, New York: College Board National Office, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Academic Achievement, Great Valley High School, 2013-2015 (archived copy)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  10. ↑ "The Penn Relays - April 28-30, 2011". Archived from the original on 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  11. ↑ "Clipped From The Mercury". The Mercury. 1969-05-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  12. ↑ landenbourg (2008-04-09), Barack in Great Valley, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2016-08-11
  13. ↑ "Great Valley project to go ahead A judge refused to halt the bid process on a high school renovation, despite the objections of contractors". Retrieved 2016-08-11.
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