, motto_translation = , address = 2001 Old Lincoln Highway , location = , region = , town =

Langhorne, Pennsylvania Langhorne Borough is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,622 at the time of the 2010 census. The mailing address "Langhorne" is used for Langhorne Borough, but it is also used broadly to describe the majority of surrou ...

postal address , county = (

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

) , zipcode = 19047-3240 , country = United States , country1 = , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , other_name = , former_name = Neshaminy-Langhorne High School , schooltype =

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, fundingtype = , type = , religious_affiliation = , denomination = , patron = , established = , founder = , status = , closed = , locale = , sister_school = , school_board = , district =

Neshaminy School District Neshaminy School District is a school district headquartered in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district serves the eastern Pennsylvania municipalities of Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmevill ...

, us_nces_district_id = , local_authority = , educational_authority = , category = , superintendent = Rob McGee , school_code = PA-122097502-6455 , ceeb = 392145 , us_nces_school_id = , principal = Steve Garstka , staff = , faculty = 162.40 , teaching_staff = , employees = , key_people = , grades = 9– 12 , enrollment = 2,677 , enrollment_as_of = 2020–2021 , grade9 = 694 , grade10 = 699 , grade11 = 655 , grade12 = 629 , grade13 = , ratio = 16.48 , language = , schedule_type = , schedule = , hours_in_day = , classrooms = , campuses = , campus = , campus_size = , area = , campus_type = , houses = , student_union = , colors = Red & blue , athletics_conference =

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The PIAA's main ...

, mascot = Redskin , nickname = Skins , teams = , rival =

Pennsbury High School Pennsbury High School is a public high school located in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of Pennsbury School District. With 3,206 students enrolled for the 2017–2018 school year, Pennsbury High School is the large ...

, accreditation = MSA , USNWR_ranking = , national_ranking = , publication = , newspaper = The Playwickian , yearbook = The Redskin , website = Neshaminy High School is a

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

in Middletown Township ( Langhorne post office address) in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the Englis ...

, United States. It is the only high school in the

, serving students in Middletown Township, Lower Southampton Township,

Hulmeville Hulmeville is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,003 at the 2010 census. History The Hulme family name, originally DeHoulme, is of Norman origin, dating from William the Conqueror. Members of the family originally sett ...

, Langhorne,

Langhorne Manor Langhorne Manor is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, a 55.6% increase from the 2000 United States Census, 2000 censu ...

, and

Penndel Penndel is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,328 at the 2010 census. Geography Penndel is located at (40.156109, -74.914050). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area ...

. In 2022, the school enrolled 2,677 students in grades 9 through 12. " U.S. News & World Report" ranked the school 117 out of 718 Pennsylvania high schools in 2022.

History

Before the 1950s, most of lower

was rural farmland. In 1922, Langhorne Borough and Middletown Township signed an agreement to create Langhorne-Middletown High School at the corner of Cherry Street and Maple Avenue. By 1946, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville, and Lower Southampton agreed to participate in the expansion of Langhorne-Middletown High School. However, their plan changed when William J. Levitt announced his plan to establish

Levittown Levittown is the name of several large suburban housing developments created in the United States (including one in Puerto Rico) by William J. Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning white veterans and their ...

, one of America's first planned communities, partially located in Middletown Township. Because of Levittown and other new housing developments, the district needed a new high school. Neshaminy High School opened in 1953, covering grades 7 through 12. As the district continued its rapid expansion in the 1960s, Neshaminy High School underwent multiple expansions. However, the community eventually decided that it needed a second high school. In 1975, Neshaminy-Maple Point High School opened in the district's northern end; the existing Neshaminy High School became Neshaminy-Langhorne High School. Shortly after its opening, the community saw a rapid population decline, leading to the closure of Neshaminy-Maple Point only eight years after it opened. Once again, the entire district attended a single Neshaminy Senior High School for grades 10 through 12. The former Neshaminy-Maple Point High School reopened in 1993 as Maple Point Middle School and included grade 9. In 2003, the Neshaminy School Board proposed demolishing the current school building and constructing a new facility on the same school grounds. This plan was priced at $100 million and required an $85 million tax-funded bond. In April 2004, residents voted against the new building referendum due to its cost. As an alternative plan, the school board decided to demolish sections of the school and rebuild them as the school year proceeded. This major renovation project was estimated to cost $72 million and would replace 95% of classroom facilities. The existing auditorium, gym, cafeteria, and library were not replaced because they had significant renovations as recently as 1995. When construction finished in September 2009, the school welcomed ninth graders back for the first time in three decades.

Campus

Neshaminy High School consists of a main building with a central hallway and branching hallways organized by department. There are two

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

nasiums, one at the front of the school and one at the back. The school also has two theaters. The larger Theodore Kloos Auditorium is in the front of the main building and is used by the school's music department for the annual musical, and outside groups for performances. The school's drama department uses the smaller, black box theater.

Academics

In the 2020–2021 school year, 25% of students were proficient in the English keystones, 76.7% were professional in the algebra keystones, and 85.3% were proficient in the biology keystones. These scores may be lower than in previous years due to the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The school's average graduation rate was 93%. In 2015–2016, Neshaminy students took

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(A.P.) exams in eighteen areas. In 2020, Neshaminy students' average SAT score was 1190 (600 math, 590 verbal). The average ACT score was 27.

Extracurricular activities

Neshaminy High School offers dozens of co-curricular activities, including Action Adventure Club, Anime Club, Art Studio, Book Club, Ceramics Club, Change It Up Club, color guard, concert choir, dance team, debate team, Diversity Pride Club, dramatics, Environmental Action Club, Friends Helping Friends, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Problem Solvers, Interact, jazz band and ensemble, marching band, MiniTHON, Nature Club, National Honor Society, photography, Reading Olympics, select choir, Spectrum, and World Language Club.

Gym Night

Neshaminy High School held its first Gym Night in the 1953–1954 school year. Since then, Gym Night has grown into a community-wide annual event. For the event, the student body divides into the Blue (last names A-K) and Red (last names L-Z) teams. For two nights in late winter, the two teams compete in relays and dance exhibitions designed and choreographed by the student. One team is crowned champion based on choreography, decorations, performance in relays, and sportsmanship.

Student publications

The school's student newspaper is "The Playwickian." It has received awards from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for outstanding performance. On April 2, 2014, students Jackson Haines and Emily Scott received awards from the 2014 Scholastic Keystone Press Awards contest from articles published in "The Playwickian" about the school's mascot. Haines also receive a Gold Circle Award from the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchang ...

for the same article. In July, the Pennsylvania High School Press Association awarded Journalism Teacher of the Year to Tara Huber, the adviser for "The Playwickian". Originally named "Expressions Literary Magazine", the school's "Howler" literary magazine has received the Pennsylvania School Press Association award. In addition, the school's yearbook is called "The Redskin''.

Athletics

Neshaminy High School's athletic teams compete in fall, winter, and spring sports at the ninth-grade, junior varsity, and varsity levels. The school is a member of the

(PIAA) Suburban One League. Fall sports include cheerleading, boys and girls cross country, field hockey, football, golf, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis, and girls volleyball. Winter sports include boys and girls basketball, boys and girls bowling, cheerleading, boys and girls indoor track, boys and girls swimming, and wrestling. Spring sports include baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, softball, boys tennis, boys and girls track, and boys volleyball.

Mascot

Neshaminy High School athletic teams are known as the Skins. The prior mascot was the

Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...

s.In 2012, a Neshaminy parent of Native American descent started a campaign to change the name because of its racially offensive and harmful nature. This parent spoke at numerous board meetings, though Neshaminy made no progress toward a change. As a result, a complaint was filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) in 2013. After a thorough investigation, the PHRC ruled against the Neshaminy school district, deciding that the school must change the mascot. However, the school administration appealed PHRC's ruling. On October 23, 2013, the student editorial board of the high school's newspaper, "The Playwickian", stated its intention to no longer call the team "Redskin" in its publications. The school administration responded that the student editorial board lacked the power to make this decision. In 2014, newspaper staff members received awards from the Scholastic Keystone Press Awards contest and the Gold Circle Award from the

for articles published in "The Playwickian" on the issue. In May 2014, a student submitted an opinion editorial containing the "Redskin" term. The school's Principal McGee demanded that "The Playwickian" run the piece and threatened to withdraw the newspaper's final issue if its staff did not comply. "The Playwickian" ran its last issue of the year without the article. The principal confiscated the newspaper, calling for an emergency meeting with its co-editors and restricting access to "The Playwickian's" social media and website. Later, McGee defend his actions in a statement on the school's website. On June 26, 2014, the Neshaminy School Board gave "The Playwickian" authority to ban the term "redskin" in articles, but required the paper to publish editorials and

letters to the editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional mail ...

with the term present and unedited. In 2015, the PHRC made a preliminary finding that the name Redskins is "racially derogatory" and creates a "hostile educational environment." The case then proceeded to a full committee hearing. After six years of controversy, the PHRC held a hearing in January 2019. In November 2019, the PHRC ruled that Neshaminy High School could continue to use the name but must cease using any imagery promoting negative stereotypes of Native Americans. In addition, PHRC required the school to teach its students about Native American history to prevent the use of

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

. The school district spent over $400,000 in legal fees in its campaign to retain the Redskin nickname.

Championships

The school has won several PIAA state athletic championships.

Soccer

The soccer program has four state championship titles. The boys' program won PIAA State Championships in 1982, 1984, and 1994. The girls' program won the title in 2013.

Football

The first football team was assembled in 1928 when the school was known as Langhorne-Middletown High School. Under head coach, Mike DeRisi, the football team had a to a combined record of 14-4-2 in 1946 and 1947. The team became a traditional powerhouse under head coach Harry E. Franks from 1952 through 1959, compiling a 69–10–2 record and scoring 2,203 points for 857 points against. The football team had undefeated seasons in 1954 and 1956.

John Petercuskie John Stephen Petercuskie (January 31, 1925 – April 20, 2018) was a former American football coach. Military service After graduating high school in the summer of 1942, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was trained as a radar o ...

took over the head coaching position from 1960 through 1965, leading the team to a 59–1–5 record and ad 26 shutout victories. Under Petercuskie, the football team scored 1,925 points for 410 points against; the team was undefeated between 1960 and 1965, except in 1961, with a 51-game winning streak starting in 1961 and lasting until 1965. Jack Swartz coached the team from 1968 through 1972, compiling a 43–11–1 record. The 1971 team had an 11–0 perfect record and is regarded as one of the best in Pennsylvania history. PFN rated this Pennsylvania's team of the century in 2004. In 1988, coach John Chaump took a team with an 11–0 regular season record to the semi-finals of the first-ever Pennsylvania state playoffs (statewide). Beginning in 1995, head coach Mark Schmidt continued the winning tradition with a state playoff record of 16–6, three conference championships (2001, 2005, and 2008), two conference co-championships (2002, 2004), seven state playoff appearances (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009), and one Pennsylvania state championship (2001). In addition, the 2001 football team compiled a perfect 15–0 overall record with running back Jamar Brittingham carrying the ball for in fourteen games.

Notes

Notable alumni

Ryan Arcidiacono Ryan Curran Arcidiacono ( ; born March 26, 1994) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Arch of Dimes", he has represented Italy in inte ...

, professional basketball player *

Chris Bahr Christopher Kurt Bahr (born February 3, 1953) is a former professional American football and soccer player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) and played midfielder in the North American Soccer League. High school Atte ...

, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

and NASL

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Matt Bahr Matthew David Bahr (born July 6, 1956) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League, and professional soccer player in the North American Soccer League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pe ...

, former

Len Barker Leonard Harold Barker III (born July 7, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched with the Texas Rangers (1976–78), Cleveland Indians (1979–83) ...

, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

*Jim Dumont, professional football player * Richard "Rick" M. Eccles, professional football player *

Anthony Fedorov Anatoliy Vladimirovich "Anthony" Fedorov (russian: link=no, Анатолий Владимирович Фёдоров; born May 4, 1985) is an American singer and actor who is former lead singer for the Chicago band 7th Heaven. He rose to fame as ...

, ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' contestant * James Franklin, head football coach at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

Mike Frederick Thomas Michael Frederick (born August 6, 1972) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Virginia. He was drafted in the 3rd round (94th overall) of the 1995 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Professional car ...

, professional football player *

Bob Grupp Robert William Grupp (born May 8, 1955) is a former American football punter who played for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Grupp was chosen for the Pro Bowl after the 1979 season as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Bi ...

, former

and

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

punter * Kevin Kelly,

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

Christopher J. King Chris King is a Democratic politician, who represented Pennsylvania's 142nd Representative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008. King grew up in Middletown Township, Bucks County. King is a graduate of Nes ...

, Pennsylvania legislator * Steve Shull, professional football player *

Langhorne Slim Langhorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, (born Sean Scolnick on August 20, 1980 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania). He attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase ...

, singer *

Harry Schuh Harry Frederick Schuh (September 25, 1942 – May 20, 2013) was an American football player. He was an All-American tackle at the University of Memphis in 1963 and 1964. He was the third player drafted overall in the 1965 American Football Lea ...

, former

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

* Claire Smith, award-winning baseball writer *

Steven E. de Souza Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, film and television screenwriter, producer, and director *

Daniel F. Styer Daniel F. Styer (born 1955) is an American theoretical physicist and distinguished professor of physics at Oberlin College. He is author of several books on theoretical physics. Education and career Styer obtained his B.A. from Swarthmore Colle ...

, scientist and writer * Shea Tierney, NFL assistant coach * Chris Vincent, professional football player

Notable faculty

Dick Bedesem Richard V. Bedesem Sr. (January 22, 1931 – October 6, 1999) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Villanova University from 1975 to 1980 and at Delaware Valley College from 1987 to 1991, compiling a ...

, football player and coach *

, professional football player *

, football player and coach *

Joe Plumeri Joseph J. Plumeri II (born July 7, 1943) is vice chairman of the First Data Board of Directors. He was the chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings (Willis), a New York Stock Exchange-listed insurance broker, until July 2013. The company has 1 ...

, chair & CEO of

Willis Group Holdings Willis Group Holdings plc was a multinational risk advisor, insurance brokerage and reinsurance brokerage company with its headquarters in the Willis Building in London until its merger of equals with financial services company Towers Watson ...

, owner of the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...

; taught history and coached football from 1966 to 1968

References

{{authority control Public high schools in Pennsylvania Schools in Bucks County, Pennsylvania