The Northern Cambria School District is a small, rural, public

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

located in northwestern

Cambria County Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Countie ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The district encompasses: the borough of

Northern Cambria Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

along with

Barr Barr may refer to: Places * Barr (placename element), element of place names meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier' * Barr, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland * Barr Building (Washington, DC), listed on the US National Register of Historic Places ...

and Susquehanna Township. The geographic area is just . According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 8,342. By 2010, the federal census data found the district resident population had declined to 7,898 people. The educational attainment levels for the Northern Cambria School District population (25 years old and over) were 85.7% high school graduates and 16.2% college graduates. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 41.9% of the district's pupils lived at 185% or below the

Federal Poverty Level In the United States, poverty has both social and political implications. In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty. Some of the many causes include income inequality, inflation, unemployment, debt traps and poor education.Western, B ...

br>
as shown by their eligibility for the federal free or reduced price school meal programs in 2012. In 2009, the district residents’

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $13,144, while the

median family income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $32,989. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. In Cambria County, the median household income was $39,574. By 2013, the median household income in the United States rose to $52,100. Northern Cambria School District operates:

Northern Cambria High School Northern Cambria High School is located at 813 35th Street, Northern Cambria. It is a small, rural public school in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is the sole high school operated by the Northern Cambria School Distri ...

and Northern Cambria Elementary/Middle School. Students in grades K-8 attend the elementary/middle school while students in grades 9-12 attend the high school. High school students may choose to attend Admiral Peary Area Vocational Technical School for training in the construction and mechanical trades. The

Appalachia Intermediate Unit Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, C ...

IU8 provides the district with a wide variety of services like specialized education for disabled students and hearing, background checks for employees, state mandated recognizing and reporting child abuse training, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty.

Extracurriculars

The district offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive, publicly funded sports program.

Athletics

The Northern Cambria teams are call the Colts with the school colors being black and gold. The black color was adopted from the previous Barnesboro High School and the gold from Spangler High School. The Northern Cambria Track and Sports Complex (Charles Miller Track) is located behind the high school. The school football field is not at the high school, but at a site about one mile away. The school's girls volleyball team won the PIAA A state championship in 2005, 2009, 2018 & 2019. The boys basketball team won the PIAA Class B state championship in 1965. Northern Cambria High School offers the following PIAA sports: ;Varsity ;Boys: *

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

- A *

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

- AA * Cross country - A *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

- A *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

- AA *Rifle - AAAA *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

- AA *

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

- AA *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

- AA *

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

- AA ;Girls: *Basketball - AA *Cheer - AAAA *Cross country - A *Golf *Rifle - AAAA *

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

- AAA *Swimming and diving - AA *Track and field - AA *

- A Middle school sports: ;Boys: *Basketball *Football *Track and field *Wrestling ;Girls: *Basketball *Track and field *Volleyball According to PIAA directory July 2015 In 2014, Northern Cambria School District discontinued offering its own wrestling team due to a lack of participation. Students can access a wrestling program through a cooperative program with

Cambria Heights School District The Cambria Heights School District covers the Boroughs of Carrolltown, Chest Springs, Hastings and Patton as well as Chest Township, Clearfield Township, East Carroll Township, Elder Township and West Carroll Township in Cambria County, ...

District 6 championships

Northern Cambria competes in District 6 of the PIAA. In most sports, Northern Cambria is either in the A or AA classification. District championships include: * Boys A basketball 2012 * Boys AA volleyball 2011 * Girls A volleyball 2010 * Girls AA track and field 2010 * Girls A volleyball 2009 * Girls AA track and field 2009 * Girls A volleyball 2008 * Girls AA track and field 2008 * Girls AA basketball 2008 * Girls A volleyball 2007 * Girls AA track and field 2007 * Girls A volleyball 2006 * Girls A volleyball 2005 * Girls A volleyball 2004 * Girls A softball 2003 * Boys AA basketball 2001 * Boys B basketball 1965 * Boys B basketball 1964

PIAA state team championships

2009 girls volleyball state champion - Class A
The 2009 girls volleyball team won the PIAA championship at the A classification, defeating Reading Holy Name 3 sets to 0. They defeated

Nativity BVM Nativity or The Nativity may refer to: Birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus, the Gospel stories of the birth of Jesus Christ * Nativity of Jesus in art, any depiction of the nativity scene ** ''Nativity'' (Campin), a 1420 panel painting by ...

3 sets to 0 in the state semifinals. The championships were held at

Central York High School Central York High School is a large, suburban, public high school in Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Located at 601 Mundis Mill Road, it is the sole high school operated by the Central York School District. In the 2017–2018 ...

. 2005 girls volleyball state champion - Class A
The 2005 girls volleyball team won the PIAA championship at the A classification, defeating the Marian Catholic Fillies 25–8, 26–24, 25–13. They defeated the Reading Central Catholic Cardinals 22–25, 25–16, 25–17, 25–15 in the state semifinals. The championships were held at

. Northern Cambria finished the year with a record of 27–0. 1965 boys basketball state champion - Class B
In 1965 the boys basketball team (competing in Class B) won the school's first state championship, defeating the representative from Eastern Pennsylvania, Montrose, by a score of 78 to 69. The game was played at the Pitt Field House on the campus of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. Montrose was the defending state champions and also came into the game with a 53-game unbeaten streak. The Colts' victory ended Montrose's bid to tie the state record for consecutive wins. Northern Cambria finished the year with a record of 27–1, with their lone loss coming to

DeMatha Catholic High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Ca ...

of Maryland.

PIAA state championship playoff appearances

2011 boys A basketball round of 16
The 2011 team became the first boys basketball team at the school to win a boys state basketball playoff game in over 40 years. They beat Union (Rimersburg) in the first round. Tony Rocco led the Colts that game with 20 points and 11 steals. In the round of 16 they lost to Rocky Grove. 2010 boys A basketball round of 32
The 2010 team won the Heritage Conference and playoffs looked bright. However, in the first round they played Reading Central Catholic, the favored team in the state tournament to win. They kept the game close with a gap of just 7 going into the 4th quarter, but Reading deemed too much for the Colts. Northern Cambria shot a horrid 9%(3-31) from the 3-pt line, usually their specialty, or they might have pulled off the upset. Marcus Dawkins, a member of Reading Central Catholic, threw the ball off the backboard to himself on a fast break and dunked it. This team also won the Cambria Heights Christmas basketball tournament in 2009. Named to the all-tourney team was Anthony Penksa, Josh Stiles, and Tony Rocco. 2008 girls AA basketball state runner-up
The 2008 team became the first girls basketball team at the school to make the state playoffs. In the first round (the round of 32), NC defeated District 7's #7 seed

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

56–47. In the second round, they defeated District 7's #4 seed Ford City 54–18. NC defeated District 10's #2 seed Girard in the state quarterfinals 41–30 at Slippery Rock. In the Western Final, the Colts defeated District 6 rival Bishop McCort 45–42. They lost in the state final to York Catholic 52–40 at the

Bryce Jordan Center The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The arena opened in 1996 and is the largest such venue between ...

in State College. In the District 6 playoffs, NC defeated Southern Huntingdon 60–48 in the semifinals and then defeated Bishop McCort in the District 6 championship 65–48 at the War Memorial in Johnstown. 2006 girls A volleyball state runner-up
The Colts finished as state runners-up in A volleyball in 2006. Northern Cambria defeated District 7 champion Geibel Catholic in the state semifinals, defeating the Gators 25–22, 21–25, 21–25, 25–21, 15–10. The Colts then lost to Reading Central Catholic 25–22, 25–12, 25–15 in the state championship game. The championships were held at

. It was the third straight year that Northern Cambria made it to the championship match in girls volleyball (they won the title in 2005). 2004 girls A volleyball state runner-up
In 2004, Northern Cambria defeated Reading Central Catholic 25–21, 19–25, 25–20, 26–24 in the state semifinals. They then lost in the finals to district 10 champion

Cochranton Cochranton is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,124 at the 2020 census, down from 1,136 as of the 2010 census. Geography Cochranton is located on the southern boundary of Crawford County at (41.519 ...

25–17, 25–23, 25–20. The championships were held at

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

outside of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. 2007 girls A volleyball state semifinalist
The volleyball team continued its success in 2007. This time, however, the Colts fell in the state semifinals, losing to the

Cardinals, the District 10 champion, 3 sets to 1. The championships were held at

. 2006 girls A softball state semifinalist
In 2006, the Northern Cambria softball team reached the state's final four. The Colts lost to eventual state champion Blue Ridge in the state semifinals. The game was played in

Williamsport, PA Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...

. Northern Cambria lost the District 6 championship that year to Southern Huntingdon. They rebounded, however, by defeating Northern Bedford and East Juniata to reach the final four. The Colts played in the "eastern" half of the state bracket. 2003 girls A softball state semifinalist
In 2003, the Colts softball team lost to Chartiers-Houston in the state semifinals. Northern Cambria lost a 1–0 lead late in the game and lost 2–1 in eight innings. The Colts won the school's first District 6 championship in girls sports by defeating Southern Huntingdon. They then defeated Northern Bedford and

Leechburg Leechburg is a borough in southern Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. A population of 2,149 residents live within the borough limits as of the 2020 census, according to US Census Bureau. Leechburg was fo ...

to reach the state semifinals. Northern Cambria defeated Leechburg 1–0 in 13 innings. The Colts played in the "western" half of the state bracket.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Recap - 2003 Softball State Semifinals
Retrieved on 2007-7-4. 2008 girls A volleyball state quarterfinalist
Northern Cambria advanced to the state tournament by defeating Bishop Guilfoyle in 3 sets to 0 sets to win the District 6 championship for the 5th straight year. They then defeated Elderton in the first round of the state playoffs in a 5 set match. In this match-up, Elderton won the first two sets but NC rallied to take it in 5. The quarterfinal round (final 8) was played at

. The Colts finished fourth in their pool (North Star, Maplewood, and Reading Holy Name) and did not advance to the semifinals. 2009 girls A basketball state quarterfinalist
The girls basketball team finished 2nd in District 6, losing to

Bishop Guilfoyle High School Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School is an independent, private, college preparatory high school located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1922, it is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The school's motto is "Goodness, Di ...

in the d6A finals. In the first round of states, they defeated Lancaster Country Day at Central Cambria High School. They then rallied to defeat Tri-Valley High School at Big Springs High School. In the final 8, they lost a nail-biter to Benton High School. 2009 girls A softball state quarterfinalist
The girls softball team defeated

in the District 6 semifinals to earn a state playoff bid. They lost the d6 championship to Claysburg-Kimmel High School. In the first round of the state playoffs, the Colts defeated Fannett-Metal High School 4–3 at Everett High School. In the final 8, they lost to

Vincentian Academy Vincentian Academy was a Roman Catholic college preparatory school near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. In February 2020 the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth announced the school would cease oper ...

7–3. 2007 boys A basketball first round - round of 32
The boys basketball team made the PIAA playoffs by finishing fourth in District 6 A. The team lost to

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

in the district semifinals. They then lost to Saltsburg in the consolation game. In the first round of the state playoffs, the team lost to defending PIAA A champion Elk County Catholic. 2002 boys AA basketball first round - round of 32
In 2002, the boys basketball team made the state playoffs for the third straight year. The team lost to District 5's

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

. The team lost to Tyrone in the District 6 semifinals but defeated Homer Center to finish 3rd in District 6. 2001 boys AA basketball first round - round of 32
The 2001 basketball team won the District 6 AA championship by defeating Westmont Hilltop. They lost in the first round of the state playoffs to district 7's

Wilkinsburg Wilkinsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The borough has a population of 15,930 as of the 2010 census. Wilkinsburg is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was named for John Wilkins Jr., a United States Army ...

. 2000 boys AA basketball first round - round of 32

PIAA individual champions

*Janae Dunchack has won four individual state gold medals in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

competition in track and field. *Gus Yahner 2014 PIAA

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

state champion.

Conference affiliation

Northern Cambria's athletic teams compete in the

Heritage Conference Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

. Most of the schools in this conference are in Indiana County. The conference consists of the following teams: *The Blairsville High School Bobcats *The Homer-Center High School Wildcats *The Ligonier Valley High School Rams (Westmoreland County) *The Marion Center High School Stingers *The

Colts (Cambria County) *The Penns Manor High School Comets *The Purchase Line High School Dragons *The Saltsburg High School Trojans *The United High School Lions Recent conference championships include: * 2012 boys basketball * 2010 boys basketball * 2010 girls volleyball * 2010 girls track and field * 2010 boys basketball * 2009 girls volleyball * 2009 girls track and field * 2009 girls basketball * 2008 girls volleyball * 2008 girls track and field * 2008 girls basketball * 2007 girls volleyball * 2007 girls track and field * 2007 girls basketball (shared with Penns Manor) * 2007 boys basketball (shared with Blairsville) * 2006 girls volleyball * 2006 girls track and field * 2006 girls basketball * 2005 girls volleyball * 2005 girls track and field * 2005 girls softball * 2004 girls volleyball * 2004 girls track and field * 2004 girls softball * 2003 girls softball * 2003 girls track and field * 2003 girls basketball (shared with Marion Center)

References

External links

Northern Cambria School District websiteNorthern Cambria community website2004 PIAA A Volleyball Bracket2005 PIAA A Volleyball BracketPIAA District 6 websitePIAA website
{{Authority control School districts in Cambria County, Pennsylvania