Pierson Middle-High School is a middle and

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 ...

located in

Sag Harbor Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

, Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Serving students in grades 6 through 12, it is the sole

secondary 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 '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in the

Sag Harbor Union Free School District Sag Harbor Union Free School District is a public school district located primarily in the Town of Southampton, with a small portion in the Town of East Hampton, on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It services the vil ...

. Pierson Middle-High School currently offers students the option to take Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Pierson is one of only nine schools on Long Island to offer the IB Diploma Program. The school mascot is the "Whalers," playing homage to the village's history as a major

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

port. Students play football at

East Hampton High School East Hampton High School is a high school in East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York, United States. Located on the east end of Long Island, the school is the easternmost high school in New York State. It is part of the East Hampton Union Free S ...

as the

Bonacker Bonackers is the name for a group of people from the East Hampton Town area of East Hampton, New York. History The name traditionally refers specifically to the working class families who live in an area called Springs (never, in local parlance ...

s, in a consortium that also includes the

Bridgehampton School Bridgehampton Union Free School District is a public school district located in the Town of Southampton on Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is roughly co-extensive with the hamlet of Bridgehampton, but also serve ...

. Bridgehampton in turn sends athletes from some other sports to play at Pierson.

History

The school was completed in 1908 at the cost of $102,000. The financing was gifted by

Olivia Slocum Sage Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, known as Olivia Sage (September 8, 1828 – November 4, 1918), was an American philanthropist known for her contributions to education and progressive causes. In 1869 she became the second wife of robber baron Russel ...

and was named for her maternal ancestor

Abraham Pierson Abraham Pierson (1646 – March 5, 1707) was an American Congregational minister who served as the first rector, from 1701 to 1707, and one of the founders of the Collegiate School — which later became Yale University. Biography He was ...

, one of the early European settlers of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. For the 2018 and 2019 seasons, low enrollment in East Hampton prompted Pierson to send its football players to Southampton High School.

Academics

In the 2009 ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' magazine's annual list of the Top 1200 American

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 ...

s, Pierson Middle-High School is ranked 676th. In 2015, Niche ranked Pierson Middle-High School 49th overall in New York State with an A+ overall rating. In 2015–2016, the Sag Harbor School District was designated as a Reward School by New York State Education Commissioner

MaryEllen Elia MaryEllen Elia (born 1948) is an American educator. She served for ten years as superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida, but was fired by the school board, after a number of incidents that eroded the board's trust ...

. In 2015, Sag Harbor UFSD ranked #21 of all school districts on Long Island in average SAT score. In 2018, Pierson Middle School began offering a new course called “Preparing Learners for a New Tomorrow” or PLANT. This course asks students to assess the credibility of information, use quantitative reasoning, and "take ownership of their own learning.".

Notable alumni

Kyle McGowin Kyle Keston McGowin (born November 27, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals. Amateur career McGowin is from Sag Harbor, New York. He att ...

, baseball player *

Peter Browngardt Peter Browngardt is an American animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, writer and producer currently working as executive producer and creative director behind ''Looney Tunes Cartoons''. He is perhaps best known for being the creator of Carto ...

, American animator, writer, voice actor, and producer *Sara Hartman, musician * Fred W. Thiele Jr., American politician *

Jake Swirbul Leon Albert "Jake" "The Bullfrog" Swirbul (March 18, 1898 – June 28, 1960), was an aviation pioneer and co-founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. Biography Swirbul was born in the Yorkville section of Manhattan. His parents Freder ...

, co-founder of

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...

* William Mulvihill, author, screenwriter, teacher, environmentalist, historian

References

Sag Harbor, New York Schools in Suffolk County, New York Public high schools in New York (state) 1907 establishments in New York (state) {{NewYork-school-stub