Vestal High School is a

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 ...

that operates as part of the

Vestal Central School District Vestal Central School District is a school district in Vestal, New York. It covers about west of Binghamton, New York, serving a portion of Apalachin, New York in addition to Vestal, New York. The former Vestal Central School was listed on the ...

which encompasses just west of

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

in the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

of New York. It is a four-year

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

which annually receives both national and state recognition for excellence in education. The high school offers Varsity and

Junior Varsity Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate level� ...

sports as well as musical opportunities in orchestra, band, and chorus. Clubs and student organizations accommodate a wide range of interests, from the physical sciences to martial arts. The mascot of Vestal High School is the Golden Bear named Bruin. Vestal High School holds an annual dance named after the mascot called the King Bruin dance, or KB. Unlike most high schools, Vestal High School does not have a Homecoming dance, but instead a football game and later in the year the King Bruin dance.

Academics

Vestal High School is one of the only two schools in the Binghamton area to offer the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

(IB) program. It has been an IB World School since January 1998.

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 ...

(AP) courses are also offered. In general, there are over 225 courses that are offered to students. Vestal High School was ranked #494 on the 2007

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 ...

list of the top 1,200 high schools in the United States based on participation of students in AP and IB programs. Many students have qualified for the

National Merit Scholarship Program The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizat ...

with a total of six finalists in 2006. A significant number of graduates have attended

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

universities. Languages taught include:

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

, and Spanish.

Diplomas

International Baccalaureate

The IB Program began during the 1999–2000 school year. The program has become increasingly popular at Vestal High School with the majority of the students taking at least one AP, IB, or Honors course. In 2005, 259 students took 327 AP exams with 200 IB exams also administered.

Scholar Certificate

VHS has introduced a new honor titled The Vestal Scholar Certificate. It offers special recognition to students who successfully complete a rigorous program of study. To be eligible, a student must take and pass a minimum of six IB, AP, or Excelsior College courses. This is to replace the Honors diploma, as it is the same thing, minus several requirements.

Regents

The Regents Diploma is the standard high school diploma received by students in New York State. It involves passing a series of Regents Examinations given by the New York State Department of Education. There is also a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation for students who are willing to take additional courses.

News

Vestal Facilities Project

The Vestal Central School District upgraded the deteriorating conditions of all the buildings within the district through a $54,841,000 project. Work began in the summer of 2006 and has since been completed. As of December 2006, both the auditorium and gymnasium were completed and open for public use. Over the 2007 summer vacation, the gymnasium floor was re-done due to improper installation. Work was completed on the school's track and football stadium partially through the fall season. As a result, the

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

game was the first game played in the new stadium. A new wing was added during the course of the 07–08 school year and was opened for students to tour during the last week of that school year. It featured many new classrooms, each with its own Smartboard and a whole-wall white board. Renovations on the pool and its associated locker room areas began in April 2007. *Reason For The Facilities Project :*All of the buildings required replacing and upgrading, especially the high school, which was built in 1960 with only minor renovations. :*More classroom space was needed to meet changing academic programs and graduation requirements :*The facilities were not designed to meet current security requirements. :*All of the athletic fields, tracks, and playgrounds needed improvement :*Auditorium space was insufficient, with only two auditoriums out of the seven buildings in the district. *Key Components of the Plan :*Renovations and building improvements at all district facilities. :*Additional classroom space at the high school and middle school. :*Construction of a 1,200 seat auditorium at the middle school :*Replacement and renovation of elementary school playgrounds. :*Construction of an eight lane track and artificial turf at high school :*New athletic fields at the high school and middle school :*Major improvements to the football stadium at the high school

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Vestal Boys' Soccer completed a 20-0 season by winning the State Class A Championship over Queensbury at Middletown High School on November 12, 2017. Vestal won 4-0 with Head Coach Dave Barr. On November 18, 2007, the Vestal Boys' Soccer team captured the Class AA New York State Championship. Despite being the second-smallest AA-classification school in New York State, the Golden Bears finished the season 21-2-1. Coach Jim Murphy was named New York State AA Soccer Coach of the Year. It was Vestal's second solo soccer state championship since 1982 and the school's second athletic state championship of any kind since the 1997 football team, the first being a men's individual swimming title captured in March 2007. The first Vestal Boys' Soccer team to capture a New York State title and be ranked # 1 in New York State was coached by George Herrick in Fall 1982. Vestal Won 2–1 in over time against Arlington. In 1985 the Boys' soccer team was Co-Champs with - North Babylon-11. At the pinnacle of the school's football program, the 1975 team was ranked #6 in the nation. Vestal Women's Volleyball is of the leading teams in the state, as well as very strong Field Hockey, Golf, and Men's Baseball teams, as of 2009. Vestal's Men's Varsity Golf Team won the Southern Tier Athletic Conference title three years in a row from 2010 until 2012, with one College signing to St. Bonaventure. The golf team had a 16–0 record in the 2010 season, 13–2 in 2011, and 14–1 in 2012. They are one of the State's leading golf teams. Sports Include: Football, Tennis, Golf, Cross Country, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Cheerleading, Soccer, Swimming, Bowling, Basketball, Indoor track, Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Track and Field, and club Ice Hockey.

Notable Clubs

Mathletes A mathlete is a person who competes in mathematics competitions at any level or any age. More specifically, a Mathlete is a student who participates in any of the MATHCOUNTS programs, as Mathlete is a registered trademark of the MATHCOUNTS Found ...

:The Mathletes are a competitive group of

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

s who participate in local meets at Johnson City High School and in the

New York State Mathematics League The New York State Mathematics League (NYSML) competition was originally held in 1973 and has been held annually in a different location each year since. It was founded by Alfred Kalfus. The American Regions Math League competition is based on the ...

(NYSML) Contest. Many members of Mathletes also qualify to participate in the New York State Mathletes Competition. In 2006, Vestal High School scored the third highest in Broome County. The Mathletes also sponsor the annual

American Mathematics Competition The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) are the first of a series of competitions in secondary school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The selection process takes place over th ...

(AMC), which is the first in the series of competitions to determine the United States Math Team who competes in the

International Mathematical Olympiad The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except i ...

(IMO). A 2004 graduate of Vestal High School,

Aaron Pixton Aaron C. Pixton (born January 13, 1986) is an American mathematician at the University of Michigan. He works in enumerative geometry, and is also known for his chess playing, where he is a FIDE Master. Early life and education Pixton was born in ...

scored a perfect score on the AMC three times from 2002-2004. He went on to the IMO in 2003 and 2004 to win a gold medal. * Mock Trial :The Mock Trial team consists of a competitive group of students who participate in imitated trials. The Vestal High School team was a semi-finalist in the 2005 statewide Mock Trial Tournament. The 2007 Mock Trial team won County Finals and Regionals and advanced to the state tournament in Albany. They placed 5th in the state at the competition under Thomas Bolton Walls. The mock trial team at Vestal is currently coached by Mrs. Teal Yajko who is also a Pre-IB English teacher. *

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

:There are two competitive

teams at Vestal (A/B). Team A has often placed in the top five at the state competition in previous few years; The New York State Science Olympiad competition is traditionally held at West Point. In the 2005-2006 school year, Team A placed first at the Goshen Invitational competition. At the Southern Tier Regional Competition, Team A came in first place, while Team B earned a fourth place finish. Team A competed in the New York State competition at West Point Military Academy on March 11, 2006. Vestal earned a fifth place finish for the second consecutive year. * Talent Fest Vestal High School is locally noted for its highly regarded annual Talent Show, or "Talent Fest". The production is one of the major highlights of Vestal student life, and has had an annual attendance of over 800 over the last few years. Vestal's Talent Fest is known for the high quality of the student acts, the charisma and professional nature of the emcees, and the traditional talent fest emcee videos featured during the introduction and intermission of the program. In 2011, Talent Fest was further highlighted by a professional video affirmation created by drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. *Other Clubs Include Odyssey of the Mind, Science Club, Science Olympiad, Chemistry Magic Show, Peace Club, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Environmental Club, Interact Club, Ski Club, Mock Trial, Yearbook Club, Spanish Club, German Club, French Club, SADD, National Honor Society, Student Government, Ice Hockey, Bible Club, Marching Band, School Musical, Winterguard, Art Club. There is also a German and French Exchange program.

Music

Vestal High School has a strong music program. Many students have auditioned successfully in the New York State Schools Music Association (NYSSMA), with a few selected into All-State Festival ensembles, and a nationwide honors orchestra at the Festival of Gold conducted by Keith Lockhart, the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Many also participate in the Broome County Music Educators Association (BCMEA) Festival and the Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO). *Band :There are several band groups in Vestal High School including a Concert Band, Freshman Band, Jazz Band, and

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

. The Concert Band consists of students in grades 10-12 who participate in yearly adjudications at the NYSSMA major organizations festival and has obtained consistent high marks there. Jazz Band is a unique group of students in grades 9-12 because nearly all the musicians in the organization are playing a second instrument. *Chorus :In addition to women's and men's choirs, Vestal High School has select vocal groups: Madrigal Choir, Jazz Choir, and Vestal Voices. The Vestal Voices is a highly selective chorus of students in grades 10-12 who often earns high marks at NYSSMA and perform at renowned concert halls such as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Members of the Orchestra and Vestal Voices take a trip every other year to be adjudicated at the

Heritage Festival Heritage Festival refers to one of about 100 music festivals held throughout the United States where middle school and high school-aged musical ensembles are adjudicated on a national standard. These groups include choirs, bands, and orchestra ...

. The top groups at the Heritage Festival are invited back for the Heritage Festival of Gold the following year to perform at an exclusive concert venue. In the spring of 2006, the Vestal Voices attended the Heritage Festival in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

and won the gold award. For the Heritage Festival in the spring of 2014 in Washington DC the Vestal Voices won 3rd Gold. *Orchestra :The Vestal High School Orchestra is a string group consisting of players in grades 9-12, under the direction of Marissa Crabb. This ensemble gets the least attention despite being the most successful in music competitions. The orchestra has performed at Symphony Hall in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The group consistently earns the gold with distinction award at NYSSMA and plays either level 5 or level 6 repertoire. The orchestra also attended the

in Washington DC and won First Gold.

Art

The art department at Vestal High School has produced some of the best student artists in the area. In 2011, many students were named finalists and runners-up at the 2011 Arnot Art Museum ceremony, including a Gold Key Award by Dillon Utter, class of 2011.

Notable alumni

* Linda Swartz Taglialatela, US Ambassador *

Laurence Leamer Laurence Leamer (born October 30, 1941) is an American author and journalist. Leamer is a former Ford Fellow in International Development at the University of Oregon and a former International Fellow at Columbia University. He is regarded as an ...

:Best-selling author and journalist who graduated in 1959 from Vestal Central High School. Attended Antioch College and the Columbia University School of Journalism. Renowned expert on the Kennedy family and author of three best-selling books about the Kennedys. * Tom Mitchell :Tom Mitchell is a 1969 graduate of Vestal High School. Mitchell is a professor at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, and is regarded as an expert in

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

, and cognitive neuroscience. *

Daniel Bursch Daniel Wheeler Bursch (born July 25, 1957) is a former NASA astronaut, and Captain of the United States Navy. He had four spaceflights, the first three of which were Space Shuttle missions lasting 10 to 11 days each. His fourth and final spacefligh ...

:Daniel Bursch is a 1975 graduate of Vestal High School. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

with a Master of Science Degree in engineering science. He is a former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut who participated in many space walks and has stayed aboard the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

. He was also aboard the final NASA shuttle expedition. * Cal Harris :A star lacrosse player at Hobart College who returned to the Southern Tier after graduation to run the family's car dealerships. After his wife disappeared on the night of September 11, 2001, while the two were in finishing a bitter divorce, Harris was tried for her murder four times in ten years before ultimately being acquitted. *

Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932) * J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...

:Peter Mark Robinson graduated from Vestal in 1975, and is an author, research fellow, television host and former speechwriter for then-Vice President George H.W. Bush and President Ronald Reagan. He is most famous for authoring the now-famous Reagan quote "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" * Steve Perry :Steve Perry is a 1981 graduate of Vestal High School. Lead vocalist, songwriter and founding member of multi-platinum rock/ska/swing band the

Cherry Poppin' Daddies The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American swing and ska band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by singer-songwriter Steve Perry and bassist Dan Schmid, the band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the course of its 30 ...

, best known for the song " Zoot Suit Riot". Perry later graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. *

Stacey Campfield Stacey Campfield (born June 8, 1968) is an American politician. He served as the Republican member of the Tennessee Senate from the 7th district, including Knoxville, Farragut, University of Tennessee, Powell and other parts of Knox County. ...

:Stacey Campfield is a 1986 graduate of Vestal High School. He is a state senator in the Knoxville area in Tennessee, who has made controversial comments regarding the transmission of HIV/AIDS. *

Brian L. DeMarco Brian Leeds DeMarco is a physicist and Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2005 he placed first in the quantum physics portion of the "Amazing Light" competition honoring Charles Townes, winner of the 1964 ...

:Brian L. DeMarco is a 1992 graduate of Vestal High School. Graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from State University of New York at Geneseo in 1996. DeMarco worked with

Deborah S. Jin Deborah Shiu-lan Jin (; November 15, 1968 – September 15, 2016) was an American physicist and fellow with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Professor Adjunct, Department of Physics at the University of Colorado; and a ...

to create the first true

Fermionic condensate A fermionic condensate or Fermi–Dirac condensate is a superfluid phase formed by fermionic particles at low temperatures. It is closely related to the Bose–Einstein condensate, a superfluid phase formed by bosonic atoms under similar condit ...

References

External links

Vestal High School Website
{{authority control 1960 establishments in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1960 International Baccalaureate schools in New York (state) Public high schools in Broome County, New York