West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, commonly referred to locally as South, is a four-year
comprehensive 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 ...
located in
Princeton Junction in
Mercer County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, serving students in
ninth
In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second.
Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
through
twelfth grade
Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...
s. The school is part of the
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is a comprehensive high achieving regional public school district in New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from West Windsor Township (in Mer ...
, a regional
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 ...
serving students from
West Windsor (in Mercer County) and
Plainsboro Township (in
Middlesex County). It is one of two high schools in the district, the other being
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.
Students at High School South outperform other students in New Jersey on academic performance and college admissions tests. New Jersey students score on average 1080/1600 on the
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
, whereas High School South students score on average 1351/1600.
The school offers several honors and
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 in various subject areas. The school determines both unweighted and weighted GPAs for students and does not rank students with the exception of the top five in every graduating class.
History
Prior to the school's opening, students from West Windsor and Plainsboro townships attended
Princeton High School as part of
sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...
s with the
Princeton Public Schools
Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.[The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...]
'' as the state's first high school to be developed with an "open space" plan, with open areas that could be divided off for instructional space that it said "looks more like a modern airline terminal than a high school". The school, constructed at a cost of $8 million (equivalent to $ million in ), initially served 700 students in grades 7 to 10, while the remaining students in grades 11 and 12 finished their schooling at Princeton High School through their graduation, with an expected enrollment of 1,300 once the partnership with Princeton was ended.
[Schnessel, S. Michael]
"School Bell Is About to Ring Again"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', September 2, 1973. Accessed July 21, 2022. "But for 700 high school students who live almost in the shadow of Princeton University, it will mean an adventure in innovation. The students will be attending the new West Windsor Plainsboro High School, which is said to be the state's first total “open space” secondary institution.... For the first year, the $8‐million school, which was designed by the Shaver Partnership of Michigan City, Ind., will accommodate only grades 7 through 10. In two years, it will have 1,300 students and run through grade 12. In the meantime, juniors and seniors will attend Princeton High School." Population growth in the district throughout the 1990s necessitated an additional high school. In 1997, the school was renamed by appending "South" to the school's name concurrent with the opening of
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.
Renovations and additions begun in 2006 and completed at end of the 2008-09 school year included a new gym, more parking spaces, a new cover for the pool, more classrooms, improvements on the
HVAC
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HV ...
system, and artificial turf for the football field. The estimated cost of the projects included in the referendum was $23 million. As of January 2010, all projects had been completed including the new pool 'bubble' enclosure.
Demographics
As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,614 students and 121.0 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. There were 94 students (5.8% of enrollment) eligible for
free lunch
A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with th ...
and 22 (1.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
[School data for West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South]
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
. Accessed December 1, 2022.
Notes
53.1% of students spoke
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
at home, 8.9% spoke
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
, 7.9% spoke
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
, 6.0% spoke
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
, 4.2% spoke
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
, and 19.1% spoke other languages.
Awards, recognition and rankings
During the 1992-93 school year, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School was awarded the
National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' ranked the school 129th in the nation among participating public high schools and 8th overall (and second for non-
magnet school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
s) among schools in New Jersey. In 2012, US News ranked the school 11th in the nation for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The school was ranked 132nd in the nation and seventh in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by ''The Daily Beast'' / ''
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 ...
'', with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of
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 ...
/
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 ...
courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
/
ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students. In August 2011, ''
The Star-Ledger's'' ''Inside Jersey'' ranked the school 1st among the 330 public schools in the state of New Jersey. One notable feature of High School South is that it combines both AP Physics B and C courses into a single course known as Advanced Topics in Physics Honors. This required special permission from the College Board; this was approved when AP Courses were first made. It is the only school that offers such a course.
[Program of Studies now included for High School information contained within packet on pg.30 http://www.west-windsor-plainsboro.k12.nj.us/Guidance/program_of_studies]
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', the school was ranked 9th in New Jersey and 407th nationwide.
The school was the 35th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''
New Jersey Monthly'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 62nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 16th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 21st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 9th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. The school was ranked 5th in the 2004 issue, while
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was ranked 1st during the same year.
Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 53rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 29 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (93.1%) and language arts literacy (96.5%) components of the
High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).
The school's 2010 graduating class had the second-highest SAT scores in rankings calculated by the
New Jersey Department of Education, with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South having a combined score of 1,843 on the three sections of the test, behind the 1,860 achieved by
Princeton High School students.
[Cusido, Carmen]
"Three Mercer County high schools - Princeton and both West Windsor-Plainsboro highs - are among top 5 SAT scorers in state"
''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', February 27, 2011. Accessed June 16, 2011. "Princeton High's verbal score was 611, and its writing score was 614. Princeton High students scored highest in math, with a score of 635. The school's combined score was 1,860. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South came in second, with a combined SAT score of 1,843, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was fifth with a combined score of 1,815."
In 2013, ''
U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the school 8th in the state and first in New Jersey among non-magnet schools.
In 2014, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South's varsity debate team won the Colonial Valley Conference's championships, earning the team's first conference title since it became a member in 1973.
Extracurricular activities
The school newspaper is called ''The Pirate's Eye'', which won 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 ...
Gold Medal in both 2007 and 2008. The school's radio station i
WWPH 107.9 FM shared with
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.
Athletics
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Pirates
[West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South]
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the
Colonial Valley Conference
The Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) is an athletic conference in Central Jersey composed of high schools located primarily in Mercer County, New Jersey, with one member school in Monmouth County (Allentown High School) and one in Middlesex Cou ...
, which is comprised high schools from Mercer,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
and
Monmouth
Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
counties, operating under the supervision of the
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
(NJSIAA). With 1,199 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. After High School North suspended its football program, the district received approval from the NJSIAA to establish a co-operative North / South football team starting in the 2018-19 school year. The football team competes in the Valley Division of the 94-team
West Jersey Football League The West Jersey Football League is a 94-school superconference that stretches from Princeton, New Jersey to Wildwood, New Jersey encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Confer ...
superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2022–2024.
The school mascot is the Pirate and the school colors are green and gold, with accents of black and white. From 1973 to 2003, the Pirate football team bore a "Golden Dome," or a yellow helmet, which for much of that time was blank without a decal. It changed to a green helmet with a yellow stripe down the middle. Starting in 2018, South's football team combined with High School North. Some of South's historically dominant athletic teams include both Boys' and Girls'
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 ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...
and
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
.
[
The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative ice hockey and football teams with West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.
With a decline in the number of student athletes playing football at WW-P South that would be inadequate for the school to field a team of its own, the district attempted to combine the teams from the two schools to have them operate as a single co-operative football team for the 2017-18 school year based at South HS. Given that the size of the schools is larger than the threshold established by the state for co-op programs (North is classified as Group III and South as Group IV, based on the size of the enrollment of each school), the proposal was rejected by the ]West Jersey Football League The West Jersey Football League is a 94-school superconference that stretches from Princeton, New Jersey to Wildwood, New Jersey encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Confer ...
and by the Leagues and Conferences Committee of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
, before an appeal of the decision was rejected by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education. In August 2017, the district announced that WW-P North would cancel its program. The members of the canceled program will be eligible to play for the North junior varsity football team, but will not be able to play for the South team. The West Windsor- Plainsboro High School South team and West Windsor Plainsboro High School North team merged for the 2018 season to create the WW-P football team. This combined football team was able to field a varsity, junior varsity and freshmen team for the 2018 and 2019 season
The South varsity boys' tennis squad has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of New Jersey high school tennis teams. The 2007 season was one of the more successful seasons in recent school history. Although the team did not capture the state title, it secured a #2 ranking in the state and was very close to defeating the #1 ranked team. This season also featured a South singles player to advance to the quarterfinals of the State Singles Tournament and the first doubles team to win the State Doubles Tournament. The 2007 boys' tennis team won the Central, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win against East Brunswick High School
East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school serving students in tenth through twelfth grades in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of East Brunswick Public Schools. ...
. The most dominant period displayed by the team was from 1996 to 2000, when they reached the Tournament of Champions finals for five consecutive years, and also featured singles players in the finals and semifinals of the State Singles Tournament in each of those years. The South Varsity Boys' tennis squad was ranked #2 in the state for five consecutive years during this span. In 1996 and 1997, four out of the seven players on the squad were nationally ranked tennis players. During this period, the team captured five consecutive Central New Jersey Group IV state titles, five consecutive Group IV state titles, and an unprecedented sweep, in which they did not lose one single match, of the Mercer County Tournament four years in a row. The 2000 Group IV title marked the fourth consecutive year in which the team had defeated Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East (also known as Cherry Hill East or CHE) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Cherry Hill, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as p ...
for the group title. The 2011 team won the Mercer County Tournament for its second consecutive year.
The South varsity boys' golf team has been ranked consistently by ''The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' among its Top 10 high school golf teams, in addition to success at the county, sectional, and state level. Notable seasons include the 2006 and 2007 seasons in which they captured the 2006 Cherry Valley Invitational, 2006 Mercer County Championship, placed 2nd at the 2006 South/Central Group III state sectional championship, placed 2nd in Group III at the 2006 state championship, placed 2nd at the 2007 Mercer County Championship and won the 2007 South/Central Group III state sectional championship. Over the last two years, the team has established an impeccable record: losing just 3 times and winning well over 30 matches. One of their greatest victories took place in the 2007 season against Princeton High School. These two historically bitter rivals battled for the title of dominating team in Mercer County and placed their respective state rankings of #2 and #4 on the line. At the end of the day, the South team prevailed with a victory of 186-187 that came down to the last putt of the last player of the last group. The Pirates put an end to the Tigers previous three-year unbeaten record in Mercer County matches. They finished the 2007 season as the #12 ranked team in the state.
The boys' swimming team won the Division B state championship in 1985, 1986 and 1989. The girls team won the Division B title in 1988. The girls' swim team won the Central - A state sectional championship in 2007 with a 97-73 win over Montgomery High School. The girls' swimming team also came in first place at the 2008 Mercer County Tournament, with Notre Dame in second. In the 2008-09 season saw an undefeated CVC season, and MCT first place, a sectional championship, and finally the state title, winning the Public A state championship against the top seeded Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to:
* The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia
* Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana)
* Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts
* Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts
* West ...
Blue Devils with a score of 90-80. Both the girls' and boys' swim teams were the Colonial Valley Conference Champions for the 2007-08 season. The 2010 girls' team tied 85-85 with Westfield for the Public A title, only the second time that a tie occurred in the tournament final.
The girls tennis team won the Group IV state championship in 2014, defeating Ridge High School
Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the ...
3-2 in the tournament final.
The girls' varsity cheerleading squad placed 1st in 2008 in the small division at the annual CVC cheerleading competition held at High School North. This is the first time South's cheerleaders have placed 1st in the CVC competition.
The boys fencing team was the sabre team winner in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
The boys' and girls' cross country teams have also had great success in recent years. The boys' cross country team won the Group IV state title in 2012 and 2013. South's Brian Leung was the 2007 New Jersey Cross-Country Champion and the team finished 7th in the state, the program's best season to date. The boys' cross country team also won a state sectional title in 2008 and 2019. The year 2010 marked the Pirate Boys' best cross-country season to date. They won the Mercer County Championship (snapping rival WW-P North's four-year winning streak), won the Central Jersey Group IV title, finished second in Group IV, and a strong 3rd place at the state meet, before finishing 5th at the Nike Northeast Regional.
The girls' cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 2013.
Model United Nations
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Model United Nations
Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...
program dates back to the late 1970s and consists of approximately 40 students. It is the most awarded team in the entirety of South's extracurricular program, and consistently ranks in the top 10 MUN teams in the nation. The South MUN team picks conference rosters based on open-session mocks held in the school prior to every conference. The club annually consists of two advisers and six elected officers. Typically, the mocks involve more than 100 students vying for a limited number of conference spots, with roster decisions being made by the elected officers. As opposed to other successful high school MUN teams, South delegates, once selected, conduct individual research outside of school. As a result, club meetings are almost nonexistent. South MUN consistently wins delegation awards at conferences hosted by universities such as Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
( Ivy League Model United Nations Conference), Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
, and Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
. In 2011, SouthMUN won such an award at every attended conference, winning Best Small Delegation at RUMUN, Outstanding Large Delegation at PMUNC, Best Large Delegation at ILMUNC, Best Small Delegation at North American Invitational Model United Nations, and Outstanding Large Delegation at CMUNC. In 2014, SouthMUN performed very similarly to the 2011 season, winning delegation awards at 4 out of 5 of the conferences attended, winning Best Small at William and Mary High School Model United Nations (WMHSMUN), Best Large at PMUNC, Best Large at Washington Area Model United Nations Conference (WAMUNC) and Best Small at CMUNC. It was also recognized for hosting a one-day High School Conference named SouthMUNC. In the 2017-2018 season, SouthMUN had one of its best years ever, winning best delegation awards at 4 out of the 5 national conferences attended, winning Best Small at Princeton University Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC), Best Medium Delegation at Rutgers Model United Nations (RUMUN), Best Small Delegation at the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC), and a Best Small Delegation at Cornell University Model United Nations Conference (CMUNC).
Science Olympiad
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South 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 ...
Team has been one of the best teams in the nation. In 2006 and 2007, they won 1st place in the regional and state competition, thereby earning spots in the national tournaments at Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...
and Wichita State University
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
. They placed 11th in 2006 then 6th in 2007, out of more than 50 of the nation's most talented teams.
In 2008, the team earned 3rd place in regionals, and 2nd at states, losing to rival team West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.
In 2009, the team placed 2nd at regionals, losing to North but came back at states to win 1st. They attended the Nationals competition at Augusta State University from May 15–16.
At the tournament, the team placed 13th in the nation, and 1st place in Protein Modeling. Other events in which the team placed in the top 8 were Cell Biology, Chemistry Lab, Dynamic Planet, Environmental Chemistry, It's About Time, Junkyard Challenge, Picture This and Remote Sensing. In 2010, the school placed 1st in the state and 18th in the nation at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...
.
In 2011, the school once again placed 1st in the entire state beating out its sister school, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. The High School South Science Olympiad team won Third Place at the National Tournament held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
in 2011; this is the highest honor ever achieved by High School South in this competition. The team received a Gold Medal in Dynamic Planet; four Silver Medals in Microbe Mission, Ornithology, Protein Modeling, and Sumo Bots; a Bronze Medal in Chemistry Lab; a Fourth Place Medal in Helicopters; a Fifth Place Medal in Mission Possible; and two Sixth Place Medals in Ecology and Mousetrap Vehicle. In addition, the team received a Gold Medal in Materials Science, a trial event.
During the 2012 season, South placed 1st in the state again for the 4th consecutive year and attended the national tournament at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where they placed 9th overall. South again won the New Jersey competition in 2013 and competed in the national competition in Ohio with 1st places in Anatomy & Physiology and Fermi Questions.
In 2014, South won the State Tournament for the 6th year in a row and went on to finish in the top ten at Nationals. Medals were achieved in Materials Science (gold), Water Quality (gold), Astronomy (silver), Dynamic Planet (bronze), and three other events.
In 2017, High School South once again won the State Tournament and returned to the National Tournament held at Wright State University
Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...
in Dayton, Ohio. The team placed 20th overall and won medals in Disease Detectives (6th), Materials Science (6th), Microbe Mission (5th), and Optics (6th).
In 2019, South won the state tournament and attended the national tournament at Cornell University, winning the Dupont Enterprise award and placing 14th overall.
Music and arts
The award-winning music program at South has earned state acclaim. There are currently three orchestras, two of which are philharmonic, three choirs, and three bands. In the Spring of 2007, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concert Choir toured in Russia. Over the years this program has traveled to other venues such as the Azalea Festival in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, Scotland, Austria, and Boston, Massachusetts. In 2009, the Philharmonic Orchestra and Concert Choir traveled to Austria where they performed in the famed Schloss Esterházy
Schloss Esterházy ( hu, Esterházy-kastély) is a palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, the capital of the Burgenland state. It was constructed in the late 13th century, and came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterházy family in 1622. Under Paul ...
and the Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...
in Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
. In 2011 the orchestra traveled to Hawaii where they played to honor the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other music programs including three a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
groups, two jazz bands, and the award-winning Pirate Marching Band and Colorguard. The marching band/guard have won numerous awards in regional, state, and national competitions. They placed first in 2005 in the USSBA Group II Open category. The band finished third at the 2007 United States Scholastic Band Association
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
National Championships, competing as a Group II band at M&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...
in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
on November 16, 2007. In 2011, the South Choir performed at Carnegie Hall. The 2019 ''Pieces of Gold'' yearbook received a ''Gallery of Excellence'' award from Walsworth Yearbooks.
Science Bowl
In 2010, the team secured a first-place finish at the regional tournament held in the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an energy source. It is known ...
. The team placed 9th in the nation. In the 2011 school year, the team placed 2nd in the regional competition to High Technology High School
High Technology High School (HTHS), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, United States, operated a ...
. In the 2011-12 school year, the team placed 2nd again in the regional competition, losing to Princeton High School. In the 2013 Competition the team again won first, defeating Bergen County Academies in the finals of the Winners' Bracket and the overall competition. The 2013 team went on to place in the Top 16 Nationally, winning a prize of $1000. In 2015 and 2016, the team once again qualified for the National Tournament and won a $1000 prize for placing in the National Top 16. In 2016, the team also qualified for a $500 prize for winning the Division Team Challenge.
Academic Decathlon
In 2011, South's Academic Decathlon team was ranked 1st in their region and in state and represented New Jersey at the 2011 National Academic Decathlon competition in North Carolina. In 2012, South's Academic Decathlon team was ranked 2nd in the state and represented New Jersey at the National Academic Decathlon Online Competition. South's 2013 Academic Decathlon team was ranked 2nd in the state and will represent New Jersey at the 2013 National Academic Decathlon competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Debate Team
In 2014, 2017, and 2019, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South's Varsity Debate team won the Colonial Valley Conference's championships, and became the top debate team in the conference. The school has participated in the CVC Debate League since 1973, and 2014 is the first time South has become the champion. High School South's debate team has also won a number of awards at Princeton Moot Court and on the national circuit in Public Forum Debate
Public Forum debate is a widespread form of middle and high school competitive debate which centers on current events and relies on both logic and evidence to construct arguments. Invented in the US, Public Forum is one of the most prominent Americ ...
, including qualifying teams to the Tournament of Champions in Silver Public Forum Debate in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. They commonly hold a seminar called Big Questions, where participants discuss current events topics in an effort to attract students to debate.
International science / mathematics competition
Several students from the school have been recognized for their performance in international competitions. These awards include a gold medal at the 2001 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 ...
, silver medal at the 2006 International Olympiad in Informatics
The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is an annual competitive programming and one of the International Science Olympiads for secondary school students. It is the second largest science olympiad, after International Mathematical Olympi ...
, bronze medal at the 2007 International Chemistry Olympiad The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IChO was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968. The event has been held every year ...
, gold medal / absolute winner at the 2011 International Biology Olympiad
The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a biological olympiad for pre-university students under the age 20, and is one of the most well-known International Science Olympiads. The first IBO was held in Czechoslovakia in 1990, and it has since b ...
, gold medal at the 2011 International Physics Olympiad
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967.
Each national delegation is made up of at ...
, silver medal at the 2014 International Chemistry Olympiad The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IChO was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968. The event has been held every year ...
, silver medal at the 2014 International Linguistics Olympiad
The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is one of the International Science Olympiads for secondary school students. Its abbreviation IOL is deliberately chosen not to correspond to the name of the organization in any particular language, an ...
silver medal at the 2014 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics
The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) is an annual Astronomy and Astrophysics competition for high school students. It is one of the international science olympiads.
The Olympiad was founded from a dissidence inside the ...
, bronze medal in 2015 at the International Mathematical Olympiad and a gold medal at the 2015 International Physics Olympiad.
Administration
The school's principal is Jessica Cincotta. Her core administration team includes two assistant principals.
Notable alumni
The following attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, renamed West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in 1997:
* Kevin Barry
Kevin Gerard Barry (20 January 1902 – 1 November 1920) was an Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in an attack upon a Brit ...
(born 1978), right-handed relief pitcher for Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
.
* Aneesh Chopra
Aneesh Paul Chopra (born July 13, 1972) is an American executive who served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States. He was appointed in 2009 by President Barack Obama and was at the White House through 2012. Chopra previously ...
(born 1972, class of 1990), technology executive who served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States
The United States Chief Technology Officer (US CTO) is an official in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The U.S. CTO helps the President and their team harness the power of data, innovation and technology on behalf of the American people ...
.
* Boris Epshteyn
Boris Epshteyn (born August 14, 1982) is a Russian-American Republican political strategist, investment banker, and attorney. He was a strategic advisor on the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign and has remained a close advisor to Trump ...
(born 1982, class of 2000), political strategist, investment banker and attorney.
* Eileen Filler-Corn
Eileen Robin Filler-Corn (born June 5, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates from January to April 2022, a position she previously held from 2019 to 2020. She previously s ...
(born 1964, class of 1982), member of the Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
since 2010 who was chosen to become the first woman to serve as Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
.
* Mark Flythe (born 1968), former American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
who played for the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
* Cary Guffey
Cary Guffey (born May 10, 1972) is an American former child actor and financial planner. He is best known for his debut in the role of Barry Guiler in the film ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' (1977).
Biography
Born in Douglasville, Georgi ...
(born 1972), actor who appeared in ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind
''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...
''.
* Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...
(born 1970), Academy Award-nominated actor.
* Barbara Majeski (born 1973), television personality and lifestyle expert.
* Ramesses McGuiness (born 2000), association football, footballer who plays for the US Virgin Islands national football team, US Virgin Islands national team.
* Christopher McQuarrie (born 1968; class of 1986), Academy Award-winning screenwriter, ''The Usual Suspects'' .[Arntzenius, Linda]
"Bryan Singer Film Retrospective Hosted by Marvin Reed at Library"
''Town Topics (newspaper), Town Topics'', March 29, 2006. Accessed July 14, 2015. "A series of five films by Bryan Singer, who grew up in Princeton Junction and began making films in his teens while attending the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional High School South, will be screened at the Princeton Public Library beginning on Friday, March 31, at 7 p.m.... Mr. Singer had worked on ''Public Access'' with his high-school classmate and childhood friend Christopher McQuarrie.
* James Murphy (electronic musician), James Murphy (born 1970, class of 1988), musician (LCD Soundsystem), producer (DFA Records), DJ.
* Bill Schroeder (baseball), Bill Schroeder (born 1958), former major league baseball player who is now a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers.
* Bryan Singer (born 1965, class of 1984), director of the films ''The Usual Suspects'', ''X-Men (film series), X-Men'' and ''Superman Returns'', and of the TV series ''House (TV series), House'', set at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.[
* Felicia Zhang (born 1993, class of 2011), United States figure skater in the 2014 Winter Olympics.][Persico, Joyce J]
"Plainsboro ice skater headed for Sochi Olympics"
''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', February 2, 2014. Accessed July 31, 2014. "'I love to skate,' the 2011 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South graduate said from her training camp in Ellenton, Fla., this week. "
References
External links
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South webpage
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
*
Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
School Newspaper
{{Authority control
1973 establishments in New Jersey
Educational institutions established in 1973
Plainsboro Township, New Jersey
Public high schools in Mercer County, New Jersey
West Windsor, New Jersey