Bethel Park High School

Bethel Park High School, also called BPHS, is a four-year, comprehensive high school located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 1,937 students in grades 9–12. Set up much like a college campus, it consists of eight buildings on an 80-acre campus. Its curriculum includes ten Advanced Placement Program courses, 14 Honors courses and four foreign language programs. The current principal is Dr. Zeb Jansante. Its mascot is the Black Hawk.

Campus

The high school is one of few high schools in Pennsylvania that are comprised of more than 3 buildings. In fact, the high school was originally intended to serve dual purposes as both the high school for Bethel Park and to be a campus for the Community College of Allegheny County. The campus opened in 1959 and was extensively renovated in 1996. The high school is made up of 8 buildings, with each building being specifically for a set of subjects.

• Building 1 - Science and Health. Also homerooms for freshmen.
• Building 2 - Social Studies, Business and Foreign Language. Also homerooms for sophomores.
• Building 3 - Math, Art, Computer Science and Marketing. Also homerooms for juniors
• Building 4 - English and Family and consumer science. Also homerooms for seniors, and the location of both the principal's office and the attendance office.
• Building 5 - Technology education.
• Building 6 - Gym and Athletic Office.
• Building 7 - Cafeteria, Music, Auditorium, and Theatre arts.
• Building 8 - Media Center (Library).

Buildings 2, 3, and 4 each feature a courtyard in the center of each building. The building 2 courtyard features trees and flower gardens. The building 3 courtyard is currently being renovated. The building 4 courtyard features a fountain with a pond, benches, and flower gardens. Some teachers hold classes in the courtyards when the weather is nice.

Academics

Bethel Park's curriculum offers a wide range of academic opportunities. The school has long prided itself on its strong academics. In the 2006 Pittsburgh Business Times annual ranking of schools, Bethel Park High School was ranked # 9 out of 123 high schools in southwestern Pennsylvania. [1] 10 Advanced Placement courses are offered including, American and European History, English Literature and Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Calculus BC, Java, Spanish, French, German, and Latin. BPHS also offers 14 Honors classes and numerous electives, not limited to but including, Law and You, Democratic Leadership, Sociology, Journalism, Media Literacy, Theatre Arts, and Web Page Design. Every other year, Bethel Park also offers a course called the China Experience, which is taught by a teacher from Bethel Park's sister school Xing Zhi High School in China. Spanish, French, German, and Latin are offered as well. The average SAT score at Bethel Park High School in 2006 was 1046, compared to the state average of 993. The class of 2006 also produced 2 National Merit Finalists and 6 National Merit Commended Students and 105 students who received scholarships totaling $4.8 million. Source for all information is [2]

Notable Alumni

• Armon Gilliam - NBA player and 2nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft^[1]
• Rick Sebak - Movie Writer, Producer, and Narrator^[2]
• Matt Smith - Politician and Pennsylvania State Representative^[3]
• Mike Westhoff - NFL coach; current special teams coordinator for New York Jets^[4]
• Jim Hostler - Offensive Coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers [3]
• Tom Skladany - NFL Punter [4]
• Richard White - Voice of Gaston in Disney's 1991 animated movie Beauty and the Beast
• Gregory Clark - Director of Operations, Washington County, PA Department of Public Safety Enhanced 911 Center

References

External links

• Official website