Pittsford Mendon High School
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| Built | 1972 |
|---|---|
| School District | Pittsford Central |
| Grade Levels | 9 through 12 |
| Principal | Karl Thielking |
| Assistant Principals | Frances Siraguse Suzanne Remington |
| Enrollment | 959 |
Pittsford Mendon High School is a high school in suburban Rochester, Monroe County, upstate New York.
The school
One of two high schools in the Pittsford school district (the other being Pittsford Sutherland High School), Pittsford Mendon is located at 472 Mendon Road (from which the school gets its name). Located near the town of Mendon, New York, Pittsford Mendon High School has consistently been ranked as one of the top 100 high schools in the nation according to an annual listing in Newsweek. Currently, Pittsford Mendon holds the number 58 spot on the list. Pittsford Sutherland is currently 61 on the list. In 2005, Pittsford Mendon held the number 39 spot on the list while Pittsford Sutherland held the number 78 spot.
Academics
Mendon is consistently on the Newsweek Top 100 list for High Schools in the United States. Mendon offers a variety of courses, with numerous Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Science, English, Social Studies, Math, Art, Foreign Language, and Music. Some contest that the reason for Mendon's excellence in both the quality and quantity of AP courses is the freedom allowed to students after the exams. Unlike most students in New York State, Mendon students were not required to attend their AP classes after the AP exam has been taken, encouraging many students to take courses they would not otherwise have enrolled in. In the 2006-2007 school year this policy was ended by the district to mixed criticism by teachers and students. Rumours that Principal Karl Thielking ended the policy are completely false, given that neighboring Sutherland High also ended the policy. It remains to be seen how this new AP policy will affect Mendon students' AP scores and course load.
As of December 20, 2006, alumni can no longer visit Mendon until 2:30pm due to disruptive behavior by two drunken alumni. These former students of the school were visiting friends and teachers during school hours and disrupted classes excessively enough to cause Thielking to ban alumni visitations until after school hours.
Activities
Mendon Theatre
In the summer of 2005, Pittsford Musicals held its production of the award-winning musical Cats, the country's first non-professional performance of the Broadway show. In the spring of 2006, Pittsford Mendon High School opened its production of the award-winning musical Miss Saigon, the first such performance by an American high school. In recent years, Mendon has consistently performed challenging yet rewarding shows, such as Jekyll & Hyde, Les Misérables, and Beauty and the Beast The theatre department is currently led by David M. Brown.
Athletics
In the winter of 2002-2003, Mendon Basketball won its first Section V championship in 20 years. Cheered on by members of Mendon Madness, the school's Fan Club (similar to the Cameron Crazies at Duke), the Vikings had an unforgettable season. The boys' and girls' soccer teams consistently perform well, routinely winning League and Sectional titles. In 2003, Mendon Girls soccer won the Section V title, defeating long term rival Aquinas. In 2005-2006 the boys' soccer team won the Sectional and State Titles. Also of notable mention is the boys' swimming team, which has a current win streak of over 100 meets spanning several years and including several state titles.
Extracurriculars
Pittsford Mendon High School has a number of competitive academic clubs. Mendon's Federal Reserve Challenge team consistently places first in New York State, and won the national competition in 2005. Many of this team's alumni go on to some of the United States' most elite colleges, applying their skills to careers in finance and related fields.
Student Council
Throughout the course of time, the student council has represented the diverse viewpoints of Pittsford Mendon High School students. Prior to the 2004 elections for 2005 student council seats, students were allowed to give speeches in front of the entire school. Student Council at Mendon is unique, because of the All-School Student Council. All-School Student Council has a President, Vice President, Secretary , and Treasurer. These same positions exist for each the class-specific student councils. The All-School Student council holds monthly meetings.
Notable alumni
- Tyson Beckford, supermodel, actor
Feeder patterns
Currently, Park Road, Thornell Road, and the southern part of Mendon Center Elementary Schools feed into Barker Road Middle School, then to Pittsford Mendon High School.