| Definition of Terms |
Vestal Senior High School |
| School Level |
High school |
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| Grades Offered |
Grades 9 - 12 |
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| County |
Broome County, NY |
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| Total Students |
1356 students |
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| % Male / % Female |
53% /
47% |
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| Total Classroom Teachers |
97 teachers |
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| Students by Grade |
| Grade 9 - 338 students | | Grade 10 - 370 students | | Grade 11 - 312 students | | Grade 12 - 336 students |
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| Teacher : Student Ratio |
1:14 |
1:14 |
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| Students by Ethnicity |
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| % American Indian |
n/a |
1% |
| % Asian |
6% |
4% |
| % Hispanic |
2% |
17% |
| % Black |
3% |
19% |
| % White |
90% |
58% |
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| Additional Student Information |
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| % Eligible for Free Lunch |
3% |
28% |
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| % Eligible for Reduced Lunch |
4% |
6% |
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| % Migrant Students Enrolled |
n/a |
n/a |
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(NY) Statewide Testing Performance |
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| School District Name |
Vestal Central School District |
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| Number of Schools Managed |
7 |
4 |
| Number of Students Managed |
4,168 students |
2,265 students |
| District Total Revenue |
$54,030,000 |
$31,819,000 |
| District Expenditure |
$50,804,000 |
$31,869,000 |
| District Revenue / Student |
$12,963 |
$14,048 |
| District Expenditure / Student |
$12,189 |
$14,070 |
| District Graduation Rates |
98% |
97% |
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| View all past news stories |
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- Vestal Senior High School is part of the Vestal Central School District which encompasses just west of Binghamton in the Southern Tier of New York. It is a four year comprehensive school which annually receives both national and state recognition for excellence in education. The high school offers Varsity and Junior Varsity sports as well as musical opportunities in orchestra, band, and chorus. Clubs and student organizations accommodate a wide range of interests. The mascot of Vestal Senior High School is the Golden Bear.
- Academics
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Vestal High School is one of the only two schools in the Binghamton, NY area to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It has been an IB World School since January 1998. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are also offered. Vestal High School was ranked #494 on the 2007 Newsweek 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 with a total of six finalists in 2006. A significant number of graduates have attended Ivy League universities.
- Diplomas
- Honors
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The Honors and IB Programs began during the 1999-2000 school year. The Vestal Honors Diploma was modeled after the IB Diploma. It is more commonly chosen among students than the IB Diploma because of the greater flexibility that it offers. But the IB Diploma does have worldwide recognition while the Vestal Honors Diploma is only easily recognized in the region. Recently, the Board of Education decided to discontinue the Honors Diploma program after the graduation of the class of 2010.
- The two programs have 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.|-| align="center" | English|
- English HL 1 / 2
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- English
|||-| align="center" | Foreign Language|
- French SL 1 / 2
- German SL 1 / 2
- Spanish SL 1 / 2
|||-| align="center" | Individuals and Societies |
- Economics SL
- History of Americas HL
- Psychology SL
- Information Technology in a Global Society SL
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- European History
- Psychology
- US History
||-| align="center" | Experimental Sciences|
- Chemistry SL
- Chemistry HL
- Environmental Systems SL
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- Biology
- Chemistry
- Environmental Systems
- Physics B
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- Anatomy & Physiology
|-| align="center" | Mathematics|
- Math HL 1 / 2
- Math Studies SL
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- Calculus AB
||-| align="center" | Arts|
- Art & Design (Research) SL
- Art & Design (Studio) HL 1 / 2
- Computer Science SL
- Theatre SL
- Theatre HL
- Music SL
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- Computer Science A
||-|}- Scholar Certificate
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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, for it is the same thing except without the other requirements.
- Regents
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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
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The Vestal Central School District is upgrading the deteriorating conditions of all the buildings within the district through a $54,841,000 project. Work began in the summer of 2006 and should be completed by the fall of 2009.
- As of December 2006, both the auditorium and gymnasium were completed and open for public use. However, over the 2007 summer vacation, the gymnasium floor will have to be 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 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 need replacing and upgrading, especially the high school, which was built in 1960 with only small renovations.
- More classroom space is 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 need improvement
- Auditorium space is insufficient with only two auditoriums out of the seven buildings in the district.
- Key Components of the Plan
- There will be renovations and building improvements at all district facilities.
- Additional classroom space will be built at the high school and middle school.
- Construction of 1,200 seat auditorium at the middle school
- Replacement and renovation of elementary school playgrounds.
- Construction of eight lane track and artificial turf at high school
- New athletic fields at the high school and middle school
- Major improvements on the football stadium at the high school
- Extracurricular Activities
- Athletics
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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 first soccer state championship since 1985 and the school's first athletic state championship of any kind since the 1997 football team.
- The first Vestal Boy's Soccer team to capture a New York State title and be ranked # 1 in New York State was coach by George Herrick in Fall 1982. Vestal Won 2-1 in over time against Arlington.
- Notable Clubs
- Mathletes
The Mathletes are a competitive group of mathematicians who participate in local meets at Johnson City High School and in the New York State Mathematics League (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 (AMC), which is the first in the series of competitions to determine the United States Math Team who competes in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). A 2004 graduate of Vestal High School, Aaron Pixton 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. The mock trial team at Vestal is currently coached by Mr. Thomas Bolton Walls.
- Science Olympiad
There are two competitive Science Olympiad 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 an unprecedented 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.
- Music
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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 Concert Band, Freshman Band, Jazz Band, and Marching Band. 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 earn high marks at NYSSMA annually and perform at renowned concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York City. Members of the Orchestra and Vestal Voices take a trip every other year to be adjudicated at the Heritage Festival. 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 and won the gold award.
- Orchestra
The Vestal High School Orchestra is a string group consisting of players in grades 9-12, under the direction of Denny Heckel. The orchestra has performed at Symphony Hall in Boston. The group consistently earn the gold or gold with distinction award at NYSSMA. The orchestra also attended the Heritage Festival in Virginia Beach in the spring of 2006 and won the first place silver award.
- Notable alumni
- Daniel Bursch
Daniel Bursch is a 1975 graduate of Vestal High School. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Science Degree in engineering science. He is a former NASA astronaut who participated in many space walks and has stayed aboard the International Space Station.
- Brian L. DeMarco
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 to create the first true Fermionic condensate.
- Laurence Leamer
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 Kennedy's.
- 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, best known for the song "Zoot Suit Riot". Perry later graduated from the University of Oregon.
- External links
- Vestal Central School District Official Website
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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| About This Zip Code (13850) |
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| Population (Approximate) |
26,685 people |
18,208,943 people |
| % (age 25+) w/College Degree |
48% |
32% |
| Population Average Age |
34 years old
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34 years old |
| Average Household size |
2.5 persons
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2.6 persons |
| Median Household Income |
$51,250
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$41,761 |
| Avg. # of Rooms in Household |
6.2 rooms |
4.6 rooms |
| Median Age of Housing Structure |
47 years old |
56 years old |
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 View current housing listings in this area |
Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (13850)
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| % Owning / % Renting |
79% / 21% |
42% / 58% |
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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects 2006 statistics (most recent year available).
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