Penn Wood High School


Penn Wood High School is a public high school in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the William Penn School District, which serves the boroughs of Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, [East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania|Lansdowne, Pennsylvania|East Lansdowne], Lansdowne, and Yeadon.

History

Penn Wood High School, originally Lansdowne High School, was opened in 1927. The architect was Joseph Linden Heacock, and the builder was John McShain who went on to build the Kennedy Center, The Jefferson Memorial and The Pentagon. Today, it is one of the oldest public school buildings in Pennsylvania. Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the motto carved above the door reads "To Teach the Art of Living Well", attributed to Seneca. Carved in limestone above the motto are a female figure holding a Greek Temple, and a male figure holding a cog.
The school is the result of the 1982 merger of 3 previous high schools: Lansdowne-Aldan High School, Yeadon High School and Darby-Colwyn High School. The merger was ordered by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in light of findings that the school district was racially segregated. The schools' merger prompted protests from white residents of Lansdowne and Aldan, which culminated in Aldan public officials suing unsuccessfully to secede from the school district in 1995.
The school suffered extensive fire damage due to suspected arson in 2013. Following an outpouring of local community support, Penn Wood was able to successfully re-open the school prior to the 2013-14 school year.

Overview

Penn Wood offers a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities, including art and music programs, athletics, and academic enrichment opportunities.

Athletics

Penn Wood's sports teams are called the Patriots, and they compete in the Del Val League. The school's track and field program is particularly well regarded, and has produced multiple Olympic athletes. In 2009, Penn Wood's boys basketball team won the first PIAA Class AAAA State Championship in school history.
Currently, the school's athletics program includes:
SeasonSports
FallCross-Country, Cheerleading, Football, Soccer, Girls Tennis, Volleyball
WinterBasketball, Bocce, Indoor Track & Field, Wrestling
SpringBaseball, Softball, Boys Tennis, Flag Football, Track & Field

Notable alumni

Penn Wood alumni

Pre-merger alumni

Darby-Colwyn High School

Lansdowne-Aldan High School

Yeadon High School