Hempfield Area High School - History

History

The first official move to establish a high school in Hempfield Township occurred June 8, 1898, when the Board of Education recorded a proposal to investigate the possibilities of building a secondary school in the area. From that time until 1956, students attended nearby high schools. On November 17, 1952, the Articles of Agreement of the Hempfield Area Joint Schools were adopted and work began in earnest to establish a high school.

The different needs and abilities of all students were taken into consideration when the building was designed. The building included 39 classrooms, 9 vocational areas, an auditorium that seated 1,242, a gymnasium with a 2,200 seating capacity, cafeteria, band and chorus rooms, and a large modern library. The original building and grounds occupied a 67-acre (270,000 m2) area. The size and capacity of the senior high school were determined by a review of the student population of 1952 and a projected six year enrollment. The new building accommodated 1,200 pupils. The Board of Education recognized potential growth and included provisions for additions to meet future needs. Finally, the school opened September 5, 1956, with an enrollment of 1,037 students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Currently there are 3,500 enrolled. Although the entire building was not completed, sufficient sections were available to begin the school year.

Construction began on February 10, 1964, of an approximate two million dollar addition to the original senior high building. The addition was complete for student use in September, 1965. The addition increased the capacity of the school to 3,500 students including an addition to the cafeteria and extensive remodeling in the “C” wing. A highlight of the new addition was a 75 by 42-foot (13 m) indoor swimming pool. The main addition housed twenty regular classrooms, a new planetarium, faculty cafeteria, an enlarged area for art classes, and rifle range. A total of seven rooms in the “C” wing that included four biology labs was completed. An additional chemistry-physics laboratory and chemistry classroom were added in the main wing. Administration offices were moved to permit the addition of three classrooms on the first floor.

In October 1978, Hempfield Area High School was once again altered by an addition to the building. New facilities were added to provide additional teaching space at an approximate cost of 1.5 million dollars. A physical fitness room, two instructional classrooms, a laundry area, coaches room, press box, additional space in the locker rooms, and a concession room were added. The new addition was completed in 1980.

At the beginning of the 1988-89 school term, another extensive renovation was begun at the senior high school. Completed for the opening of the 1990-91 school term, this project virtually remodeled the entire interior of the existing structure. All areas of the building including the library, auditorium, science labs, cafeteria and classrooms were remodeled and thirteen classrooms were added. In 2001, additional renovation was done to add two more chemistry labs in the science area, as well as a new resource room and a few additional classrooms.

In 2004, even more renovations took place. The baseball field was removed so that the student parking lot could be moved on campus for safety reasons. It was located across busy Route 136. Also, new bleachers, press box and concession stands were added at Spartan Stadium. Also new athletic fields were added behind the stadium. Finally, a state of the art field house complete with new wrestling facilities, locker rooms and athletic offices was added in the north endzone of Spartan Stadium. Hempfield Area High School is now the most up-to-date and modern educational facility in Western Pennsylvania.

In March 2007, 15-year-old student Cody Webb was mistakenly jailed for 12 days in a juvenile detention facility for allegedly making a bomb threat over the school district hotline, because school officials had overlooked daylight saving time while evaluating the calling records. The family was later awarded $84,000".