Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School - School Information and History

School Information and History

Mechanicsburg High School was founded and held its first commencement in 1875, with one graduate.

Mechanicsburg High School has been located in three different buildings since its foundation. The Simpson Street School (now a luxury apartment complex) was completed in 1872 and was expanded upon in 1929. In 1957, the school had expanded past capacity, and a new building was built along Elmwood Avenue. The Elmwood Avenue school served as the high school for only 12 years, as the current building on 500 South Broad Street was built and completed in 1969. The Elmwood building was converted to be used as an Intermediate School, and in 2005 was renovated again to be used as an Elementary School. In the mid-1980s, a wing was added to the current building to suit capacity needs. In 2002, the current building underwent extensive renovations.

On July 6, 2010, then-Governor Ed Rendell publicly signed Pennsylvania's $28 Billion budget at Elmwood Elementary.

The Wildcat

The school's mascot was first referenced as the "Wildcat" in a 1937 edition of the school newspaper, The Torch. Prior to this, Mechanicsburg's athletic teams were referenced as the "Steel-and-Maroon" or the "Maroon-and-Steel". No information is currently known as to why the school chose a wildcat as its mascot or the exact date when it was chosen.

Alma Mater

Mechanicsburg's alma mater, an original piece, is as follows:

"Mechanicsburg High School"

Mechanicsburg High School,

You're the dearest school to me.

Mechanicsburg High School,

True to you we'll always be.

Fairest colors, maroon and steel,

Faith in you we'll always feel.

Dearest school beneath the sky,

Mechanicsburg High!