U.S. News and World Report's 'Best Schools' List—Does Seneca Valley Rank?

The report includes four Pittsburgh area districts among its top 15 high schools.

Seneca Valley High School is unranked in U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings of America's best high schools released on Tuesday.  The number one high school in Pennsylvania is Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia. Nearby North Allegheny and Quaker Valley school districts ranked in the top 15.  Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams; rankings also take into account how well students educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, according to a release from U.S. News.  The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college…

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kids: Seneca Valley Honors Teen Firefighters

These high schoolers are doing their homework while learning how to fight fires.

On Monday, Seneca Valley officials recognized volunteer firefighters—who also happen to still be in high school. The following volunteers were honored Monday at the Seneca Valley School Board meeting. Superintendent Dr. Tracy Vitale also presented each firefighter with a certificate of recognition.

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Eric Gordon

9:41 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I had the privilege of meeting these kids last night, and I could tell by the brightness in their eyes and the excitement on their faces that they're destined for great things! Recognizing the accomplishments of our kids is the BEST part of being a school director!   more ›

Hines Ward Presents Seneca Valley High School’s Julie Vandrak with Positive Athlete Award

A senior, Vandrak is a standout tennis player.

Seneca Valley High School’s Julia Vandrak has been voted Western Pennsylvania’s “Most Positive High School Athlete” in girls tennis by Positive Athlete, an organization created by former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. Vandrak’s tennis coach, Eric Grove, nominated her for the honor.  “Julia is a positive athlete because of her hard work, positive attitude, determination to succeed, commitment to excellence and competitive spirit,” Grove said. “She demands the best from herself and is a positive example to her teammates.” On Saturday, Ward presented the award to Vandrak and 25 other winners—who represent a variety of boys and girls sports across Western Pennsylvania—in a ceremony at the Heinz History Center’s Sports Museum in …

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Seneca Valley Sweeps Butler County Art Competition

The district had more winners than any other school in the region.

There was a record-breaking crowd for the opening night ceremonies of the Associated Artists of Butler County's Annual Butler County High School Art Exhibit on March 30. The event featured 10 winners from Seneca Valley—the most winners of any Butler County school. The SV winners are: Best of Show: Painting Category: Printmaking Category: Mixed Media: Photography Category: The 2011-12 Pittsburgh Technical Institute Art Competition had more than 700 pieces of work submitted by 389 students representing 70 high schools and six states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, New York and Virginia. The winners from Seneca Valley are: Fine Art 2D Category: Fine Art 3D: Ceramics Category: -- Photo and information submitted by …

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Seneca Valley Sadie Hawkins Dance Raises Money for Women’s Shelter

Proceeds from the event benefited the Women’s Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.

Seneca Valley students were dancing for a good cause in March. The senior high school’s student council sponsored a Sadie Hawkins dance on March 16 with all proceeds benefiting the Women’s Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Held at the high school, the event—which the ladies asked the gentlemen to attend—raised $1,700 for the shelter through dance ticket sales. In partnership with the activity, the school’s staff educated students throughout March about domestic violence awareness and empowering women. Videos about domestic violence awareness also were shown on SVTV, the district’s television station. -- Photos and information submitted by Seneca Valley School District. Have news you'd like to share with Patch readers? Email information and …

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Seneca Valley Students Back in Class after Power Outage

Students briefly were evacuated from the senior high school after a univent malfunction caused light smoke on the third floor of the building.

The lights are back on at Seneca Valley after all three buildings on the district’s secondary campus lost power about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. District spokeswoman Linda Andreassi said a car accident near the campus left the buildings with partial power. The electricity went out completely a short time later when the outage caused a univent inside the senior high school to malfunction. Andreassi said the malfunction generated an odor and light smoke on the third floor of the building. Senior high students immediately were evacuated from the building and moved to the intermediate high school as a precaution, Andreassi said. The Harmony Fire Department spent about 20 minutes inside the building checking it out before declaring it safe. At no time…

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Seneca Valley Boys Basketball Team Beats North Hills by 1 Point

The Raiders defeat the Indians, 69-68, in the game's final minutes.

It all came down to one point. On Tuesday, the Seneca Valley boys varsity basketball team celebrated its first section win with an at-home victory over the North Hills Indians. The final score was 69-68. Near the end of the first period, Seneca Valley's Chad Albert broke a 10-point tie game by icing a three-pointer. The game went into the second quarter with the Raiders ahead, 14-13. Easton Bazzoli, Alex Maxfield and Albert were among the Raiders who scored points in the second quarter. As the second half drew to a close, Seneca Valley led 36-27. After regrouping at halftime, the Indians were on the warpath in the third quarter. North Hills pulled even with the Raiders one minute into the fourth quarter, tying the game at 52.   The lead …

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Ex-Junior ROTC Instructor Denies Sexually Abusing Seneca Valley Cadets

The jury is expected to begin deliberations Thursday.

Ex-Junior ROTC instructor Kevin Johnson on Wednesday denied having sexual contact with two former cadets who have accused him of assaulting them while they were part of the military program at Seneca Valley. “Never,” he said in response to defense attorney David Shrager's query. A retired Army Sergeant Major, Johnson, 54, testified during his trial before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCune. The Portersville resident is accused of sexually assaulting the two students prior to 2008. The first former cadet testified before the jury on Monday. Now a 22-year-old college student, that man said he carried on a sexual relationship with Johnson from 2004 to 2008 while in high school . On Tuesday, a second former student testified that …

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SV Musicians Earn Top Honors

More student musicians from Seneca Valley land spots in a prestigious honor band than from any other school in the region.

The Seneca Valley Instrumental Program has a reason to toot its horn today.  Forty-one Seneca Valley students have been chosen to participate in the the 2011 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s District 5 Honors Band—that's more than any other school district in the four-county area. “Musical excellence is the goal of the Seneca Valley instrumental program, and these fine musicians are continuing the rich tradition established by the Seneca Valley bands,” said Varden Armstrong Jr., SVIP co-director. More than 300 students auditioned November 15 at Westminster College for a band composed of 125 musicians. As part of their audition, the student musicians prepared a piece from a predetermined college-level solo list. Besides having the…

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Final: Seneca Valley 29 Pine-Richland 21

Pine-Richland marches down the field in the final seconds, but could not pull off the win.

Final: Seneca Valley 29 Pine-Richland 21 For photo galleries of the game, click on Pine-Richland Patch and Cranberry Patch. Fourth Quarter: Seneca Valley 29 Pine-Richland 21 SV - Quarterback Jordan Brown's pass to Troy Witt successful for TD Kick by Michael Denny blocked with 1:31 left. Fourth Quarter: Seneca Valley 23 Pine-Richland 21 SV - Michael Denny kicks 28-yard field goal with 4:11 left in game.   End of Third Quarter: Pine-Richland 21 Seneca Valley 20 No scoring in third quarter.   Halftime: Pine-Richland 21 Seneca Valley 20 SV - Field goal attempt by Michael Denny no good with seconds left in half. Second Quarter: Seneca Valley 20  Pine-Richland 21 PR- Quarterback Austin Whipple's 65-yard pass play to Luke Merhaut for TD Kick by …