Clarkstown High School South

Clarkstown High School South is a public high school located in West Nyack, New York, United States. The school educates students in grades 9 through 12, and is one of two high schools in the Clarkstown Central School District (CCSD). It is commonly referred to as Clarkstown South, or simply "South."

Clarkstown High School South
Location
Map
31 Demarest Mill Road
West Nyack, New York 10994

United States
Coordinates41°06′12″N 73°58′49″W / 41.103269°N 73.980196°W / 41.103269; -73.980196
Information
TypePublic
MottoPreparing today’s students to conquer tomorrow’s challenges.
Established1971
School districtClarkstown Central School District
PrincipalDebbie Tarantino[1]
Faculty110.44 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades9 to 12
Enrollment1,318 (2021–22)[2]
Student to teacher ratio11.93[2]
Color(s)Brown and Gold    
Athletics conferenceSection 1 (NYSPHSAA)
MascotViking
NicknameSouth
Team nameVikings
Newspaper‘’The Viking Voice‘’
Websitewww.ccsd.edu/Domain/20

In 2013, Clarkstown South was ranked in Newsweek's list of the 2000 best public high schools in the United States.[3]

In 2016, Clarkstown South was ranked in Newsweek's list of the 500 top high schools in the United States, ranking 167th place.

In 2017, Clarkstown South was a part of State Education Commissioner Elia's list of 185 reward schools.[4]

In 2018, Clarkstown South was recognized in the National Rankings and earned a silver medal based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college.[5]

School facilities edit

Clarkstown South building consists of a main lobby, large auditorium, gymnasium (including a wrestling room and a fitness center), music wing, planetarium, two lunchrooms, and three floors of classrooms. In the fall of 2005, a planetarium was built in the rear of the building. A greenhouse was also constructed in 2006. South offers many music ensembles, including chorus, orchestra, concert band, and marching band.

School groups edit

The Vikings are also known for their success in many of their school groups. Clarkstown South takes pride in Junior Statesmen of America, DECA, National History Day, United Service Organization/Veterans Affairs Club, Mock Trial Team 2016 Westchester/Rockland County Champions, VAASA (Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse), and Mu Alpha Theta chapter because of the many awards they bring home to their school.[6]

The school hosted the Clarkstown Summer Theatre Festival since its inception in 1973 until its last season in 2010.[7] Subsequently, it hosted the Hudson Valley Teen Summer Theatre program.[8]

School activities and clubs edit

Clarkstown South offers a variety of activities and clubs for the students to enjoy. The clubs at South cater to all kinds of students, whether their interests are art, music, math, science, etc. Some of the clubs they have are the Mural Club, South Beat, TV Club, ASMA, World Language Club, Viking Radio, and more.[9]

Notable alumni edit

  • Corey Baker (born 1989), baseball pitcher
  • Tom Basile (born 1975), businessman and politician
  • Mat Devine (born 1974), Lead Singer Of Kill Hannah, Actor, Author
  • Thomas Fitton (Class of 1986), American activist, President of Judicial Watch[10]
  • Ryan Grant, NFL running back
  • Allison Hagendorf (born 1979), Television personality, music journalist
  • Cindy Jebb (Class of 1978), Brigadier General, USA and first female Dean of the United States Military Academy at West Point
  • Patrick Kivlehan (born 1989), baseball outfielder
  • Raffi Krikorian (Class of 1996), CTO for the Emerson Collective, Former CTO of the Democratic Party, and Former VP of Platform Engineering at Twitter
  • Glyph Lefkowitz (Class of 1998) Creator of the Twisted framework for the Python programming language
  • Jay Leiderman (Class of 1989), American criminal defense lawyer, book author
  • Joseph Pisani (Class of 1989), artist and photographer
  • Justin Richardson (Class of 1981), psychiatrist and author[11]
  • Scott Rizzuto (baseball, second basemen Class of 1996), radio personality and host of The Rizzuto Show in St. Louis, MO

References edit

  1. ^ High Schools Archived 2008-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Clarkstown Central School District. Retrieved on 2014-02-14.
  2. ^ a b c "CLARKSTOWN SOUTH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Newsweek: 2013 America's Best High Schools". Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  4. ^ "State Education Commissioner Elia Identifies 185 Reward Schools". NYSED. New York State Education Department. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Best High School - US NEWS
  6. ^ http://ccsd.edu/popup_info.cfm?story=900[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Traum, Robin (20 May 2011). "Longtime Summer Theater Program Takes Hiatus to Reorganize". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  8. ^ Littman, Adam (22 February 2012). "New Teen Summer Theater Group Opens Registration". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  9. ^ "CHSS School Activities and Clubs". CHSS. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  10. ^ "lohud.com | Celebrations | The Journal News". www.nyjnews.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  11. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (13 June 1997). "Same-Sex Academies Grapple With Parents' Concerns". NY Times. Retrieved 25 December 2014.