Homer-Center School District
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| Homer-Center School District | |
| School District type | Public |
| Board of Directors | Vicki L. Smith, President Gerald Bertig |
| Current Superintendent | Dr. Vincent Delconte |
| Elementary Principal | Michael A. Stofa |
| High School Principal (Acting Principal) | Rick Foust |
| Assistant High School Principal | Gene Raymond |
| Location | Homer City, Pennsylvania |
| Mascot | Wildcats |
| Colors | Black and White |
| School Web Site | [1] |
Homer-Center High School is a school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The district serves Homer City and Center Township. The schools are located just south of the Homer City-Center Township borderline. Homer Center's High School Principal is Rick Foust and the Vice Principal is Gene Raymond. Homer-Center High School currently has 491 students, and the Elementary has 473 , totaling 964 students throughout the entire district. Homer-Center's athletic teams compete in the Heritage Conference. Homer-Center High School's Mascot is the Wildcat. The Elementary's Mascot is the Wildcat also, but since the elementary's sports are run by the Homer City Booster's and not the school, they are referred to as the Homer City Bears.
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[edit] The Elementary School
The Homer-Center Elementary School serves grades K-6. It is located on Wildcat Lane, across from the High School. The elementary building also contains the district administrative offices.
[edit] Sports
- Fall sports: Soccer, Football, Cheerleading and Girls basketball.
- Winter sports: Boys basketball.
- Spring sports: Baseball, and Softball.
Students in grades 3-6 can participate in basketball, baseball, softball, and cheerleading. Soccer is offered in grades 2-6. Football is typically offered to boys depending on age.
[edit] The High School
The Homer-Center High School serves grades 7-12, and is located across the street from the Elementary on Wildcat Lane. It is currently undergoing renovations.
[edit] Athletics
Homer-Center is part of the Heritage Conference of District 6. Homer-Center plays 9 schools and 7 school districts in the Heritage Conference regularly.
Homer Center offers many different sports.
- Varsity Sports: Cross Country, Football, Volleyball, Track, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Baseball, Softball
- Junior Varsity Sports: Football, Volleyball, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball.
- Junior High Sports: Football, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Volleyball.
- The most notable accomplishment in recent years of Homer-Center athletics occurred in 2005. In June, the baseball team played in the PIAA single-A state championship. The team was defeated by Christopher Dock Mennonite High School's team.
The Homer-Center high school gymnasium is commonly referred to as the "HomerDome" because it has a domed roof, unlike most high school gyms in Pennsylvania.
The Homer-Center Wildcat Marching Band is considered by many to be the best band in the entire county.
[edit] Clubs and Extracurricular Activities
Homer-Center offers many clubs and extracurricular activities, and participates in many activities outside of the school, including: Teens Against All Drugs, DDR Club, Youth and Government, Scrapbooking Club, Guitar Club, Eco Club, Varsity Club, National Honor Society, Jr. High Chorus, Sr. High Chorus, Men's Choir, Women's Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Computer Fairs, Band Fest, Bookworm Club, Chess Club, Christian Fellowship Club, The IUP Math Competition, County Band, County Chorus, District Band and Chorus, FBLA, French and Spanish Clubs, HCF (Hardcore Fans) Health Careers Club, The Highlighter Staff, History Day, Hometown High Q, Junior Achievement, Library Club, Mock Trial, Newspaper in Education, Quiz Bowl, Sign Language Club, SSIM, Stage Crew, Student Council, Ushers Club and the Yearbook Staff.
- Homer-Center is also known for having one of the largest Youth and Government delegations in Pennsylvania.
- The Homer-Center high school newspaper is called "The Highlighter".
- The high school yearbook is called the "Wildcat Tale".
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Dave Reed, PA State Representative, 62nd District.
- Patricia Hilliard Robertson, NASA Astronaut
[edit] Awards and Recognition
Homer-Center High School English teacher Roxanne Rouse was a semi-finalist for the 2005 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award. Math teacher Mark Butler was a finalist for the 2007 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award. [1]
[edit] Facilities
From Homerdome.com:
Memorial Field
Memorial Field is the football field located on Lincoln & Harrison Streets in Homer City, PA. It opened in 1945 and has a capacity of 3000 people, including the standing room.
Homer-Center Track and Field Stadium
The Homer-Center Track and Field Stadium is the newest facility of Homer-Center High School Athletics, being completed in 2004. It is located right behind the high school, above the student parking lots. It has a capacity of 1,000, including standing room.
"The HomerDome"
The "HomerDome" is the basketball court in Homer-Center. It opened in 1959, and has a capacity of 1,000 people, including the standing room. The HomerDome is now under construction due to the renovations of the school.
Floodway Park
Floodway Park, what used to be a small neighborhood with many houses before it flooded, is now a recreational playground with two fields used for the High School Softball Team. It opened sometime in the 1980s.
FMC Sports Complex
"Where Baseball Is Bred"
The FMC Sports Complex also opened sometime in the 1980s. It has 3 baseball fields and 4 multi-purpose (elementary soccer, elementary football practice, etc...). The FMC Sports Complex is named after FMC Technologies, located in Homer City, and is now moved, and now a new company called MGK took the building. In the summer of 2007, the Junior Legion field was renamed First-Commonwealth Field, after a local bank. The Homer-Center Varsity Baseball team now calls the First-Commonwealth Field home as well as the Homer City American-Legion Post #493 team.
[edit] Legal Issues
[edit] Combs v. Homer Ctr. Sch. Dist., 468 F. Supp. 2d 738 (W.D. Pa. 2006)
Parents who elected to homeschool their children filed suit alleging that the defendant Pennsylvania school district in charge of administering and enforcing Pennsylvania’s compulsory school attendance laws infringed upon their sincerely held religious beliefs that education is a “religion,” and that the state has no authority to regulate home education programs by religiously motivated homeschoolers. The parents alleged that the state homeschooling act ceded too much control over their children’s religious education to the state in requiring them to submit an affidavit outlining their educational objectives to the defendants at the beginning of the school year and by requiring them to submit an additional log and portfolio containing samples of their children’s work for discretionary administrative review and approval. In granting the defendants’ motion for summary judgment, the federal district court held that the statute, either on its face or as applied, did not violate the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause or the Pennsylvania Religious Freedom Protection Act. The state’s homeschooling requirements did not place a burden, let alone a substantial one, on the parents’ freedom to practice their religion. Any negligible impact on the free exercise of religion was outweighed by the state’s compelling interest in crafting home education programs to satisfy compulsory education laws and ensure that children were receiving an adequate education.
This decision was immediately appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit where lawyers for Homer-Center School District presented oral arguments against the homeschooling families in November 2007.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Race, Michael. "12 FINALISTS TO VIE FOR ‘TEACHER OF THE YEAR’", Pennsylvania Department of Education, May 17, 2007.
