Plymouth Whitemarsh High School: School Profile

Administration

Dr. Michael Christian, Superintendent of Schools
Rosemarie Gregitis, Director of Curriculum
Dr. Jason Bacani, Principal
Maico Azcona, Assistant Principal
RJ Bretz, Activities and Athletics Director
Heather King, Assistant Principal
Stephen Price, Assistant Principal

Counseling Staff

Jeff Blizzard, Counselor A-C
Caitlin Parenti, Counselor D-He
Christopher Jackson, Counselor Hi-Mc
Peggy Benn, Counselor Me-R
MJ Grourke, Counselor, S-Z
Beth Lynch, College Counselor
Fran Cornielle, Community Counselor A-K
Tracy Borkowski, Community Counselor L-Z
Meghan Garrett, School Psychologist

Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) is considered to be among the top high schools in Pennsylvania; The Washington Post and US News & World Report ranks PWHS in the top four percent of high schools in PA and the top 10 percent in the nation.

PWHS has been recognized as a Top STEM high school by Newsweek. PWHS’ STEAM culture challenges students to take rigorous course offerings aligned to their career pathway, which build upon a foundation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math while developing creativity and critical thinking.

PWHS’ Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in alignment with the No Place for Hate campaign, challenging students to be effective leaders who focus on social justice issues, specific to the community and school. The process begins annually with anti-bias training for peer leaders, facilitated by ADL training specialists, before student leader outreach and activity block seminars to the student body begin.

PWHS is a certified school for the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program which is a rigorous college preparatory program designed for students in the “academic middle”. AVID students are accelerated into Honors and AP courses while receiving support through an intensive supportive curriculum focused on organization, soft skills, and leadership. Students gain admission to the program through a rigorous recommendation and screening process. 

PW students consistently earn first place accomplishments in state and national competitions such as TSA and DECA,. PWHS is also a TEDx Youth event site.

PWHS recently excelling in the ARTS includes; Colonial Players 11 Independence Award nominations and 3 wins in theater, “Best Community for Music” by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation and students being recognized for achievement in art and design in local and state competitions with over 200 National Art Honor Society inductees since 2007.

Class rank is based on weighted GPA and includes all students in the class; includes all PW courses, approved dual enrollment courses, and transfer credits accumulated at qualifying high schools. Decile rank is recorded on a student’s transcript. Higher Ed institutions which require specific class rank for admission or scholarship consideration should forward the request to the College Counseling Department.

The IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) at PWHS offers academic study and practical hands-on experience through an integrated curriculum, consisting of core IB study, in one of three career-related pathways: Business, Design Technology, or Art & Design. 

IBCP courses are designated as “IB” on the student transcript. Required courses include:

• Math Analysis and Approaches SL
• Social and Cultural Anthropology SL
• Personal and Professional Skills (12th grade English core credit),
  
  and any career-related required capstone courses, which are listed “CP” on the student transcript and holds IB weight.

CMTHS: Allied Health, Teacher Academy

English: AVID Tutorial, English 1-2-3-4-5, Writing Fellows, Philosophy & Ethics, Theories of Leadership

Entrepreneurship-Design-Innovation: Accounting 2, Architecture 2, Art History, Art History 2,  Applied Ceramics 2, Art Major, Business Law 2, CADD 2, Career & Financial Management, Computer Science 2, Engineering 1-2, Jewelry & Fine Metals 2, Marketing 2, Mass Media 2-3, Photo 2, Photo Major, Product Design 2, Robotics 2.

Math: Integrated 2-3-4-5, Calculus, Precalculus, Computational Math

Music: Band, Chorus, Orchestra

Science: Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Physics

Social Studies: Economics, Human Geography, US Government, US History, Western Civilization, World History

World Language: French 3-4-5, Latin 3-4-5, Spanish 3-4-5-6.

*Dual Enrollment courses are designated as “DE” and are Honors weight.

All Plymouth Whitemarsh High School students are required to schedule a full course load of 10 credits each year. With the exception of AP classes, most courses follow a semester schedule and are granted 1 credit. Students must also document 10 pieces of evidence toward career exploration and preparation (artifacts, work-based learning, field trips, etc.) prior to grade 12. 

5.0     ENGLISH
5.0     MATHEMATICS
4.0     SCIENCE
4.0     SOCIAL STUDIES
2.0     HEALTH & PHYS ED
3.0     ARTS & HUMANITIES
17.0   ELECTIVES
40 in total

Grade Distribution - Class of 2024 - Weighted Decile Ranges

Top 10%      5.1 - 4.772
Top 20%      4.766 - 4.477
Top 30%      4.471 - 4.166
Top 40%      4.155 - 3.844
Top 50%      3.838 - 3.6
Top 60%      3.574 - 3.288
Top 70%      3.277 - 2.989
Top 80%      2.977 - 2.61
Top 90%      2.571 - 2.154
100%           2.149 - .0548

More than 88 percent of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s Class of 2024 are continuing in a program of higher education. 71 percent enrolled in four-year schools while 17 percent enrolled in two-year schools. The remaining 12 percent of students enrolled in the military, are employed full-time or are considering options through a gap year.

AVID Tutorial

AVID Tutorial is designed for motivated 11th and 12th grade students interested in working with AVID students to achieve their full potential by facilitating collaborative tutorial groups. Tutors are thoroughly grounded in AVID strategies (WICOR: writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading) and become a master of each stage of the AVID tutorial and inquiry learning process implementing Socratic questioning and collaborative learning techniques through the tutoring process. 

Bonus Block (Embedded Activities Period)

In addition to the five academic periods per semester, students are required to participate in an activities period throughout the year that is included within the instructional day. Scheduled by the students themselves on a bi-weekly basis, Bonus Block affords students the ability to seek academic support and/or enrichment while also providing them the opportunity to participate in over 100 clubs and activities exploring (but not limited to) diversity, leadership, philanthropy, interest, and academic competition.

Dual Enrollment

Students can earn college credit for dual enrollment courses taken on-campus and at the college/university. On-campus offerings are Honors level classes unless already designated AP by the College Board and include: 
H Accounting 2, AVID 12, Computer Science 1, Computer Science 2, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, H Computational Math, Digibeats, CP Entrepreneurship, Film Appreciation,  H Career & Financial Management, AP Latin, H Latin 5, H Western Civilization, AP Physics C - Mechanics, AP Psychology, Theories of Leadership, and Pre-AP Engineering.

Integrated Math

PWHS offers an Integrated Math Curriculum where courses encompass vital content in algebra, statistics, geometry, trigonometry, and discrete mathematics.  At the completion of their coursework, students will have knowledge equivalent to that of a traditional pre-calculus course.

Writing Fellows

The Writing Fellows Program is designed for highly motivated, independent 12th grade students interested in writing and communication. A Writing Fellow recognizes the importance of voice, expression, and style associated with writing and other forms of communication in all disciplines. This student leadership opportunity prepares candidates to serve as collaborative peer tutors in the PW Writing Center while autonomously developing their own skills in research, composition, speaking, and listening.

Letter Grade (%)    Academic     Honors        AP           IB

A        90-100               4.0                5.0            5.5           5.5

B+      87-89                 3.33              4.33          4.83         4.83

B        81-86                 3.0                4.0            4.5           4.5

B-       80-82                 2.67              3.67          4.17         4.17

C+      77-79                 2.33              3.33          3.83         3.83

C        73-76                 2.0                3.0            3.5           3.5

C-       70-72                1.67               2.67          3.17         3.17

D+      67-69                1.33               1.33          1.33         1.33

D        63-66                1.0                 1.0            1.0           1.0

D-       60-62                0.67               0.67          0.67         0.67

F         0-59                  0                    0               0              0 

Class of                       Commended                       Finalists

2024                                       5                                      2

2023                                     10                                       0

2022                                       3                                       4

2021                                       4                                       2

2020                                      10                                      2

* National Recognition Program Scholars = 17

                                      SAT-EBRW          SAT-Math          ACT

Focused on academic excellence, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School offers programs and chapters of recognition for high achievement including National Honor Society (NHS), National Business Honor Society (NBHS), National Art Honor Society (NAHS), Global Scholars Program (GSP), AP Capstone Diploma, Seal of Biliteracy, and IB Career Programme Designation. 

Student involvement is key to the success of a Plymouth Whitemarsh High School student’s well-rounded development. Approximately 90 percent of students participate in one or more extracurricular activity. PWHS offers over 100 clubs for students, many of which are initiated and proposed by the students themselves. Students have access to activities in the following areas;

• Academic and Scholastic
• Art and Music
• Cultural Awareness and Service
• Interest – Student Initiated
• Physical Endeavors
• Student Government and Leadership
• Student Publication

PWHS’ competitive athletic program encourages physical activity as well as the opportunity to experience leadership roles, cooperation, and team play. Each year student athletes participate in 27 varsity, 27 junior varsity, and 4 freshman teams. Plymouth Whitemarsh has earned State Championships in Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Baseball and Golf.