Pocono Mountain School District, often abbreviated PMSD for short, is a large, rural public school district located in Monroe County in

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Ha ...

. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district had an enrollment of 8,003 students in its schools, according to

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

data. Pocono Mountain School District encompasses approximately and is divided into two parts: Pocono Mountain East and Pocono Mountain West. The Pocono Mountain East attendance area includes: Jackson Township,

Pocono Township Pocono Township is a township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The township's government is located in the village of Tannersville, Pennsylvania, near the site of Camelback Mountain Resort, which is located in the Pocono Mountains and the adjace ...

, Paradise Township, Barrett Township and Mount Pocono Borough. The schools serving Pocono Mountain East are: Swiftwater Elementary Center (K-3), Swiftwater Intermediate School (4-6), Pocono Mountain East Junior High School (7-8), and Pocono Mountain East High School (9-12). It also includes a small area east of Route 380 that is Coolbaugh Township. Pocono Mountain West attendance area includes: Tobyhanna Township, Tunkhannock Township and most of Coolbaugh Township. The schools serving Pocono Mountain West include: Tobyhanna Elementary School (K-6), Clear Run Elementary Center (K-2), Clear Run Intermediate School (3-6), Pocono Mountain West Junior High School (7-8), and Pocono Mountain West High School (9-12). According to 2000 local census data, the district serves a resident population of approximately 60,000 people. Pocono Mountain East High School is located in

Swiftwater, Pennsylvania Swiftwater is an unincorporated community that is located in Pocono Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid ...

in the heart of

The Poconos The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos (), are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north ...

. The school currently houses students in grades nine through twelve, and is joined on the campus by the East Junior High School, Swiftwater Intermediate School and the newest school Swiftwater Elementary School, built in 2008.

Regions and constituent municipalities

Map of Monroe County Pennsylvania School Districts

The district is divided into three regions, which include the following municipalities:

Region I

* Barrett Township * Paradise Township *

Region II

* Jackson Township * Tobyhanna Township * Tunkhannock Township

Region III

* Coolbaugh Township * Mount Pocono Borough

History

Before the need for another campus complex, one high school served the entire district. The first high school of the district—originally called Pocono Mountain High School—Pocono Mountain East High School (PMEHS) is located in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, along with Swiftwater Elementary Center (SEC), Swiftwater Intermediate School (SIS), and Pocono Mountain East Junior High School (PMEJHS). All four schools share the same campus. Starting in the 2013–14 school year, those who attend the East campus attend SEC for grades K - 3, SIS for grades 4 - 6, PMEJHS for grades 7 - 8, and PMEHS for grades 9 - 12. Before 2008, the building that is now SEC did not exist. The current intermediate school was then the elementary school, and the junior high school was the intermediate school. Once the district split, the West high school was built in 2002. Those who attend the West campus attend either Tobyhanna Elementary Center (TEC- Pocono Pines), Clear Run Elementary Center (CREC -Mt. Pocono), or Coolbaugh Elementary and Learning Centers (CEC/CLC - Tobyhanna). Students then all come together and attend the middle school at Clear Run Intermediate School (CRIS- Mt.Pocono) across from CREC. After spending two years there, students are then moved over to the West Junior High School on the Sullivan Trail Campus, across from the West high school. The Class of 2006 was the first graduating class to attend West for the full four years. In May 2012, the Pocono Mountain School Board closed three schools due to sharply declining enrollment and significant budget shortfall. It closed:Coolbaugh Elementary Center, Swiftwater Intermediate, and Coolbaugh Learning Center. The closing brought the layoffs of 280 district employees, 142 of which are professional staff, which includes administrators and teachers. The Intermediate school at Clear Run opened in 1995 with The elementary Center which opened In 1997. In 2002 before the new Campus was constructed they renamed clear run schools to a better and shorter name. Swiftwater Intermediate was opened in 1998, both Intermediate Schools severed grades 6–8.

Extracurriculars

The Pocono Mountain School District offers a variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program.

Mascots

The entire district was originally home of the Cardinals. However, when it was determined that a new school would have to be built, another squad was then needed. The Cardinals still remain at the original high school, the East high school. Barrett Elementary Center, Pocono Elementary Center, and Swiftwater Elementary Center are also Cardinals. PM West is home to the Panthers. The Cardinals are red and white, and the Panthers are blue and silver.

Athletics

Both Pocono Mountain East and Pocono Mountain West High Schools compete athletically in the

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, known informally as EPC, EPC18, and East Penn Conference, is an athletic conference consisting of 18 large high schools from Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono ...

(EPC) in the District XI division of the

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) is one of the governing bodies of Secondary school, high school and middle school athletics for Pennsylvania. PIAA's main office is located in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harri ...

, one of the premier high school athletic divisions in the nation.

Sports

The school districts sports include: ;Pocono Mountain East High School: ;Boys: *

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

- AAAAA *

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

- AAAA * Cross country - AAA *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

- AAAA *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

- AAA *

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

- AAA *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

- AAA *

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

- AAA *

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

- AAA *

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

- AAA ;Girls: *Basketball - AAAA *Cross country - AAA *

Field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

- AAA *Soccer (Fall) - AAA *

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

- AAAA *Swimming and diving - AAA *Tennis - AAA *Track and Field - AAA *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

- AAA ;Pocono Mountain West High School: ;Boys: *

- AAAA *

- AAAA * Cross country - AAA *

- AAAA *

- AAA *

and

- AAA *

Track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

- AAA *

- AAA ;Girls: *Basketball - AAAA *

Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

- AAAA *Cross country - AAA *Field hockey - AAA *Soccer (Fall) - AAA *

- AAAA *Swimming and diving - AAA *Tennis - AAA *Track and field - AAA *Volleyball - AAA ;Pocono Mountain West Junior High School: ;Boys: *Baseball *Basketball *Cross Country *Football *Golf *Soccer *Swimming and diving *Tennis *Track and field *Wrestling ;Girls: *Basketball *Cross Country *Golf *Field hockey *Softball *Swimming and diving *Tennis *Track and field *Volleyball According to PIAA directory July 2012

Notable alumni

Kelly Monaco Kelly Marie Monaco (born May 23, 1976) is an American actress, model, and reality television personality, best known for her portrayal of Sam McCall on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and as the first season winner of the reality TV com ...

, model and actress *

Nellie McKay Eleanora Marie McKay (born April 13, 1982) is an English–American singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in ''The Threepenny Opera#United States 2, The Threepenny Opera'' (2006). Early life and education McKay was born in London ...

, singer, songwriter, actress and activist * Bobby Avey, jazz pianist

References

External links

PMSD Official website
* Pocono Mountain West: *
Tobyhanna Elementary School (TEC) (K-6)
*
Clear Run Elementary Center (CREC) (K-2)
*
Clear Run Intermediate School (CRIS) (3-6)
*
Pocono Mountain West Junior High School (WJHS) (7-8)
*
Pocono Mountain West High School (WHS) (9-12)
*
Pocono Mountain High School East sports coverage
at ''

The Express-Times Founded in 1885, ''The Express-Times'' began as The Easton Daily Express, a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provided national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. ...

'' *Pocono Mountain East: *
Swiftwater Elementary School (SES) (K-3)
*
Swiftwater Intermediate School (SIS) (4-6)
*
Pocono Mountain East Junior High School (EJHS) (7-8)
*
Pocono Mountain East High School (EHS) (9-12)

Pocono Mountain High School East sports coverage
at ''

'' {{Coord, 41.10341, -75.38771, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Pocono Mountains School districts in Monroe County, Pennsylvania