Sewanhaka High School is a six-year

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in

Floral Park Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 16,172 at the 2020 census. Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, mainly in the Town of Hempstead, while the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It is part of the Sewanhaka Central High School District. Sewanhaka High School was established in 1929. Its name translates from

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

to "Island of Shells" in English. As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,669 students and 119.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 14.0:1. There were 675 students (40.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 118 (7.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Sewanhaka High School

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 ...

. Accessed September 4, 2020.

History

Sewanhaka High School was constructed in 1929 by architects Knappe & Morris. Additional classrooms were completed in 1936. The school was established first in the district. It is the only high school in its district to offer career vocational courses on Long Island. Those eligible to join this program include students from the other four high schools in the district.

Awards and recognition

During the 1992–93 school year, Sewanhaka High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

, the highest award an American school can receive.

Sports and clubs

Sewanhaka's sports teams were originally known as the Indians from the school's founding in 1929. The school was forced to change the name following a 2023 decision by the New York State Board of Regents to ban Native American-themed team names, mascots, and logos. After a selection process by a committee including students, faculty, and alumni, "Ravens" was announced as the new team name at a Board of Education meeting on May 28, 2024. The team colors are purple, gold, and white. There are many team sports, organized clubs, and student activities at Sewanhaka. The Sports Team levels are Junior High (JH), Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity (V) for boys and girls. The sports and clubs that the school offers at this moment are: *Basketball *Baseball *Bowling *Badminton *Cheerleading *Cross Country *Football *Field Hockey *Golf *Gymnastics *Lacrosse *Riflery *Soccer *Softball *Tennis *Track *Volleyball

Student government

*Student Council *Class Board

Academic organizations

*Arts and Crafts Club *Auto Club *Big Sisters & Big Brothers *Chess Club *Chieftain *FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) *French Club *Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) *G.S.A. (Gay/Straight Alliance) *Italian Club *Junior Robotics *Mathletes, Junior High *Mathletes, Senior High *MIST NY *Mock Trial *National Art Honor Society *National English Honor Society *

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

* National Junior Honor Society * National Math Honor Society * National Science Honor Society *Photography Club *Poets and Writers Club *Reading Club *Robotics Club *Seekers (Christian Club) *Sculpture Club *Sewanha-Con *Sewing Club *Skills USA (A District-wide Program) *Social Justice Club *Spanish Club *Students Participating in Community Events (SPICE) *Totem (Yearbook) * Tri-M Honor Society *Unity Club *Women in Science *Woodworking Club *World Cultures Club

Music and performing organizations

*Cheerleaders, Junior High *Color Guard *Drama Club *Follies *Marching Band *Musical Performances *Rockettes *Stage Band *String Ensemble *Voices of Harmony

Service organizations

*Builders Club *Cricut Makers Club *Key Club *P.A. Club (Sound & Lighting Club) *S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) *Service Club *S.T.A.C (Students and Teachers Against Cancer) *Stage Crew *The Green Club

Model UN

The

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...

Debate Team at Sewanhaka starts with participation in the 1/2 credit World Issues class, and then upon completion, the students become members of the club. The team goes on many conferences where they debate a wide variety of issues facing the real United Nations today. At the 2009 American University Model United Conference, the Sewanhaka team took home Overall Best Delegation, the prestigious first place award on the international scale. Two members of the team took home the distinguished delegation award in November 2011, continuing the team's success from the previous two years (members of the class of 2010). Recently, Senator Jack M. Martins congratulated the Model UN team from Sewanhaka High School. The team participated in the Sewanhaka Interschool District Model UN competition. More recently, in 2016, the team took home the trophy for Outstanding Small Delegation from the Rutgers University Model United Nations (RUMUN) conference.

''The Chieftain''

The school newspaper at Sewanhaka, ''The Chieftain'', has been extant since the inception of the school. It has garnered many national and local awards, including the American Scholastic Press Award, Newsday High School Journalism Award, Hank Logerman Award, and an honorable mention in 2009 and 2010 during Adelphi Quill Young People's Press competition. Its editorials argue both sides to a common problem that society currently faces and the rest of the paper updates the school on its recent activities, runs special features for special news events and covers the progress of its sports teams.

Theatre

Sewanhaka students perform in one musical per year, during the spring. Recent shows include: * ''

Mamma Mia! (musical) ''Mamma Mia!'' (promoted as ''Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!'') is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson (playwright), Catherine Johnson, based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by me ...

'' (2025) * ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...

'' (2024) * ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' (2023) * ''

All Shook Up "All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for nine weeks. It also topped the ''Billboa ...

'' (2022) * ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

'' (2020) * ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'' (2019) * ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and score by Frederick Loewe. The plot features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years; on ...

'' (2018) * ''

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) ''The Phantom of the Opera'' is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of be ...

'' (2017) * ''

Beauty and The Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' (2016) * '' Children of Eden'' (2015) * '' In the Heights'' (2014) * '' Legally Blonde'' (2013) * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' (2012) * ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

'' (2009) * '' Fame'' (2008) * ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' (2007) * ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' (2006) * '' Grease'' (2005) Another play which is not a musical is performed each autumn by Sewanhaka students in the Drama Club. Recent shows include: * ''

Rumors A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences; derived from Latin 'noise'), is an unverified piece of information circulating among people, especial ...

'' (2015 and 2006) * ''Done to Death'' (2014) * '' Almost, Maine'' (2013) * ''Up the Down Staircase'' (2012) * ''The Clumsy Custard Horror Show and Ice Cream Clone Review'' (2011) * '' Twelve Angry Jurors'' (2010) * '' The Odd Couple ''female version'''' (2009) * '' Epic Proportions'' (2008) * ''It Was A Dark And Stormy Night'' (2007)

Notable alumni

* Zendon Hamilton (born 1975), professional basketball player * Alfred G. Hansen (born 1933), United States Air Force four-star general. * Lloyd Harrison (born 1977), professional football player * Evans Killeen (born 1936), professional baseball player * Thomas Mallon (born 1951), book author and magazine contributor; member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences * Eamon McEneaney (1954-2001), lacrosse player, killed in the

September 11 terror attacks September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. September in the Northern Hemisphere and March in the Southern Hemisphere are seasonally equivalent. In the Northern hemisphere, the beg ...

* Richie Moran (born 1937), lacrosse player and coach * Al Oerter (1936–2007), Olympic

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

4-time gold medalist * Sal Paolantonio (born 1956),

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based bureau reporter for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, who primarily reports on NFL stories. * Susan Prescott, Vice President of Enterprise and Education Marketing at Apple, Inc. * Pete Richert (born 1939), Major League Baseball pitcher * Telly Savalas (1922–1994), actor *

Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning con ...

(born 1963), college and professional

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, 1986

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner. * Howard C. Vogts (1929–2010), the winningest high school football coach in New York State history * Robert C. Wertz (1932-2009), politician who served for 32 years as a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

.Brand, Rick
"Robert Wertz, longtime GOP assemblyman, dead at 76"
''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'', May 5, 2009. Accessed November 28, 2017. "Born in Kew Gardens, Queens, Wertz graduated from Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park and got a bachelor's degree from upstate Alfred University and a law degree from Albany Law School."

References

{{authority control Public high schools in New York (state) Floral Park, New York Educational institutions established in 1929 Schools in Nassau County, New York Public middle schools in New York (state) 1929 establishments in New York (state)