Minisink Valley High School is a secondary school located in Slate Hill, New York. It contains an enrollment of approximately 1400 students, making it one of the larger high schools in Orange County, New York. The school, part of the Minisink Valley Central School District, was established in 1958 as a secondary school for grades 7-10. A junior class established in the 1959-60 school year became the first class to graduate in June 1961. Over the next decade, enrollment in the school increased so rapidly that in 1971, a bond was passed by district residents to build a new high school adjacent to the original school building. Reginald G. Kierstead High School was completed in 1974, and provided a comfortable home for the upperclassmen of the district. Additions have since been made in the past five years to accompany the expanding class sizes. Both high school and middle school buildings have seen recent addition to the response of larger class sizes, along with the completion of new pool and track facilities.
The school offers a variety of clubs and extra curricular activities for its students. Among these is a quarterly Coffee House, hosted by S.A.D.D. This gathering of student spectators and performers assemble to play music and engage in other various arts to raise money for current charities with money charged for admission. Boys varsity sports include football, basketball, track and field, cross country, soccer, lacrosse, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, and baseball. The girls' athletic department includes basketball, track and field, cross country, soccer, lacrosse, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, softball, cheer leading, mat maids, and volleyball. In 2010 the girls varsity soccer team won the section 9 title. In 2012 the Minisink Valley Varsity Cheerleaders won a National Champion title in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2012 and 2013 the boys varsity lacrosse team won the section 9 title. In 2016 the girls volleyball team won the section 9 title.
Advancements
The school has seen periodic changes, namely a school improvement project that was completed in 2001 which introduced classroom renovations and additions, the development of a district wide area technology network, and the addition of a pool that is used by both the students and for community use. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, the school introduced a new policy promoting student electronic use. With this new policy, students were now able to bring and use their mobile phones, tablets, and laptops at school in compliance with the policy. The school's Wi-Fi network was opened for student use. This policy change was well-received by the students and faculty.
