Northern Lehigh High School
Northern Lehigh High School is a public high school located in Slatington, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. It is the only high school in the Northern Lehigh School District.
Students in grades 9 through 12 from Slatington, Walnutport, and Washington Township in the Lehigh Valley region of the state attend the high school.
Northern Lehigh competes in the District XI athletic division of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and is a member of the Colonial League.
History
The current high school building was completed in 1981, with an addition built in 2000 for a new library and art room. Prior buildings which housed the school include:- Lincoln Building
- "Old High School at Main Street"
- Northern Lehigh Middle School
- Northern Lehigh High School
Academics
Northern Lehigh High School operates on a semester system. The school year has two semesters, each with four 86 minute class periods. Students are also offered the opportunity to take vocational training at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute and can take college courses offered through Lehigh Carbon Community College.Athletics
Main rivals
Northern Lehigh's main sports rivalries are closely aligned with geographic proximity. Northern Lehigh and Palmerton High School have had a strong rivalry for decades. From 1946-74, both school's football teams met for a Thanksgiving Day game, and the teams still end their regular seasons each year by playing one another. A natural rivalry has also developed with Northwestern Lehigh High School, which was once a part of Northern Lehigh School District until the 1950s.Teams Supported
Northern Lehigh fields teams for interscholastic competition in a number of sports including: baseball, boys & girls cross country, boys & girls soccer, boys & girls track and field, field hockey, football, boys & girls Basketball, wrestling, and softball.PIAA state champions
- Softball: 1988, 96
- Wrestling: 1985, 2005
PIAA state qualifiers
- Boys Basketball: 1982, 2007, 08, 12
- Girls Basketball: 1992, 93, 2010, 11
- Boys Cross Country: 1974, 78, 79, 80, 87, 89, 92, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 2001, 09
- Girls Cross Country: 1975, 85, 86, 2007
- Football: 1999, 2003, 10
- Softball:1988, 96, 98, 2000, 01
- Wrestling: 1985, 99, 2000, 05, 06, 08, 15
PIAA Eastern PA champions
- Boys Basketball: 1982
- Football: 2003
- Softball:1988, 96, 98
- Wrestling: 1999, 2000, 05, 06
Eastern Conference Playoff AA champions
- Football: 2014
District XI champions
- Boys Basketball: 1954, 2008
- Baseball: 1954
- Boys Cross Country: 1980, 92, 95, 97, 99
- Girls Cross Country: 1975, 85
- Football: 1999, 2003, 10
- Softball: 1993, 94, 96, 98, 00, 01
- Wrestling: 1986, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 05, 06, 09, 15
Colonial League champions
- Baseball: 2010
- Boys Basketball: 2007, 08, 10
- Boys Cross Country: 1994, 95, 97, 99
- Field Hockey: 2013
- Football: 1999, 2002, 03, 05, 10
- Softball: 1994, 2010
- Boys Track: 1999, 2004
- Wrestling: 1997, 98, 99, 04, 05, 06
Centennial League champions
- Baseball: 1984, 85, 86
- Boys Basketball: 1978, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 88
- Girls Basketball: 1984
- Boys Cross Country: 1977, 78, 79, 80, 81, 86, 87, 88, 89, 92, 93
- Girls Cross Country: 1985, 86, 87
- Football: 1981
- Softball:1988, 89, 92, 93, 94, 95
- Boys Track: 1978, 79, 81
- Wrestling: 1982, 83, 90
Lehigh Valley champions
- Boys Basketball: 1926, 27, 53, 54
- Baseball: 1939, 51, 53, 54
- Football: 1968, 69, 74
- Boys Track: 1966
- Girls Track: 1975
Ring of Honor
Notable individual accomplishments
Aimee Oertner: Achieved a quintuple double in a high school basketball game on January 7, 2012. In 2012, this feat had only been accomplished two other times in basketball history.David Oertner: Earned his 1000th win as the Northern Lehigh Cross-country coach on October 3, 2018. He is also the father of Aimee Oertner and was her high school basketball coach as well. As of this writing, he is still active in coaching and has over 90 seasons of coaching as a head/assistant coach of various sports at Northern Lehigh High School.
Arts
Marching Band
- Tournament of Bands Chapter II Champions : 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships Finalists: 1997, 98, 99, 2000, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
- Tournament of Bands Top 5 Finish at Atlantic Coast Championships: 2011 – 4th of 30 group 1 bands; 2013 – 3rd of 23 bands; 2015 – 4th of 26 bands;2016 – 5th of 19 bands;2017-5th of 20 bands; 2018-4th of 20 bands; 2019-4th of 20 bands
- Tournament of Bands Chapter II High Percussion : 1999, 2005, 2007, 2009
- Tournament of Bands ACC Section champions: 2013 Woodwinds
Freddy Awards
- Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra: 2011, "Once On This Island"
- Outstanding Use of Scenery: 2011, "Once On This Island"
- Outstanding Use of Scenery: 2013, "Little Shop of Horrors"
- Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actor: 2014, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"
- Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actor-Won by Pierce McGowan:2017, " Disney's Beauty and the Beast"
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Ensemble Member-won by Pierce McGowan:2018, “Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- Outstanding Overall Production By a SmallerSchool:2018,“Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
NLHS alma mater
Lyrics:
Just above the winding Lehigh
Midst the mountains grand
Stands our dear old Alma Mater
Famed throughout the land.
Far and wide through we may sojourn,
Still our hearts are true,
To our dear old Alma Mater,
Dear old white and blue
Chorus:
High school, high school, our own high school
Dear N.L.H.S.
When afar from the we wander,
Thy dear name we bless.
Former school mascots
- Early 1930s – Blue and White Warriors
- 1939–1941 – Blue and White Raiders
- 1941–1968 – Slatington Slaters
- 1968–1981 – Slatington Bulldogs
Notable alumni
- Sigrid Close, professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University and recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
- George Hennessey, former professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Phillies
- Charles Johnson, former professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
- Thomas R. Morgan, former Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps