Spotlight on High Schools | Philadelphia Inquirer

High School Spotlight features video stories of the special people, places and programs in high schools throughout the Philadelphia region. The project will continue through the 2007-08 school year as a special online feature of The Inquirer’s annual Report Card on the Schools.

Go to the 2008 Report Card for test scores, districts' points of pride and a special look at high schools in the region.

Conestoga High School

As China continues to grow as the world's next super power, Conestoga High School students are discovering the importance of learning a language that more than a billion people already know. Instructor Judy Lee introduces her students to the tonal language and intricate characters while immersing them in the Chinese culture.

The Renaissance Academy

The Laugh Out Loud improv group at The Renaissance Academy is dedicated to making their audience do just that. LOL is a group comprised of 10 student comedians who perform locally throughout the year, including their twice-yearly "Friday Night Live." No scripts, props or sets--just off-the-cuff comedy.

Octorara High School

Seniors at Octorara High School are learning what it means to be a hero to younger students. Octorara's Heroes program pairs fourth graders with high school seniors to promote the benefits of staying drug and alcohol free. The heroes even come complete with their very own trading card.

Burlingtown Township High School

At Burlington Township High School, students in the Careers with Children program are going back to basics with finger painting and learning to count. Burlington's Golden Moments program, a lab preschool experience, gives teachers-in-training a first look at what it is like to work with three and four year olds.

Spring-Ford High School

Spring-Ford High School's life skills program provides special needs students with the tools they need to live independently. From making a bed to making pizzas, students learn safety, hygiene and how to perform everyday chores in the mock-apartment classroom.

Cherry Hill East

Brad Hennefer may be the only two-sport high school athlete in the country who has Down syndrome, say his coaches at Cherry Hill East. After four years on East’s basketball team, the 5-foot-10 varsity swingman - who also plays golf - has become the Cougars’ very heart.

Springfield High School

Student art work graces the halls and a courtyard of Springfield Township High School in Montgomery County . Since coming to Springfield in 2001, nationally-known sculptor Mark Kobasz has been teaching his students the art of sculpture and how it can beautify the most ordinary spaces in a high school.

PENNRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

At Pennridge High School, students enrolled in a new physical education course are thinking summer and the prospects of working as a life guard. The course, one of 30 in the Philadelphia region, can lead to life guard certification.

BURLINGTON COUNTY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Behind the scenes at the Panther Palate: how students from the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton meet their ultimate challenge--preparing and serving a five-course Asian gourmet dinner to paying guests at the in-school restaurant.

Garnet Valley High School

A student-run production of “High School Musical” will be performed at the Delaware County school on Nov. 8-10. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the show.

This is one of the 140 productions of High School Musical across the country this year, including a production at Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia. The Garnet Valley students will not only be performing but they also are directing the show, which will involve 150 students. The school usually puts on a drama in the fall but switched to the musical after an overwhelming demand from the students.

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