New Paltz High School


New Paltz Central High School is situated in the town of New Paltz in upstate New York, on South Putt Corners Road. It serves students in grades 9-12 from the New Paltz Central School District, which serves most of New Paltz and Gardiner, New York, as well as parts of several other towns adjacent.

Academics

The original structure was completed during 1968, at which time the average class size was significantly smaller than for later decades. In both years 2004 and 2017 new wings were added.
New Paltz High School is known for academic success. The school has a variety of Advanced Placement courses that offer college credits. These classes are taken by students who want to challenge themselves in history, science, math, or literature and writing. Due to the high school's small size, students receive much one-on-one attention, increasing their academic success.

Athletics

The school mascot is the Huguenot. Historically the Huguenots were a group of French Calvinists who, while escaping religious persecution, played a major part in the European settlement of New Paltz.
New Paltz High School has several athletic teams with sports in both junior varsity andvarsity class. Teams are raised from the school population and are directed by faculty and staff. The teams include football, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, track and field, gymnastics, volleyball, cross country, swimming, Nordic skiing, wrestling, tennis, sacrosse, and golf. The New Paltz football team have won 3 section titles including the 2010 Section 9 Class B title win over Marlboro High School. The New Paltz track and field program has also had championship success, winning Section 9 Class B titles during 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as being the 2011 and 2012 Mid-Hudson Athletic League champions. The cross country program has had title wins in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League and sections frequently over many years. The men's varsity swim team also placed 2nd in the New York state championship meet during 2010 at Buffalo, losing to Shenendehowa High School. The girls varsity swim team were the Section 9 champions in 2017.
From the 1970s through the 1990s New Paltz had an elite wrestling program managed by coaches Kemble Matter and Frank Ciliberto. During the span from 1975 to 1993 New Paltz was the regional standard, winning 13 UCAL/MHAL titles and two section 9 titles. Other notable team wins were achieved at the Pascack Hills, NJ and Delaware Valley, PA invitational tournaments as well as the OSWOA tournament for the 1983-1984 season. Also during that season New Paltz scored second in the New York State Cup dual meet tournament, losing a narrow battle 27-25 to the eventual champions from Baldwin, a prolific Long Island wrestling school roughly 3 times as large as New Paltz.
Each year the high school's physical education department hosts a dodge ball tournament - with both faculty and student players, and a pickle ball tournament which sometimes includes separate competitions for badminton and ping-pong

Technology

During the 2005-2006 school year, school personnel developed their own television show called NPZ TV. The show was founded by English teacher Bill Zimmer and computer teacher Jen Cone. NPZ TV is used to deliver the school's daily announcements with two anchors and a lunch/weather/wellness person; the broadcast also includes brief shows about school sports, local news and student interests that are created by the advanced graphics and video editing for production class taught by technology teacher Brennan Woods. Participating students arrive at the school early to assist with the show, both as the anchors and to work with the technology in the control room to insert v-screen backgrounds and videos directly into the teleprompter.

Notable alumni