| Woodland Hills School District | |
| Streetaddress: | 531 Jones Avenue |
| City: | North Braddock |
| County: | Allegheny County |
| Zipcode: | 15104 |
| Motto: | Whatever it takes...our children are worth it! |
| Established: | 1981 |
| Superintendent: | Dr. Daniel Castagna |
| Colors: | Turquoise & Black and White |
| Website: | http://www.whsd.net |
Woodland Hills School District is a public school district located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, serving twelve municipalities in the Pittsburgh area; Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Forest Hills, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek and Wilkins Township (except for a small portion).[1]
Woodland Hills School District encompasses approximately 12sqmi. According to 2000 federal census data, it serves a resident population of 52,876.
Woodland Hills School District was formed in July 1981 by a mandated merger of Edgewood, General Braddock, Swissvale, Churchill and Turtle Creek school districts. The Woodland Hills School District is unique in that it was formed by a court order (one of only three such districts so formed in Pennsylvania) in 1982 as a result of a Civil Rights Act lawsuit filed by various residents of the prior school districts. It was formed from an amalgamation of seven separate districts in the eastern region of Allegheny County in suburban Pittsburgh. The suit was filed to address the fact that the seven districts were all composed almost exclusively of all white or all black student enrollments. This resulted in African American students being transported long distances past all White schools and vice versa. The resultant court order created a single large school district of over 7,000 students comprised almost equally of white and black students.[2]
Woodland Hills School District is bordered by eight other school districts: Pittsburgh S.D., Penn Hills S.D., Gateway S.D., East Allegheny S.D., Wilkinsburg Borough S.D. Also bordering (but across the Monongahela River from) Woodland Hills School District, is: West Mifflin S.D., Steel Valley S.D., and Duquesne City S.D. Woodland Hills School District's sports size classification is "AAAAA" (5A), which is the second largest of the PIAA's six classifications (single A through 6A).
As of the fall of 2018,[3] Woodland Hills School district serves approximately 3,500 students, and has five facilities:
Woodland Hills High School's athletics department sponsors almost thirty varsity sports. Woodland Hills competes in the AAAA division of the WPIAL.
Varsity sports include Baseball, Boys/Girls Basketball, Boys/Girls Bowling, Boys/Girls Cross Country, Field Hockey, Boys Golf, Rifle, Boys/Girls Soccer, Softball, Boys/Girls Swimming, Boys/Girls Tennis, Boys/Girls Track, Boys/Girls Volleyball, Wrestling, Rugby, and Ultimate.
The Wolvarena is the football stadium for the Woodland Hills Wolverines. It has been named one of the top 10 places to watch high school football in the country. The Wolverines very rarely lose a home game, losing only 2 out of 40 since 1993.[4] Its most successful varsity team is its football team led by head coach, George Novak, which won the regional AAAA championship in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2009. Since 1987, Woodland Hills has sent 50 players to Division I schools
The Woodland Hills Rifle Team has won state championships for the last 4 years. It has also won multiple WPIAL championships. It is coached by Matt Rodrigues, Chuck Pantalone and Maria Brucker.
The Woodland Hills boys track and field team tied for first place for the WPIAL section 4A championships in 2001. The team was coached by former Olympian Lindel Hodge.
Woodland Hills High School prides itself in its yearly staging of popular musicals each spring and has won several Gene Kelly Awards for its performances. In April 2007, WHHS students performed in the student version of Les Misérables.Woodland Hills also has a Marching Band for students in the high school. Every year the spring musical receives nominations from the Gene Kelly Awards for outstanding Pittsburgh-area high school performances.
*Denotes Gene Kelly Award for Best Musical
Other events include the winter show done by the Performing Arts Class, and Junior Musicals (all shows shortened to make easier, except for 2024 "Annie") (7-9). Recent performing arts productions have included "1776", "Jekyll and Hyde", "Miss Saigon", "Avenue Q" and "Clue".
NFL Wide Receiver for Kansas City Chiefs, and Arizona Cardinals. Attended and played for the University of Michigan.
NFL Tight End for New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Attended and played for the University of Arizona.
NFL Cornerback for Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and New England Patriots. Attended and played at California University of Pennsylvania.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania’s 12th district.
NFL Wide Receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, and Spokane Shock. Attended and played at the West Virginia University.
NFL Fullback for Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys. Attended and played for the University of Pittsburgh.
NFL running back for the Carolina Panthers. Attended and played at Penn State University.
NFL Cornerback for Oakland Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers. Attended and played for the University of Pittsburgh.
NFL Defensive End for Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and New York Jets. Attended and played for the University of Akron.
Fox Sports Reporter
NFL Cornerback for New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons. Attended and played at Notre Dame University.