# Indiana Area School District

Indiana Area School District is a public school district in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. It is composed of White Township and Armstrong Township, along with Indiana and Shelocta boroughs.

## Elementary schools

The Indiana Area School District has four elementary schools. Two of these serve for grades K-3, and two serving for grades 4–5, and each serving a different part of the district. Ben Franklin Elementary School (K-3) and Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School (4-5) serve Shelocta, Armstrong Township, west-central White Township, mostly the northwest corner of White Township, but also a small strip of western and southwestern White Township and the western third of Indiana Borough. East Pike Elementary School (K-3) and Horace Mann Elementary School (4-5) serve the eastern third of White Township, the northeastern corner of Indiana Borough, southern Indiana Borough and south-central and most of southwestern White Township.

## Secondary schools

Indiana Area School District has two secondary schools. Indiana Area Junior High School (IJHS) contains grades 6-8, and Indiana Area Senior High School (IHS) contains grades 9-12.

## Extracurricular Programs

Indiana Area School District offers a variety of extracurricular activities, the chief among them being sports. The junior and senior high school also offer clubs, with a majority of students participating in them.

### Clubs

Both Indiana Area Junior High School and Indiana High School offer club programs for students. The largest among them is a volunteer club, Builders' Club at the junior high school and Key Club at the senior high school. Key Club counts about 25% of the high school student body as members. Among the high school's 20+ clubs, there is also Future Business Leaders of America, Relay For Life, and many theater clubs.

### Sports

The entire district offers a wide variety of sports. The elementary schools have basketball, grouped by sex and grade. At the end of each school year, each school stages an "All-School Tournament," in which all players are eligible. IJHS offers students football, soccer, track and field, cross country, and girls' volleyball. The high school has even more selections. with boys' baseball, girls' softball, spring and winter track and field, tennis, golf, riflery, hockey, swimming, and diving.
The elementary schools each have their own separate sports teams. Ben Franklin Elementary School's colors are green and gold, and their teams are known as the Braves. Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School's colors are blue and gold, and their teams are known as the Eagles. East Pike Elementary School's colors are red and white, and their teams there are known as the Chiefs. Horace Mann Elementary School's colors are red and white, and its teams are known as the Warriors.
The colors of both the junior and senior high schools are red and black, and the team name is the "Indians" and their fight song is "Cherokee." This is taken from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania's sports teams, which were previously known as the "Indians," and their fight song was formerly "Cherokee" as well. In general, most of the junior and senior high school's sports teams are outfitted in white uniforms. The football team also wears blood-red and black jerseys and pants; the softball team wears gray, pinstriped uniforms; the basketball teams wear black uniforms; and the hockey team has red, black, and white uniforms.
The cross country, swimming and diving, boys' tennis, ice hockey, boys' and girls' basketball, and the track and field teams are Indiana's strongest teams. The boys' basketball team won the Class AAA WPIAL Championship in 2014–2015 season. The ice hockey team won the PIHL D-2 championship in the 2014–15 season The team made their first ever Penguins Cup Championship and State Championship appearance in the 2020-2021 season. During the 2018 season, the high school men's cross country team was the PIAA state runner-up in the AA division. The hockey team competes in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, while all other teams compete in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League, or WPIAL.
Several high school athletes have gone on to participate in post-secondary sports teams in various sports, such as basketball, football, softball, cross country, track and field, and swimming. One Indiana High School alum earned 22 varsity letters in only 4 years of attending the Indiana Area Senior High School, participating in the sports golf, cross country, swimming, indoor track and field, tennis, and spring track and field. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the student was, "...possibly be the most unique athlete in WPIAL history."

## Notable alumni

* Authors Edward Abbey and Tawni O'Dell
* American Football League running back Jim Nance
* Joe Saylor, a professional jazz percussionist for the band Stay Human
* John Kopchick
* Christine Toretti S.W. Jack Drilling Co.
* Ben McAdoo Former NY Giants Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator