# Hempfield High School

Hempfield High School is a public senior high school located in Salunga-Landisville, Pennsylvania, United States. It serves both East and West Hempfield townships and serves as the only high school for Hempfield School District.

## Demographics

* Grades: 9-12
* County: Lancaster
* Total students: 2481
* 53.09% male / 48.3% female
* Teachers: 139

## Academics

Hempfield High School continually shows test results above the state average on the PSSA tests and the SAT. The school has a 95% graduation rate, with almost 82% of Hempfield graduates continuing to post-secondary education.
From 2005-2007, thirteen students were honored as National Merit Finalists. Finally, Hempfield students have consistently excelled in the Pennsylvania Math League. In 1999 and 2000, and from 2002-2005, the Math Team placed first in their region, and in 2001, 2006, and 2008, they placed first in the league.
Hempfield offers a number of Advanced Placement courses, including classes in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Science, English, French, German, Spanish Literature, Art, Music Theory, Physics, Statistics, US History, Human Geography and US Government and Politics. AP exams for college credit are also offered in all of these areas. Honor weighted courses in the Humanities are offered; however, no AP exam accompanies them.

## Performing arts and music
### Theater

Hempfield High School is renowned for its extensive theater program and its annual Dance Theatre production. Created by Pat Kautter (choreographed and directed by Cody Smith, until 2021, switching to Devon Groff), this is a completely original show which features over 100 students. Dance Theatre celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. Hempfield's spring musical productions, under the direction of Alejandro Ramos and Cody Smith, are also known for their excellence. A spring musical is also performed annually.
The 1,300-seat Performing Arts Center was designed by The Ray Group Inc., a Lancaster-based architecture firm that specializes in schools and universities. The PAC opened in the fall of 1995 and was one of the most expensive high school stages in Pennsylvania at the time. Local dance companies and performance groups often rent it out.

### Music

The Hempfield Black Knight Marching Band consists of over 100 members. The Symphonic Band is for grades 10-12. The Concert Band is a 50+ performance group which accepts all levels of musicians from all grades, and is designed for 9th graders to adapt them to the more challenging material and style that is played in this band. The 2012-2013 band was selected to perform at the PMEA All-State conference. The Jazz Band hosts a variety of shows during the year, and the Jazz Lab Band performs with the Jazz Band during the spring jazz concert. All of the bands at Hempfield are supervised by the department chair of music, Matt Ceresini.
Hempfield is also the home to several choral groups: Hempfield Singers, Bel Cantos, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers. All are under the direction of Alejandro Ramos. Hempfield Singers is a high level choir which is open by audition. Bel Cantos is an all female-choir, also selected through audition. This group is not currently running, however. Concert Choir is a larger group that is open to any student. The Hempfield Chamber Singers is an elite group which includes a small number of singers. The 2012-2013 group also performed at the state conference. The Chamber Singers perform the national anthem at many of Hempfield's home basketball games.
The Hempfield orchestras include Symphony Strings, an orchestra tailored to advanced musicians; and Concert Strings, a performing orchestra designed for underclassmen.
All orchestras, bands and choirs perform at either the holiday concert, the winter concert or a spring concert. Some groups have shows outside of the Hempfield music department, which change every year.

## Athletics

Hempfield competes in the Lancaster-Lebanon League as part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, except for:
* Ice hockey, governed by USA Hockey and compete in the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (CPIHL)
* Rugby, which compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU)

### Sports

* Baseball
The Hempfield Black Knight Baseball team is currently coached by Jeremy Morrison. Historical highlights and championships:
SECTION ONE: 1983, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
LANCASTER-LEBANON: 1974, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2014
DISTRICT 3: 2004, 2015
* Basketball (m/w)
* Bowling
* Cheerleading
* Field hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Ice hockey (not a PIAA sport)
* Lacrosse (m/w)
* Rugby (m/w; not a PIAA sport)
* Soccer (m/w)
* Softball
* Swimming and diving
* Tennis (m/w)
* Track and field/cross country
* Volleyball (m/w)
* Wrestling

### Basketball

The Hempfield boys' basketball program is led by Coach Danny Walck. Since taking over in 2010, he has led the Black Knights to a playoff appearance every season. This includes his first year, 2010-2011, where the Knights won the Lancaster-Lebanon League title. He is assisted by Dave Brown, Ian Daecher, Mark Macik, and Matt Wagaman.

### Football

Led by Head Coach George Eager, the Hempfield football program has dramatically increased in performance in recent years. They recently have had two straight berths to the PIAA District 3 AAAA playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals both times. They lost in double overtime to Cumberland Valley in 2013. They lost in triple overtime to Central Dauphin-East in 2014. They currently play in Section 1 of the L-L League.

### Facilities

* Georgelis Law Firm Stadium
** Synthetic turf field used for football, soccer, and lacrosse
** Sponsored by Hempfield HS graduate, resident and attorney, Anthony M. Georgelis.
** Also serves as the home field for Lancaster Inferno minor league soccer team

### Notable athletic alumni

* Aaron Herr, son of Tom Herr; member of the Louisville Bats, the Class AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds
* Tom Herr, a former Major League Baseball alumnus of the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets; led the Lancaster Barnstormers to the 2006 Atlantic League Championship Series
* John Murray, played goalie for the HHS ice hockey team before moving on to the Ontario Hockey League; signed in 2008 to the nearby Reading Royals of the ECHL; currently plays for the Ontario Reign, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings
* Kyle Salyards, competed in the 200 m breaststroke event in the 2000 Olympic Games
* Travis Worra, an American soccer player who has played for D.C. United since 2015.
* David Martin-Robinson, a football tight end for the Tennessee Titans since 2024.