Our academically rigorous program prepares all students for success after graduation.

• Varied Courses
  • Range of courses from introductory to college level
  • AP classes give students the opportunity to earn college credits
  • STEM Honors Program

• College and Career Prep
  • Sophomores complete an 18-week internship
  • Seniors go on college visits, take a senior seminar course, get assistance applying for scholarships & loans and support with the college application process
  • Students graduate with a plan to enter college, the workforce or a pathway of their choice

Special Education Programming

• • We provide comprehensive special education programming to meet the individualized needs of each child, including:
    • Individualized Education Plans
    • Academic Interventions
    • Low Incidence Programs  (Autistic Support, Multiple Disabilities, Life Skills)
    • Emotional Support
    • English as a Second Language (ESL)
    • Psychological and Social Services

Simon Gratz students have tons of sports, clubs and extracurricular activities to choose from, including:

• Art Club
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Comic Book Club
• Cross Country
• Dance
• Debate Team
• Drama Club
• Drum Line
• Fashion Club
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Hip Hop & Rap Production
• Journalism
• Livewire Dance Crew
• National Honor Society
• Open Mic
• Pick-up Basketball
• Photography  and Film Club
• Poetry Slam Team
• Robotics
• Rugby
• Student Government
• Track and Field
• Video Game Club
• Volleyball
• Weightlifting
• Yearbook Club
• Yoga Club

We’re a member of the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) within the District XII Public League. Our Bulldogs football team won the district divisional (5A) championship game for four years in a row! (2018,2017, 2016 and 2015).  Our boys basketball won the (6A) district championship (2020).

• The STEM Honors program at Simon Gratz prepares students for college and the workforce through a rigorous, hands-on program rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills and concepts.
• Students learn critical and creative thinking skills, communication and collaboration and real-world problem-solving.
• Students who are accepted to the program participate in various opportunities that accelerate their learning, such as engaging summer programs, dual enrollment and STEM enrichment activities.

Career & Technical Education

This isn’t the old school wood shop class. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of today are teaching teens everything from how to code and edit video to how to manage restaurants and prepare patients for medical exams. These programs are preparing students for the fastest growing jobs of the future – no matter if they choose to go to college or start their career right after graduation.

Why CTE?

Career Exploration

• Students can discover new interests, cultivate gifts and talents, and find a career they love with hands-on training.
• Many of the fastest-growing jobs are in CTE fields like health care and IT.

College & Career Preparation

• Earn industry-recognized certifications and graduate ready for well-paying careers.
• Earn college credits while still in high school.

Students who complete CTE classes have higher graduation and college completion rates than their peers.

How long is the program?

• The program is three years, starting in 10^th grade and running until graduation in 12^th grade.

Who can apply?

Is your student an incoming 10^th grader who wants to gain more real world experience before graduation? Our CTE programs will let you take classes during the day that prepare you for a career in the area you choose- not only will you learn things about that job, you’ll actually get to DO things related to that job. The three programs we currently offer are Health Technology (learn about the medical fields, practice medical techniques, prepare for a healthcare job), Culinary Arts (learn food safety and how to cook and run a restaurant business), and Communications Technology (learn photography, web design, sound mixing, and video editing). Accepted students will take classes in their chosen area from 10-12 grade and have the opportunity to graduate with not only a diploma but also college credits and industry certifications. Apply here:  www.bit.ly/GratzCTEapp

CTE Programs

Communications Technology

Web and graphic design. Video production. Photography. Animation. These are just some of the skills students will learn in our Communications Technologies program.

Students in this program will graduate ready to work in the field of multimedia technology – which includes everything from creating video content to repairing computers.

In addition to industry certifications, students in this program can earn up to two college credits for Arts & Humanities courses.

Industry Certification(s):

• • • Adobe Photoshop
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Final Cut Pro

Career Opportunities

Advanced Certificate:

• • • Computer Support Specialist

Associate’s Degree:

• • • Telecommunications Equipment Installer
    • Computer Support Associate
    • Television/Movie Equipment Operator
    • Sound Technologist

Bachelor’s Degree:

• • • Software Developer
    • Applications Developer
    • Web Developer
    • Computer Systems Administrator
    • Television/Movie Producer
    • Graphic Designer
    • Print Shop Operator

Healthcare Technology

Many of today’s fastest-growing jobs are in the health care industry. Students in the Health Care Technology program will learn the fundamentals of health care, including how to use basic medical equipment, treat injuries and work in a lab.

Foundational classes will be in a traditional classroom setting, but as students advance through the program, they will begin working in a real-life clinical setting.

In addition to industry certifications, students in this program can earn one college credit for science and ½ college credit for health education.

Industry Certification(s):

• • • Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED
    • Youth Mental Health
    • HIPPA
    • Certified Nursing Assistant

Career Opportunities

Advanced Certificate:

• • • Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics
    • Pharmacy Technician
    • Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LPN)
    • Medical Records and Health Information Technician
    • Nursing Assistant
    • Dental Assistant
    • Medical Assistant
    • Phlebotomist

Associate’s Degree:

• • • Respiratory Therapist
    • Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician
    • Dental Hygienist
    • Radiologic Technician

Bachelor’s Degree:

• • • Registered Nurse
    • Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist

Graduate Degree:

• • • Nurse Practitioner
    • Medical Doctor

Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts

Does your child dream of becoming a chef? If so, our Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts program is a perfect fit!

It prepares students to work in a variety of food service industry jobs, teaching them everything from food prep and menu planning to food safety and dining room operations.

In addition to industry certifications, students in this program can earn one college credit for humanities and ½ college credit for health education.

Industry Certification(s):

• • • SP/2 – Culinary
    • ServSafe – Food Handling
    • ServSafe – Food Manager

Career Opportunities

Advanced Certificate:

• • • Fry Cook
    • Line Cook
    • Fast Food Worker

Associate’s Degree:

• • • Chef
    • Caterer
    • Fast Food/Franchise Restaurant Manager

Bachelor’s Degree:

• • • Hotel Management
    • Event Planning
    • Chef
    • Food Consultant
    • Dietitian
    • Nutritionist

Graduate Degree:

• • • Hotel General Manager
    • Food and Beverage Director

 

For questions about the CTE program contact Isobel Dewey at 215-704-3253.

Mask

All students will be required to wear masks while in the building as a part of their regular uniform.

 

Polos

All students will be required to wear a Simon Gratz Mastery polo shirt which can be purchased for $10. Each uniform shirt color is determined by grade as outlined below:.

9th Grade (Black), 10th Grade (Light Grey), 11th Grade (Red), 12th Grade (Charcoal Grey)

 

Outerwear

Students will be allowed to purchase quarter zips for $20 to wear as an option for uniform. If you are passing all of your classes and have earned perfect attendance the first month of school, you qualify for a free quarter zip.

 

Pants

Only plain solid black or navy blue pants without rips/holes and/or distressed/fraying are acceptable. The following pants are NOT acceptable: jeans, jeggings;  shorts; leather/faux-leather, sweat or exercise pants; pajama pants, colored, striped, designed or decorated pants; pants worn below the hips; torn, ripped or overly worn pants/faded pants; excessively large or skin tight pants including but not limited to jeggings, leggings, and tights.  

Families will be able to begin purchasing uniform tops starting Friday, August 20th during Student Orientation. 

 

ID CARDS, LANYARDS & ID CLIPS

Bringing your ID card to school will be mandatory this school year.  Students will be able to take their picture during orientation and will receive their IDs within the first week of school.

There is guaranteed enrollment at Simon Gratz High for students living in Gratz attendance zone (click here to see the attendance zone map) and students attending:  

• Cleveland 
• Clymer  
• Kenderton 
• Bethune 
• Duckrey
• Steel  

Students from schools not listed above and outside the Gratz attendance zone may also apply for the lottery, however they can only enroll if seats are available.

You must be enrolled first at Gratz to apply for the STEM Honors Program and CTE.  To apply to Gratz click here.

We are  excited to offer our Science Technology Engineering and Math program at Gratz for the 21-22. This program provides students with classes in computer science and robotics along with opportunities to tour colleges and see STEM professionals in action. If your student has a passion for STEM and would benefit from an accelerated curriculum please have them apply at the following link: https://bit.ly/gratzstem by July 31^st– we currently have 1-2 openings per grade.

Le’Yondo Dunn, Principal

[email protected]

Le’Yondo Dunn is the principal of Mastery Charter Simon Gratz High School. His passion for working in education stemmed from his own experiences, which mirrors many students attending Gratz. He is a firm believer that all students should have access to a high-quality education regardless of their zip codes.

Before becoming principal at Gratz, Mr. Dunn served as the school’s assistant principal of operations. Prior to joining Mastery, he worked as the director of operations at KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools and Green Dot Public Schools. He started his career in educational advocacy in his hometown of New Orleans.

Mr. Dunn attended the University of New Orleans where he received degrees in business administration and business management. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and keeping up with the latest music trends through his students.

 

If you have questions about:	School Contact Person	Contact Information (email and phone number)
My child’s academic performance:	9th – Randy Frazier 10th – Megan Gundogdu 11th – Isobel Dewey Uyehara 12th – Taylor Uyehara Low Incidence – Daniel Heath	[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Attendance, early dismissals, lateness	Erik Zipay	[email protected]
Health and medical concerns/COVID-related concerns	Katie Wcislo	[email protected]
Arrival or dismissal/Lunch	Erik Zipay	[email protected]
Discipline concerns/Uniforms	Erik Zipay	[email protected]
Wellness/Social work supports	Dr. Anna O’Rourke	[email protected]
Events and trips	Anthony Harris	[email protected]
Transportation	Grades 9-12 – Katie Wcislo Low Incidence – Daniel Heath	[email protected] [email protected]
Supports for a student with an IEP	Phillip Smith	[email protected]
Enrollment/Reenrollment	Enrollment in grades 7th and 8th	[email protected] [email protected]
Postsecondary Questions:	12th Grade Maureen Quiles-Rosa Jade Roane 11th Grade Chris Chaplin Jana Henry	[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Our staff is available to support you and your child throughout their school experience. We are available to meet with families and answer questions via the email addresses listed here.

 

First Name	Last Name	Position	Email
Festus	Aigbokhai	Classroom Counselor (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Sheronda	Ball	Classroom Clinician	[email protected]
Marc	Baxter	Dean	[email protected]
Megan	Becker	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
John	Bennett	Social Emotional Learning Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Marie Evangeline	Berube	Specialized Services Program Director	[email protected]
Chade	Biney-Amissah	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Darryl	Blodgett	Director of Healthy Communities	[email protected]
Donheen	Boone	Dean	[email protected]
Changel	Bowie	Specialized Services Classroom Assistant (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Wendel	Boyd	Support Teacher LIM - High School	[email protected]
David	Bronstein	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Kiyona	Brown	Social Worker	[email protected]
Dominique	Butler	Dean (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Ikea	Butts	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Tamara	Callands	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Catherine	Canty	Instructional Coach (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Brie	Carattini	Dean	[email protected]
Demetrius	Casillas	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Christopher	Chaplin	College Advisor	[email protected]
Alexander	Christensen	Science Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Octavia	Clarkson	Community Engagement Manager	[email protected]
Dominique	Coles	Specialized Services Classroom Assistant LIM (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Saadiq	Cooper	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Michelle	Cotto	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Cherish	Crawford	Support Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Sharilyn	Crawford	Support Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Samantha	Daniels	Social Worker	[email protected]
Matthew	Davidoff	ESL Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Susan	Delp	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Doris	DeRienzo	Social Worker	[email protected]
Isobel	Dewey	Assistant Principal of Instruction - High School	[email protected]
Alicia	DiPompeo	Specialized Services Case Manager - High School	[email protected]
Jessica	Dixon	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Patrick	Dolan	CTE Culinary Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Le'Yondo	Dunn	Principal - High School	[email protected]
Jazmeen	Dupree	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Anne Marie	Elmine	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
ReAnis	Figgs	Intervention Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Tania	Figgs	Internship Coordinator	[email protected]
Iyana	Flynn	Dean	[email protected]
Alliyah	Francis	Science Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Randy	Frazier	Assistant Principal of Instruction - High School	[email protected]
Charles	Gathers	Specialized Services Classroom Assistant LIL (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Conor	Geiger	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Christina	Geitner	Reading Specialist - High School	[email protected]
Leah	Goldman	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Elizabeth	Gooch	Specialized Services Classroom Assistant (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Erica	Gooch	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Allela	Goodwin	Classroom Counselor (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Ariel	Goodwin	Support Teacher LIL - High School	[email protected]
Quishawn	Green	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Megan	Gundogdu	Assistant Principal of Instruction - High School	[email protected]
Janelle	Harper	Dean	[email protected]
Anthony	Harris	Assistant Principal of School Culture - High School	[email protected]
Kenya	Harris	Support Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Cletissa	Haynes - Hogue	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Daniel	Heath	Director of Low Incidence Programming	[email protected]
Shakoor	Henderson	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Bryan	Hennessy	Science Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Trey	Hennessy	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Jana L	Henry	College Advisor	[email protected]
Ashley	Johnson	Specialized Services Compliance Assistant (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Jawwaad	Jones	Building Engineer	[email protected]
Kimberly	Jones	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Michael	Kehoe	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Jason	Kidd	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Lydia	Koku	Technology Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Larry	Lantz	Specialized Services Teacher LIL - Middle School	[email protected]
Andrew	Lavado	Spanish Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Brooke	Lewis	Spanish Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Megan	Malachi	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Brittany	Martin	Support Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Ruth	Martin	Specialized Services Case Manager - High School	[email protected]
Donte'	Matthews	Culture Assistant (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Brittni	May	Specialized Services Case Manager - High School	[email protected]
Christine	Mazur	Art Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Angela	McBride	Specialized Services Case Manager - High School	[email protected]
Kenneth	McCallum	Dean	[email protected]
Shannon	McClure	Specialized Services Teacher LIL - Middle School	[email protected]
Jeremy	McKnight	Dean	[email protected]
Leon	Michael	Support Teacher - Relay Resident	[email protected]
Nia	Minard	CTE Culinary Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Nakia	Mitchell	Building Engineer	[email protected]
Thomas	Mulhern	Operations Manager	[email protected]
Virnetta	Newman	Classroom Clinician	[email protected]
Ewuraekua	Nunoo-Tanikie	Operations Coordinator	[email protected]
Anna	O'Rourke	Lead Assistant Principal of Specialized Services	[email protected]
Cynthia	Oldham	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Samiah	Oliphant	Support Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Robert	Perry	Spanish Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Tanika	Pressley	Administrative Assistant	[email protected]
Jelissa	Price	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Latoya	Quarles	Specialized Services Classroom Assistant (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Dianna	Quijano	Science Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Maureen	Quiles-Rosa	College Advisor	[email protected]
David	Reeves	Physical Education Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Lasheena	Riley	Social Worker	[email protected]
Richard	Riley	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Jade	Roane	College Advisor	[email protected]
Christine	Rock	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Elizabeth	Rogiani	Specialized Services Case Manager - High School	[email protected]
Saroya	Royster	Internship Coordinator	[email protected]
Caitlin	Ruiz	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Habibat	Saheeb	Support Teacher (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Theresa	Salopek	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Jaymarie	Santana	English Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Christopher	Sante	History Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Shonda	Sass	Administrative Assistant	[email protected]
Marcus	Smith	STEM Coordinator	[email protected]
Phillip	Smith	Assistant Principal of Specialized Services - High School	[email protected]
Shamar	Smith	Classroom Counselor (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Cynthia	Spiecker	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Lindsay	Stanislow	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Susan	Stein	Science Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Meghan	Stephens	Specialized Services Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Lynard	Stewart	Dean	[email protected]
Carrie	Stoltzfus	Transition Coordinator	[email protected]
Clinton	Taylor	Dean	[email protected]
David	Tinsley	Physical Education Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Adriaan	Tomkins	Classroom Counselor	[email protected]
Stacy	Triumph	Social Worker	[email protected]
Taylor	Uyehara	Assistant Principal of Instruction - High School	[email protected]
Julia	Vaughn	Classroom Counselor (Part-Time)	[email protected]
Katherine	Wcislo	Assistant Principal/Director of Operations - High School	[email protected]
Ounyae	Williams	CTE Health Technology TeacherTeacher - High School	[email protected]
Evana	Wilson	Math Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Octavia	Young	Intervention Teacher - High School	[email protected]
Erik	Zipay	Assistant Principal of School Culture - High School	[email protected]