About Us

The front of Pelham Memorial High School

Vision

The Pelham Memorial High School community is committed to fostering a safe and nurturing environment in which all students can achieve their greatest potential in every endeavor. We are dedicated to developing confident, well-rounded, life-long learners ready to become productive individual contributors and the leaders of tomorrow.

Mission

Pelham Memorial High School is dedicated to the promotion and achievement of academic excellence.

We…

  • Strive to create a secure and supportive environment which promotes the intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being of all members of the school community
  • Celebrate diversity and encourage tolerance and respect for individual and cultural differences, …uphold the tenets of a democratic society
  • Provide our students with experiences that enable them to make ethical choices and function in our ever-changing and technological world
  • Foster the development of critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and love of learning
  • Encourage the recognition of learning as a life-long process.

Pelham Memorial High School will continue to cultivate these ideals and invites all members of the school community to share in this endeavor.

Demographics

Enrollment at PMHS totals more than 900 students. Based upon New York State census guidelines, the PMHS population is 68.2% White, 15.2% Hispanic, 5.2% African-American, 6.2% Asian, and 5.2% Multiracial.

View State Report Card

History

Pelham Memorial High School

By 1918, when Siwanoy School was no longer big enough to house both grammar and secondary students, a new high school was proposed on the town “sand pit,” formerly part of the farm belonging to Colonel Philip Pell. World War I delayed construction but also inspired its new name, a “memorial” to the men and women who served in battle.

A group of people march down the street as part of a parade.

A parade coming down Fifth Avenue, past First Street,
preceded the laying of the cornerstone on October
18, 1919, the day of homecoming celebrations.

On May 6, 1922, Memorial High School, said to be “the last word in school buildings” and also the biggest high school with the largest field in Westchester County, was dedicated. This $373,000 structure would be the first of three sections to be constructed in less than a decade as the number of students continued to increase. The second section, facing Corlies Avenue, was completed in 1924 at a cost of $350,000, and the third section, facing Franklin Place, was completed in 1929 at a cost of $575,000.

A crowd gathers to witness the laying of the first cornerstone of Pelham Memorial High School.

PMHS Cornerstone Ceremony

Enhancements continued throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. A new wing, or annex as it is familiarly called, was added in 1963, resulting in more classrooms as well as new science labs. During the 1990s, two auto mechanic and shop classrooms were renovated into computer labs and an art room. Wiring was also upgraded for technology. Community donations resulted in a new language lab, a bio-technology lab, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment in the auditorium. A project to renovate high school science classrooms, expand the cafeteria and Information Center, and other enhancements are currently underway.

A U.S. Flag is shown flying in front of PMHS while it is under construction.

Flag flying over half built high school on July 4, 1920

Constructed of native stone in a collegiate Gothic style, PMHS continues to blend tradition and innovation. Named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1993, the U.S. Department of Education site visitor wrote, “Small class size, interactive methodologies, and modern methodological techniques all allow for a very positive learning environment.” At the same time, what F. Hamilton Whipple, Principal of PMHS, said in 1947 still remains true. “As a newcomer to Pelham, I have been impressed by the Pelham spirit... It is seen in the student body, the loyal parents, alumni, and friends at a football game... It shows up when the appeal comes to fill Red Cross boxes. It is the force which keeps a stage crew and a cast working evenings and Saturdays...”

Athletic Fields

Sports programs were short on field space for practice and games until the early 1950s, when the citizens of Pelham approved the building of a new sports field complex and field house at Parkway Field. Sixteen acres of land, once described as barren and hilly, exuding rocks and becoming a swamp after heavy rains, were turned into a sports field that ranked among the “finest and most complete in the metropolitan area.” It included a track, baseball and softball diamonds, a varsity-size football field, tennis courts and a field house. The field was later renamed Glover Field in honor of Colonel John Glover who led the Battle of Pell’s Point in the Revolutionary War and was responsible for the safe withdrawal of General George Washington from the Battle of Harlem Heights. In 1979, Roosevelt Field, adjacent to the high school, was renovated through the endowment of former School Board President Roscoe Ingalls and renamed in his honor. The community approved the building of a new regulation-size field on Franklin Place and the restoration of Glover Field, as well as fields at Prospect Hill and Hutchinson Schools, in 1997.

PMHS Through the Decades

Posters depicting the high school over the years

A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1920s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1920s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1930s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1930s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1940s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1940s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1950s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1950s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1960s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1960s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1970s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1970s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1980s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1980s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1990s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 1990s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 2000s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 2000s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 2010s
A poster showing images of PMHS from the 2010s