Valley Forge High School

Valley Forge High School
Official Valley Forge Seal
Location
9999 Independence Boulevard

Parma Heights
,
(Cuyahoga County)
,
Ohio
44130

United States

41°22′19″N 81°45′21″W / 41.37194°N 81.75583°W / 41.37194; -81.75583
Information
TypePublic, Coeducational high school
Established1961
School district
Parma City School District
SuperintendentScott J. Hunt[1]
Principal
Janine Andrzejewski[2]
Staff233
Teaching staff
79.83 (FTE)[3]
Grades9-12
Student to teacher ratio
18.19[3]
Campus type
Closed
ColorsNavy Blue, White    
AthleticsYes
Athletics conference
Cleveland West Conference[2]
NicknamePatriots
Team namePatriots[2]
RivalsNormandy High School
National ranking
7,246
NewspaperThe Battlecry
Communities served
Parma Heights, Ohio, Parma, Ohio
WebsiteValley Forge High School

Valley Forge High School is located in Parma Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. It is one of two high schools in the Parma City School District, which is one of the largest school districts in the state of Ohio, serving the cities of Parma, Parma Heights, and Seven Hills.[4] The school's colors are navy blue and white; its sports teams are known as the Patriots.

History

On March 1, 2008, Barack Obama visited the school for his 2008 presidential primary campaign.[5] He spoke to an audience of about 1,300 people and responded to questions following his speech.[6]

On April 20, 2026, Valley Forge High School was evacuated following a shooting incident.[7] Parma police sergeant Scott Traxler confirmed that an 18-year-old female student, Marissa R. Rand, took her own life at approximately 2:10 P.M. in the school cafeteria.[8][9][10] She was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.[11] The weapon used in the incident was a black semi-automatic handgun taken from a family member.[12][13] Parma Heights Police Chief Steven Greene noted that the shooting likely had ties to the 27th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, which has since been confirmed.[14][15] Hours before the suicide, she posted images of a shrine and a locket containing the pictures of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.[16] Both Normandy High School and Valley Forge canceled classes for the following three days.[17][18] A vigil took take place on the following Saturday at the school for the student.[15] After this incident, a school board member, Leah Euerle, at the Parma City School District resigned, due to death threats, and many call for the board's president to do the same.[19][20]

Extracurriculars

In the 2005 Marching Season, Valley Forge Patriot Marching Band became the first band in the Parma City School District to earn the right to attend and perform at the OMEA Marching Band State Finals in Columbus, Ohio. The band performed as a Class AA band. The band was later presented with a commendation for this achievement by the Board of Education for Parma and Parma Heights.

Athletics

State championships

Notable alumni

OHSAA State Championships

References

  1. ↑ "Superintendent's Office". Parma City Schools. Parma City School District. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Valley Forge High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Parma City School District Website". Retrieved February 28, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Obama Campaign Rally in Parma Heights, Ohio". C-SPAN. March 1, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  6. ↑ Jindra, Christine (March 2, 2008). "Obama wins over crowd at Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights". cleveland.com. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Valley Forge High School Shooting: Campus in Parma Under Lockdown After Gunfire in Cafeteria". Times Now. April 21, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Parma Heights police say no ongoing threat to Valley Forge High School after student's death by suicide". wkyc.com. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Student Marissa Rand Dies Following Self-Inflicted Gunshot at Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights". Channel2Now. April 21, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Valley Forge High School Student Marissa R Rand Dies in Tragic Incident". The Union Star. April 23, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ AOL (April 21, 2026). "Valley Forge High School shooting: Detectives investigate, community awaits answers". www.aol.com. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ Team, 19 News Digital; Huntley, Katharine (April 22, 2026). "Gun in Valley Forge High School suicide belonged to student's family member, police say". Retrieved April 22, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Police incident report from Valley Forge shooting released". WEWS. April 24, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ Daprile, Lucas (April 22, 2026). "Valley Forge High Schooler who shot self had no plan to harm others: Police". cleveland. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Bovenzi, Tino (April 24, 2026). "Valley Forge students share concerns at board meeting as phased return to class begins". fox8.com. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ DeRoos, Dan (April 21, 2026). "Did the Valley Forge High School shooter have troubling social media posts?". WOIO. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  17. ↑ Vadaj, Rachel; Pomplas, Ashley; Williams, Avery; Koster, Brian (April 20, 2026). "Student dies after shooting herself in cafeteria of Valley Forge High School". cleveland19. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  18. ↑ Morrison, Laura; Shea, Jack (April 20, 2026). "Valley Forge High School shooting: Student dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound, school confirms". fox8.com. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  19. ↑ Morita, Maya (April 25, 2026). "Parma school board member resigns following shooting death of student". WEWS. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  20. ↑ Abusada, Nadeen (April 29, 2026). "Parents call for Parma school board president's resignation after heated meeting". Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Yappi. "Yappi Sports Wrestling". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  22. 1 2 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  23. ↑ "Tweens". The Plain Dealer. November 29, 2003. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
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