On October 24, 1930 the formal dedication of Strong Vincent High School was held. The school, named after Colonel Strong Vincent, who is best known for his courageous efforts at the Battle of Gettysburg, suffered a fatal wound in his defense of Little Round Top. The Vincent Family Crest became the school’s Coat of Arms along with their family motto: Virtute non viribus Vincent; “ By courage, not by force of arms, we conquer.” Local sports writers nicknamed the Vincent athletes  “The Fighting Colonels” from Strong Vincent’s army rank.

Throughout the years, the school has prospered into one of the area’s top schools both academically and athletically. Strong Vincent students have been competing in the Academic Sports League, winning the city championship and placing second in the State in 2000. There have been many city and District Ten championships for baseball, boys and girls soccer, tennis and many other sports.   The girl’s softball team has captured 11 Metro Championships.  Last year the team ended the season with a 15 and 0 record in Metro.  We have had numerous state championships in both swimming and wrestling. In 1985, our basketball team won the state Triple A Championship, and in 2003 our team became the Metro Champs. I n 1991 our football team also captured the Triple A Trophy, and in 2003 took the District Ten Championship title.

In the spring of 2002, the School District of the City of Erie, under the direction of Superintendent Dr. James E. Barker, initiated the proposal for a second honors academy modeled after the Northwest Collegiate Academy. The need to expand was a certainty. The doors of the Strong Vincent Honors Academy opened last fall   and embraced 100 ninth grade students, with a focus on rigorous, college preparatory academics. In keeping with the District’s mission statement “… to challenge students to realize their potential,” the Strong Vincent mission statement  “…ensures that all of our students gain academic success…We are in the business of creating scholars for a global society… scholars who will be life-long learners. We seek to promote pride in our school and community. We will continuously strive to make Strong Vincent the most admired and respected school in the city of Erie.”

The SVHA faculty is committed to challenging students to take responsibility for their own learning. The staff seeks to provide an environment which fosters the development of academic skills and personal qualities necessary to participate in an ever-changing world. The goal is to strive to develop the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and attitudes that will enable students to work to their fullest potentials whereby they accept the responsibilities for citizenship in a global society. Teachers devote countless hours to curriculum development, individual tutoring, extracurricular activities, and professional development.

Our recently renovated Honors Wing is a conducive atmosphere for learning.  We are continuously making upgrades to our school environment, including six state of the art computer labs. Each technology facility includes next generation Dell systems.

Strong Vincent High School is the home of the COLONELS. The school is fully authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and accredited by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. (CEEB# SAT/ACT 391-310) 

On the corner stone of our building these words are inscribed: “ The spirit of the school must be such that every individual is anxious to cooperate with the others in making that institution a good place in which to learn.” This spirit is an ideal that shapes the lives of every student; it expresses itself in our diversity; is embodied in all our activities, and is the guiding influence in the foundation of our academic accomplishments.