| Sanford H. Calhoun High School | |
| Streetaddress: | 1786 State Street |
| Zipcode: | 11566 |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | Public high school |
| Enrollment: | 1,224 (as of 2018–19) |
| Ratio: | 11.1:1 |
| Us Nces School Id: | 3619020 |
| Campus Type: | Suburban |
| Colors: | Blue and gray |
| Publication: | Pegasus |
| Newspaper: | Hoofbeats |
| Principal: | Nicole Hollings |
Sanford H. Calhoun High School is a public high school located in Merrick, New York. Established in 1958, Calhoun is one of three high schools in the Bellmore–Merrick Central High School District, and acts as a magnet school for several programs.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,224 students and 110.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1. There were 146 students (11.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 16 (1.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
Hoofbeats is the official student newspaper of Calhoun. The newspaper has won numerous awards, and five editions are produced each year.[2]
Calhoun competes in Section VIII athletics, a compilation of public schools in Nassau County. The fall season hosts boys' and girls' cross country, football, boys' and girls' soccer, girls' tennis, boys' badminton, boys' volleyball, girls' volleyball, cheerleading, and girls' swimming. The winter season hosts wrestling, boys' and girls' basketball, cheerleading, and indoor track, with district teams—including athletes from the other two schools of the district, Mepham and Kennedy—for ice hockey, swimming, diving, rifle, and bowling. The final season, spring, is home to boys' and girls' lacrosse, track and field, baseball, softball, boys' tennis, and girls' badminton.[3]
The Calhoun Choral Program (CCP) is composed of over 160 students, and consists of three groups. Many students belong to more than one group.
The Calhoun Band Program consists of three main ensembles: Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band, as well as the extracurricular Calhoun Rock Band. Each ensemble is under the direction of Mr. Edward Tumminelli.
Calhoun High School's award-winning theatre program, The On Tour Company was founded in 1973 by Mr. James Drake and Dr. Dale Parkinson. Subsequent instructors included Mrs. Dianne Meistrell and Mr. John Fredrickson among several others. The program, under the direction of Mr. Sal Salerno, has been performing since September 1985, and is now one of the finest school drama programs on Long Island and in NY State.
The program, located in Merrick, New York, is one of Bellmore/Merrick’s oldest co-curricular programs. It has existed at Calhoun for over 30 years.
Currently, the company, under faculty direction and the student supervision of the International Thespian Society, produce over 10 performances a year. These include four major productions; one Shakespeare, one Musical, one contemporary play (comedy or drama), and one other which may be chosen from a variety of theatre style: e.g. Children’s Theatre, Commedia dell’Arte, Ancient Greek, etc. Also produced are several Evenings of Improv or Comedy Showcases, Senior Directed One-Act Plays, touring scenes, competitions, and dinner theatre interludes.
As of the 2024-2025 school year, On Tour has entered a transitionary phase as longtime director Sal Salerno stepped down as director and teacher at the end of the 2023-2024. The new teacher, Mr. James Crichton, is a Merrick native that is an On Tour alumni, as well as former adjunct associate professor of musical theater at LIU Post & Marymount Manhattan College. Crichton is most well known for his role in the off-Broadway production of Unknown Soldier, as well as his podcast Actors: On Process.
Notable On Tour alumni include singer Debbie Gibson and actor Kevin Shinick, both of which have spoken highly about the program.