Emerson Junior-Senior High School
Emerson Junior-Senior High School is a six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Emerson, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Emerson School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1968.[4]
Emerson Junior-Senior High School | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Address | |
![]() | |
131 Main Street , , 07630 United States | |
Coordinates | 40°58′27″N 74°00′58″W / 40.97403°N 74.01609°W |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | January 1963 |
School district | Emerson School District |
NCES School ID | 340471000380[1] |
Principal | Brian Hutchinson |
Faculty | 47.8 FTEs[1] |
Grades | 7–12 |
Enrollment | 440 (as of 2022–23)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 9.2:1[1] |
Color(s) | Red Black and white[2] |
Athletics conference | North Jersey Interscholastic Conference |
Team name | Cavaliers ("Cavos")[2] |
Newspaper | The Cavo Chronicles[3] |
Website | ejshs |
As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 440 students and 47.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.2:1. There were 31 students (7.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 9 (2.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
History
editThe district announced plans in December 1960 for a junior-senior high school facility that would serve an enrollment of 860 students and would be constructed on a site covering 40 acres (16 ha). The new school would allow the district to end a sending/receiving relationship under which Emerson students attended Hackensack High School.[5]
An August 1962 tornado caused significant damage to the construction site for the new high school, ripping off significant portions of the roof, twisting girders and knocking over masonry.[6]
The school was completed at a cost of $2.3 million (equivalent to $22.9 million in 2023), opening to students in March 1963 after the August tornado caused over $70,000 in damage and prevented the school from opening in September 1962 as originally planned, with students who had enrolled at Hackensack High School completing their education there through graduation.[7][8]
Awards, recognition and rankings
editThe school was the 85th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[9] The school had been ranked 77th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 34th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 55th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was ranked 51st in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[12] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 99th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (85.7%) and language arts literacy (97.6%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13]
EHS also has an award-winning journalism program, having won several prestigious awards for its Adopt-A-Journalist Program under the guidance of Ava Annese and The Record. Recent adopted journalists include Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer Thomas E. Franklin, ESPN-online writer Bob Klapisch, and stand-up comic and The Record columnist Bill Ervolino. Awards received for the program include:
- 1999 NJ Best Practices.[14]
- 2000 A+ for Kids Network Grant
- 2002 Newspaper Association of America Innovators in Newspaper Education Award
In 2003, Ava Annese received the New Jersey High School Teacher of Civics Education award from the VFW. In the national contest, she received third place.[15]
Emerson's Musical Theatre program has been recognized by The Metros, Paper Mill Playhouse and the New Jersey Metropolitan chapter of The Cappies.
Athletics
editThe Emerson High School Cavaliers[2] (commonly known as the Cavos) participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which comprises small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson County, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[16][17][18] Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Emerson was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).[19] With 243 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range.[20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 184 to 471 students.[21]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative girls lacrosse and wrestling teams with Park Ridge High School, while Emerson is the host school for boys / girls bowling, cross country running. boys / girls golf and boys lacrosse teams. River Dell High School is the host school for a co-op ice hockey team with Emerson and Westwood Regional High School as participants. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[22][23][24]
Emerson is known for its wrestling team led by coach Stan Woods, who was named District, Region and New Jersey Coach of the Year for the co-operative Emerson/Park Ridge High School team of 2006–07. Woods has led his teams to 30 league championships, nine county championships, and eight state sectional championships. Woods' 602nd career victory, achieved in February 2011 with a win against Nutley High School, made him the winningest coach in New Jersey wrestling history.[25] The wrestling team won the North I Group I state sectional championships in 1980, 1983–1987, 2001, 2003, 2018 and 2020, and won the North I Group II sectional title in 2016. The team won the Group II state championship in 2016 with a 29–28 win against Delaware Valley Regional High School in the final match of the tournament[26][27]
The girls bowling team won the overall state championship in 1976.[28]
The baseball team won the Group I state championship in 1982 (defeating Middlesex High School in the tournament final), 1992 (vs. Arthur P. Schalick High School), 2000 (vs. Pitman High School), 2001 (vs. Keyport High School), 2015 (vs. Middlesex) and 2019 (vs. New Providence High School). The program's six state titles are tied for seventh-most in the state.[29] Two runs scored in the first inning provided the margin needed for a 2–0 victory in the tournament finals against Middlesex to win the 1982 Group I state title.[30] The 2000 team finished the season with a record of 26-5 after winning the Group I title by defeating Pitman by a score of 5–4 in the championship game.[31] The team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship in 2001 with a 4–1 win over Midland Park High School in the tournament final[32] and went on to win the Group I title with a 2–1 victory against Keyport in the championship game to finish the season with a 25–6 record.[33] The 2015 team finished the season with a 26–5 record after defeating Middlesex High School by a score of 3–1 in the tournament final.[34][35] The team won the Group I state championship in 2019, defeating Glassboro High School by a score of 8–5 in the final game of the tournament.[36]
The 1983 football team finished the season with an 11–0 record after winning the NJSIAA North I Group I state sectional title with a 21–7 win against Saddle Brook High School in the championship game.[37][38]
The 2003 boys' tennis team, as a second seed, won the school's first state championship in decades with a 3–2 win over Waldwick High School.[39] The team again made it to the section final in 2004, but their efforts fell short with a 4–1 loss to Mountain Lakes High School.
Extracurricular activities
editFive students represented the school on News 12 New Jersey's and Power to Learn's NJ Challenge. Five students represented the school again in 2009 in the NJ Challenge under the guidance of Lisa Thomas, media technology specialist, and Thomas Lambe, mathematics instructor. The show aired in November 2009. The school had also made an appearance on the show in 2007, under the coaching of then media specialist Clifford Brooks. Two members of the team, including the 2009 captain, competed for the team in both appearances.
In 2010, the Emerson Cavalier Marching Band won the award for best music in the Montclair band festival.
Administration
editThe school's principal is Brian Hutchinson.[40]
Notable alumni
edit- Ian Deitchman, screenwriter of Life as We Know It.[41]
- Kevin Higgins, assistant football coach at Wake Forest.[42]
- Andy Papathanassiou, member of NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports.[43]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e School data for Emerson Jr Sr High, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c Emerson Jr.-Sr. High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ The Cavo Chronicles, Emerson Junior-Senior High School. Accessed March 24, 2022.
- ^ Emerson Junior - Senior High School Archived April 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed August 21, 2011.
- ^ "Board Expects Big Hike In Emerson School Tax; Increase Of $20.50 For $1,000 Valuation Predicted By Trustees", The Record, December 16, 1960. Accessed March 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Local students currently attend Hackensack High School.... The trustees said the proposed school will house 860 students and be located on a 40-acre tract on Main Street, across from the Armenian Home for the Aged.... The tentative project budget includes $1,749,000 for the total building cost and the remaining $551,000 for other costs."
- ^ "Twister Delays School Opening; $40,000 Damage Delays Construction; Target Date Was September", The Record, August 9, 1962. Accessed March 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Tuesday's tornado damage has made it doubtful that the new high school will be ready for occupancy in September, according to Board of Education Trustee Dominick Sipala."
- ^ Slocum, John W. "New Jersey; Bergen", The New York Times, September 3, 1962. Accessed May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Emerson School to Open in Fall; Junior-Senior High Is Planning For First Full Year", The Record, August 21, 1963. Accessed March 24, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Junior-Senior High School will open its doors next month for its first full year of operation. The school, originally scheduled to open last September, was delayed due to labor trouble and last summer's tornado, and students did not enter until March. The new $1.5 million structure will house students up to the 11th grade this year, with seniors comnleting their secondary education at Hackensack High School. The local school will have its first graduating class in June 1965."
- ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
- ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011[permanent dead link], Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 3, 2012.
- ^ 1998-99 Best Practices Award for Emerson Junior-Senior High School, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 15, 2007.
- ^ Ms. Ava Annese-Media profile, Emerson Public School. Accessed November 1, 2007.
- ^ Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017.Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
- ^ Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
- ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 26, 2014.
- ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ NJSIAA Fall Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
- ^ Fitzsimmons, Brian. "Woods is Second to None", MSG Varsity, February 4, 2011. Accessed August 21, 2011. "Emerson/Park Ridge wrestling coach Stan Woods notched career win No. 602 in a quad meet on Saturday, surpassing Ralph Ross of Highlands Regional as the state's all-time leader.The Cavos defeated Old Tappan to give Woods his 601st, and then upended Nutley, 54-25, for the record-breaking milestone."
- ^ NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
- ^ Fortenbaugh, Rick. "Delaware Valley wrestling comes up one point short of group championship", The Trentonian, February 14, 2016. Accessed November 22, 2020. "Delaware Valley fell in the group final to Emerson, 29-28"
- ^ History of NJSIAA Girls Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ Haley, Gene. "Emerson shades Middlesex", The Home News, June 10, 1982. Accessed March 10, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "couple of tainted first-inning runs by Emerson ended the Cinderella dreams of Middlesex High School's baseball team. The surprising Blue Jays fell 2-0 to the Bulldogs from Bergen County yesterday in the Group I championship game at West Windsor Park."
- ^ "Yesterday's NJSIAA Baseball Finals", Home News Tribune, June 11, 2000. Accessed March 13, 2021. "Group I Emerson 5, Pitman 4: Junior Justin Delia Volpe pitched a two-hitter and retired 14 straight at one point as Emerson defeated Pitman at East Brunswick Tech. Emerson (26-5) won its third state title and first since 1992, while Pitman (16-11-1) committed six errors In trying to become the first Gloucester county team to win a state championship."
- ^ 2001 NJSIAA Baseball - North I, Group I Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 31, 2007.
- ^ Iannazzone, Al. "King of the hill - again; Emerson repeats as champs with victory over Keyport", The Record, June 10, 2001. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "When you consider that Whitehouse's RBI tied the game, his run put the Cavos ahead, and his final putout secured a second straight championship season for Emerson, it proved to be a pretty special day. 'It couldn't be any better,' Whitehouse said after the Cavos edged Keyport, 2-1, to capture the Group 1 State championship at Toms River East 'To be able to contribute that much to a game and a win feels great.'"
- ^ Tufaro, Greg. "Middlesex falls to Emerson Boro in Group I baseball final", Courier News, June 6, 2015. Accessed November 22, 2020. "The timely hitting that enabled the Middlesex baseball team to string together one of the most remarkable turnarounds in state history alienated the Blue Jays in Saturday’s Group I final. Middlesex stranded a total of 10 runners – seven in scoring position – and left the bases loaded with one away in the seventh inning as it endured a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to Emerson Boro.... The victory was the 10th straight for Emerson Boro (26-5), which received a stellar effort from No. 2 starter Chris Nedilsky, who pitched to contact while scattering seven hits, three of which came in the final inning when the Blue Jays scored their lone run."
- ^ Barton, Rich. "No panic as Emerson wins its first state title since 2001", NorthJerseySports.com, June 7, 2015. Accessed May 7, 2017. "Second baseman Frank Manning made a nice backhanded play and flipped to shortstop Anthony Laureno for the final out of the game as Emerson won its first Group 1 state title since 2001 with a 3-1 victory over Middlesex at Toms River East High School."
- ^ Tartaglia, Greg. "Eight-run rally gives Emerson its second state baseball title in five seasons", The Record, June 8, 2019. Accessed February 26, 2020. "Emerson trailed Glassboro by five runs entering the seventh inning of Saturday's NJSIAA Group 1 baseball final. It then scored eight runs, with No. 9 hitter Frankie Savino delivering the go-ahead, two-run double, to emerge with an 8-5 win at Veterans Park."
- ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Passaic (11-0) Tops North Bergen, 24-13", The New York Times, December 4, 1983. Accessed December 24, 2020. "Bill Teubner, a senior fullback, ran 23 times for 125 yards and scored a touchdown in helping Emerson Borough (11-0) to a 21-7 victory over Saddle Brook (9-2) in North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 in Saddle Brook."
- ^ 2003 Boys Team Tennis - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 5, 2017.
- ^ Staff Directory, Emerson Junior-Senior High School. Accessed June 1, 2020.
- ^ Staff. "Emerson scribe tells a funny tale of love", The Record, October 10, 2010. Accessed June 13, 2011. "Friendship, Deitchman says, is something he learned about in Emerson, where he moved from his native Englewood at age 6. 'I made lifelong friends growing up in Emerson that I still have to this day,' says Deitchman, a 1985 graduate of Emerson Junior Senior High School."
- ^ Kevin Higgins Archived February 21, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, Detroit Lions. Accessed February 20, 2008. "He was also the head basketball coach and assistant football coach at Emerson (N.J.) High School from 1977-78. A native of Emerson, N.J., Higgins attended Emerson High School where he was captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams during his senior year."
- ^ Schwartz, Paul. "He left his mark -- Papathanassiou still owns Bergen shot put record", The Record, September 14, 2003. Accessed November 26, 2014. "At Emerson High School from 1982-1985, Papathanassiou anchored a line that led Emerson to an 11-0 football season in his junior year and the designation of the best team in school history."