High Tech High School

infobox School
name = High Tech High School
established = 1991
type = Public high school
principal = Karol Brancato
enrollment = 536 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 59.6 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 9.0
mascot = Lasercats
conference = Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association
colors = Teal and Purple color box|#009999 color box|#660099
location = 2000 85th Street
North Bergen, NJ 07047
country=USA
information = 201-662-6801
website = [http://www.hthsweb.com School website]

High Tech High School (or High Technical High School, according to College Board, as of 2006) is a full-time public high school, located in North Bergen, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Hudson County Schools of Technology. Since its establishment in 1991, High Tech High School has been named a Top Ten High School, a Governor's School of Excellence, a New Jersey Star School (twice) and has been cited by "New Jersey Monthly" magazine as one of the state's great public high schools. [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=293 High Tech High School Awards] , accessed February 3, 2007] The school is well noted for exceeding highly in the sciences and in the performing arts (winning several awards in both fields).

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 536 students and 59.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 9.0. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3407570&ID=340757002766 High Tech High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 7, 2008.]

History

High Tech High School was founded in 1991 by the Hudson County Schools of Technology school district to provide Hudson County residents with a quality public education in a technology based environment. The high school has grown from 30 students in 1991 to 480 students in present school year. High Tech has been able to maintain a student to faculty ratio of 12 to 1. Hudson County is the smallest of New Jersey's 21 counties. Highly urbanized and densely populated, the 2000 census ranked this area as fourth in the nation on the ethnicity index. As a regional school of choice, High Tech draws on its diverse student population from the 12 towns and cities within the county. 43% of the student body is hispanic, 32% is white, 16% is Asian, and 9% is black [ [http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/nj/other/840 Student Teacher Ratio High Tech High School - North Bergen, New Jersey - NJ ] ] . The average expenditure per student is $14,760 and is derived from federal, state, and county aid. High Tech High School is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education. [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=1 Welcome to HTHS] , accessed February 3, 2007]

Musical Theatre Program

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The musical theatre group at High Tech High School has won numerous Rising Star Awards from New Jersey's prestigious Paper Mill Playhouse, and has always explored the bizarre and different when selecting a musical. In 2002, the students put on a production of "Oz". The production was named the best overall musical in the state that year, and in 2003, the cast performed the production Off-Broadway. In 2005, the students put on "". The production won a host of awards in the Paper Mill Playhouse's annual Rising Star Awards, including "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role" to Sasha Formoso, and "Outstanding Lobby Display" to Krystal Acosta. In 2007, the musical theatre program was invited to Scotland to perform in the Fringe Festival representing the American High School Theatre Festival. Originally, they had planned to bring a production of Hair to the festival, but to some problems with the rights, they revived their production of Oz, re-vamping it and making it even more in-tune with current events. In 2008, the program performed Dracula: A Rock Opera, a play with popular songs inserted into it to make it a musical.

Graham Davie does commercialsAnd friends John, Roman, Andrew, Frank, Alexis and Mike hung out on the mountain too much

ports

The High Tech Lasercats compete in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association (HCIAA), which includes private and parochial high schools in Hudson County. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). [ [http://www.hciaa.com/home.html Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association] . Accessed July 15, 2007.]

High Tech has a few sports teams, including girl's and boy's tennis, bowling, a judo club and basketball, as well as soccer, but their best continues to be their softball team. The High Tech Lasercats have won the County Championship for seven out of the last eight years.

The girls softball team won the 2008 North I, Group II state sectional championship, defeating Hoboken High School 3-1 in the tournament final. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=277510&tclass=North%20II%2C%20Group%20I 2008 Softball Tournament - North II, Group I] , NJSIAA. Accessed June 28, 2008.] The team won the first round of the Group I state championship with a 4-2 win over Pompton Lakes High School 4-2, before falling to Pennsville Memorial High School by a score of 8-2 in the final game. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=277510&tclass=Public%20Semis%2FFinals 2008 Softball Tournament - Public Semis/Finals] , NJSIAA. Accessed June 28, 2008.]

Facts

*Out of every 14 students who apply to High Tech, only 1 is accepted.Fact|date=October 2007
*As of 2004, the student-to-computer ratio was 1.1. [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=132 High Tech High School > About HTHS > Fact Sheet ] ]
*School policies include:
**Counting anything below a 70 as an "NP" (Not Proficient) [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?PageContentID=196&tabid=298 High Tech High School > About HTHS > Policies ] ]
**Not requiring students to wear a specific type of clothing [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?PageContentID=195&tabid=298 High Tech High School > About HTHS > Policies ] ]
**Requiring students to achieve a minimum of 130 credits by senior year, and 2 years of Foreign Language, 3 years of Social Studies, 3 years of Science, 4 years of Language, 3 years of Mathematics, 4 years of Physical Education, and 2 years of a major are compulsory [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=60 Core Courses ] ]
**Suspending non-senior students who are caught purchasing food from "Tonnelle Plaza" (2 blocks away)
**Allowing students to go to school 2 hours later than normal on selected "delayed openings", and leave 2 hours earlier on selected "early dismissals" (all 40 minute periods become 27 minute periods on those days) Fact|date=October 2007
**Requiring students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance each morning Fact|date=October 2007

Majors

At High Tech, Juniors are required to have 80 minutes of a major per day, and Seniors are required to have 120 minutes (2 hours) of a major per day [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=250 High Tech High School > Majors ] ] :
*Accounting (discontinued, last class 2006-2007)
*Advanced Cybernetics
*Audio Tech
*Automotive Tech
*Broadcasting
*Business Applications and Technology
*CADD
*Dance
*Desktop Publishing (DTP)
*Motion Picture
*Office Systems
*Studio Arts
*Musical Theatre
*Theatre Arts
*TV Production
*Web Site Development
*AP Biology/AP Chemistry
*AP Computer Science
*AP Physics

tudent Government

According to the school's website, "The High Student Government provides the main forum for discussing student concerns and ideas. [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=56 Student Governments ] ]

The student government consists of four student councils (one each for the freshman class, the sophomore class, the junior class, and the senior class). Student government meetings are attended by these four councils, the student government counselor, the Principal, the Vice Principal, and representatives from various departments, such as the cafeteria, maintenance, transportation, etc. In addition, student councils from new programs such as AACT are also present.

Each student council consists of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a homeroom representative from each homeroom. In addition, representatives-at-large are occasionally appointed by the President. Each council also has two faculty advisers, one male and one female.

Class of 2007 Lounge

With respect to tradition, the graduating class presents a gift to High Tech High School. Previous classes have given benches and trophy cases. However, the Class of 2007 took it to a new level, by creating a lounge (sometimes wrongly referred to as the senior lounge) next to the school's media center.

The effort behind the lounge was time-consuming and costly. Members of the student council spent the last 4-6 weeks of school finding the furniture and navigating through the school district's bureaucratic quagmire, which required approval for almost everything. Preparations for the room included removing the contents of its previous role, as well as two layers of painting. Almost all of the physical work was done during the last week of school, after regular hours.

The second to last day of the school year was when most of the work was accomplished. A few members of the student council stayed until 10 PM, setting up the tables, couches, and opening ceremony preparations. The last day of the school was chaotic, with the mounting of a flat-panel HDTV, connecting of an HD DVD player, organizing a video library that just arrived in the mail, and the mounting of the class plaque. The class plaque, which cost over $600, has the names of every member of the class engraved on it. The opening ceremony was held with less than one hour left before the Class of 2007 left High Tech.

Today, many students use the lounge to relax and study. Food and drinks are not allowed, and excessive noise is not tolerated. Therefore, students who want a quiet area frequent the room. The television is almost never used. It now simply serves as a reminder of the extravagance of the Class of 2007. The lounge also immortalizes the 124 graduating students of the class, unlike other class gifts which simply display the year of the graduating class, by including their names on a plaque.

Awards

Awards received by High Tech High School include: [ [http://www1.hcstonline.org/hths/Default.aspx?tabid=293 High Tech High School has received state and national recognition] , accessed {April 6, 2007]
* 2003 Governor's School of Excellence [ [http://www.state.nj.us/njded/news/2003/1121right.htm McGREEVEY CELEBRATES SCHOOLS THAT ARE "GETTING IT RIGHT" Schools of Excellence Winners Demonstrate Effectiveness of Governor's Education Priorities] , New Jersey Department of Education press release dated November 21, 2003]
* 2002 School Leader Award, NJ School Boards Association
* 2001 Best High School Musical, Director, Costumes - Paper Mill Playhouse
* 2000 2000 National Student Community Service Award - Skills USA
* 1999 100 Top Wired Schools in the US by "Family PC" Magazine
* 1998 New Jersey Star School by NJ Department of Education. [ [http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/education/ss/ss3.pl?string=id=047&maxhits=10000 Star School Award Program 1997-98] , accessed February 3, 2007]
* 1997 Flagship School for Exemplary Video Journalism by Channel One
* 1996 NJ Best Practices in World Languages by NJ Dept. of Education
* 1995 New Jersey Star School by NJ Department of Education. [ [http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/education/ss/ss3.pl?string=id=006&maxhits=10000 Star School Award Program 1994-95] , accessed February 3, 2007]
* 1995 10 Best Overall Schools in New Jersey by "New Jersey Monthly" Magazine
* 1994 Philanthropic Corporate Award by Panasonic, Matsushita
* 1993 Outstanding Program Award by NJASCD
* 1992 School Leadership Exemplary Program Award by NJSBA
* 1992 NJ State National Blue Ribbon Nominee, New Jersey Department of Education
* 1992 School Leader Award Competition, NJ School Boards' Association
* 1991 Model Parental Involvement Program Award by NJSBA

References

External links

* [http://www.hthsweb.com The High Tech High School website]
*NJReportCard|17|2295|050|High Tech High School
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3407570 Data for the Hudson County Schools of Technology] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://hths.741.com Class of 2000]