Montclair High School (New Jersey)

Montclair High School
Children our future, Diversity our strength
Location
100 Chestnut Street Montclair, NJ 07042
Information
Type	Public high school
School district	Montclair Public Schools
Principal	James Earle
Asst. Principal	Frank Cooper Eileen Gilbert Ed Lebida John Porcelli Shirlene Powell-Sanders
Faculty	132 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	1,981 (as of 2009-10)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	15.01[1]
Color(s)	Blue and White
Athletics conference	Super Essex Conference
Nickname	Mounties
Publication	Mountaineer
Website	School website

Montclair High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Montclair, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Montclair Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.^[2]

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,981 students and 132 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.01.^[1]

Grounds

Montclair high school holds classes in two buildings, the Main Building of the high school which is West of Park Street, and the George Inness Annex/ Ninth Grade Academy/ Freshman Building. The road separating the two buildings, Park Street, is a busy street along which two bus routes go. To go to classes, students must cross the road, so traffic is stopped eight times a day for five minutes between periods. Many fences and a crosswalk have been installed for the purpose of restricting the students' routes to a 1½ meter path, which is not capable of efficiently handling the flow of traffic. Gym classes are sometimes held at Woodman Field of Essex Park, two blocks away, otherwise in the school's four gymnasiums.

Montclair High School has an outdoor amphitheatre through which a brook flows, which is where graduation ceremonies are held, weather permitting. This Amphitheater is also the site of pep rallies, concerts, and public movie showings. The brook in Toney's Brook, which also goes through Rand Park, also on the campus.

Students at Montclair High school can all leave the campus for lunch and free periods, by an open campus policy. However, due to an incident caused by students of the class of 2012, Freshmen are no longer able to leave Rand Park for lunch. Trucks park at the school and sell food to students, students eat in Rand Park, which is partially on the school's campus, and eat at local restaurants and shops.

There is frequently a shortage of parking spaces, as teachers and upperclassmen often drive to school. Students often have to park blocks away from school as there is not closer parking. Sometimes residents who live near the school complain about cars being parked over their driveways.

Awards and recognition

The school was the 94th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 85th in 2008 out of 316 schools.^[3] The school was ranked 90th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.^[4]

In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Montclair High School was listed in 896th place, the 24th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.^[5] The school was listed in 214th place, the eighth-highest-ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.^[6]

In 2001, Montclair High School came in 2nd place in the National High School Mock Trial Championships held in Omaha, Nebraska^[7] and was the New Jersey High School Mock Trial Championships in 2006.^[8]

Montclair High School's Fed Challenge Team has ranked first in the New York Region eight times, and won the National Fed Challenge Championship in 2001.^[9]

In 2005, the Montclair High School FIRST robotics FRC Team 555 won the Arizona Regional in Phoenix, Arizona. They also won second place in the New York City Regional as well as the web design award and the Johnson & Johnson Sportsmanship award. The team then went on to win the Johnson & Johnson Sportsmanship award at the international championship in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2007, the Montclair High School FIRST robotics team won the Denver Regional and the Regional Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award in Denver, Colorado. In 2008, the FIRST team won the New York City Regional and went to the quarter finals at the Championship Event in Atlanta.

In 2007 and 2009, MHS won the Euro Challenge championship. The first place cash prize was $1,500 in 2007 and $1,250 in 2009 for each of the five team members.^[10] In 2008 and 2011, MHS took a close second place in the Euro Challenge championship. Each team member received $1,000.

In 2009 and 2011, the members of the Model Congress/Model United Nations Club won "Best Delegation" at the University of Pennsylvania Model Congress Conference.^[11]

In 2009, seniors of the Civics and Government Institute at Montclair High placed 2nd in the state at the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition held in Trenton, New Jersey.

Athletics

The Montclair High School Mounties now compete in the Super Essex Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.^[12] Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which was made up of high schools located in Bergen County, Passaic County and Essex County. The Mounties have an abundance of successful sports programs, including baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, softball, track and field, crew, fencing, golf, cross country, field hockey, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, tennis, and bowling.

MHS recently expanded and refurnished their "field house" which is located at Woodman Field in Essex Park. It was used for restrooms, locker rooms and a meeting spot for many of the Montclair sports teams, in particular, football. Finished for the 2008-09 school year, the field house will accommodate a new, state-of-the-art weight lifting gym with glass walls looking over Woodman Field, a screening room for the Montclair Mounties football team, observation rooms also looking over Woodman Field, and much more. This is estimated to cost about $5 million.

Towards the end of every hockey season, the Montclair Mounties host the "Montclair Cup". This competition is highly anticipated by the players and students. Every year, at Clary Anderson Arena (the Mounties home hockey arena), Montclair High School faces off against in town rival, Montclair Kimberley Academy. The MKA team won the 2011 game, the 19th in the competition, though Montclair High School retains a 14-5 edge in the series overall.^[13]

In October 2008, a Montclair High School football player, Ryne Dougherty, died as a result of a brain hemorrhage in a football game.^[14]

Background

The George Innes Annex ("Freshman Building")

Founded in the late 19th century, MHS quickly outgrew its original location (torn down in the 1930s) on Orange Road, the site of which is now the field of Hillside School. The current "Main Building" was then opened, and it is one of the older public high schools in New Jersey. It initially was only the "main building," as it is colloquially referred^{[citation needed]}to, but as time went on and the enrollment grew, the board of education allowed the high school to annex George Inness Junior High School school across the street, which is aptly called "the annex" "ninth grade academy" or the "Freshman Building", in which many of the ninth grade classes take place.

MHS prides itself on the diversity of the school and students are given a relatively liberal education compared to many other public schools in the United States. Largely due to the significant influx of young, wealthy New York City professionals in the early 1980s, Montclair itself has a unique liberal atmosphere and retains progressive values in its public education. Graduates of Montclair High School are often placed in some of the country's most prestigious universities.

Administration

the school's amphitheatre on the eastern side of the main building, where graduations, concerts, and other events are held

Core members of the school's administration are:^[15]

• James Earle, Principal
• Shirlene Powell-Sanders, Assistant Principal, Unit 1
• Daren Cooper, Assistant Principal, Unit 2
• John Jeffries, Assistant Principal, Unit 3
• Eileen Gilbert, Assistant Principal, George Inness Annex
• John Porcelli, Assistant Principal, Athletics and Student Activities

Notable alumni

• Buzz Aldrin (born 1930), second human to step on the Moon.^[16]
• Albert Anderson (born 1950), guitarist and songwriter who played with Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Wailers Band, Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru, Lauryn Hill, Ben Harper, The Centurions, Traffic and UB40.^[17]
• Yael Averbuch (born 1986), soccer player.^[18]
• Me'Lisa Barber (born 1980), sprinter.^[19]
• Allen B. DuMont (1901–65), television pioneer.^[20]
• Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. (1911-2001) and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (1908-2006), son and daughter of famed Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and co-authors of Cheaper by the Dozen.^[21]
• Daniel Karcher (born 1964), NPR host and filmmaker, best known as host for WBGO and production of The Blair Witch Project and Family Guy. ^[22]
• Nicole Leach (born 1979), actress.^[23]
• Aubrey Lewis (1935-2001), The Star Ledger's Football Player of the Century and University of Notre Dame football and track star.^[24]
• Warren Littlefield (born 1952), former President of NBC Entertainment.^[25]
• Anne McCaffrey (born 1926), author of science fiction and fantasy novels.^[26]
• John McMullen (1918–2005), former owner of the New Jersey Devils and Houston Astros.^[27]
• John Miller - Journalist who conducted interview with Osama Bin Laden.^[28]
• Christina Ricci (born 1980), actress.^{[citation needed]}
• Anwar Robinson (born 1979), American Idol finalist.^[29]
• Adam Schlesinger (born 1967), Bassist for the band Fountains of Wayne.^[30]
• Benjamin Strong, Jr. (born 1872), first governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.^[31]
• David Tyree (born 1980), wide receiver who played for the New York Giants.^[32]
• Joe Walsh (born 1947), musician with the Eagles.^[33]
• Alex Winter (born 1965), actor, best known for his role in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.^[34]

Popular culture

front façade of the Main building

Montclair High School has been featured in or used as a filming location for several films and television shows including:

• The original 1950 film version of Cheaper by the Dozen
• Swimfan
• Mean Girls
• Ed - NBC series
• The Sopranos - HBO series^[35]
• Imaginary Heroes^[36]
• Seven Minutes in Heaven
• NBA Back to School Commercials - Featuring many famous basketball stars
• Lymelife (2009) featuring Emma Roberts, Cynthia Nixon and Alec Baldwin.^[37]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Montclair High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 28, 2011.
2. ^ Montclair High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. accessed June 28, 2011.
3. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed June 28, 2011.
4. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
5. ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
6. ^ Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States, Newsweek May 8, 2006.
7. ^ 2001 National High School Mock Trial Championships results, accessed July 18, 2006.
8. ^ 2005-2006 Mock Trial Competition Results NJSBF press release, dated March 28, 2006.
9. ^ Indian Creek High School Named a Finalist in 'Fed Challenge' National Competition, accessed October 23, 2006.
10. ^ Euro Challenge, accessed March 13, 2007.
11. ^ "MHS Model Congress Excels at Competition", Montclair Public Schools. Accessed July 15, 2011.
12. ^ League Memberships – 2011-2012, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 27, 2011.
13. ^ Smith, Brian. "Behind two goals from Haracz, Cougars dominate Mounties in Montclair Cup, 3-0", The Montclair Times, January 6, 2011. Accessed June 28, 2011. "Sophomore Eddie Haracz scored two goals in leading MKA to a 3-0 win over Montclair High School at Clary Anderson Arena Wednesday evening in the 19th Montclair Cup."
14. ^ Botte, Peter. "New Jersey high school football player Ryne Dougherty dies", Daily News (New York), October 16, 2008. Accessed April 10, 2011. "Ryne Dougherty, the 16-year-old Montclair High School football player who suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed during a game Monday in Ramsey, died Wednesday night. He became the third student-athlete in north New Jersey to die this year because of on-field football activity."
15. ^ Home Page, Montclair High School. Accessed September 27, 2011.
16. ^ Biographical Data for Buzz Aldrin, NASA. Accessed April 10, 2011.
17. ^ James, Grasshopper. "Reggae Guitar Player Al Anderson", GuitarBites.com, June 7, 2010. Accessed July 15, 2011. "Anderson attended Montclair High School where he learned to play the trombone before getting expelled. He later attended the Berklee College of Music, and took up bass guitar. He joined The Centurions, which brought him to the attention of Chris Wood of Traffic, who invited him to play on the band's next album."
18. ^ Araton, Harvey. "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; When Dreams Come True", The New York Times, December 8, 2006. Accessed April 10, 2011. "It was time, finally, for Averbuch to win for her school and to better appreciate why her sister, Shira, who is also on the national-team track, recently finished her junior season for Montclair High School."
19. ^ Bloom, Marc. "RUNNING; Teammates at the Meet, Strangers at Practice", The New York Times, July 11, 1998. Accessed June 14, 2008. "Melisa and Mikele Barber, 17-year-old twins and graduating seniors who are going on to the University of South Carolina, practice under the Montclair coaches Ray Spivey and Doris Ellis at the high school track."
20. ^ Biography of Dr. Allen Balcom DuMont, accessed December 25, 2006.
21. ^ Staff. "LILLIAN GILBRETH ENGAGED TO MARRY; Montclair Girl's Betrothal to Donald D. Johnson of That City Is Made Public. SHE IS SMITH GRADUATE Prospective Bridegroom Headed Princeton Track Team and Was in 1933 Class.", The New York Times, October 19, 1934. Accessed April 10, 2011.
22. ^ Five things you didn't know about Dan Karcher, accessed April 9, 2010.
23. ^ Jaeger, Barbara. "N.J. child actresses take their roles to heart: Musical benefits the AIDS fight", The Record (Bergen County), April 28, 1995. Accessed September 17, 2007. "Last year, Leach, a sophomore at Montclair High School, participated in 'Kids Care,' which she said helped raise approximately $25,000 for the AIDS battle."
24. ^ Goldstein, Richard. "Aubrey Lewis, 66, Athlete Who Was an F.B.I. Pioneer", The New York Times, December 13, 2001. Accessed April 10, 2011. "A native of Glen Ridge, N.J., Lewis was an all-American halfback at Montclair High School in the early 1950's, running for 49 touchdowns and close to 4,500 yards in leading the school to two state championships. He set state records in the 100-yard dash, the 220 and the discus, and he played on undefeated basketball teams."
25. ^ Montclair High School Hall of Fame, accessed April 19, 2007.
26. ^ Anne’s Biography, The World's of Anne McCaffrey. Accessed June 28, 2011. "Anne was educated at Stuart Hall, Staunton Virginia, Montclair High School, Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures."
27. ^ LaPointe, Joe. "IN PERSON; At Home on the Ice", The New York Times, June 11, 1995. Accessed December 25, 2007. "The team's owner, John McMullen, is a local businessman and graduate of Montclair High School, but even he is exploring the possibility of carpetbagging the franchise to Nashville."
28. ^ Kiesewetter, John. "Miller is reluctant co-anchor on '20-20'", The Cincinnati Enquirer, January 6, 2002. Accessed June 28, 2011. "As a ninth-grader in Montclair, N.J., in 1973, he would listen to the police scanner and ride his bike to crime stories. He'd take photographs and sell them to New York newspapers."
29. ^ Idolatry, But In A Good Way, The New York Times, March 27, 2005.
30. ^ Youngs, Stuart. "Great Scott!: Fountains of Wayne tap Montclair connection for album track", The Montclair Times, October 26, 2005. Accessed August 10, 2007. "“That’s very cool,” the Montclair High School grad said with a relief that would make one wonder whether he has offended a family member or former girlfriend in the past.
31. ^ Ahamed, Liaquat (2009). "A Safe Pair of Hands". Lords of Finance. Penguin Books. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-14-311680-6. 
32. ^ Red and Blue play for Green: Basketball game raises $32,000 for Green family, Montclair Times, January 19, 2005.
33. ^ James Gang: Joe Walsh, The Aquarian Weekly, August 16, 2006.
34. ^ Schindegette, Susan. "An Excellent Dude Goes to Hell", People (magazine), August 12, 1991. Accessed July 15, 2011. "After graduating from high school in Montclair, N.J. (where he moved with his mother after her divorce), Alex signed up at New York University film school, only to drop out because of 'complete financial breakdown.'"
35. ^ Chung, Jen. "Sopranos Series Finale: What Did You Think?", Gothamist, June 10, 2007. Accessed July 15, 2011. "AJ leaves the film production office in a new BMW M3, proving that his parents will do anything to keep him from enlisting. He tries to justify the purchase of the car by saying it has good mileage on the highway and there's not public transport at the production office. He picks up Rhiannon from Montclair High School."
36. ^ Gaul, Lou. "'Be Cool,' 'Pacifer,' and ' Heroes' bloom", Burlington County Times, March 4, 2005. Accessed July 15, 2011. "Twenty-four-year-old filmmaker Dan Harris makes his directing debut with the R-rated picture, which was partially shot at Montclair High School and seems to in some ways parallel Ordinary People."
37. ^ Read, Philip. "Montclair on screens big and small", The Star-Ledger, May 13, 2008. Accessed August 21, 2008. "Earlier this spring, filmmakers quietly lined up Montclair High to film Lymelife, a drama that chronicles the moral deterioration of a family as it navigates the pitfalls of a failing marriage."

External links

• Montclair High School webpages
• Montclair Public Schools
• Montclair Public Schools's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Montclair Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics