Verona High School (New Jersey)

Infobox_School
name = Verona High School


motto =
newspaper = "The Fairviewer"
yearbook = Shadows
grades = 9-12
established =
enrollment = 597 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 44.4 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 13.4
district = Verona Public Schools
type = Public high school
principal = Glenn Cesa
viceprincipal = David Galbierczyk
colors = Maroon & White
teamname = Hillbillies
location = 151 Fairview Avenue
Verona, NJ 07044
information = 973-239-3300
website = [http://www.veronaschools.org/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=21&TPID=2552 School wesbite]

Verona High School is a four-year public high school, serving students in 9th through 12th grade as part of the Verona Public Schools in Verona, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had 597 students enrolled and 44.4 faculty members (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 13.4. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3416740&ID=341674002448 data for Vernon Township High School] ] , national Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 25, 2007.]

The school mascot is the Verona Hillbilly, which was originally pictured with a bottle of whiskey and a shotgun, but was revised to be with a dog and a fishing pole, due to concerns of school violence and under-age drinking.

Awards and recognition

Verona High School won the prestigious New Jersey Star School Award for the 1995-1996 school year. The school also won the New Jersey Best Practice Award in the 1995-1996 school year for Citizenship / Tolerance in recognition of its program in Prejudice Reduction. In the 1997-1998 school year, it received the Best Practice Award for Citizenship & Character Education in recognition of Teaching Responsibility Through Involvement.

The school was the 53rd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 314 schools statewide, in "New Jersey Monthly" magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools". The school was ranked 47th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. [ [http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-new-jersey-high-schools-by-rank.html "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"] , "New Jersey Monthly", September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.]

Athletics

The Verona High School Hillbillies compete in the Colonial Hills Conference which is made up of public and parochial high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in Northern New Jersey, under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

2005

In 2005, the Verona High School athletic teams excelled in various sports. Most notably, the football team reached the state championship at Giants Stadium where they competed against Hoboken High School and lost 21-6 [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=128997&tclass=North%20II%2C%20Group%20I 2005 Football - North II, Group I] , NJSIAA. Accessed June 3, 2007.] , but they avenged the loss by beating Hoboken High School 7-3 in the 2006 NJSIAA Semifinals, the following season. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=188015&tclass=North%20II%2C%20Group%20I 2006 Football Tournament - North II, Group I] , NJSIAA. Accessed June 3, 2007.]

2006

The Girls Track Team won the North II, Group I, and the Group I Championship. The Girls Softball team won the North II, Group I title for the first time ever, and along with the baseball team, won the Conference title. The Girls Tennis Team won the North 2 Group I title and finished 2nd in the state for Group I.

2007

The Boys and Girls spring track and field teams both won the Colonial Hills Conference Relay Championship, ending the Boy's 53-year title drought. Both the Boys and Girls teams also went on to win the Colonial Hills Conference Championships, sweeping the Conference. The boys baseball team tied the school record for most wins in a season with 21, and made it to the North I Group I sectional championship game, falling to Hasbrouck Heights High School 7-4 in the tournament final. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=220867&tclass=North%20I%2C%20Group%20I 2007 Baseball - North I, Group I] , NJSIAA. Accessed September 30, 2007.]

The girls lacrosse team also clinched the conference title.

In the 2007-2008 school year, the Men's Cross Country team defeated Pingry School for the Conference victory. It was the first in school history. [http://mctrack.org/ColonialHills/07XC/07ColonialXCVb.htm] The following week, the team followed up with a State Sectional Championship, the first since 1980 when they tied with Kinnelon for the title.

2008

The Boys Indoor Track & Field team won their first ever conference championship, as well as winning the North II Group I State Sectional Championship. [ [http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/120244905197690.xml&coll=1 Story not found - NJ.com ] ] The Boy's and Girl's both won the North 1, Group 1 State Sectional Championship for the Indoor and Outdoor, a first for the Boy's squad, and for the second consecutive year for the Girl's Squad. [ [http://www.nj.com/hssports/results/boystrackandfield/index.ssf/2008/05/north_jersey_section_1_boys_tr.html North Jersey, Section 1 Boys Track - High School Boys Track and Field - NJ.com ] ]

Drama

Verona High has a long history of drama clubs and productions.

Productions began in the 1920s with Edmond Rostand's "The Romancers" (1926) being the final production directed by Miss Winifred Bostwick, a long-time teacher at the school. Other shows helmed by Miss Bostwick had included "The Exchange" (1922), "The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife" (1923) and "The Knave of Hearts" in 1925.

Mr. Harold Butterworth was a long time director for the club (1936 - 1956). Under his direction, the drama club boasted its largest membership (137 registered members in 1945), became "The Troupers" in 1951 and continued to present contemporary dramas. Then, after Mr. Butterworth’s tenure, The Troupers presented their first "classic" play: Thornton Wilder's "Our Town", also the last play performed at the then-VHS building that is now H. B. Whitehorne Middle School.

A series of directors took the Troupers into Fairview Avenue's newly constructed Verona High School, where they performed such classics as "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1958), "'You Can't Take It With You" (1960), and "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1962). Sometime in this era, the title "Troupers" disappeared in favor of the more generic Drama Club.

In the early 1970s, classic productions dominated: "Harvey" (1972, directed by Ruth Garoni), a new production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1973 and presented again in 1993) and the first production of a true Broadway musical – "Oliver!", combining the students of the high school and middle school under the music direction of long-time Verona band teacher, Harry Owens. Director Jim Walsh continued dramatic shows on alternate years with "Scapino", "Count Dracula", and "The Good Doctor".

In the early 80s, Maurice J. Moran began his 27-year tenure as drama advisor and introduced both a non-musical and musical in the same school year. "The Importance of Being Earnest", "Mame" (1982), "Grease" (1984), "The Fantasticks" (1985), "Godspell" (1986), "The Odd Couple", "Story Theater" and "The Crucible" are some examples of shows done in the 80s.

In 1991, the VHS Drama Club became The Spotlight Players. In 1996, VHS joined 100 other New Jersey high schools participating in the Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star Awards, winning a "best actress" nomination in its first year with a repeat production of "Anything Goes". New plays and classic musicals (and Star nominations) continued as the 90s closed: "All in the Timing", "The Canterbury Tales", and "Senior Square" contrasting with "", "The Music Man", and "Pippin".

The 21st century began with what was apparently only the second VHS Shakespeare presentation: "A Midsummer Night's Dream". In that same year, parent volunteers organized themselves to help the performing arts as The Spotlight Players Parents Association. To raise funds for the theater program, the parents' group began the annual Verona Talent Night, which continues to give an opportunity for Verona students, adults, and friends to sing, dance, play musical instruments, or tell jokes without the need for competition.

In 2002, for the first time, a completely student-produced musical was presented, "". The show was presented by the then-recently established local chapter of the International Thespian Society, and featured a student cast, with a student director, music director, band, and choreographer. It continues annually with "Godspell", "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown", and the 2006 presentation of "Musical of Musicals", being featured in "The Star-Ledger's "Young and Talented" column.

Another major change was the hiring of an outside director. After 30 years directing school musicals around North Jersey, Mr. Moran decided to give up that role and serve instead as a producer of the musicals. He continued to direct the non-musicals ("Moon Over Buffalo" in 2005, for example) but recent musicals have been directed by non-VHS faculty, with 2008's "On the Town" being the third production directed by Ms. Danielle Aldrich of Cedar Grove.

Verona's drama program expanded in 2008, with the revamping of the theater including new seats, better acoustics, and a new lighting and sound booth. A One-Act Play Festival began in May of that year, bringing the number of theater offerings to four per year.

Student Organizations

Do Anything Nice (D.A.N.)

[http://www.doanythingnice.org/ Do Anything Nice (D.A.N.)] is a student-led organization that demonstrates the importance of acts of kindness in everyday life and leads in creative strategies for people to practice kindness in their daily lives. D.A.N. members engage in innovative new methods to bring community service to educational institutions.

Founded by a small group of senior students, VHS D.A.N. is now in its 7th year active at Verona High School. In the fall of 2001 the first random act of kindness was to put candy in every student's locker during the evening hours of the night. Since then the club has expanded to include a second D.A.N. chapter located at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York; that is now in its 3rd year active.

Administration

*Glenn Cesa - Principal
*David Galbierczyk - Vice Principal

Notable alumni

*Anthony Fasano (born 1984), Tight end for the Miami Dolphins. [ [http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=38299 Anthony Fasano profile] , NFL Players Association, accessed May 12, 2007. "Anthony Joseph Fasano was a four-year letterman and two-year captain at Verona, N.J., High School as a tight end and defensive lineman. He helped led the team to the New Jersey state title among Group 1 schools and threw the game-winning PAT pass in the 2001 title game. As a senior he caught 78 passes for 1,460 yards and a county-record 23 touchdowns."]
*Fred Hill (basketball coach) (born 1959), Head Coach of the Rutgers University men's basketball team. [ [http://www.scarletknights.com/basketball-men/coaches/hill.asp Fred Hill: Head Coach] , Rutgers University. Accessed July 23, 2007. "A New Jersey native who attended Verona High School, Hill is a 1977 graduate of Verona High School and a 1981 graduate of Montclair State College, where he was an All-Conference guard as a senior on a team that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament."]
*Jay Mohr (born 1970), comedian and actor. [Chean, Steven. [http://www.usaweekend.com/02_issues/020630/020630celeb_mohr.html "Comedian Jay Mohr has two great passions: humor and sports. And his new TV show features plenty of both."] , "USA Weekend", June 30, 2002. Accessed May 12, 2007. "If there's one thing the former captain of New Jersey's Verona High School wrestling team has learned since taking to the stage some 15 years ago, it's that comedians and athletes have something in common: 'We're the most competitive people on the face of the planet. Now, that can be good, or very not good.'"]

VHS in Popular Culture

*The original, unaired pilot of the television show "Strangers with Candy" was filmed in Verona High School. The VHS signboard is also used in almost every episode thereafter to display various witticisms, although the name has been changed to that of the school in the show, Flatpoint High School.Fact|date=August 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.veronaschools.org/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=21&TPID=2552 Verona High School]
*NJReportCard|13|5370|050|Verona High School
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3416740 Data for the Verona Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.vhsalumni.org/ Verona High School Alumni Association]