Parsippany Hills High School

Infobox School
name = Parsippany Hills High School
motto = "Knowledge is Power"


phone = 973-682-2815
fax = 973-326-9260
established = 1969
type = Public high school
principal = Nancy A. Gigante
asst principal = Michael DiSanto
Richard Fonti
Lisa Garofalo
street = 20 Rita Drive
city = Parsippany-Troy Hills
state = NJ
zipcode = 07950
country = USA
district = Parsippany-Troy Hills School District
enrollment = 1,244 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 99.6 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 12.5
grades = 9 - 12
publication = "Runes"
teamname = Vikings
website = [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/SCH/PHHS/home.html School website]

Parsippany Hills High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two high schools in the township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grade as part of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District. Built in 1969, the school serves 1,166 students who live in the western half of Parsippany. Its companion school in the District is Parsippany High School.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,244 students and 99.6 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 12.5. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412480&ID=341248004432 Parsippany Hills High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 10, 2007.]

The school is located at coordinates coord|40|51|41|N|74|27|22|W|.

Awards and recognition

The school was the 87th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in "New Jersey Monthly" magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools". The school was also ranked 87th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 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.]

Academics

Parsippany Hills High School offers the basic math, science, English, and history courses, but also has a wide range of elective courses ranging from human development to choir to marketing. Parsippany Hills also offers its students a wide range of Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses.

49.1% of Parsippany Hills teachers hold a master's degree or doctorate in the field that they teach in. Parsippany Hills also has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10.6 students per every faculty member.

Parsippany Hills students can usually easily connect to the Internet, with most school computers having Internet connections. Also, most wall-mounted televisions in the school are equipped with cable television.

In order to graduate from Parsippany Hills High School, a student must take at least 24 credits of courses, where one credit equals a one period full-year class. A student must take four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of science, three years of social sciences, one year of a career development course, one year of a foreign language, and one year of a visual and performing arts elective. In addition, all students must pass the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) in their junior or senior year. [ [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/main/Course_Selection_07-08.pdf Student Course Selection Bulletin 2007-2008] , "Parsippany-Troy Hills School District", January 2007.]

Arts

Parsippany Hills offers a wide range of artistic classes, from drawing to ceramics. Parsippany Hills has a large drama club, known unofficially as the Par Hills Players. Past productions have included "", "West Side Story", "Guys and Dolls", "South Pacific", "Picnic", "Zombie Prom", "The Importance of Being Earnest", "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Aida". In the spring 2007 production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", the Par Hills Players saw a record audience.

The marching band, in circuit from June to November, has taken a total of five Northern USSBA States Championship titles ('94,'97,'04,'06,'07) and two State Championship titles ('02,'04). In 2004, PHHSMB captured two championship titles. At the All-State Championships in 2006, they tied with long-standing rivals Verona, but won more captions than any other band. At the State Championship competition in 2007, PHHSMB placed second (of 17) behind North Warren Regional by 0.2 points, though, a week later, the band finished first (ahead of North Warren Regional, who placed 6th) of 14 with a school/circuit record-breaking score of 94.85 and took first place in every caption except for color guard. The percussion section is very well known in USSBA, winning Best Percussion at competitions, States, and All-States multiple times.

Athletic

The Parsippany Hills High School Vikings participate in the Iron Hills Conference. Students at Parsippany Hills can play many sports, such as tennis, football, soccer, cross country running, field hockey, volleyball, and cheerleading in the fall, swimming, basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, track, and cheerleading in the winter, and baseball, softball, tennis, and golf in the spring.

The football team was in the 2005 playoffs as the third seed in the North I, Group III bracket, and won the first two rounds, beating #6-seed West Milford High School 13-6 and number-two Wayne Valley High School 27-7, before losing to top-seeded Wayne Hills High School 46-0 in the sectional finals. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=128997&tclass=North%20I%2C%20Group%20III NJSIAA 2005 Football - North I, Group III] , accessed June 5, 2006.]

The Vikings were also in the North I Group III playoff finals again in 2006. They came in as 4th seed, and won the first two rounds, beating 5th-seeded Roxbury High School 28-7 and top seeded and heavy favorite Teaneck High School 38-20. They played Wayne Hills High School again for the title for the second consecutive year, but fell short once again against the top public in the state, by a 23-12 final score. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=188015&tclass=North%20I%2C%20Group%20III Parsippany Hills] , NJSIAA, accessed May 9, 2007.]

In 2007, the football team once again made it into the playoffs, as the 8th seed. For the third straight year they faced and lost to Wayne Hills High School 49-0, this time in the quarter finals.

In 2007, they made it again to the playoffs as the #8-seed and faced top seed Wayne Hills High School in the first round. But for the third year in a row, they fell to the Patriots 49-0.

Parsippany Hills entered the 2006-2007 wrestling season with zero losing seasons dating back to the school's founding in 1969. Recent notable achievements include the 2005/06 District IX championship and the 2003/04 Iron Hills Conference Championship (first since 1989).

Individually, Parsippany Hills recently saw their streak of state place winners stop at school record six straight years and has placed someone in the State's top 8 in nine of the last ten years. Recent State place winners include Evan Galipeau, Paul Galipeau, John Hesse and Chris Madia.

The 2007 boys soccer team won the North II, Group III state sectional championship with a 2-1 win over West Morris Mendham High School in the tournament final. [ [http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=243094&tclass=North%20II%2C%20Group%20III 2007 Boys Soccer - North II, Group III] , NJSIAA. Accessed November 13, 2007.]

Also in 2007, the competition cheerleading squad captured the American National Championship in a competition in Baltimore, Maryland.

Parsippany Hills High School's primary rivals are Parsippany High School and in football, Wayne Hills High School. Rivalries have also been seen between the Vikings and Morris Hills High School and Morris Knolls High School during crucial football, basketball, and baseball games. Hanover Park High School is Parsippany Hills' rival in wrestling.

Parsippany Hills does not support random drug testing of participants in extracurricular activities. [Jennings, Rob. [http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/COMMUNITIES38/708030351/1150/NEWS06 "Parsippany principals object to drug testing: Administrators argue move could create a culture of 'distrust'"] , "Daily Record (Morristown)", August 3, 2007. Accessed August 3, 2007. "The principals of both township public high schools said Thursday night they opposed random drug testing at a school board meeting convened to study the issue."]

tudent Council

Parsippany Hills High School has an active student council. The student council currently consists of an executive board, with ten members, one non-voting student Board of Education representative, one state officer, and a general assembly (two represntatives from each homeroom. The student council general assemble convenes twice a month, with one meeting during the school day and the other in the evening. [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/SCH/PHHS/studentclubs.html Parsippany Hills High School Clubs] , Parsippany-Troy Hills School District, accessed August 19, 2007.]

Extracurricular Activities

Parsippany Hills offers many after-school activities, from Academic Decathlon, DECA, Key Club, Habitat for Humanity to FBLA, along with a steering committee for each grade, which functions as a smaller student council for that grade along with two faculty advisors. Other clubs include the Peerleaders' Activities Council, Anime Club, Library Pages Club, Animal Lovers Club, Garden Club, Math Club, ERASE Club and the Yearbook Club (Aegis). Parsippany Hills also has National Honor Society and International Thespian Society chapters.

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are: [ [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/SCH/PHHS/staff.html PHHS Staff] , Parsippany Hills High School. Accessed August 21, 2008.]
*Nancy A. Gigante, Principal
*Richard Fonti, Assistant Principal / Athletics
*Michael DiSanto, Assistant Principal
*Lisa Garofalo, Assistant Principal

Notable graduates

* R. J. Cobbs (born 1982), former Defensive back for the New York Giants. [ [http://umassathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cobbs_rj00.html UMass Profile for R.J. Cobbs] , accessed January 9, 2007.]
* Johnnie Morant (born 1981), a former wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders. [http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/dayinthelife/ph-phs/teacher.htm Classroom a thrill for teacher] , "Daily Record (Morristown)", November 9, 2004.]
* Joe Orsulak (born 1962), a Major League Baseball player from 1983 to 1997. [ [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=0EB4766B00143DDB&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=NaN&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=L4EI53UKMTE4NTg0NzQ0OS4yODY4NjU6MTo3OnJhLTE4ODg "ORSULAK SIGNS WITH MARLINS - NEXT TARGETS: CONE, MCDOWELL"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", December 6, 1995. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Orsulak, a Parsippany Hills High School graduate, signed a two-year deal worth $1.275 million and is expected to strengthen the Marlins' bench."]
* Chris Singleton (born 1967), an NFL linebacker who played for the New England Patriots (1990-1992, 1993) and the Miami Dolphins (1993, 1994-1996). [Freeman, Mike. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADDED0A34ED19D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "A GIFT OF BROTHERLY LOVE TOP PATRIOTS DRAFT CHOICE CHRIS SINGLETON AIDED TWIN KEVIN'S BATTLE AGAINST LEUKEMIA"] , "Boston Globe", April 29, 1990. Accessed August 21, 2008. "There they are in 11th grade after a Parsippany Hills football game, helmets in right hands, carbon copies except for that grimace on Kevin's face."]

References

External links

* [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/SCH/PHHS/home.html Parsippany Hills High School home page]
* [http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/ Parsippany-Troy Hills School District home page]
*NJReportCard|27|3950|053|Parsippany Hills High School
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412480 Data for the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District] , National Center for Education Statistics