- Chatham High School (New Jersey)
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Chatham High School 
Location 255 Lafayette Avenue
Chatham Township, NJ 07928Information Type Public high school Established July 1988 Principal Darren Groh Asst. Principal George Alexis
Lori GirondaFaculty 66.00 (on FTE basis)[1] Grades 9–12 Enrollment 1,061 (as of 2009-10)[1] Student to teacher ratio 16.08[1] Campus Suburban Color(s) Navy and White Athletics conference Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Nickname Cougars Website School website Chatham High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school located at 255 Lafayette Avenue in Chatham Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, operating as part of the School District of the Chathams. The school serves students in grades 9-12. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1989.[2]
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,061 students and 66.00 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student–teacher ratio of 16.08.[1]
The school has a principal, Darren Groh, and two assistant principals, Lori Gironda and George Alexis beginning with the 2010-11 school year, a change approved by the Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams on May 11, 2010.
Contents
History
The new regional high school, serving two municipalities, was dedicated at Lafayette Avenue after the creation of the School District of the Chathams on July 1, 1988, and joined the Lafayette Elementary School on its original site. The two schools share performing arts facilities.
The previous Chatham High School on Fairmount Avenue adjacent to the Chatham train station in Chatham Borough is a historic early twentieth century Gothic Revival building that still bears the name on its façade. Secondary level students from Chatham Township were bused to it and, later to a senior high school on Main Street, for many years under the auspices of the former, Chatham Board of Education.
From 1966 through 1988, Chatham Township students attended the newly constructed Chatham Township High School on Lafayette Avenue where Chatham High School is today. CTHS had as its mascot the Gladiator and CBHS the Eskie. The two schools were strong rivals at Homecoming games for the twenty-two years they were separate high schools. Today the school mascot for the combined Chatham High School is the Cougar.
The school and several students were featured in the PBS program Frontline in 2008 for an episode related to a generation growing up with the internet.[3]
During the 2007-08 school year, Chatham High School stopped giving midterm exams. Instead of midterm exams, students must complete alternate assessment projects, a move strongly supported by co-principal Michael Lasusa and backed by the School District of the Chathams. However, according to student poll data, a majority of students do not support the changes and would like to revert to midterms again. This policy continued into the 2008-09 school year.[4]
Awards and recognition
For the 2004-05 school year, the high school was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[5] the highest award an American school can receive for excellence in the No Child Left Behind Act.[6][7]
The school was the 8th-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 10th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[8] The school was ranked 12th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[9]
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 15th in New Jersey and 647th nationwide.[10]
Organizations and extra-curricular activities
Bulletin boards in the hallways of CHS advertise popular clubs.
CHS Political Club
The CHS Political Club is the High School's primary club devoted to student political action. The club meets to debate political issues and encourage grassroots action in the political process.
PAWS
Peers Adjusting With Support is an organization of upperclassmen who help freshmen adjust to some of their new high school activities. Its members organize an annual field day, in which all freshman must participate. PAWS is a mandatory program for freshman but juniors and seniors are selected to be PAWS leaders.
TATU
Teens Against Tobacco Use is an organization whose members are against any and all tobacco use in Chatham High School and the surrounding areas. They visit elementary and middle schools in the school district to discuss the dangers of tobacco use with younger students.
Academic Team
The Academic Team represents Chatham in “Jeopardy”-style tournaments on the regional and national level. Students match wits based on knowledge of traditional academic subjects and current events mixed with some popular culture and useless trivia. Events include after-school intramural and scrimmage matches, the international computer-based Knowledge Master Open, and travel tournaments including the New Jersey NAQT State Championship and possible national events. There are no tryouts for the team; all students are welcome to attend as many events as they can, but membership on the most competitive “A team” is selective.
SADD
Students Against Destructive Decisions is an organization whose members help students cope with everyday problems and decisions.
Marching Band
Chatham High has an award-winning marching band led by Brian Conti. This past season the 58 member band fell under the Group 2 open classification. Past repertoire includes selections from the Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde in 2008 with music by Frank Wildhorn. Led by drum majors Dan DiSalvio and Andrew Hopen the band had one of their most successful years to date thanks to the addition of former The Cadets member, Grant Chin. With increased technical precision, which was displayed throughout the year, the band was ranked continuously in the top 5 bands in Group 2 Open and holding an overall #1 ranking for several weeks in 2008.[11] In 2007, led by drum majors Beth Maliszewski and Vaughn Sulit, the groups selections included music by Academy Award Nominee Danny Elfman from his various film scores and his score to the popular videogame Fable. In 2006 they performed Invitation to a Wedding, a story-telling performance about the day of a wedding from ceremony through the reception to a medley of songs including Here Comes the Bride and YMCA among others under the leadership of Peter Evans, Haley White, and Greg Bukata. Past selections from the band include a Arabian Nights inspired performance, Birdland, Touched by Fire, Rootbeer Rag composed by Billy Joel, Estancia, Joy and America from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story.
Theater
Chatham High School contains an active theater program that performs two productions a school year, a play in the fall and then a musical in the Spring.Past productions include Thorton Wilder's endearing American classic Our Town, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night, the Frank Loesser classic Guys and Dolls and the Pulitzer Prize winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine, The Pajama Game, the 50s musical, Grease, Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take it With You, Scapino, a French play by Molière translated into English, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz[disambiguation needed
], Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, Annie, and the Disney musical sensation High School Musical. Currently under the direction of Drama teacher Lynn Polan the theater department has won honors at the STANJ Governor's Awards at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Secondary School Drama Festival at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The program also has, in the past, received honors from the Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star Awards which are awarded every year annually and honor excellency in high school theater performances. For the 2011-12 season, the high school will perform Mary Zimmerman's play, Metamorphoses, a take on Greek mythology in November and The Drowsy Chaperone in March.Music Department
The Chatham High School music department has had many achievements. Recent ones include a music trip to Virginia Beach to participate in a music festival winning high honors from all adjudicators for each of its five ensembles. Chatham's two a cappella groups Select Choir, an SATB choir, and Chatham Voices, an SSAA choir, have performed in such prestigious venues as Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the Norfolk Opera House, and the Epcot rotunda at Disney World. Both groups combined performed in a special for NJN public television with composer Tim Janis during the 2008-09 school year. The group completed filming a second special with Janis in 2009-10 and returned to Avery Fisher Hall and Saint Patrick's Cathedral in the Spring.
Athletics
The boys basketball team won the 2007 Group II NJSIAA State Championship, defeating Pascack Hills High School 67-53 in the semifinals and topping Haddonfield Memorial High School 48-42 in the finals.[12]
The boys tennis team won the North II, Group II state sectional championship with a 3-2 win over West Essex High School.[13]
The boys cross country team won the 2006 North II, Group II state sectional championship for the second time in three years and won again in 2008.[14] Additionally, the team went on to win the 2006 Morris County Championship, topping both perennial powerhouses Morris Hills and Delbarton.[15]
The girls soccer team won the 2004 Group II NJSIAA State Championship, defeating Cinnaminson High School in the finals in double overtime by a score of 1-0.[16][17]
The 2007 Girls Volleyball team won the triple crown, winning the conference, county and state championships. The team won the Group II state championship with a come-from-behind win in three games against Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest (11-25, 25-19, 25-22).[18] They lost in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions to Hunterdon Central Regional High School by 26-24 and 29-27.[19]
The 2008 Boys Tennis Team won the North II, Group II state sectional championship with a 4-1 win in the tournament final over Mountain Lakes High School.[20]
The 2008 girls Lacrosse team won the triple crown by capturing the conference, county, and state championships while being ranked the no. 3 team in all of New Jersey. They lost 16-9 to powerhouse Moorestown High School in Chatham High School's first ever appearance in the Tournament of Champions final game.[21]
The 2008 Chatham golf team completed a highly successful campaign by going undefeated at 21-0 for the year. The Cougars won the conference championship as well as the NJ Group II State Championship.[22] Chatham was named Golf Team of the Year by the Daily Record and was ranked fifth in the state of by The Star-Ledger by virtue of their overall finish at the Tournament of Champions event held at Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands.[23]
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:[24]
- Darren Groh, Principal
- George Alexis and Lori Gironda, Assistant Principals
Notable alumni
- Ben Bailey (born 1970, class of 1988), host of Cash Cab.[citation needed]
- Craig Benson (born 1954), Governor of New Hampshire from 2003-2005.[25]
- Peter Fleming (born 1955), former professional tennis player who won the New Jersey high school individual championship in 1972, during his junior year.[26]
- James G. Madison, bank robber, class of 1975.[27]
- Billy Walsh (born 1975), U.S. Olympic and professional soccer player.[28]
- David Williams (born 1967, attended 1981-1983, ultimately graduated from Choate-Rosemary Hall), ice hockey player for the San Jose Sharks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[29]
References
- ^ a b c d Chatham High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ Chatham High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- ^ Growing Up Online, PBS. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- ^ Interviews: Rose Porpora, Frontline, January 22, 2008. Accessed March 18, 2011. "Q: Does the school or the school district have a philosophy about this that's been articulated to the teachers? Or does each teacher teach the way that comes naturally to them? A: There's a lot of freedom for methods as long as they're working, and I think there's a lot of trust. I think the community has come to trust us very much. We just made changes this year; next year we're eliminating our midterm because we think that there are better, more effective ways to assess the students. They accepted our proposal, and I think that was huge."
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 Through 2005, United States Department of Education. Accessed May 15, 2006.
- ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
- ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post, September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 18, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Chatham High School", The Washington Post. Accessed July 17, 2011.
- ^ 2008 National Schedule, USSBA. Accessed July 17, 2011.
- ^ 2007 Boys Basketball - Public Group Semis/Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed May 29, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Boys Tennis - North II, Group II, NJSIAA. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
- ^ Grant, Ed. North Jersey 1 Sectional Cross-Country Championships, NJSIAA. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- ^ 2006 Morris County Cross Country Championship, Morris County Track Association, October 30, 2006. Accessed July 17, 2011.
- ^ Staff. "Christian's clutch goal lifts Chatham to crown", Daily Record (Morristown), November 20, 2004. Accessed June 22, 2011. "Christian, a sophomore midfielder, connected off a Julia Berger pass with 8:10 remaining in the second overtime to lift Chatham to a 1-0 upset victory over Cinnaminson in the Group II girls soccer championship game at College of New Jersey on Saturday."
- ^ History of NJSIAA Girls Soccer, NJSIAA. Accessed June 22, 2011.
- ^ 2007 Girls Volleyball - Group II, NJSIAA. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
- ^ 2007 Girls Volleyball - Tournament of Champions, NJSIAA. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
- ^ 2008 Boys Team Tennis - North II, Group II, NJSIAA. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
- ^ Moretti, Mike. "Moorestown 16, Chatham 9", The Star-Ledger, June 7, 2008. Accessed June 21, 2008. "Moorestown defeated Chatham, 16-9, yesterday in the NJSIAA/New Balance Tournament of Champions final yesterday at Rutgers' Yurcak Field in Piscataway.... Moorestown scored the first two goals of the game, but feisty Chatham, which was appearing in its first T of C ever..."
- ^ Staff. "For Chatham, last year's pain, this year's gain", Daily Record (Morristown), May 14, 2008. Accessed July 17, 2011. "The foundation for the NJSIAA North Jersey Group II state sectional championship that Chatham captured Monday at the Overpeck Golf Course in Teaneck..."
- ^ Hague, Jim. "Chemistry key for undefeated Chatham", Daily Record (Morristown), June 18, 2008. Accessed July 17, 2011. "'Coming off last year I knew we graduated only one senior from that team and we had some very talented players returning', said Ervin, who coached Chatham to an undefeated 20-0 record this season including the NJSIAA Group II championship and the distinction of being the 2008 All Daily Record Golf Team of the Year."
- ^ Our School, Chatham High School. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ Chatham NJ High School Reunions. Retrieved April 19, 2007.
- ^ Best Boys Tennis Team of the Century, The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
- ^ 'Mad Hatter' bank robber gets 10 years, Daily Record (Morristown), January 25, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
- ^ Jandoli, Ron. "The Century's Best -- Boys Soccer: Top 10 Players of each decade", The Star-Ledger, November 7, 1999, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 10, 2003. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- David Williams
External links
- Chatham High School website
- Chatham High School's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the School District of the Chathams, National Center for Education Statistics
- Chatham High School Reunions Website
- Coordinates: 40°43′54″N 74°24′05″W / 40.731568°N 74.401259°W
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJSIAA) Academy of Saint Elizabeth • Boonton • Butler • Chatham • Delbarton • Dover • Hackettstown • Hanover Park • High Point • Hopatcong • Jefferson Township • Kinnelon • Kittatinny • Lenape Valley • Madison • Montville Township • Morris Catholic • Morris Hills • Morris Knolls • Morris Tech • Morristown • Morristown-Beard • Mount Olive • Mountain Lakes • Newton • Parsippany • Parsippany Hills • Pequannock Township • Pope John XXIII • Randolph • Roxbury • Sparta • Sussex Tech • Vernon Township • Villa Walsh • Walkill Valley • West Morris Central • West Morris Mendham • Whippany Park
Categories:- Blue Ribbon schools in New Jersey
- Educational institutions established in 1988
- High schools in Morris County, New Jersey
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