Ridgefield Park High School

Infobox_School
name = Ridgefield Park High School


imagesize =
motto =
established =
grades = 7-12
district = Ridgefield Park Public Schools
type = Public high school
principal = Eric Koenig
asst principal = Michelle Aughey
Michael Raimondi
enrollment = 1,063 (as of 2005-06)
faculty = 85.0 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 12.5
nickname = Scarlets
conference = Bergen County Scholastic League
colors =
publication =
location = 1 Ozzie Nelson Drive
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660
information = 201-440-1440
website = [http://www.rpps.net/RPHS/index.html School website]

Ridgefield Park High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Ridgefield Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Students from Little Ferry attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Little Ferry Public Schools that has been in place since 1953. [James, George. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDD153AF935A25751C1A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "School Districts' Battle On Tuition Goes to Court"] , "The New York Times", December 16, 1989. Accessed May 27, 2008. "Little Ferry, a borough of 1.5 square miles and 9,900 people, has sent its high school students to this neighboring 1.92-square mile village of 12,000 people, since 1953."]

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,063 students and 85.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 12.5. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3413800&ID=341380000754 Ridgefield Park High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 5, 2008.]

The school was the 180th-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 ranked 161st 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.]

Athletics

The Ridgefield Park High School Scarlets compete in the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Conference, which includes private and public high schools located in Bergen County and Hudson County. [ [http://bcsl-american.org/ School Info] , Bergen County Scholastic League American Division. Accessed March 9, 2008.] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

Awards and recognition

For the 2005-06 school year, Ridgefield Park High School was one of only 22 schools statewide selected as Governor's School of Excellence Winners, an award given to schools that have demonstrated significant academic improvement over the previous two academic years. [ [http://www.state.nj.us/njded/clear/school/gsoe/05winners.htm Snapshots of 2005 Governor’s School of Excellence Winners] , accessed July 25, 2006]

A team of students was one of five finalists in the 2004 New Jersey Business Idea Competition Winners at Fairleigh Dickinson University representing the Northern Region, which covers Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren Counties. Three other RPHS teams were semi-finalists. [ [http://view.fdu.edu/files/206awardsprogram.doc Awards Ceremony for the 2004 - New Jersey Business Idea Competition] , accessed November 27, 2006]

History

In 1916, Ridgefield Park High School was the subject of a groundbreaking ruling by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education, who ruled that teachers could remove their jackets while in class. A principal and teacher at the high school had been removed from his duties, based on charges against him that included "conduct unbecoming a teacher" related to the removal of his coat while teaching one day. The charges were dismissed and the teacher was reinstated. ["SHIRT SLEEVES WIN.; Commissioner Kendall Rules Teacher May Take Off Coat.", "The New York Times", July 9, 1916. p. 16]

In March 2006, alumnus Gregory Olsen (RPHS '62), an entrepreneur who paid $20 million to become the world's third paying space tourist visited his alma mater to share his experiences in space. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2ODk4NjI4 Millionaire encourages students to persevere] , "The Record (Bergen County)", "March 17, 2006]

Popular culture

13 of the 17 students featured in the 1978 documentary film "Scared Straight!" were from Ridgefield Park High School. Over 300 students, nearly a quarter of the school's enrollment, had voluntarily participated in the program at Rahway State Prison (now formally known as East Jersey State Prison), in which the students were given a hard look at the "physical and psychological brutality of prison life." The program was credited with contributing to a sharp drop in teen-aged crime in Ridgefield Park from 1976 to 1978. ["'Scared Straight!' Film a Part of Life for Many Students in One Town; Officials Are Pleased Arrest Rate Drops Only Volunteers Go Father Fears Future Effect", "The New York Times", May 6, 1979, p. 37]

Ridgefield Park High School was also featured on truTV's "The Principal's Office".

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are: [ [http://www.rpps.net/RPHS/admin.html High School Administrative Staff] , Ridgefield Park Junior-Senior High School. Accessed August 24, 2008.]
*Eric Koenig, Principal
*Michelle Aughey, Assistant Principal
*Michael Raimondi, Assistant Principal

Notable alumni

* Robert A. Lewis (1918-1983), co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. [Fosdick, George. [http://www.ridgefieldpark.org/village_alumnihist.html History of Ridgefield Park High School] , Ridgefield Park Jr. / Sr. High School Alumni Association. Accessed February 12, 2008. "Bud Lewis �37 was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay Aircraft which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, leading to the end of World War II, a war in which over 1,000 RPHS graduates served. Many years later, when questioned about his role in WWII, Lewis commented, 'I would rather be remembered for being a member of RPHS Championship Football Team than for being the co-pilot of that plane.'"]
* Steve Lonegan (1956-), former mayor of Bogota, New Jersey from 1995-2007. [ [http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/pressrel/candidateforum.html "Candidates for 9th Congressional District to Appear at Forum"] , Fairleigh Dickinson University press release. Accessed February 12, 2008.]
*Ozzie Nelson (1906-1975), band leader and TV star. [ [http://ridgefieldpark.qscend.com/content/125/283.aspx History of Ridgefield Park High School] , accessed December 7, 2006]
* Gregory Olsen (born 1945), entrepreneur and scientist who in October 2005 became the third private citizen to make a paid trip into space with Space Adventures, Ltd.

References

External links

* [http://www.rpps.net/RPHS/index.html Ridgefield Park High School]
* [http://www.rpps.net/ Ridgefield Park Public Schools]
*NJReportCard|03|4380|0|Ridgefield Park Public Schools
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3413800 Data for the Ridgefield Park Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://ridgefieldpark.qscend.com/content/125/283.aspx History of Ridgefield Park High School]