Park Ridge High School
Encyclopedia
Park Ridge High School is a six-year comprehensive
public high school
with an integrated two-year middle school
located in the borough of Park Ridge
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States, operating as part of the Park Ridge Public Schools
. The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education
. The school hosts students in grades 7-12, and is located on the corner of Park Avenue and Pascack Road in the center of Park Ridge. The school is one of the three public schools in the town of Park Ridge, along with East Brook Elementary School and West Ridge Elementary School, which serve grades K-6.
Park Ridge High School's building has two sections: the "main" building of three floors and the "A-wing" of two. The main building contains a multipurpose venue known as the "little theater," which hosts arts events such as the annual "Popcert," "Mini-Pop," and a variety of other arts showcases, including seasonal theatrical productions. The A-wing branches off into two spacious gymnasiums through its lower floor.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 587 students and 44 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.34.
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 31st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 40th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
Park Ridge offers several Advanced Placement (AP) classes, run by the College Board
. Average SAT
scores for the class of 2010 were 558 for the math section, 527 for verbal and 548 on the essay component, compared to statewide averages of 520, 496 and 499 respectively.
, soccer
, track and field
, basketball
, baseball, and several others. The school's athletic complex consists of several acres of open fields and a full sized high school football infield, surrounded by a recently constructed running track.
Park Ridge High School competes in Patriot Division B of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
(NJIC), following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Park Ridge was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League
(BCSL). The school runs a combined wrestling team with Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
. Park Ridge/Emerson wrestling coach Stan Woods set a New Jersey record with his 602nd win in 2011 in a meet against Nutley High School
. Park Ridge has done very well athletically in past years, especially with girls' sports, wrestling, and the track & field program.
In 2006, Park Ridge Boy's Spring Track went undefeated on their way to a BCSL Olympic Championship, their first in 30 years. The Girl's team lost only once, and also proceeded to win a Championship.
In 2007, the girls soccer team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 2-0 win over Pompton Lakes High School
in the tournament final, marking the first sectional title in team history.
In 2009, the boys winter track team won the very first State Sectional meet.
The Boys baseball team won the 2009 Group I NJSIAA State Championships, defeating County Prep High School
10–0 in the semi-final round, and taking the title with a 4–2 win over David Brearley High School
in the championship game.
Comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
with an integrated two-year middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
located in the borough of Park Ridge
Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census....
in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States, operating as part of the Park Ridge Public Schools
Park Ridge Public Schools
The Park Ridge Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade from Park Ridge, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....
. The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
. The school hosts students in grades 7-12, and is located on the corner of Park Avenue and Pascack Road in the center of Park Ridge. The school is one of the three public schools in the town of Park Ridge, along with East Brook Elementary School and West Ridge Elementary School, which serve grades K-6.
Park Ridge High School's building has two sections: the "main" building of three floors and the "A-wing" of two. The main building contains a multipurpose venue known as the "little theater," which hosts arts events such as the annual "Popcert," "Mini-Pop," and a variety of other arts showcases, including seasonal theatrical productions. The A-wing branches off into two spacious gymnasiums through its lower floor.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 587 students and 44 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.34.
Academic achievement
The school was the 18th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey MonthlyNew Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 31st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 40th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
Park Ridge offers several Advanced Placement (AP) classes, run by the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
. Average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores for the class of 2010 were 558 for the math section, 527 for verbal and 548 on the essay component, compared to statewide averages of 520, 496 and 499 respectively.
Athletics
Under the nickname Owls, Park Ridge High School boasts a rich tradition of athletics. The school hosts several sports in statewide competition, including footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball, and several others. The school's athletic complex consists of several acres of open fields and a full sized high school football infield, surrounded by a recently constructed running track.
Park Ridge High School competes in Patriot Division B of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
The North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, or NJIC, is a high school athletic conference located in New Jersey. It is one of the so-called "super conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association as a part of a realignment of high school sports leagues in North...
(NJIC), following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Park Ridge was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League
Bergen County Scholastic League
The Bergen County Scholastic League was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference consisted of thirty public and parochials high schools covering Bergen County and Hudson County in northern New...
(BCSL). The school runs a combined wrestling team with Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
Emerson Jr./Sr. High School (Emerson, New Jersey)
Emerson Junior-Senior High School is a six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Emerson, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Emerson School District...
. Park Ridge/Emerson wrestling coach Stan Woods set a New Jersey record with his 602nd win in 2011 in a meet against Nutley High School
Nutley High School
Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Nutley Public Schools. Its colors are maroon and gray. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is located at...
. Park Ridge has done very well athletically in past years, especially with girls' sports, wrestling, and the track & field program.
In 2006, Park Ridge Boy's Spring Track went undefeated on their way to a BCSL Olympic Championship, their first in 30 years. The Girl's team lost only once, and also proceeded to win a Championship.
In 2007, the girls soccer team won the North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 2-0 win over Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School
Pompton Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the borough of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Pompton Lakes School District. The school accepts students from Pompton Lakes as well as those from Riverdale who attend as part of a...
in the tournament final, marking the first sectional title in team history.
In 2009, the boys winter track team won the very first State Sectional meet.
The Boys baseball team won the 2009 Group I NJSIAA State Championships, defeating County Prep High School
County Prep High School
County Prep High School is a full-time public high school, located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hudson County Schools of Technology....
10–0 in the semi-final round, and taking the title with a 4–2 win over David Brearley High School
David Brearley High School
David Brearley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Kenilworth in Union County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Kenilworth Public Schools...
in the championship game.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Principal - Troy Lederman
- Assistant Principal - Mark Cosgrove
Noted alumni
- Jedh Colby BarkerJedh Colby BarkerJedh Colby Barker was a United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War in September 1967.-Biography:...
(1945-67), awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. - Karen DuffyKaren DuffyKaren Duffy is an American model, television personality, and actress.-Early life:Duffy was born in New York City, the daughter of Carol, a homemaker, and Phil Duffy, a developer. She attended Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge, New Jersey, graduating in 1979...
(born 1961), modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, and actress. - James GandolfiniJames GandolfiniJames J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
(born 1961), star of the HBO TV show, The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. - The RochesThe RochesThe Roches are a female vocal group of three songwriting Irish-American sisters from Park Ridge, New Jersey, known for their "unusual" and "rich" harmonies, quirky lyrics, and casually comedic stage performances.The Roches have been active as performers and recording artists since the mid-1970s,...
, folk singers. - Travis SteverTravis SteverTravis Stever is the lead/rhythm guitarist for Coheed and Cambria, a progressive rock band from New York.-Shabűtie:Travis joined the band Shabűtie in 1995 along with vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez, bassist Jon Carleo, and drummer Nate Kelley. After an argument over gas money the band split up,...
(born 1978), lead guitarist of Coheed and CambriaCoheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
.
External links
- Park Ridge High School
- Park Ridge Public Schools
- Data for the Park Ridge Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...