River Dell Regional High School
Encyclopedia
River Dell High School is a four-year comprehensive
regional public high school
, part of the River Dell Regional School District
, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell
and River Edge
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States. Located in Oradell, River Dell High School has been a four-year high school since 1994, and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,054 students and 70 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.06.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
The school was the 27th-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 37th in 2008 out of 316 schools.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
, the school was ranked 63rd in New Jersey and 1,866th nationwide.
Currently, River Dell requires every student to take 3 years of mathematics, 2 years of foreign language, French, Spanish, Italian, or Mandarin Chinese, 4 years of English, 3 years of Science, and 3 years of history. Concurrently, as requirement by the state of New Jersey, students must fulfill 5 credits in business, technology, and life skills related classes.
River Dell offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, ranging from Chemistry, to Art Portfolio, a senior internship and mentor ship where students are allowed to get a hands on feel for various professions, and various Syracuse University
Project Advance
(SUPA) offering a student a chance to earn college credits.
River Dell is based on a day with six 56-minute periods on a four-day rotating bell schedule. Each student is given their own laptop to use for classwork both for school and home use. The school has a large number of electives and courses.
Starting with the class of 2009, each freshman has received a hybrid tablet PC
-notebook computer for use during their four years of high school. In June before the 2008-09 school year, the Board of Education voted to buy 1,100 HP laptops so that every student in all four classes could use a new laptop. These replaced the former Tablet PCs that were given out with a traditional laptop computer.
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. The school had previously competed in the Bergen County Scholastic League
(BCSL) American Conference, made up of schools located in Bergen County
and Hudson County
. The school colors are black and gold. It won the BCSL All sports banner 17 times, most recently in the 06-07 season.
The girls basketball team won the 2007 North I, Group II state sectional championship, edging Pascack Hills High School
38-36 in the tournament final.
The varsity wrestling team won the 2009 BCSL American Division championship. River Dell's boys soccer team won the BCSL American and State Sectional Championships.
The football team won the North I Group II state sectional championships in 1985, 1987 and 2007. River Dell's 2007 football team went undefeated, compiling a final record of 12-0, with a defense that allowed 28 points all season long. On December 1, 2007, the team won the North I, Group II state sectional championship with a 12-7 win over Pascack Valley High School
, in a game played at Giants Stadium
. The win was the team's first section title since 1987. The River Dell football team went undefeated in the BCSL American Division losing in the state sectional semi-finals to Jefferson Township High School
. River Dell's 2009 football team played Ramsey High School for the North I, Group II state sectional championships at Giants Stadium
by a score of 36-10.
The school has had a distinguished cross country
program, led for many years by coach Bill Keith. The girls team has won two Bergen County Group Championships (1983-Group III, 1985-Group II) and two league titles (1984-NBIL, 2000-BCSL American). The boys team won the Bergen 2 title in 1987 and captured the Bergen Group III Championship in 1999, 2000, and 2002, with the school's lone state sectional title coming in 1999. The team also dominated the BCSL American Division in the 2000s, with titles in '00, '02, '03, and '05. The boys team had 17 consecutive dual meet wins in the 1999 and 2000 seasons, and in 2000 recorded the lowest score in the league championship meet (30) in 35 years.
The school instituted a random drug testing program for all students participating in any and all extra curricular activities and/or sports. River Dell was one of three schools in New Jersey that received a grant of $43,100 in 2008 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy
towards the cost of operating the program, which detected two students with drugs in their system and another student who had been using alcohol among the 77 students test in the 2007-08 school year.
River Dell is noted for its yearly play and musical. This year, River Dell put on its own rendition of the Brother's Grimm. This year's musical is planned to be Beauty and the Beast. In previous years, River Dell has put on performances of High School Musical, Into the Woods, and Guys and Dolls. Students are placed based on auditions.
River Dell is also known for its select choir. Under the direction of Lisa Smith, the choir is frequently adjudicated and has won numerous awards, including gold awards at the New York Choral Festival in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Three of those festivals were located in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and the other was in Carnegie Hall. Every year, the choir features members who participate in Bergen County, all-region, all state, and even all-Eastern chorus.
River Dell's marching band has competed in various competitions throughout the North East Division of the USSBA taking 8th place on November 11 at the USSBA Northern States Competition in Allentown, PA. The band's show this year was Fusion: The Music of Cirque du Solei. In past years, the band has done Steely Dan, Sound's of Santana, James Brown, the Who, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. The band has earned two first place finishes, while capturing several caption awards including three best percussion awards. Also the band plays in various parades and festivals throughout the country.
On January 31, 2009, River Dell's Academic Decathlon team took 3rd in New Jersey's region II, advancing to New Jersey's State Academic Decathlon, a feat which has not been achieved since the 2001-02 school year. They repeated this feat again in 2010.
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...
regional 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....
, part of the River Dell Regional School District
River Dell Regional School District
The River Dell Regional School District is a regional school district serving students in grades 7 - 12 from the Bergen County, New Jersey communities of Oradell and River Edge ....
, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
and River Edge
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,340.The community was incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, at the...
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. Located in Oradell, River Dell High School has been a four-year high school since 1994, and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and 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...
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,054 students and 70 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 15.06.
Awards and recognition
During the 1997-98 school year, River Dell High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
The school was the 27th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
New 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 37th in 2008 out of 316 schools.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, the school was ranked 63rd in New Jersey and 1,866th nationwide.
Curriculum
River Dell High School offers students a wide variety of college preparation, honors, and Advanced Placement courses. River Dell offers a Junior MBA program in which students are eligible to earn a scholarship after taking five business-related courses and completing a project if they intend to major in business in college.Currently, River Dell requires every student to take 3 years of mathematics, 2 years of foreign language, French, Spanish, Italian, or Mandarin Chinese, 4 years of English, 3 years of Science, and 3 years of history. Concurrently, as requirement by the state of New Jersey, students must fulfill 5 credits in business, technology, and life skills related classes.
River Dell offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, ranging from Chemistry, to Art Portfolio, a senior internship and mentor ship where students are allowed to get a hands on feel for various professions, and various Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
Project Advance
Project Advance
Syracuse University is an educational program that provides high school students with the opportunity to take Syracuse University courses in their own schools during the regularly scheduled school day. After successful completion of the course they can request to transfer the credits they earn...
(SUPA) offering a student a chance to earn college credits.
River Dell is based on a day with six 56-minute periods on a four-day rotating bell schedule. Each student is given their own laptop to use for classwork both for school and home use. The school has a large number of electives and courses.
Facilities and programs
Construction was completed as the result of a 2003 referendum that allowed a $28.9 million school renovation project. Many of the facilities in the school were inaccessible during the construction. Following the completion of the construction in the spring of 2007, the school had a new wing, which included six science and eight general classrooms, two music rooms, and two gymnasiums. Enhancements to the library, art rooms, technology and computer labs, and athletic fields were also included.Starting with the class of 2009, each freshman has received a hybrid tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
-notebook computer for use during their four years of high school. In June before the 2008-09 school year, the Board of Education voted to buy 1,100 HP laptops so that every student in all four classes could use a new laptop. These replaced the former Tablet PCs that were given out with a traditional laptop computer.
Athletics
The River Dell Regional High School Golden Hawks now compete in the Big North ConferenceBig North Conference
The Big North Conference is a high school athletic conference in New Jersey. It is one of six North Jersey "super athletic conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association in 2009...
, 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:...
. The school had previously competed in 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) American Conference, made up of schools located 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...
and Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
. The school colors are black and gold. It won the BCSL All sports banner 17 times, most recently in the 06-07 season.
The girls basketball team won the 2007 North I, Group II state sectional championship, edging Pascack Hills High School
Pascack Hills High School
Pascack Hills High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two high schools that are part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, New Jersey. PHHS serves the residents of both Montvale, where the campus is located, and the neighboring community...
38-36 in the tournament final.
The varsity wrestling team won the 2009 BCSL American Division championship. River Dell's boys soccer team won the BCSL American and State Sectional Championships.
The football team won the North I Group II state sectional championships in 1985, 1987 and 2007. River Dell's 2007 football team went undefeated, compiling a final record of 12-0, with a defense that allowed 28 points all season long. On December 1, 2007, the team won the North I, Group II state sectional championship with a 12-7 win over Pascack Valley High School
Pascack Valley High School
Pascack Valley High School is a four-year regional public high school located in Hillsdale in Bergen County, New Jersey, one of two high schools in the Pascack Valley Regional High School District...
, in a game played at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
. The win was the team's first section title since 1987. The River Dell football team went undefeated in the BCSL American Division losing in the state sectional semi-finals to Jefferson Township High School
Jefferson Township High School (New Jersey)
Jefferson Township High School is a comprehensive community public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Jefferson Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Jefferson Township Public Schools....
. River Dell's 2009 football team played Ramsey High School for the North I, Group II state sectional championships at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
by a score of 36-10.
The school has had a distinguished cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
program, led for many years by coach Bill Keith. The girls team has won two Bergen County Group Championships (1983-Group III, 1985-Group II) and two league titles (1984-NBIL, 2000-BCSL American). The boys team won the Bergen 2 title in 1987 and captured the Bergen Group III Championship in 1999, 2000, and 2002, with the school's lone state sectional title coming in 1999. The team also dominated the BCSL American Division in the 2000s, with titles in '00, '02, '03, and '05. The boys team had 17 consecutive dual meet wins in the 1999 and 2000 seasons, and in 2000 recorded the lowest score in the league championship meet (30) in 35 years.
The school instituted a random drug testing program for all students participating in any and all extra curricular activities and/or sports. River Dell was one of three schools in New Jersey that received a grant of $43,100 in 2008 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of National Drug Control Policy
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy , a former cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1989 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988...
towards the cost of operating the program, which detected two students with drugs in their system and another student who had been using alcohol among the 77 students test in the 2007-08 school year.
Clubs
River Dell offers 47 extracurricular clubs ranging from Dance to Marching Band to Media Club to Debate. Its Chemistry Olympics A and B teams placed 11th and 9th in 2009.River Dell is noted for its yearly play and musical. This year, River Dell put on its own rendition of the Brother's Grimm. This year's musical is planned to be Beauty and the Beast. In previous years, River Dell has put on performances of High School Musical, Into the Woods, and Guys and Dolls. Students are placed based on auditions.
River Dell is also known for its select choir. Under the direction of Lisa Smith, the choir is frequently adjudicated and has won numerous awards, including gold awards at the New York Choral Festival in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Three of those festivals were located in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and the other was in Carnegie Hall. Every year, the choir features members who participate in Bergen County, all-region, all state, and even all-Eastern chorus.
River Dell's marching band has competed in various competitions throughout the North East Division of the USSBA taking 8th place on November 11 at the USSBA Northern States Competition in Allentown, PA. The band's show this year was Fusion: The Music of Cirque du Solei. In past years, the band has done Steely Dan, Sound's of Santana, James Brown, the Who, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. The band has earned two first place finishes, while capturing several caption awards including three best percussion awards. Also the band plays in various parades and festivals throughout the country.
On January 31, 2009, River Dell's Academic Decathlon team took 3rd in New Jersey's region II, advancing to New Jersey's State Academic Decathlon, a feat which has not been achieved since the 2001-02 school year. They repeated this feat again in 2010.
Notable alumni
- Joanna AngelJoanna AngelJoanna Angel is an American alternative pornographic actress, director and writer of adult films. She used her real first name of Joanna for her stage name.-Early life:...
(born 1980), alternative pornstar. - Paul J. FishmanPaul J. Fishmanalign="right"|Paul J. Fishman is an American lawyer who currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He was sworn in on October 14, 2009 along with his First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gil Childers....
(born 1957), United States Attorney for the District of New JerseyUnited States Attorney for the District of New JerseyThe U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
. - Bill ParcellsBill ParcellsDuane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
(born 1941), current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and former NFL Head Coach of the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. - Billy PaultzBilly PaultzWilliam Edward "Bill" Paultz is a retired American professional basketball player.Paultz played college basketball at Saint John's University and was selected in the seventh round of the 1970 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets and by the Virginia Squires in the 1970 ABA Draft. Paultz opted to...
(born 1948), former ABA and NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player for 13 seasons, who played for five of those seasons with the New York NetsNew Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
External links
- River Dell Regional High School website
- River Dell Athletics Website
- Data for the River Dell Regional School District, 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...