Bergenfield High School
Encyclopedia
Bergenfield High School is a four-year, comprehensive
public high school serving students from Bergenfield
, in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, operating as part of the Bergenfield Public Schools
. Bergenfield High School is accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education
and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
since 1945.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,251 students and 87 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.38.
The school was the 136th-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 234th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 192nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Approximately 97.7% of 2010 Bergenfield High School graduates planned to go on to two-year or four-year colleges. The school's CEEB code is 310090.
The school is producing its own television station called Bears On Air that is available to all Cablevision customers. This channel will feature special events, such as college fairs and other events at BHS; InTune, a special program that will showcase the Bergenfield Music Department; Bears Den, a program showcasing rich athletic programs at Bergenfield; and In Reel Time, which will offer movie reviews. The channel is available for Cablevision customers on channel 77.
, Jets and Giants football games, Yankee Stadium, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
for its 20th time in 2000. NAMM Foundation (American Music Conference) has recognized Bergenfield High School as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America for multiple years, including 2011 and was a finalist for the Grammy Signature Schools for multiple years as well. The band hosts the annual USSBA Bergen County Invitational Band Festival, which has a roster of up to 16 bands per year. The Record
placed them on the front cover of the November 2007 issue of its Sports Magazine. They’ve appeared on film in The Bounty Hunter
and Tower Heist
, as well as on television on Good Day New York
when the Yankees won the World Series in 2009 and The Today Show, where host Ann Curry
was able to fulfill one of her long-time dreams by performing with the school's marching band. Their most memorable television performance was performing live at the 41st Tony Awards
held in June 1987 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre
, appearing as part of a tribute aired to honor the then recently-deceased Robert Preston
, best known for his starring role in The Music Man
.
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Previously, it was one of the 12 schools participating in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League
(NBIL/NBIAL). Tom Curry is Bergenfield's Athletic Director. The football team was once very successful, and at one time was ranked number 1 in New Jersey. Its wrestling program has been successful over the last 40 years and former coach Sal Cascio is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
in Stillwater, Oklahoma
.
Most sports have Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman teams, but some only have the top one or two tiers.
Note: Sports marked with an asterisk (*) usually practice and compete with each other, but they are two separate teams and officially compete and are scored separately.
The football team won the North I Group IV state championship in 1974 and 1976, and won state titles in North I Group III in 1982, 1986 and 1987.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses include AP Studio Art
, AP Art History
, AP English Language and Composition
, AP English Literature and Composition
, AP Calculus
, AP Computer Science
, AP Biology
, AP Chemistry
, AP Physics
, AP United States History
, AP United States Government and Politics
, AP Music Theory
, AP Psychology
and AP Spanish Language
.
Bergenfield High School offers medical-field based classes where the students have an opportunity to receive college credits from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(UMDNJ). Classes include Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology, Dynamics of Healthcare, Emergency and Clinical Care.
Bergenfield High School has 110 faculty members including those listed above, four guidance counselors, two nurses, and two library / media center faculty.
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 serving students from Bergenfield
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,764.Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of 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...
, operating as part of the Bergenfield Public Schools
Bergenfield Public Schools
The Bergenfield Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district in Bergenfield in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade....
. Bergenfield High 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...
and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
since 1945.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,251 students and 87 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 14.38.
The school was the 136th-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 234th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 192nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Approximately 97.7% of 2010 Bergenfield High School graduates planned to go on to two-year or four-year colleges. The school's CEEB code is 310090.
The school is producing its own television station called Bears On Air that is available to all Cablevision customers. This channel will feature special events, such as college fairs and other events at BHS; InTune, a special program that will showcase the Bergenfield Music Department; Bears Den, a program showcasing rich athletic programs at Bergenfield; and In Reel Time, which will offer movie reviews. The channel is available for Cablevision customers on channel 77.
Marching band
Bergenfield is well known for its now over 200-member marching band resembling the British Foot Guards. Bernard Baggs took direction in 1950, and the band has since worked with other notable names, such as Dennis Delucia, Donald Angelica, Bobby Thompson, Fred Sanford, and Frank Levy. Today, the musicians work under the direction of Brian P. Timmons and the color guard under Michael DeLucia. Their football half-time performances often draw large crowds and they are known for their strict discipline and musicianship. Some of the many events and locations the band has been invited to perform at are Disney World, the New Meadowlands StadiumNew Meadowlands Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...
, Jets and Giants football games, Yankee Stadium, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
for its 20th time in 2000. NAMM Foundation (American Music Conference) has recognized Bergenfield High School as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America for multiple years, including 2011 and was a finalist for the Grammy Signature Schools for multiple years as well. The band hosts the annual USSBA Bergen County Invitational Band Festival, which has a roster of up to 16 bands per year. The Record
The Record (Bergen County)
The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
placed them on the front cover of the November 2007 issue of its Sports Magazine. They’ve appeared on film in The Bounty Hunter
The Bounty Hunter (2010 film)
The Bounty Hunter is a 2010 American action comedy film directed by Andy Tennant, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The story centers on a bounty hunter hired to retrieve his ex-wife who has skipped bail...
and Tower Heist
Tower Heist
Tower Heist is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Griffin. It was released on November 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom, with a United States release following two days later...
, as well as on television on Good Day New York
Good Day New York
Good Day New York is a weekday morning news and entertainment feature show which airs on WNYW, the New York City flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company...
when the Yankees won the World Series in 2009 and The Today Show, where host Ann Curry
Ann Curry
Ann Curry is an American television news journalist and co-anchor on NBC's morning television program Today. She is the former news anchor on Today, a role she began in March 1997, and was the host of Dateline NBC from 2005-2011.Curry is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Biography:Curry was born in...
was able to fulfill one of her long-time dreams by performing with the school's marching band. Their most memorable television performance was performing live at the 41st Tony Awards
41st Tony Awards
The 41st Annual Tony Awards was held on June 7, 1987 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and broadcast by CBS television. Angela Lansbury was the host for the third time...
held in June 1987 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre
Mark Hellinger Theatre
The Mark Hellinger Theatre is a generally used name of a former legitimate Broadway theater, located at 237 West 51st Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Since 1991, it has been known as the Times Square Church...
, appearing as part of a tribute aired to honor the then recently-deceased Robert Preston
Robert Preston (actor)
-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
, best known for his starring role in The Music Man
The Music Man (1962 film)
The Music Man is a 1962 musical film starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Willson...
.
Athletics
The Bergenfield High School Bears 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:...
. Previously, it was one of the 12 schools participating in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League
North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League
The North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League, abbreviated NBIL or NBIAL, was an athletic conference of twelve high schools located in the northern part of Bergen County, New Jersey...
(NBIL/NBIAL). Tom Curry is Bergenfield's Athletic Director. The football team was once very successful, and at one time was ranked number 1 in New Jersey. Its wrestling program has been successful over the last 40 years and former coach Sal Cascio is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the campus of Oklahoma State University. The museum opened on September 11, 1976...
in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
.
Most sports have Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman teams, but some only have the top one or two tiers.
Note: Sports marked with an asterisk (*) usually practice and compete with each other, but they are two separate teams and officially compete and are scored separately.
- Fall sports teams: Cross Country (Boys)*, Cross Country (Girls)*, Football, Soccer (Boys), Soccer (Girls), Tennis (Girls), Volleyball, & Cheerleading
- Winter sports teams: Basketball (Boys), Basketball (Girls), Bowling (Boys)*, Bowling (Girls)*, Track (Boys)*, Track (Girls)* ,Wrestling, & Cheerleading
- Spring sports teams: Baseball, Softball, Golf (Boys)*, Golf (Girls)*, Tennis (Boys), Track (Boys)* and Track (Girls)*
The football team won the North I Group IV state championship in 1974 and 1976, and won state titles in North I Group III in 1982, 1986 and 1987.
Curriculum
Bergenfield High School offers a wide range of courses in the areas of art, business and marketing, English, health and physical education, industrial and technological education, mathematics, music, science, social studies, and world language. Class levels range from modified to Advanced Placement. Full- and half-year electives are also offered, and health classes are offered as a quarter-year elective within all gym classes.Advanced Placement (AP) courses include AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
, AP Art History
AP Art History
AP Art History is a course offered in high school through the Advanced Placement Program that gives college level material at the high school level. This class is operated by College Board...
, AP English Language and Composition
AP English Language and Composition
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
, AP English Literature and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The Course:This course is designated for motivated students with a command of standard English, an...
, AP Calculus
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, AP Computer Science
AP Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
, AP Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, AP Physics
AP Physics
AP Physics defines three categories of high school physics courses: A, B, and C. Category A refers to general introductory physics courses that are not mathematically rigorous...
, AP United States History
AP United States History
Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
, AP United States Government and Politics
AP United States Government and Politics
Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, also known as AP US Gov & Pol, AP US Gov, AP Go Po or AP Gov, is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program...
, AP Music Theory
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
, AP Psychology
AP Psychology
The Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
and AP Spanish Language
AP Spanish Language
Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
.
Bergenfield High School offers medical-field based classes where the students have an opportunity to receive college credits from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
(UMDNJ). Classes include Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology, Dynamics of Healthcare, Emergency and Clinical Care.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Principal - Jim Fasano
- Assistant Principal - Rob Ragasa
Bergenfield High School has 110 faculty members including those listed above, four guidance counselors, two nurses, and two library / media center faculty.
Notable alumni
- Harry Basil, stand-up comic, actor in Peggy Sue Got MarriedPeggy Sue Got MarriedPeggy Sue Got Married is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high school...
and director. - Thom FitzgeraldThom FitzgeraldThomas "Thom" Fitzgerald is an award winning American-Canadian film director as well live theater director.-Life:Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He moved with his mother and brother, Timothy Jr., to Bergenfield, New Jersey,...
(born 1968), filmmaker The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call...
, 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic...
. - Al Di MeolaAl Di MeolaAl Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
(born 1954), jazz fusionJazz fusionJazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
guitarist. - Bob GaudioBob GaudioRobert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
(born 1942), singer, songwriter and producer, of the group The Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons (group)The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
. - Bernard GoldbergBernard GoldbergBernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
(born 1945), television news reporter and author of BiasBias (book)Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg, a 28-year veteran CBS news reporter and producer, giving detailed examples of what he calls liberal bias in television news reporting...
, a New York Times number one bestseller about how the media distort the news. - Vincent ScuroVincent ScuroVincent Scuro is an American author, columnist, screenwriter, musician, composer, and artist.Scuro was born to an Italian-American family in Jersey City, New Jersey. He grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey and graduated from Bergenfield High School, where he played trumpet in the band and orchestra;...
(born 1951), author and columnist. - Floyd James ThompsonFloyd James ThompsonFloyd James "Jim" Thompson was the longest held prisoner of war in United States history, spending nearly nine years in captivity in Vietnam.-Early life:...
(born 1933), America's longest held Prisoner of WarPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. - Ron VilloneRon VilloneRonald Thomas Villone Jr. is a Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently with the Somerset Patriots. He has not been on the same team for more than two years in his major league career and due to his many baseball travels, some of his teammates have affectionately referred...
(born 1970), pitcher who has played for the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. - Jacklyn ZemanJacklyn ZemanJacklyn Zeman is an American actress. She is known for her role as Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on General Hospital. She is sometimes credited as Jackie Zeman.-Personal life:...
(born 1963), actress who has played Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
since 1977.
External links
- Bergenfield High School
- Bergenfield Public Schools
- Data for the Bergenfield 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...
- Bergenfield High School Profile