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Columbia High School (New Jersey)
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Columbia High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school located at 17 Parker Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, that serves students in grades nine through twelve within the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which includes Maplewood and South Orange. Columbia is often referred to by residents of South Orange and Maplewood as CHS.
As of the 2006-07 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,929 students and 148 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 13.0.
e the days of the Revolution, a one-room stone schoolhouse had stood on a grassy area known as the Common, located close to the present intersection of South Orange Avenue and Academy Street in South Orange, NJ.
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Encyclopedia
Columbia High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school located at 17 Parker Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, that serves students in grades nine through twelve within the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which includes Maplewood and South Orange. Columbia is often referred to by residents of South Orange and Maplewood as CHS.
As of the 2006-07 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,929 students and 148 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 13.0.
School history
Since the days of the Revolution, a one-room stone schoolhouse had stood on a grassy area known as the Common, located close to the present intersection of South Orange Avenue and Academy Street in South Orange, NJ. ln 1814, this building blocked the construction of a new toll highway from Newark to Morristown. The 73 "Proprietors and Associates" of the school met on August 3 of that year and resolved to erect a new school building near the site of the old one, naming seven Trustees to thereafter oversee the education of local children. The resolution reflected "the desire of the meeting that the said school should in the future have the name of Columbian School of South Orange.
The new schoolhouse was a two-story wood structure, topped by a thin steeple and a lofty weather vane. It was completed before the fall term of 1815. The Trustees decided "That the price of tuition in this school be fixed at $1.75 per quarter for spelling, reading and writing; for Arithmetic in addition to the above branches the sum of $0.25 cts and for Grammar or Geography the further sum of twenty-five cents." The cost of firewood was to be "divided equally among the schollars." On May 10, 1816, the Trustees adopted a seal for the school in the form of "a spread eagle standing on a globe with the word Excelsior underneath in Roman Capitals.
In the early years, students at the Columbia School were not separated according to grade. All were subject to the same rules, among them the following adopted by the Trustees on May 2, 1827:
"Every scholar must be made to name every silent letter in his spelling when he spells a word with one in and mention every figure which is placed over a letter and be taught to know their uses and for every mistake or omission in such letter or figure shall be considered the same as spelling a word wrong and subject to the same usage.
"Every scholar that spells a word wrong or omits a silent letter or figure shall step in the rear of the class and there stand until the class shall have spelled through, then those that have spelled right are to move up in a solid body and those who are in the rear to move down and take their places at the foot."
For decades, the school was supported by tuition payments. But gradually the State began to assume a share of the financial responsibility. In 1820, a law authorized townships to levy a tax to pay the tuition of poor students. By 1828, townships had the power to tax for general school purposes. The State itself began to contribute money in 1830, and in 1846 every township was required to raise as much money each year for schools as the State itself contributed. The last tuition assessment for residents occurred in 1861, and thereafter the Columbia School was entirely supported by public taxation.
After the Civil War, improvements on the railroad contributed to a decided growth of population in the old Township of South Orange. The general character of the citizenry underwent a significant change and residents known as "commuters" began to emerge in numbers. In 1867, a state law required that Columbia become a graded school. By 1877, the old two-story wooden building erected in 1815 was found to be woefully inadequate for the growing community. One resident complained (perhaps hyperbolically) that "in very cold weather, with stoves at red heat, it is impossible to raise the temperature in the room above 55 degrees, and in such a place are sown the seeds of suffering, disease and death."
The Trustees responded in 1879 by resolving to erect a new brick building, of two stories, to accommodate between 220 and 240 pupils. The new structure was opened in 1880. The final cost of construction was $17,094.49. The building later became the northeast wing of the old South Orange Junior High School, demolished when the present middle school was built.
The separate existence of the high school began in 1885, when the Trustees decided "that in order to increase the efficiency of the Columbia School a new class of a higher grade shall be formed at the commencement of the coming term to be taught by the Principal." Lower grades continued to be housed at Columbia. The Trustees' minutes of May 31, 1888, reflect the principal's request "that a diploma be voted to Miss Etta A. Kilburn" and that, "on motion, a diploma was voted to Miss Kilburn, the first graduate of the high school.
In 1894, the South Orange, Maplewood, and Hilton school districts were consolidated and became the South Orange and Maplewood School District, with borders essentially identical to those which presently exist. The District remained unified even after Maplewood and South Orange became separately incorporated, although there was considerable pressure to split as early as 1904
The close of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th brought significant changes in high school curriculum and school management. The Board of Education had by now replaced the old Board of Trustees. In 1890, "manual training" was offered in school. By 1891, sciences had been added to the course of study. A tradition of excellence was beginning to evolve, and in 1892 two Columbia graduates were admitted to Cornell University. Musical enrichment was added in 1894 with the hiring of a singing teacher from New York City. Early in the 1900s the value of athletics was recognized and encouraged at Columbia by the organization of boys' and girls' teams. The student council was formed in 1912, and The Columbian student newspaper followed in 1915.
There was a reaction to these changes. Complaints arose over so-called "fads and frills"-inessentials said to be leading to the neglect of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. New York papers read by local commuters campaigned for a return to the efficiency of the "little old red schoolhouse." But the changes were here to stay.
At the same time, pupil behavior was becoming less inhibited, much to the distress of the adult population. Henry W. Foster, Superintendent of the District from 1900-1927, described the conditions in 1913:
"Long before prohibition was adopted, venturesome boys were surreptitiously now and then bringing liquor to dances to add to the excitement. There was a decided reversion to animalistic excitement. Musical rhythm from the wilds of barbarism stirred the pulse. The dance abandoned the restraint and refinement of waltz and polka; Bunny Hug, Turkey Trot, Fox Trot, and Shimmey began to reign."
The Board of Education reacted by banning all but "polite dances" on school premises. However, the proscribed behavior persisted, and the Board then stopped all school dances. That continued until it became apparent that students were going to outside dances anyway and the efforts at control were abandoned.
World War I profoundly affected life at Columbia. Pupils in assembly regularly delivered patriotic "four minute speeches." Every room in the school had a full complement of war posters. Quite a number of boys signed up for the Army and the Navy. All male teachers enlisted.
Epidemics raged during the same period of time. Polio spread around the country in 1916 and, at Columbia, resulted in the deaths of one teacher and several children. In 1918, the global influenza epidemic closed all of the schools in the District for three weeks and one teacher died.
In the early part of the 20th century most of the remaining farms in Maplewood and South Orange were sold and subdivided, leading to the present suburban character of the towns. The increase in population placed enormous pressure on the schools. In 1900, the total District school population was 792; by 1927, it had risen to 4,960, an increase of 526%.
The Board of Education initially responded by constructing a sizable addition to the old Columbia School in 1910, which building still housed primary school children as well as high school students. Seth Boyden School and the old Fielding School were erected in 1913 and 1914, respectively. By the fall of 1922 Marshall School was completed. First Street School followed the next spring, and Jefferson School opened in January 1924. Later that year the junior high schools were organized, and both the Tuscan and Montrose buildings were finished.
More was needed. The old Columbia School could no longer safely accommodate the student population. A magnificent new structure was planned. The design process was unique in that the faculty and all members of the staff participated by submitting sketches, drawn to scale, of the facilities necessary to satisfy their needs. In 1926 construction began on the present Columbia High School building. Work was completed in September 1927, in time for the fall term. So well designed was this building that two years later its floor plan was described and pictured in the Encyclopedia Britannica in an article describing ideal American schools.
During this period of time Columbia gained increasing fame for its academic excellence. Educators generally considered it to be one of the most outstanding high schools in the United States. Much of that reputation was due to Mr. Henry W. Foster, Superintendent from 1900 to 1927, and Mr. John H. Bosshart, Principal from 1920 to 1927. Mr. Bosshart succeeded Mr. Foster as Superintendent, and later served as the first head of the New Jersey Department of Education.
American public schools were all significantly impacted by World War II. In the words of Lt. General Brehon Sommervell, then Commanding General, Services of Supply: "The job of the schools in this total war is to educate the nation's manpower for war and for the peace that follows." Columbia High School met the challenge, primarily with curriculum changes designed to prepare boys for service in the military. The science department developed courses in aeronautics. In biology, students studied the effect of flying on the human body. A new modern history course emphasized the "historical background for an understanding of the forces which have caused this global war, of the necessity of destroying that for which our enemies stand and of the magnitude of the international problems which face the world." Even the music department offered a new program "to train pupils in the informal singing that grows out of wartime needs." Columbia had its own Victory Corps with the objective of encouraging pupils "to take some active part in their own community's war effort while they are yet in school.
For many years following its opening in 1927, the high school physical plant was more than sufficient for the needs of its population. Although four classrooms and a shop were added to the structure in 1939, it was not until 1958 that a large addition (now C Wing) was constructed to accommodate a burgeoning student body. By 1964, the dimensions of a new population explosion were perceived, and a special Board of Education committee was formed to investigate the needs of Columbia High School in the 1970s. As a result of this study, it was calculated that further additions would be required. During the 1970-71 school year, B and D Wings were added at a total cost of $5,250,000.
The total high school population was now approaching 2,400. The same committee which concluded that physical additions were needed also recommended a new organizational plan to prevent students from feeling depersonalized in such a large system. What grew out of this was the House Plan, which, in 1970, divided Columbia into four sub-schools of approximately 600 students each. The goal was to provide the intimacy of a small school within a large plant, and each of the houses had, for example, its own student council, intramural athletic teams, and newspapers. All of these were in addition to the traditional school-wide activities.
Student reaction to the Vietnam War was a nationwide phenomenon, and Columbia provided no exception to the pattern. A Student Peace Group was organized at Columbia in 1968, and over 300 students actively participated. Members wore black armbands on April 26 of that year, and a community rally was held the next day with faculty members present. On March 17, 1969, 43 Columbia students were suspended for distributing leaflets in school. The American Civil Liberties Union agreed to defend the students, but the issue later became moot when, over a period of time, the students were reinstated.
The Vietnam era generally coincided with a time of protest against all things establishment. One manifestation of this was the ascendancy of Ultimate (also known as Ultimate Frisbee), which became popular around the country as an alternative to varsity sports. The game was conceived of by Columbia students in the late 1960s. It is said that the first organized game took place in 1968 in the lower Parker Avenue parking lot, between the staff of The Columbian and the Student Council. An annual CHS Ultimate Alumni game is played in the student parking lot on the night of Thanksgiving. The event has drawn former CHS Ultimate players from as far back as the early 1970s to return to "The Lot" to play against the current incarnation of the team. The original game was played between the school's newspaper staff (The Columbian) and the school's yearbook staff (The Mirror).
By the late 1970s, student populations around the nation had entered what proved to be a period of extended numerical decline. The Board of Education organized a citizen Educational Task Force, which conducted a District-wide demographic study and ultimately recommended a series of school closings and consolidations. One of the results was the entry of the 9th grade into the high school in 1980. Declining enrollment, as well as cost considerations, led to the discontinuance of the House Plan in 1982.
Columbia High School was the first school in the nation to observe Earth Day on April 17, 1970. Due to the fact that Columbia was on spring break on April 22, when Earth Day was scheduled for national observance, the presentation was known as Earth Day Minus Five and a specially prepared flag was run up the main flagpole by students Tim Lee and Larry Schindel. The all day observance, which was coordinated by biology teacher, Jeffrey Himmelstein began with Congressman Joseph Minish as the keynote speaker and several noted scientists from the area conducted seminars all day long. Featured was an assembly with films and slide shows that were created by several students and environmentally themed folk songs were sung by Dorothy Giordano.
Awards and recognition
For the 1992-93 school year, Columbia High School received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Columbia High School was listed in 1192nd place, the 39th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.
The school was the 89th-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 also ranked 79th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
The Columbia High School Student Council was named an "NJASC Honor School" for the 3rd consecutive year in January 2008. It also won a "Top 10 Projects" award for their event, 'School in Action Night'. They won they same honor the year before for their 'How to Start a Gay-Straight Alliance' presentation.
Campus
Columbia High School was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style by James O. Betelle of the Newark, New Jersey architectural firm of Guilbert & Betelle. Collegiate Gothic, or Academic Gothic, construction was prevalent in the Northeast in the 1920s, and was Betelle's preferred school building style for both its scholastically historic roots and practical considerations. Guilbert & Betelle was also responsible for many schools, public buildings and banks throughout the Northeast.
CHS is a large structure which has undergone three major additions and 80+ years of operation. The original Guilbert & Betelle building is now referred to as "A-Wing" and serves as the core of the school. This section, subject of acclaim in its day by the Encyclopædia Britannica (14th ed.), "American School and University" and "American School Board Journal" (Jan. 1928), was designed in classic Collegiate Gothic style. The exterior is mostly brick with limestone trim, although the basement levels are natural stone. The roof is blue slate with copper trim, flashing, and gutters. The deeply arched limestone entrance details "The Eight Disciplines" as well as a pair of stern looking old men staring down. In other parts of the building, there are limestone squirrels and other ornamentation. The original exterior lighting is all in copper.
The predominant feature of A-wing is the seven-story clock tower. At the very top a copper pyramidal structure barely visible as the seventh floor. The entire pyramid structure rotates, and one side opens, serving as an observatory. The observatory is equipped with a large refracting telescope made by John Brashear. Below is a vacant space which once served as a teacher's lounge. Below the lounge are the E. Howard & Co. Style #3 clock works. Howard factory records show the clock was always electrically wound, but there is a disconnected weight mechanism in place. Along side the clock is an enormous bronze bell by the Meneely Bell Foundry. A second former teachers lounge is on the fourth floor.
Although three quarters of the original exterior are hidden by additions, more of the original interior remains intact. This includes rooms with fireplaces, hallways with beautiful terra cotta wall tiles by Carl Herman Mueller of Trenton, and mosaic inlaid terrazzo floors in the front hall. The front foyer was recently renovated, removing non-period lighting and mid-century acoustic tile. The restoration included doors that more closely replicated the 1926 originals, and a new terrazzo floor replacing the hopelessly damaged slate floor, (which while not original, match the flooring in other parts of the building) and dramatic lighting of the zodiac-inspired plaster ceiling. Recently dubious student art dating from as far back as the 1970s was painted over. Problems still remain however, for in the swimming pool alone, the chandeliers are gone, a giant arched window is blocked by later additions, and the Guastavino tile ceiling has fallen in chunks. The auditorium includes a three-manual Ernest M. Skinner Organ. Although it is little used and not completely functional, it is one of the few unmodified Skinners in existence. On either side of the stage the large plaster grills that hide the organ pipes were water damaged. The original auditorium chandeliers have been removed.
CHS has had a major addition every 20 to 30 years. In the 1930s, an industrial arts wing brought students the skills needed during the Great Depression. In the 1950s, a large addition, now known as "C-Wing", added classrooms to cope with increasing student numbers as well as a massive gymnasium (bringing the total number of gyms to three). In the early 70's a projected enrollment boom and the need for new science, fine arts, and industrial arts space created the need for "B" and "D" wings. A new cafeteria, the largest public school library at the time, space for academic advising, a small movie theater and A/V room and a TV studio were built. Subsequent renovations removed the small theater after its primary use degenerated into a detention hall.
More recently, some of the industrial skills space was converted into a black box theater. The previously described foyer restoration was augmented with a spruce up of the C-wing entrance.
Sports
The Columbia High School Cougars compete in the Iron Hills Conference. Columbia participates in the Group IV division of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Many of the teams are successful on the local, state, and national level.
The Columbia high school Ultimate frisbee team has won the state championship 11 times in the tournament's 13 year history. The team has won the championship every year since 2001 giving it an 8 year winning streak. The team has attended the Paideia cup tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, a nationally competitive tournament, every year since its inception in 2006. This year the men's team has gained recognition in town hall meetings and Board of Education meetings after winning the 2008 High school Eastern championship on May 11, 2008.
The school's fencing team (started in 1982) is one of the largest in the nation, having over 100 freshmen join the team in the last year alone. The boys team is consistently ranked among the top in the state, while the girls team has won the state championship 8 out of the last 10 years. The girls team record for the combined 1999-2005 seasons was 94-4. In 2006, the girls fencing team defeated Bernards High School 19-8 to win the NJSIAA 2006 Girls Team Fencing state tournament. Columbia won the 2007 Boys Team Fencing state championship with a 16-11 win over Voorhees High School. The team's head coach, Dr. Paulina, won his milestone 300th victory during the 06-07 season.
The girl's track and field team won the New Jersey girl's indoor track relays in the winter of 2005.
The boy's soccer team is coached by Gene Chyzowych, one of the most successful active scholastic soccer coaches in the nation. The 2007 boys soccer team won the North II, Group IV state sectional championship with a 1-0 win over Westfield High School in the tournament final.
The school's cross-country team has had success. In 2000, both champion male and female runners of New Jersey were Columbia High School students.
Columbia's Varsity football team has been notably unsuccessful in recent years, having won only two games in the last 5 seasons, including three consecutive winless seasons from 2005-2007, but broke their 45-game losing streak with a 48-0 victory over Dickinson High School in the last game of the 2008 season.
Controversy
In 2004, Columbia High School made national headlines when the administration amended a policy regarding religiously themed holiday songs putting more strict guidelines in place. Many people believed the new rules to be too strict. Radio personality Don Imus produced a song on his radio program entitled "Oh, Little Town of Maplewood", mocking the new rules of Columbia High School. The new guidelines were also mentioned on The O'Reilly Factor.
CHS has been no stranger to religious controversy. In the mid 1970s the school district was sued for teaching Transcendental Meditation for course credit. Later, The U.S. District Court ruled in Malnak v. Yogi (1979) that under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, TM was too religious to be taught in public schools (Malnak v. Yogi, D.C. Civil Action No. 76-0341.)
Columbia High School is an extremely diverse school ethnically, with just over half the students being of African-American heritage and just under half being Caucasian. There has been much discussion regarding the Racial Academic Achievement Gap in the school district. During the 2004-2005 school year, the student run Martin Luther King Association organization demanded more access to higher level academics for minorities in the district. Most recently, on March 29, 2006 there was a student walk-out and protest regarding issues such as the outsourcing of security positions, a proposed schedule change, and alleged racial remarks made by the principal. The protest was considered a success. The superintendent announced his resignation the next day. The protest is also believed to have heavily influenced the Board of Education election a few weeks later. Two incumbent members were voted out, including the chairman, in a landslide election.
Administration
- Lovie Lilly - Principal
- Michael Healy - Assistant Principal
- Janice McGowan - Assistant Principal
- Craig Rynar - Dean of Students Grade 10 & 11
- Brenda Brown - Dean of Students 12
- Hope Taylor - Dean of Students Grade 9
Notable alumni
The school has a hall of fame listing many notable alumni. They include:
- Alfred Kinsey (1912) - Biologist; created the field of study of sexology. Subject of the 2004 film Kinsey.
- Drew Middleton (1931) - Reporter; covered wars from World War II through the Falklands War for The New York Times.
- Teresa Wright (1938) - Academy Award-winning actress. Her notable films include Mrs. Miniver, Shadow of a Doubt, and The Pride of the Yankees
- Judith Viorst (1943) - Poetess
- Peter S. Connor (1950) - Soldier; posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
- Paul R. Ehrlich (c.1950) - world-renowned entomologist; professor of population studies; author of The Population Bomb and The End of Affluence
- Peter Eisenman (born 1950), Architect; widely known as one of the earliest practitioners of deconstructivism in American architecture.
- Roy Scheider (1950) - Actor; most widely known for his leading roles in Jaws and The French Connection (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award).
- C. K. Williams (1954) - Poet; Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning poet.
- Amalya Lyle Kearse (1955) - Judge; first female African-American partner in a Wall Street law firm, first female United States Court of Appeals judge
- Linda Gottlieb (1956) - Producer of Dirty Dancing among other works.
- Alberto I. Ibarguen (1962) - Publisher; first Hispanic publisher of The Miami Herald, Pulitzer Prize winner for coverage of the Elián González story
- John Payne (1963) - former Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson
- Myrth York (1964) - Politician
- Paul Auster (1965) - PEN Literary Award winning author.
- Robert Sternberg (1968) - Psychologist; leading researcher in human intelligence and primary figure behind the triarchic theory of intelligence
- Max Weinberg (1969) - Musician; drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and band leader of The Max Weinberg 7 (band of Late Night With Conan O'Brien)
- Leigh Howard Stevens (c. 1971) - marimba artist.
- Jane Musky (1972) - Production designer of over twenty-five films including Glengarry Glen Ross and When Harry Met Sally...
- Robert Bianchi (1979) - Lacrosse athlete of the century, US Navy pilot killed in the line of duty aged 26
- Joetta Clark (1980) - Athlete; four time Olympic athlete. Often known as the "Queen of American Middle-Distance Running".
- Matthew Cooper (1980) - Reporter for TIME magazine recently promoted to Political Editor for Time.com.
- Elisabeth Shue (1981) - Actress; Academy Award-nominated actress of Leaving Las Vegas, Gracie (film), The Karate Kid, and The Saint.
- Mark Bryant (1984) - Athlete; former NBA basketball player.
- Andrew Shue (1985) - Actor; best known for his leading role on the television series Melrose Place. He also appeared in the 2007 film, Gracie and served as producer for it
- David Javerbaum (1989) - Writer and producer; head writer for The Daily Show, writer for The Onion, David Letterman and his own theatrical productions, first runner-up in 1988 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament
- Lauryn Hill (1993) - Singer; eight-time Grammy Award-winning artist as well as a member of The Fugees.
Other notable alumni not currently in the hall of fame include:
- Frank Langella - Actor
- Cortlandt V.R. Schuyler (1918) - United States Army four star general
- Ralph Sazio, (1941) - former football player, assistant coach, head coach general manager and team president of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1998 as a builder.
- Richard Meier (1952) - Architect; most famous for the billion dollar Getty Center.
- Robert Eisenman (1955) - Academic/Writer/Archaeologist/Poet; led the international struggle to free the Dead Sea Scrolls, skipped Senior Year to enter Cornell University Engineering Physics Program.
- Mark William Rudd (1965) - Activist; led student war protests at CHS and later at Columbia University, went on to help found The Weathermen.
- Steve Welzer (1968) - Founder of the Green Party of New Jersey.
- Buzzy Hellring (1970) - Key developer of Ultimate. Killed in an auto accident his freshman year at Princeton University
- Joel Silver (1970) - Producer of films such as Lethal Weapon 4 and The Matrix.
- Elson Seale (1971), former North American Soccer League player. In 1999, he was named by The Star-Ledger as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1970s.
- Donna Fiducia (1975) - Radio DJ and TV news reader
- Howard Thies (1980) - Theatrical Lighting Designer, two time winner of the Obie Award and Bessie Award for sustained excellence in Lighting Design
- Jonathan "Smokey" Baer (1968) - Legendary National Public Radio producer
- Anthony L. Politano (1982) - Awarded NJ Top 40 Executives Under 40 (2001), author of the book Chief Performance Officer
- Bruce Feirstein - screenwriter and journalist best known for his screenplays for the James Bond films GoldenEye, [Tomorrow Never Dies]] and The World Is Not Enough, and his best selling humor books, including Real Men Don't Eat Quiche.
- Laura Anne Gilman (1985) - noted science fiction writer and editor
- Thomas Auth (1986) - US Olympic rowing team
- Claude Coleman Jr. (1986) - Musician, drummer for Ween amongst other work.
- Robert Verdi (1986) - Television personality
- Ahmed Best - Actor; most widely known for playing Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars movie series.
- Zach Braff (1993) - Actor/Producer/Writer/Director; leading actor on the television series Scrubs and producer / director / writer / star of Garden State.
- Anthony Nunez (1998) - Columbia Ultimate Frisbee coach; Won a national championship as the Columbia High School coach in 2008 UPA Championship.
- Kiki Smith (did not graduate) - Artist; prominent sculptor, the MoMA held a major retrospective of her work in 2003-4
- Jonathan Tiersten - Actor in the Sleepaway Camp movies
- Mitchell S. Rothstein, M.D. (1974) - Physician; prominent sexologist; disciple of Dr. Michael Savage
In popular culture
- Gracie (film) (2007): Columbia and Columbia's Varsity Soccer Team were featured in Gracie, a film loosely based on the lives of alumni Elizabeth Shue and Andrew Shue; the film was directed by Elizabeth Shue's husband, Davis Guggenheim, and produced by the Shues (who also acted in it).
Historical notes
- The girl's volleyball team was undefeated in regular season play for at least five years (9 if the games in California aren't counted), from the late 1970s, believed to be a world record at the time.
- In 1979, Columbia was one of the first high schools in NJ to have its own computer lab with an IBM Series/1 computer and four card punch machines under the supervision of teacher Robert "Doc" Bunio. Note:Computer lab was in place before 1979
- The school was the first high school in the nation (and probably the world) to have its own radio station. The transmitting antenna was located atop the clock tower when the current school building opened in 1926. It ceased operation sometime in the 1950s.
- The clockworks were originally mechanical, with large weights that were wound up once a week. The channels for the weights can still be seen on the front of the tower. It was motorized by the 1960s. For several months of the 2005-2006 school year the clock was out of order and was only fixed in the very last days of the second semester.
- Ultimate Frisbee was largely established as a sport in 1968 by a group of Columbia students, including Joel Silver.
- The school was the first school in the nation to observe Earth Day on April 17, 1970.
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