Cranford High School
Encyclopedia
Cranford High School is a four-year 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....

 located in Cranford
Cranford, New Jersey
Cranford is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,625.Cranford was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden,...

, 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 Cranford Township Public Schools
Cranford Township Public Schools
The Cranford Township Public Schools is a comprehensive public school system serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Cranford Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States...

. The school 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...

 Commission on Secondary Schools since 1929.

History

Founded in 1902, the present building was built in 1937, and classes began in January 1938. For several decades, the school was actually a six-year school, housing students from seventh grade
Seventh grade
Seventh grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The seventh grade is the seventh school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 12–13 years old. Traditionally, seventh grade was the next-to-last year of elementary school...

 to twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

. In the 1970s, while the school was undergoing renovations, it was a two-year school for students in eleventh grade
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...

 and twelfth grade. In 1973, the school completed the additions, and it returned to its status as a four-year school in 1979.

Academics

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,165 students and 98 classroom teachers (on a 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 11.89.

The student population consists primarily of students who attended junior high school at either Orange Avenue School or Hillside Avenue School within the Cranford Township Public Schools or went to Saint Michael's School
Saint Michael's School (Cranford, New Jersey)
Saint Michael's School, also referred to as SMS or St. Mike's, is a Catholic parochial school whose motto, "Fides et Ratio" describes the school's goal of having their students become independent thinkers and grow into responsible young adults grounded in Catholic values.St...

. The school is home to championship sports teams, a competitive academic program, and a large amount of clubs.

CHS offers 20 Advanced Placement classes in addition to many honors and college-preparatory classes. The faculty contributes to the scholastic environment with over 40% of the staff with post-baccalaureate degrees. Recently, the school developed "The High School University of Cranford," a program that provides additional opportunities for those who wish to extend their education without having to place in the top portion of the class based on class rank formulated from GPA calculation.

Awards and recognition

The school was the 13th-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, making it the 2nd highest high school in Union County. The school was ranked 29th in the magazine's September 2008 issue and 39th in the magazine's September 2006 issue.

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 12th in New Jersey and 513th nationwide. In Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

's
June 13, 2010 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Cranford High School was listed in 551st place, the 11th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.

For the 2002-03 school year, Cranford High School was designated as a "Star School" 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 highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve, and the school has been selected for the Best Practice Award.

In 2004, Cranford High School was recognized as a National School of Character Winner by the Character Education Partnership
Character Education Partnership
The ' is an advocacy group for character education based in Washington, D.C. It is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, coalition of organizations and individuals committed to fostering effective character education in our nation's K-12 schools." CEP's mission is "Leading the nation in helping...

, one of ten schools selected nationwide for its efforts in instilling character education
Character education
Character education is an umbrella term loosely used to describe the teaching of children in a manner that will help them develop variously as moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical, successful, traditional, compliant and/ or socially acceptable beings...

 in its curriculum and students.

Clubs

Cranford High School is has over 70 extracurricular groups. The CHS Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....

 team, the second largest organization in the school, returns each year with numerous awards with many conference officers as well as one Secretary General in 1996-1997. The Youth In Government Team has also been accustomed to high achievement with a smaller contingent of members. Members of the Youth in Government Club have been successful in passing mock legislation in this annual statewide conference and in having students serve in the Cabinet. Both clubs have produced an abundant amount of Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...

 students at the collegiate level.

Cranford's DECA
DECA (organization)
DECA, also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service . DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing,...

 delegation also comes home from their conference(s) with numerous awards as well. Twelve students advanced during the regional competition to participate in the state competition, and two subsequently advanced to the national competition.

The Math League, the school's largest student club with over 300 members, holds six competitions throughout the year. CHS students have regularly placed well in New Jersey Math League competitions. The CHS Mock Trial team has been active for many years and ranks as one of the best mock trial teams in Union County, New Jersey
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...

. The mock trial team has won over a dozen county championship. Their newest victory was the Union County Mock Trial Finals in 2011. The CHS Forensics Team has been ranked as a top team in New Jersey and has competed in the New Jersey Catholic Forensics League and has sent several students to national competitions.

The CHS Student Government is an active presence in the school, staging a series of events during the course of the year, including food drives, spirit weeks, and community service fundraisers. The student government president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 and other members serve on a variety of school committees. The four class governments stage fundraisers and events throughout the year. The senior class stages an annual Pasta Night as a big final fundraiser for the school prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...

.

The school's Drug Free Youth Club advocates for a drug free school environment. In past years, the DFY Club has staged a series of Dialogue Nights which bring together students, faculty, parents and community leaders to discuss high school issues and to prevent underage drinking in the community.

The CHS Peer Development Program was started in the 1980s in order to assist freshmen with the transition to high school. The program consists of juniors and seniors serving as peer leaders. The juniors and seniors take a class in peer leadership and high school issues and then they lead a weekly class all freshmen take. Two peer leaders lead each peer class, which is held once a week in place of gym for freshmen. In the classes, students explore the transition to being a teenager, peer pressure, sex, and alcohol. The class is meant to be a supportive environment for students to discuss these issues with peer leaders who are only slightly older than themselves.

The Spotlight is the student newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 of CHS. The Spotlight is published several times a year and students are both volunteers and in journalism classes. The Spotlight has received regular awards from statewide and national student press organizations.

Athletics

Cranford High School now competes in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
The Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference is a New Jersey high school sports association operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association...

, 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:...

. From the conference's inception until the 2005-06 school year, Cranford was a member of the Watchung Conference
Watchung Conference
The Watchung Conference was a high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference consisted of eleven public high schools covering Essex County, Hudson County and Union County in northern New Jersey. In 2009, the...

. Due to the change in size of the student body and location, Cranford decided to leave the Watchung Conference for the Mountain Valley Conference
Mountain Valley Conference
The Mountain Valley Conference was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference consisted of sixteen public and parochial high schools covering Union County and Essex County in northern New Jersey...

. The change was approved in 2006 and Cranford began competition in most sports in the 2006-07 school year, remaining there until the 2010 realignment.

The track team is one of the won county and conference championships in its two seasons of running. The cross-country team has won Union County and Watchung Conference championships for the past eight years. The cross country and track teams have been known as some of the best teams in the school over the years, with many individual and team championships over the years. Recently, the girls track team has won state sectionals and has had two group champions in 2009.

Cranford High School baseball won the state championship in 1971, 1997 and 2010 the Union County Championship in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2010. The baseball team won the 2003 North II, Group III sectional championship, edging Millburn High School
Millburn High School
Millburn High School is a four-year public high school in Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Millburn Township Public Schools. The school enrolls students from the town of Millburn, including its neighborhood of Short Hills...

 in the tournament final. The 2007 team won the North II, Group III state sectional championship, edging West Morris Central High School
West Morris Central High School
West Morris Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Washington Township, New Jersey, United States, where the school is located, operating as part of the West Morris Regional High School District. The school has a Chester...

, by a score of 5-4. The 2010 baseball team was the first team to win all five championships possible: Conference, County, Section, North NJ, and State, including a 15-3 win over Ocean City High School
Ocean City High School
Ocean City High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Ocean City School District...

 for the program's third win in a Group III final, as part of a season in which the team finished with a record of 26-5.

Softball also won the best in the state. Field hockey, ice hockey, golf and tennis are also some of the best teams in the school. The ice hockey team won a series of conference and division championships in the 1990s.

Cranford High School football the past three years has become extremely successful throughout the state playoffs. Coach Erik Rosenmeier has been the football coach since 2004. Cranford recently erected lights at the local football field. Cranford football in 1957 won the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state championship, and was ranked eighth in the state behind seven Group 4 schools. The Blue-and-Gold eleven shared the sectional title with the former Clifford Scott HS of East Orange in 1952.

The girls volleyball team in 2006 shared the Mountain Valley Conference title with Union Catholic High School and made it to the semi-finals of the Union County Tournament. The 2007 team had a record of 25-3, the girls won the conference title, and defeated Westfield High School
Westfield High School (New Jersey)
Westfield Senior High School, or simply, Westfield High School is the only public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Westfield Public Schools. It was established in the early 1900s at its original location on Elm Street until 1951 when it was...

 for the first time ever in the Union County Tournament finals. They made their best state tournament appearance, losing to Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest
Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest
Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest is a comprehensive four-year regional public high school serving students from several municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey. The high school serves students from the suburban communities of Closter, Demarest and Haworth...

 in three games. In the 2008 season, the team was equally successful and after losing the county to Union Catholic at Union Catholic in a three games and also losing the Mountain Valley Conference to Union Catholic, the team came back to be seeded 1st in the Group II state Championships and went on to capture the Group II state title over Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in the tournament final and advancing to the Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (NJSIAA)
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions is the sports tournament for New Jersey high schools that determines which high school will be crowned as the #1 overall team in the state for each sport...

 with a record of 24-4, becoming the first public school from Union County to capture a volleyball state title.

Cranford maintains a spirited rivalry with Westfield High School
Westfield High School (New Jersey)
Westfield Senior High School, or simply, Westfield High School is the only public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Westfield Public Schools. It was established in the early 1900s at its original location on Elm Street until 1951 when it was...

 in sports where the two compete.

Music

The Cougar Marching Band in October 2005 received new band uniforms after 30 years. The marching band performs at all of the varsity football team's games. In the fall of 2006, the Cougar Marching Band placed first at the Bloomfield Band Festival and second at a USSBA show in Plainfield. In 2008, the band attended the USSBA NJ State Band Championships for the first time. For the 2009 school year they performed "The Music of the Night" as their field show, taking first in a competition. During their 2010 Cirque De Soleil field show the band earned top honors throughout the state: 1st place and best music, visual, and overall effect at a NJ competition, 2nd place and best music at another NJ Competition, and at the state championships took 3rd best band in the state and best music of the entire state.

The music department hosts the renowned Madrigal Choir as well as the Concert Choir. Also included in the music department are the men's and women's choir and an orchestra. All music classes are given as classes and several concerts are held during the year. The winter and spring concerts are held with all choirs performing, along with the band and orchestra. A jazz band consists of several marching band performers. The Madrigals and Jazz Band perform in a variety of community settings during the course of the year.

The Concert Choir and Band travel to annual competitions around the country. The two groups, along with the Madrigals and Jazz Band, have won many national awards for their work. The choir and band trips are well known activities and fundraising for them is an annual event.

The school productions occur twice a year. The spring musical has become renowned in the past several years. The school's production of Jekyll and Hyde in 2005 won, among other categories, "Best Overall Production of a Musical" at the state-wide Rising Star Award Ceremony at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...

. The 2006 production of The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....

also won several awards. The school also received several Rising Star Award
Rising Star Award
Rising Star Award may refer to:*AFL Rising Star award*Rising Star Award, BAFTA...

 nominations in 2007 in Titanic
Titanic (musical)
Titanic is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone that opened on Broadway in 1997. It won five Tony Awards including the award for Best Musical...

. The annual fall production is often a comedy with the spring being a musical production.

In the movies

Appearances include:
  • Ed on NBC
    NBC
    The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

  • The Adventures of Pete & Pete
    The Adventures of Pete & Pete
    The Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various...

    on Nickelodeon
    Nickelodeon (TV channel)
    Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

  • Far from Heaven
    Far from Heaven
    Far from Heaven is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson....

  • Guess Who
    Guess Who (film)
    Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy...

  • Garden State
    Garden State (film)
    Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...

  • September 12th
    September 12th (film)
    September 12th is an independent film, written and directed by John Touhey. Set on the third anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks, the film centers on the long-term effects the event had on many Americans....

  • Personal Sergeant

Notable alumni

  • Carol Blazejowski
    Carol Blazejowski
    Carol Ann Blazejowski , nicknamed "The Blaze", is a retired women's professional basketball player and the former President and General Manager of the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association .-Family:Blazejowski is the daughter of Leon and Grace Blazejowski...

     (born 1956), General Manager, New York Liberty
    New York Liberty
    The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

    ; Member, Basketball Hall of Fame
    Basketball Hall of Fame
    The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...

    .

Notable faculty

  • Hubie Brown
    Hubie Brown
    Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...

     (born 1933), NBA basketball coach and analyst.
  • Rollie Massimino
    Rollie Massimino
    Roland V. "Rollie" Massimino is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the Florida campus of Northwood University in West Palm Beach, a position he has held since 2006...

     (born 1934), men's college basketball coach, most notably with the Villanova Wildcats
    Villanova Wildcats
    The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...

    .

External links

  • Data for Cranford High School, National Center for Education Statistics
    National Center for Education Statistics
    The 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...

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