Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest
Encyclopedia
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
. The school is one of two high schools that are part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District
, the other being Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,212 students and 87 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.93.
The high school is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education
and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1959.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive. The school has also won many awards in the music department area, taking gold in their last music competition in Florida, competing against teams from all around America and Canada.
The school was the 14th-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 9th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 16th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
, the school was ranked 21st in New Jersey and 755th nationwide. The school was ranked 378th in Newsweek
's 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the seventh-ranked school in New Jersey, with 2.364 AP tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 35% of all graduating seniors passing at least one AP exam; The school was ranked 1,166th nationwide in 2008. In Newsweek's 2007 rankings of the country's top 1,200 high schools, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was listed in 1045th place, the 32nd-highest ranked school in New Jersey.
, a super-conference of 40 schools in Bergen and Passaic counties established in 2009 as part of an effort to achieve greater competitive balance between schools, 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 North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League
, an athletic conference that consisted of high schools located in Bergen County.
The school offers over 23 sports, which include participation at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level (46 teams) in the Athletic League, as well as 18 co-curricular activities. Some sports include bowling, football and boys and girls basketball.
The Instrumental Department is composed of Concert Band, Wind Symphony, Marching Band, Jazz Band, String Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra, and Pit Orchestra as well as select small ensembles. The Vocal Department is composed of Freshman Chorus, Sophomore Choir, Concert Choir, Beauty and Barbershop, Bel Canto (a select women's ensemble) and Oriana Singers (a select mixed ensemble.) All vocal ensembles are directed by Leslie Mac Pherson.
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...
four-year 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....
serving students from several municipalities 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...
. The high school serves students from the suburban communities of Closter
Closter, New Jersey
Closter is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,373. After the turn of the century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into a middle and upper middle class suburban town...
, Demarest
Demarest, New Jersey
Demarest is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,881.Demarest was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1903, from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township. The borough was named...
and Haworth
Haworth, New Jersey
Haworth is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,382.Haworth was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 24, 1904, from portions of both Dumont and Harrington Townships.-Geography:Haworth is...
. The school is one of two high schools that are part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District
Northern Valley Regional High School District
The Northern Valley Regional High School District is a regional school district composed of two public high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey. The regionalized district serves a student population of approximately 2,500 in grades 9-12....
, the other being Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan 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 Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan...
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,212 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 13.93.
The high school is overseen 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...
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1959.
Awards and recognition
During the 1994-96 school years, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was awarded 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 has also won many awards in the music department area, taking gold in their last music competition in Florida, competing against teams from all around America and Canada.
The school was the 14th-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 9th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 16th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
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 21st in New Jersey and 755th nationwide. The school was ranked 378th 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 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the seventh-ranked school in New Jersey, with 2.364 AP tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 35% of all graduating seniors passing at least one AP exam; The school was ranked 1,166th nationwide in 2008. In Newsweek's 2007 rankings of the country's top 1,200 high schools, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest was listed in 1045th place, the 32nd-highest ranked school in New Jersey.
Athletics
The Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Norsemen 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...
, a super-conference of 40 schools in Bergen and Passaic counties established in 2009 as part of an effort to achieve greater competitive balance between schools, 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 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...
, an athletic conference that consisted of high schools located in Bergen County.
The school offers over 23 sports, which include participation at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level (46 teams) in the Athletic League, as well as 18 co-curricular activities. Some sports include bowling, football and boys and girls basketball.
- The 2000 girls volleyball won the state Group III championship, topping Paramus Catholic High SchoolParamus Catholic High SchoolParamus Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Paramus in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school, founded in 1965, is one of several high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark...
, 15-8 and 15-7. The 2001 team repeated, defeating Ramapo High School in the finals. The girls took the title again in 2003, over cross-district rival Northern Valley Regional High School at Old TappanNorthern Valley Regional High School at Old TappanNorthern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan 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 Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan...
. The team took the 2006 Group II title over Chatham High SchoolChatham High School (New Jersey)Chatham High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school located at 255 Lafayette Avenue in Chatham Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, operating as part of the School District of the Chathams. The school serves students in grades 9-12...
(25-17, 25-15).
- Both swim teams won their respective North I - B state titles, the girls defeating Kinnelon High SchoolKinnelon High SchoolKinnelon High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Kinnelon in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Kinnelon Public Schools....
103-67 in the finals and the boys topping Ramapo High School 104-66.
- The boys basketball team won the 2004 North I, Group III title, edging Teaneck High SchoolTeaneck High SchoolTeaneck High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, which is part of the Teaneck Public Schools district in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States...
, 53-50.
- In 2007, the field hockey team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 19-0 win over West Morris Central High SchoolWest Morris Central High SchoolWest 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...
in the tournament final.
- In 1997, the girl's field hockey team won the Northeast Field Hockey League Championship and also the Bergen County Championship beating Northern Highlands 1-0 in the tournament final.
- In 1997, the boys varsity tennis team went undefeated at 15-0 to claim the NBIL league championship under head coach Dan Moses.
- The baseball team won three Bergen County Championships in years from 1991-1995.
Music department
The Music Department faculty is made up of Jonathan Harris, Director of Instrumental Music, and Leslie Mac Pherson, Director of Vocal Music. The department presents five public concerts per academic year: The Fall Concert (October), The Holiday Concert (December), The Winter Instrumental Concert (March), The Spring Choral Concert (April), and The Awards Concert (June). The Supervisor of History and Music is Ron Romano.The Instrumental Department is composed of Concert Band, Wind Symphony, Marching Band, Jazz Band, String Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra, and Pit Orchestra as well as select small ensembles. The Vocal Department is composed of Freshman Chorus, Sophomore Choir, Concert Choir, Beauty and Barbershop, Bel Canto (a select women's ensemble) and Oriana Singers (a select mixed ensemble.) All vocal ensembles are directed by Leslie Mac Pherson.
Notable alumni
- Nelson DeCastroNelson DeCastroNelson Faro DeCastro, known professionally as Nelson , is an American comic book artist known for his airbrushed cover art, and his interior penciling, inking and coloring work. He is also a writer and teacher...
(born 1969), comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
penciler, inker, and painter whose first comic book cover was Ghost RiderGhost Rider (comics)Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
#18. He's also known for his cover art for Wizard Magazine. - Elizabeth GilliesElizabeth GilliesElizabeth Egan "Liz" Gillies is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her part in Broadway's 13 as Lucy, of which her Victorious co-star, Ariana Grande, was also a part...
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. She is also well known amongst preteens for her role as Jade West in Nickelodeon'sNickelodeon (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...
VictoriousVictoriousVictorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...
. - Gregory T. LinterisGregory T. LinterisGregory Thomas Linteris, Ph.D. is an American scientist who flew as a payload specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1997.-Education:...
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missions in 1997. - Sam LipsyteSam LipsyteSam Lipsyte is an American novelist and short story writer.The son of the sports journalist Robert Lipsyte, Sam Lipsyte was born in New York City and raised in Closter, New Jersey...
(born 1968), author of Venus Drive, The Subject Steve and Home Land. - Joe Pesce (born 1962), original keyboardist for 'Til Tuesday'Til TuesdayTil Tuesday was an American New Wave band formed in Boston in 1982. Its original lineup was bassist/vocalist Aimee Mann, guitarist/vocalist Robert Holmes, keyboardist Joey Pesce, and drummer Michael Hausman.-History:...
. - Tom WadellTom Waddell (baseball)Thomas David Waddell is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. One of only eight Scotland natives to ever be a major league ballplayer, he pitched for the Cleveland Indians from to , and again in ....
(born ), former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right-handed pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who was one of only eight ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
natives to ever play in the major leagues.
See also
- Northern Valley Regional High School at Old TappanNorthern Valley Regional High School at Old TappanNorthern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan 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 Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan...
, which serves students from Harrington ParkHarrington Park, New JerseyHarrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,664....
, NorthvaleNorthvale, New JerseyNorthvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,640.Northvale was formed on March 15, 1916, from the remaining portions of Harrington Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 4, 1916. With the...
, NorwoodNorwood, New JerseyAs of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,711 people. The population density was 2,083.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 69.3% Caucasian, 27.2% Asian, 1.4% African American, 0.0% Native American, 1.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanics...
, and Old TappanOld Tappan, New JerseyAs of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,750 people. The population density was 1,725.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 74.8% Caucasian, 22.2% Asian, 0.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics...
. Students from RockleighRockleigh, New JerseyRockleigh is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 531.Rockleigh was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1923 from portions of Northvale.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked...
attend the high school in Old Tappan as part of a sending/receiving relationshipSending/receiving relationshipA sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Dr. Bruce Sabatini - Principal
- Susan Nogaj - Assistant Principal
- James Santana - Assistant Principal
- Greg Butler - Athletic Director
External links
- Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest
- Data for the Northern Valley Regional High 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...