Passaic Valley Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Passaic Valley Regional High School is the name of both a public high school
(grades 9–12) in Little Falls
, New Jersey
, and the regional school district
for three communities in Passaic County
: Little Falls
(370 students from a 2000 Census population of 10,855), Totowa
(392.5 students from a population of 9,892) and Woodland Park (385 students from a population of 10,987).
As of the 2009-10 school year, the district's one school had an enrollment of 1,304 students and 100 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.04.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.
The school was the 144th-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 170th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 166th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
The Passaic Valley Board of Education
consists of nine members, with three members from each municipality.
The board generally meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month during the school year and once a month during the summer.
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had participated in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference
. Passaic Valley's school colors are green and white. The school mascot, the Hornet, was derived by vote of the first class from The Green Hornet radio series popular in the 1940s.
Passaic Valley participates in "24 Hours Around the World" in which students teleconference with other nations for 24 hours.
Passaic Valley also is the first high school nationwide to offer an AIDS awareness program to provide students with the knowledge to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus throughout the community.
Passaic Valley's Drama Department is an award-winning program that has gained much notoriety in the past few years. They have won awards in and out of state, and they are also a major part of the North Jersey Metro Cappies, a student critic program that helps open kids up to the world of theater journalism. They run a summer program where kids in grades 9-12 all around the NJ/NY area can come together and work on an outstanding show with other kids in the area.
In 2007 and 2008 the girls Varsity Gymnastics team won back to back League Championships and finished second in the North 1 Section.
Alexis (Missy) Arena continues to hold the gymnastics all time state record for All Around (AA) scoring a 37.95 in 2009. Arena's score breaks the previous mark of 37.325 by Passaic Valley's own Jackie Friscia in 2006. The meet dates to 1986. Arena also holds the 2010 New Jersey State beam Champion title with a 9.475, she placed third on vault with a 9.575 and fifth in the all-around with a 37.25.
On March 6, 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group III state championship, defeating Wayne Valley High School
by 60-48, in a game played at Passaic County Technical Institute
. The win was their first ever sectional championship in school history and came in Head Coach Rob Carcich's third season. The Hornets also advanced to the NJSIAA State Championship Game held at the RAC at Rutgers University
The boys basketball team returned to the sectional final in 2011, this time losing to Teaneck High School
on March 8, 2011. The team has a record of 108-51 in the past six seasons.
On April 28, 2007, George Abyad won the Penn Relays
discus championship at the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia.
In 2006, the football team beat Wayne Valley High School
once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, making it to the semi-finals before losing to defending North 1 Group 3 champions, Wayne Hills High School
in the semifinal round. Under first year coach Al Capello, the Hornets made it to the Group 3 Section 2 State Championship at Giants Stadium on December 4, 2009, losing to West Morris Mendham High School
by a score of 28-19. The football team won the North I Group IV state championships in 1975, 1979, 1980 and 1986.
In 2005 and 2006, the girls' field hockey team won back to back county championships led by Coach Cheryl Grande, before repeating as county champion in 2009, defeating Wayne Hills in the final game in all three championship seasons.
On February 25, 2008, the boy's ice hockey team coached by Gary Steele captured their first Nardello Cup, 3-2 against River Dell Regional High School
.
In the 2009 spring season, senior Gerardo Valenzuela of the Boys' Tennis team won the County Championship at 2nd Singles.
In the 2009 spring season, the Boy's Volleyball team won the County Championship.
In Fall 2009, the Marching Band won 2nd Place in the Group 2A division at the Yamaha Cup competition that was held in Giants Stadium.
On May 28, 2007, the varsity baseball team, led by Head Coach John Mazzo, won the Passaic County Championship with a 4-2 victory over Passaic County Technical Institute
, the team's third title and their first since repeating in 1998 and 1999. In 2010, they advanced to the Passaic County final, losing to Wayne Valley High School
by a score of 5-4.
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....
(grades 9–12) in Little Falls
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,855. It is located about from New York City....
, 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...
, and the regional school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
for three communities in Passaic County
Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 501,226. Its county seat is Paterson...
: Little Falls
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,855. It is located about from New York City....
(370 students from a 2000 Census population of 10,855), Totowa
Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 9,892.Totowa was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1898, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township and Wayne...
(392.5 students from a population of 9,892) and Woodland Park (385 students from a population of 10,987).
As of the 2009-10 school year, the district's one school had an enrollment of 1,304 students and 100 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 13.04.
The district is classified 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...
as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.
The school was the 144th-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 170th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 166th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
The Passaic Valley Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
consists of nine members, with three members from each municipality.
The board generally meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month during the school year and once a month during the summer.
Extracurricular activities
The Passaic Valley Regional High School Hornets compete in the Independence Division of 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:...
. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had participated in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference
Northern Hills Conference
The Northern Hills Conference, was an athletic conference of nineteen private and public high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic County Counties in Northern New Jersey....
. Passaic Valley's school colors are green and white. The school mascot, the Hornet, was derived by vote of the first class from The Green Hornet radio series popular in the 1940s.
Passaic Valley participates in "24 Hours Around the World" in which students teleconference with other nations for 24 hours.
Passaic Valley also is the first high school nationwide to offer an AIDS awareness program to provide students with the knowledge to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus throughout the community.
Passaic Valley's Drama Department is an award-winning program that has gained much notoriety in the past few years. They have won awards in and out of state, and they are also a major part of the North Jersey Metro Cappies, a student critic program that helps open kids up to the world of theater journalism. They run a summer program where kids in grades 9-12 all around the NJ/NY area can come together and work on an outstanding show with other kids in the area.
Athletics
In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, the girls Varsity Gymnastics team won the County Championships, led by Coach Jenai Agosta along with Captains Alexis Arena, Dominique Brown, and Alison Fischbach. With the addition of freshman Jessica Burden in 2010, capturing a fourth consecutive Passaic County Championships. No other team in the 24 years of county championships has won the championship in four consecutive seasons.In 2007 and 2008 the girls Varsity Gymnastics team won back to back League Championships and finished second in the North 1 Section.
Alexis (Missy) Arena continues to hold the gymnastics all time state record for All Around (AA) scoring a 37.95 in 2009. Arena's score breaks the previous mark of 37.325 by Passaic Valley's own Jackie Friscia in 2006. The meet dates to 1986. Arena also holds the 2010 New Jersey State beam Champion title with a 9.475, she placed third on vault with a 9.575 and fifth in the all-around with a 37.25.
On March 6, 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group III state championship, defeating Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, one of the two high schools in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wayne Public Schools...
by 60-48, in a game played at Passaic County Technical Institute
Passaic County Technical Institute
Passaic County Technical Institute is a regional vocational public high school in Wayne , in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, near the city of Paterson, admitting students from all of Passaic County...
. The win was their first ever sectional championship in school history and came in Head Coach Rob Carcich's third season. The Hornets also advanced to the NJSIAA State Championship Game held at the RAC at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
The boys basketball team returned to the sectional final in 2011, this time losing to Teaneck High School
Teaneck High School
Teaneck 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...
on March 8, 2011. The team has a record of 108-51 in the past six seasons.
On April 28, 2007, George Abyad won the Penn Relays
Penn Relays
The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
discus championship at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in Philadelphia.
In 2006, the football team beat Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, one of the two high schools in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wayne Public Schools...
once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, making it to the semi-finals before losing to defending North 1 Group 3 champions, Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School is a comprehensive community public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two high schools that are part of the Wayne Public Schools...
in the semifinal round. Under first year coach Al Capello, the Hornets made it to the Group 3 Section 2 State Championship at Giants Stadium on December 4, 2009, losing to West Morris Mendham High School
West Morris Mendham High School
West Morris Mendham High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth though twelfth grade as part of the West Morris Regional High School District. The school is located in Mendham Borough, New Jersey, United States...
by a score of 28-19. The football team won the North I Group IV state championships in 1975, 1979, 1980 and 1986.
In 2005 and 2006, the girls' field hockey team won back to back county championships led by Coach Cheryl Grande, before repeating as county champion in 2009, defeating Wayne Hills in the final game in all three championship seasons.
On February 25, 2008, the boy's ice hockey team coached by Gary Steele captured their first Nardello Cup, 3-2 against River Dell Regional High School
River Dell Regional High School
River Dell High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school, part of the River Dell Regional School District, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell and River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States...
.
In the 2009 spring season, senior Gerardo Valenzuela of the Boys' Tennis team won the County Championship at 2nd Singles.
In the 2009 spring season, the Boy's Volleyball team won the County Championship.
In Fall 2009, the Marching Band won 2nd Place in the Group 2A division at the Yamaha Cup competition that was held in Giants Stadium.
On May 28, 2007, the varsity baseball team, led by Head Coach John Mazzo, won the Passaic County Championship with a 4-2 victory over Passaic County Technical Institute
Passaic County Technical Institute
Passaic County Technical Institute is a regional vocational public high school in Wayne , in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, near the city of Paterson, admitting students from all of Passaic County...
, the team's third title and their first since repeating in 1998 and 1999. In 2010, they advanced to the Passaic County final, losing to Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, one of the two high schools in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wayne Public Schools...
by a score of 5-4.
Administration
Core members of the district's / school's administration are:- Dr. Viktor Joganow, Superintendent
- Paul Gerber, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
- Ray Rotella - Principal
- Nick Sauter - Vice Principal, Student Activities
- David Settembre - Vice Principal, Discipline
Notable alumni
- David BlaineDavid BlaineDavid Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...
(born 1973), magician, class of 1991. - Frank DeCaroFrank DeCaroFrank DeCaro is an American writer, performer and radio show host.The New York-born DeCaro is the author of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes From More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen , Unmistakably Mackie: The Fashion and Fantasy of Bob Mackie , and A Boy Named Phyllis: A...
(born 1962), class of 1980, writer, entertainer, and satellite radio talk show host; co-wrote and hosted Out at the Movies segments on The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
with Jon StewartJon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
. - Ralph J. Marra, Jr.Ralph J. Marra, Jr.Ralph J. Marra, Jr. is an American lawyer who served as the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He held this position from the resignation of Chris Christie in December 2008 until the appointment of Paul J. Fishman in October 2009...
(born 1953), Acting United States Attorney for the District of New JerseyUnited States Attorney for the District of New JerseyThe U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Paul J. Fishman was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009 after having been nominated by President Barack Obama. He succeeded Ralph J. Marra, who served as Acting U.S....
since December 2008.
External links
- Passaic Valley Regional High School
- Data for Passaic Valley Regional High School, 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...