- Ridgewood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students from Ridgewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Ridgewood Public Schools.
- As of the 2006-07 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,668 students and 113 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 14.8.
- Architecture
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Composed of one central building, which, along with the original gym, was completed in 1919 at a total cost of $285,000, the building features brick walls, a slate roof and other stone features. The building was designed by the noted architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout, who also designed the Missouri State Capitol building.
- Awards and recognition
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During the 1986-87 school year, Ridgewood High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.
- In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Ridgewood High School was listed in 549th place, the tenth-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was ranked 472 in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States, and was ranked 323 in Newsweek's 2005 survey.
- The school was the 7th-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 ranked 24th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
- Athletics
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Ridgewood High School's sports teams are nicknamed the Maroons.
- Ridgewood High School athletics are broadcast locally on RHS-TV Sports, a student-produced sports television network, every Tuesday night at 8PM throughout the school year.
- On December 7, 1991, Ridgewood, under coach Chuck Johnson, defeated North Bergen High School in football to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North I Group IV State Championship, the first ever for the Maroons. In 2003, the football team defeated Morristown High School 35-6 in the NJSIAA North I Group IV Championship game at Giants Stadium. In 2004, the football team repeated the feat by defeating Hackensack High School 27-20, again at Giants Stadium. Ridgewood High School is one of the public and private high schools from Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties that are members of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League.
- The Maroons are routinely ranked as one of the top men's lacrosse programs in New Jersey. Ridgewood Softball, coached by Debbie Paul, won the 2005 Bergen County Championship and 2006 North I Group IV State Sectional Championship, defeating Bloomfield High School by 3-0.
- In 2007, the Boy's Tennis Team won their second State Sectionals title in three years, defeating Livingston High School 3-2 to win the North I, Group IV championship. The 2008 Boys Tennis Team won their third consecutive North I, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win in the tournament final over Livingston High School. In 2009, the Maroons defeated Bergen Tech 4-1 at Paramus High School for their fourth consecutive North I Group IV state sectional championship.
- In 2007, the Girl's Indoor Track and Field team came 2nd nationally for the Shuttle Hurdle Relay. That same year, the team were North I, Group IV champions barely edging out East Orange Campus High School in a thrilling final 4X400m race. Although not running as fast as they did in 2007, the team came 1st in 2008 for the Shuttle Hurdles at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships. In 2008, the Boy's Outdoor Track and Field team placed 6th nationally in the Sprint Medley Relay, the only sprint team to place at Nationals for RHS so far.
- Ridgewood High School was awarded the Shop-Rite Cup in 2006 for exhibiting all-around talent in its athletic programs.
- Campus
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The newest part of the school, the state of the art Science wing, was completed in 2001 and contains 15 laboratory classrooms, three computer labs and a new industrial arts center. A new fitness center, gymnasium, and multi-purpose room, the Campus Center, were also included in the renovation. Due to their proximity to the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, the school's fields often flood during heavy rains and spring runoff.
- Music
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Ridgewood High School has an extensive Music program. The Music department boasts three orchestras, three choirs, three concert bands, a marching band, two jazz ensembles, and numerous small ensembles. Ridgewood High School was named a Grammy Signature School in 2004.
- The three Curricular Bands are the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble. Henry Heyzer conducts the Symphonic Band. The Symphonic Band is an entry-level band where students focus on sharpening their skills in rhythm, pitch, and balance. The use of method books and exercises is supplemented by appropriate concert selections (Level 2.5 to 3), and these skills are developed in an enjoyable environment.
- In Concert Band, a mid-range ensemble, there is emphasis on building knowledge of phrasing and characteristic tonality. There is also a greater emphasis on technical ability. Jeffrey Haas conducts both this ensemble and the Wind Ensemble. Selections are normally from Levels 3 to 4.5. Students in Concert Band have the opportunity to play traditional orchestral literature in Symphonic Orchestra. The Wind Ensemble places a great emphasis on developing a sense of musical maturity appropriate to college/professional literature (Levels 5 and 6), so technical ability is a prerequisite for admission. Students have the opportunity to play in Chamber Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble's orchestral equivalent. Members of Wind Ensemble are regularly selected for Bergen County Band, with Ridgewood High among those schools sending the largest number of students to County Band each year. Members of Wind Ensemble are also regularly selected for Region I Band, which encompasses all of North Jersey. Over the years, Ridgewood High School has sent band students to All-State and All-Eastern Ensembles.
- The two jazz ensembles, the Big Band and Jazz Lab, perform throughout the year and compete in International Association for Jazz Education -sanctioned competitions. The jazz ensembles also frequently perform with guest artists. Past guests include jazz greats such as Chris Vadalla and Conrad Herwig. Members of the RHS jazz ensembles are regularly selected for the Region I Jazz Ensemble and All-State Jazz Ensemble.
- The RHS Marching Band, a cornerstone of the school, has been acclaimed as one of the best in the state of New Jersey and recently won second place at the USSBA NJ State Championships in 2005. The band has also won USSBA All-States Championship titles in 1992 and 1997. The uniforms are similar to The Cadets.
- The Orchestras, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and Symphonic Orchestra, are all conducted by Amy Hotto, who replaced Amanda Zlotkin in 2007. Chamber Orchestra is the highest level of the three, and plays intermediate level literature. Many of its students are accepted into Region and All-State Orchestra. The Concert Orchestra is a middle-level orchestra focused on developingand and expanding skills and playing styles. The Symphonic Orchestra is an entry-level orchestra. Some of the RHS string students attend pre-college programs in New York City at places such as the Manhattan School of Music.
- Keith Sattely serves as the choral director. There are a total of three curricular and two extra-curricular vocal ensembles at Ridgewood High. The Chamber Choir is a high-level choir that focuses on mastery of musical ability. It regularly wins accolades for the choral program, performing challenging SATB and SAB literature. The Concert Choir is the entry-level SATB/SAB choir, performing exciting works and focusing on improving musical ability. The Chorale is an entry-level all-women's choir, performing two-part (SA) literature. There are also extra-curricular vocal ensembles: the Madrigals and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
- Administration
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Core members of the school's administration are:
- John Lorenz, Principal
- Jeffrey Nyhuis, Assistant Principal: Guidance, Curriculum and Instruction
- Basil Pizzuto, Assistant Principal: Administration and Student Services
- Noted alumni
- Robert T. Bakker (born 1945), paleontologist.
- MC Paul Barman (born 1974), rapper.
- Andrew Daly (born 1971), actor/comedian.
- Willie Geist (born 1975), Co-host, MSNBC's Morning Joe.
- Robert Sean Leonard (born 1969), actor who started acting while at the school and was given work study credit for his theatrical work.
- Andrew Maguire (born 1939), politician who represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district from 1975 to 1981.
- David Madden (born 1981), Jeopardy! champion.
- Richard Muenz, actor
- Kim Ng (born 1968), Major League Baseball official.
- James "Buddy" Nielsen (born 1984), musician Senses Fail
- Nelson Riddle (1921-1985), bandleader, arranger and orchestrator.
- Karl Stanley (1992) submarine designer who began building his first submersible while a sophomore at the school
- Kazbek Tambi (born 1961) former professional soccer player inducted into the RHS Athletic hall of Fame in 2004.
- Rebacca Zeller, Violinist for the band Ra Ra Riot
- Chris Kipiniak (1992) Actor
- Gerry Duggan (1992 Class President) comic book author
- James Huffman (1987) Actor
- Rich Yampell (1980) composer, Klingonist
- Bill Weldon (born 1948) Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
- External links
- Ridgewood High School website
- Data for the Ridgewood Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
- The RHS Band Program
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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