Clifford Scott High School Explained
Clifford J. Scott High School was a comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in the city of East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operated as part of the East Orange School District from 1937 until 2002.
History
The school was named for Dr. Clifford John Scott, who was appointed in 1921 as the district's superintendent and served until his death in 1936. Scott initiated a program of junior high schools in the district and a combined junior/senior high school was named for him when it was established in 1937.[1]
East Orange Campus High School was opened in 2002, resulting from the merging of the former Clifford Scott High School and East Orange High School, located in the largest building of the refurbished campus of Upsala College and has been expanded to accommodate increased demand for enrollment.[2] As a result of the merger, students gained access to new and much improved educational facilities. The former Clifford Scott High School facility was home to East Orange Campus Nine High School, the home for all ninth grade high school students in East Orange. Announced in November 2010, East Orange Campus Nine was updated to become East Orange STEM Academy, which is a magnet school for grades 6–12.[3]
Athletics
The boys' track team won the Group II spring track state championship in 1946, 1962, 1979 and 1980.[4]
The baseball team won the North II Group II state sectional championships in 1959, 1966 and 1967, and won the Group II state championship in 1973, defeating Audubon High School in the final game of the tournament.[5] The 1973 team finished the season with a record of 18–6 after defeating a depleted Audubon team in the Group II title by a score of 7–3 in the championship game.[6]
The boys' track team won the Group II indoor relay championship in 1979 and 1980. The girls' team won the Group III title in 1988 and 1989 (as co-champion)[7]
The girls' basketball team won state championships in all four finals appearances, winning the Group II state championship in 1982 vs. St. Rose High School and 1983 vs. Somerville High School, and won the Group III titles in 1984 with a win against North Hunterdon High School in the tournament final and again in 1991 against Egg Harbor Township High School.[8] The 1983 team repeated as Group II state champion after defeating Somerville by a score of 56–40 in the championship game played at the Meadowlands Arena.[9]
The boys' basketball team won titles in five of their seven appearances, winning the Group II championships in 1958 (against runner-up Highland Park High School in the finals), 1981 (vs. Salem High School) and 1982 (vs. Salem), won the Group I title in 1975 against Glassboro High School, and won the Group III title in 1991 (vs. Woodrow Wilson High School).[10] The 1991 team won the Group III title with a 68–62 win against Woodrow Wilson.[11]
Notable alumni
- Marques Bragg (born 1970), retired professional basketball player who played in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995–96 season.[12]
- Mike Brown (born 1963), former basketball player who played for 11 seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns.[13]
- Willis Edwards (born 1970), politician who represented the 34th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2004[14]
- Gary Garland (born 1957), former professional basketball player who played for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association in the 1979–80 season.[15]
- Fred Hill Sr. (born 1934), former head baseball coach at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where he served from 1984 through 2013.[16]
- Chickie Geraci Poisson (born 1931), former field hockey player and coach.[17]
Notable faculty
- Brian Hill (born 1947), basketball coach who began his coaching career with two years as head coach at Clifford Scott High School starting in 1970.[18]
Notes and References
- http://www.eohistory.info/Biographies/CliffordJScottBio.htm Dr. Clifford John Scott
- https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/499588005/ "Chatter"
- http://www.eastorange.k12.nj.us/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109%3Aeast-orange-stem-academy-high-school-administrative-team&catid=39%3Aschools&Itemid=1 East Orange STEM Academy High School
- https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-08/21-history.pdf NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys
- https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/20-baseball-history.pdf NJSIAA Baseball Championship History
- McKee, Don. "Wave Learns The Hard Way", Courier-Post, June 11, 1973. Accessed March 15, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Greenberg undoubtedly was right, but Saturday was the 100th time, and Clifford C. Scott High School of Orange took the Group 2 championship, 7–3, in a game against something less than Audubon's best team."
- https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-12/20-relay-history_0.pdf History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships
- https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-girls-basketball-history.pdf NJSIAA Girls Basketball Championship History
- Wilson, Tim. "Scott girls stop Somerville", Courier News, March 21, 1983. Accessed January 13, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Somerville High girls' basketball team climbed to the top of the beanstalk, and, unfortunately, awakened a sleeping giant. But before the Lady Pioneers could make off with the golden goose, the giant named Clifford Scott High School of East Orange sent the Lady Pioneers crashing to a 56–40 loss in the Group 2 state championship game Saturday at the Meadowlands Arena."
- https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-basketball-history_0.pdf NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History
- Matura, Greg. "Clifford Scott stops Woodrow Wilson", The Record, March 10, 1991. Accessed December 2, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "But Clifford Scott coach Greg Tynes saw his team execute his game plan for 32 minutes Saturday afternoon. The result was the Scotties' first Group 3 State championship by virtue of a 68–62 victory over high-scoring Woodrow Wilson of Camden."
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/braggma01.html Marques Bragg NBA & ABA Statistics
- http://www.nba.com/dleague/coaches/mike_brown.html Mike Brown
- https://books.google.com/books?id=-oAkAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Willis+Edwards%22,+Dem.,+%22East+Orange%22 Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 2003
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/garlaga01.html Gary Garland NBA & ABA Statistics
- D'Alessandro, Dave. "D'Alessandro: The man, the myth, the legend that is Fred Hill", The Star-Ledger, February 21, 2014. Accessed November 26, 2015. "'At Clifford Scott High, he was an All-State halfback at 5-foot-7, and defensive guys would pile on top of him thinking they could hurt him,' Buckelew recalled."
- Shugrue, Edward J. "Between Ourselves", Bridgeport Post, October 20, 1963. Accessed January 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Chickie, whose proper name is Angela Marie Poisson, was born in East Orange, N. J., in 1931. She attended Scott high school, Trenton State College, and is a member of so many teaching and lacrosse associations that it would need an encyclopedia to cover the facts."
- Long. Ernie. "Sagging Attendance Isn't The Sole Fault Of 76ers' Record", The Morning Call, March 14, 1996. Accessed November 26, 2015. "Hill, born in East Orange, N.J., spent two years as head coach at Clifford Scott High School (N.J.) and two years as an assistant at Montclair (N.J.) State University."
