Weehawken High School Explained

Weehawken High School
Established:1940 (building)
City:Weehawken
State:New Jersey
Zipcode:07086
Country:United States
Coordinates:40.7741°N -74.0183°W
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Hudson County#USA New Jersey#USA
Type:Public high school
Principal:Robert Ferullo
Enrollment:570 (as of 2022–23)
Faculty:49.0 FTEs
Ratio:11.6:1
Us Nces School Id:341731002928
Grades:7–12
Address:53 Liberty Place
District:Weehawken School District
Teamname:Indians
Colors: Red and
Black
Conference:North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Newspaper:Indian Ink[1]
Yearbook:The Zenith[2]

Weehawken High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Weehawken in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Weehawken School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.[3] [4]

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 570 students and 49.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. There were 210 students (36.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 31 (5.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[5]

History

The campus, located across the Hudson River from New York City, just west of Boulevard East atop the New Jersey Palisades, consists of a three-story brick structure located in a residential area completed in 1940.[6] The building includes three computer labs; a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) lab; an ITV room, a modern library/media center, science labs, an auditorium that can accommodate 800, and a newly renovated gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1,200.[7] The facility has been used by Hudson Theatre Works, a non-profit regional performance group based in Weehawken.[8]

Students from Secaucus had attended the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Secaucus Board of Education, until the opening of Secaucus High School in 1976.[9]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 189th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[10] The school had been ranked 91st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 104th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[11] The magazine ranked the school 119th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[12] The school was ranked 109th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[13] SchoolDigger.com ranked the school 170th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 34 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (82.5%) and language arts literacy (91.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[14]

Curriculum

Students are offered Advanced Placement (AP) classes in many subjects, including AP United States History, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Macroeconomics, and AP Spanish Language.[15] College preparatory classes throughout high school, as well as electives offered in conjunction with St. Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey.[16]

Weehawken allows Juniors to take a free Princeton Review SAT prep class either Monday or Wednesday afternoons.[16] [17]

Extracurricular activities

Marching band

In 2012 and 2013, the Weehawken High School Marching Band, under the direction of Michael Lichtenfeld and his band staff, ranked first in the state of New Jersey winning the USBands Group 1A state championship title. (Group 1A division is a band with 40 or fewer people on the field during competition).[18] [19] In November 2013, the band won the USBands Group 1A National Championship title.[20]

In 2015, under the direction of band director Natalie Kerr and the band staff, the band won the USBands Group 1 Open Class New Jersey State Championships. Also under Band Director Natalie Kerr, the Weehawken marching band competed in Tournament of Bands Group 1A in 2016, going undefeated and winning the NYC Metro Regional Championships as well as defeating 25 other bands for the ACC Group 1A championships. The band's score was above 95, and helped promote them to Open Class for the 2017 season.

Returning to USBands competition for the 2017 season, the band completed an undefeated competitive season under the direction of Minesh Shah, including capturing the USBands Group 1A State Championship and Group 1A National Championships. The following season, now under the direction of Ryan Gorman, the band won another Group 1A State Championship and finished 3rd at National Championships, winning the caption award for Best Music. In 2019, the band membership increased to approximately 50 performers, and the band moved up to the USBands Group 2A class. The band won their 3rd consecutive NJ State Championship in October 2019, their first as part of Group 2A.

Athletics

The Weehawken High School Indians[21] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which comprises small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[22] [23] [24] Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Weehawken was a member of the National Division of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL), which included schools in Bergen and Hudson counties.[25] With 294 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range.[26] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 184 to 471 students.[27]

The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint boys lacrosse team with Hoboken High School. In turn, Hoboken is the host school for a joint girls lacrosse team. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[28]

Interscholastic sports teams offered at the school include:

The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1933 (defeating Hamilton High School in the tournament final) and 1938 (vs. Rutherford High School), and won the Group II title in 1942 (vs. Neptune High School), 1943 (vs. Highland Park High School), 1946 (vs. Verona High School), 1953 (vs. Red Bank Regional High School), 1954 (vs. Sayreville High School) and 1955 (vs. Palmyra High School). The eight group championships won by the program is tied for seventh-most among all schools in the state and the third-most among public schools.[29] After losing in the finals in three of the previous for seasons, the 1933 team beat Hamilton Township by a score of 40–22 to win the Group III state title.[30] The 1953 team won the Group II title with a 60–45 win against Red Bank Regional in the championship game.[31] The 1954 team repeated as champion after defeating Sayreville by a score of 71–60 in the Group II final at the Elizabeth Armory.[32]

The boys' soccer team was awarded the Group II state championship in 1951 and 1952.[33]

In 2020, the name of the teams and their mascot came under question, with some opposing the "Indians" team name and others arguing for its retention.[34] [35]

Clubs

Extracurricular clubs offered include:[36]

Administration

The school's principal is Robert Ferullo. Core members of his administrative team include the vice principal.[39]

Notable alumni

Notable alumni include those inducted into the school's hall of fame[40]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://whs.weehawkenschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=367795&type=d&pREC_ID=824095 Indian Ink
  2. https://whs.weehawkenschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=367908&type=d&pREC_ID=824081 Yearbook
  3. http://www.css-msa.org/search.php?MODE=VIEW(NJ365)&org=CSS Weehawken High School
  4. https://whs.weehawkenschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=367795&type=d&pREC_ID=823886 History
  5. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3417310&ID=341731002928 School data for Weehawken High School
  6. Sherman, Lauren; and Gaulkin, Ellen Robb. Weehawken, p. 85. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. .
  7. http://whs.weehawkenschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=367795&type=d&pREC_ID=823886 "History"
  8. Hoersch, Joanne. "'Cuckoo's Nest' in our future; Theater group emphasizes community involvement, low ticket prices", The Hudson Reporter, March 30, 2014. Accessed July 29, 2014. "Hudson Theatre Works, a not-for-profit regional group based in Weehawken, will launch its second production at the theater at Weehawken High School in early May."
  9. https://archive.hudsonreporter.com/2010/09/12/keep-the-connection/ "Keep the connection"
  10. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  11. http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/the-top-new-jersey-high-schools-alphabetical.html "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical"
  12. http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-high-schools-2010.html "2010 Top High Schools"
  13. http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-new-jersey-high-schools-by-rank.html "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"
  14. http://www.schooldigger.com/schoolrank.aspx?Level=3&findschool=1731002928 New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011
  15. http://www.state.nj.us/education/pr/1213/17/175580050.pdf#page=12 Weehawken High School 2013 School Performance Report
  16. http://www.nj.gov/education/pr/1415/narrative/17/5580/050.html Weehawken High School 2015 New Jersey School Report Card Narrative
  17. http://www.weehawken.k12.nj.us/weehawken/Weehawken_Schools_Report_e-Newsletter_2010-1.htm "Weehawken High School Receives Middle States Accreditation"
  18. Passantino, Joseph. "Band wins major awards; Weehawken H.S. squad garners back-to-back state titles; home festival on Nov. 3", The Hudson Reporter, November 3, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015.
  19. Lin, Jonathan. "Weehawken High School: The best little marching band in the state", The Jersey Journal, October 17, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015.
  20. Michaelangelo, Conte. "Weehawken High's marching band captures USBands national title", The Jersey Journal, November 24, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015. "The Weehawken High School Marching Band completed an undefeated season by winning its first national title at the USBands 'Group 1A' National Championships in Allentown, Pa., earlier this month." In 2016, the Weehawken Marching Band also won the Group 1A state championship and national championship titles under the direction of music teacher, Natalie Kerr.

    The WHS Marching Band switched to the Tournament of Bands circuit for their 2015-2016 season. They went on to win the Atlantic Coastal Championship for the 1A Division after an undefeated season. Due to their score, they will be competing in the 1 Open Division starting in September 2017.

  21. https://www.njsiaa.org/schools/weehawken-high-school Weehawken High School
  22. Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
  23. https://www.northjerseyic.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=265 Member Schools
  24. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-10/2020-2021-lc-officers-schools.pdf League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020–2021
  25. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724142847/http://www.njsiaa.org/NJSIAA/09leagueaffiliations.pdf League Memberships – 2009–2010
  26. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/general-classifications-2018-2020.pdf NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020
  27. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-08/Football%20%2722%20%26%20%2723.pdf NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024
  28. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-12/spring-co-ops-2020-21.pdf NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs
  29. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-basketball-history_0.pdf NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History
  30. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/490074361/ "Wilson Hurdles Jinx"
  31. https://www.nytimes.com/1953/03/22/archives/bloom-field-tops-jefferson-6045-gains-jersey-school-division-title.html "Bloomfield Tops Jefferson, 60-45; Gains Jersey School Division Title -- Hamilton, Weehawken and North Arlington Win"
  32. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/489411450/ "Cella's Cagers Lose To Jeffs; Bloomfield Five Fails To Retain Crown"
  33. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/21-boys-soccer-history.pdf NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer
  34. West, Teri. "Weehawken High School considers getting rid of Indians nickname", The Jersey Journal, July 15, 2020. Accessed November 3, 2020. "And in recent months, a conversation within the Weehawken schools administration about changing the mascot has been accelerating, said Superintendent Eric Crespo, who joined the district last September."
  35. West, Teri. "Competing petitions emerge in debate over Weehawken High School’s Indian mascot", The Jersey Journal, July 17, 2020. Accessed November 3, 2020. "One day after a group of former Weehawken students initiated a digital petition to change their high school’s Indian mascot, another group pushed back Thursday with a petition of their own — SaveTheIndians."
  36. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSdQfURxqUmgEHRS6yhF2CkWYaBOibcAW3mc20CIeuwxqBntPVatgpZCvkNdZ_1J-HqhpUpQtuX3707/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.p Clubs and Activities
  37. D'Auria, Peter. "At Weehawken High School, beekeeping club is creating buzz", The Jersey Journal, April 27, 2021. Accessed February 8, 2022. "But earlier this year, after learning that her great-grandfather once owned a honey company in Korea, Varela joined roughly a dozen other Weehawken High School students as the inaugural members of a unique extracurricular group: the Weehawken Bee Club."
  38. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98725624/columbia-scholastic-press-association/ "Columbia Scholastic Press Institute Lists Winners of Yearbook Contest"
  39. https://whs.weehawkenschools.net/apps/staff/ Staff Directory
  40. Hague, Jim. "Academic awards aplenty; Weehawken honors top students, inducts Pasquale into Hall of Fame", The Hudson Reporter, May 13, 2000. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Pasquale becomes the 17th inductee into the school's Hall of Fame. The others are John Diebold (Class of '43) in 1984; beer distributing baron Leo Van Munching (Class of '44) in 1985; Larry McClure (Class of '63) in 1986; Howard Wolf (Class of '39) in 1987; Judge Theodore Botter (Class of '41) in 1988; former Weehawken Mayor Stanley Iacono (Class of '51) and Francis Pizzuta (Class of '57) in 1989. Also: Bernard Baggs (Class of '36) in 1990; famed author Cathy Cash Spellman (Class of '59) in 1991; Barbara Murphy (Class of '40) in 1992; Robert Leonard (Class of '64) in 1993; David Dworkin (Class of '51) in 1994; Janet Pray (Class of '57) in 1995; Edward Feigenbaum (Class of '53) in 1996; Nola Safro (Class of '60) in 1997; Mehran Goulian (Class of '47) in 1998; and Steven Massarsky (Class of '66) in 1999."
  41. Horgan, Richard. "When James L. Brooks Interviewed Louis Armstrong", Adweek, October 27, 2011. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Right off the bat, Pollak wondered if those stories of Brooks having interviewed Louis Armstrong for the Weehawken High School newspaper were Internet hooey. Brooks was happy to confirm a semi-wonderful New Jersey journalism world:"
  42. Yost, Jeffrey R. Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry, p. 29. MIT Press, 2017. . Accessed May 20, 2021. "John Diebold was born in 1926 in Weehawken, New Jersey. After graduating from Weehawken High School, the 18-year-old Swarthmore College, but soon took a hiatus to entire the US Merchant Marine Academy, where he developed a fascination with machines and particularly with radar-controlled automatic tracking and firing systems."
  43. [Joshua Lederberg|Lederberg, Joshua]
  44. http://hudsonreporter.com/pages/full_stories_home/push?article--Impreveduto+dies+from+heart+complications-%20&id=3111858--Impreveduto+dies+from+heart+complications-&instance=up_to_the_minute_lead_story_left_column "Impreveduto dies from heart complications"
  45. News: Noble . Marty . Big Mac's big chance . 8 November 2022 . . 11 November 1976 . C.
  46. Staff. "The 1980s rock again; Weehawken writer chronicles New Wave era in new book", The Hudson Reporter, July 26, 2015. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Majewski was recently inducted into the Weehawken Academic Hall of Fame."
  47. Tedeschi, Bruno. "Drive, not cash, fuels Matheussen's Senate bid", The Record, May 31, 2002. Accessed December 21, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "'I don't come from a conservative Republican district,' said Matheussen, who was born in Jersey City, raised in Secaucus, and graduated from Weehawken High School."
  48. Hague, Jim. "Weehawken native finds HMS Hood on ocean's floor Mearns' six-year journey ends with mixed emotions; leads to documentary, book", The Hudson Reporter, November 9, 2001. Accessed November 18, 2021. "When David Mearns was a youngster growing up in Weehawken, he was always fascinated by water.... Upon graduating from Weehawken High School in 1976, Mearns headed to Fairleigh Dickinson University to major in marine biology."
  49. [Anna Kisselgoff|Kisselgoff, Anna]
  50. https://digitalcommons.providence.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2683&context=cowl "Campus Profiles; English Professor First Of Series"
  51. https://books.google.com/books?id=FyhMAAAAMAAJ&q=totaro+klein Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1975

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Weehawken High School".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.