Bernards High School
Encyclopedia
Bernards High School is a comprehensive four-year regional public high school
in Somerset County
, New Jersey
. The school is part of the Somerset Hills Regional School District
, a regional K–12 school district that consists of the participating municipalities of Bernardsville
, Far Hills
and Peapack-Gladstone
. For grades 9 through 12, students from Bedminster are sent to the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship
. The school is located in Bernardsville, within walking distance from the main section of Bernardsville.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 779 students and 57 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.67.
The school is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education
.
The school offered students the opportunity to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB), a comprehensive two-year curriculum pursued by students during junior and senior years, until the end of the 2008–09 scholastic year. Students took a course of studies in six academic areas. Successful completion of an IB Diploma may lead to college credit. Enrollment is highly selective and honors credit is earned. Students must take a variety of internal and external assessments. Advanced Placement
(AP) courses are also offered, which may also lead to college credit. Bernards High School was certified to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in February 2002 but has since dropped the program due to cost, lack of student interest, and unpopularity among parents and teachers. The school was one of only 16 schools in New Jersey to offer the IB program.
, the school was ranked 6th in New Jersey and 288th nationwide. The school was ranked 198th in Newsweek
s 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 high schools in the United States and was the fourth-ranked school in New Jersey, with 3.023 IB tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 49% of all graduating seniors passing at least one IB exam. In 2008, the school was ranked 518th nationwide. In Newsweeks May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Bernards High School was listed in 218th place, the sixth-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was listed in 141st place, the fourth highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweeks May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.
The school was the 32nd-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 36th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 50th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
by a score of 16-11), and 1st in 2008 (Boys again). All three State Fencing Team Championships achieved by a program created seven years ago. Also during the 2006–07, Catherine Carr scored her 2,000th point. Junior Shane Painter scored his 1,000th point.
The school is also known for its girls' track team. The team dominated in the 1980s, but was dismantled in 1989 because of budget deficits. The program was resurrected in 2000 and the team has won multiple conference titles and championships. They won the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Relays along with the Indoor NJSIAA North I Group I Sectional Championships and the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Championships in 2009 and 2010, the seventh group title won by the program in its history. The girls' track team had four All-Americans in 2010, with its 4x800 team taking 5th place at the New Balance Nationals track meet, with the 7th fastest time in the nation, breaking the Somerset County record and was the fastest time in New Jersey that year.
In the 2006–07 school year, Bernards joined the Skyland Conference
, after having been in the Colonial Hills Conference
for many years. The Bernards boys soccer team took advantage of this conference adjustment that year, winning the conference championship. The team won the Group II State Championship with a 2–1 win over Ramsey High School in the semifinals and a 3–2 win against Haddonfield Memorial High School
in the finals.
, a town that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
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....
in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, 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 school is part of the Somerset Hills Regional School District
Somerset Hills Regional School District
The Somerset Hills Regional School District is a comprehensive regional K–12 public school district serving students from four communities in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States...
, a regional K–12 school district that consists of the participating municipalities of Bernardsville
Bernardsville, New Jersey
Bernardsville is a borough and affluent suburb in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. Bernardsville has the 10th-highest per capita income in the state. Nationwide, Bernardsville ranks 75th among the 100 highest-income places in the United States...
, Far Hills
Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 919.Far Hills was incorporated as a borough based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on April 7, 1921, from portions of Bernards Township, subject to the results...
and Peapack-Gladstone
Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Peapack and Gladstone is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,582...
. For grades 9 through 12, students from Bedminster are sent to the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A 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...
. The school is located in Bernardsville, within walking distance from the main section of Bernardsville.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 779 students and 57 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 13.67.
The 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...
.
The school offered students the opportunity to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB), a comprehensive two-year curriculum pursued by students during junior and senior years, until the end of the 2008–09 scholastic year. Students took a course of studies in six academic areas. Successful completion of an IB Diploma may lead to college credit. Enrollment is highly selective and honors credit is earned. Students must take a variety of internal and external assessments. Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
(AP) courses are also offered, which may also lead to college credit. Bernards High School was certified to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in February 2002 but has since dropped the program due to cost, lack of student interest, and unpopularity among parents and teachers. The school was one of only 16 schools in New Jersey to offer the IB program.
Awards and recognition
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington PostThe 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 6th in New Jersey and 288th nationwide. The school was ranked 198th 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 fourth-ranked school in New Jersey, with 3.023 IB tests taken in 2008 per graduating senior and 49% of all graduating seniors passing at least one IB exam. In 2008, the school was ranked 518th nationwide. In Newsweeks May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Bernards High School was listed in 218th place, the sixth-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was listed in 141st place, the fourth highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweeks May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.
The school was the 32nd-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 36th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 50th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
Athletics
The football team won conference champs and the boys cross country team won a sectional title during the 2005–06 school year. More recently, the school's fencing team finished 1st in 2006 (Boys), 1st in 2007 (Girls, defeating Columbia High SchoolColumbia High School (New Jersey)
Columbia High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school located at 17 Parker Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, which serves students in grades nine through twelve within the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which includes Maplewood and South Orange Townships...
by a score of 16-11), and 1st in 2008 (Boys again). All three State Fencing Team Championships achieved by a program created seven years ago. Also during the 2006–07, Catherine Carr scored her 2,000th point. Junior Shane Painter scored his 1,000th point.
The school is also known for its girls' track team. The team dominated in the 1980s, but was dismantled in 1989 because of budget deficits. The program was resurrected in 2000 and the team has won multiple conference titles and championships. They won the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Relays along with the Indoor NJSIAA North I Group I Sectional Championships and the Indoor NJSIAA State Group I Championships in 2009 and 2010, the seventh group title won by the program in its history. The girls' track team had four All-Americans in 2010, with its 4x800 team taking 5th place at the New Balance Nationals track meet, with the 7th fastest time in the nation, breaking the Somerset County record and was the fastest time in New Jersey that year.
In the 2006–07 school year, Bernards joined the Skyland Conference
Skyland Conference
The Skyland Conference is a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference is made up of nineteen public and parochial high schools covering Hunterdon County, Somerset County and Warren County in west...
, after having been in the Colonial Hills Conference
Colonial Hills Conference
The Colonial Hills Conference was a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association...
for many years. The Bernards boys soccer team took advantage of this conference adjustment that year, winning the conference championship. The team won the Group II State Championship with a 2–1 win over Ramsey High School in the semifinals and a 3–2 win against Haddonfield Memorial High School
Haddonfield Memorial High School
Haddonfield Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Haddonfield, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Haddonfield Public Schools....
in the finals.
Extracurricular activities
In the second semester of 2006–07, the Bernards Mountaineers Marching Band was invited to travel to New Orleans to perform in a Mardi Gras parade for Houma, LouisianaHouma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, a town that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
History
The following historical synopsis derives from Among the Blue Hills...Bernardsville...a History, published by the Bernardsville History Book Committee, 1991. "On January 26, 1926, a Citizen's Committee was chosen to work with the Board of Education.....The Committee reported that the two existing buildings contained sixteen classrooms, for two classes of each of the eight grades. It was believed that this would be adequate for some time. In order to provide for the special equipment and facilities needed for a high school program, the building of a new high school would be the logical solution....The building was completed and occupied in 1927."Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Suzanne Cooley, Principal
- Dr. Michael Corbett, Assistant Principal
- Michael Hoppe, Assistant Principal
Notable alumni
- Roger BartRoger BartRoger Bart is an American actor and singer.-Life and career:Bart was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the son of a teacher and a chemical engineer, and grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey. His uncle is journalist Peter Bart. He made his Broadway debut in Big River as Tom Sawyer in 1987...
(born 1962), Tony award-winning actor, class of 1980. - John W. Geils Jr.J. GeilsJohn Geils popularly known as J. Geils, is an American blues-rock lead guitarist, singer and founder of The J. Geils Band; he has also recorded with several jazz musicians. Born in New York, he grew up in Far Hills, New Jersey where he graduated from Bernards High School.Since 1982, Geils has...
(born 1946, class of 1964), musician, J. Geils of The J. Geils Band. - Meryl StreepMeryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
(born 1949), Academy Award winning actress, attended BHS in the late 1960s.
External links
- Bernards High School website
- The Somerset Hills School District
- Data for Bernards 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...
- Bernards High Alumni website