Passaic County Technical Institute
Encyclopedia
Passaic County Technical Institute is a regional vocational
public high school
in Wayne
(it offers some vocational classes, although the school now has many college credit courses), in Passaic County
, New Jersey
, United States, near the city of Paterson
, admitting students from all of Passaic County. It is often referred to as "PCTI", Passaic County Tech or Tech.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,137 students and 282 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.12.
industry, accepting boys who were at least 14 years of age or in the sixth grade, and trained them for two years or until they were ready to assume a job in a factory or trade, whichever came first. From 1917 to the early 1940s, Paterson Vocational School continued to operate as a two-year school, gradually expanding its curriculum to include a wider variety of trades. During World War II
, the school remained open around the clock providing men and women with the training to become machinist
s and draftsmen
to design and construct the engine
s used in bomber
s, fighter
s and transport aircraft
flown in the Pacific and European theaters. For its service, the school was honored by the War Department.
Aware of the part technology would play in the booming postwar economy, Paterson Vocational School applied for and received approval from the New Jersey Department of Education
to become a full-fledged high school in 1946. Academic subjects were added, as were new trades like Refrigeration
, Industrial Electric
and Electronics
. The school was renamed Paterson Technical and Vocational High School and quickly gained the name Paterson Tech. Agriculture
was offered to shared-time students attending Central High School (now Kennedy High School
), with Paterson Tech renting a farm close to PCTI's present Wayne site where students learned to raise farm animals and grow crops.
By the 1960s, the importance of vocational and technical education was becoming obvious, and in 1964, Paterson Mayor Frank X. Graves, Jr.
turned over Paterson Tech to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
, thereby providing all youngsters in Passaic County access to Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School. With students flooding in from all over the county, Passaic County Tech, now reaching a student population of 500 young men and one girl, was bursting at the seams. The school's two buildings — one dating from the Civil War
located at the corner of Summer and Ellison, the other a refurbished factory on Market Street — could not meet the demands. By 1965 plans were well underway to build a new school that would accommodate students for generations to come.
Armed with a Federal Grant of $3,925,000 — the largest ever awarded to that date — and research from a Citizens' Study Committee, the county chose a 59 acres (238,764.7 m²) tract of land which it owned in Wayne, previously the site of Camp Hope.
Ground breaking ceremonies were held in November 1966 and construction began 15 months later. On September 8, 1970, Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School — at the time, the largest technical/vocational high school in the state and third largest in the nation — opened its doors to close to 1,500 young men and women. In the 25 years since, PCTI has added two wings and an additional Special Needs building, a variety of academic courses and special programs and has kept abreast of technological advances and economic trends by constantly updating vocational, occupational and technical courses. Passaic County Tech has since been renamed Passaic County Technical Institute.
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
(NJSIAA). Prior to the realignment that took place in 2010, the school participated in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference
. PCTI is classified by the NJSIAA as North I, Group IV.
On March 5, 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group IV state championship, edging North Bergen High School
by 86-85 in overtime, in a game played at Wayne Valley High School
.
The football team won the 1998 North I Section IV title game, defeating Union Hill High School
48-6 in the tournament final at Giants Stadium
.
up above the city,
Where we have been given tools for life,
Passaic County, we thank you today
‘Cause now we can make our way through this life,
PCT, we thank you today.
There is a heartbeat in the school,
up above the city,
It is the teachers giving us tools for life,
It is the staff helping us to grow,
Administrators helping us to know how to live,
PCT you taught us to give.
We’ve had our share of joy and laughter;
We’ve had our share of hard work and tears,
But PCT, we’ll never forget you,
Throughout all our years.
There is a vision in our hearts for
further achievement,
It is a vision for success in our lives,
Passaic County, we thank you today,
‘Cause now we can make our way in this life,
PCT we thank you today.
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
public high school
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 Wayne
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
(it offers some vocational classes, although the school now has many college credit courses), 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...
, 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...
, United States, near the city of Paterson
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, admitting students from all of Passaic County. It is often referred to as "PCTI", Passaic County Tech or Tech.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,137 students and 282 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 11.12.
History
In 1917, a small group of businessmen in Paterson helped form Paterson Vocational School so that the city would have a school to train young men to enter the textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry, accepting boys who were at least 14 years of age or in the sixth grade, and trained them for two years or until they were ready to assume a job in a factory or trade, whichever came first. From 1917 to the early 1940s, Paterson Vocational School continued to operate as a two-year school, gradually expanding its curriculum to include a wider variety of trades. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the school remained open around the clock providing men and women with the training to become machinist
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
s and draftsmen
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
to design and construct the engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
s used in bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s, fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
s and transport aircraft
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
flown in the Pacific and European theaters. For its service, the school was honored by the War Department.
Aware of the part technology would play in the booming postwar economy, Paterson Vocational School applied for and received approval from 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...
to become a full-fledged high school in 1946. Academic subjects were added, as were new trades like Refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
, Industrial Electric
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and Electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
. The school was renamed Paterson Technical and Vocational High School and quickly gained the name Paterson Tech. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
was offered to shared-time students attending Central High School (now Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey)
John F. Kennedy High School is a four-year public high school in Paterson, New Jersey, United States, that serves the western section of Paterson. Kennedy High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Paterson Public Schools...
), with Paterson Tech renting a farm close to PCTI's present Wayne site where students learned to raise farm animals and grow crops.
By the 1960s, the importance of vocational and technical education was becoming obvious, and in 1964, Paterson Mayor Frank X. Graves, Jr.
Frank X. Graves, Jr.
Frank Xavier Graves, Jr. was a American Democratic Party politician who is best known for serving two separate terms as Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey...
turned over Paterson Tech to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Board of Chosen Freeholders
In New Jersey, the Boards of Chosen Freeholders are the county legislatures in each of that state's 21 counties.- Origin :New Jersey's system of naming county legislators "freeholders" is unique in the United States...
, thereby providing all youngsters in Passaic County access to Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School. With students flooding in from all over the county, Passaic County Tech, now reaching a student population of 500 young men and one girl, was bursting at the seams. The school's two buildings — one dating from the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
located at the corner of Summer and Ellison, the other a refurbished factory on Market Street — could not meet the demands. By 1965 plans were well underway to build a new school that would accommodate students for generations to come.
Armed with a Federal Grant of $3,925,000 — the largest ever awarded to that date — and research from a Citizens' Study Committee, the county chose a 59 acres (238,764.7 m²) tract of land which it owned in Wayne, previously the site of Camp Hope.
Ground breaking ceremonies were held in November 1966 and construction began 15 months later. On September 8, 1970, Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School — at the time, the largest technical/vocational high school in the state and third largest in the nation — opened its doors to close to 1,500 young men and women. In the 25 years since, PCTI has added two wings and an additional Special Needs building, a variety of academic courses and special programs and has kept abreast of technological advances and economic trends by constantly updating vocational, occupational and technical courses. Passaic County Tech has since been renamed Passaic County Technical Institute.
Expansion
With construction completed, a brand new library (F-Wing Library) a separate gymnasium (Athletic Center) (consisting of an indoor pool, a basketball court, indoor track, and a weight room) extending the school's F-Wing (now the FX Wing) was added to PCTI. And remodeling part of the H-Wing to comply with the new H-Wing bridge that connects to the lower end of the FX-Wing. Also adding a new BlackBox Theater, and while not yet complete; several trailer type classrooms are being installed behind the F and FX wing.Shops/Majors
PCTI consists of 13 Schools (as shown on the school's student application):- Academy of FinanceFinance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
- Academy of Information TechnologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
- Computer Repair
- Computer Science
- Academy of Medical Arts
- Medical Arts
- Allied Health
- School of BusinessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
- School of Applied Technology
- School of Business
- Drafting (CAD)
- Electronics
- Manufacturing Technology
- School of Automotive Technology
- School of Communication ArtsCommunication ArtsCommunication Arts is the largest international trade journal of visual communications. Founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard, the magazine’s coverage includes graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration and interactive media. The magazine continues to be edited and...
- Advertising Art & Design
- Graphic Arts
- Audio Visual Production
- School of ConstructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
Technology - School of CosmetologyCosmetologyCosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
- School of Culinary Arts
- School of Education/Human Services/Child Development
- School of EngineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
- School of Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
- School of Construction
- Dance
- Theater
- Instrumental
- School of Service Careers
- Criminal Justice/Public Safety
- Landscape Design
Extracurricular activities
The Passaic County Technical Institute Bulldogs now compete in 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:...
(NJSIAA). Prior to the realignment that took place in 2010, the school 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....
. PCTI is classified by the NJSIAA as North I, Group IV.
On March 5, 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group IV state championship, edging North Bergen High School
North Bergen High School
North Bergen High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from North Bergen, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the North Bergen School District....
by 86-85 in overtime, in a game played at 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...
.
The football team won the 1998 North I Section IV title game, defeating Union Hill High School
Union Hill High School
Union Hill Middle School is a public middle school in Union City, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Union City Board of Education, an Abbott District. The school was built in what was formerly Union Hill, New Jersey, which merged with West Hoboken in 1925 to form Union City...
48-6 in the tournament final at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
.
Notable alumni
- Mike Adams (born 1981), free Safety for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. - Gerald HayesGerald HayesGerald Hayes is an American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
(born 1980), linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Arizona CardinalsArizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL. - Marcel ShippMarcel ShippMarcel Cornelius Shipp is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He played in the NFL from 2001-2008 for the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2001, and played with them...
(born 1978), running backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Las Vegas LocomotivesLas Vegas LocomotivesThe Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
of the United Football League.
PCTI Alma mater
There is a high school on the hill,up above the city,
Where we have been given tools for life,
Passaic County, we thank you today
‘Cause now we can make our way through this life,
PCT, we thank you today.
There is a heartbeat in the school,
up above the city,
It is the teachers giving us tools for life,
It is the staff helping us to grow,
Administrators helping us to know how to live,
PCT you taught us to give.
We’ve had our share of joy and laughter;
We’ve had our share of hard work and tears,
But PCT, we’ll never forget you,
Throughout all our years.
There is a vision in our hearts for
further achievement,
It is a vision for success in our lives,
Passaic County, we thank you today,
‘Cause now we can make our way in this life,
PCT we thank you today.
External links
- Official Web Site
- Data for the Passaic County Technical Institute, 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...