Pompton Lakes High School
Encyclopedia
Pompton Lakes High School (PLHS) is a four-year comprehensive
public high school
in the borough of Pompton Lakes
, New Jersey
, United States, operating as part of the Pompton Lakes School District
. The school accepts students from Pompton Lakes as well as those from Riverdale
who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship
. The high school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
and the New Jersey Department of Education
.
The school mascot is the Cardinal. The actual structure of the building displays a classic colonial revival exterior, a product of the New Deal
Era. The building was constructed in 1932 and was opened to students in September 1933.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 663 students and 44 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.07.
The school was the 173rd-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 156th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 188th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
, the High School opened to students in September of that year and graduated its first class the following June. Students from Pompton Lakes attended Butler High School
before the opening of Pompton Lakes High School. At its opening in 1933, the school received students from Wayne
, Oakland
, and Midland Park
as well as Pompton Lakes. Since then, the school has maintained much of its original structure, with additions of a larger library, another locker room, and an entirely new wing erected in the 1960s.
For much of the 1996-1997 school year, the comedy In & Out
(starring Kevin Kline
and Tom Selleck
) was shot in and around the high school. Many different classrooms and facilities were used as the set for the movie, as well as many students were used as extras.
They include:
Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered include AP Biology
, AP Chemistry
, AP Physics
, AP Calculus
, AP Statistics
, AP United States History
, AP English Literature and Composition
, AP Spanish Language
, AP German Language
, AP French Language
Including:
(NJIC), which comprises private and public high schools located in Bergen County
, Hudson County
and Passaic County
, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Pompton Lakes was part of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League
(BPSL).
PLHS has won many championships in sports since the very beginning. In the fall of 2005, the Football and Boys Soccer teams advanced all the way in their respective playoffs, both bringing home state championships. The football team won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
(NJSIAA) North I, Group I title, defeating Hasbrouck Heights High School
27-7 in the final. The Boys Soccer won the NJSIAA overall Group I championship).
The 1996 Boys Soccer Team were league and state champions with an overall record of 23-1. They lost the final of the Passaic County tournament to Paterson's
John F. Kennedy High School
.
The 1998 Boys Football Team were the North I, Group II state football champions, beating Westwood High School 7-6 on a snowy field.
The 2001 boys tennis team won the North I, Group II over Rutherford High School 3½-1½ in the tournament final.
In 2001, the girls softball team won the North I, Group II sectional championship, edging Mahwah High School
1-0. The team repeated in 2002, again winning by a 1-0 score in the final, this time over top-seeded Hawthorne High School
, their first sectional championship since their win in 2002. The 2007 team won the title, with a 4-1 win vs. Saddle Brook High School
. The 2008 team repeated the North I, Group I title, defeating Park Ridge High School
8-3 in the tournament final.
The boys track and field
team won the 2006 and 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championships tying Hasbrouck Heights High School
in 2006 and winning outright with 65 points in 2007.
The football and boys soccer teams both acquired state championships in 2006. The football team held their championship trophy in giants stadium that year.
The girls tennis team won the 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over New Milford High School. The win was the team's first ever state sectional title.
The field hockey team is a perennial power in northern New Jersey. The Cardinals have won the Passaic County title 14 times, most recently in 2008 when they beat Wayne Hills High School
1-0 in the final. Pompton Lakes also won three consecutive sectional titles from 2008–2010, defeating Boonton High School
2-1 in the 2010 final.
Boys Sports offered include: Football, Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Wrestling, Fencing, Bowling, Winter Track, Baseball, Spring Track and Tennis. Girls Sports include Field Hockey, Soccer, Cross Country, Tennis, Basketball, Fencing, Winter Track, Bowling, Softball and Spring Track.
The school also has a marching band
and color guard
which competes in USSBA competitions. The Cardinal Marching Band has been a part of PLHS for over 70 years (2005) with up to 100 students participating.
The cheerleading squad has also begun to compete competitively.
Comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
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 the borough of Pompton Lakes
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,097....
, 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, operating as part of the Pompton Lakes School District
Pompton Lakes School District
The Pompton Lakes School District is a comprehensive public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Pompton Lakes, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States....
. The school accepts students from Pompton Lakes as well as those from Riverdale
Riverdale, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,498 people, 919 households, and 671 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,215.2 people per square mile . There were 940 housing units at an average density of 457.3 per square mile...
who attend 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 high school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
and 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 mascot is the Cardinal. The actual structure of the building displays a classic colonial revival exterior, a product of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
Era. The building was constructed in 1932 and was opened to students in September 1933.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 663 students and 44 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 15.07.
The school was the 173rd-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 156th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 188th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Awards and recognition
During the 1986-87 school year, Pompton Lakes High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
History
Built in 1932 in Colonial Revival styleColonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
, the High School opened to students in September of that year and graduated its first class the following June. Students from Pompton Lakes attended Butler High School
Butler High School (New Jersey)
Butler High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Butler, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Butler Public Schools....
before the opening of Pompton Lakes High School. At its opening in 1933, the school received students from 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....
, Oakland
Oakland, New Jersey
Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,754.Oakland was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1902, from portions of Franklin Township.-History:The Van Allen House...
, and Midland Park
Midland Park, New Jersey
Midland Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,128....
as well as Pompton Lakes. Since then, the school has maintained much of its original structure, with additions of a larger library, another locker room, and an entirely new wing erected in the 1960s.
For much of the 1996-1997 school year, the comedy In & Out
In & Out
In & Out is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Tom Selleck, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, and Wilford Brimley. The screenplay was written by screenwriter Paul Rudnick...
(starring Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
and Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
) was shot in and around the high school. Many different classrooms and facilities were used as the set for the movie, as well as many students were used as extras.
Academics
Many different courses and programs are offered at Pompton Lakes High School.They include:
- Physical Education
- Independent Study
- Teacher Aide
- Language Arts Literacy (including elective courses)
- Social Studies (including elective courses)
- Science (including elective courses)
- Mathematics
- World Languages
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Business/Technology
- Industrial/Technology
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Art
- Music
Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered include AP Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, AP Physics
AP Physics
AP Physics defines three categories of high school physics courses: A, B, and C. Category A refers to general introductory physics courses that are not mathematically rigorous...
, AP Calculus
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, AP Statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, AP United States History
AP United States History
Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
, AP English Literature and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The Course:This course is designated for motivated students with a command of standard English, an...
, AP Spanish Language
AP Spanish Language
Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
, AP German Language
AP German Language
Advanced Placement German Language is a course and examination provided by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program...
, AP French Language
AP French Language
Advanced Placement French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course...
Clubs
There are many different clubs that students can participate in at Pompton Lakes High School.Including:
- Assembly Planning Committee
- Environmental Club
- ERASE
- FBLAFBLA-PBLThe Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...
- Health Careers Club
- Interact
- Math League
- Marching Band
- Model United NationsModel United NationsModel United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
- Spring Musical
- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- Peer Helpers
- Performing Arts Club
- Student Council
- Student Movement Against Cancer (SMAC)
- Student Opportunities for Academic Recognition (SOAR)
- Yearbook
- Varsity Club
- Zonta clubZonta InternationalZonta International is an international service organization founded in Buffalo, New York in 1919 with the mission of advancing the status of women.Currently, Zonta International is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois...
Athletics
The Pompton Lakes High School Cardinals are part of the 37-member North Jersey Interscholastic ConferenceNorth Jersey Interscholastic Conference
The North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, or NJIC, is a high school athletic conference located in New Jersey. It is one of the so-called "super conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association as a part of a realignment of high school sports leagues in North...
(NJIC), which comprises private and public high schools located in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
and 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...
, 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:...
. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Pompton Lakes was part of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League
Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League
The Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League, abbreviated BPSL, was an athletic conference comprising thirteen private and public high schools located in Bergen County and Passaic County, New Jersey, United States...
(BPSL).
PLHS has won many championships in sports since the very beginning. In the fall of 2005, the Football and Boys Soccer teams advanced all the way in their respective playoffs, both bringing home state championships. The football team won 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) North I, Group I title, defeating Hasbrouck Heights High School
Hasbrouck Heights High School
Hasbrouck Heights High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hasbrouck Heights School District....
27-7 in the final. The Boys Soccer won the NJSIAA overall Group I championship).
The 1996 Boys Soccer Team were league and state champions with an overall record of 23-1. They lost the final of the Passaic County tournament to Paterson's
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...
John F. 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...
.
The 1998 Boys Football Team were the North I, Group II state football champions, beating Westwood High School 7-6 on a snowy field.
The 2001 boys tennis team won the North I, Group II over Rutherford High School 3½-1½ in the tournament final.
In 2001, the girls softball team won the North I, Group II sectional championship, edging Mahwah High School
Mahwah High School
Mahwah High School is the four-year comprehensive public high school serving students from Mahwah, Bergen County, New Jersey, operating as the only high school of the Mahwah Township Public Schools...
1-0. The team repeated in 2002, again winning by a 1-0 score in the final, this time over top-seeded Hawthorne High School
Hawthorne High School (New Jersey)
Hawthorne High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Hawthorne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hawthorne Public Schools....
, their first sectional championship since their win in 2002. The 2007 team won the title, with a 4-1 win vs. Saddle Brook High School
Saddle Brook High School
Saddle Brook High / Middle School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Saddle Brook, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Saddle Brook Public Schools....
. The 2008 team repeated the North I, Group I title, defeating Park Ridge High School
Park Ridge High School
Park Ridge High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school with an integrated two-year middle school located in the borough of Park Ridge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Park Ridge Public Schools. The school is accredited by the New Jersey Department...
8-3 in the tournament final.
The boys track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team won the 2006 and 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championships tying Hasbrouck Heights High School
Hasbrouck Heights High School
Hasbrouck Heights High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hasbrouck Heights School District....
in 2006 and winning outright with 65 points in 2007.
The football and boys soccer teams both acquired state championships in 2006. The football team held their championship trophy in giants stadium that year.
The girls tennis team won the 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over New Milford High School. The win was the team's first ever state sectional title.
The field hockey team is a perennial power in northern New Jersey. The Cardinals have won the Passaic County title 14 times, most recently in 2008 when they beat Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School is a comprehensive community public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two high schools that are part of the Wayne Public Schools...
1-0 in the final. Pompton Lakes also won three consecutive sectional titles from 2008–2010, defeating Boonton High School
Boonton High School
Boonton High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Boonton, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Boonton Public Schools...
2-1 in the 2010 final.
Boys Sports offered include: Football, Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Wrestling, Fencing, Bowling, Winter Track, Baseball, Spring Track and Tennis. Girls Sports include Field Hockey, Soccer, Cross Country, Tennis, Basketball, Fencing, Winter Track, Bowling, Softball and Spring Track.
The school also has a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
and color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
which competes in USSBA competitions. The Cardinal Marching Band has been a part of PLHS for over 70 years (2005) with up to 100 students participating.
The cheerleading squad has also begun to compete competitively.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Vincent Przybylinski, Jr., Principal
- Anthony Mattera, Vice Principal
Notable alumni
- Cat BauerCat BauerCatherine "Cat" Bauer is the award-winning author of contemporary novels featuring the young protagonist, Harley Columba, and is known for her unique and honest voice. Publishers Weekly said, "Bauer creates a witty and resilient narrator in...Harley Columba.....
(born 1955), author. - Charlie GettyCharlie GettyCharles Matthew Getty is a former American football tackle who played ten seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Kansas City Chiefs....
(born 1952), played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. - Michael WeinerMichael Weiner (executive)Michael S. Weiner is the executive director or the Major League Baseball Players Association. He assumed the role in December 2009, replacing Don Fehr. Weiner joined the organization in 1988 and had been general counsel since 2004...
(born 1961), Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players AssociationMajor League Baseball Players AssociationThe Major League Baseball Players Association is the union of professional major-league baseball players.-History of MLBPA:The MLBPA was not the first attempt to unionize baseball players...
External links
- Pompton Lakes High School
- Pompton Lakes School District
- Data for the Pompton Lakes School District, 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...