Wikipedia

Secaucus High School

Secaucus High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Secaucus, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Secaucus Board of Education. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.[5]

Secaucus High School
Address
Map
11 Mill Ridge Road

Secaucus
,
Hudson County
,
New Jersey
07094

United States
Coordinates40°48′07″N 74°03′01″W / 40.801948°N 74.050333°W / 40.801948; -74.050333
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoHome of the Patriots
EstablishedSeptember 1976
School districtSecaucus Board of Education
NCES School ID341485002900[2]
PrincipalSteve Viggiani[1]
Faculty58.8 FTEs[2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment637 (as of 2022–23)[2]
Student to teacher ratio10.8:1[2]
Color(s)  Scarlet
  White and
  Blue[3]
Athletics conferenceNorth Jersey Interscholastic Conference (general)
North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Team namePatriots[3]
RivalLyndhurst High School
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[5]
NewspaperThe Patriot Press[4]
Websiteshs.sboe.org

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 637 students and 58.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. There were 156 students (24.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 41 (6.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]

History edit

The high school opened in September 1976, before which students from Secaucus attended Weehawken High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[6] The new school facility was constructed at a cost of $7.8 million (equivalent to $44.2 million in 2023).[7]

Campus edit

Secaucus High School is located in a secluded area of North End, Secaucus. Secaucus High School campus has a estimated total area of 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2), the largest in Hudson County and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area.[citation needed] The school was built on marsh land, completed in 1976 and able to hold up about 1,000 students. The campus includes a track, a football field, 5 tennis courts, two baseball fields, 2 small soccer fields (one of them demolished to make room for renovations), and three parking lots, one of them for senior parking spots. In 2004, the school had an addition of the Arthur F. Couch Performing Arts Center, with seating for 1,000 and a band and chorus room. In 2016, in order to provide space for a full middle school in the building, an addition included new classrooms, new media center, renovated building and track, new offices and a new gym, constructed at an estimated cost of $27 million dollars.[8]

Awards, recognition and rankings edit

The school was the 155th-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.[9] The school had been ranked 90th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 102nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 103rd in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was ranked 107th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[12] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 215th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 34 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13] In 2017, the school was ranked #71 in New Jersey and earned a silver medal in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of Best High Schools.[14]

Athletics edit

The Secaucus High School Patriots[3] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[15][16][17] Prior to the realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Secaucus was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) National Division.[18] With 493 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range.[19] The football team competes in the United White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[20][21] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 184 to 471 students.[22]

 
Secaucus High School (as seen from parking lot)

The school participates with North Arlington High School in a joint ice hockey team in which Kearny High School is the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[23]

The baseball team won the Group I state championship in 1980, defeating Monroe Township High School by a score of 6-0 in the final game of the tournament.[24][25]

The girls volleyball team won the Group II state championship in 1983 (defeating Tenafly High School in the tournament's final match), 1984 (vs. Fort Lee High School), 1985 (vs. Hawthorne High School) and 1986 (vs. Hawthorne), won the Group I title in 1988 (vs. Emerson Jr./Sr. High School), 1989 (vs. Wood-Ridge High School), 1991 (vs. Wallington High School), 1992 (vs. Eastern Christian High School), 1993 (vs. Bogota High School), 1995 (vs. Wallington), 1996 (vs. Emerson), 1997 (vs. Boogota), 1998 (vs. Bogota), 1999 (vs. Cresskill High School), 2000 (vs. Bogota), 2001 (vs. Cresskill), 2005 (vs. Bogota), 2006 (vs. Midland Park High School) and 2014 (vs. Bogota). The program's 19 state group titles are the most in the state.[26] The 1983 team won the program's first state title, defeating Park Ridge in two games (15-8 and 15-12) in the finals of the Group II tournament.[27] After losing in the first game and trailing in the third, the 1984 came back to win the Group II state title against Fort Lee in three games (14-16. 15-2, 15-11).[28] The 1985 team won their third straight Group II title with a 15-9, 15-9 win against Hawthorne in the finals to finish the season at 22-0.[29] In an upset of the number-one seed, the 1986 team finished with a 19-3 record after defeating Hawthorne in two games (15-6 and 15-11).[30] The team won the 2000 Group I state championship over Bogota High School, dropping the first set by a score of 10-15 and then winning the final 15-13 and 15–9.[31] The 2001 team repeated with a win over Cresskill High School in the tournament final.[32] The team took the title in 2005 with a 25–20, 25-18 straight set win over Bogota High School.[33] The 2006 team repeated as Group I champion with a 25–13, 25–12 win in the finals against Midland Park.[34] In 2014, the team beat Bogota 25-22 and 25-15 in the Group I title match to win the program's 19th state championship.[35]

The 2013 softball team won the North II Group I sectional championship, the program's first, defeating defending state champion Whippany Park High School by a score of 1–0.[36]

The 2019 softball team won the Hudson County Tournament after defeating Bayonne High School by a score of 5–4 in the tournament final.[37]

Notable alumni edit

Notable faculty edit

Administration edit

The school's principal is Steve Viggiani. Core members of his administration include the assistant principal.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Staff Directory, Secaucus High School. Accessed January 11, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e School data for Secaucus High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Secaucus High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Patriot Press Issue 1, Secaucus High School. Accessed January 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Secaucus High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "Keep the connection", Hudson Reporter, September 12, 2010. Accessed November 14, 2022. "Secaucus High School didn’t open its doors until 1976. Before then, local students completed their secondary education at out-of-town schools, with many residents attending high school in Weehawken. The Class of 1977 was SHS’s first graduating class."
  7. ^ Cook, Joan. "Pigless Secaucus, 75, Points With Pride", The New York Times, April 29, 1975. Accessed November 14, 2022. "There's the Elms, a six‐story, $2.6‐million apartment complex for senior citizens; the new $7.8‐million Secaucus High School, which should be finished by the end of the year, and a $13.1‐million private hospital under construction, the first general hospital ever built in Secaucus."
  8. ^ Solorzano, Erika. "$27.4M Secaucus Middle/High School construction continues", The Jersey Journal, August 7, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2023. "Plans for the school's $27.4 million renovation were presented during a Board of Education meeting back in November.... The plan is to include 11 classrooms, a green lab, an administration office and a physical education wing totaling 58,870 square feet."
  9. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2012.
  11. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 18, 2011.
  12. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  13. ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2009-2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed December 31, 2011.
  14. ^ "Secaucus High School", U.S. News & World Report. Accessed December 7, 2017.
  15. ^ 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 comprised of 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."
  16. ^ Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
  17. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  18. ^ New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 23, 2014.
  19. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  21. ^ Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  22. ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  23. ^ NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  24. ^ NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Bittiger, Arcuri keys to Secaucus title win", The Record, June 8, 1980. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "It was a wedding, however, that oddly proved the secret weapon for the Patriots yesterday as they blanked Monroe, 6-0, for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1 baseball championship."
  26. ^ NJSIAA Girls Volleyball Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Park Ridge, Secaucus, OT, Paladins win titles", The Record, November 20, 1983. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Bergen County Scholastic League National Division powerhouses Park Ridge and Secaucus each won their first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association volleyball championships last night. Park Ridge won the Group 1 title by edging Bogota, 15-10, 15-13, and Secaucus defeated Tenafly, 15-8, 15-12 for the Group 2 crown."
  28. ^ Brennan, John. "Ramapo wrests area supremacy from Old Tappan", The Record, November 19, 1984. Accessed February 9, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Secaucus was the only repeat sectional winner. The Patriots topped Fort Lee, 14-16. 15-2, 15-11, to win the Group 2 title. The Bridgewomen fought back from a 9-3 deficit in the third game to tie the score at 9."
  29. ^ Michnowski, Brian. "Fair Lawn, Park Ridge, OT follow Secaucus lead", The Record, November 25, 1985. Accessed January 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "A 15-9, 15-9 Group 2 victory over Hawthorne Saturday at Fair Lawn High School gave the Patriots a perfect season and their third consecutive New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association championship. Secaucus (22-0) also scored championship-round victories, over Fort Lee (1984) and Tenafly (1983)."
  30. ^ deMarrais, Kevin. "Ridgewood stuns Paramus", The Record, November 23, 1986. Accessed February 25, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Secaucus, behind sisters Nadine and Shiela Ulrich, upset top-seeded Hawthorne in Group 2, 15-6, 15-11; and Old Tappan rallied to repeat in Group 3 with a 16-14, 16-14 win over Ramsey, and Wallington, which lost to Park Ridge in last year's final, took the Group 1 title with a 15-13, 15-12 win over Bogota.... The Patriots (19-3) jumped ahead, 4-0, in the second game, but Hawthorne scored 10 of the next 11 points to open a five-point lead."
  31. ^ 2000 - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 19, 2007.
  32. ^ 2001 NJSIAA Girls Volleyball - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 19, 2007.
  33. ^ 2005 Girls Volleyball - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 19, 2007.
  34. ^ 2006 Girls Volleyball - Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 19, 2007.
  35. ^ Hague, Jim. "Scoreboard: Just like old times for Secaucus volleyball", The Hudson Reporter, November 23, 2014. Accessed October 28, 2020. "Although Secaucus High School had won a state-record 18 NJSIAA Group state championships over the years, there hadn’t been a new banner to add to the walls of the Secaucus gymnasium since 2006.... Last weekend, the Patriots finally got to add another banner to the wall. They defeated arch-rival Bogota, 25-22 and 25-15, to finally bring home another state title to Secaucus."
  36. ^ Staff. "H.S. Softball: Secaucus defeats Whippany Park", The Record, June 1, 2013. Accessed September 21, 2013. "Secaucus 1, Whippany Park 0 (at Whippany Park): Secaucus did it in the Hudson County tournament final, and was at it again during Friday's North 2, Group 1 softball sectional championship. The fifth-seeded Patriots crashed, perhaps, the biggest party yet, shocking three-time defending sectional champion and last year's Group 1 state champion Whippany Park, 1-0, behind Danielle Roesing's four-hit shutout."
  37. ^ Bernstein, Jason. "Secaucus rallies in the 7th, defeats Bayonne in 8 for Hudson County title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 18, 2019, updated August 22, 2019. Accessed May 14, 2020. "After experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions in the late innings - from squandering a sixth inning lead, to overcoming a two-run deficit in the seventh to force extra-innings, sixth-seeded Secaucus emerged from it all with a 5-4 victory over top-seeded Bayonne, in eight innings, to win the Hudson County Tournament on Saturday at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex in Jersey City."
  38. ^ Jeff Bittiger, Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed May 14, 2020. "Born: April 13, 1962 in Jersey City, NJ... High School: Secaucus HS (Secaucus, NJ)"
  39. ^ Tuite, James. "Players; Jersey Pitcher A Gem For Mets", The New York Times, September 28, 1982. Accessed May 14, 2020. "Players from the Sun Belt, like Strawberry, have a distinct advantage, said the 20-year-old Bittiger, who is from Secaucus, N.J.... Bittiger said that while he was attending Secaucus High he was not especially attracted to either the Mets or the Yankees."
  40. ^ Hague, Jim. "Scoreboard: The reluctant homecoming Secaucus' Lukasiewicz never figured he'd be back pitching in Jersey", The Hudson Reporter, August 24, 2004. Accessed December 7, 2017. "After receiving his release from the Anaheim Angels last fall, Mark Lukasiewicz had a handful of offers to choose from over the winter. The Yankees called and asked if the Secaucus High School legend would be willing to sign on and pitch for them. So did the Chicago Cubs."
  41. ^ Regal, Celeste. "Adult chorus picks up speed New town chorale promises heavenly show in May", The Hudson Reporter, February 14, 2006. Accessed October 17, 2017. "Keith Volpone, a Secaucus High School student who won in 1990, went on to write the music for the hit series The Simple Life and lives and works in Los Angeles."
  42. ^ Livio, Susan K.; and Graber, Trish G. "Former N.J. Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto dies at 61", The Star-Ledger, August 6, 2009. Accessed August 22, 2012. "Impreveduto, who held a master's degree in education administration from Seton Hall, had worked as a teacher and chairman of the business department at Secaucus High School, according to his biography in the Fitzgerald Legislative Manual."

External links edit

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