Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Passaic High School

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Type
  
Public high school

Faculty
  
200.0 FTEs

Enrollment
  
2,940 (as of 2014-15)

Lowest grade
  
Ninth grade

Principal
  
Francisco Velez Jr.

Grades
  
9-12

Color
  
Navy blue


Asst. principals
  
Antonio GarciaOsvaldo MatosGraciella RomeroJeannette Torres-GomezJennifer Welch

District
  
Passaic City School District

Headquarters
  
Passaic, New Jersey, United States

Passaic High School is a four-year community public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Passaic, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Passaic City School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1928.

Contents

Passaic High School Passaic High School marquee entrance NJ Pinterest Entrance

As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,940 students and 200.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.7:1. There were 2,929 students (99.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Passaic High School Passaic Baseball Booster Alumni Association Passaic High School

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 317th-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. The school had been ranked 282nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 313th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 312th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 310th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

History

Passaic High School httpsiytimgcomvitrxYgZwyNS0hqdefaultjpg

Passaic High School's first graduating class, in 1873, was made up of eight students, who attended the Acquackanonk District School. The first Passaic High School was constructed in 1886-87 at the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue (now Broadway). The district's second high school was built in 1910 across the street from the original building on Lafayette Avenue. The present high school on Paulison Avenue was completed in May 1957.

Athletics

Passaic High School Passaic High School phspassaic Twitter

The Passaic High School Indians compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 2,256 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North I, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,090 to 2,568 students in that grade range. For the 2009-10 school year, the school was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Prior to the realignment in 2009, the school competed in Division B of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) which included public and private high schools located in Bergen County and Passaic County.

Between 1915 and 1924, Ernest Blood coached the school's basketball team to a 200-1 record. Passaic was unbeaten for 159 games over more than five seasons, a feat which is considered to be the longest winning streak in basketball history.

The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1920-1922 (defeating Trenton Central High School in the tournament final in each of the three years), 1923 (vs. Asbury Park High School), 1925 (vs. Union Hill High School) and 1929 (vs. Atlantic City High School); the four consecutive state championships won from 1920-1923 are tied for the most by any public school program in the state. The team won the 2001 North I, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Teaneck High School 64-62 in the tournament final.

The football team won the North I Group IV state championship in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989.

Extracurricular activities

Passaic High School hosts one of the largest Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) programs in the country. In 2004 the unit was awarded the Navy's Unit Achievement award, and in both the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years was recognized with the Distinguished Unit Award. Also in 2006 and 2007, under the command of Chelsea Woodson, the unit's Color Guard drill team won First Place at the National JROTC Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. Also in 2007 at the National Drill Championship in Daytona Florida Senior Yasser Acosta earned a Fourth Place trophy for Platoon Armed. In 2008, the unarmed exhibition team under the command of Senior, Anthony Palma, came in a strong fourth-place finish on a national level in Daytona Beach, Florida. This second only to Karla Ramos 4th-place trophy earned in 2004.

In 2006, at the USSBA National Championships at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, Passaic High School was recognized with the Best Percussion National Championship title and the Best Color Guard National Championship title in Class V.

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:

  • Francisco Velez, Principal
  • Antonio Garcia, Assistant Principal
  • Osvaldo Matos, Assistant Principal
  • Graciella Romero, Assistant Principal
  • Jeannette Torres-Gomez, Assistant Principal
  • Jennifer Welch, Assistant Principal

    • Notable alumni

    Notable alumni of Passaic High School include:

  • Amod Field (born 1967), former NFL wide receiver who played one season with the Phoenix Cardinals.
  • Hezekiah Griggs, III (born 1988), an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He became the youngest African-American venture capitalist when he founded H360 Capital in 2011.
  • Art Harris (1949–1970), running back who played college football at Marshall University who was killed in the 1970 Marshall plane crash.
  • Craig Heyward (1966-2006), a running back who was a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1987 and played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts in an 11-year National Football League career.
  • Dennis Johnson (born 1951), former NFL defensive tackle.
  • Augie Lio (1918-1989), football player, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
  • William J. Martini (born 1947), United States district court judge who represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district in Congress.
  • Bill Mokray (1907-1974), basketball historian and statistician enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965 as a contributor to the sport.
  • John Roosma (1900-1983), captain of Ernest Blood's "Wonder Teams" who became the first college player to total 1,000 points for his career while at the United States Military Academy.
  • Sonia Rosado, first Hispanic elected to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
  • Mark Rosenberg (1948-1992), film producer whose works included The Killing Fields.
  • Víctor Santos (born 1976), starting pitcher who has played for the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (2001), Colorado Rockies (2002), Texas Rangers (2003) and Milwaukee Brewers (2005).
  • The Shirelles, the first major female vocal group of the rock and roll era and the first girl group to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • Tyronne Stowe (born 1965), former NFL linebacker.
  • Jack Tatum (1948-2010), former American football defensive back who played ten seasons from 1971 to 1980 for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League.

    • References

    Passaic High School Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA