Ridgewood High School (New Jersey)

Awards, recognition and rankings

During the 1986-87 school year, Ridgewood High School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.

The school was the 28th-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 28th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 20th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 7th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 24th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.

Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 40th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking), which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.6%) and language arts literacy (96.5%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 27th in New Jersey and 917th nationwide. In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Ridgewood High School was listed in 549th place, the tenth-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was ranked 472 in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States, and was ranked 323 in Newsweek's 2005 survey.

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools," The Daily Beast ranked the school 363rd in the nation among participating public high schools and 32nd among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 273rd in the nation and 25th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.

In Spring 2013, Medha Kirtane, a Social Studies teacher at RHS, was honored as an "exceptional" secondary school teacher by Princeton University. An alumnus of Williams College and Harvard Graduate School, Kirtane was recognized along with three other teachers from across the state.

Academic team

Ridgewood High School has had success with its academic teams. In 1999, its quiz bowl team finished second in the country at the National Academic Championship and in fifth place at the National Scholastics Championship sponsored by the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence. Recent successes have included victories in 2013 and 2014 at various local tournaments. Ridgewood's JV History Bowl team won the Northern New Jersey History Bowl in January 2013 and later finished as a quarterfinalist at the 2013 National History Bowl National Championships. In 2015, Ridgewood's Varsity History Bowl finished tied for ninth place at the National Championships. Ridgewood High School was also the site of the 2010 Tri-State History Bowl, a history quiz tournament which served as the pilot competition for what became the National History Bee and Bowl.

Athletics

The Ridgewood High School Maroons compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. For the 2009-10 school year, Ridgewood was part of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, a conference established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Until the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in Division A of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which was made up of high schools located in Bergen County, Essex County and Passaic County, and was separated into three divisions based on NJSIAA size classification. With 1,294 students in grades 10-12, the school is classified by the NJSIAA for most sports as North I, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,090 to 2,568. The school's sports teams are nicknamed the Maroons. Ridgewood High School athletics are broadcast locally on RHS-TV Sports, a student-produced sports television network, every Tuesday night at 8PM throughout the school year.

The boys' tennis team won the overall state championship in 1952 (vs. Montclair High School), 1954-1956 (vs. William L. Dickinson High School all three years), 1958 (vs. Princeton High School) and 1966 (vs. Westfield High School), and won the Group IV state championship in 1968 (vs. Teaneck High School); the six overal state titles, all won in the era before the Tournament of Champions format began in 1992, are tied for the fourth most of any school in the state.

The boys' soccer team won the Group III title in 1953 (as co-champion with Hamilton High School), and won the Group IV state title in 1956 (as co-champion with Kearny High School) and in 1957.

The girls' cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1980 and 1992.

The girls' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

The boys' lacrosse team has won state championships in 1990 (defeating Arthur L. Johnson High School in the final game of the state tournamernt) and 1991 (vs. Montclair High School), along with Group III championships in 2004 (vs. Westfield High School), 2006 (vs. Randolph High School), 2008 (vs. Montgomery High School), 2009 (vs. Shawnee High School), 2012 (vs. Morristown High School) and 2013 (vs. Shawnee). In 2011, Ridgewood High School won the Gibbs League and won the Bergen County Tournament Championship vs. Don Bosco Preparatory High School. Ridgewood High School has made it to the final four of the Tournament of Champions (which includes all six state group champions) both in 2012 when they lost to Bridgewater-Raritan High School in triple overtime (Ranked top 20 in the country by InsideLacrosse magazine in 2012) and in 2013 to Don Bosco Prep High School (Ranked 25th in the country via InsideLacrosse magazine in 2013).

The football team won the North I Group IV state sectional championships in 1991, 2003 and 2004. In 1991, Ridgewood, under coach Chuck Johnson, defeated North Bergen High School by a score of 26-15 in the tournament final to win the North I Group IV state championship, the first ever for the Maroons. In 2003, the football team defeated Morristown High School by a score of 35-6 in the NJSIAA North I Group IV title game at Giants Stadium. In 2004, the football team repeated the feat by defeating Hackensack High School 27-20, again at Giants Stadium. The team defeated Passaic County Technical Institute in 2016 to win the North I, Group V state sectional championship by a score of 14-13, finishing the season undefeated for the first time since 1957, with a 12-0 record.

The girls' soccer team won the Group IV state championship in 1991 with a win against Piscataway High School in the final game of the tournament.

Ridgewood softball, coached by Patricia Auger, won the 2005 Bergen County Championship and 2006 North I Group IV state sectional championship, defeating Bloomfield High School by 3-0.

In 2007, the boys' tennis team won their second State Sectionals title in three years, defeating Livingston High School 3-2 to win the North I, Group IV championship. The 2008 Boys' Tennis Team won their third consecutive North I, Group IV state sectional championship with a 4-1 win in the tournament final over Livingston High School. In 2009, the Maroons defeated Bergen Tech 4-1 at Paramus High School for their fourth consecutive North I Group IV state sectional championship.

In 2007, the girls' indoor track and field were North I, Group IV state sectional champions, edging out East Orange Campus High School. That year, the team came in 2nd nationally for the Shuttle Hurdle Relay; Although not running as fast as they did in 2007, the team came 1st in 2008 for the Shuttle Hurdles at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships. In 2008, the boys' outdoor track and field team placed 6th nationally in the Sprint Medley Relay, the first sprint team to place at Nationals for RHS after numerous previous Top 6 finishes in the Distance Medley Relay.

The girls' lacrosse team won the Group IV state championship in 2010 (defeating Cherokee High School in the tournament final), 2011 (vs. Washington Township High School) and 2012 (vs. Clearview Regional High School); the team won the Tournament of Champions in 2010 vs. West Morris Mendham High School and 2011 vs. Moorestown High School. In 2010, the team won the Tournament of Champions with a 7-6 win against West Morris Mendham in its first appearance in the tournament. They won again in 2011 with a 10-9 comeback victory against rival Moorestown.

The Ridgewood boys' cross country team has won Group IV state championships in 1991 and 1992. The team, headed by Coach Mike Glynn since the 1970s (with the exception of a two-year break), has won multiple titles at the Bergen County Meet of Champions since the 1990s, earning Glynn recognition from The Record in 2010 as its Coach of the Decade. Notable runners in previous years include Joe Lemay, who went on to represent the United States at the World Half Marathon Championships and the World Cross-Country Championships, and Bob Keino (son of Kenyan Olympian Kip Keino), who won the New Jersey State Meet of Champions in both 1992 and 1993. Taro Shigenobu qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals in 2008, and was recognized by The Record as its runner of the year in 2009 and as part of its All-Decade team in 2010, joining Michael Cator, Byron Williams and Ari Zamir on its list of top Bergen County runners. The girls' team won Group IV titles in 1980, 1992, 1998 and 1999, and won individual Group IV championships in 1984, 1993, 1997 and 2001.

Girls' soccer coach Jeff Yearing, in his 25th year of coaching, won his 400th career game in September 2011, placing him second among all active Bergen County coaches.

The Ridgewood boys' track and field teams have also experienced notable success. In the 2013 spring season, the Maroons boys won the Bergen County Relays championship, Big North league championship, the Bergen County Team championship, (over perennial powerhouse Don Bosco Preparatory High School), and their fourth consecutive North I Group IV state sectional championship. The sectional championship qualified RHS for New Jersey's first ever group team championship in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, where the Maroons finished second. At the New Balance Nationals, the team set a new school and county record in the 4x800 meter relay, finishing fifth in the nation in a time of 7:39.57. The team's coaches are Josh Saladino and Mike Glynn.

Campus

Composed of one central building, which, along with the original gym, was completed in 1919 at a total cost of $285,000. The building features brick walls, a slate roof and other stone features. The building was planned to be opened at an earlier date but it was postponed because of World War I. The building was designed by the noted architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout, who also designed the Missouri State Capitol building.

The newest part of the school, the state-of-the-art Science wing, was completed in 2001 and contains 15 laboratory classrooms, three computer labs and a new industrial arts center. A new fitness center, gymnasium, and multipurpose room, the Campus Center, were also included in the renovation. Due to their proximity to the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, the school's fields often flood during heavy rains and spring runoff.

Music

Ridgewood High School's Music department offers three orchestras, three choirs, three concert bands, a marching band, two jazz ensembles, and numerous small ensembles. Ridgewood High School was named a Grammy Signature School in 2004.

The three curricular bands are the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble. John Luckenbill conducts the Symphonic Band. The Symphonic Band is an entry-level band where students focus on sharpening their skills in rhythm, pitch, and balance. The use of method books and exercises is supplemented by appropriate concert selections (Level 2.5 to 3), and these skills are developed in an enjoyable environment.

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:

Demographics

As of the 2011–12 school year Ridgewood High was 70% White, 18% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0.1% Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, and 0% American Indian/Alaskan Native.

RHS's feeder schools are Benjamin Franklin Middle School and George Washington Middle School.

Noted alumni