Hawthorne High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hawthorne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hawthorne Public Schools.
As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 659 students and 52.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentâ€"teacher ratio of 12.6:1. There were 6 students (0.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 32 (4.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE". District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 218th-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 234th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 171st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 148th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 157th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Curriculum
Starting in the 2013-14 school year, Hawthorne High School will be switching to a modified rotating drop schedule, making more opportunities for new classes. The school will offer 19 honor classes along with 12 Advanced Placement classes and 25 new electives.
Athletics
The Hawthorne High School Bears compete in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC), made up of 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 (NJSIAA). With 495 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North I, Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 495 to 761 students in that grade range. Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Hawthorne was a member of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League (BPSL).
The football team won the North I Group II state sectional championship in 1974, 1975 and 1978.
The girls field hockey team won the North I Group II state sectional championship in 1976.
The boys wrestling team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1994.
Interscholastic sports offered include:
- Fall
- Marching Band
- Football
- B&G Soccer
- G Volleyball
- G Tennis
- Cheerleading
Winter:
- Bowling
- B&G Basketball
- Cheerleading
- B&G Indoor Track
- Wrestling
Spring:
- Marching Band
- Golf
- B&G Track
- B Lacrosse
- Baseball
- Softball
Marching band
As of 2017 the band director for the Hawthorne High School Marching band is Keith Williams, assistant band director Caitlyn Scrimo, percussion instructor Brad Griffin, and color guard instructor Melissa Ferrigno. There are approximately 70 students, grades 8 through 12 involved with the marching band. The 2017 season's theme is "# Connections". The band participates in the TOB circuit.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:
- Daniel LaGrone - Principal
- Craig Jandoli - Assistant Principal
- Art Mazzacca - Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director
Notable alumni
- Fulvio Cecere (born 1960, class of 1978), actor.
- Lois A. Cuccinello, who has served on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 1997 and became the first woman in four decades to be named Freeholder Director.
- Debbie Harry (born 1945, class of 1963), lead singer of Blondie, Class of 1963.
- Ivan Sergei (born 1972, class of 1989), actor best known for his work in television.
References
External links
- Hawthorne High School
- Hawthorne Public Schools
- Hawthorne High School Forum
- Hawthorne Public Schools's 2015â€"16 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- School Data for the Hawthorne Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics