Weehawken High School

Weehawken High School
Address
53 Liberty Place Weehawken , New Jersey 07086 United States
Coordinates	40°46′27″N74°01′06″W / 40.774141°N 74.018294°W / 40.774141; -74.018294
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1940 (building)
School district	Weehawken School District
NCES School ID	341731002928 [1]
Principal	Robert Ferullo
Faculty	49.0 FTEs [1]
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	570 (as of 2022–23) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	11.6:1 [1]
Color(s)	Red and   Black [2]
Athletics conference	North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Team name	Indians [2]
Newspaper	Indian Ink [3]
Yearbook	The Zenith [4]
Website	whs.weehawkenschools.net

Weehawken High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Weehawken in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Weehawken School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928. ^{[5] [6]}

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 570 students and 49.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. There were 210 students (36.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 31 (5.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. ^[1]

History

The campus, located across the Hudson River from New York City, just west of Boulevard East atop the New Jersey Palisades, consists of a three-story brick structure located in a residential area completed in 1940. ^[7] The building includes three computer labs; a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) lab; an ITV room, a modern library/media center, science labs, an auditorium that can accommodate 800, and a newly renovated gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1,200. ^[8] The facility has been used by Hudson Theatre Works, a non-profit regional performance group based in Weehawken. ^[9]

Students from Secaucus had attended the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Secaucus Board of Education, until the opening of Secaucus High School in 1976. ^[10]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 189th-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. ^[11] The school had been ranked 91st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 104th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. ^[12] The magazine ranked the school 119th in 2008 out of 316 schools. ^[13] The school was ranked 109th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. ^[14] SchoolDigger.com ranked the school 170th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 34 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (82.5%) and language arts literacy (91.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). ^[15]

Curriculum

Students are offered Advanced Placement (AP) classes in many subjects, including AP United States History, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Macroeconomics, and AP Spanish Language. ^[16] College preparatory classes throughout high school, as well as electives offered in conjunction with St. Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey. ^[17]

Weehawken allows Juniors to take a free Princeton Review SAT prep class either Monday or Wednesday afternoons. ^{[17] [18]}

Extracurricular activities

Marching band

In 2012 and 2013, the Weehawken High School Marching Band, under the direction of Michael Lichtenfeld and his band staff, ranked first in the state of New Jersey winning the USBands Group 1A state championship title. (Group 1A division is a band with 40 or fewer people on the field during competition). ^{[19] [20]} In November 2013, the band won the USBands Group 1A National Championship title. ^[21]

In 2015, under the direction of band director Natalie Kerr and the band staff, the band won the USBands Group 1 Open Class New Jersey State Championships. Also under Band Director Natalie Kerr, the Weehawken marching band competed in Tournament of Bands Group 1A in 2016, going undefeated and winning the NYC Metro Regional Championships as well as defeating 25 other bands for the ACC Group 1A championships. The band's score was above 95, and helped promote them to Open Class for the 2017 season.

Returning to USBands competition for the 2017 season, the band completed an undefeated competitive season under the direction of Minesh Shah, including capturing the USBands Group 1A State Championship and Group 1A National Championships. The following season, now under the direction of Ryan Gorman, the band won another Group 1A State Championship and finished 3rd at National Championships, winning the caption award for Best Music. In 2019, the band membership increased to approximately 50 performers, and the band moved up to the USBands Group 2A class. The band won their 3rd consecutive NJ State Championship in October 2019, their first as part of Group 2A.

Athletics

The Weehawken High School Indians ^[2] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris County and Passaic County counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). ^{[22] [23] [24]} Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Weehawken was a member of the National Division of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL), which included schools in Bergen and Hudson counties. ^[25] With 294 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. ^[26] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students. ^[27]

The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint boys lacrosse team with Hoboken High School. In turn, Hoboken is the host school for a joint girls lacrosse team. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. ^[28]

Interscholastic sports teams offered at the school include: ^[2]

• Fall – USBands Competition Marching Band and Color Guard, Cheerleading, Football, Soccer (boys/girls) and Volleyball (girls)
• Winter – Basketball (boys/girls), Cheerleading and Wrestling
• Spring – Baseball (boys) and Softball (girls)

The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1933 (defeating Hamilton High School in the tournament final) and 1938 (vs. Rutherford High School), and won the Group II title in 1942 (vs. Neptune High School), 1943 (vs. Highland Park High School), 1946 (vs. Verona High School), 1953 (vs. Red Bank Regional High School), 1954 (vs. Sayreville High School) and 1955 (vs. Palmyra High School). The eight group championships won by the program is tied for seventh-most among all schools in the state and the third-most among public schools. ^[29] After losing in the finals in three of the previous for seasons, the 1933 team beat Hamilton Township by a score of 40–22 to win the Group III state title. ^[30] The 1953 team won the Group II title with a 60–45 win against Red Bank Regional in the championship game. ^[31] The 1954 team repeated as champion after defeating Sayreville by a score of 71–60 in the Group II final at the Elizabeth Armory. ^[32]

The boys' soccer team was awarded the Group II state championship in 1951 and 1952. ^[33]

In 2020, the name of the teams and their mascot came under question, with some opposing the "Indians" team name and others arguing for its retention. ^{[34] [35]}

Clubs

Extracurricular clubs offered include: ^[36]

• Academic Team, Hudson County Champions in 2003 and 2004, National Academic Championship Competitors in 2004
• Beekeeping ^[37]
• The Zenith, the school's student-run yearbook, has been an award winner in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's annual contest ^[38]

Administration

The school's principal is Robert Ferullo. Core members of his administrative team include the vice principal. ^[39]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Weehawken High School alumni

Notable alumni include those inducted into the school's hall of fame ^[40]

• James L. Brooks (born 1940), director, producer and screenwriter ^[41]
• John Diebold (1926–2005, class of 1943), computer scientist, considered to be an automation evangelist ^{[40] [42]}
• Edward Feigenbaum (born 1936, class of 1953), computer scientist who collaborated on the development of the first expert system Dendral ^[43]
• Anthony Impreveduto (c. 1948–2009, class of 1967), member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1987–2004 ^[44]
• Frank MacCormack (born 1953, class of 1971), professional baseball player ^[45]
• Lori Majewski, entertainment writer, communications strategist and consultant ^[46]
• Steven Massarsky (1948–2007, class of 1966), lawyer and businessman who founded Voyager Communications, parent company of the early 1990s comic book company Valiant Comics ^[40]
• John J. Matheussen (born 1953), politician who represented the 4th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 2003 ^[47]
• David Mearns (born 1958, class of 1976), marine scientist and deep water search and recovery expert, specializing in the discovery of the location of historic shipwrecks ^[48]
• Jerome Robbins (1918–1998, class of 1935 at Woodrow Wilson High School), choreographer, best known for West Side Story and many works for the New York City Ballet ^[49]
• Paul van K. Thomson (1916–1999), Roman Catholic priest, author and educator ^[50]
• Rosemarie Totaro (1933–2018), politician who served two separate stints in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 23rd Legislative District ^[51]

See also

• List of high schools in New Jersey

References

1. School data for Weehawken High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Weehawken High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. Indian Ink, Weehawken High School. Accessed March 30, 2022.
4. Yearbook, Weehawken High School. Accessed March 30, 2022.
5. Weehawken High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 1, 2012.
6. History, Weehawken High School. Accessed November 18, 2021. "Weehawken High School was one of the original members of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools joining in 1928. MSA is the educational accrediting organization for this region of the United States. The high school is extensively evaluated every 10 years and has remained accredited throughout."
7. Sherman, Lauren; and Gaulkin, Ellen Robb. Weehawken, p. 85. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN   978-0-7385-6268-1.
8. "History", Weehawken High School. Accessed June 4, 2016.
9. Hoersch, Joanne. "'Cuckoo's Nest' in our future; Theater group emphasizes community involvement, low ticket prices", The Hudson Reporter , March 30, 2014. Accessed July 29, 2014. "Hudson Theatre Works, a not-for-profit regional group based in Weehawken, will launch its second production at the theater at Weehawken High School in early May."
10. "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."
11. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly , September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
12. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical". New Jersey Monthly . August 16, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2012.
13. "2010 Top High Schools". New Jersey Monthly. August 16, 2010. Accessed March 23, 2011.
14. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank". New Jersey Monthly. September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
15. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011. SchoolDigger.com Accessed March 6, 2012.
16. Weehawken High School 2013 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 29, 2014.
17. Weehawken High School 2015 New Jersey School Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 4, 2016.
18. "Weehawken High School Receives Middle States Accreditation", Weehawken Schools Report, Summer 2010. Accessed July 2, 2012. "In addition, to help seniors prepare for college, the school will continue to conduct Princeton Review Courses and pre-PSAT mini-workshops for Weehawken students taking SATs. The Princeton Review program consists of nine sessions of four hours each, six on Saturdays and three at night."
19. Passantino, Joseph. "Band wins major awards; Weehawken H.S. squad garners back-to-back state titles; home festival on Nov. 3", The Hudson Reporter , November 3, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015.
20. Lin, Jonathan. "Weehawken High School: The best little marching band in the state", The Jersey Journal , October 17, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015.
21. Michaelangelo, Conte. "Weehawken High's marching band captures USBands national title", The Jersey Journal , November 24, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2015. "The Weehawken High School Marching Band completed an undefeated season by winning its first national title at the USBands 'Group 1A' National Championships in Allentown, Pa., earlier this month." In 2016, the Weehawken Marching Band also won the Group 1A state championship and national championship titles under the direction of music teacher, Natalie Kerr. The WHS Marching Band switched to the Tournament of Bands circuit for their 2015-2016 season. They went on to win the Atlantic Coastal Championship for the 1A Division after an undefeated season. Due to their score, they will be competing in the 1 Open Division starting in September 2017.
22. 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."
23. Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
24. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020–2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
25. League Memberships – 2009–2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed November 17, 2014.
26. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
27. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
28. NJSIAA Spring Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
29. NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
30. "Wilson Hurdles Jinx", The Record , March 20, 1933. Accessed February 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "After five years of 'almosting,' Weehawken's Woodrow Wilson cagers finally crashed the title circle on Saturday. Les Purvere's speedsters ran Hamilton Township into the boards to run up a 40–22 victory in annexing the Group 3 crown. Three times previously the Hudson school had lost out in the finals and this year's triumph was acclaimed long and loud by the team's large rooting delegation."
31. "Bloomfield Tops Jefferson, 60-45; Gains Jersey School Division Title -- Hamilton, Weehawken and North Arlington Win", The New York Times , March 22, 1953. Accessed January 12, 2021. "Weehawken gained its first group 2 title since 1946, downing Red Bank, 60–56, behind a 33-point scoring splurge by Steve Madreperia."
32. "Cella's Cagers Lose To Jeffs; Bloomfield Five Fails To Retain Crown", The Record , March 22, 1954. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "St. Mary's of Elizabeth, Weehawken, and Thomas Jefferson of Elizabeth captured championships in the 36th annual N. J. S. I. A. A. basketball tournament here at the Armory.... St. Mary's successfully defended its Catholic B title by halting St. Joseph's of Camden, Weehawken repeated as Group II titlist with a 71–60 decision over Sayreville, and Jefferson knocked out the defending Group IV champ, Bloomfield, by a 59–46 count."
33. NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
34. West, Teri. "Weehawken High School considers getting rid of Indians nickname", The Jersey Journal , July 15, 2020. Accessed November 3, 2020. "And in recent months, a conversation within the Weehawken schools administration about changing the mascot has been accelerating, said Superintendent Eric Crespo, who joined the district last September."
35. West, Teri. "Competing petitions emerge in debate over Weehawken High School’s Indian mascot", The Jersey Journal , July 17, 2020. Accessed November 3, 2020. "One day after a group of former Weehawken students initiated a digital petition to change their high school’s Indian mascot, another group pushed back Thursday with a petition of their own — SaveTheIndians."
36. Clubs and Activities, Weehawken High School. Accessed February 8, 2022.
37. D'Auria, Peter. "At Weehawken High School, beekeeping club is creating buzz", The Jersey Journal , April 27, 2021. Accessed February 8, 2022. "But earlier this year, after learning that her great-grandfather once owned a honey company in Korea, Varela joined roughly a dozen other Weehawken High School students as the inaugural members of a unique extracurricular group: the Weehawken Bee Club."
38. "Columbia Scholastic Press Institute Lists Winners of Yearbook Contest", Herald News , March 30, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "First place winners from New Jersey were: Printed yearbooks high schools: Zenith, Weehawken High School, Weehawken"
39. Staff Directory, Weehawken High School. Accessed February 8, 2022.
40. Hague, Jim. "Academic awards aplenty; Weehawken honors top students, inducts Pasquale into Hall of Fame", The Hudson Reporter , May 13, 2000. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Pasquale becomes the 17th inductee into the school's Hall of Fame. The others are John Diebold (Class of '43) in 1984; beer distributing baron Leo Van Munching (Class of '44) in 1985; Larry McClure (Class of '63) in 1986; Howard Wolf (Class of '39) in 1987; Judge Theodore Botter (Class of '41) in 1988; former Weehawken Mayor Stanley Iacono (Class of '51) and Francis Pizzuta (Class of '57) in 1989. Also: Bernard Baggs (Class of '36) in 1990; famed author Cathy Cash Spellman (Class of '59) in 1991; Barbara Murphy (Class of '40) in 1992; Robert Leonard (Class of '64) in 1993; David Dworkin (Class of '51) in 1994; Janet Pray (Class of '57) in 1995; Edward Feigenbaum (Class of '53) in 1996; Nola Safro (Class of '60) in 1997; Mehran Goulian (Class of '47) in 1998; and Steven Massarsky (Class of '66) in 1999."
41. Horgan, Richard. "When James L. Brooks Interviewed Louis Armstrong", Adweek , October 27, 2011. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Right off the bat, Pollak wondered if those stories of Brooks having interviewed Louis Armstrong for the Weehawken High School newspaper were Internet hooey. Brooks was happy to confirm a semi-wonderful New Jersey journalism world:"
42. Yost, Jeffrey R. Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry, p. 29. MIT Press, 2017. ISBN   9780262036726. Accessed May 20, 2021. "John Diebold was born in 1926 in Weehawken, New Jersey. After graduating from Weehawken High School, the 18-year-old Swarthmore College, but soon took a hiatus to entire the US Merchant Marine Academy, where he developed a fascination with machines and particularly with radar-controlled automatic tracking and firing systems."
43. Lederberg, Joshua. "How DENDRAL was conceived and born", United States National Library of Medicine, November 5, 1987. Accessed October 23, 2015. "I became an expert on its use. I even remember dragging it with me miles on the bus to Weehawken High School, heavy as it was, just to show off my skill with this marvelous technology that no other kid in the high school knew anything about."
44. "Impreveduto dies from heart complications". The Hudson Reporter . August 7, 2009. Accessed August 22, 2012. "A 1967 graduate of Weehawken High School, Impreveduto grew up in Hoboken, where his family operated a food store."
45. Noble, Marty (November 11, 1976). "Big Mac's big chance". The Record . p. C. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
46. Staff. "The 1980s rock again; Weehawken writer chronicles New Wave era in new book", The Hudson Reporter , July 26, 2015. Accessed October 23, 2015. "Majewski was recently inducted into the Weehawken Academic Hall of Fame."
47. Tedeschi, Bruno. "Drive, not cash, fuels Matheussen's Senate bid", The Record , May 31, 2002. Accessed December 21, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "'I don't come from a conservative Republican district,' said Matheussen, who was born in Jersey City, raised in Secaucus, and graduated from Weehawken High School."
48. Hague, Jim. "Weehawken native finds HMS Hood on ocean's floor Mearns' six-year journey ends with mixed emotions; leads to documentary, book", The Hudson Reporter , November 9, 2001. Accessed November 18, 2021. "When David Mearns was a youngster growing up in Weehawken, he was always fascinated by water.... Upon graduating from Weehawken High School in 1976, Mearns headed to Fairleigh Dickinson University to major in marine biology."
49. Kisselgoff, Anna. "Jerome Robbins, 79, Is Dead; Giant of Ballet and Broadway", The New York Times , July 30, 1998. Accessed October 23, 2015. "When his father went into corset manufacturing in Union City, N.J., the family moved to nearby Weehawken, where Mr. Robbins graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1935."
50. "Campus Profiles; English Professor First Of Series", The Cowl, March 16, 1951. Accessed May 20, 2021,via Newspapers.com. "Mr. Paul Van K. Thomson, professor of English literature here at Providence College, has another important job to do besides teaching, that is, being the father of six children. Mr. Thomson who arrived here in 1949 was born in Weehawken. N. J., and attended high school there. After graduation from Weehawken High, he went on to further his education at Columbia University."
51. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1975, p. 190. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1975. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Mrs. Rosemarie Totaro (Dem., Denville) - Assemblywoman Totaro was born in Hoboken June 4, 1933. She attended Weehawken High School."

External links

• Weehawken High School
• Weehawken School District
• School Performance Report for Weehawken High School , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Weehawken School District, National Center for Education Statistics