Bergen County Academies

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Bergen County Academies
Established	1991
Type	Magnet school
Principal	Patricia T. Cosgrove
Students	1100
Grades	9-12
Location	200 Hackensack Avenue Hackensack, NJ USA
Colors	Black and Gold (BT Knights)
Mascot	Knight
Average SAT Scores (2004-05)	694-M 660-V
Athletics	13 Sports 35 Teams
Website	http://www.bergen.org/ACADEMY/

The Bergen County Academies (sometimes referred to as Bergen Academy or BCA) is a public magnet high school located in Hackensack that serves the high-school population of Bergen County, New Jersey. The school was originally the brainchild of the late Dr. John Grieco. The current principal is Patricia Cosgrove; the vice principal is Russell Davis.

Contents 1 House and grounds 2 Program 3 Awards and recognition 4 Admissions 5 History 6 The Academies 6.1 The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST) 6.2 The Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT) 6.3 The Academy for Business and Finance (ABF or ABFIB) 6.4 The Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST) 6.5 The Academy for Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration (ACAHA or ACHA) 6.6 The Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science (ATCS) 6.7 The Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) 6.8 Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) 7 Scheduling 8 Academics 8.1 Mathematics 9 The Arts 10 Student Government 11 Extracurricular activities 11.1 AAST Math Team 11.2 FreshAngles 11.3 Other activities 12 Sports 13 Notable alumni 14 References 15 External links

[edit] House and grounds

The Bergen County Academies is located on the John Grieco Campus of the Bergen County Technical Schools District in Hackensack, NJ. In addition to the main, three floor building, the Environmental Science Center (ESC) and ten modular classrooms are used for academic purposes. Major construction is currently ongoing. A two floor addition is currently being built and renovations to various classrooms and the cafeteria are planned. ^[1]

[edit] Program

The school's strengths are evident in its challenging academics, extracurricular activities, and distinguished faculty, many of whom are doctorates in their respective fields. ^[2] The school also offers individual research opportunities which allow students to compete in science fairs on local to international levels. Seniors participate in Senior Experience, ^[3] in which they attend an all-day internship once a week instead of reporting to school. The school is heavily involved in the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programs.

The school is divided into seven different college-preparatory academic programs. Each program is called an academy and offers a unique set of courses catering to a specific area. An eighth program, called the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) exists for the classes of 2008 and 2009, but does not exist for later classes.

In order to accommodate a traditional liberal arts high school education in addition to higher-level education in specific fields, the school day is from 8:00 AM to 4:10 PM. Students are permitted to enter the building and work as early as 7:15 AM.

While the different academies are often treated as a single school within the district and the state, students apply to colleges and certain academic programs under the aegis of their respective academic programs, rather than BCA as a whole. For example, a student in the Science Academy would list the "Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology" on his college applications; Bergen County Academies itself has no CEEB code.

The school is also known for defying traditional methods and practices adopted by typical high schools. Students are not required to attend study hall during free time and are allowed to socialize in hallways. This time is referred to as "free mods". Homerooms are referred to as IGS (Information Gathering Sessions). All seniors participate in the Senior Experience internship, and classes are scheduled using flexible modular scheduling.

[edit] Awards and recognition

For the 1997 - 1998 school year, AAST was cited by the New Jersey Department of Education as a Star School. ^[4]

For the 2006 - 2007 school year, the Bergen County Academies were recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve^[5].

The Bergen County Academies were cited as a "Public Elite", one of 22 such schools recognized nationwide in Newsweek magazine's listing of "America's Best High Schools" in the May 8, 2006 issue. Newsweek described the school as "Seven subschools specializing in everything from finance to visual arts"^[6].

[edit] Admissions

Though it is a public school, the admission process is selective. Tuition is free for residents of Bergen County and is paid for by the student's home school district, the State of New Jersey, and a number of public and private grants. Payments from sending districts are mandated by both state and county legislation affecting vocational and technical districts such as BCTS.

BCA serves all 70 municipalities of Bergen County. In recent years, a class of about 250 has been accepted from an applicant pool of 1100 - 1200. ^[7] Limits are held on the number of students that can be accepted from each district, with the limit being based on the size of the high school. The school reports that there are "4 or 5 districts where this is a problem." According to the March/April 2001 special superintendent's report, published in the wake of the 2001 funding controversy (see infra.), there exists an informal agreement that the Academies will accept at least one (qualified) student from each district.

[edit] History

BCA began as a single academy, "The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology" (AAST), which inducted students in fall 1992 for the graduating class of 1996. The school originally intended to provide a unique learning environment where classes were discussion-based and where students were not given grades. However, AAST quickly adopted more standard teaching methods, including the offering of AP Programs, largely due to pressure from parents. ^{[verification needed]}

In 1997 the school expanded to include The Academy for Business and Computer Technology (ABCT), The Academy for Engineering Design Technology (AEDT), and The Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST). The following year, three career institutes were added: The Culinary Arts Institute, The Power and Transportation Institute, and The Visual Arts and Graphic Communications Institute. Although the first class to apply to these three programs was in 1998 (the class of 2002), there was also a class of 2001. The students in this class began as freshmen at the Bergen County Technical High School (which had also been located on the Hackensack campus), and subsequently became sophomores in the career institutes. In 1999, the career institutes were renamed to become academies: The Academy for Culinary Arts (ACA), The Academy for Power and Transportation (APT), and The Academy for Visual Arts and Graphic Communications (AVAGC).

In subsequent years, several of the newer programs underwent changes. Eventually all 7 programs were geared less towards career prep and more towards college prep, adopting a liberal arts curriculum with an extra focus on their respective fields. Beginning in 2002 with the entering class of 2006, ABCT changed its focus and became The Academy for Business and Finance (ABF), APT was replaced by The Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science (ATCS), ACA added hotel administration to its coursework and became The Academy for Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration (ACAHA), and AVAGC expanded its scope to include performing arts, and became The Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA).^[8]

The school itself also changed its name numerous times: first "Bergen County Regional Academies", then "Bergen Academies", then "Bergen County Academy" (with the singular denoting the unity of the seven programs), and then the present "Bergen County Academies".

Over the past several years, funding policies and admissions procedures have drawn the ire of many local districts. In 2001, a major dispute initiated by the Bergen County School Administrators' Association focused on what Paramus Superintendent Janice Dime called "elitism." ^[9] Several of these districts threatened to withdraw funding from the program. The Bergen County Technical Schools agreed to increase the transparency of the admissions process and enter into talks with a number of sending districts. ^[10] For the 2006 - 2007 school year, districts pay annual tuition of $6600 for each student.^[1] For copies of Bergen Record articles on the subject of BCA admissions as well as a rebuttal to the original allegations by then-superintendent Dr. Grieco, see the March/April 2001 special superintendent's report.

[edit] The Academies

The academies are listed here in order of identification numbers. The first three academies (AAST, AEDT, and AMST) share parallel schedules and science courses each year; they merge in core classes, while AEDT is more similar to AAST than AMST. The last three (ATCS, ACAHA, and AVPA) have science courses spread through the four years similarly, also sharing courses and classes. ABF provides its rigorous IB course. It has a science and intellectual focus while incorporating aspects of Telecom, Culinary, and the Visual and Performing Academies. The academies are commonly referred to, not by their acronyms, but rather by single-word nicknames: AAST is Science, AEDT is Engineering, ABF is Business, AMST is Medical, ACAHA is Culinary, ATCS is Telecommunications or Telecom, and AVPA is Visual/Performing/Music. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST)

AAST was founded on a charter school framework in 1992 with the mission of preparing interested students for careers in math and science by promoting a problem-solving, project-based, technical learning environment. Over time, AAST has departed a bit from this model and has become a more standard magnet school, drawing students from across the county. The roots of the program, however, can be seen in its unique science curriculum, which emphasizes and integrates chemistry, biology and physics, and its hallmark Wednesday lab rotation. This academy celebrated ten years of excellence in 2006-07. Much of the AAST model, including the 6-mod project period on Wednesday, has been adopted by the other academies. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT)

This academy's core curriculum is similar to that of AAST. The two programs share the same core courses, but AEDT directs students away from some of AAST's focus on biology in order to provide room for courses in electronics and design increasingly in upper grades. However, a neuroscience course called Physiological Control Systems is required for all junior AEDT students. The program encourages students to take part in several competitions such as "BattleBots IQ". Students in AEDT take the required science courses with AAST, as well as its own engineering courses, like civil engineering and Digital Electronics, so they are considered a busy academy. The only courses that are mandatory for AAST and not AEDT are biology electives. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for Business and Finance (ABF or ABFIB)

Originally called the Academy for Business and Computer Technology (ABCT), the academy participates in the IB Diploma Program. Students in the Business Academy take extra courses in economics, management, SAP Technology, business ethics, and the rigorous IB curriculum. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST)

Students in this academy take more biology courses than other BCA students. During the ninth grade, in addition to Biology, students explore epidemiology, pharmacology, and science methods in their Medical Science Seminar. To make up for taking one less year of physics, the students take required college-level medical courses including Biotechnology and Zoology in the tenth grade, Anatomy and Physiology in eleventh grade, and Bioethics in twelfth. In addition, they are required to take four more medical electives before graduation. AP courses such as AP Chemistry, Biology, or Psychology may count for three of these electives. Additional electives in biology include Botany, Developmental Biology, Experimental Science, Molecular Biology, Psychology, Virology, and Immunology. Medical students typically take literature and history courses alongside business students. These students are parallel with AAST and AEDT, but tend to differ increasingly in the upper grades. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration (ACAHA or ACHA)

Founded in 1997 and originally called the Academy for Culinary Arts (ACA), the program represented a culinary vocational program that was reworked to give students a more academic focus. Originally grouped with APT and AVAGC (see abbreviations stated previously) as "career" academies, they were set apart from the college prep programs of AAST, ABCT, AEDT and AMST. After being reorganized into academic, college-prep academies, the name changed to the present name in 2002 to reflect the change in emphasis and curriculum. Head instructor Mary Beth Brace has been recognized as Advisor of the Year for SkillsUSA and has received attention for devotion as a baking and culinary arts instructor. Chef John Branda, who worked in the food service industry for 30 years, was the saucier at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and co-owned an upscale Fair Lawn restaurant. ^[11]

[edit] The Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science (ATCS)

This academy is often referred to as Telecom. Its primary focus is the world of computers and the internet. Its students are well-prepared for careers as computer programmers, software engineers, networking technicians, and other computer-related professions. ATCS students study material from Cisco Systems and Oracle Corporation and compete in competitions against other schools and colleges. This year, due to NJIT, they are able to receive college credits for advanced classes. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA)

This academy is unique for being subdivided into two main sub-academies: Visual Arts and Performing Arts. There exists the Visual Academy under its sub-Academy name and the Theatre and Music Academies are stationed under the sub-Academy name 'Performing'. Visual, Performing, and Music students have performed at venues in nearby New York City. ^{[verification needed]} Depending on their focus, students in AVPA take classes in either drawing, painting, printing, sculpture, acting, and stagecraft, or music and music theory. They share some core classes with the Telecommunications academy and the Culinary academy. Please refer to The Arts section for more information.

[edit] Global Leadership Exchange (GLE)

Started in 2004 to first support the class of 2008, GLE is the newest program at the Academies; its focus is the field of biotechnology and global leadership ^[12]. It was initially designed to give its students the state high school requirements in two years ^[13], with International Baccalaureate courses being later added to the program. The components of the GLE program, such as biotechnology, are being integrated into the Academy for Medical Science Technology. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Scheduling

BCA students observe a form of flexible modular scheduling. Robert Aloia, superintendent of schools, suggested a new schedule in the spring of 2006, to be implemented in the 2006-2007 school year, to relieve the guidance department which had previously manually scheduled 1100 students and 100 teachers. The new schedule consolidates three-mod periods into hours, institutes a common lunchtime (from module nine to module fifteen ^{[verification needed]}), and staggers classes throughout the week. It is criticized because it has exceeded the capacity of the cafeterias during lunch, eliminated a number of classes that met exclusively in two-mod periods, and required amendments to the faculty contract that had not yet been negotiated. It was met with disapproval by the staff and more vocal resistance by students and parents; Aloia postponed implementation for an unspecified period but promised to revisit the issue in 2007. ^{[verification needed]}

Each day is divided into twenty-five sections, the first being IGS. The other twenty-four, called modules, last seventeen minutes; three free minutes between each module are used to navigate to the next class. Classes typically last three modules, or fifty-seven minutes (or one hour, adding the additional three minutes). Other classes are two modules long, and some classes, notably Wednesday Labs and Wednesday projects, last four and six modules respectively.

Class time is variable, ranging from four hours (3 mods, 4 times) per week for AP programs or high-level classes to two hours per week for electives, for example. Due to this scheduling method, students generally have each class two or three times a week (with a few exceptions, notably AP and IB programs), as opposed to standard schedules in which each class meets every day. Exceptions to these principles include:

• Students may schedule individually with teachers; this is available only for independent studies such as research or choir.
• Students with labs meet for four mods each Wednesday for laboratory work, relevant to their chemistry, physics, or biology courses, in rotation.
• Students with projects meet for six mods each Wednesday for classes that are more project-driven than usual courses. Since 2003, Wednesday projects have become increasingly restricted by required projects.

Sometimes, between classes are "free mods" (modules with no class). Most students take electives, socialize, do homework, study, or use the computer labs during this time. Most students have a free mod each day during the scheduled lunchtime, somewhere between 11:10 and 1:10, and there are upper and lower limits to a student's free mods (30 and 15, respectively). ^{[verification needed]} Students were once required to sit in the school office during their free mods, but in 2004 this was replaced by a more traditional detention.

During the final three modules on Wednesday, the students report to their elected clubs. These include chess club, homework club, club for course help, and break-dancing club. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Academics

There are eighteen academic departments of BCA: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Culinary Arts, Engineering, English, Health/PE, History, Journalism, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Studio Arts and Graphic Communications, Technology, Theater Arts, Senior Experience, Visual Arts, and World Languages. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Mathematics

Students in ABF who participate in the IB program have two years of Integrated Math and two years of IB Math. Other students generally follow the in-house mathematics curriculum with an advanced nature, which begins with algebra and continues to linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and beyond. It begins with the pre-calculus sequence^{[verification needed]}.

Advanced Algebra II and Trigonometry

Math Analysis I or Adv. Math Analysis I

Math Analysis II or Adv. Math Analysis II

This prepares the student for Statistics or AP Statistics, or the more common calculus sequence:

Calculus I or AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC or AP Analytical Calculus (BC+)

Single Variable Calculus or Multi-Variable Calculus or Linear Algebra and Ordinary Differential Equations or Advanced Topics in Mathematics

Topics in Advanced Mathematics or Data Structures

Students place into a course in the pre-calculus sequence and continue up, taking one course in each group. The full sequence requires six years; fewer than twenty students from each graduating class reach Topics in Advanced Mathematics, which is not unexpected given the advanced nature of the course. As described in the 2006 catalog,

“	This is our most advanced course. Designed for the exceptionally well-prepared student, this course covers material that is two years beyond the curriculum of BC Calculus. As such, the material varies from year to year, currently covering a sweeping introduction to three cornerstones of Mathematics, namely, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra and Real Analysis. Vector spaces, linear operators, groups, fields and rings, and the topological underpinnings of Calculus are covered. Emphasis is placed on rigor and proof.	”
	— the BCA course catalog

An often-noted shortcoming of this otherwise rigorous curriculum is its lack of geometry, which spans a full year in traditional high schools. As of 2007, geometry is briefly covered in the introductory course "Geometric Concepts", a one-trimester elective, in Analysis I (for the first trimester) / Advanced Analysis I (for six-weeks) or in various six-module projects dealing with geometry. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] The Arts

Students of all academies participate in various studio and performing arts courses, not just open to the arts academies. In particular, the Bergen County Academies Choir has won excellent ratings, trophies, and awards at local and national competitions under Dr. Patrick D. Finley. The choir is currently top in the nation, rated Superior in the AA division, as rated at the North American Music Festivals Competition in New York City, March 2006. ^{[verification needed]} Notably, the Academies offer college-level courses in music theory, including AP Music Theory and Advanced Problems in Music Theory. The instrumental performance program offers other features, including an opportunity for students to play with the North Jersey Philharmonic, regular appearances at local jazz clubs by the school's jazz ensemble, and the first Guitar and Mandolin Society founded by the school's department. ^{[verification needed]}

The school features two studio art labs. One is a studio for traditional painting and sculptures, where students and faculty members work to produce artwork; the art has won awards in local competitions. The second studio is a visual arts lab equipped with compositing and printing equipment to train students in graphic communication and print media. ^{[verification needed]}

The theatre arts department puts on plays and musicals each year in an auditorium seating 1,300, sometimes rented to outside professional groups. ^{[verification needed]} The school has a restaurant-grade kitchen for teaching culinary arts, featuring the Academy Grill, which serves meals prepared by the school's culinary arts students. ^{[verification needed]} The Bergen Academies Video Lab broadcasts inside the school, featuring workstations, professional cameras, and a bluescreen. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Student Government

There are three branches to the student government: Student Council, Class Council, and the Superintendent's Congress. The Bergen County Academies Student Council runs a variety of school events including the Homecoming Dance, Battle of the Bands, assemblies, community service activities, Spirit Week, presentations, and various appreciation days. ^{[verification needed]} Each graduating class elects its own Class Council with required council experience to perform functions limited in scope to a single class. ^{[verification needed]} The Superintendent's Congress consists of representatives from every academy recommended by teachers. The congress meets with the superintendent every six weeks to discuss school issues. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] AAST Math Team

With nearly 100 students in participation, AAST Math Team is a large extracurricular team at the Academies. Since its inception, the team has been coached by Joseph Holbrook, ^[14] who is also the chair of the mathematics department. In line with the school's original philosophy, Holbrook created a model for mathematics education that was directed at solving non-standard problems, without concerning traditional time restraints and curricula. Holbrook runs problem-solving sessions on Saturdays and Sundays, which function as practice sessions for team members. This model has been adapted to create programs for local middle school students. ^{[15] [16]} Students are encouraged to come to practices and participate with the team in high school math competitions.

The AAST Math Team participates in competitions such as the AMCs, AIME, USAMO, Mandelbrot, Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament, and ARML. The team often ranks within the top ten in competitions it enters, competing against top magnet schools and state and regional teams. The team has been nationally ranked either first or second in each of the past four years of the Mandelbrot Competition. ^[17]

Although the AAST Math Team is open to all academies, it is still known as "AAST" for historical reasons.

[edit] FreshAngles

As part of a co-curricular program run through the Academies' Journalism and English departments, students run their own teen-oriented current events website known as FreshAngles, located at freshangles.com. Topics written about include politics, technology, sports, pop culture, and creative writing. The project began in the summer of 1996 as an on-line magazine for teens by teens, in partnership with The Record. The site debuted to the public on January 27, 1997, originally located at teenvoice.com and known as in-site. Beginning in 1998, the website officially changed its name to Teenvoice. In 2000, Women Express, Inc., publisher of Teen Voices magazine, threatened the school with a copyright infringement lawsuit for using the name Teenvoice, so the name of the website changed to FreshAngles on May 9, 2001. ^{[verification needed]}

FreshAngles was much more prominent in the past. Originally, students participated in this project by taking elective classes in Journalism and Wire Editing, where students learned how to acquire articles from the AP wire. At one time, the site had a staff of over 220 students. As of January 2001, just before Teenvoice became FreshAngles, the site was receiving over one million hits per month. Companies such as Random House and Sony often sent the staff music, books, and electronics for review well before the commercial release date. Teenvoice also had collaborations with Columbia University's Center for New Media, Fred Friendly Seminars, ABC Television's ABC 2000 Today, as well as local high schools' newspapers. The project suffered throughout the Teenvoice to FreshAngles transition, as it saw a reduction in website visitors, staff members, and lost contact with prior collaborators. ^{[verification needed]}

FreshAngles began to gain popularity again, but a crash of the server lasting from 2005 to 2006 temporarily destroyed the website and the articles archived on it. Beginning in 2007, FreshAngles started back up on an outsourced server, run by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Other activities

The Academies' BattleBots IQ team, known as the Titanium Knights, won the 2006 national heavyweight championship in the high school division with the robot E2V2, ^[18] and won two other awards for another 120lb robot, Knightrous. In previous years, the team has won second, third, and fourth place titles in BBIQ, and affiliated student teams have won numerous awards in Northeast Robotics Club events.

Mission: Bossou is a charitable project of the students of Bergen County Academies. Its official purpose is to deliver food as quickly as possible to people suffering from hunger in Bossou [Guinea] and surrounding communities.

The Bergen County Academies is also home to a large Amnesty International student group. Students from the chapter participate in biweekly letter-writing campaigns, bring speakers to campus, lobby government officials, and attend local, regional, and national conferences on human rights. ^[19]

The Academies also have a strong debating tradition. The Academies' policy debate program finished first in Bergen County in 2005-2006, beating Tenafly High School (which had won the previous six years) and the Dwight-Englewood School. There are three levels of competition: Novice, Junior Varsity, and the highly selective Varsity level that accepts only six teams, with more than twice that number usually trying out. During the 2006-2007 school year, however, there was no novice debate program, due to a lack of freshman debaters. The single freshman team competed at the JV level instead.^{[verification needed]}

The Bioscience Research Program enables up to 40 students per year from any academy to learn how biologists work as scientists in the research laboratory. The program consists of a series of four courses: Experimental Science 1 and 2, and Research 1 and 2. The Experimental Science courses focus on learning how the research investigation process works, and the Research courses allow students to design and complete a project in an area of biology. The goal is publication of their work via competition in science fairs during trimester 3 of the second year. A new cell biology research laboratory under construction planned to be open in February 2007. For more information: BRP

Academy students participate in competitions nationwide, like Debate, SkillsUSA, FBLA, and HOSA. The Academies have a Model UN program consisting of their own Model UN conference, called AMUN and the Academies Model United Nations Team, which has won Best Delegation at Yale, Princeton and MIT/BU, and garnered numerous individual delegate awards. The Academies' Quizbowl team placed third at NJ States in the 2004-2005 school year and went to the national tournament; it qualified to compete again in the national championship in 2007. It won the fall 2006 New Jersey State Championship in the Knowledge Master Open, placing eighth in the nation. It won the NAQT New Jersey State Championship at Rutgers in 2007.

[edit] Sports

The Academies shares its sports program with the Bergen County Technical High Schools. The boys' teams, called the Bergen Tech Knights, and the girls' teams, the Bergen Tech Lady Knights, have formerly played in the BCSL Olympic athletic conference. ^{[verification needed]} Bergen Tech has been placed in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) for the start of the Fall 2006 athletic season. Bergen Tech would face teams such as Bergen Catholic High School, Don Bosco Preparatory High School, Paramus Catholic High School and Saint Joseph Regional High School. It is important to note that the tennis team and baseball team advanced to the North I Group IV State playoffs last year. In 2006, the football team and soccer team reached the playoffs. ^{[verification needed]}

Numerous sports are offered for boys and girls, including basketball, bowling, lacrosse, soccer, track, and volleyball. For boys, offerings also include football and wrestling. For girls, the program also includes cheerleading (club program) and softball. If a particular sport is offered by the student's home district but not by the Academy (i.e. ice hockey, fencing), that student may join and participate with his local school's team. ^{[verification needed]}

[edit] Notable alumni

• Harry Altman, class of 2005, appeared in the documentary Spellbound
• Kaavya Viswanathan, class of 2004, author of the controversial novel "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life"
• Meetu Chilana, class of 2002, singer/actress/producer ^[20]
• Sean Campbell, class of 2007, author of "The Sitcoms of Norman Lear" ^[21]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bergen County Academies website
• Bergen County Academies PPO website
• Bergen County Academies's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• BCA math competitions