Governor Livingston High School
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Governor Livingston High School, known informally as GL, is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Berkeley Heights, in Union County, New Jersey as part of the Berkeley Heights Public Schools.
The school was built in 1960 on the site of a former golf course in the Murray Hill section of Berkeley Heights. It is the sole secondary school for students from Berkeley Heights and Mountainside for grades 9-12, who attend the district's high schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The high school's namesake is William Livingston, the first Governor of New Jersey and a signatory of the United States Constitution. The tartan of the Stewart Clan (of whom Livingston was a member) is a symbol of the school and the tartan's red and blue colors are the high school's colors, as well.
Governor Livingston High School was the 21st-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.[1]
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[edit] History of the School
In 1937, the first regional high school district in New Jersey (Union County Regional School District No. 1) was established by the state for the towns of Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside, and Springfield. At that time, all students residing in the district attended Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. As the district began to grow, additional schools were built, and, in September of 1960, Governor Livingston Regional High School opened its doors to 800 students from Berkeley Heights and Mountainside. The regional district's superintendent at the time was Dr. Warren Davis and Mr. Frederick Aho was the first principal of the high school.
School Principals, 1960-2003
| Principal | Term |
|---|---|
| Mr. Frederick Aho | 1960 - 1973 |
| Mr. Peter Festante | 1973 - 1990 |
| Dr. Rosalie Lamonte | 1990 - 1997 |
| Mr. Benjamin Jones | 1997 - 2003 |
The "Highlander" was chosen the school's mascot by student body vote in the 1960's, combining the tradition of the town's first baseball team and the location of the school at the highest point in Union County.
In 1966, the yearbook adopted the name Claymore, which has continued to the present day.
Project Graduation, held the night of graduation and run entirely by volunteers, debuted in 1989, and provides a safe all-night celebration of each graduating class.
In 1997, the vote to deregionalize the school district passed and the incoming freshmen in the fall of 1997 were the first to enter Governor Livingston High School, part of the Berkeley Heights School District.
[edit] Student Population
As of September 2005 the population at Governor Livingston was approximately 1,050. The population of the High School has been steadily growing since the mid-90's and is expected to reach 1,250 by 2007. Of the 967 students in the school as of the 2004-05 school year, 77 were Asian (7.9%), 13 were African-American (1.3%), 46 were Hispanic (4.8%) and 831 were White (85.9%).[2]
[edit] Academics
Governor Livingston's academic program has been very highly rated, with the high school finishing in the top 40 secondary schools in New Jersey in a recent survey. The school offers a wide variety of classes including Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses for college credit.
The school has offers a wide variety of courses. There is a language requirement, in which a student must take at least two years of a non-English language. It is highly recommended to take four years of a single language. Languages Offered: Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, and American Sign Language.
Governor Livingston was the winner of the 1994, 1995, and 1996 New Jersey Science Olympiad Division C Championship, 1997 Division 5 National Champions for the JETS-TEAMS Competition (Junior Engineering Technical Society) and winners of the 1997 New Jersey State Science Bowl.
[edit] Hard of Hearing Program
Governor Livingston has an extensive Deaf and Hard of Hearing program for teens around Union County. American Sign Language is offered as a language, there are translators and a club available.
[edit] Athletics
The Governor Livingston High School Highlanders compete in the Mountain Valley Conference in varsity, junior varsity, and freshman football, boys and girls soccer, cross country, wrestling, basketball, indoor and outdoor track, baseball, softball, golf, swimming, tennis, field hockey, bowling, lacrosse, fencing and ice hockey.
In 1994, the Highlanders Boys' Soccer team won Mountain Valley Conference, Union County, and NJ Group II State Championships. The Star-Ledger ranked them as high as number 3 in the State of New Jersey.
In 1999, the Highlander Baseball team won the state championship.
The cheerleading squad has gained many awards in past competitions[citation needed].
In 2006, the tennis team placed 10th in the state of New Jersey.
The fencing team is now 6th in the district. The team also has several individuals who are now competing at national fencing events.
Field hockey has also made strides, after many years of failure. In the 2005 season, they carried a total of five wins and equal ties, after the 2004 season which had only one win.
In 2006 the school finished installing a FieldTurf on its football field. It is used primarily for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.
The 2006-2007 Ice Hockey team qualified for the 2007 Kelley Cup playoffs, finishing fourth in the Central Blue division.
[edit] Clubs
The school has many clubs including foreign language clubs, drama, and various student outreach programs.
[edit] Marching Band
Perhaps the best known facet of the High school's many clubs is the marching band, under the direction of Dan Kopcha since the early 1970s. The band is extremely competitive and has been recognized with many awards. The band competes against other bands associated with an organization called Tournament of the Bands (TOB). TOB is organized into regions called "chapters", with the Highlander Band being in Chapter X. The championship competition is known as the Atlantic Coast Championship and it is held in Scranton, Pennsylvania every November. The Highlander Band has won many awards in TOB such as 28 Chapter X championships. Every four years, most recently in 2004, the band travels to Scotland to perform in the summer street parade in Edinburgh.
Governor Livingston is the winner of ten Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships:
1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2005, and 2006 (1980 Group 4, 1993 Group 2, others Group 1)
Governor Livingston is also the winner of seven USSBA (Formally CMBC) Championships:
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1997 (1993 and 1997 Group 2-Open, others Group 1-Open)
[edit] Student Government
The government is a typical high school governing system. It consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and various representatives. The Student Council works to make changes in student policy and plan events, such as hall decorating and class clash.
[edit] Administration
- Principal: Gregory Meissner
- Assistant Principal: Steven Hopkins
- Assistant Principal: Mary Ann McAdam
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Governor Livingston High School Official Website
- Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- Governor Livingston High School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- Governor Livingston Highlander Band
