Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan

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Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is a comprehensive four-year regional public high school serving students from several municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey. The high school serves students from the suburban communities of Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan. Students from Rockleigh attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The school is one of two high schools that are part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District.

The high school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Image:Http://oldtappan.net/images/nvot1 small1.jpg

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[edit] Awards and recognition

During the 1994-95 school year, Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education[1], the highest award an American school can receive.[2][3]

Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan was the 25th-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.[4]

[edit] Extracurricular activities

The school administration and faculty support and encourage student participation in the variety of sports, social and academic club activities. The school offers over 23 sports, which include participation at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level (46 teams) in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League, as well as 60 co-curricular and intramural activities.

[edit] Athletics

The Boys' Basketball team won the 2006 North I, Group III tournament, defeating West Milford High School by a final score of 56-54.[5]

[edit] Music Program

The NVOT music program is one of the best in New Jersey. Mr. Curt Ebersole directs all instrumental groups, and Mrs. Janine Nehila directs all choral groups.

The instrumental groups directed by Mr. Ebersole include Concert Band (Freshmen), Wind Symphony, String Ensemble, and Marching Band. Mr. Ebersole does not teach Jazz Band. Jazz band used to be taught by Mr. Matt Billcik until 2005, when Mr. Adam Michlin took over. Unfortunately, Mr. Michlin got another full-time job in Florida, and had to leave NVOT with no Jazz Band in the 2006-2007 school year. The Wind Symphony and String Ensemble have won many awards, such as first place titles and gold ratings at the 2006 Festival Disney at Walt Disney World Resort and at the 2007 Heritage Festival in Boston (Wind Symphony got second place here). An individual Maestro Award was also given to the lead violinist in the String Ensemble, Grace Kwon. The Freshman Concert Band competes every year at the Music in the Parks Festival at Hersheypark. The Golden Knights Marching Band (GKMB) at NVOT is also very good, but not competitive enough to note any specific awards. The Jazz Band never competed at all when it existed.

The choral groups directed by Mrs. Nehila include Freshman Chorus, Concert Choir, and Barber & Beauty Shops. Like the Jazz Band, neither Barber nor Beauty Shop compete. Concert Choir also scored first place with a gold rating at the 2006 Festival Disney, but fell behind with a silver rating at the 2007 Heritage Festival in Boston. Again like its instrumental counterpart, the Freshman Chorus competes at the same competition every year. Their competition is held in New York City, only a short drive away from Northern Valley.

At the 2007 Heritage Festival in Boston, NVOT also won the Festival Sweepstakes Award, which is given to the school with the highest average score between Band, Choir, and one other ensemble (String Ensemble in this case).

NVOT, as well as Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest (NVD), each put on a musical theater production sometime around March. At NVOT, the play is produced and directed by Mr. John Housley, while Mr. Ebersole co-produces and conducts the pit.

[edit] Administration

Core members of the school's administration include:[6]

  • Fred Hessler - Principal
  • Lucile Martinez Nicolaysen - Assistant Principal
  • Javier Rabelo - Assistant Principal
  • Thomas Kaechele - Athletic Director

[edit] Noted alumni

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006
  2. ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  3. ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  4. ^ Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, September 2006
  5. ^ 2006 Boys Basketball - North I, Group III, NJSIAA, accessed March 19, 2007
  6. ^ 2006-07 Parent Handbook, accessed November 25, 2006
  7. ^ Home Is Where the Heart Is, Education Next, 2006 No. 4, accessed December 6, 2006
  8. ^ 2006 Baseball Media Guide, p. 7. Wesleyan University, accessed March 19, 2007

[edit] External links

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