Queen of Peace High School (New Jersey)

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Queen of Peace High School
Location
North Arlington, NJ, USA
Information
Religion Roman Catholic
Principal Mrs. Cathy Condon
Pastor Msgr. William J. Fadrowski
Enrollment

630

Faculty 50
Type Parochial
Athletics conference Bergen County Scholastic League
Mascot Golden Griffen
Color(s) Green and Gold
Established 1930
Homepage

Queen of Peace High School is a Roman Catholic, coeducational parochial secondary school inspired by the unique gifts of a dedicated lay faculty, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It is located in North Arlington, New Jersey. The school has been honored two times by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest award an American school can receive.[1][2] It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

As of the 2004-05 school year, the high school had 157 students in 9th grade, 204 students in 10th grade, 179 students in 11th grade, 179 students in 12th grade and no ungraded students. With 719 students and 44.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), the school had a student-teacher ratio of 16.2.[3]

Contents

[edit] Awards and Recognition

During both the 1992-93 and 1997-98 school years, Queen of Peace High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[4][5]

[edit] Mission Statement

Shaped by the beliefs, traditions and prayers of the Roman Catholic Church, we exist to pass on its values and teachings while welcoming families of other faiths who respect the philosophy and mission of our school. We serve a multicultural population from diverse socioeconomic, geographical and religious backgrounds. Our school provides a comprehensive college preparatory educational program that challenges students of varying ability in a stimulating, nurturing environment where students grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. We strive to graduate students who continue to pursue knowledge and live as witnesses to their faith.

[edit] History

Monsignor Peter B. O'Connor, first pastor of Queen of Peace Church, invited the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill to staff the newly formed Queen of Peace High School in September of 1930. The sisters brought the spirit and spirituality of their congregation to their ministry of education at Queen of Peace by living out their mission: "We live and work so that all people may be united with God and with one another." For 30 years the Sisters of St. Joseph, the parish priests, and a few lay people formed the faculty and staff of Queen of Peace.

In 1960, the De La Salle Christian Brothers came to Queen of Peace bringing with them the spirit and spirituality of their founder St. John Baptist De La Salle. The Brothers came to teach the boys while the Sisters of St. Joseph continued to teach the girls making Queen of Peace a co-institutional high school. In 1981, Queen of Peace moved from being a co-institutional to a co-educational high school staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, the De La Salle Christian Brothers, and a dedicated lay faculty.

Today, the dedicated lay faculty along with the few Sisters on staff continue to keep the spirit and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the De La Salle Christian Brothers "alive and well" at Queen of Peace.

[edit] Athletics

The Queen of Peace High School Golden Griffins compete in the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL) American Conference, made up of private and public high schools located in Bergen County and Hudson County.[6] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

St. Mary High School has filed a complaint against Queen of Peace High School with the NJSIAA, claiming that a new wrestling program run by former Gaels coach Scot Weaver at Queen of Peace will induce St. Mary's wrestlers to transfer schools.[7] Scot Weaver was placed on probation in 2000 for using an illegal wrestler in a league championship match.

[edit] Recent events

In 1999, William "Sonny" Connors, grandfather to Derek Jeter and long time head of school maintenance, died. Because of Sonny's service to Queen of Peace, the Jeter family, through Jeter's Turn2 Foundation, started the Connors/Jeter Scholarship Fund. This fund was started to help exceptional, well-rounded students and to memorialize Derek's grandfather, Mr. William "Sonny" Connors. A total of ten different Queen of Peace students have received scholarships from the fund.

In January 4th 2007, several Queen of Peace Students traveled to Rome in order to sing in a private audience to Pope Bennedict XVI.

[edit] Notable Alumni

  • Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist for My Chemical Romance.
  • Peter M. Cicchino, '78, American University Washington College of Law professor until his death in 2000.
  • Anthony E. Varona, '85, American University Washington College of Law professor (and former general counsel and legal director of the Human Rights Campaign).

[edit] References

  1. ^ 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."
  2. ^ 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."
  3. ^ Statistical data for Queen of Peace High School, accessed May 30, 2007.
  4. ^ Glovin, David. "Schools basking in Glow of Top Award", The Record (Bergen County), May 28, 1998. Accessed May 30, 2007. "Forgive Queen of Peace High School for skirting the Bible's teachings.... For the second time in five years, this small parochial school in North Arlington at the southern tip of Bergen County has won recognition from the U.S. Department of Education...."
  5. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006.
  6. ^ School Info, Bergen County Scholastic League American Division. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  7. ^ Schutta, Gregory. "St. Mary seeks ruling to prevent transfers", The Record (Bergen County), May 31, 2007. Accessed May 31, 2007. "St. Mary is taking Queen of Peace in front of the NJSIAA next week in a preemptive strike, hoping to stem an anticipated wave of transfers of its wrestlers to the fledgling program being built by former Gaels coach Scot Weaver at the North Arlington school."

[edit] External links