| Sparta High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 70 West Mountain Road Sparta, NJ 07871 |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1959 |
| School district | Sparta Township Public School District |
| Principal | Dennis Tobin |
| Vice principal | Janet Ferraro and Steve Stoner |
| Faculty | 92 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9 - 12 |
| Enrollment | 1,218 (as of 2009-10)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 13.24[1] |
| Color(s) | Navy, Columbia Blue, White |
| Athletics conference | Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Website | School website |
Sparta High School is a four-year public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Sparta Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, as part of the Sparta Township Public School District. The school has just completed a $71.5M major reconstruction.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,218 students and 92 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.24.[1]
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The school opened in September 1959 when Newton High School in neighboring Newton, which had also served Sparta students, could no longer take on Sparta's rapidly growing high school-aged population. The sending districts of Byram and Hopatcong combined with Sparta to form the initial student body.
In its first year of operation, Sparta High enrolled over 400 students enrolled in just three grades, including students from not only Sparta, but also from nearby Hopatcong and Byram Township, which shared the school.
When it opened in 1959, the school employed only 28 teachers and participated in only four sports: football, basketball, wrestling, and baseball. There were, however, shop classes and home economics rooms, and the school gave behind-the-wheel driving lessons. In 1963, Sparta graduated its first class—of 160 students—that had attended the school for all four years.
During the 1970s, Sparta High School instituted split sessions to help alleviate problems brought on by increased enrollment. This was only a temporary fix, however, and the town later approved a referendum to build an "annex" onto the back of the school, more than doubling its area. The section added a new cafeteria, a library, and open classroom spaces.
In the early 1990s, the open spaces provided by the built-on annex were renovated and became closed classrooms. By this time, over one thousand students—all from Sparta—were enrolled in the school. Later in the 1990s, the high school was expanded yet again, adding a new science wing and a number of technological upgrades.
In September 2006, Sparta residents approved a referendum to perform major renovations on the school that aim to bring the school up to date. The construction began in the spring of 2008 and was finally completed by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. This reconstruction was to alleviate the issue of overcrowding that the school faced. During the construction, many classrooms were displaced to a cluster of modular trailer rooms.
The school was the 78th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 63rd in 2008 out of 316 schools.[2] The school was ranked 73rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[3]
The Sparta High School Spartans now compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[4] Sparta High School had previously been a member of the now-defunct Sussex County Interscholastic League. All sports teams compete in one of three seasons:
In 2003, Sparta's football team won the North I, Group II state championship at Giants Stadium against Dover High School 16-0, finishing the season with a 12-0 record and making them Sussex County's only 12-win undefeated football team.[5]
The wrestling team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship in 2000 with a 36-29 win against Indian Hills High School.[6]
The 2001 girls basketball team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 36-32 win versus Northern Highlands Regional High School.[7] The team moved on to win the 2001 Group II State Championship, defeating West Morris Mendham High School in the semifinals and Toms River High School South in the finals to take the title.[8]
The girls basketball team won the 2003 North I, Group III title with a 34-28 win against Pascack Valley High School in the tournament final.[9] The 2006 team won the title in a low-scoring match, topping Northern Highlands Regional high School by a final score of 27-18.[10]
In 2005, the softball team won the North I, Group III state title with a 2-1 win against Nutley High School.[11]
In 1995, Sparta's boys' soccer team won the state sectional championship and had a final season record of 21-2. The team finished first in the S.C.I.L with an undefeated record of 18-0.
The boys' soccer team has earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's High School Boys Team Academic Award for seven consecutive seasons (2003–04 through 2010–11) and nine of ten dating back to 2001–02. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. Sparta is one of only two boys' soccer teams in all of New Jersey to be recognized in each of the past seven years (Woodbury High School is the other).[12]
According to the New Jersey Herald, the graduation rate for Sparta High School is 94.7%. This rate exceeds the national high school graduation rate of approximately 70%. Sparta High School currently has the highest graduation rate in Sussex County.
Sparta High School has many clubs, academically-related teams and student activities to choose from. The school hosts an Academic Team, Debate Team and countless clubs for whatever interests a student may have. Some progressive groups such as the Gay Straight Alliance are also school sanctioned clubs. The creation of a new club require a teacher sponsor for the cause (tasked with supervising) and approval from the Administration. Sparta High School has the following Clubs and Activities: Academic Bowl, Art Club, Beginnings (Literary Magazine), Chemistry Olympics, Choir (Select, Treble, Men's, Freshmen Select, Women's), Debate Team, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), Drama Club, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), GSA/Spectrum (Gay Straight Alliance), Habitat for Humanity, History Club, Jazz Bands: Blues Inc! Blues Sanction, JSA (Junior Statesmen of America, Key Club, Marching Band/Color Guard, Mock Trial - TBA, National Honor Society, Olympian (Yearbook), PDP (PeerDevelopment Program), Science League, Science Olympiad, Strings Club, Student Council, The Spartan Ink (Newspaper), Theater Productions, and a World Language National Honor Society.
Core members of the school's administration are:[13]