New Providence High School

New Providence High School

"Home of Champions"
Location
35 Pioneer Drive
New Providence, NJ 07974
Information
Type Public
Established 1958
School district New Providence School District
Principal Lauren Zirpoli
Faculty 55.2 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades 9−12
Enrollment 612[1] (as of 2012-13)
Student to teacher ratio 11.09:1[1]
Color(s)      Green      White      Gold[2]
Athletics conference Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Team name Pioneers
Website School website

New Providence High School is a comprehensive public high school in the borough of New Providence, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school in the New Providence School District, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. New Providence High School opened on September 8, 1958 with its first graduating class on June 23, 1960. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1965.[3] The school opened on September 8, 1958, and had its first graduating class of seniors in June 1960.[2]

As of the 2012-13 school year, the school had an enrollment of 612 students and 55.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.09:1. There were 15 students (2.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 7 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

New Providence High School provides opportunities to earn college credits through Advanced Placement courses and through the Middle College Program in partnership with Fairleigh Dickinson University. As of 2007, the school principal is Paul Casarico.[4]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 6th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[5] The school had been ranked first in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 5th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] New Providence High School took over the top spot in New Jersey Monthly magazine's 2012 listing of top New Jersey public high schools, knocking off Millburn High School, which had held the top spot in the magazine's 2010 and 2008 rankings and dropped to fifth place. The magazine cited changes at New Providence that included better performance on the math portion of the HSPA, reductions in class size and reprioritization of teaching positions and assignments in the wake of reductions in state aid that saw the district receive less than half as much aid in the 2011-12 school year as it did the previous year.[7] The magazine ranked the school 17th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[8] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 40th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 8 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (93.1%) and language arts literacy (98.0%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[9]

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 53rd in New Jersey and 1,615th nationwide.[10]

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 157th in the nation among participating public high schools and 10th overall (and fourth of non-magnet schools) among schools in New Jersey.[11] The school was ranked 224th in the nation and 19th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.[12]

Athletics

The New Providence High School Pioneers compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[13] With 472 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2014-15 school year as North II, Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 61 to 478 students in that grade range.[14] Prior to the realignment that took place in 2010, the school had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference.[15] NPHS's teams have won multiple state championships in sports such as track & field, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, and wrestling.

The Pioneers have had three state wrestling champions: John Ferrara (1969), Rich Billitz (1976) and Donnie DeFilippis (1999, who came in second twice before winning the title). On March 13, 2012 DeFilippis was inducted into the Region 3 Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in High School and on the Division 1 level in college.[16]

Head football coach Frank Bottone finished the 2006 season with his 300th career victory, the fourth coach in New Jersey history to achieve that milestone. The only coach in New Providence's school history since the football program began in 1963, Bottone compiled a record of 334−125−7 in his 46 seasons before he retired after the 2010 season.[17] His teams won 15 conference championships and eight state sectional championships, including an undefeated season in 1989 when the Pioneers went 11−0 with 9 shutouts, cumulatively outscoring their opponents 234−20. The two teams that scored against the Pioneers that season were Middlesex High School (43−13) and David Brearley High School of Kennilworth (35−7); none of the scores were against their first string defense. The following year, Anthony Pignio represented NPHS in the North vs. South All star game, where he won MVP honors. Other stand-outs include Ted Blackwell who set the New Jersey High School record for points in a season with 254 points.[18] Bottone called it a career at the end of the 2010 season, his 49th season overall in New Providence. The Pioneers went 10-1 en route to the North II, Group I State Championship with a 21-8 victory against Lincoln High School of Jersey City.[17]

Former head baseball coach Tom Beck was inducted into the NJSIAA Hall of Fame in 2007. He won numerous Mountain Valley Conference championships along with two state sectional titles and a Group I state championship in 1998.[19] In 1990, after winning their state section and North Jersey championships, Beck's team came up just short in the Group I State Championship, losing 1−0 despite pitcher Ernie Schmidt throwing a no-hitter, and allowing no walks in the contest. Schmidt had a perfect game until the 6th inning when a passed ball on a dropped third strike led up a run scored without any hits.[20]

The boys soccer team won the 2003 NJSIAA North II Group I sectional championship with a 1-0 win over David Brearley High School.[21] In 2007 the boys soccer team won the 2007 NJSIAA Central Group I Sectional Championship with a 3-2 win in over time against Metuchen High School.[22] Alex Pellas scored the winning goal with around 4 minutes to go in the first overtime. The 2007 boys soccer team also won the Mountain Valley Conference. They went undefeated in their conference and finished with an 18-3-1 record. They lost to Arthur P. Schalick High School in the Group I semi-finals 2-0.

The 2003 girls soccer team won the Group I state championship, when they were co-champions with Glen Rock High School.[23] In 2004 they won the Central Jersey Group I sectional championship and MVC conference. In 2005 and 2006 they defended their MVC titles. In 2010 the girls soccer team defeated Pennsville Memorial High School for the Group I State Championship.[24]

The 2007 girls tennis team won the Central Jersey, Group I state sectional championship with a 5−0 win over Bound Brook High School in the tournament final.[25] The team moved on to win the Group I State Championship with a 3−2 win over County Prep High School in the semifinals and Pennsville Memorial High School in the finals by a 3−2 score.[26] The 2008 girls tennis team won the North II, Group I state sectional championship with a 4−1 win over County Prep High School.[27] They went on to successfully defend their Group 1 state championship crown by defeating Pennsville Memorial High School in the semifinals and Leonia High School in the finals, both by a score of 3−2.[28][29]

The 2010 Boys Tennis won the Group 1 State Championship with a 4-1 win over South Jersey champs Pitman High School. In 2012 the boys team returned to glory by defeated reigning champs Highland Park 3-2 in the Group 1 State Championship. From there, the boys went on to win three consecutive Group 1 State Championships (2012, 2013, 2014) beating Highland Park again 3-2 in 2013 and overcoming Pitman 3-2 in 2014. This dynasty became the first team in school history to win three consecutive Group 1 state championships. Between 2010 to 2014, the Boys Tennis team also won the most consecutive state sectional championships, five in a row, beating Dayton High School each time.

The New Providence High School Marching Band has won USSBA New Jersey State Championships in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009,2011 and 2012. The band has won USSBA Northern States/All States Championships in Allentown, PA, in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 School Data for New Providence High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 About NPHS, New Providence High School, updated August 23, 2012. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ New Providence High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed June 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ Welcome to New Providence High School, New Providence High School. Accessed September 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ Schlager, Ken; Staab, Amanda. "Education 2012: Top New Jersey High Schools; Just in time for back-to-school, we present our 2012 list of the best public high schools in New Jersey.", New Jersey Monthly, August 13, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 8, 2011.
  9. ↑ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: New Providence High School", The Washington Post. Accessed September 9, 2011.
  11. ↑ Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013.
  12. ↑ Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012", The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ League Memberships – 2014-2015, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  14. ↑ 2014-2015 Public Schools Group Classification: ShopRite Cup–Basketball–Baseball–Softball for North II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of July 8, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  15. ↑ Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of February 17, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  16. ↑ New Jersey Wrestling Champions, New Jersey Wrestling News. Accessed September 9, 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Rosenfeld, Josh. "NJ Football: Frank Bottone of New Providence is state Coach of the Year", The Star-Ledger, December 17, 2010. Accessed June 17, 2011. "Winning six NJSIAA playoff titles and compiling a 334−125-7 record, the fourth-highest victory total in state history, certainly entitle Bottone to a claim as one of the greatest coaches in state history."
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Staff. "STATE/SOUTH JERSEY FOOTBALL RECORDS", Courier-Post, August 9, 2007. Accessed April 8, 2011.
  19. ↑ History of the NJSIAA Baseball Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 23, 2012.
  20. ↑ Helfgot, Mike. "New scheme brought out best in Hudeen", The Star-Ledger, December 17, 2006. Accessed May 25, 2007. "Highlight reel: Frank Bottone became just the fourth coach in state history to win 300 games when New Providence beat Gov. Livingston, 17−14, on Thanksgiving weekend."
  21. ↑ 2003 NJSIAA Group 1 Boys' Soccer State Tournament - NJSIAA, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 29, 2007.
  22. ↑ 2007 Boys Soccer - Central, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 13, 2007.
  23. ↑ History of NJSIAA Girls Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 9, 2011.
  24. ↑ Chando, Matt. "Pennsville falls to New Providence in final", Gloucester County Times, November 21, 2010. Accessed June 17, 2011. "New Providence's Casey Trezza stuck a shot from 10 yards out inside the left post with 1:41 left in the game to break a 0-0 tie and clinch the NJSIAA girls soccer state Group I championship for the Pioneers (18-3)."
  25. ↑ 2007 Girls Team Tennis - Central, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 25, 2007.
  26. ↑ 2007 Girls Team Tennis - Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 25, 2007.
  27. ↑ 2008 Girls Team Tennis - North II, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 23, 2008.
  28. ↑ 2008 Girls Team Tennis - Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 23, 2008.
  29. ↑ Dunleavy, Ryan. "New Providence repeats in Group I; B-R falls in semis", Home News Tribune, October 22, 2008. Accessed October 23, 2008.
  30. ↑ Iwata, Edward. "Fastow's fast track to infamy", USA Today. Accessed May 25, 2007. "The son of a buyer for a drugstore chain, Fastow was born 40 years ago in Washington and raised in Providence [sic], N.J. The popular Fastow played the trumpet in the New Providence High School Pioneers marching band and was active in student government."
  31. ↑ Stein, Ruthe. "A chat with 'Win Win' director Thomas McCarthy", San Francisco Chronicle, March 20, 2011. Accessed April 8, 2011. "With his new movie "Win Win," McCarthy has taken on a world he is familiar with, having been on the wrestling team at New Providence High School in New Jersey."

External links

Coordinates: 40°42′00″N 74°24′34″W / 40.699914°N 74.409548°W