North Bergen High School has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the nine New Jersey nominees for the 2011 Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
North Bergen High School Principal Paschal Tennaro received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education in December announcing that the school was in contention for the national award. Since 1982 the department has chosen private and public elementary, middle, and high schools that have high levels of achievement or demonstrate significant growth.
“Some of our kids are going to get into better colleges, some of them are going to get better jobs.” – Robert Dandorph
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“Someone just asked me how big of a deal this is to us,” said Superintendent Robert Dandorph at a press conference on Wednesday. “This is huge. I’ve been in education for approximately 40 years; these are the kinds of things that you strive for.”
An honor
Mayor and Assistant Superintendent Nicholas Sacco said that the high school, which he said he has a large part in overseeing, has always been a “high achiever.”
“[This] will make the students feel wonderful because they know they are a part of a successful school system, and the parents because they’ll know they were right to place their child in our hands,” he said.
Tennaro said that the culture of the high school helped them achieve the feat, including the fact that 30 percent of faculty members are products of North Bergen’s school system.
Tennaro also said that in September 2011, the high school will be in its 50th year, which combined with their recent nomination is a “tribute to our community.”
Application for contest
After learning of the nomination last year, the district arranged a steering committee for its application, which is due Feb. 18. The committee is comprised of Dandorph, Sacco, Tennaro, North Bergen High School Guidance Supervisor and Commissioner Allen Pascual, District Director of Mathematics Dr. George Solter, District Director of Technology Jan Debari, and District Supervisor of Language Arts Learning Janet Sandrstrom.
The 17-page application asks for demographic data, indicators of academic success, curriculum and instruction, assessment results, and state test results.
Why North Bergen?
Dandorph said that North Bergen was chosen due to many factors, including test scores, high school graduation and failure rates, and the cost per pupil.
He said that North Bergen’s cost is at $12,900 per student in comparison to the state’s $17,400 average.
“When Gov. [Christopher] Christie talks about failing schools and keeps beating up education, he should look at what’s happening in an urban setting and what has been happening in North Bergen High School for years and the low cost per pupil we achieve,” said Tennaro.
Dandorph said that in Higher Education Student and Professional Association (HSPA) testing, all students, including special needs, ESL, and bilingual students, receive an average score of 90 percent in language arts. If students with special challenges were removed from the average, students would achieve 96 percent. That score is as high as school districts with more funding and without students who have unique challenges, Dandorph said.
“They don’t have the problems we have,” said Dandorph. “They don’t have single parents, families that are not making as much money. You have people who are really struggling to put food on their table, yet their kid is their most important [concern].”
Sacco agreed, stating that their students achieve “above and beyond” where other students of their same demographic would normally.
Dandorph said that attributes like their special education curriculums, learning center, SAT and HSPA preparation courses, Dr. Oz’s HealthCorps year-round in-house program, strong discipline code, teacher collaboration, and parent programs led to their nomination.
For the students
Sacco said that regardless of whether they ultimately win the contest, the accolade “trumps” nearly every other award the district has ever received.
Dandorph said that when schools are nominated for the award, it is known that they are doing a very good job. He said that more than anything, he is proud of the students.
“Some of our kids are going to get into better colleges, some of them are going to get better jobs, and the parents are going to be proud of all their time and hard work,” said Dandorph.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.