Governor Livingston High School
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| Governor Livingston High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 175 Watchung Boulevard Berkeley Heights, NJ, 07922 USA |
|
| Information | |
| School district | Berkeley Heights Public Schools |
| Principal | Gregory Meissner |
| Enrollment |
1,004 (as of 2005-06)[1] |
| Faculty | 84.4 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Student:teacher ratio | 11.9[1] |
| Type | Public high school |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Nickname | Highlanders |
| Color(s) | Red and Blue |
| Yearbook | The Claymore |
| Newspaper | The Highlander |
| Established | 1960 |
| Information | 908-464-3100 |
| Homepage | School website |
Governor Livingston High School, known informally as GL, is a comprehensive four-year co-educational public high school located in Berkeley Heights, in Union County, New Jersey as part of the Berkeley Heights Public Schools.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,004 students and 84.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 11.9.[1]
The school was built in 1960 on the site of a former golf course in the Murray Hill section of Berkeley Heights. It is the sole secondary school for students from Berkeley Heights and Mountainside for grades 9-12, who attend the district's high schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[2] The high school's namesake is William Livingston, the first Governor of New Jersey and a signatory of the United States Constitution. The tartan of the Stewart Clan (of whom Livingston was a member) is a symbol of the school and the tartan's red and blue colors are the high school's colors, as well.
Contents |
[edit] Awards and recognition
In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Governor Livingston High School was listed in 776th place, the 17th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[3]
Governor Livingston High School was the 21st-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] History
In 1937, the first regional high school district in New Jersey (Union County Regional School District No. 1) was established by the state for the towns of Berkeley Heights, Clark, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside, and Springfield. At that time, all students residing in the district attended Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. As the district began to grow, additional schools were built, and, in September of 1960, Governor Livingston Regional High School opened its doors to 800 students from Berkeley Heights and Mountainside. The regional district's superintendent at the time was Dr. Warren Davis and Mr. Frederick Aho was the first principal of the high school.
School Principals
| Principal | Term |
|---|---|
| Mr. Frederick Aho | 1960 - 1973 |
| Mr. Peter Festante | 1973 - 1980 |
| Dr. Rosalie Lamonte | 1980 - 1997 |
| Mr. Benjamin Jones | 1997 - 2003 |
| Mr. John Farinella | 2003 - 2006 |
| Mr. Gregory Meissner | 2006 - 2008 |
| Mr. Scott McKinney | 2008 - |
The "Highlander" was chosen the school's mascot by student body vote in the 1960s, combining the tradition of the town's first baseball team and the location of the school at the highest point in Union County.
In 1966, the yearbook adopted the name Claymore, which has continued to the present day.
Project Graduation, held the night of graduation and run entirely by volunteers, debuted in 1989, and provides a safe all-night celebration of each graduating class.
In 1997, the vote to de-regionalize the school district passed and the incoming freshmen in the fall of 1997 were the first to enter Governor Livingston High School, part of the Berkeley Heights School District.
[edit] Student Population
As of September 2005 the population at Governor Livingston was approximately 1,050. The population of the High School has been steadily growing since the mid-90s and is expected to reach 1,250 by 2007. Of the 967 students in the school as of the 2004-05 school year, 77 were Asian (7.9%), 13 were African-American (1.3%), 46 were Hispanic (4.8%) and 831 were White (85.9%).[5]
[edit] Academics
Governor Livingston's academic program has been very highly rated, with the high school finishing in the top 40 secondary schools in New Jersey in a recent survey. The school offers a wide variety of classes including Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses for college credit.
The school has offers a wide variety of courses. There is a language requirement, in which a student must take at least two years of a non-English language. It is highly recommended to take four years of a single language. Languages Offered: Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, and American Sign Language.
Governor Livingston was the winner of the 1994, 1995, and 1996 New Jersey Science Olympiad Division C Championship, 1997 Division 5 National Champions for the JETS-TEAMS Competition (Junior Engineering Technical Society) and winners of the 1997 New Jersey State Science Bowl.[citation needed]
[edit] Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program
Governor Livingston has an extensive Deaf and Hard of Hearing program for teens around Union County. American Sign Language is offered as a language, there are translators and a club available (Junior National Association for the Deaf). [6]
[edit] Athletics
The Governor Livingston High School Highlanders compete in the Mountain Valley Conference in varsity, junior varsity, and freshman football, boys and girls soccer, cross country, wrestling, basketball, indoor and outdoor track, baseball, softball, golf, swimming, tennis, field hockey, bowling, lacrosse, fencing and ice hockey.
In 1977, the Governor Livingston High School Boys Varsity Soccer team won the school's first State Championship, Group II title.[citation needed]
In 1985, the Highlander Girls' Varsity Soccer team won the school's first girls' State Championship, Group II title.[citation needed]
In 1989, the Highlander Football team, coached by Joe Hubert, won the Mountain Valley Conference and advanced to the North Jersey Section 2 Group I Championship Game.[citation needed]
In 1994, the Highlanders Boys' Soccer team won Mountain Valley Conference, Union County and NJ Group II State Championships. The Star-Ledger ranked them as high as number 3 in the State of New Jersey.[citation needed]
In 1999, the Highlander Baseball team won the state championship.[citation needed]
The cheerleading squad has gained many awards in past competitions[citation needed].
In 2006, the tennis team placed 10th in the state of New Jersey.[citation needed]
The fencing team is now 6th in the district. The team also has several individuals who are now competing at national fencing events.[citation needed]
Field hockey has also made strides, after many years of failure. In the 2005 season, they carried a total of five wins and equal ties, after the 2004 season which had only one win.[citation needed]
In 2006 the school finished installing a FieldTurf on its football field. It is used primarily for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.
The 2006-2007 Ice Hockey team qualified for the 2007 Kelley Cup playoffs, finishing fourth in the Central Blue division.[citation needed]
The 2007-2008 Ice Hockey team qualfied for the 2008 Kelley Cup palyoffs, finishing third in the Central Blue division, also the Ice Hockey team qualified for the 2007-2008 New Jersey Public High School State Championship
The softball team won the 2007 Central, Group II state sectional championship with a string of shutout wins over Roselle Park High School (10-0), Shore Regional High School (6-0) and Delaware Valley Regional High School (1-0) in the tournament final.[7] The team moved on to win the Group II State Championship with wins over James Caldwell High School (4-2) and Pascack Hills High School (2-0) in the final game.[8]
[edit] Clubs
The school has many clubs including foreign language clubs, drama, and various student outreach programs.
[edit] Marching Band
The Governor Livingston Highlander Band was under the direction of Dan Kopcha since the early 1970s. However, in 2007 Kopcha announced his retirement and the band has subsequently been under the direction of Nicholas O'Sullivan, himself a Governor Livingston alumnus and former Highlander Band member. The band is extremely competitive and has been recognized with many awards. The band competes against other bands associated with an organization called Tournament of Bands (TOB). TOB is organized into regions called "chapters", with the Highlander Band being in Chapter X. The championship competition is known as the Atlantic Coast Championship held each November. The Highlander Band has won many awards in TOB such as 28 chapter championships. Every four years, most recently in 2004, the band travels to Scotland to perform in the summer street parade in Edinburgh.
The Governor Livingston Highlander Band is the winner of ten Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships: 1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2005, and 2006 (1980 Group 4, 1993 Group 2, others Group 1). Governor Livingston is also the winner of seven USSBA (Formally CMBC) Championships: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1997 (1993 and 1997 Group 2-Open, others Group 1-Open).
[edit] Student Government
The government is a typical high school governing system. It consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and various representatives. The Student Council works to make changes in student policy and plan special events.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Dennis Boutsikaris - Actor
- Roberta Isleib - Author
- Mary Jo Kopechne
- Tom Musca - Writer, Stand and Deliver
[edit] Administration
- Outgoing Principal: Gregory Meissner
- Incoming Principal: Scott McKinney
- Assistant Principal: Mary Ann McAdam
- Assistant Principal: Scott Neigel (as of July 2008)
- Athletic Director: Stephen Hopkins
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Governor Livingston High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 27, 2008.
- ^ Berkeley Heights Public School District 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 10, 2008. "In addition to serving the public school students of Berkeley Heights Township, high school students from the neighboring Borough of Mountainside are educated at Governor Livingston High School."
- ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
- ^ "Top Public High Schools in New Jersey", New Jersey Monthly, September 2006, backed up by Internet Archive as of April 29, 2007. Accessed March 5, 2008.
- ^ National Center for Education Statistics data for Governor Livingston High School, accessed December 15, 2006.
- ^ Berkeley Heights Public Schools, Deaf and Heard of Hearing Presentation (PDF Format)
- ^ 2007 Softball - Central, Group II, NJSIAA. Accessed June 8, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Softball - Public Semis/Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed June 12, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Governor Livingston High School Official Website
- Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- Governor Livingston High School's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Berkeley Heights Public Schools
- Governor Livingston Highlander Band website
