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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Cedar Grove High School (New Jersey)

Cedar Grove High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the Cedar Grove, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cedar Grove Schools. "Committed to Excellence" is the school's motto. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1968; The school's accreditation status was extended for seven years in Fall 2018.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 460 students and 45.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. There were 12 students (2.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 1 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

History

After the district ended a high school program in 1917, students were sent to Bloomfield High School and later were sent to Passaic Valley Regional High School. A new Cedar Grove Memorial High School program was temporarily housed at Memorial School and opened in September 1961 with 331 students in grades 9 and 10. The new Cedar Grove Memorial High School building, constructed at a cost of $1.5 million (equivalent to $15.1 million in 2023) opened in September 1962. The first graduating class coming at the conclusion of the 1963-64 school year. As part of an effort to avoid mix-ups with other schools named Memorial High School, the name of the high school was changed to Cedar Grove High School at the start of the 1988-89 school year.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 103rd-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. The school had been ranked 74th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 103rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 70th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 55th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 171st out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 79 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (78.9%) and language arts literacy (95.2%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

Extracurricular activities

Choir/Band

The Cedar Grove High School choirs (Select Choir and Concert Choir) and band are led and conducted by Jennifer Jessen-Foose. Choir members audition for prestigious choirs such as the NJ Region I Chorus or NJ All State Choir (NJMEA), or National American Honor Choir (NAfME) and many succeed in being accepted. The choir annually competes in choral competitions. The choir and band annually perform in various locations such as Europe. Annually, the Choir and Band hold 3 or 4 concerts: Winter, Spring, Musical (in Concert). The Cedar Grove High School's choirs and band have won many awards in previous years. The Cedar Grove High School's choir and band are committed to excellence.

Orchestra

The Cedar Grove High School Orchestra was formed in 1968. The current Conductor is Robert Savino. The orchestra continues to compete in competitions and play concerts yearly.

There were several years when the orchestra had no director and was completely student directed. This was done by a small group of students which consisted of 3 violins, one cello, one piano, and one bass. They were asked to perform throughout the community in the late 1990s and continued to pursue music despite the school's inability to provide them with an adequate instructor.

Athletics

The Cedar Grove High School Panthers compete in the Super Essex Conference which is comprised of public and private high schools covering Essex County and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Colonial Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Somerset counties in central North Jersey. With 374 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the National White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group I North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 254 to 474 students.

The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Passaic Valley Regional High School as the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 1969 and the Group I title in 1970.

The 1974 baseball team finished the season with a record of 17-5-2 after winning the Group I state championship by defeating Gloucester City High School by a score of 5-4 in the final of the tournament. In 2003, the baseball team took the North II, Group I state title with a 10–7 win over New Providence High School in the tournament's final game.

The softball team has won the Group I state championship in 1977 and 1979 (defeating Hammonton High School in the tournament final both years), 2015 (vs. Henry Hudson Regional High School), 2017 (vs. Metuchen High School) and 2019 (vs. Buena Regional High School); the program's five titles are tied for eighth-most in the state. The 1979 team finished the season 26-0 as the state's only undefeated team after beating Hammonton High School by a score of 6-0 in the Group I championship game. NJ.com / The Star-Ledger ranked Cedar Grove as their number-one softball team in the state in 1979. In 2004, the team defeated Midland Park High School 2–0, to win the North I, Group I championship. The 2006 softball team returned as sectional champion, edging Wallington High School 5–4 in the tournament final. The team won the Group I state title in 2017 against Metuchen High School behind a 13-strikeout perfect game by pitcher Mia Faieta in the final game of the tournament. The team advanced to the inaugural New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association softball Tournament of Champions as the sixth seed, defeating third-seeded Group II champion Robbinsville High School by a score of 2–1 in the first round before failing to the second-seeded eventual champion Immaculate Heart Academy by 3–0 in the semifinal game, on three runs allowed in the game's first inning.

The football team won the NJSIAA North II Group I state sectional championship in 1978 (awarded by NJSIAA), 1983, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. The 1978 team finished the season with a 7-1 record and was awarded the North II Group I sectional title, without a playoff, as the only team that qualified in that group. The team won the North II Group I title in 2000 with a 12-0 win in the sectional championship game against New Providence High School, a team they had lost to in their previous four post-season head-to-head games since 1983. The football team won the 2004 North II Group I state sectional championship with head coach Ed Sadloch by defeating Hoboken High School by a score of 6–0 in the tournament final. In 2007, the team defeated Belvidere High School 17–0 to win the North II, Group I state sectional championship in a game played at Rutgers Stadium. The win was the team's fifth sectional title, all of which have come without giving up a point, including shutouts in 1983, 2000 and 2004, and the team was declared champion in 1978 as the only team eligible for the playoffs in its section. In 2009, the football team beat Secaucus High School by a score of 30–14 at Giants Stadium to win the North II Group I state sectional title for the fourth time in the decade. The team won their seventh playoff-era sectional title in 2011 with a 34-21 win against Weequahic High School in the championship game.

The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group III title in 1990 and the North II Group I title in both 2016 and 2017 In 2016 and 2017, the wrestling team upset heavily favored Bound Brook High School in consecutive years to win the North II Group I sectional title.

In 2007, Cedar Grove sophomore Matthew Giacobbe won the state sectional championship in the 3200m run in North I Group I.

The boys' basketball team won the 2008 North I, Group I state sectional title with a 43–34 win over Verona High School. The victory was the team's first sectional title in over three decades.

In 2009, Cedar Grove senior Nick Miller won the Group I state championship in golf and placed top 5 in the Tournament of Champions.

The cheerleading team won the NJCDCA Group I state championship title in 2017.

Administration

The school's principal is Jody Inglis. Her core administration team includes the vice principal.

Filming location

Portions of the 2024 film I Saw the TV Glow were filmed at the high school.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ School data for Cedar Grove High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Cedar Grove High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Cedar Grove High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 1, 2022.
  4. ^ MSA-CESS Fall 2018 Accreditation Actions, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, Fall 2018. Accessed April 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "Memorial High School Opened; Cedar Grove's First High School Starts Initial Sessions With 331 Enrollment", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, September 14, 1961. Accessed March 9, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "School history was made In Cedar Grove last week with the opening of the township's first high school, to be known officially as Cedar Grove Memorial High School. An official registration of 331 boys and girls started the first year of the new educational institution last Wednesday, and by Friday had settled Into the daily routine despite the lack of some non-delivered classroom equipment and furniture.... The high school is at present functioning in the existing facilities of the former Memorial School, built as an elementary school a decade ago, while directly adjoining it, construction is proceeding on the addition which will make it a full four year high school in the Fall of 1962."
  6. ^ "Schools Open For the Fall", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, September 6, 1962. Accessed March 9, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "George F. Wildman, principal of Memorial High School, which opened its second year of operation and its first in the new building, told Mr. Parks he was very pleased with the quiet and businesslike atmosphere and the manner in which the high school's 500 plus students settled into the new million and a half dollar plant. Memorial this year has three grades ninth, tenth and eleventh instead of the two with which it opened last year, and will be expanded to a full four year high school in the Fall of 1963."
  7. ^ "Schools", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, June 26, 2008. Accessed February 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Later, Cedar Grove sent high school students to schools in other towns: Verona, Bloomfield, and Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls.... The Memorial School, which served grades 5 through 8, was opened in January 1951.... The Memorial School gradually became the high school when the elementary grades were transferred to the neighborhood schools. First, the ninth and 10th graders moved into the school in 1961. Grade 11 was included in 1962, and grade 12 was included in 1963.... Memorial High School was dedicated at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11, 1962.... The Class of 1964 was the first to graduate from Memorial High School, having completed their freshman year at Bloomfield South Junior High School.... In the fall 1988, Memorial High School changed its name to Cedar Grove High School to eliminate the confusion with the many other Memorial High Schools in the state."
  8. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  9. ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
  10. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 8, 2011.
  11. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  12. ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 6, 2012.
  13. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Home Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of November 19, 2010. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  15. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  17. ^ Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  18. ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  19. ^ NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  20. ^ NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
  21. ^ Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Sakowitz, Carol. "Cedar Grove backs Vicaro to Group 1 title", Herald News, June 10, 1974. Accessed March 6, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It was the type of game, not the outcome, which surprised Cedar Grove High School baseball coach Jack Lynch.... But win they did, although for a while it appeared as if Cedar Grove was going to give Gloucester City the game and the state Group 1 crown instead of win it, 5-4.... Cedar Grove (17-5-2) turned in three classic double plays and Vicaro, who struggled from the third inning on, succeeded in winning his 10th game of the year, 26th of his high school career."
  23. ^ 2003 Baseball Tournament - North II, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 4, 2007.
  24. ^ Softball Championship History 1972–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated July 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024.
  25. ^ "Haddon Twp. girls win", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 10, 1979. Accessed January 4, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In a rematch of the 1977 state Group I final, Cedar Grove again mastered Hammonton, 6-0, in a battle of New Jersey's only unbeaten teams.... Cedar Grove (26-0) capitalized on four errors by Hammonton, which had not committed an error in the previous 21 innings."
  26. ^ "Softball: Every No. 1 team in the state from 1979 to 2015", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 21, 2015, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed January 4, 2021. "Following are the teams that finished as the NJ.com No. 1 softball team in the state with year and record.... 1979: Cedar Grove (26-0)"
  27. ^ 2004 Softball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 4, 2007.
  28. ^ Miller, Sheila G. "Cedar Grove rallies in 7th - Erases Wallington lead to capture sectional crown", The Record, June 2, 2006. Accessed August 2, 2007. "After scoring first and holding a lead for most of the game, Wallington watched its sectional title hopes disappear Thursday as it lost a nail-biter in the North 1, Group 1 final to Cedar Grove, 5-4."
  29. ^ 2006 Softball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 2, 2007.
  30. ^ Schneider, Jeremy. "Repeating perfection: Mia Faieta's third perfect game wins Group 1 title for Cedar Grove", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 4, 2017. Accessed December 2, 2017. "It didn't occur to Mia Faieta that she was once again flirting with perfection until the seventh inning of Sunday's Group 1 final. Having thrown two perfect games and a no-hitter already this season, the feat is nothing new for the Cedar Grove sophomore. Faieta tossed a perfect game with 13 strikeouts as the Panthers, No. 20 in the NJ.com Top 20, blanked Metuchen, 4-0, to win the NJSIAA Group 1 title at Kean University on Sunday for their second state title in three years and fourth overall."
  31. ^ Evans, Bill. "Mia Faieta, Cedar Grove advance in Softball Tournament of Champions with win over Robbinsville", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 6, 2017. Accessed December 2, 2017. "Mia Faieta continued her incredible postseason run and the sixth-seeded Cedar Grove High School softball team advanced in the Tournament of Champions with a 2-1 win over third-seeded Robbinsville on Tuesday night."
  32. ^ Schneider, Jeremy. "No. 18 Immaculate Heart rides plate discipline into T of C final", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 7, 2017. Accessed December 2, 2017. "Cedar Grove pitcher Mia Faieta's utter dominance has been one of the biggest stories of the state tournament, as the sophomore threw a pair of perfect games en route to a Group 1 title. But on Wednesday in the Tournament of Champions, Immaculate Heart made sure the story was about its plate discipline. The Blue Eagles, No. 18 in the NJ.com Top 20, took advantage of an uncharacteristically wild first inning from Faieta en route to a 3-0 victory over No. 20 Cedar Grove in the NJSIAA Tournament of Championship semifinals at Ivy Hill Park."
  33. ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
  34. ^ Ericsson, Eric. "Madison, Lenape Pace Playoff Contingent", Daily Record, November 12, 1978. Accessed January 8, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In North Section 2, Group I, there will be no playoff as Colonial Hills Conference champion Cedar Grove (7-1) was the only team to qualify and thus was awarded the championship outright."
  35. ^ Bierman, Fred. "High School Football; For Warren Hills and Coach, the Long Wait Pays Off in a State Title", The New York Times, December 3, 2000. Accessed December 2, 2020. "Cedar Grove had not won a championship since 1983, and Ed Sadloch had not won a title in his 22 years of coaching high school football. Sadloch, in his 10th year as coach at Cedar Grove, led the Panthers to a Section II, Group I title with a 12-0 victory over longtime foe New Providence. Since 1983, Cedar Grove had gone 0-4 against New Providence in the postseason, including last year's 26-23 overtime loss in the semifinals."
  36. ^ 2004 Football Tournament - North II, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 4, 2007.
  37. ^ Behre, Bob. "Cedar Grove stymies Belvidere, 17-0", The Star-Ledger, December 3, 2007. Accessed December 3, 2007. "It stifled Belvidere's inside running game, blanketed its talented wideouts and frustrated the Warren County school at every turn en route to a 17–0 victory and Cedar Grove's fifth NJSIAA/Gatorade North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 championship yesterday at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway."
  38. ^ 2007 Football - North II, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 3, 2007.
  39. ^ Pangilinan, Noel. "Cedar Grove tops Secaucus 30–14 in state championship", Veorna–Cedar Grove Times, December 4, 2009. Accessed January 9, 2012. "Cedar Grove defeated Secaucus, 30–14, to win the State's North II Group I football championship on Friday night at the Giants Stadium. The Panthers used their speed to neutralize the Patriots' size in bagging the school's fourth state title during the decade."
  40. ^ "Weequahic (21) at Cedar Grove (34), NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 - Football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 3, 2011, updated August 25, 2019. Accessed November 12, 2020. "Senior running back Joe McShane ran for two touchdowns, sophomore QB Joe Slattery passed for 145 yards and one TD and sophomore Paul Rufo intercepted three passes to guide Cedar Grove to a 34-21 victory over Weequahic for the NJSIAA/Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 championship at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. It was Cedar Grove's second title in three years and seventh overall."
  41. ^ NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
  42. ^ Staff. "Wrestling: Cedar Grove Wins Second Straight Sectional Title", Tap Into Verona / Cedar Grove, February 11, 2017. Accessed February 15, 2017. "For the second year in a row, No. 2 Cedar Grove took the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 title, defeating No. 1 Bound Brook 42-32 in Bound Brook on Friday night."
  43. ^ NJSIAA/Star-Ledger Track & Field Championship Sectionals - North I - Groups I and II - 5/25/2007 to 5/26/2007, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 8, 2015.
  44. ^ 2008 Boys Basketball - North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  45. ^ Deegan, Matt. "Cedar Grove foils Verona for title", The Star-Ledger, March 5, 2008. Accessed March 9, 2008. "Cedar Grove scored the first five points of the second half and never surrendered the lead, defeating Verona, 43–34, in the NJSIAA/ShopRite North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 final to earn its first sectional championship in more than 30 years in front of two raucous student sections at St. Peter's College in Jersey City."
  46. ^ 2017 NJCDCA Cheerleading State Champions Archived October 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Cheerleading and Dance Coaches Association, March 5, 2017. Accessed October 15, 2017.
  47. ^ Administration, Cedar Grove High School. Accessed March 12, 2024.
  48. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy. "See trailer for I Saw the TV Glow, an A24 horror movie filmed in N.J.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 28, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2024. "I Saw the TV Glow filmed at Verona High School and Cedar Grove High School as well as Keansburg Amusement Park"
  49. ^ "Princeton University executive vice president and Cedar Grove native Mark Burstein has been named Lawrence University's 16th president.", PR Newswire, December 13, 2012. Accessed February 13, 2016. "'I was drawn to Lawrence's rigorous academic environment, its commitment to providing an individualized learning experience to all students and its unique combination of a strong liberal arts education with a nationally-recognized conservatory of music,' said Burstein, a 1979 Memorial High School graduate."
  50. ^ Dunleavy, Ryan. "Bob Diaco, Cedar Grove native, fired by UConn after 3 losing seasons", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 16, 2019. Accessed September 27, 2019. "Cedar Grove native Bob Diaco was fired Monday after three losing seasons as coach at UConn. Diaco, a graduate of Cedar Grove High School in Essex County, went 11-26 overall and 6-18 in the American Athletic Conference."
  51. ^ Rosenblum, Dan. "What's Amanda Freitag's secret ingredient? A dash of Cedar Grove", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, May 25, 2013. Accessed September 22, 2013. "However, her first taste in the cooking profession happened at Memorial High School (now Cedar Grove High School), when Freitag's home economics teacher told her about the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y."
  52. ^ "Memos From Memorial High", Verona-Cedar Grove Times, June 17, 1976. Accessed February 1, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Memorial High School Chapter of the National Honor Society recently held its end of the school year meeting. Officers for the 1976-77 school year were elected as follows: President, Ellen Kuras"
  53. ^ Staff. "Teen Stock Broker Profits from Manipulation", ABC News, October 20, 2000. Accessed October 15, 2017. "'Well, I'm not aware of one investor that exists that I cheated,' said Lebed, a junior at Cedar Grove High School."
  54. ^ Aitken Jr., Robert. "Cedar Grove native David Njoku awaits call to NFL", The Record April 26, 2017. Accessed April 28, 2017. "At Cedar Grove, Njoku was a 220-pound wide receiver and a track star, clearing a 7'1" high jump as a senior and clearing 6'11" at the 2014 New Balance Outdoor Nationals."
  55. ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 296. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC. ISBN 9781577411871. Accessed February 13, 2016. "Born in Cedar Grove Oct 5., 1964, the assemblyman attended Cedar Grove High School."