Ridgefield Memorial High School

High school in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States

Ridgefield Memorial High School

Address

555 Walnut Avenue

Ridgefield

Bergen County

New Jersey

07657

United States

Coordinates| 40°49′53″N 73°59′58″W﻿ / ﻿40.83139°N 73.99944°W﻿ / 40.83139; -73.99944
Information
Type| Public high school
Established| 1958
School district| Ridgefield School District
NCES School ID| 341377000742[1]
Principal| Janet Seabold
Faculty| 45.6 FTEs[1]
Grades| 9-12
Enrollment| 533 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 11.7:1[1]
Color(s)|  Royal blue and
white[2]
Athletics conference| North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Team name| Royals[2]
Rivals| Palisades Park High School
Publication| Serendipity (literary magazine)[4]
Newspaper| The Crown[3]
Yearbook| Epilogue[5]
Website| www.ridgefieldschools.com/Domain/8

Ridgefield Memorial High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school located in Ridgefield, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Ridgefield School District.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 533 students and 45.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. There were 107 students (20.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 22 (4.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

## History

[edit]

Until the school opened, students from Ridgefield had been sent to Cliffside Park High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[6]

Nearly $1.9 million (equivalent to $20.5 million in 2023) was allocated for construction of the high school, which would include 28 classrooms and other facilities.[7]

The dedication of the school in September 1958 was celebrated with a parade.[8][9]

## Awards, recognition and rankings

[edit]

The school was the 176th-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.[10] The school had been ranked 96th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 112th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[11] The magazine ranked the school 135th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[12] The school was ranked 97th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[13] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 127th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 130 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (86.3%) and language arts literacy (93.8%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[14]

## Extracurricular activities

[edit]

The school's publications are The Crown monthly newspaper,[3] the Serendipity literary and arts magazine[4] and Epilogue yearbook.[5]

The Marching Royals Marching Band, under the direction of K-12 Music Supervisor Matt Tracey and high school band director is the largest Group I marching band in the state of New Jersey.[citation needed] The band participates annually in the NCAA Men's college basketball tournament "Coaches vs. Cancer" at Madison Square Garden and at the NCAA Men's college basketball tournament "Legends Classic" at the IZOD center in the Meadowlands sports complex. The band has performed for Michael Jordan's basketball classic (also held at Madison Square Garden). In 2009, the Marching Royals were the Grand National Marching champion at the Orlando All-star music festival.[citation needed]

The Ridgefield Choirs are led by Tom Voorhis.

The Academic Decathlon team has consistently gone to the state competition for the past 14 years[when?], and has received awards and medals, including in the 2002–03 season, which saw them represent New Jersey in the National Finals in Phoenix, Arizona.[15]

## Athletics

[edit]

The Ridgefield Memorial High School Royals[2] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which comprises small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[16][17][18] Prior to the realignment that took effect in 2010, Ridgefield was a member of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).[19] With 387 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.[20]

The school has 22 varsity sports programs. Interscholastic sports offered at the school include:[2]

* Fall: Cross Country (Boys/Girls), Cheerleading, Soccer(Boys/Girls), Tennis(Girls), Volleyball
* Winter: Basketball (Boys/Girls), Indoor Track (Boys/Girls), Competition Cheer Leading
* Spring: Baseball, Softball, Outdoor Track (Boys/Girls), Tennis (Boys), Golf (Boys/Girls)

The football, soccer and track events are all held at Willis Field.

The Royals golf team won five consecutive league titles from 2006 to 2010. The Royals boys' cross country team also won a league title during the 2009 fall season.

The baseball team won the North II Group I state sectional championships in 2012 with a 6-4 win against Dunellen High School.[21] The team won the North I, Group I title in 2014 with a 2-1 win against Cedar Grove High School in the tournament final.[22][23]

For the 2015 season, the school only fielded a JV football team, after only 13 players participated in a fall football camp. The school will forfeit all of its varsity games, repeating what was done in the 2011 season after the team had lost its first three games. The future of the varsity football program is unclear, but the NJSIAA offers schools the option of creating a co-op program with another school.[24][25]

## Administration

[edit]

The school's principal is Janet Seabold. Her administration team includes the vice principal and assistant principal.[26]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

See also: Category:Ridgefield Memorial High School alumni

* Tim Bogert (1944–2021, class of 1963), musician[27]
* Louise DeSalvo (1942–2018, class of 1959), writer, editor, professor, and lecturer who was a renowned Virginia Woolf scholar[28]
* Joseph Lagana (born 1978), politician who has represented the 38th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since 2018.[29]
* Chris Lema (born 1995), footballer who plays as a midfielder for San Antonio FC.[30]
* Anthony R. Suarez (born 1967), Mayor of Ridgefield since 2004.[31]
* Al Vandeweghe (1920–2014), professional football player for the All-America Football Conference's Buffalo Bisons in 1946.[32]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e School data for Ridgefield Memorial High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. ^ a b c d Ridgefield Memorial High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. ^ a b The Crown, Ridgefield Memorial High School. Accessed May 28, 2022.
4. ^ a b Serendipity, Ridgefield Memorial High School. Accessed May 28, 2022.
5. ^ a b Epilogue Yearbook, Ridgefield Memorial High School. Accessed May 28, 2022.
6. ^ "Cliffside to Ask Ouster of No. Bergen Students", The Jersey Journal, March 30, 1957. Accessed November 29, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "This would also hold true for Ridgefield's 11th graders who also attend Cliffside Park High. Ridgefield’s problems will be solved when construction is completed on its high school."
7. ^ "Building Contracts Awarded At Session", Bergen Evening Record, March 5, 1957. Accessed November 29, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The remainder of the $1,886,000 appropriation for the Ridgefield Memorial High School is expected to be used for school furnishings. The school, expected to be opened by September 1958, will consist of 28 classrooms, one auditorium, a library, a lunchroom, and a double gymnasium."
8. ^ "Parade Plans Set For Ridgefield Day School", Bergen Evening Record, September 2, 1958. Accessed November 29, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The grand parade on Ridgefield Day, Saturday, celebrating the dedication of Ridgefield Memorial High School will consist of approximately 18 separate Borough organizations."
9. ^ De Santis, Mauro. Ridgefield, p. 92. Arcadia Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781467126571. "The Ridgefield Memorial High School was built in 1958 on what was once Jacobus Pond. Prior to its inception, high school students from Ridgefield would attend Englewood, Dwight Morrow, and Leonia High Schools."
10. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
11. ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012.
12. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 31, 2011.
13. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
14. ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 4, 2012.
15. ^ Academic Decathlon, Ridgefield Education Association, March 21, 2011. Accessed July 23, 2011.
16. ^ Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
17. ^ Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
18. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
19. ^ New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed October 13, 2014.
20. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
21. ^ Staff. "State tournaments roundup: Luis Hidalgo stars as Ridgefield baseball rules in North 2, Group 1", The Record, June 2, 2012. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Luis Hidalgo and Rudy Chavez combined on a six-hitter Friday as second-seeded Ridgefield defeated top seed and host Dunellen in the state North 2, Group 1 baseball title game, 6-4."
22. ^ "Cedar Grove at Ridgefield , NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1", NJ.com, May 30, 2014. Accessed June 2, 2016.
23. ^ Czerwinski, Mark J. "H.S. baseball roundup: Ridgefield regains North 1, Group 1 title", The Record, May 31, 2014. Accessed June 2, 2016. "Ridgefield didn't hit a ball out of the infield in the seventh inning Friday night. But that didn't stop the Royals from reclaiming the North 1, Group 1 baseball crown.... It's Ridgefield's second title in three years after waiting 42 seasons for a championship. The Royals (19-10) face Dayton on Tuesday at Ramapo College."
24. ^ Cooper, Darren. "Cooper on H.S. football: Ridgefield will play only a JV schedule", The Record, August 27, 2015. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Ridgefield Royals football will be back. But the news that the program is dropping down to the junior varsity level for 2015 comes at a time when people question whether football is worth it anymore.... This is not the first time Ridgefield has been down this road. In 2011, the Royals lost their first three games, then forfeited the rest of them.... The Royals reportedly had only 13 players come out for fall football camp."
25. ^ Dahler, Don. "High schools drop football over deaths, injuries and lack of interest", CBS News, September 30, 2015. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Like schools in Camden, Maine, and Ridgefield, New Jersey, Maplewood had a hard time finding enough players, due to injuries and lack of interest."
26. ^ Administration Team, Ridgefield Memorial High School. Accessed January 28, 2022.
27. ^ "Cactus Bassist Tim Bogert (1944-2021) Remembered For A Career Spanning Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck, Steve Perry And Hollywood Monsters", Stargazed Magazine. Accessed November 29, 2023. "Bogert graduated from Ridgefield Memorial High School in 1963 and formed a band called The Belltones."
28. ^ "Ridgefield Seniors Given Scholarships", The Record, May 25, 1959. Accessed December 25, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Three Memorial High School seniors have been awarded scholarships totalling $2,900, the 1959 scholarship committees of the Board of Education, Exchange Club, and Ridgefield Manufacturers Association announced last night. The award winners are Allan R. Cerny, Louise Sciacchetano, and Stephen Havlicek.... Miss Sciacchetano of 593 Pros pect Avenue won the school board's $500 scholarship."
29. ^ New Jersey State Sen. Joe Lagana, LegiStorm. Accessed January 28, 2022. "Education... Ridgefield (N.J.) Memorial High School - Diploma"
30. ^ Christopher Lema, Georgetown Hoyas men's soccer. Accessed March 17, 2018. "Hometown: Ridgefield, N.J.; High School: Ridgefield Memorial"
31. ^ Anthony Suarez, Borough of Ridgefield. Accessed October 13, 2014. "Anthony is a product of the town's school system, graduating from Ridgefield Memorial High School, and Saint Peter's College in Jersey City."
32. ^ Alfred Bernard Vandeweghe obituary. dignitymemorial.com. Accessed March 24, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Ridgefield High School web pages
* Ridgefield School District
* School Performance Report for Ridgefield High School, New Jersey Department of Education
* School Data for the Ridgefield School District, National Center for Education Statistics

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Public and private high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey

Public|

* Becton
* Bergen Arts and Science
* Bergen County Academies
* Bergen Tech Paramus
* Bergen Tech Teterboro
* Bergenfield
* Bogota
* Cliffside Park
* Cresskill
* Dumont
* Dwight Morrow
* Elmwood Park
* Emerson
* Fair Lawn
* Fort Lee
* Garfield
* Glen Rock
* Hackensack
* Hasbrouck Heights
* Indian Hills
* Leonia
* Lodi
* Lyndhurst
* Mahwah
* Midland Park
* New Milford
* North Arlington
* Northern Highlands
* Northern Valley at Demarest
* Northern Valley at Old Tappan
* Palisades Park
* Paramus
* Park Ridge
* Pascack Hills
* Pascack Valley
* Ramapo
* Ramsey
* Ridgefield
* Ridgefield Park
* Ridgewood
* River Dell
* Rutherford
* Saddle Brook
* Teaneck
* Tenafly
* Waldwick
* Wallington
* Westwood
* Wood-Ridge

Private|

* Academy of the Holy Angels
* Barnstable
* Bergen Catholic
* Bergen County Christian Academy
* Community
* Don Bosco
* Dwight-Englewood
* Frisch
* Immaculate Conception
* Immaculate Heart
* Ma'ayanot
* New Jersey Japanese School
* Newbury Academy
* Paramus Catholic
* Queen of Peace
* Saint Joseph
* St. Mary
* Saddle River Day School
* Torah Academy

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North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJSIAA)

Colonial Division A|

* Elmwood Park
* Garfield
* Glen Rock
* Lodi
* Pascack Hills
* Rutherford

Colonial Division B|

* Eastern Christian
* Hawthorne
* Manchester
* Mary Help of Christians
* Pompton Lakes

Meadowlands Division A|

* Becton
* Harrison
* Lyndhurst
* North Arlington
* Queen of Peace
* Secaucus

Meadowlands Division B|

* Hasbrouck Heights
* Immaculate Conception (Lodi)
* Saddle Brook
* St. Mary (Rutherford)
* Wallington
* Weehawken
* Wood-Ridge

Patriot Division A|

* Cresskill
* Dwight-Englewood
* Leonia
* New Milford
* Ridgefield
* Waldwick

Patriot Division B|

* Bogota
* Emerson
* Hawthorne Christian
* Midland Park
* Palisades Park
* Park Ridge
* Saddle River Day

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