Academy of Allied Health & Science
| Academy of Allied Health and Science | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 2325 Heck Avenue Neptune, NJ 07753 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Magnet public high school |
| Established | 1996 |
| School district | Monmouth County Vocational School District |
| Principal | Paul Mucciarone |
| Faculty | 27 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 288 (as of 2009-10)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10.67[1] |
| Color(s) | Blue, Gray |
| Website | School website |
The Academy of Allied Health and Science (AAHS), established in 1996, is a small magnet public high school located in Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The school is currently one of five career academies offered by the Monmouth County Vocational School District. This high school is based upon the expansion of medical knowledge for teenagers who want to pursue medical careers. Proximity to Jersey Shore University Medical Center provides students with hands-on training in a hospital setting. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1999.[2]
The school admits top students from Monmouth County, accepting about 70-75 per year.[3] All classes taken by students within the school are accelerated, honors-level classes. Students who attend this school tend to score in high percentiles on most standardized tests and the SAT, and almost always attend four-year colleges (usually 98-100%).
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 288 students and 27 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.67.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Mission statement
"The Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science prepares and motivates students to pursue further education towards a career in the medical sciences through a rigorous specialized curriculum and community based partnerships, inspiring students to serve society with compassion, skill and vision."
[edit] Admission criteria
The Academy is a selective school and will only take those who test highest in the fields of:
- 7th Grade Subjects
- 8th Grade First marking period subjects
- Grade of acceptance exam, normally held in January or February, after applications to school are submitted
- To get into Geometry, students must test out of Algebra I
- To get into Spanish II, students must test out of Spanish I
The selection process is as follows- Each town will have the highest testing person from that town that passes admitted to the school. Then all the other students are put on a list from which the top people needed to fill out the rest of the grade are picked. If you do not get in you will be put on the waiting list, when someone drops out the first person on the waiting list for that year will be chosen to replace that person.
[edit] Schedule
The schedule consists of a block schedule, this means that there are four classes a day each one hour and twenty-five minutes long. The day begins at 7:35 A.M. and ends at 2:25 P.M. Classes are switched half-way through the school year, that means if you get in to AAHS you will get four new classes half-way through the school year.
[edit] Curriculum
[edit] Freshman year
During the freshman year of school, all students take the required "Foundations of Healthcare" course, which incorporates learning about medical terminology, health insurance, asepsis, legal terms, healthcare facilities, professional behavior, medical history, etc. Students are exposed to different types of clients through field-based experiences. Aside from the Foundations class, there are eight other required classes for freshman year students: Computer Applications, Math - Algebra I or Geometry, Foreign Language- Latin or Spanish, Biology, Intro to Anatomy and Physiology, Fitness, Financial Literacy, World Literature, and World Cultures.
[edit] Sophomore year
During sophomore year, students begin taking their Anatomy and Physiology I course. While in this course, students take on a 6 week Hospital Volunteer Program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, departments that can be assigned include: NICU, the morgue, and cardiology. At the end of each Anatomy course the students take a college level test at UMDNJ for college level credits for the Anatomy I course and Allied Health course.
[edit] Junior year
During junior year, Allied Health students continue their learning in Anatomy and Physiology II. Students will again take college level test for college credits for the Anatomy II course and for Medical Terminology. Students also participate in the Grant Writing/Service Learning class, which devotes time to helping the community. Much volunteer work is involved as the class sponsors activities such as coat or book drives. There are now electives- students take Forensic Science and Creative Arts Therapy or Medibotics. These classes alternate with Fitness III.
[edit] Senior year
During their final year at the academy, students take a mentoring course based in a medical field, although students do not have to choose a medical based career to do their mentoring. Students also get a variety of medical courses this year including Nutrition, CPR, EMT, Physical Therapy, Sign Language, and Alternative Medicine. Senior year is the year when taking a foreign language (Spanish or Latin) is not required though you must take an elecetive if not taking a foreign language that year.
[edit] Awards and recognition
The Academy of Allied Health & Science has been recognized for many awards, including:
- For the 2001-02 school year, the Academy for Allied Health and Science received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.[4]
- For the 1999-2000 school year, it was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[5]
- The school was recognized by Governor Jim McGreevey in 2003 as one of 25 schools selected statewide for the First Annual Governor's School of Excellence award.[6]
- National Service Learning Leader School 1998-1999
- National Service Learning Leader School 2005
- Intel / Scholastic School of Distinction 2005
- 2006-07 the Academy of Allied Health & Science received its second Blue Ribbon Award
- Ranked as the 74th best high school in the country in a 2009 report by U.S. News & World Report.[7]
- Schooldigger.com ranked the school as one of 16 schools tied for first out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (unchanged from the 2010 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy (100.0%) and mathematics (100.0%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[8]
[edit] History
The school opened its doors in 1996. The development of the school, from architecture to academics, was overseen by Timothy McCorkell, who became the school's first principal and served as such until the end of the 2001-02 school year, when he was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of the MCVSD. He was later Superintendent around 2009. Following McCorkell as principal was Scott Taylor. Taylor resigned the position after the 2004-05 school year to take a position at the Little Silver School District. Robert V. Cancro took the position after Taylor left.
Starting in the 2004-05 school year, the school slowly started phasing out its French Language program, due to core curriculum conflicts. The final French students graduated in 2008.
Following Cancro's retirement at the end of the 2010-11 school year, Paul Mucciarone was hired as the new principal.
[edit] Other career academies
There are four other career academies in the Monmouth County Vocational School District. These are referred to as sister schools of the Academy of Allied Health and Science.
- Biotechnology High School (BTHS) in Freehold
- Communications High School (CHS) in Wall Township
- High Technology High School (HTHS) in Lincroft
- Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) in Sandy Hook
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Academy of Allied Health & Science, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 7, 2011.
- ^ Academy of Allied Health and Science, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. accessed September 3, 2011.
- ^ About, Academy of Allied Health & Science. Accessed September 3, 2011.
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed June 15, 2006.
- ^ New Jersey Department of Education Star School Award recipient detail 1999-2000 school year, Academy of Allied Health & Science, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 29, 2006.
- ^ McGreevey Celebrates Schools that are "Getting it Right": Schools of Excellence Winners Demonstrate Effectiveness of Governor’s Education Priorities, New Jersey Department of Education press release dated November 211, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2009.
- ^ 2009 Gold Medal List, U.S. News & World Report. Accessed September 3, 2011.
- ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 20, 2012.
[edit] External links
- Academy of Allied Health and Science web pages
- Monmouth County Vocational School District official website
- Monmouth County Vocational School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Coordinates: 40°12′53″N 74°02′16″W / 40.2147°N 74.0378°W
