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Dwight Morrow High School

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Dwight Morrow High School
Address
Map
274 Knickerbocker Road

Englewood
,
NJ
07631
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1932
School districtEnglewood Public School District
PrincipalPeter Elbert
Dr. Joseph Bell (E.A.G.L.E.)
Asst. principalsJoseph Armental
Laura Satterfield-Mathieu
Faculty94.0 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,069[1] (as of 2013-14)
Student to teacher ratio11.4:1[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)  Maroon and
  White[3]
Athletics conferenceBig North Conference
Team nameMaroon Raiders[3]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
NewspaperEngle Magazine
YearbookEngle Log
WebsiteSchool website

Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Englewood Cliffs, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[4] The school has been accredited since 1928 by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[2]

Founded in 1932, the school is named after Dwight Morrow, a businessman, politician, and diplomat who lived in the city; Morrow was also the father-in-law of aviator Charles Lindbergh. The school shares its campus with the Academies@Englewood and Janis E. Dismus Middle School. Dwight Morrow and the Academies at Englewood are located east of Miller's Pond and share the same administration. Janis E. Dismus Middle School, formerly Englewood Middle School, is located south of Miller's Pond and operates independently.

As of the 2013-14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,069 students and 94.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. There were 335 students (31.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 57 (5.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 190th-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.[5] The school had been ranked 133rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 128th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[6] The school was ranked 180th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[7]

Academic programs

The Academies@Englewood also known as A@E or Academies @ Englewood is a four-year comprehensive magnet public high school program started by Dr. John Grieco (founder of the Bergen County Academies) in an effort to diversify the Dwight Morrow High School campus, to raise the standard of public education for Englewood residents, and to attract white residents of Englewood and Englewood Cliffs back to the public school system.[8] The school was created at a time when Englewood and Englewood Cliffs population was about 42% and 67% white, respectively, while the Dwight Morrow was some 99.9% African-American and Hispanic.[9] As established, the school would accept 75 students from Englewood and Englewood Cliffs, and 75 students from out of the district in each grade, for a total enrollment of 600 students.[10]

The school was established in 2002 with four academies: Finance, Information Systems, Law and Public Safety, and Pre-Engineering. A fifth academy, Biomedicine, was added in 2004. The school graduated its first class in 2006, with 91 students, about half of whom were from Englewood, the other half from other North Jersey communities.

The school participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, having been approved on November 2, 1999, as one of the first ten districts statewide to participate in the program.[11] Seats in the program for non-resident students are specified by the district and are allocated by lottery, with tuition paid for participating students by the New Jersey Department of Education.[12] The school's participation in the program has drawn students from over 40 Bergen County, Hudson County and Passaic County towns.[4][13]

As of the 2007–08 school year, the school requires students to declare a major that will guide their course selection throughout their four years at the school.[14]

Controversy

The primary controversy with the Academies is its location on the Dwight Morrow High School campus. The South building was taken away from Dwight Morrow High in 2002 to establish the Academies and the two schools also share a single auditorium and gymnasium. This left Dwight Morrow High with only the North Building and fewer available classrooms. Residents in the City of Englewood have expressed feelings of anger in allowing the Academies to operate on the campus; newspapers such as The Record have quoted residents accusing the Academies of being a racist institution, regardless of the fact that there are many African American and Hispanic students attending the Academies@Englewood, which was created to reintegrate Dwight Morrow, a school that was subject to years of white flight.[15]

The Englewood Board of Education has repeatedly attempted in various ways to integrate the two schools, but that task has been proven difficult due to many issues. The original idea in bringing the Academies to Dwight Morrow High School campus was to diversify the student body of Dwight Morrow while setting a higher standing for education in the entire district. The campus itself has been diversified, but the two schools are kept almost completely separate. Until recently, the schools only shared classes such as electives, music, art, and physical education, but from the school year of 2006-2007, they have operated on the same day schedule, helping many students share core classes. If the Academies@Englewood are not included as a part of the Dwight Morrow High School student body, the school still remains overwhelmingly minority, about 98% Black and Hispanic.

A 2005 report by the New Jersey Department of Education documented the continuing segregation between the Academies and Dwight Morrow, with African-American and Latino enrollment in the Academies declining each year, despite the stated goal of achieving greater minority balance.[10][16]

History

During the 1980s, changes in local demographics drastically altered the school's ethnic body resulting in an African American majority. The nearby district of Englewood Cliffs attempted to end its sending receiving relationship with Englewood due to the poor performance of the school. This led to a bitter court battle between Englewood and Englewood Cliffs beginning in 1985, a move characterized by Englewood as racist. By 1992, the school was 97% African American and Hispanic. "There were more violent incidents reported at DMHS (Dwight Morrow High School) than any other school in Bergen County in the 1991–92 school year, and test scores remained painfully low." [17] Court battles continued, in an attempt to desegregate the high school.

According to Assemblyman John E. Rooney, "white students from Englewood Cliffs, the district trying to end its obligation to send its students to Dwight Morrow, feared for their safety at the heavily minority institution." Most Englewood Cliffs parents have chosen private school over Dwight Morrow High School.[18]

Current situation

In the Fall of 2002, a new magnet program was opened up in an attempt to attract non- African American students back to the school. The opening of the new academy led to more discrimination from the viewpoint of Englewood's African American community. The academy was given a portion of the campus to operate on, and the regular high school, Dwight Morrow, continued to operate on the remainder of the campus. The academy has a diverse population and is kept separate from Dwight Morrow while occupying the same campus. This has created two distinct schools on one campus. Dwight Morrow has recently had protests, overcrowded classrooms and an inferior education.

"The books are old and the classes are overcrowded,' said..., a junior. "In my history class at least five students have to stand up each day.".[19]

The academy has highly qualified teachers as well as better resources.

"Academies@Englewood; longer school day, rigorous and engaging core academic curriculum, technology, upgraded classroom materials and equipment not available to Dwight Morrow students, climate reflecting high expectations, inviting classrooms. Students are spirited and proud of their school and opportunities."

Dwight Morrow high school continues to have major problems and continues to be 97% black and Hispanic. If the Academies @ Englewood are included as part of the High School's total population, that percentage is considerably lower.

Many residents of Englewood feel that the City of Englewood has worked against the progress of the high school by opening up the Academies. About 50% of the students are from Englewood. Englewood's African American community feels the city and the board of education has put its minority residents second with this move.

"For the past three years they've been feeling like second-class citizens in their own town, sharing a campus with another high school touted as academically superior, and getting no respect...The message to kids and parents at that 97 percent African-American and Hispanic high school is that for so-called integration to happen on the campus, you must swallow the bitter pill that tastes like apartheid."[20]

Plans

The Englewood Board of Education has plans to integrate the Academies @ Englewood with Dwight Morrow High School. The plan to phase the two schools into one will take place over the next few years. The integration of Dwight Morrow with the Academies has caused much controversy.

Athletics

The Dwight Morrow High School Maroon Raiders[3] compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[21] With 749 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2014-15 school year as North I, Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 481 to 749 students in that grade range.[22] The school had previously participated in the BCSL American athletic conference of the Bergen County Scholastic League.[23]

The track team won the Group III indoor relay championships in 1970 and 1971.[24]

The boys basketball team won the 2008 North I, Group II state sectional title, defeating Pascack Hills High School 72–65 in the tournament final.[25] The win marked the team's first sectional title since 2005, ending a two-year run by Pascack Hills.[26]

Administration

Core members of the Dwight Morrow administration are:[27][28]

  • Peter Elbert, Principal
  • Joseph Armental, Assistant Principal
  • Laura Satterfield-Mathieu, Assistant Principal

Notable alumni

Graduated

Attended

Architecture

Dwight Morrow High School has two buildings. One building is called the North building and was the original structure of the school. Later on the Academies at Englewood, also known as the South building, was added to the campus in 2001. The High School's North building was built using Gothic architecture. The North building features a 100-foot tower.

Millers Pond on the campus coupled with the Janis E. Dismus Middle School on the grounds lends a collegiate atmosphere to the school.


The school's auditorium is named after famed jazz musician and long-time Englewood resident, Dizzy Gillespie.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d School Data for Dwight Morrow High School/Academies@Englewood, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Dwight Morrow High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed June 12, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Dwight Morrow High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Dwight Morrow High School/Academies@Englewood 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Dwight Morrow High School is a community of learners and teachers consisting of approximately 1055 students and 125 faculty members. Our school serves Englewood and Englewood Cliffs, and our campus is the home of the largest Interdistrict Public School Choice program in New Jersey, the Academies@Englewood."
  5. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  6. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  8. ^ Commissioner Librera Praises Local and County Officials For Launch of Academies @ Englewood, New Jersey Department of Education press release dated September 5, 2002. Accessed June 28, 2007.
  9. ^ Newman, Maria. " As an Injunction Ends in Englewood, an Era in School Desegregation Closes as Well", The New York Times, April 4, 2003. Accessed April 1, 2008.
  10. ^ a b "COMMISSIONER FINDS MAGNET SCHOOL CREATING 'NEW PATTERN OF SEGREGATION' IN ENGLEWOOD", Education Law Center press release dated February 25, 2005.
  11. ^ Interdistrict Public School Choice Program: Approved Choice Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 19, 2008.
  12. ^ Interdistrict Public School Choice Program: Introduction, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 19, 2008.
  13. ^ Rutgers report on New Jersey's school choice program.
  14. ^ a b c Hu, Winnie. "Forced to Pick a Major in High School", The New York Times, August 16, 2007. Accessed August 17, 2007. "But starting this fall, freshmen at Dwight Morrow High School here in Bergen County must declare a major that will determine what electives they take for four years and be noted on their diplomas.... The comedians David Feldman and Rick Overton, alumni of the high school, are scheduled to conduct a comedy writing workshop in October."
  15. ^ Aaron, Lawrence. "Englewood students take on a daunting assignment", The Record (Bergen County), November 9, 2005.
  16. ^ Englewood Cliffs v. Englewood Report to the State Board, New Jersey Department of Education, January 14, 2005. Accessed June 28, 2007.
  17. ^ E. Tergeson, Anne E. "School denies it's a hotbed of danger", The Record (Bergen County), October 22, 1993, sec. B, p. 1.
  18. ^ Crouse, Douglass. "ENGLEWOOD SCHOOL TURNS HEADS -- ACADEMY CONCEPT MAY STOP DECLINE", The Record (Bergen County), February 25, 2002. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  19. ^ Englewood students stage walkout over chaotic conditions, The Record (Bergen County), September 23, 2005
  20. ^ Aaron, Lawrence. "Students still feel slighted at Dwight Morrow", The Record (Bergen County), September 30, 2005. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  21. ^ League Memberships – 2015-2016, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  22. ^ 2014-2015 Public Schools Group Classification: ShopRite Cup–Basketball–Baseball–Softball for North I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of July 8, 2014. Accessed November 25, 2014.
  23. ^ 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 November 25, 2014.
  24. ^ History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  25. ^ 2008 Boys Basketball – North I, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  26. ^ Stapleton, Art. "Stapleton: Englewood rallies for title", The Record (Bergen County), March 4, 2008. Accessed March 9, 2008. "The Maroon Raiders (19–8), with their first sectional title since 2005 in their back pocket, now will travel to Vernon for Thursday's State Group 2 semifinal against Lincoln."
  27. ^ 2015-2016 Student Handbook, Dwight Morrow High School. Accessed December 7, 2015.
  28. ^ Curley, Mike. "Ex-principal of middle school to lead Dwight Morrow in Englewood", Northern Valley Suburbanite, June 29, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2011. "At its June 16 meeting, the Board of Education voted in favor of a resolution to shift several administrators, including replacing Dwight Morrow Principal Dorian Milteer with Peter Elbert.... Elbert had been principal of the Janis E. Dismus Middle School until he was removed in September 2010 after the district restructured the school because of its failure to meet the No Child Left Behind Act benchmarks over the previous five school years.... Among the other changes, Daniela Small-Bailey will be moving from assistant principal of the Dr. John Grieco Elementary School to assistant principal of the high school."
  29. ^ Beckerman, Jim. co-writer of the Michael Jackson best seller "Remember the times"
  30. ^ Beckerman, Jim. "For Regina Belle, time for a special payback", The Record (Bergen County), October 31, 2004. Accessed June 17, 2016. "It was at Englewood's Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and then Paterson's Friendship Baptist Church (presided over by Belle's uncle, the Rev. Fred Belle), that Regina Belle began attracting attention with her vocal abilities. She sang her first solo in church at age 8; by the time she graduated from Dwight Morrow High School at age 17, she was the church's star singer."
  31. ^ Darnell Carter, Virginia Cavaliers football. Accessed June 17, 2016. "Hometown: Englewood, N.J.; High School: Dwight Morrow"
  32. ^ Rohan, Virginia. "Blast Forward", The Record (Bergen County), March 26, 1999. "After graduating from Englewood's Dwight Morrow High School, he headed off to Harvard..."
  33. ^ a b c d e "Dwight Morrow to hold fundraiser", The Record (Bergen County), June 20, 2007. Accessed November 19, 2007. "The celebration will feature alumni acts including musician Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers, actor Clarke Peters, and comedians Rick Overton, David Feldman and Michael Dermansky. Comedian Richard Lewis will appear on video."
  34. ^ Rondinaro, Gene. "Picturesque, Affluent West of Palisades", The New York Times, November 3, 1996. Accessed July 9, 2007. "A FORMER football standout at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, Mr. Harper was interested in finding a small, diverse community to live and raise a family in away from the media hype of New York's sports world."
  35. ^ Laing, Dave. "Marvin Isley obituary: Bassist for the Isley Brothers, he co-wrote many hits including Harvest for the World", The Guardian, June 9, 2010. Accessed June 12, 2011. "The family moved to New York, where he graduated from Dwight Morrow high school in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1972."
  36. ^ Jackson, Herb. "Jackson: 'Jersey girl' stuck in limbo for Mexico ambassador post", The Record (Bergen County), December 7, 2015. Accessed December 7, 2015. "Jacobson, the former Roberta Steinfeld, grew up in Englewood Cliffs and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School."
  37. ^ Diduch, Mary. "FTC chairman returns home to Bergen", The Record (Bergen County), June 20, 2012. Accessed June 21, 2012. "When Jon Leibowitz was growing up in Englewood, his friends and classmates at Dwight Morrow High School knew him as smart kid who didn't flaunt his intelligence, and who was friends with everyone. Few could have imagined he would end up running the Federal Trade Commission, a powerful federal agency with more than 1,000 employees."
  38. ^ Staff. "Freddie Perren", Contemporary Black Biography:Profiles from the International Black Community, p. 122. Gale (publisher), 2007. ISBN 0-7876-7932-1. Accessed August 19, 2011. "At Dwight Morrow High School, Perren was a member of the marching band, the orchestra, and sang in the chorus."
  39. ^ Chriastiansen, Richard. "RED-HOT REDDIN ACTOR-AUTHOR REACHING FOR 'HIGHEST STANDARD'", Chicago Tribune, September 14, 1986. Accessed June 12, 2011. "The new comedy, in fact, had its origins in Reddin's own experience in Russia, when he visited Moscow shortly after his graduation from Dwight Morrow High School ('John Travolta's alma mater') in Englewood, N.J., in 1973."
  40. ^ Horvitz, Peter S.; and Horvitz, Joachim. "The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History", p. 165. SP Books, 2001. ISBN 1-56171-973-0. Accessed January 22, 2011.
  41. ^ Staff. "High-Flying Sportsman; Walter Marty Schirra Jr.", The New York Times, October 4, 1962. Accessed June 12, 2011. "He attended public schools in Oradell and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood in 1940."
  42. ^ Wells, Amy Stuart. Both sides now: the story of school desegregation's graduates, p. 56. University of California Press, 2009. ISBN 0-520-25677-8. "In fact, Dwight Morrow's 'artsy' reputation was buttressed by its many famous alums, including John Travolta, Sister Souljah, and Sarah Jessica Parker, to name a few."
  43. ^ Stewart, Slam (Leroy Elliot), Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians. Accessed February 4, 2013. "Leroy Elliot Slam Stewart was born on September 21st, 1914 in Englewood, New Jersey. Stewart started his musical journey at age six playing the violin. Claiming he didn't care for the timbre of the violin, Stewart switched to the string bass while attending Dwight Morrow High School."
  44. ^ Moss, Irv. "Education continues to stoke former Steeler", The Denver Post, January 22, 2008. Accessed January 1, 2015. "The experience took Tepe back to his roots in Englewood, N.J., and to a time when he needed the incentive of playing football to keep him in school.... Born: June 18, 1930, North Bergen, N.J. High school: Dwight Morrow, Englewood, N.J., 1946-48"
  45. ^ "TOLBERT WINS FIRST TRIP TO HONOLULU", The Record (Bergen County), December 13, 1996. Accessed July 4, 2008.
  46. ^ via United Press International. "Joey Travolta: you-know-who's brother", Eugene Register-Guard, June 7, 1979. Accessed June 12, 2011. "Joey's first appearance was on stage at Dwight Morrow (N.J.) high school, where his late mother directed school plays and musicals."
  47. ^ "Summer Southampton resident Austin N. Volk dies at 91". Southampton News. September 22, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  48. ^ Anderson, Dave (March 22, 1998). "When Sherman White Threw It All Away". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ Attrino, Anthony G. "Former Nets player Bill Willoughby arrested after alleged fight with cops", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 4, 2016. Accessed June 17, 2016. "The 6-foot, 8-inch Willoughby was born in Englewood and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School."
  50. ^ Levin, Jay. "John Winkin, Maine baseball coach who got his start in Englewood, dead at 94 ", The Record (Bergen County), July 22, 2014. Accessed July 23, 2014. "At the invitation of Englewood's schools superintendent, Mr. Winkin joined the faculty at his alma mater, Dwight Morrow High School. He taught history and coached baseball."
  51. ^ Staff. "Georgia, Jersey Gets Negro 'Firsts' In Elections", Jet (magazine), November 20, 1952. Accessed June 17, 2016. "In Englewood, N. J., John T. Wright, owner of a taxi-cab company, was elected the city's first Negro councilman."
  52. ^ Peters, Ida. "What's Happening: Backstage at Center Stage", Afro-American (newspaper), June 2, 1984. Accessed June 12, 2011. "Tom Wright has the role of Gerald. He's 31, six feet and weighs 170 pounds. He's the son of Harold and Winifred Wright of Englewood, N.J. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School and West Chester State College."
  53. ^ Munoz, Daniel. "Englewood may have new speaker for graduation ceremony", The Record (Bergen County), June 9, 2016. Accessed June 17, 2016. "Zwicker is a Dwight Morrow High School Class of 1982 graduate."
  54. ^ The Star-Ledger Wednesday February 11, 1987 "Ex-Rocker turns 'He-Man" in Live Fantasy Show "....Howard grew up in Englewood and attended Dwight Morrow High School, though he regrets not graduating."
  55. ^ Klein, Alvin. "ACTRESS, 18, HAS SOME REGRETS", The New York Times, October 30, 1983. Accessed December 27, 2007. "Before attending Hollywood High School, she was a student at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood."
  56. ^ Reeves, Michael. "Travolta recalls lonely high schooldays", The StarPhoenix, September 28, 1978. Accessed June 12, 2011. "As far as academics were concerned, John was not the best student at Dwight Morrow High School. He confesses that 'I was only an average student.'"

40°54′29″N 73°58′50″W / 40.908126°N 73.980656°W / 40.908126; -73.980656

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