Abraham Clark High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from the borough of Roselle, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Roselle Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1932 and is accredited until July 2025.[4] The school is named for Abraham Clark, a Revolutionary War figure and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
| Abraham Clark High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
122 East 6th Avenue , , 07203 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°39′14″N 74°15′41″W / 40.653866°N 74.261253°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| School district | Roselle Public Schools |
| NCES School ID | 341428005650[2] |
| Principal | Andreea Harry (as of 2022-23)[1] |
| Faculty | 59.0 FTEs[2] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 918 (as of 2023–24)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15.6:1[2] |
| Color(s) | Red and Gray[3] |
| Athletics conference | Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (general) Big Central Football Conference (football) |
| Team name | Rams[3] |
| Rival | Roselle Park High School |
| Accreditation | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[4] |
| Publication | Rampage |
| Newspaper | Rampage |
| Website | www |
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 918 students and 59.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.6:1. There were 493 students (53.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 81 (8.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
In 2010, the school was one of 12 in New Jersey to receive a School Improvement Grant, under which the district was to be given $3.8 million over three years as part of a transformation plan that will lengthen the school day, update the curriculum with integrated technology and shift eighth graders out of the school beginning in September 2011.[5]
Awards, recognition and rankings
editThe school was the 306th-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.[6] The school had been ranked 315th in the state out of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 272nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[7] The magazine ranked the school 283rd in 2008 out of 316 schools.[8] The school was ranked 305th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[9]
Athletics
editThe Abraham Clark High School Rams[3] compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Union County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had been part of the Mountain Valley Conference, which included public and private high schools in Essex and Union counties in northern New Jersey.[11] With 548 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range.[12] The football team competes in Division 2B of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Middlesex, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.[13] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 514 to 685 students.[14]
School colors are red and gray. Sports offered include golf (women), volleyball (women), golf (men), cross country (women), tennis (women), football, basketball (women), softball, cross country (men), soccer (men), basketball (men), track and field winter (men), baseball, track and field winter (women), track and field spring (women) and track and field spring (men).[3]
The school has had a longstanding football rivalry with Roselle Park High School, which leads the series with an overall record of 51-40-8 through the 2017 season. NJ.com listed the rivalry as 31st best in their 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football".[15]
The boys basketball team won the Group II state championship in 1961 (defeating Moorestown High School in the tournament final), 1968 (vs. Union Hill High School), 1969 (vs. Union Hill), 1973 (vs. Gateway Regional High School), 1976 (vs. Pleasantville High School), 1984 (vs. Asbury Park High School), 1989 (vs. Haddonfield Memorial High School), 2003 (vs. Neptune High School), and won the Group I title in 1972 (vs. Wildwood High School), 1977 (vs. Glassboro High School), 1982 (vs. Bordentown Regional High School) and 1983 (vs. New Brunswick High School). The program's 11 state championships are tied for fourth-most in the state.[16] A crowd of 3,000 watched as the 1961 team defeated Moorestown by a score of 86-54 in the Group II championship game, to finish the season at 26-0.[17] Ahead by 12 points with four minutes left in the game, the 1976 team held off a late comeback from Pleasantville to win the Group II title with a 65-64 win in the championship game at Brookdale Community College.[18] The 1977 team finished the season with a 27-1 record after defeating Glassboro by a score of 86-45 to win the Group I state championship.[19] In 2003, the team came back from an early 17-point deficit to win the Group III title with a 54-53 against Neptune High School in the championship game.[20] The 2008 team won the Central, Group II state sectional championship with a 72-63 win over Weequahic High School in the tournament final.[21][22]
The 1989 football team finished the season with a 10-1 record after winning the North II Group II state sectional title with a 20-0 defeat of Madison High School in the championship game.[23][24]
The boys track team won the indoor relay championship in Group I in 1995 and 2007.[25]
The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 2008.[26]
The boys track team won the indoor track championship in Group I in 2014.[27]
MCJROTC
editACHS is involved in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program.[28] The school is one of five in the state to participate in the Marine Corps JROTC program.[29]
Administration
editThe school's principal is Andreea Harry. Her core administration team includes three vice principals.[1]
Notable alumni
edit- Rabih Abdullah (born 1975), former running back who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots during his seven-year NFL career.[30]
- Greg Cook (1958-2005), basketball player.[31]
- Leo Disend (1915–1985), tackle who played in the NFL for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Green Bay Packers.[32]
- Jameel Dumas (born 1981), football player for Syracuse University who played professionally in the AF2 and NFL Europa.[33]
- Rosey Grier (born 1932), former professional football player for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams, who is also an actor, author, and singer.[34]
- Jamel Holley (born 1979), politician who represents the 20th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly.[35]
- Jesse Holley (born 1984), signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007.[36]
- Gene-Ann Polk Horne (1926–2015), physician and hospital administrator.[37]
- Kendall James (born 1991), cornerback who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions.[38]
- Emil Milan (born 1922), designer craftsman who worked primarily in wood.[citation needed]
- Barron Miles (born 1972), former professional defensive back who played for 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League.[39]
References
edit- ^ a b School Administration, Abraham Clark High School. Accessed February 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e School data for Abraham Clark High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Abraham Clark High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Abraham Clark High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 18, 2024.
- ^ Rundquist, Jeanette. "Troubled Roselle school will get $3.8M in federal funds for turnaround", The Star-Ledger, August 14, 2010. Accessed August 30, 2011.
- ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
- ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 23, 2012.
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 18, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed November 26, 2014.
- ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties."
- ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
- ^ Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "31-Roselle vs. Roselle Park Amanda Brown/For the Star-Ledger Two school can't get much closer than these two — just 1.5 miles separate the Union County rivals. And while Roselle Park has historically dominated the series (including four shutout victories by a combined score of 125-0 from 2008 to 2011) Roselle has been resurgent in recent years with two straight wins, and this season will mark the 100th anniversary of the series. All-time series: Roselle Park leads Roselle, 51-40-8"
- ^ History of NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ Burows, Walt. "Moorestown Crushed By Undefeated Roselle; North Jersey Five Wins No. 26 To Take Group 2 Title, 86-64", Courier-Post, March 20, 1961. Accessed March 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Roselle High School's undefeated basketball team rules as the best Group 2 team in the state today after having whipped Moorestown High here last Saturday night by an 86-54 score. The victory was No. 26 in a row for the senior-ladened North Jersey quintet which had little trouble in wading through the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association tourney slate."
- ^ "Plainfield ends Neptune streak", The Record, March 21, 1976. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Roselle survived a frantic Pleasantville rally for a 65-64 victory in the Group 2 title game Friday night at Brookdale Community College.... Greg Jackson's desperation 35-foot shot at the buzzer just missed, and Roselle escaped with its second title in five years. Reggie Miller, a 27-point scorer, and Jackson led Pleasantville back from a 61-49 deficit in the final four minutes."
- ^ "Roselle Still Young at Heart", New York Daily News, March 20, 1977. Accessed January 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Roselle Coach Dick Young had mixed emotions about his club's relatively easy 84-65 victory against Glassboro yesterday in Princeton. The victory brought Young's club the state Group 1 championship. But it also brought Young's coaching career at Roselle to an end. 'This was my final game', Young said after his Rams, ranked No. 4 by The News, had upped their record to 27-2."
- ^ Stump, Scott. "Neptune's dream of TOC return shattered; Roselle overcomes a 17-point deficit to claim the Group II championship.", Asbury Park Press, March 17, 2013. Accessed November 23, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "That's why the row of dull stares and red eyes on the faces of Neptune's seniors after yesterday's devastating 54-53 loss to Roselle in the NJSIAA Group II championship, showed that their impressive run to a second straight group final doesn't mean anything to them right now."
- ^ 2008 Boys Basketball - Central, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Reilly, Sean. "Roselle rallies to capture crown", The Star-Ledger, March 4, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ Seegers, Sandy. "Roselle thwarts Madison, 20-0", Daily Record, December 2, 1989. Accessed January 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Just before half-time of yesterday's state tournament football game against Roselle, Madison was building up its yardage and its confidence.... Opposing safety Barron Miles, though, put himself between Madison and its goal, intercepting a pass and returning it 80 yards for a touchdown. The run left Miles winded and the Dodgers, who lost 20-0 to Roselle in the North Jersey Section 2; Group II final at Madison High School, breathless.... Miles, also the quarterback for 10-1 Roselle, threw for a touchdown in the fourth quarter."
- ^ History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
- ^ Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
- ^ Program of Studies 2017-2018 School Year, Abraham Clark High School. Accessed March 7, 2018.
- ^ New Jersey, Marine Corps Junior ROTC Training and Education Command. Accessed March 7, 2018.
- ^ Rabih Abdullah Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed March 12, 2008. High school listed as "Barham [sic] Clark (Roselle, NJ)"
- ^ Greg Cook, LSU Tigers basketball. Accessed February 25, 2020. "City/State: Roselle, N.J.; High School: Abraham Clark HS"
- ^ Leo Disend, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed September 24, 2023. "High School: Abraham Clark (NJ)"
- ^ Staff. "Other Major College Signees Series: Signing Day", St. Petersburg Times, February 4, 1999. Accessed March 18, 2011.
- ^ Hughes, Will. "Gentle Giant", New Jersey Monthly, December 19, 2007. Accessed July 31, 2008.
- ^ Mayor Jamel Holley, Borough of Roselle, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 3, 2016. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Jamel Curtis Holley, a 1997 graduate of Abraham Clark High School in Roselle, New Jersey, has been regarded as one of the most engaged young activist known throughout his community."
- ^ Jesse Holley Archived July 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, University of North Carolina. Accessed October 6, 2007.
- ^ Boyd, Herb. "Distinguished Dr. Gene-Ann Polk Horne memorialized", New York Amsterdam News, February 6, 2015. Accessed September 24, 2023. "Upon graduation from Roselle’s Abraham Clark High School, where she distinguished herself, she attended Howard University to pursue her passion in classical music, excelling there as a cellist in the college orchestra."
- ^ Kendall James, 247Sports.com. Accessed November 23, 2020. "High School: Abraham Clark; Home Town: Roselle, NJ"
- ^ Bauer, Will. "Former Husker football player to be in CFL Hall of Fame", The Daily Nebraskan, April 2, 2018. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Former Nebraska football head coach Frank Solich found Miles, a native of Roselle, New Jersey, at just 140 pounds and playing both quarterback and defense at Abraham Clark High School. He impressed Solich with his determination and grit in a high school playoff loss in 1989."