Gloucester County Institute of Technology

The Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) is a four-year vocational-technical public high school located in Deptford Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. It operates as part of the Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District. The school has a Sewell mailing address.

Gloucester County Institute of Technology
Address
1360 Tanyard Road

Deptford Township
,
Gloucester County
,
New Jersey
08080

United States
Coordinates39.7884°N 75.1228°W / 39.7884; -75.1228
Information
TypeVoc-tech public high school
School districtGloucester County Vocational-Technical School District
NCES School ID340604002570[1]
PrincipalSybil Girard
Faculty108.0 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,603 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.8:1[1]
Color(s)  Navy Blue and
  Silver[2]
Athletics conferenceTri-County Conference[3]
Team nameCheetahs[2]
PublicationCheetah News
Websitewww.gcit.org

GCIT offers eighteen full-time programs. Students must apply and be selected to attend GCIT. GCIT currently accepts approximately 350 students per year. Acceptance is based on final marking period grades from 7th grade and the beginning marking period grades for 8th grade, and state standardized test scores, attendance and a mandatory shadow visit.

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,603 students and 108.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.8:1. There were 87 students (5.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 17 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

History

During the 2021–2022 school year, Deptford Township Schools announced it would no longer pay tuition for students attending GCIT for programs that were also being provided at Deptford Township High School. The decision impacted students wishing to attend GCIT's Carpentry, Computer Sciences, Engineering, or Health Sciences programs.[4] The district defended its decision despite a letter from the New Jersey Department of Education saying that Deptford "is responsible for tuition and transportation costs of any resident student admitted to the county vocational school."[5]

Academics and programs

GCIT offers honors classes for all students, and honors classes are mandated for all Academy students. All Career-Technical students have the option to take College Preparatory (CP) courses or honors. GCIT offers language courses in Spanish, Latin, and Italian. Two years of a language are required to graduate, but four levels are offered with an independent study option available.

GCIT offers several electives besides their programs. Students may choose from Rowan College of South Jersey courses instead of taking high school electives to receive dual credit. The tuition for these courses is paid for by the district, but students are responsible for their own textbooks. GCIT also offers clubs, which are built into the school bell schedule. GCIT follows the National Academy Foundation's cooperative learning initiative, where teachers focus on group discussions, projects, and research papers.

In 2020, GCIT announced plans to establish a new program, the Academy of Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Science, in response to an elevated interest in Gloucester County's manufacturing industry. The program opened during the 2023–2024 school year, with students attending class in a new building located on the adjacent Rowan College of South Jersey campus.[6]

High school

High school programs for the 2023–24 school year include:[7]

  • Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Science
  • Automotive Technology
  • Baking & Pastry Arts
  • Biological Sciences
  • Carpentry
  • Computer Science
  • Cosmetology
  • Culinary Arts
  • Digital Media
  • Electrical
  • Engineering
  • Finance & Business Management
  • Health Sciences
  • HVAC-R
  • Performing Arts: Dance
  • Performing Arts: Drama
  • Plumbing
  • Welding

Adult programs

Adult programs as of the 2022–23 school year include:[8]

  • Automotive Technology
  • Baking & Pastry Arts
  • Building & Construction Trades
  • Culinary Arts
  • Cosmetology
  • Coatings 101
  • Electrical
  • Fire Inspector Certification
  • HVAC
  • Plumbing
  • Welding

APA research paper

All students in College Prep (CP) and Honors classes at GCIT must complete an APA research paper (although teachers may vary the format at their discretion). To assist students, GCIT staff members provide a free APA manual that students can download. This manual is available on GCIT's website or by the following link.[9]

Awards, recognition and rankings

Schooldigger.com ranked GCIT 85th out of 396 public high schools statewide in its 2012 rankings, representing an increase of 31 positions from its 2011 ranking. The rankings are based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (89.3%) and language arts literacy (99.3%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[10]

Athletics

The GCIT Cheetahs[2] compete as one of the member schools in the Tri-County Conference, which is comprised of 21 public and private high schools located in Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties.[3] The conference is overseen by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[11] With 1,209 athletes in grades 9-12 as of the 2022–2023 school year, the school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[12] The Cheetahs is the name of all GCIT's sporting teams.[2]

GCIT's varsity softball team successfully defended the NJTAC state tournament title in 2007, defeating Sussex County Technical School 22–1.[13] GCIT's boys' soccer team has made the New Jersey state playoffs for two consecutive years, and its boys' baseball team has won back-to-back state championships.

Boys' Teams Girls' Teams Co-Ed Teams
Varsity and JV Soccer Varsity and JV Soccer Cross Country: Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls
Varsity and JV Volleyball Varsity and JV Volleyball Bowling: Varsity and JV Boys, Varsity and JV Girls, and Varsity Co-Ed
Varsity and JV Tennis Varsity Tennis Swimming: Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, and Varsity Co-Ed
Varsity, JV, and FR Basketball Varsity, JV, and FR Basketball Cheerleading: Varsity Co-Ed, and JV Co-Ed
Varsity and JV Baseball Varsity, JV, and FR Softball Golf: Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, and Varsity Co-Ed
Varsity Diving Varsity Diving
Varsity and JV Field Hockey

GCIT has an Olympic-size swimming pool and a fitness room with free weights and treadmills, which were completed as part of a $9.9 million expansion project approved in 1993.[14] The pool is used for practice by 13 members of the Tri-County Conference and a USA Swimming team.[15] GCIT currently allows the public to use the pool and fitness rooms at set times for set fees. Students gain free, unlimited access to these facilities.

GCIT currently offers many sports but does not have its own football team, which is common in vocational schools. Currently, students who want to play football or any other that sport GCIT does not offer are permitted to play on their home district's team.

Community involvement and services

Community

GCIT offers several services to the public. Its School of Cosmetology offers salon services. The School of Culinary Arts offers a catering menu and takes orders for the bakery. The School of Transportation offers services for live work. The Fitness Center and pool are open for the Gloucester County residents and members.

GCIT is also involved in community projects, including the City of Hope Walk, Style-A-Thon, Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk, Love Our Vets, and others. In addition, the HOSA club holds an annual blood drive for the American Red Cross.

School Based Youth Services

School Based Youth Services (SBYS) offers free counseling for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 who live in Gloucester County. They also provide counseling for their family members. SBYS is open from 8AM to 8PM on Mondays to Thursdays and 8AM to 3PM on Fridays. SBYS provides counseling on a wide variety of topics, including drugs, stress, depression, sexual orientation, family problems, and others. SBYS also organizes recreational activities for the students of GCIT.

Youth One Stop GED Program

The Youth One Stop GED Program provides GED test preparation to out-of-school teens in Gloucester County. They work with teens between the ages of 16–21. They also offer students recreational trips, community services, and other programs. The One Stop Youth Center is open from 8AM to 4PM Mondays to Thursdays. The One Stop Youth Center provides a monetary reward weekly for meeting their educational and attendance objectives.

School newspaper

GCIT's school newspaper is Cheetah News.

Administration

The school's principal is Sybil Girard. Her administration team includes the four assistant principals.[16]

References
  1. School data for Gloucester County Institute Of Technology, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. Gloucester County Institute of Technology, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Member Schools, Tri-County Conference. Accessed November 18, 2020.
  4. "Deptford Township School District's dispute over transportation for vocational students drags into 2022-23 school year". www.inquirer.com. August 27, 2022. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  5. Burney, Melanie (March 4, 2022). "A South Jersey school district still refuses to pay tuition for certain vocational students even after state letter". www.inquirer.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  6. Roberts, Allyson (October 20, 2022). "Career Classroom: New program at Gloucester County Institute of Technology among those providing hope for manufacturers (ROI-NJ)". Career Tech NJ. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  7. About Our Programs, Gloucester County Institute of Technology. Accessed March 24, 2023.
  8. "Adult Career-Technical Programs Home". www.gcit.org. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  9. GCIT's APA Manual (2004)
  10. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2012-2013, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 17, 2014.
  11. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021 Accessed April 2, 2016.
  12. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2022-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed March 12, 2023.
  13. Staff. "Irish end year with a victory", Courier-Post, May 24, 2007. Accessed September 24, 2012. "Vocational Tournament: Kristi Maronski went 3-for-5 with five RBIs as Gloucester County Institute of Technology defeated Sussex Tech 22-1 to win the tournament."
  14. Olsen, Eddie. "Officials act to fund schools' expansion; A $9.9 million plan at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology adds a pool and theater.",The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 8, 1993. Accessed August 25, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders last night moved to get a low-interest loan to finance a $9.9-million expansion of the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Deptford Township.... The project includes construction of an 85,000-square-foot addition to the institute's 187,000-square-foot main building. The addition will include a wellness and fitness center, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a performing arts center and an electronic media technology center."
  15. Media, Anthony Coleman | For NJ Advance (January 5, 2022). "South Jersey Times swimming notebook: Pool coordinating remains a 'balancing act'". nj. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  16. Administration, Gloucester County Institute of Technology. Accessed September 20, 2023.
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