Queen of Peace High School (New Jersey)

Queen of Peace High School was a Roman Catholic, coeducational parochial high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in North Arlington in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, co-sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The school closed in June 2017, after 86 years of operation, in the wake of declining enrollment and financial challenges.

Queen of Peace High School
Address
191 Rutherford Place

North Arlington
,
Bergen County
,
New Jersey
07031

United States
Coordinates40.786628°N 74.131809°W / 40.786628; -74.131809
Information
TypePrivate
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
(Sisters of St. Joseph
and Lasallians)
Established1930
StatusClosed
ClosedJune 30, 2017
DeanChristopher Brock
PrincipalJohn Tonero
PastorFr. Michael Donovan
ChaplainRev. Scott Attanasio
Faculty26.0 FTEs[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment356 (as of 2013-14)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.7:1[1]
Color(s)  Green and
  Gold[2]
Athletics conferenceNorth Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Team nameGolden Griffins[2]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
YearbookPeace Pact
Tuition$8,250
Websitewww.qphs.org

The school had been honored two times by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest award an American school can receive.[4][5] It was overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[6] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1969.[3]

As of the 2013–14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 356 students and 26.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. The school's enrollment was 49.2% White, 18.3% Asian, 17.7% Hispanic, 6.2% Black, 3.9% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander and 4.8% two or more races.[1]

History

In 1999, William "Sonny" Connors, grandfather to Derek Jeter and longtime head of school maintenance, died.[7] In honor of Sonny's service to Queen of Peace, the Jeter family, through Jeter's Turn2 Foundation, started the Connors/Jeter Scholarship Fund. This fund was started to help exceptional, well-rounded students from Queen of Peace and to memorialize Derek's grandfather, William "Sonny" Connors, with two students meeting the criteria of academic and community accomplishments being chosen each year as recipients.[8]

On January 4, 2007, several Queen of Peace students traveled to Rome in order to sing in a private audience to Pope Benedict XVI.

In February 2013, the school attracted national attention when it asked the girls of the school to take a pledge not to curse for 30 days as the school wanted "ladies to act like ladies", though male students at the school were asked not to swear "in the presence of ladies" and were not required to take an oath.[9]

Circa 2016 the school administration announced that it needed $1 million raised for it to remain open. Ultimately about $1,035,000 was raised and the school stayed open for another school year.[10] The necessary money was generated in approximately one month.[11]

Despite the 2016 fundraising campaign, in May 2017, the Archdiocese of Newark announced the closing of the school as of June 30, 2017, in the wake of sharply dropping enrollment and financial challenges, though the affiliated K-8 grammar school will remain open.[12]

Awards, recognition and rankings

During both the 1992–93 and 1997-98 school years, Queen of Peace High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[13][14]

Athletics

The Queen of Peace High School Golden Griffins[2] had competed in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic counties and was established following a reorganization of sportseagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[15] Prior to the league realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Queen of Peace had been a member of the American Division of the Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).[16][17]

St. Mary High School filed a complaint against Queen of Peace High School with the NJSIAA in 2007, claiming that a new wrestling program run by former Gaels coach Scot Weaver at Queen of Peace would induce St. Mary's wrestlers to transfer schools.[18]

The boys cross country running team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1970 and 1971.[19]

The boys track team won the Non-Public Group B spring / outdoor track state championship in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1977.[20]

The 1980 boys' soccer team finished the season with a 14-4-3 record after winning the NJSIAA Boys Non-Public A state championship, defeating runner-up Notre Dame High School by a score of 1-0 in the tournament finals.[21][22]

The softball team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 1988 against Donovan Catholic High School.[23]

The girls track team won the indoor track Group I state championship in 2003 and 2005.[24]

The football team won the Non-Public Group II state sectional championship in 2004 with a 35-20 win against DePaul Catholic High School in the finals of the playoff.[25][26] The 1989 Golden Griffins were the last football team to win the Bergen County Scholastic League championship. As BCSL American Division Champions, the Griffins went on to play Bergen Catholic in the NJSIAA Parochial School state playoffs.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

References
  1. School data for Queen Of Peace High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 15, 2017.
  2. Queen of Peace High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 6, 2015.
  3. Queen of Peace High School Archived April 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed September 6, 2011.
  4. "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  5. "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test", The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  6. Bergen County Catholic High Schools Archived August 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed July 20, 2016.
  7. Curry, Jack. "Baseball; Grandfather Led Jeter To Value Hard Work", The New York Times, February 24, 1999. Accessed February 4, 2013.
  8. TURN 2 Endowed Scholarship Programs, Major League Baseball. Accessed February 4, 2013. "The Derek Jeter/Sonny Connors Scholars is available to students entering Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, N.J., who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship is available to two students who show leadership qualities, academic and individual excellence, and who participate in community service projects."
  9. Brody, Leslie. "Girls at North Arlington school swear not to swear as part of lesson in civility", The Record, February 2, 2013. Accessed February 3, 2013. "Girls at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington taking a pledge not to curse for 30 days. Some wonder why boys didn't take the oath."
  10. Milo, Paul (July 6, 2016). "Queen of Peace High hits fundraising goal; will remain open". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media. Retrieved June 23, 2020. [...]overshooting its goal by about $35,000.
  11. "A troubling decade for Catholic high schools in Hudson County". NJ.com. March 23, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2020. Both schools managed to meet their fundraising goals in about a month.
  12. Grant, Meghan. "It's official: Queen of Peace High School to close in June", The Record, May 8, 2017. Accessed May 9, 2017. "The class of 2017 will be the last to graduate from the 86-year-old Queen of Peace High School. The school, which raised $1 million in just over a month last year to stay open, will be closing its doors at the end of June, the Archdiocese of Newark announced Monday.Archdiocese officials said the Catholic high school in North Arlington would cease operations as of June 30, due to low projected enrollment and 'financial shortfalls.' The K-8 Queen of Peace Grammar School will remain open."
  13. Glovin, David. "Schools basking in Glow of Top Award", The Record, May 28, 1998. Accessed May 30, 2007. "Forgive Queen of Peace High School for skirting the Bible's teachings....And is also a waste of money. For the second time in five years, this small parochial school in North Arlington at the southern tip of Bergen County has won recognition from the U.S. Department of Education...."
  14. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
  15. League & Conference Affiliations 2016-2017 Archived November 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  16. 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 7, 2014.
  17. School Info Archived March 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Bergen County Scholastic League American Division. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  18. Schutta, Gregory. "St. Mary seeks ruling to prevent transfers -- Gaels don't want wrestlers to follow coach to Queen of Peace", The Record, May 31, 2007. Accessed December 15, 2014. "St. Mary is taking Queen of Peace in front of the NJSIAA next week in a preemptive strike, hoping to stem an anticipated wave of transfers of its wrestlers to the fledgling program being built by former Gaels coach Scot Weaver at the North Arlington school."
  19. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  20. NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  21. NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  22. "E. Christian, Queensmen take State championships", The Record, November 23, 1980. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Northern New Jersey Parochial Conference must have learned the secret to winning State championships in soccer.... And another NNJPC team, Queen of Peace, nipped Notre Dame, 1-0, in the Parochial A final, giving the Queensmen their first State championship.... It's only the second year for varsity soccer at Queen of Peace, but the Queensmen (14-4-3) put on a defensive display to hold off Notre Dame for their first Parochial A championship."
  23. NJSIAA Softball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  24. NJSIAA Indoor Group Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  25. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  26. Barton, Rich. "Lamego and Q of P finish off four years of hard work", North Jersey Sports, December 5, 2004. Accessed October 26, 2020. "Facing a red-hot DePaul Catholic squad and an early deficit in the Parochial Group 2 state championship game at Rip Collins Field on Saturday afternoon, Lamego took the team on his shoulders and was not about to let his last scholastic game end in heartbreak.... On the other side of the ball Lamego had six tackles, forced a fumble, tipped two passes that turned into interceptions, and topped it off by scoring the Golden Griffins' final three touchdowns to Q of P its first state championship under the current playoff system with a 35-20 victory."
  27. Stile, Charles. "Donovan wasn't a match", The Record, July 21, 2009. Accessed March 29, 2011. "Donovan's roots are in the South Bergen soil, first as a graduate of Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington and later as a lawyer in her hometown of Lyndhurst."
  28. Foster, D. R. "Where they are now: They hail from here; But they left their mark on the world", South Bergenite, June 24, 2009. Accessed June 24, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Last but not least, North Arlington's Queen of Peace High School recently produced Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist for the pop punkemo band My Chemical Romance."
  29. Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball. Accessed October 8, 2023. "Began high school at Queen of Peace before transferring to Roselle Catholic"
  30. Bishop, Greg. "From Hard Knocks to Crunch Time: Packers' Grant Began Career as Giant", The New York Times, January 17, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2011. "The new assistant football coach reported for work at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, N.J., before the 2006 season.... So when coaches told players the name of the new assistant — Ryan Grant — they were met with blank stares."
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