Union Catholic Regional High School

Union Catholic Regional High School is a private Catholic high school located in Scotch Plains, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its motto promises to provide a "quality education in a faith-based environment." Founded in 1962 as separate schools for boys and girls, each with its own separate administration and faculty, it has been coeducational since a merger of the two schools in 1980.[8] The school is an active participant in the Anytime/Anywhere learning program. Students from three counties attend the school. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[9]

Union Catholic High School
Address
1600 Martine Avenue

Scotch Plains
,
Union County
,
New Jersey
07076

United States
Coordinates40°37′31″N 74°21′29″W
Information
TypePrivate
MottoQuality education in a faith-based environment
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1962 (1962)
OversightArchdiocese of Newark
School code311362
NCES School ID00863431[1]
PrincipalSister Percylee Hart, RSM[2]
Faculty59.9 FTEs[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment740 (as of 2019–20)[1]
Student to teacher ratio12.4:1[1]
Color(s)  Blue
  Silver and
  white[3]
Athletics conferenceUnion County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Team nameVikings[3]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
NewspaperThe Prophet[5]
YearbookMomentum[6]
School fees$500[7]
Tuition$19,500 (2022-23)[7]
Websitewww.unioncatholic.org

As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 740 students and 59.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1. The school's student body was 41.4% (306) White, 19.7% (146) Black, 18.0% (133) Hispanic, 10.9% (81) two or more races, 9.6% (71) Asian and 0.4% (3) Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander.[1]

The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since November 1969; the school's accreditation expires in May 2023.[4]

History

The first phase of a facility that would cost $3 million (equivalent to $29 million in 2022) to construct and could accommodate 1,500 students opened in September 1962 with an inaugural class of 148 girls and 142 boys.[10] When it was established by the Newark Diocese in 1962, the genders were separated, with the Marist Brothers running the school for boys and the Dominican Sisters the school for girls. The two schools were consolidated in 1980.[11]

Academics

Requirements for graduation

A minimum of 124 Credits is required for graduation and is distributed as follows: English, 20; US History, 10; World History, 5; Lab Sciences, 10; Mathematics, 15; World Language, 10; Phys. Ed., 8, and Religion, a passing grade each year.

Course levels

Union Catholic offers many classes at a variety of levels that range from easy to difficult. Levels include Basic, Regular Adapted, Regular, Honors, Accelerated, and Advanced Placement (AP).

Advanced Placement courses are offered in AP Art History, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP European History, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Physics B and AP Spanish Language. Accelerated and Honors courses are offered in English, History, Mathematics, World Languages and Science. Most courses available have an Honors/Accelerated/AP equivalent available for students to take provided certain prerequisites are met.

Athletics

The Union Catholic High School Vikings[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).[12] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference, which included public and private high schools in Essex, Somerset and Union counties.[13] With 614 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381–1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools).[14] Dave Luciano is the athletic director.[3]

The girls' swimming team won the Girls Division B state title in 1980–1982.[15]

The 1984 baseball team finished the season with a 20–3 record after winning the Non-Public Group A state championship, defeating Holy Spirit High School by a score of 8–1 in the tournament final.[16][17]

The girls' basketball team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 1987 (against McCorristin Catholic High School), 1988 (vs. Notre Dame High School) and 1989 (vs. Paul VI High School).[18] The 1987 team won the Parochial A state title after defeating McCorristin by a score of 45–42 in the championship game.[19]

The 1987 boys basketball team finished the season with a 25–2 record after winning the Non-Public Group A state championship with a 44–39 victory against runner-up Christian Brothers Academy in the playoff finals.[20][19]

Union Catholic's girls' volleyball team won the 2005 Non-Public state championship with a win over Lacordaire Academy in the tournament final (25-21, 19–25, 25–22).[21] The win marks the school's first ever state championship.[22][23]

The boys' 4 × 200 m relay placed first with a time of 1:28.81 at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York City, on March 16, 2008.[24] The boys' 800m sprint medley relay team took first place at the Nike Outdoor National Championship held on June 18, 2008. Their time of 1:31.72 broke the school's record and placed them #7 in New Jersey records.[25]

The boys' track team won the indoor relay Non-Public Group B state championship in 2013, and won the Non-Public A title in 2014. The girls' team won the Non-Public A title in 2015–2020 and 2022; The program's seven state group titles are the fifth-most in the state.[26]

The boys' track team won the Non-Public Group A spring / outdoor track state championship in 2013–2015 and 2022.[27]

The girls' spring / outdoor track team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 2015–2019, 2021 and 2022; the seven titles are tited for seventh-most in the state and the streak of seven consecutive titles (there was no competition in 2020) is tied for second-longest.[28]

The girls' cross country team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 2015 and 2017.[29]

Union Catholic student Sydney McLaughlin, class of 2017, qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the women's 400-meter hurdles and won the gold medal in the event in 2020, setting the world record in the event.[30]

Technology

Union Catholic High School currently has a Laptop for Learning Program. All Freshman students receive a Fujitsu Laptop. This laptop is used all four years of high school. Laptops are used for scholarly purposes such as taking notes, searching for information, and doing homework. Students also receive their own @unioncatholic.org email address. This email address is used to send information and notes within the building. Wireless Internet is available throughout the building and can be utilized by all students. Some textbooks are available online, so students are not required to bring all textbooks to class. An acceptable use policy is in place to prevent misuse of the Internet. UC also has a virtual library that utilizes various Internet databases. Smartboard (virtual blackboards) are available in some classrooms.[31]

Performing Arts Company

The Union Catholic Performing Arts Company (UCPAC) showcases professional theatre on a high school level. The company celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2006 with their fall comedy: and their spring musical: Sugar which is based on the 1959 film Some Like It Hot. Some of their past plays include: Arsenic and Old Lace, Fools, and Inspecting Carol. Some of their past musicals might include: Pippin, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Honk!, and Seussical. In 2007 the fall comedy was The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and the spring musical production was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The 2008-2009 UCPAC Season presented the play Incorruptible by Michael Hollinger in the Fall and the musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim in the spring. The summer production Love (Awkwardly) was performed on the Union Catholic stage during the Summer of 2009. It then moved to NYC Off-Broadway at the end of the summer. Due to critical acclaim, it returned to NYC in January 2010. In the 2009–10 school year, UCPAC presented Noises Off and Les Misérables. The 10–11 season showed The Nerd and The Drowsy Chaperone. In the 2011-12 year, UCPAC presented The Miss Firecracker Contest and Zombie Prom. The 2012–2013 season showcased Stepping Out and Legally Blonde. The 14–15 season performed Boeing-Boeing in the fall and Hairspray in the spring. The 15–16 season performed The Cripple of Inishmaan in the fall and Bring It On in the spring. The 16–17 season showcased Rumors in the fall and In The Heights in the spring. The 17–18 season consisted of Peter and the Starcatcher for the fall play and The Mystery of Edwin Drood as the spring musical. The 18–19 season consisted of A Flea in Her Ear and Spamalot. The 2019-20 year featured Clue on Stage and Mamma Mia!. the 2021-22 year featured You Can't Take It with You (play) and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Notable alumni
Mayor Victoria Napolitano (Class of 2006) addresses the crowd at a town hall meeting
Sydney McLaughlin (Class of 2017) smiles in her Union Catholic track uniform

References
  1. School data for Union Catholic Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 10, 2022.
  2. Principal's Message, Union Catholic Regional High School. Accessed March 20, 2022.
  3. Union Catholic Regional High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  4. Union Catholic Regional High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed March 19, 2022.
  5. Publications, Union Catholic Regional High School. Accessed March 20, 2022.
  6. "Union Catholic Yearbook Staff Earns Award From American Scholastic Press Association", Union Catholic Regional High School. Accessed March 20, 2022. "Union Catholic’s 2018-19 edition of its yearbook, Momentum, won second place in the American Scholastic Press Association’s Annual Review and Contest Awards for scholastic yearbooks, magazines, and publications."
  7. Tuition & Fees, Union Catholic Regional High School. Accessed March 20, 2022.
  8. Sanders, Laura. "Non-priests to head Catholic high schools", Courier News, August 31, 1980. Accessed February 24, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Archdiocese of Newark this year appointed Sister Percylee Hart to take over at newly combined Union Catholic Boys and Girls in Scotch Plains."
  9. Union County Catholic High Schools, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed August 13, 2017.
  10. "Union County Catholic High To Welcome 290 Tomorrow", Courier News, September 4, 1962. Accessed March 20, 2022, vis Newspapers.com. "Union County Catholic Regional High School at 1600 Martine Ave. will open tomorrow at 8:45 a.m. for 290 students, the Rt. Rev. John J. Cain' of St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church said today. Monsignor Cain said the first phase of the more than $3 million project a 20-classroom, 2-story building has been completed. Tomorrow 148 girls will occupy the first floor of the building, and 142 boys will be on the second floor. The school will house 1,500 students from Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Mountainside, Plainfield, Berkeley Heights, Summit and Murray Hill by September 1965."
  11. Lambert, Jim. "Union Catholic Has Started An Exciting New Tradition This School Year, The Blue Harts", Union Catholic Regional High School, September 8, 2017. Accessed February 24, 2021. "From 1962 to 1980, Union Catholic was two separate and distinct schools – Union Catholic Boys High School led by the Marist Brothers and Union Catholic Girls High School led by the Dominican Sisters."
  12. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  13. Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  14. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  15. NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  16. NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  17. Mosley, Gene. "Ashmont sparks Union Catholic", Courier News, June 11, 1984. Accessed February 23, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "If the players on Union Catholic High's baseball team didn't realize how much Al Ashmont meant to their baseball team, they certainly do now, Saturday, the senior All-Stater overcame a nagging muscle injury to pitch and bat the Vikings to a 8-1 win over Holy Spirit of Absecon for the Parochial A State Championship.... 'It's great, it really is,' said Revel of his 20-3 champs."
  18. NJSIAA Girls Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  19. Long, Tom. "Union Catholic teams supply double pleasure for fans", Courier News, March 16, 1987. Accessed February 24, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It will be a long time before anyone associated with athletics at Union Catholic High School forgets about what transpired at Brookdale Community College here last night. The Scotch Plains-based school had never won a state basketball championship prior to this season. But, last night, Union Catholic returned home with two championships, as the Vikings beat McCorristin of Hamilton Township, 45-42, to win the Parochial A girls' championship and the Union Catholic boys stunned Christian Brothers Academy, 44-39, to capture the state crown.... But, by following a masterful game plan to near-perfection, Union Catholic (22-5) beat the team that many observers believed to be the best in the state."
  20. NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History Archived January 16, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  21. NJSIAA Girls Volleyball Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  22. Battaglia, Joe. "Union Catholic captures first state championship", The Star-Ledger, November 13, 2005. Accessed August 5, 2007. "Union Catholic, No. 3 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, shed its hard-luck image behind the play of Harris, who put away six of her team-high 13 kills in the third game to spark a 25-21, 19-25, 25-22 victory over No. 15 Lacordaire for the program's first NJSIAA/PSEG Non-Public championship before 300 yesterday at William Paterson University in Wayne."
  23. 2005 Girls' Volleyball - Non-Public, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 5, 2007.
  24. 25th National Scholastic Indoor Champs March 14-16, 2008 - The New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory, NY NY - 4x200, DyeStat. Accessed November 28, 2011.
  25. 18th Nike Outdoor Nationals: June 19-21, 2008 - North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro NC, DyeStat. Accessed November 28, 2011.
  26. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  27. NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  28. NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  29. NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  30. Staff. "Union Catholic Track Star Will Be Youngest U.S. Track Star in Olympics", TAP Into Union, July 11, 2016. Accessed July 13, 2016. "Sydney McLaughlin a member of the Class of 2017 at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, set a high school and new world junior record in the women's 400 hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trails."
  31. FAQ, Union Catholic Regional High School. Accessed December 18, 2019.
  32. Mallozzi, Vincent M. "Rookie's Career Path Leads Back Home", The New York Times, November 4, 1990. Accessed November 11, 2017. "Tate George grew up in Newark, and, at least half-heartedly, became a New Jersey Nets fan.... Indeed, Mr. George, who was a first team all-State and all-City player at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains just four years ago, has come a long way."
  33. Segelbaum, Dylan. "Here’s what we know about United Fiber & Data founder and former CEO Bill Hynes", York Daily Record, October 14, 2020. Accessed March 19, 2022. "Hynes was born in 1972 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up poor. He was raised by a single mother and moved around to places such as Irvington, Newark and Hillside.... In 1990, Hynes graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School, later earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration."
  34. Kyle Lofton, St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball. "Hometown: Hillside, N.J.; High School: Union Catholic"
  35. Schneider, Jeremy. "With a championship pedigree, Damon Lynn quietly leads Union Catholic's best season in years", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 8, 2013, updated January 26, 2014. Accessed July 18, 2016. "Moments after the final buzzer on Jan. 12, Linden coach Phil Colicchio took Union Catholic guard Damon Lynn aside on the Kean University court and put an arm over his shoulder."
  36. Riordan, Kevin. "Moorestown may have its youngest leader", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 6, 2015. Accessed November 11, 2017. "I met Napolitano at the gracious West Moorestown home she shares with Vinny, 27, her husband of nearly four years. He is Gov. Christie's director of constituencies, and she is a designer of e-learning materials for an international data and information firm in Philadelphia. The couple met at Union Catholic High School in Union County, where both grew up."
  37. Hersch, Corey. "Monmouth's George Papas throws down thunderous garbage time dunk against Kansas, gets T'd up", SNY, November 16, 2019. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Junior guard George Papas, a Jersey City, N.J., native who played scholastically at Union Catholic, was on the floor in the closing seconds while Kansas dribbled out the clock, leading 110-55."
  38. Staff. "Union Catholic Graduate Fabiana Pierre-Louis Nominated To Become First Black Woman To Serve on NJ Supreme Court", TAP into Elizabeth, June 5, 2020. Accessed June 5, 2020. "Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a member of Union Catholic’s Class of 1998, made history on Friday when N.J. Governor Phil Murphy said he will nominate her to become New Jersey’s first black woman to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court."
  39. Giase, Frank. "NY Red Bulls go for attacking players in MLS draft, trade for veteran defender Chris Albright", The Star-Ledger, January 14, 2010. Accessed November 11, 2017. "The only other player with New Jersey ties taken in the draft was Villanova midfielder Mike Seamon, a Rahway native who attended Union Catholic High."
  40. Williams, Thomas Chatterton. Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race, p. 41. W. W. Norton & Company, 2019. ISBN 978-0-393-60887-8. Accessed December 18, 2019 "I told Pappy to sign me up that same day for Union Catholic."
  41. Bob Wischusen, Vision Sports Group. Accessed October 30, 2016. "The Boston College alum and Union Catholic High School Graduate maintained his close ties to the Garden State by calling local New Jersey college football, basketball, and baseball games for the Comcast network from 1997 through 2000."
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