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Sparta High School (New Jersey)

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Coordinates: 41°03′20″N 74°37′27″W / 41.055616°N 74.624186°W / 41.055616; -74.624186
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Sparta High School
Address
Map
70 West Mountain Road

Sparta
,
Sussex County
,
New Jersey
07871

United States
Coordinates41°03′20″N 74°37′27″W / 41.055616°N 74.624186°W / 41.055616; -74.624186
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoIt takes a little more to be a Spartan
EstablishedSeptember 1959
School districtSparta Township Public School District
NCES School ID341551005396[1]
PrincipalEdward Lazzara
Faculty99.4 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,071 (as of 2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio10.8:1[1]
Color(s)  Navy
  Columbia blue and
  white[2]
Athletics conferenceNorthwest Jersey Athletic Conference (general)
North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Team nameSpartans[2]
PublicationBeginnings
NewspaperThe Oracle
YearbookOlympian
Websitewww.sparta.org/o/shs

Sparta High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Sparta, in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Sparta Township Public School District.

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,071 students and 99.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. There were 31 students (2.9% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 7 (0.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

History

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The school opened in September 1959 after Newton High School in neighboring Newton, which had served Sparta students, could no longer take on Sparta's rapidly growing high school-aged population. The sending districts of Hopatcong and Byram Township combined with Sparta to form the initial student body. In its first year of operation, Sparta High enrolled over 400 students enrolled in just three grades, from the three communities that shared the school. In May 1964, Sparta graduated its first class—of 160 students—that had attended the school for all four years.[3]

Students from Byram Township had attended Sparta High School until 1974, when Lenape Valley Regional High School was created.[4][5][6][7]

During the 1970s, Sparta High School instituted split sessions to help alleviate problems brought on by increased enrollment. This was only a temporary fix, however, and the township later approved a referendum to build an annex onto the back of the school, more than doubling its area. The section added a new cafeteria, a library, and open classroom spaces.

In the early 1990s, the open spaces provided by the built-on annex were renovated and became closed classrooms. By this time, over one thousand students—all from Sparta—were enrolled in the school. Later in the 1990s, the high school was expanded yet again, adding a new science wing and a number of technological upgrades.

In September 2006, Sparta residents approved a referendum to perform major renovations on the school. The construction began in the spring of 2008 and was completed by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. This reconstruction was to alleviate the issue of overcrowding that the school faced. During the construction, many classrooms were displaced to a cluster of modular trailer rooms.[8]

Awards, recognition and rankings

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The school was the 34th-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.[9] The school had been ranked 83rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 78th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 63rd in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was ranked 73rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[12] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 104th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 6 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (86.6%) and language arts literacy (96.2%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13]

For the 2013-14 school year, Sparta High School ranked first out of nine public high schools in SAT scores.[14]

Sports

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The Sparta High School Spartans[2] compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[15][16] Sparta High School had participated in the Sussex County Interscholastic League until the SCIL was dissolved in 2009 as part of the NJSIAA's restructuring.[17] With 824 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.[18] The football team competes in the United Red division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[19][20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 700 to 884 students.[21]

Interscholastic sports programs compete in one of three seasons:[2]

  • Fall: Football, Boys' Soccer, Girls' Soccer, Unified Soccer, Cross-Country (Boys' & Girls'), Field Hockey, Girls' Volleyball, Cheerleading, Marching Band, and Girls' Tennis
  • Winter: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Unified Basketball, Skiing (Boys' & Girls'), Bowling (Boys' & Girls'), Winter Track (Boys' & Girls'), Wrestling, Swimming (Boys' & Girls'), and Ice Hockey
  • Spring: Track and Field (Boys' & Girls'), Unified Track and Field, Boys' Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse', Baseball, Softball, Golf (Boys' & Girls') and Boys' Tennis

The school participates with Jefferson Township High School in a joint ice hockey team in which Kinnelon High School is the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[22]

The football team won the North I Group II state sectional championship in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982 and 2003 and won the North I Group III title in 2013 and 2014.[23] The 1976 team won the North I Group II state sectional title with a 34-7 win against Tenafly High School in the championship game.[24] A punt returned for a touchdown provided the margin needed to win the 1979 North I Group II state sectional title with a 14-7 victory against Garfield High School in the playoff finals to finish the season 10-0-1.[25][26] The 1980 team finished the season with an 11-0 record after winning the North I Group II state sectional title by defeating Saddle Brook by a score of 13-7 in overtime in the championship game.[27] A stout defense helped the 1982 team defeat Ridgefield Park High School by a score of 21-14 in the North I Group II sectional championship game to finish the season with a record of 11-0.[28][29] In 2003, Sparta's football team won the North I, Group II state championship at Giants Stadium against Dover High School by a score of 16-0 in the championship game, finishing the season with a 12-0 record and making them Sussex County's only 12-win undefeated football team.[30] The team won consecutive North I Group III sectional titles against River Dell High School, winning by a score of 40-0 in 2013 and 31-23 in 2014.[31]

The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 1976 and 1977.[32]

The boys' cross country team won the Group II state championship in 1979.[33]

The wrestling team won the North I Group II sectional title in 1983 and the North I Group III title in 2000; the team won the Group II state championship in 1983[34] The wrestling team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship in 2000 with a 36-29 win against Indian Hills High School.[35]

The girls' basketball team won the Group II state championship in 1985 (defeating Middle Township High School in the title game) and won the Group III title in 1990 (vs. Pennsauken High School), 2001 (vs. Toms River South High School) and 2022 (vs. Mainland Regional High School).[36] In 1985, the team finished the season 29-0 after defeating Middle Township in the Group II championship game, played at the Brendan Byrne Arena.[37] The 2001 girls' basketball team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 36-32 win versus Northern Highlands Regional High School.[38] The team moved on to win the 2001 Group II state championship, defeating West Morris Mendham High School in the semifinals and Toms River High School South in the finals to take the title.[39] The team won the 2003 North I, Group III title with a 34-28 win against Pascack Valley High School in the tournament final.[40] The 2006 team won the North I, Group III title in a low-scoring match, topping Northern Highlands Regional High School by a final score of 27-18.[41]

In 1995, Sparta's boys' soccer team won the state sectional championship and had a final season record of 21-2. The team finished first in the S.C.I.L with an undefeated record of 18-0.

The ice hockey team won the McMullen Cup in 2010-2012.[42]

The softball team won the Group III state championship in 2011 vs. Middletown High School South.[43] In 2005, the softball team won the North I, Group III state title with a 2-1 win against Nutley High School.[44]

The girls' outdoor track and field team won the Group II state championship in 2018.[45]

Academic excellence off the field

[edit]

The boys' soccer team has earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's High School Boys Team Academic Award for seven consecutive seasons (2003–04 through 2010–11) and nine of ten dating back to 2001–02. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. Sparta is one of only two boys' soccer teams in all of New Jersey to be recognized in each of the past seven years (Woodbury High School is the other).[46]

Graduation rate

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According to the New Jersey Herald, the graduation rate for Sparta High School was 94.7%. This rate exceeds the national high school graduation rate of approximately 70%. Sparta High School has had the highest graduation rate in Sussex County.[citation needed]

Clubs and student activities

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Sparta High School has many clubs, academically-related teams and student activities to choose from. The creation of a new club require a teacher sponsor for the cause (tasked with supervising) and approval from the school's administration.

Sparta High School has the following clubs and activities: Academic Bowl, Art Club, Beginnings (Literary Magazine), Chemistry Olympics, Nightingales (Women's Choir), Blue Nights (Men's Choir), Freshman Select Choir, Shacappella (A cappella group), Sparta Sirens (Female a cappella group), Debate Team, DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), Drama Club, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), GSA/Spectrum (Gay Straight Alliance), Habitat for Humanity, History Club, Jazz Bands: Blues Inc! Blues Sanction, Key Club, Marching Band/Color Guard, Mock Trial, National Honor Society, Olympian (Yearbook), PDP (Peer Development Program), Science League, Science Olympiad, Strings Club, Student Council, The Oracle (Newspaper), Theater Productions, and a World Language National Honor Society.

Administration

[edit]

The school's principal since June 2021 has been Edward Lazzara. His core administration team includes the two assistant principals.[47]

Notable alumni

[edit]
See also: Category:Sparta High School (New Jersey) alumni

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e School data for Sparta High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Sparta High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. ^ History of SHS Archived December 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Sparta High School. Accessed December 20, 2016. "Sparta High School opened its doors in September of 1959 with a student population of about 420 in three grades representing three towns. Those towns included not only Sparta, but Hopatcong and Byram as well. Eventually Ogdensburg would also send its students to Sparta."
  4. ^ Gansberg, Martin. "Netcong Links Its Problems to I‐80", The New York Times, September 29, 1974. Accessed December 14, 2016. "And taxes have taken a big jump because of the need for joining with adjacent Stanhope in operating a regional high school, Lenape Valley, which opened last week.... The reason for the increase is because Netcong had to join with Stanhope, which is in Sussex County, to construct the regional high school."
  5. ^ Staff. "New Jersey Sports Lenape Start Fast", The New York Times, October 26, 1974. Accessed December 14, 2016. "Snyder is the 36‐year‐old head football coach at new Lenape Valley Regional High School, which opened its doors last month to students who formerly attended Sparta High and defunct Netcong High."
  6. ^ Carlson, Joe. "Christmas star is subject of planetarium show", New Jersey Herald, November 15, 2013. Accessed April 11, 2023. "The 53-seat planetarium, the only one in Sussex County, has been teaching students about the universe since Netcong, Byram and Stanhope combined to form Lenape Valley Regional High School in 1974."
  7. ^ Aun, Fred J. "First Superintendent of Lenape to Retire", The Star-Ledger, "The impetus for the creation of Lenape Valley was provided by Sparta...Byram was sending students to Sparta, and it was told by Sparta that they had to leave...Sparta was growing and could no longer take Byram Township students."
  8. ^ "Residents narrowly spring for overhaul to aging Sparta High School" Archived August 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, News 12 New Jersey, September 27, 2006. Accessed August 13, 2014. "Sparta homeowners barely put the stamp of approval on a major high school facelift with the passage of a $71.5 million school referendum Tuesday night."
  9. ^ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 3, 2012.
  11. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 1, 2011.
  12. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  13. ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 3, 2012.
  14. ^ Sparta High School School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 19, 2015.
  15. ^ Home Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."
  16. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Home Page, Sussex County Interscholastic League, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of February 4, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2014.
  18. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  20. ^ Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  21. ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  22. ^ NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  23. ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  24. ^ "Schoolboy Halfback Breaks New Jersey Scoring Record", The New York Times, December 5, 1976. Accessed December 26, 2020. "Ernie Longston ran for touchdowns of 1 and 60 yards to spark Sparta to a 34-7, victory over Tenafly for the North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 championship at Tenafly."
  25. ^ "Sparta foils Garfield with TD punt return", The Record, December 2, 1979. Accessed December 31, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Because Sparta placed its primary emphasis on its secondary, Garfield came out second best yesterday in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 high-school football championship. Boilermaker quarterback John Scoular, who threw for 1,022 yards in the regular season, could accrue only 51 in the Spartans' 14-7 win."
  26. ^ "Pascack Hills, Sparta, Mahwah, Rahway win", New York Daily News, December 2, 1979. Accessed January 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Sparta 14. Garfield 7 - A 70-yard punt return by Brad Winfree late in the third quarter provided once-tied Sparta with-the winning points in the final of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2. championships in Sparta.... Sparta (10-0-1) opened the scoring in the second period on a 1-yard run by Bob Van Kirk."
  27. ^ Ericsson, Kurt. "State Champs! Massen TD Returns Title To Sparta", Daily Record, December 7, 1980. Accessed February 16, 2021. "With the Group II, Section 1 championship game appearing hopelessly deadlocked at 7-7 and the last minutes of the second overtime ticking off the scoreboard clock, clearly it was time for decisive action. So after a brief strategy session with assistant coach Ted Barbato, Sparta High School football coach Ron Earl decided to chuck the conservative approach and open up and go for all the gusto. Four plays later, the Spartans were celebrating their second state football championship in as many years as Paul Maassen's 28-yard dash around left end lifted them to a 13-7 sudden death victory over Saddle Brook.... 'We've been able to depend on our defense all year,' added Strauss who helped the Spartans finish the campaign with a perfect 11-0 mark, extend their two-year winning streak to 15 games and capture their third Group II, Section 1 title (Sparta won in 1976 and 79 and Lenape Valley won in 1977) in the last five years."
  28. ^ Miller, Mark. "Seville scores 2 TDs; Defense sparks Sparta's title triumph", Daily Record, December 5, 1982. Accessed February 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The vaunted Sparta running game was, as usual, awesome. But a splendid last minute defense was the rabbit in Ron Earl's hat yesterday, when his Spartans held on to defeat Ridgefield Park, 21-14, and capture the North Jersey Section 1, Group II title in front of 2,500 fans. It was the third state championship in four seasons for Sparta, the fourth in eight years."
  29. ^ Schwartz, Paul. "Ridgefield Park falls short", The Record, December 5, 1982. Accessed March 5, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Sparta crowd was almost silent in the final minute of yesterday's New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 2, Section 1 final. Sparta's win over Ridgefield Park Group 2, Section 1 had been an accepted fact in town even before the game started.... Sparta won, 21-14, finishing an 11-0-0 season, but before the Spartans could claim their fourth title in seven years the Scarlets had pushed them right to the wall."
  30. ^ Cleary, Dan. "Top Teams of the Decade" Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Sussex County Sports Blog, January 3, 2010. Accessed September 12, 2011. "Sparta football returned to glory in the early part of the decade and coach Pat Shea capped his first stint with the Spartans by guiding the Spartans to the first and only 12-0 season in Sussex County history.... The Spartans knocked off a very game Montville squad 14-10 before blanking Dover 16-0 at Giants Stadium in the best farewell gift Pat Shea could ever receive."
  31. ^ Stein, Peter. "Two in a row! Sparta football team repeats as state champions", New Jersey Herald, December 6, 2014. Accessed October 29, 2020. "Though the Spartans had a tougher time against River Dell in Saturday’s North 1, Group 3 championship game at MetLife Stadium than they did against River Dell in last year’s title game at the same place, the men in blue got it done again, this year by a 31-23 count, bagging their second consecutive state crown in the process.... The 2013 Spartans waxed River Dell 40-0 at MetLife Stadium, but the 2014 Spartans expected a bigger challenge from the Golden Hawks, and got it."
  32. ^ NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  33. ^ NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  34. ^ NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
  35. ^ Team Wrestling - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  36. ^ Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
  37. ^ Jackson, John. "Sparta cinches perfect season", The Record, March 17, 1985. Accessed December 14, 2020. "Paced by Cathy Wille and Helene Reigstad, Sparta played what Geffken called its best game of the season to defeat Middle Township, 60-49, and win the NJSIAA Group 2 title yesterday at Byrne Area. The Spartans closed the season undefeated at 29-0."
  38. ^ 2001 - North I, Group III Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  39. ^ 2001 - Group III, Semis/Finals Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  40. ^ 2003 Girls Basketball - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  41. ^ 2006 Girls Basketball - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  42. ^ NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  43. ^ Softball Championship History 1972–2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated July 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024.
  44. ^ 2005 Softball - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 12, 2007.
  45. ^ NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  46. ^ All-time Boys Team Academic Award Winners, National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Accessed March 3, 2010.
  47. ^ Administration General Information, Sparta High School. Accessed January 11, 2024.
  48. ^ Litsky, Frank. "Football; Tight-End Depth Helps Giants' Running Game", The New York Times, August 18, 1989. Accessed September 12, 2011. "At Sparta High School, perhaps a half-hour drive from here, Baty played tight end for a team that seldom threw more than five passes a game. In his first three years at Stanford, he was known as a blocker. As a senior, he caught 61 passes, a Stanford record, and his image changed."
  49. ^ NFL Historical Player Results, National Football League, September 20, 2007.
  50. ^ "Sparta High School Class of 2014", New Jersey Herald, June 22, 2014. Accessed January 11, 2024.
  51. ^ About Mike, Space, Fantansia and Inganamort. Accessed January 11, 2024. "Mike and his wife Lauren met at Sparta Junior High School, graduated from Sparta High School, and were married at Blessed Kateri Church in Sparta."
  52. ^ Community: Chris Jent's career began in Sparta, New Jersey Herald, March 20, 2006.
  53. ^ a b McCullough, Andy. "Ex-Sparta High wrestlers Jim and Dan Miller make UFC a family affair", The Star-Ledger, March 26, 2010. Accessed January 30, 2011.
  54. ^ Hunter, George LeRoy. "Local athletes inducted into Sussex County Sports Hall of Fame", Sparta Independent, November 11, 2013. Accessed December 28, 2021. "Kevin Rogers is a 1969 graduate of Sparta High School. He attended Massanutten Military Academy 1969 to 1970 where he was named Massanutten's most valuable athlete."
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