As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,827 students and 135.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.5:1. There were 780 students (42.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 202 (11.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
History
Kearny's first high school was established in 1894. Construction began on the present school facility began in 1921 and Kearny High School opened for the fall semester in September 1923.[3] The school's stadium was completed in 1925. In 1940, an addition costing $400,000 was added. In 1974, another addition was added that cost $5 million, providing a new Music and Art Department, new gymnasium, locker rooms, classrooms and parking. The school is divided into two different buildings that are connected to each other.
The Kearny Museum includes a full collection of Kearny High School yearbooks.[4]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 244th-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.[5] The school had been ranked 224th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 230th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] The magazine ranked the school 235th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[7] The school was ranked 200th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8]
Schooldigger.com ranked the school 246th out of 367 public high schools statewide in its 2009-10 rankings which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[9]
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
The Kearny High School Kardinals[2] compete in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Hudson County, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] Prior to the 2010 reorganization, the school had competed in the Watchung Conference, which consisted of high schools in Essex, Hudson and Union counties in northern New Jersey.[11] With 1,293 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year 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 football team competes in the Liberty 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.[13][14] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,317 to 5,409 students.[15]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with North Arlington High School and Secaucus High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[16]
The boys cross country team won the overall state championship in 1936, 1937, 1938 (public school) and 1940, and won the Group IV title in 1947 and 1983.[17] In 1978, Joe Weber, won the All-Groups Cross Country State Meet of Champions.[18] In 2004 and 2005 Joe Weber Jr. won the Hudson County Cross Country Championship. With the win in 2004, Joe and Joe Jr. became the second father/son duo in state history to win the same county championship, with Joe Sr. having won in 1977.[19]
The boys track team won the public school indoor track championship in 1927-1929, 1932 and 1936.[20] The boys track team won the Group IV spring / outdoor track state championship in 1927.[21]
The boys' soccer team has won NJSIAA Group IV state championship in 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1954–1956, 1958, 1975 (as co-champions with Steinert High School), 1981 (vs. Hamilton High School West), 1982 (co-champions with Freehold Township High School), 1984 (vs. East Brunswick High School), 1987 (vs. Cherry Hill High School East), 1999 (vs. East Brunswick), 2002 (vs. Shawnee High School), 2004 (co-champion with Rancocas Valley Regional High School) and 2017 (vs. Princeton High School) and 2021 (vs. Freehold Township High School). The NJSIAA ranks the team's 10 state championships as tied for fifth-most among public high schools in the playoff era.[22]NJ.com ranks the team third in the state, with a total of 18 titles that includes championships awarded to the school by the NJSIAA in 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1954.[23] The 1984 team finished the season with a 24-0 record, making it the state's only unbeaten team, after winning the Group IV title with a 2-1 victory against East Brunswick in the championship game at Rutgers University.[24] In 2002, the boys' soccer team earned the North I, Group IV sectional title, edging Clifton High School 3-2 in the tournament final.[25] The 2017 team finished the season with a 21-0-3 record after winning the program's 12th Group IV title with a 3-1 victory against Princeton in the championship game.[26] The 2021 team that finished the season with a 22-1-1 record after winning the program's 13th Group IV title with a 6-2 victory against Freehold Township in the championship game at Kean University.
In 1948, the Kearny High School varsity football team was awarded the New Jersey high school state championship.[27]
The softball team won the North I sectional title in 1973 and won the Group IV state championship in 1982, defeating runner-up Edison High School in the tournament finals.[28] The 1982 team took the lead after scoring four runs in the top of seventh and ended a rally in the bottom of the inning with a triple play to seal a 4-2 victory over Edison in the championship game at Mercer County Park to win the Group IV title and finish the season with a record of 24-3.[29]
In 1973, coach Tom Krulik led the track team to win both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten Relays. The two-mile relay team set the New Jersey state record at 7:52 at the Highland Park Relays, earning an invitation to compete in the Nationals at the Penn Relays weeks later.[citation needed]
The baseball team won the North I, Group IV state sectional championship in 2003 with a 5-3 win vs. Ridgewood High School in the tournament final.[30]
In 2007, the girls' soccer team, seeded #2, won the North I, Group IV state sectional championship with a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Montclair High School in the tournament final, the team's second consecutive title.[31][32]
The girls' soccer team won the first-ever Hudson County Tournament, defeating Bayonne High School 6-0.[33]
In 2009, the boys' indoor track and field team won the county championship as the team continues its return to its previous status when many nationally ranked relays and individuals competed for the school. In cross country the school has produced many county, conference and state champions.
The girls' cross country team won consecutive county championships in 2007 and 2008, in addition to four consecutive state sectional titles and a Meet of Champions title in 1986, when Liz Duarte took the Group IV title.[34]
The Kardinals wrestling team won consecutive conference championships from 2001 to 2004 again in 2006, and then again in 2008 in the Watchung Conference. Dave Cordoba won the 1999 state championship at 130 lbs, and holds the school record for career victories.[35]
In May 2016, the Kearny girls' crew Lightweight Four placed 3rd out of 15 boats at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America's National Championship Regatta, taking home the bronze medal.[36] In May 2017 the Kearny girls'crew Lightweight Four placed 1st in the Garden State Championships, the Girls J8 placed 2nd qualifying them for nationals along with the Women's V4.[37] In June 2017, the Girls J8 placed 1st in the National Schools Regatta, while the LWT 4 placed 2nd.[38][39]
The Kearny High School Marching Unit has enjoyed several years of great success in the past. Most notably, they were Tournament of Bands Class III Atlantic Coast champions in 1985, and their percussion section won High Percussion honors for three years straight, from '83 to '85. In addition the Kearny High School Marching Unit under the direction of Patrick Ragnoni was group 3A USSBA Champions two years in a row in 1999 Marching Band Champion Show and 2000 Marching Band Champion Show[40]
International Festival
Kearny High School is well-regarded for its International Festival. Each year in late May or June, the student body of Kearny High School has the opportunity to collectively display and celebrate its rich cultural diversity. On the day of the festival, students go down to the school's football field to visit the multiplicity of tents and tables that are set-up; with some selling food, desserts, and jewelry. Additionally, many students perform dances and play music native to their cultures for the entire student body to celebrate in. Kearny High School's student populated is largely represented by Irish-Americans, Peruvian-Americans, Portuguese-Americans, Brazilian-Americans, Puerto Rican-Americans, and Dominican-Americans, among many other groups. In 2010, the school celebrated its 13th Annual International Festival, of which featured over 85 different cultural tables.[41]
Legal cases and controversy
Religion in classroom controversy
In the autumn of 2006, a controversy was generated by the discovery that David Paszkiewicz, a history teacher at Kearny High of 14 years, taught Christian doctrine to his students during an American history class. When confronted by Kearny High School junior Matthew LaClair in a meeting with Paszkiewicz and the administration, Paszkiewicz denied the charge. After this, LaClair produced recorded tapes in which Paszkiewicz was recorded saying that God "did everything in his power to make sure that you could go to heaven, so much so that he took your sins on his own body, suffered your pains for you, and he's saying, 'Please, accept me, believe.' If you reject that, you belong in hell."[42]
The teacher is said to have also taught that there were dinosaurs aboard Noah's Ark and that there is no scientific basis for evolution or the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe.[42]
The controversy raised questions over the legal right of students to record what teachers tell them during class, with some advocating the practice to ensure teacher accountability, and others arguing that it infringes on the teacher's personal liberty.[42]
LaClair's supporters reported that "he has been the target of harassment and a death threat from fellow students and 'retaliation' by school officials who have treated him, not the teacher, as the problem. The retaliation, they say, includes the district's policy banning students from recording what is said in class without a teacher's permission and officials' refusal to punish students who have harassed Matthew."[43]
Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) said Kearny High School had "violated the spirit and the letter of freedom of religion and the First Amendment", and that the ACLU would support the LaClairs if they were to file suit. The People for the American Way Foundation expressed similar support.[43]
On November 16, 2006, The Jersey Journal reported that the School District had taken "corrective action" against Paszkiewicz, the precise nature of which was not specified. The administrators stated that further action might be warranted, based on Paszkiewicz's continuing conduct.[44]
This matter is the subject of an hour-long documentary film In God We Teach, which includes statements from a variety of people involved (in particular both the teacher and student) as well as others outside the school.[45][46]
Sexual conduct allegation
During the 2006-07 school year Celeste Adamski, a 27-year-old English teacher was suspended with pay on suspicion of sexual activity with one or more of her students.[47] In mid-October she pleaded guilty to an allegation concerning her behavior with a male student as part of a plea agreement in which she gave up her teaching certificate and was barred from teaching or holding a public job.[48]
Administration
The school's principal is Curtis Brack. His administration team includes two assistant principals and the athletic director.[49]
John Harkes (born 1967), soccer player who was captain of the US Men's National team for ten years, playing in two World Cups (1990 and 1994) and an Olympian.[62]
Jeffrey Klepacki (born 1968), Rowing Olympian in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and World Champion in 1994, 1998 and 1999. Attended Rutgers University.[63]
^History of Public Schools in Kearny, USGenNet. Accessed April 7, 2022. "In 1894, the first High School in Kearny was built at the corner of Halstead Street and Kearny Avenue. When the present High School on Devon Street was built in 1923, this High School was re-named Public School No. 4, or the Clara Barton School."
^Kearny MuseumArchived September 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Kearny Public Library. Accessed July 5, 2011. "A staff of volunteers organizes the local displays, which includes a collection of photographs, articles of clothing, war memorabilia, and a collection of Kearny High School yearbooks."
^"Legends Of The Fall: A look at every boys M of C winner and where they are now", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 20, 2015, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed December 10, 2019. "Weber, 8th as a junior, didn't win a major race all season, but shocked everyone except himself and his coach (Jim Cifelli) when he crossed first in the first M of C 5-K ever run at Holmdel Park in 15:49.5.... Weber's son, Joe Jr., won the Hudson County XC title for Kearny in 2004 and '05, making the Weber duo possibly the only father-son combination in state history to both win county XC titles."
^Greco, Richard; and Deakyne, Brian. "Which N.J. boys soccer programs have the most state titles?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 24, 2019, updated June 14, 2020. Accessed December 31, 2020. "3-Kearny Number of titles: 17; Championships: 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2017; Final appearances: 17 (titles were awarded by NJSIAA in 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1954)"
^"Kearny wins soccer title", Herald News, November 24, 1984. Accessed January 13, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Kearny 2, East Brunswick 1: Tom Mara knocked in a rebound off a John Murray shot at, the 13:00 mark of the fourth quarter to lift Kearny to the Group 4 state soccer title Friday at Rutgers University in Piscataway. With the victory, Kearny (24-0) remained the only unbeaten and untied team in New Jersey."
^Alden, Bill. "PHS Boys’ Soccer Falls to Kearny in Group 4 Final, Running Out of Time as Late Rally Comes Up Short", Town Topics, November 22, 2017. Accessed December 31, 2020. "When the Princeton High boys’ soccer team fell behind powerhouse Kearny High 2-0 late in the second half last Sunday in the state Group 4 championship game at Kean University, it could have thrown in the towel.... The Kardinals counterattacked and sealed the game by tallying on a breakaway with six seconds left to put the finishing touch on a 3-1 victory. Beamer tipped his hat to second-ranked Kearny, which has now won 12 Group 4 state titles and ended the season with a 19-0-5 record."
^Silverman, Steve. "Triple play crushes Eagles", The Home News, June 10, 1982. Accessed March 10, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Eagles, behind the three-hit pitching of Linda Brunner, had a 2-0 lead over Kearny entering the final inning and were playing with poise and confidence. It seemed that it was just a matter of time before the Eagles would parade around Mercer County Park with the Group IV championship trophy.... With one out in the top of the seventh, the Kardinals lined three consecutive singles and a bases-emptying double by Joanne 'Josie' Gorba and turned the deficit into a lead. The Eagles did not recover from that assault and Kearny won and the championship, 4-2. Additionally, when it looked like the Eagles might come up with a rally in the bottom of the seventh, they were shot down when Beth Berger lined into a game-ending triple play.... Edison ended its season with a 21-5 record, while Kardinals finished with 24-3 mark."
^Bernstein, Jason. "Back-2-back: straight sectional title". The Jersey Journal. November 9, 2007. Accessed November 15, 2007. "In her final game on Kearny's home field, Pace tallied two goals and an assist in the Kardinals' 3-0 victory over Montclair in the final of the NJSIAA North I, Group IV girls' soccer tournament. With the victory, Kearny High (19-3-1) repeated as sectional champion."
^Bernstein, Jason. "Kardinals cruise to Hudson title"Archived July 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Hudson County Varsity. November 1, 2009. Accessed July 5, 2011. "Yesterday was no exception as four different players found the net as Kearny stormed past Bayonne 6-0 to win the Hudson County Tournament in a performance that head coach Vine Almeida said was their best of the season."
^Hague, Jim. "Kearny girls' crew: Keeping a winning tradition", The Observer Online, June 7, 2016. Accessed December 7, 2016. "Veteran Kearny High School girls' crew coach Dave Paszkiewicz knew that his lightweight four boat was good enough to qualify for the Scholastic Rowing Association of America's National Championship Regatta.... The third place finish at the SRAA's National Championships was the highest placing for a Kearny boat since finishing second in 2009. Kearny last won a national title in 2004."
^Fink, Jason. "Kearny sex teach gets 2 years probation", The Jersey Journal, November 30, 2007. Accessed May 1, 2013. "The former Kearny High School teacher who pled guilty to having sex with one of her 17-year-old students was sentenced to two years probation today. Celeste Adamski, 27, will also have to perform 50 hours of community service and pay $155 in fines, said Hudson County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Debra Simon. Adamski's teaching license will be revoked and she will be ineligible for public employment, Simon added."
^Staff Directory, Kearny High School. Accessed November 9, 2023.
^Canessa, Kevin. "Kearny native competing for Top Chef", The Observer, December 15, 2015. Accessed December 10, 2019. "Karen Akunowicz remembers making an apron in the seventh-grade at Lincoln School in home economics class back in 1991.... When she left Kearny after graduating Kearny High School in 1996 for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, it was her plan to be a social worker."
^Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual, Volume 78, p. 257. Accessed December 10, 2019. "John F. Cali, Dem., Kearny - Assemblyman Cali was born in Newark on May 9, 1928. He attended Kearny High School and also graduated from the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics, and took additional training in business management."
^Cappetta, Gary Michael. Bodyslams!: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman, p. xvii. ECW Press, 2006. ISBN9781550227093. Accessed October 2, 2015. "As a child, my family lived every summer in the shore community of Seaside Park. The month I graduated from Kearny High School in Northern New Jersey, my family moved to Ocean County, where my father established a lucrative amusement business on the local boardwalk."
^Rutgers University Hall of Fame: Jennifer Dore-Terhaar, Rutgers University. Accessed December 10, 2019. "After a successful career at Kearney High School, Dore-Terhaar came to Rutgers and was a three-year varsity letterwinner and key contributor to the Scarlet Knights' nationally-ranked women's crew team."
^Kilpatrick, David. "Santiago Formoso In Conversation (Part III); The third and final installment of an interview with former Cosmos left back, Santiago Formoso.", New York Cosmos, June 29, 2017. Accessed December 10, 2019. "Santiago Formoso spent two seasons with the Cosmos, beginning with the 1977 postseason world tour, scoring twice in 46 league appearances from his left back position. The speedy, stylish and notoriously sleepy-headed left back was a product of the local soccer scene, graduating from Kearny High School in 1973 before playing at the University of Pennsylvania and beginning his professional career with the Hartford Bicentennials in 1976."
^Yannis, Alex. "Cosmos Spirit Infuses 2 At Tournament Debut", The New York Times, June 2, 1989. Accessed August 22, 2012. "Harkes, who went to Kearny High School, has been the most industrious player for the Americans in their three World Cup qualifying games (1-1-1) thus far."
^Di Ionno, Mark. "The saddest stroke of all", The Star-Ledger, July 23, 2008, updated April 2, 2019. Accessed December 10, 2019. "'We're not abandoning the program,' said Klepacki, who like Jen Dore, took up crew on the Passaic River while at Kearny High School."
^Strauss, Elaine. 'New Tune for the Old Organ", U.S. 1 Newspaper, December 19, 2001. Accessed December 10, 2019. "Lippincott started with piano and switched to organ at 13. Kearny High School was unique in possessing a three-manual pipe organ."
^Leir, Ron. "KHS alum wins drama Pulitzer", The Observer, April 25, 2018. Accessed December 10, 2019. "Martyna Majok, a 2003 Kearny High School alumna, was recognized for her play Cost of Living, that premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival on June 29, 2016, and had an Off-Broadway run at New York City Center by Manhattan Theatre Club during 2017."
^"Obituaries: May 20, 2020", The Observer, May 20, 2020. Accessed May 30, 2020. "Born and raised in Kearny, on Wilkinson Terrace, Paul graduated from Kearny High School in 1947."
^Canessa, Kevin A., Jr. "Kearny native named chief of Minneapolis Police Department", The Observer, November 6, 2022. Accessed March 5, 2023. "On Thursday, Nov. 3, the Minneapolis City Council approved Mayor Jacob Frey’s nomination of Kearny native Brian O’Hara, Kearny HS Class of 1997, to serve as police chief. O’Hara joins the city after serving as deputy mayor of Newark, in charge of overseeing strategic public safety initiatives, and before that, having served as Public Safety Director in Newark."
^Billy Sheppell, NJSports.com. Accessed December 10, 2019. "The Sheppell boys were inspired by Archie Stark, the star of local clubs in Kearny and Newark. As a teenager, Billy followed in the footsteps of his three older brothers and became the star of the Kearny High soccer team, graduating in 1944."
^Walker, Ian. "Football: Town that built US soccer from immigrant legacy"[permanent dead link], The Independent, July 31, 2003. Accessed May 20, 2007. "Many of these immigrants, particularly the Scots, settled in the New Jersey town of Kearny. Starting with the Glaswegian immigrant Archie Stark, who is the highest-scoring player in the history of American soccer, through to John Harkes, Tab Ramos and Tony Meola, key players in the national team of the Nineties, this small town (population 35,000) has been home to many of the America's best players. It was also, until recently, home to Tim Howard, United's new keeper."
