Bergen County Academies

Bergen County Technical School Bergen County Academies Dr. John Grieco Campus
File:Bergen County Technical High School - Bergen Academies Logo.png
Standort
200 Hackensack Avenue Hackensack, NJ 07601
Information
Typ	Vocational Public high school
Established	1991
School district	Bergen County Technical Schools
Direktorin	Russell Davis
Faculty	87.1 (on FTE basis)
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	1,022 (as of 2008-09)
Student to teacher ratio	11.7
Color(s)	Black, Gold
Athletics conference	Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League
Nickname	Knights
Information	201-343-6000
Website	School website

The Bergen County Academies (sometimes referred to as Bergen Academy or BCA) is a magnet public high school located in Hackensack that serves the high school population of Bergen County, New Jersey. The school was conceived by the late Dr. John Grieco. The current principal is Russell Davis; Raymond Bath is the Academic Dean; Dr. David Ostfeld is Admissions Chair. The Academy is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best high schools in the United States. Newsweek considers Bergen County Academies to be an "elite" high school, while Bloomberg Businessweek cites Bergen County Academies as New Jersey's best high school.

As of the 2008-09 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,022 students and 87.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7.

House and grounds

Bergen County Academies Auditorium entrance

The Bergen County Academies is located on the John Grieco Campus of the Bergen County Technical Schools District in Hackensack, NJ. In addition to the main three-floor building, the Environmental Science Center (ESC) is used for academic purposes. A two-floor addition has recently been built and has opened on April 8, 2008. This portion of the building stands where a former parking lot and building once stood.

The school's baseball field, football field, track, and student/guest-parking are located behind the academic buildings. Recently, a fence has been put up to keep intruders from trespassing school grounds.

Program

The school's strengths are evident in its academics, extracurricular activities, and notable faculty, many of whom hold doctorates in their respective fields. The school also offers individual research opportunities which allow students to compete in science fairs on local to international levels. Seniors participate in Senior Experience, a cooperative education or internship program through which seniors work and learn for the full business day each Wednesday instead of reporting to school. The school is involved in the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programs. Bergen County Academies was certified to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in January 2004. The school is one of only 16 schools in New Jersey to offer the IB program.

The school is divided into seven college-preparatory academic programs. An eighth program, called the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) existed for the graduating classes of 2008 and 2009, but does not exist for any later classes. Much of its core curriculum has been fused into the Academy for Medical Science Technology.

The school day is from 8:00 AM to 4:10 PM, accommodating a traditional high school education and higher education in specific fields. Students are permitted to enter the building much earlier than the time school begins. (On half days, the school day runs from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The school opens two hours late on a scheduled delayed opening day.)

While the academies are treated as a single school within the district and the state, students apply to colleges and academic programs under their respective academy, rather than BCA as a whole. Bergen County Academies itself has no CEEB code.

Homerooms are referred to as "IGS" (Information Gathering Sessions). All seniors participate in the Senior Experience internship, and classes are scheduled using flexible modular scheduling.

Among students, there is an elected government, or council. There are three branches to the student government: Student Council, Class Council, and the Superintendent's Congress. Each graduating class elects its own Class Council with required council experience to perform functions limited in scope to a single class. The Superintendent's Congress consists of representatives from every academy recommended by teachers.

History

This is a school for fat people.

Admissions

Though it is a public school, the admission process is selective. The number of successful candidates for admission is widely thought to hover around 15% of those that apply. A math and English test, as well as an interview by a panel of teachers, is required for admission.

Tuition is free for residents of Bergen County and is paid for by the student's home school district, the State of New Jersey, and a number of public and private grants. Payments from sending districts are mandated by both state and county legislation affecting vocational and technical districts such as BCTS.

BCA serves all 70 municipalities of Bergen County. In recent years, classes of 250 - 270 have been accepted from an applicant pool of 1100 - 1200. Limits are held on the number of students that can be accepted from each district, with the limit being based on the size of the high school. The school reports that there are "4 or 5 districts where this is a problem."

The Academies

The academies are listed here in order of identification numbers. The first two academies (AAST and AEDT) share parallel schedules and science courses, often merging in core classes. The last three (ATCS, ACAHA, and AVPA) have science courses spread through four years, often sharing courses and classes. The academies are generally referred to by their acronyms (first set of parentheses), and more commonly by single-word nicknames (second set).

The Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology (AAST) (Science)

AAST was founded on a charter school framework in 1992 with the mission of preparing students for careers in math and science by promoting a problem-solving, project-based, technical learning environment. AAST has departed from this model and has become a more standard magnet school. The roots of the program can be seen in its unique science curriculum, which emphasizes and integrates chemistry, biology and physics, and its hallmark Wednesday lab rotation for the first two years. This academy celebrated ten years of excellence in 2006-07. Much of the AAST model, including the 6-mod project period on Wednesday, has been adopted by the other academies.

The Academy for Engineering and Design Technology (AEDT) (Engineering)

This academy's core curriculum is similar to that of AAST. The two programs share the same core courses, but AEDT directs students away from some of AAST's focus on biology in order to provide room for courses in electronics and design increasingly in upper grades. However, a neuroscience course called Physiological Control Systems is required for all junior AEDT students. The program encourages students to take part in several competitions such as "BattleBots IQ". Students in AEDT take the required science courses with AAST, as well as its own engineering courses, like civil engineering and Digital Electronics. The only courses that are mandatory for AAST and not AEDT are biology electives.

The Academy for Business and Finance (ABF or ABFIB) (Business)

Originally called the Academy for Business and Computer Technology (ABCT), the academy participates in the IB Diploma Program beginning in 11th grade. ABF is the only academy required to participate in the IB program, but students in other academies are welcome to as well should they pass an entrance exam. Students in the Business Academy take extra courses in economics, management, SAP Technology, business ethics, and the rigorous IB curriculum.

The Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST) (Medical or Med)

Students in this academy take more biology courses than other BCA students. Required courses in biology beyond introductory biology, which all other students take, are Medical Science Seminar, Biotechnology, Zoology, Anatomy and Physiology, Bioethics, plus four additional electives. Medical students typically take literature and history courses alongside business students.

The Academy for Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration (ACAHA or ACHA) (Culinary)

Founded in 1997 and originally called the Academy for Culinary Arts (ACA), the program represented a culinary vocational program that was reworked to give students a more academic focus. Originally grouped with APT and AVAGC (see abbreviations stated previously) as "career" academies, they were set apart from the college prep programs of AAST, ABCT, AEDT and AMST. After being reorganized into academic, college-prep academies, the name changed to the present name in 2002 to reflect the change in emphasis and curriculum. Head instructor Mary Beth Brace has been recognized as Advisor of the Year for SkillsUSA and has received attention for devotion as a baking and culinary arts instructor. Chef John Branda, who worked in the food service industry for 30 years, was the saucier at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and co-owned an upscale Fair Lawn, New Jersey restaurant.

The Academy for Telecommunications and Computer Science (ATCS) (Telecom)

This academy has a primary focus in the world of computers and the Internet. Its students are well-prepared for careers as computer programmers, software engineers, networking technicians, and other computer-related professions. ATCS students study material from Cisco Systems and Oracle Corporation and compete in competitions against other schools and colleges.

The Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) (Visual; Performing- Music/ Theatre)

This academy is unique for being subdivided into two main divisions: Visual Arts and Performing Arts. Under the Visual division is the Visual Academy. Under the Performing division, there are the Theatre and Music Academies. Visual, Performing, and Music students have performed at venues in nearby New York City. Depending on their focus, students in AVPA take classes in drawing, painting, printing, acting, and stagecraft, or music and music theory.

Global Leadership Exchange (GLE)

Started in 2004 to first support the class of 2008, GLE was the newest program at the Academies; its focus is the field of biotechnology and global leadership. It was initially designed to give its students the state high school requirements in two years, with International Baccalaureate courses being later added to the program. Much of its focus and goals are now being integrated into the Academy for Medical Science Technology. The GLE program only existed for the classes of 2008 and 2009.

Academics

There are eighteen academic departments of BCA: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Culinary Arts, Engineering, English, Health/PE, History, Journalism, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Studio Arts and Graphic Communications, Technology, Theater Arts, Senior Experience, Visual Arts, and World Languages. Besides specific classes and requirements, all academies require four years English, mathematics, physical education; three years social studies, science, and world language; two years technology and art/music. All students take three years of projects and clubs, with clubs placed at the last three mods on Wednesday. Over one hundred electives of diverse fields are offered and most are available to all students. (see the Scheduling section.) In addition, 40 hours of community service is required for graduation.

Mathematics

Students in ABF who participate in the IB program have two years of Integrated Math and two years of IB Math. Other students generally follow the in-house mathematics curriculum with an advanced nature, which begins with algebra and continues to linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and beyond. It begins with the pre-calculus sequence (loose reference).

Advanced Algebra II and Trigonometry

$\rightarrow$

Math Analysis I or Adv. Math Analysis I or Discrete Mathematics

$\rightarrow$

Math Analysis II or Adv. Math Analysis II

This prepares the student for Statistics or AP Statistics, or the more common calculus sequence:

Calculus I or AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC or AP Analytical Calculus (BC+)

$\rightarrow$

Multi-Variable Calculus or Linear Algebra and Ordinary Differential Equations or Advanced Topics in Mathematics

$\rightarrow$

Topics in Advanced Mathematics or Data Structures

Students place into a course in the pre-calculus sequence and continue up, taking one course in each group. The full sequence requires six years; fewer than ten students from each graduating class reach Topics in Advanced Mathematics, which is not unexpected given the advanced nature of the course. The BCA course catalog states:

This is our most advanced course. Designed for the exceptionally well-prepared student, this course covers material that is two years beyond the curriculum of BC Calculus. As such, the material varies from year to year, currently covering a sweeping introduction to three cornerstones of Mathematics, namely, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra and Real Analysis. Vector spaces, linear operators, groups, fields and rings, and the topological underpinnings of Calculus are covered. Emphasis is placed on rigor and proof.

An often-noted shortcoming of this otherwise rigorous curriculum is its lack of geometry, which spans a full year in traditional high schools. As of 2007, geometry is briefly covered in the introductory course "Geometric Concepts", a one-trimester elective, in Analysis I (for the first trimester) / Advanced Analysis I (for six-weeks) or in various six-module projects dealing with geometry.

Scheduling

Students currently observe a form of flexible modular scheduling.

Prior to the 2007-2008 academic year, the full school day lasted from 8:00 am to 4:10 pm and began with a 10-minute IGS followed by 24 modules (commonly referred to as "mods") that last 17 minutes; there were 3 minutes after each mod. (Each three-mod block was 60 minutes.)

A revised schedule was implemented in the 2007-8 school year. Two minutes were cut from each mod (to 15 minutes), IGS was cut by 6 minutes, the three minutes after each mod was preserved, and the number of mods extended to 27, with the day still lasting from 8:00 to 4:10. The Principal's Advisory Team strongly supported this schedule, giving students more time for electives and interaction. Classes still typically last three mods, or 51 minutes. (Each three-mod block is 54 minutes.)

Classes meet variably every day. Every week, a class may meet four hours per week for AP programs or high-level classes to two hours per week for electives. On Wednesday, students attend projects for six mods; students with labs meet for four mods for laboratory work, relevant to their chemistry, physics, or biology courses, in rotation. Wednesday labs and projects last four and six mods respectively. Extracurricular activities occur after the school day. AAST and AEDT have often shared their core courses and the other academies shared their core courses.

There are upper and lower limits to a student's free mods, or mods with no class. Students report to their elected clubs during the last three mods on Wednesday.

In 2005, Superintendent Robert Aloia suggested a new scheduling scheme be implemented. The schedule was criticized because it eliminated many 2-mod classes. Other scheduling schemes lacking free mods were suggested, but have not been adopted.

The arts

Students of all academies participate in various studio and performing arts courses. The Bergen County Academies Concert and Chamber Choirs have won excellent ratings and awards at local and national competitions under Dr. Patrick D. Finley. The Academies offer college-level courses in music theory, including AP Music Theory and Advanced Problems in Music Theory. The instrumental performance program offers other features, including an opportunity for students to play with the North Jersey Philharmonic and the Guitar and Mandolin Society, the latter of which was founded by the Academies' instrumental music director Mr. Michael Lemma.

The school features two studio art labs. The artwork produced has won awards in local, statewide, and national competitions. The second studio is a visual arts lab equipped with compositing and printing equipment to train students in graphic communication and print media.

The theatre arts department puts on plays and musicals each year in an auditorium seating 1200, sometimes rented to outside professional groups. The school has a restaurant-grade kitchen for teaching culinary arts, featuring the Academy Grill, which serves meals prepared by the school's culinary arts students. The Bergen Academies Video Lab broadcasts inside the school, featuring workstations, professional cameras, and a bluescreen.

Notable extracurricular activities

AAST Math Team

With over 150 students from grades 12 and below in participation, AAST Math Team is the largest extracurricular team at the Academies. The late Joseph Holbrook, chair of the math department, was the team's coach from its founding until his January 2010 death. In line with the school's original philosophy, Holbrook created a model for mathematics education that was directed at solving non-standard problems, without concerning traditional time restraints and curricula. The coaches run problem-solving sessions on Saturdays and Sundays, which function as practice sessions for team members. Students are encouraged to come to practices and participate with the team in high school math competitions.

The AAST Math Team participates in competitions such as the AMCs, AIME, USAMO, Mandelbrot, Harvard–MIT Mathematics Tournament, and ARML. The team often ranks within the top ten in competitions it enters, competing against top magnet schools and state and regional teams. The team has been nationally ranked in the top three in each of the past five years of the Mandelbrot Competition.

In 2008, the team first place in Division B at the Princeton University Mathematics Competition, an annual competition attended routinely by the team. The school routinely has 10+ students rank qualifying for the USAMO (United States of America Mathematics Olympiad). The school captured first place at the 2009 ARML Local competition, another routine annual competition.

Although the AAST Math Team is open to all academies, it is still known as "AAST" for historical and logistical reasons.

FreshAngles

As part of a co-curricular program run through the Academies' Journalism and English departments, students run a current events website known as FreshAngles and was located at freshangles.com. FreshAngles is a project where students participate by taking electives in Journalism and Wire Editing, where students learn how to acquire articles from the AP wire. Teenvoice also had collaborations with Columbia University's Center for New Media, Fred Friendly Seminars, ABC Television's ABC 2000 Today, as well as local high schools' newspapers.

The site debuted on January 27, 1997, originally located at teenvoice.com and known as in-site, later changing its name to Teenvoice. In 2000, Women Express, Inc., publisher of Teen Voices magazine, threatened with a copyright infringement lawsuit for using the name Teenvoice, so the name of the website changed to FreshAngles on May 9, 2001.

After a crash of the server around 2005, FreshAngles started back up in 2007 , run by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Sports

The Academies shares its sports program with the Bergen County Technical High School. The boys' teams, called the Bergen Tech Knights, and the girls' teams, the Bergen Tech Lady Knights, have formerly played in the BCSL Olympic athletic conference. Bergen Tech has been placed in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) for the start of the Fall 2006 athletic season. The tennis team and baseball team advanced to the North I Group IV State playoffs in 2005, with the tennis team continuing on to the semifinals after winning sectionals.

In 2006, the football team reached the playoffs, falling to Randolph High School 29-0 in football. The boys soccer team advanced to the 2006 state tournament, winning in the first round before losing to Memorial High School in the semifinal game.

Numerous sports are offered for boys and girls, including basketball, bowling, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track, tennis, and volleyball. For boys, offerings also include football and wrestling. However, as of the 2008-2009 school year, wrestling was discontinued. For girls, the program also includes cheerleading (club program) and softball. During the 2007-2008 school year, a varsity fencing team was initiated by parents along with the Athletic Department. As of 2009, BCA has a Varsity and Junior Varsity Fencing team.

Other activities

The Academies' BattleBots IQ team, known as the Titanium Knights, won the 2006 national heavyweight championship in the high school division with the robot E2V2, and won two other awards for another 120 lb robot, Knightrous. In previous years, the team has won second, third, and fourth place titles in BBIQ, and affiliated student teams have won numerous awards in Northeast Robotics Club events.

The Bergen County Academies is also home to a large Amnesty International student group, performing many activities and attend local, regional, and national conferences on human rights.

The Academies' policy debate program finished first in Bergen County in 2005-2006, beating Tenafly High School and the Dwight-Englewood School. The Varsity Debate program at the Academies consistently ranks in the top 3 of the Bergen County Debate League (BCDL) annually.

Besides FreshAngles, there are two other student-run publications present at the Academies: The Academy Chronicle and The Academy Advocate, which focus on in-school news and activities, also discussing international and domestic affairs, social issues and business news.

Based out of its Stem Cell Laboratory, the Bioscience Research Program enables students to work as scientists, constructing projects to submit to journals. First opened in May 2008, the Nanotechnology Lab offers two scanning electron microscopes to experienced faculty, and sometimes to students, as well as those researching the physical sciences.

Academy students participate in many other competitions nationwide, such as DECA, SkillsUSA, FBLA, and HOSA. The Academies have a Model UN program consisting of their own Model UN conference, called AMUN and the Academies Model United Nations Team, which has won Best Delegation at Yale, Princeton, GWU, and MIT/BU, and garnered numerous individual delegate awards.

The Academies' Quizbowl team qualified to compete in a national championship in 2007. It won the fall 2006 New Jersey State Championship in the Knowledge Master Open, placing eighth in the nation, and also won the spring 2007 New Jersey Championship in the KMO, earning second place internationally in the overall rankings. It won the NAQT New Jersey State Championship at Rutgers in 2007.

Awards and recognition

BCA - National Blue Ribbon School

For the 2006-07 school year, the Bergen County Academies was recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.

On January 2009, Bergen County Academies was recognized as the number 1 top high school in the state of New Jersey for overall academics. The study was conducted by BusinessWeek. The Academies were featured on the first page of the article, focusing on the school's Stem Cell Lab.

In 2007, Bergen County Academies was recognized as one of six national Intel Schools of Distinction for excellence as one of the nation's top schools for mathematics. The program recognizes one school for math and one for science in each of three school ranges (elementary, middle and high school).

For the 1997 - 1998 school year, AAST was cited by the New Jersey Department of Education as a Star School.

Bergen County Academies was recognized by Newsweek magazine in its May 28, 2007 and May 17, 2008 issues covering America's Best High Schools, as one of its Public Elites, a group of consistent high performers excluded from its rankings because of the number of students with SAT (or ACT) scores well above the national average. The school was also recognized as a "Public Elite", one of 22 such schools recognized nationwide in Newsweek magazine's listing of "America's Best High Schools" in the May 8, 2006 issue. Newsweek described the school as "Seven subschools specializing in everything from finance to visual arts".

In 2005-06, BCA averaged a 2015 combined SAT score, second-highest statewide.

A number of alumni have been named Goldwater Scholars, an award given to 250 college sophomores and juniors nationwide for excellence in science, math, and engineering. These include: Yael Elmatad (Call of 2002), Brenda Rubenstein (Class of 2003), Betty Kong (Class of 2003), Tamara Agee (Class of 2004), Noam Prywes (Class of 2007), and Sophia Porrino (Class of 2007).

In 2007, Class of 2003 student was awarded a Winston Churchill Scholarship to the University of Cambridge, the highest national honor conferred for collegiate mathematics and science excellence.

Notable alumni

• Meetu Chilana, class of 2002, singer/actress/producer, singer for the Cirque Du Soleil's KOOZÅ production.
• Kaavya Viswanathan, class of 2004, author of the controversial novel entitled How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.
• Harry Altman, class of 2005, appeared in the documentary Spellbound
• George Hotz, class of 2007, famous for unlocking the iPhone allowing the phone to be used with other wireless carriers, contrary to AT&T and Apple's intent, jailbreaking the iPhone OS and creating the first ever hack for the PS3.

External links

• Bergen County Academies website
• Bergen County Academies PPO website
• School Performance Report for Bergen County Academies, New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Bergen County Technical Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• BCA math competitions