University High School (New Jersey)
University High School of Humanities (usually University High School) is a six-year public high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools.
University High School of Humanities | |
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Location | |
University High School of Humanities University High School of Humanities University High School of Humanities | |
United States | |
Coordinates | 40.72104°N 74.210697°W |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1977 |
School district | Newark Public Schools |
NCES School ID | 3411340[1] |
Principal | Genique Flournoy-Hamilton |
Faculty | 43.0 FTEs[1] |
Grades | 7 - 12 |
Enrollment | 505 (as of 2018–19)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 11.7:1[1] |
Color(s) | Burgundy and Silver[2] |
Athletics conference | Super Essex Conference |
Team name | Phoenix[2] |
Newspaper | Phoenix Flame |
Website | School website |
Originally created as a program called "School Within a School" at South Side High School, University High School became a standalone school in 1977.[3]
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 505 students and 43.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. There were 323 students (64.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 16 (3.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 237th-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.[4] The school had been ranked 171st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 131st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[5] The magazine ranked the school 66th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[6] The school was ranked 146th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[7] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 55th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 27 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (91.6%) and language arts literacy (97.2%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[8]
In 2011, University High School seniors won the National Urban Debate Championship, a three-day tournament with over 7,000 students from 38 schools in 19 cities participating.[9]
Athletics
The University High School Phoenix[2] compete in the Super Essex Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] With 350 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015–16 school year as North II, Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 73 to 487 students in that grade range.[11] Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment in 2010, the school had competed in the Colonial Division of the Colonial Hills Conference, which was made up of public and private high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in North Jersey.[12]
In 1989, the boys' track team, led by senior Darrell Davis, won the North II, Group I state sectional championships. Davis was the 1988 and 1989 Group I sectional winner in the 100 m and 200 m races as well as the All Group I 100 m champion.
The girls' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2007 (vs. Palmyra High School) and 2008 (vs. Wildwood High School).[13] The team won the North II, Group I state sectional championship in 2007 with a 66–50 win over Bloomfield Tech High School[14] and moved on to win the Group I state championship, defeating Palmyra High School by a score of 80–55 for the title.[15] The team made it to the 2007 Girls Basketball - Tournament of Champions, defeating Willingboro High School, 71–58, in the first round, Trenton Catholic Academy, 61–51, in the semis and Trenton Central High School, 68–62, in the finals to win the tournament.[16]
The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 2009 (vs. Asbury Park High School) and 2010 (vs. Woodbury Junior-Senior High School).[13]
Academics
University High School is a college preparatory institution, where students can pick from three academies; Law, Teaching, or Fields of Humanities to specialize in and complete courses based on their choices, though students are free to specialize in the major of their choice.
Administration
The principal is Genique Flournoy-Hamilton.[17]
Notable alumni
- Ras J. Baraka (born 1970), Mayor of Newark.[18]
- Niobia Bryant (born 1972), author, also writes urban fiction as Meesha Mink.[19]
- Faith Evans (born 1973), R&B singer.[20]
- Nadirah McKenith (born 1991), professional basketball player who has played in WNBA for the Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx.[21]
- Laurin Mincy (born 1992), professional basketball player.[22]
- Brittney Sykes (born 1994), basketball guard with the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association.[23]
- The Three Doctors, a group of African-American motivational speakers, authors, and doctors made up of Dr. Rameck Hunt, Dr. Sampson Davis, and Dr. George Jenkins.[24]
References
- School data for University High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
- University High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 3, 2016.
- History of UHS, University High School. Accessed September 11, 2014.
- Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
- Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 20, 2012.
- Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 30, 2011.
- "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 27, 2012.
- Giambusso, David. "No debating this: Newark students win national debate championship", The Star-Ledger, May 20, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2014.
- League & Conference Affiliations 2016-2017 Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
- General Public School Classifications 2015-2016, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of December 15, 2015. Accessed December 12, 2016.
- Home Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of November 19, 2010. Accessed December 15, 2014.
- Public Past State Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed February 14, 2017.
- 2007 Girls Basketball - North II, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 10, 2007.
- 2007 Girls Basketball - Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, May 9, 2007.
- 2007 Girls Basketball - Tournament of Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 10, 2007.
- Bonamo, Mark. "Newark mayor's race candidate profile: Ras Baraka", PolitickerNJ, May 8, 2014. Accessed September 11, 2014. "'I went to University High School and Howard University.'"
- Cutler, Jacqueline. "A conversation with Niobia Bryant", NJ.com, August 31, 2014. Accessed September 11, 2014. "'I went to University High. I wasn't one of the top. I was floating in the middle, doing just enough to get by.'"
- Wilson Wesley, Valerie. "Faith's healing - Faith Evans, singer, mother and widow of rapper Notorious B.I.G - Cover Story - Interview", Essence (magazine), December 1997. Accessed July 10, 2007. "While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with the chorus and jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised."
- McCullough, Andy. "Newark's Nadirah McKenith leads rising St. John's women's basketball program", The Star-Ledger, February 24, 2010. Accessed September 1, 2017. "Nadirah McKenith bounced in a black leather chair inside a conference room on the second floor of Taffner Fieldhouse, the basketball complex on St. John's campus in Queens.... 'We can get out and go,' said McKenith, a graduate of University High in Newark."
- Lerner, Gregg. "Laurin Mincy of University is State Player of the Year", NJ.com, April 5, 2009. Accessed September 11, 2017. "Carol Nixon-Mincy's words hit home for Laurin, who plays every game for University High of Newark as if it were her last."
- Brittney Sykes, Syracuse Orange women's basketball. Accessed May 6, 2017. "Played four years at University High School for Coach Felicia M. Oliver"
- Sampson Davis, MD, The Three Doctors. Accessed September 20, 2012. "While attending University High School in Newark, Dr. Davis met Dr. Rameck Hunt and Dr. George Jenkins, two fellow students who, together, drastically altered the course of one another's lives."