Linden High School (New Jersey)
Linden High School is a comprehensive community public high school located in Linden in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Linden Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928.[3]
| Linden High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
121 West Saint George Avenue , , 07036 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°38′10″N 74°15′55″W / 40.635999°N 74.26526°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1910 |
| School district | Linden Public Schools |
| NCES School ID | 340861005556[1] |
| Principal | Charles Koonce |
| Faculty | 146.0 FTEs[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,743 (as of 2021–22)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 11.9:1[1] |
| Color(s) | Orange and black[2] |
| Athletics conference | Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (general) Big Central Football Conference (football) |
| Team name | Tigers[2] |
| Rival | Union High School |
| Website | lindenhs |
As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,743 students and 146.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1. There were 642 students (36.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 151 (8.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. 81.1% of students are Black or Hispanic.[1]
Linden High School has been an IB World School since July 2001, offering students the IB Diploma Programme.[4]
History Edit
Linden High School opened for start of the 1910-11 school year, with a graduating class that included three students.[5] The high school had been located in School No. 1 until a standalone high school building opened to students in 1925, with expansions made to the original building in 1931 and 1960. A plaque in the school honors Lida M. Ebbert, who was the school's principal from when it was established in 1910 until she retired in 1952.[6][7]
Awards, recognition and rankings Edit
The school was the 253rd-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.[8] The school had been ranked 326th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 284th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[9] The magazine ranked the school 299th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[10] The school was ranked 293rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[11]
Athletics Edit
The Linden High School Tigers[2] 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] With 1,202 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.[13] Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had participated in the Watchung Conference, which included public high schools in Essex, Hudson and Union counties.[14] The football team competes in Division 4 of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.[15] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 895 to 1,296 students.[16]
The boys track team won the Group III spring track state championship in 1941.[17]
The boys' baseball team won the Group IV state championship in 1979 (against Middletown High School South in the final game of the tournament), and won the Group III title in 1981 (vs. Moorestown High School) and 1982 (vs. Freehold Township High School).[18] The 1979 team finished the season with an 18-6 record after winning the Group IV title with a 2-1 victory on a run scored in the bottom of the ninth in the championship game against Middletown South.[19]
The football team won the North II Group III state sectional title in 1985 and the North II Group V title in 2014.[20] In 2014, the team defeated Elizabeth High School by a score of 27–20 in the tournament final to win the North II Group V championship.[21] The school's rivalry with Union High School, with games played on Thanksgiving Day (or the day before Thanksgiving) for more than 75 years, was listed at 13th on NJ.com's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Union leads the rivalry with a 37–32–5 overall record as of 2017.[22]
The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1988 and the Group III title in 2020.[23]
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state title in 1992 (vs. Piscataway High School), 1993 (vs. East Brunswick High School) and 1994 (vs. Washington Township High School).[24] The 1993 team won the Group IV title with a 71-55 win against East Brunswick in the championship game.[25] The 1994 team won the Group IV title with a 58-52 win against a Washington Township team that came into the championship game undefeated.[26]
The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 2000 (defeating Bridgewater-Raritan High School in the tournament final), 2004 (vs. Atlantic City High School), 2007 (vs. South Brunswick High School), 2014 (vs. Trenton Central High School), 2016 (vs. Atlantic City High School) and 2017 (vs. Shawnee High School).[27] Coached by Phil Colicchio, the boys' basketball team won the 2006 North II, Group IV sectional championship with a 64–38 win over Plainfield High School.[28] In 2007, the team won the Group IV NJSIAA state championship, edging Passaic County Technical Institute 57–56 in the semifinals and defeating South Brunswick High School 63-54 for the title.[29] The team won the program's fourth Group IV title in 2014 with a 66-53 win against Trenton Central in the finals of the tournament.[30]
Administration Edit
The school's principal is Charles Koonce. His administration team includes four assistant principals.[31]
Notable alumni Edit
- John Charles (born 1944, class of 1962), former American football cornerback and safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League.[32][33]
- Jerome A. Cohen (born 1930), professor of law at New York University School of Law and an expert in Chinese law.[34]
- Tamecka Dixon (born 1975, class of 1992), former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks, Houston Comets and Indiana Fever.[35][33]
- Waliyy Dixon (born 1974), aka "Main Event" on the AND1 Mixtape Tour; one of the original players on the famous AND1–sponsored streetball tours.[36]
- Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (born 1964, class of 1985), one of the top female ten-pin bowlers.[33]
- Calvin Duncan (born 1961), pastor and retired basketball player.[37]
- Stanton T. Friedman (born 1934, class of 1951), nuclear engineer who broke the story of the 1947 Roswell incident.[38][39]
- Oscar Givens (1922–1967), Negro league baseball infielder in the 1940s who played for the Newark Eagles.[40]
- John T. Hendrickson Jr. (1923–1999), politician who represented the 9th Legislative District from 1982 to 1989.[41]
- George Hudak (1935–1996), politician who represented the 20th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 1994 and was mayor of Linden from 1983 to 1987.[42]
- Eddie Kasko (born 1931), former infielder, manager, scout and front office executive in Major League Baseball.[43][44]
- Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt (born 1948, Thomas R. R. Schmidt), artist and veteran of the Stonewall riots.[45][46]
- Derek Luke (born 1974), actor who won multiple awards for his big-screen debut performance in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher[47]
- Vincent Obsitnik (born 1938), American diplomat of Slovak descent.[48]
- Mike Pringley (born 1976, class of 1994), former American football defensive end who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers.[49][33]
- Jon Rua (born 1983, class of 2001), actor, singer and choreographer who appeared in the Broadway hit Hamilton.[50]
- Troy Stradford (born 1964, class of 1982), former professional American football running back who played for six seasons in the NFL.[51][33]
- Craig Taylor (born 1966, class of 1984), former running back for three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals.[52][33]
- Chester A. Weidenburner (1913-1985, class of 1931), lawyer and judge who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and as a Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court.[53]
- Muhammad Wilkerson (born 1989, class of 2007), defensive end who played for the New York Jets of the National Football League.[54][33]
Notable faculty Edit
- John J. Fay Jr. (1927–2003), history and economics teacher from member 1958 to 1978, who was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate.[55]
References Edit
- ^ a b c d e School data for Linden High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c Linden High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ Linden High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed July 23, 2011.
- ^ Linden High School, International Baccalaureate Organization. Accessed May 1, 2008.
- ^ Linden High School, City of Linden. Accessed April 13, 2022. "Linden High School is in the city of Linden that is a diverse community that is located about fifteen miles away from New York City. In September 1910, Linden High School began its operation as an academic institution, with three students graduating that year."
- ^ Russell, Suzanne C. "Comfort Zone; Linden High School principal is back at the school where she began teaching almost 20 years ago", Courier News, October 26, 2007. Accessed April 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "She is the first woman to hold the position since Lida M. Ebbert served as the principal from 1910 to 1952. A plaque in the high school was dedicated to Ebbert in 1960."
- ^ Yeats, Lauren Pancurak. Linden, New Jersey, pp. 73-74. Arcadia Publishing, 2002. ISBN 9780738523651. Accessed April 13, 2022. "Because of the overcrowding at School No. 1, it was decided that a separate high school shpuld be built, so land was purchased on St. Georges Avenue between Ainsworth and Summit Streets. The cornerstone was laid on October 10, 1924, and the school opened in 1925... Lida M. Hubbert became the principal in 1910 while the high school students were still housed at School No. 1. She was in charge of the entire school system as well, which, at that time, included just 24 students of high-school age. Ebbert and the students moved into the new Linden High School in 1925, and Ebbert was the Linden High School principal until 1952. In 1967, the school was renamed the Lida M. Ebbert Linden High School in her honor. Following Ebbert's death in 1980, a group of her former students and associates contributed to a fund to perpetuate her memory. Her name, in bronze letters, was placed above the front entrance to the school."
- ^ 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 11, 2012.
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed July 23, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
- ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ , Watchung Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 7, 2011. Accessed December 16, 2014.
- ^ Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties."
- ^ NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2021.
- ^ NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
- ^ Graham, Tony. "Middletown South Beaten by Linden", Asbury Park Press, June 10, 1979. Accessed June 14, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Middletown South High School is still suffering NJSIAA pains.... Yesterday, it was the baseball's team turn for heartbreak in a nine-inning 2-1 loss to Linden in an NJSIAA Group IV championship struggle at Mercer County Park. Linden senior Lou Wisnowski, just recently back in action after suffering a shoulder separation, separated the Eagles (18-9-1) from their title dreams and gave the Tigers (18-6) their first NJSIAA baseball crown."
- ^ NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ Kratch, James. "Juwan Dolbrice leads Linden to first title in 29 years with win over Elizabeth in North 2 Group 5 final", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 7, 2014. Accessed December 26, 2016. "Juwan Dolbrice returned a kickoff 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown when Linden defeated Elizabeth, 27-20, in the NJSIAA/SportsCare Institute North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 final Saturday evening at MetLife Stadium.... The victory ends a 29-year championship drought for Linden, which was playing in its first sectional final since it won North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 in 1985 for the only sectional crown in school history prior to Saturday night."
- ^ Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "13-Linden vs. Union - This will be the 75th time these Union County rivals will meet, though the Thanksgiving Day rivalry has been moved to the day before Thanksgiving.... All-time series: Union leads Linden, 37-32-5"
- ^ History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 1, 2022.
- ^ NJSIAA Girls Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ via Associated Press. "West Side whips No 1 Egg Harbor in Group III final; Anthony's 25 points pace stunning upset by Roughriders.", Asbury Park Press, March 17, 1993. Accessed January 13, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Linden 71, East Brunswick 55: Forward Tamecka Dixon scored 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as the Tigers defended their Group IV title with a victory over the Bears at Monmouth College. Forward Simone Gilliam and guard Raqia Johnson combined for 31 points for the Tigers (26-1). Senior forward Jan Przystup had 25 points and 10 rebounds for East Brunswick (26-4)."
- ^ Chessari, Joe. "Linden has a bigger goal in mind", The Record, March 14, 1994. Accessed January 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Linden won another Group 4 girls basketball championship Sunday afternoon, but the Tigers are saving the real party for next week. The Tigers (22-2) hope to use their 58-52 victory over previously unbeaten Washington Township at the Dunn Center as a preamble to a Tournament of Champions title."
- ^ NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
- ^ 2006 Boys Basketball - North II, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 30, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Boys Basketball - Public Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 29, 2007.
- ^ Staff. "State Basketball: Linden, Pitman, Newark Tech, Newark Eastside claim crowns", USA Today High School Sports, March 16, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2020. "Linden prevailed with authority, posting a 66-53 victory over Trenton Central to claim the NJSIAA Group IV boys basketball title before a crowd of nearly 4,000 fans at Rutgers University’s Louis Brown Athletic Center on Sunday.... Linden claimed its fourth group title, all under coach Phil Colicchio."
- ^ High School Staff, Linden High School. Accessed January 22, 2023.
- ^ Markus, Robert. "Charles Smiles Now in Glory of Rose Bowl", Chicago Tribune, December 28, 1966. Accessed September 11, 2012. "There may be some who have waited longer for Purdue to get to the Rose Bowl, but none could be happier to be here at last than John Charles.... 'I probably got my scholarship at Purdue as a player, because I was an All-State and All-America on offense at Linden High in New Jersey.'"
- ^ a b c d e f g Schneider, Jeremy. "The Votes Are In: Who made it to Linden's Mount Rushmore?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 11, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed February 24, 2020.
- ^ "Jerome A Cohen To Study Abroad", Linden Observer, June 21, 1951. Accessed May 19, 2021. "Jerome Alan Cohen, of 623 North Wood avenue, was awarded the degree of bachelor of arts at the 230th commencement of Yale University.... He is a graduate of Linden High School."
- ^ Staff. "Tamekca M. Dixon named governor to Union County College board", Courier News, December 23, 2016. Accessed September 4, 2019. "At the Dec. 6 meeting of the Union County College Board of Trustees and Governors, Tamecka M. Dixon, former WNBA All-Star, was sworn in to serve as a new governor.... She attended Linden High School, where she was named a High School All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association."
- ^ Linden Athletic Hall of Fame April 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 30, 2009.
- ^ Berman, Zach. "VCU success story Calvin Duncan has Jersey roots", The Star-Ledger, March 31, 2011, updated March 31, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2020. "Calvin Duncan was 18 in 1979 with a budding basketball career, a laughable transcript and no parents.... Needing improved test scores and a new environment, Duncan transferred from Linden High School to Oak Hill Academy in rural Virginia — as removed from Linden as he figured he could go."
- ^ Gibson, Lydialyle. "Science? Fiction? For 41 years Stanton Friedman, SB'55, SM'56, has traveled the world with a simple message: UFOs are real.", The University of Chicago Magazine, September / October 2011. Accessed October 27, 2011. "In 2001, decades after challenging his fifth-grade teacher on the motion of the solar system, Friedman returned to Linden for his 50th high school reunion."
- ^ File on Stanton Friedman, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Accessed April 13, 2022. "Stanton Friedman spent his childhood in Linden, New Jersey and attended Linden High School from 1947-1951."
- ^ Oscar Givens, Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed April 13, 2022. "High School: Linden HS (Linden, NJ)"
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 203, Part 2, p. 242. Accessed April 13, 2012. "Mr. Hendrickson was born Jan. 30, 1923, in Elizabeth. He is a graduate of Linden High School, and has taken property appraisal courses at Middlesex and Ocean County Colleges, and at Stockton State College."
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 203, Part 1, p. 260. J.A. Fitzgerald., 1988. Accessed July 12, 2020. "George Hudak, Dem., Linden - Mr. Hudak was born in Linden on March 10, 1935. After graduating from Linden High School he attended Kean College, here he received his degree in education in 1961."
- ^ Sales, Bob. "'I'll Treat Sox Like Men'--Kasko", Boston Globe, October 3, 1969. Accessed July 23, 2011. "Born June 27, 1931 Linden N.J. Home Richmond Virginia Graduate of Linden High School"
- ^ Nowlin, Bill. Eddie Kasko, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Eddie was born at a hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey on June 27, 1931, but was raised from birth in Linden, New Jersey, and it was from Linden High School that he graduated in 1949."
- ^ Carter, David, 1952- (2010). Stonewall : the riots that sparked the gay revolution (2nd St. Martin's Griffin ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312671938. OCLC 659681252.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Pitman, Gayle E. (May 14, 2019). The Stonewall Riots : coming out in the streets. Sargeant, Fred. New York. ISBN 9781419737206. OCLC 1083178102.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Staff. "Actor Derek Luke comes home to talk with Snyder High students", The Jersey Journal, December 22, 2008. Accessed July 23, 2019. "Jersey City born-and-raised actor Derek Luke is at Snyder High School, where he attended, this morning to talk to students, a school official said this morning. The star of Biker Boyz, Antoine Fisher and Glory Road, is expected to talk about his life experiences and rough times growing up in Jersey City. Luke attended Snyder, but graduated from Linden High."
- ^ Caroom, Eliot. "U.S. ambassador returns to Linden", copy of article from The Star-Ledger, may 5, 2009. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- ^ Mike Pringley, North Carolina Tar Heels football. Accessed February 24, 2020. "Hometown: Linden, N.J.; High School: Linden"
- ^ Ross, Ruth. "Linden is In The Heights with Mystic Vision Players", NJ Arts Maven, July 8, 2013. Accessed August 29, 2017. "Jon Rua, who recently originated the role of 'Jesus Pena' on Broadway in Hands On A Hardbody, graduated from Linden High School in 2001 and went on to appear in the ensemble of the premiere off-Broadway production of In The Heights."
- ^ Thomsen, Ian. "He's In A State Of Anticipation; Bc's Stradford Eyes A Big Year", The Boston Globe, August 27, 1985. Accessed July 20, 2012. "He was a 5-foot-8-inch basketball player who could dunk two- handed, but [Troy Stradford] was mainly a 1,000-yard tailback each of his last two years at Linden High School."
- ^ Craig Taylor player profile September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed August 27, 2007.
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1973, p. 308. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1973. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Chester A. Weidenburner, Linden Judge Weidenburner was born in New York City, December 3, 1913. He graduated from Linden High School, 1931"
- ^ Vrentas, Jenny. "Former Linden High star Muhammad Wilkerson likely to be first New Jerseyan selected in 2011 NFL Draft", The Star-Ledger, April 25, 2011. Accessed July 23, 2011. "Raised in Elizabeth and Linden, Wilkerson grew up a Giants fan until he became simply a fan of the game. The third of four children, he and his mother share a close connection, reinforced by their tradition of sending 'hugs' in daily text messages."
- ^ Martin, Douglas. "John J. Fay Jr., 76, Ombudsman For the Elderly of New Jersey", The New York Times, October 29, 2003. Accessed July 7, 2010.
External links Edit
- Linden High School
- Linden Public Schools
- School Performance Report for Linden High School, New Jersey Department of Education
- School Data for the Linden Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics