Pascack Valley High School (PVHS) is a four-year comprehensive regional

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in Hillsdale in

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, United States, serving students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s as one of two secondary schools in the

Pascack Valley Regional High School District The Pascack Valley Regional High School District is a regional public high school district encompassing students from four communities in the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through ...

. Pascack Valley High School serves the residents of both Hillsdale and neighboring River Vale, while its counterpart

Pascack Hills High School Pascack Hills High School (PHHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two secondary schools serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, New ...

serves the communities of Woodcliff Lake and Montvale. As part of its 1:1 eLearning Initiative, the school has provided a laptop to every student, teacher, and administrator for educational use. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,031 students and 97.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 10.6:1. There were 13 students (1.3% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with th ...

and 12 (1.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Pascack Valley High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district financ ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022.

History

Constructed at a cost of $1.25 million (equivalent to $ million in ), the school opened in September 1955 with nearly 600 students, which was expected to jump to 800 by 1957 due to increases in the school-aged population. Prior to that, students from Hillsdale, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake had attended

Park Ridge High School Park Ridge High School is a six-year comprehensive community public high school with an integrated two-year middle school located in the borough of Park Ridge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in seventh through tw ...

as part of

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

Principal's death

School principal Dr. Joseph Poli died suddenly in 1989. Among the many memorials to Dr. Poli was the renaming of the annual holiday girls' basketball tournament in his memory. The Joe Poli Tournament attracts top teams from across the region.

1997 walkout

In 1997, in an act of support for the proposed school budget which was up for voter approval, up to 700 students (much of the student body) walked out of the school. In the previous three years, the budget had been voted down, and if it had gone down again, the school would have had to dismiss about a third of its teachers, including all who were under age 40. In addition to other local activist activities, such as handing out fliers encouraging people to vote up the budget, students staged a walkout which the local media were called to attend. Originally, the principal had planned to let students walk only to the back following an all-student meeting, but students took matters into their own hands when the leaders of the group led the walkout to the front. In the end, the budget passed.

2008 child pornography scandal

In 2008, four freshman students were caught with nude pictures of underage girls. These pictures were shown to have been transmitted through school laptops.

2008 death of principal

On January 29, 2008, the school district announced that following surgery on her knee, then-principal Dr. Barbara Sapienza had become comatose and that her recovery was uncertain. Assistant principal Thomas DeMaio took over as acting principal, and remained in that position following Dr. Sapienza's death on March 5, 2008. DeMaio was subsequently appointed principal in his own right.DeMaio, Thomas
Pascack Valley High School. Accessed October 3, 2014.

2015 white supremacy scandal

On May 10, 2015, an open letter from the school's Human Rights League was published on the website of the school's newspaper, ''The Smoke Signal''. The letter referenced "incidents of racism" at the school, including a swastika being drawn on a hallway wall and white supremacy hand signs being flashed at sporting events. Media in northern New Jersey and nearby New York City picked up on the report, and the Anti-Defamation League visited with the school superintendent on Thursday, May 21. School officials revealed in media reports that five students were suspended, although the school would not make it clear what, if any, involvement these students had had in the incidents. To protest against white supremacy and to promote racial equality, school students put up a banner in the hallway, to be signed by students who wanted racial tolerance and diversity.

2018 child pornography scandal

In January 2018, several freshman were found with nude pictures of their fellow students on their cellphones, and were found to be distributing and showing these photos to their classmates.

2018 graffiti

During a Board of Education meeting on November 5, 2018, Gundersen addressed two Swastikas previously found on September 27 and October 18, 2018, both being located in separate boys' bathrooms. After finding the second Swastika in October in the second floor boys' bathroom, it was closed up, with Principal DeMaio stating it was closed due damage that needed to be repaired. On November 6, 2018, it was announced that three additional Swastikas were found, leaving the locations unspecified. Plaques behind a baseball dugout were later found with, "homophobic slurs, racial slurs, and drug references, among other vulgar language" etched into them. DeMaio had previously asked for all the plaques to be removed, with only one being removed. After finding the hateful speech, all plaques were removed from the dugout. On November 21, 2018, the students of Pascack Valley formed the shape of a heart on the football field and gave speeches, part of the "Movement of Unity" in order to, "foster unity throughout the PV community." Almost a month after the Swastikas were addressed, more Swastikas and racial slurs were found in

, with administrators addressing students on the matter. On December 4, 2018, another Swastika was found in a bathroom at George G. White Middle School, part of the

Hillsdale Public Schools The Hillsdale Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Hillsdale, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comp ...

district. It was later announced that a minor had been charged involving the incident.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 39th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 73rd of 328 schools in the state in 2012, after being ranked 23rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 25th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 23rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 49th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of four positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (91.8%) and language arts literacy (98.0%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA). In 2013, Pascack Valley earned a place on the AP District Honor Roll along with Pascack Hills and 475 schools across the US and Canada.

1:1 eLearning initiative

In the fall 2000, a program was proposed to provide a

laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

to every student and teacher for educational purposes. A

wireless network A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing ...

environment for the school was part of a referendum project. As the concept evolved, school representatives visited districts where such a program was already in place. The school's Steering Technology Committee was responsible for the logistics of the plan from 2000 forward. For the 2004–05 school year, the school issued all its students laptops, and was the first public school in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

to do so. The laptops were issued by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

and were put under a contractual lease for a period of four years, expiring in 2008. While the laptop program was hailed as a success by the administration, students largely differed in their opinions. The school ceased use of the Sony Vaio laptops given to students and teachers during the years 2005–2007 in order to integrate 1.6 GHz MacBooks from

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

for the 2007–2008 school year. Several classes were used to test the students' abilities to adapt to

Mac OS X Tiger Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4) is the 5th major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Mac computers. Tiger was released to the public on April 29, 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. Some ...

OS interface and assess the laptops' value for use with school activities. The laptops featured all the standard Mac programs as well as having a digital camera built into the top of the screen. The "test runs" of the MacBooks were successful. Printer driver issues arose, but were addressed during the 2007–2008 school year.

Campus

Pascack Valley High School has a wide range of facilities and a large

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-li ...

, including a track (with a new surface as of the spring of 2006), surrounding an artificial turf

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

field. The school grounds also have eight

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

courts, a dance/recreational room equipped with a

ballet barre A barre () is a stationary handrail that provides support for people during various types of exercise. Barres are used extensively in ballet training and warm up exercises, where such exercises are commonly referred to as ''barre work''. In a ba ...

, a

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

field, a weight room, and one

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

field. The school has two levels and is mainly arranged in a rectangular fashion. The campus underwent major renovations in 2005 that added several wings and a total overhaul of the athletic complex and auditorium.

Extracurricular activities

Like most other area high schools, Pascack Valley offers a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, including: *Academic Decathlon *

Animal Rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

Club *Art Portfolio Club *Audio Visual Club *Bro Squad, the all-male a cappella group *Chamber Choir *Chemistry Olympics *Chess Club *Computer Club *Concert Choir *Debate Team *DECA *

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Club * French National Honor Society *Gay/Straight Alliance *

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a C ...

*HOPE (Helping Other People Every Day) *

Human Rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

League *Interact Club *

International Thespian Society The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Thespian troupes serve students in grades 9–12; Junior Thespian troupe ...

(Troupe 7427) *Investment Club *

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Club *Italian Honor Society *JAC (Just About Caring) *Jazz Band *Knitting Club *Literary Magazine *Lunch Choir *

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, o ...

PVHS Band
/ref> *

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

League *

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

*Pascack Pi-oneers, the school's

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

team, operated together with sister school Pascack Hills High School (Team 1676) *Pascack Volunteers *PVHS Theatre *S.E.A.A. (Students for Environmental Advocacy and Action) *Science League *Science National Honor Society *''The Smoke Signal'', the school's award-winning online newspaper, with new articles released every day online. *Spanish Club *

Spanish National Honor Society Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain ** Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, C ...

*This Week in Politics, a club to discuss current events *Treble Chamber Choir *

Tri-M Tri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is an American high school and middle school music honor society. A program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), it is designed to recognize students for their ...

Music Honors Society *

Yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

Pascack Valley HS Theatre

Pascack Valley has an award-winning theatre program, most recently winning the 2018 Metro Award for “Outstanding Production Number- Coffee Break". Pascack Valley also won the 2018 MSU Foxy Award for Excellence in Dramaturgy for their 2017 fall production of Stephen Gregg's “Crush” as well as “outstanding achievement by an acting ensemble of a drama” for their 2016 fall production of “Metamorphoses”. Pascack Valley High School performs two shows each year, a fall play in November as well as a spring musical in March. For the 2018 spring production of ''How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', they were nominated for six awards, having won one, they also have been nominated for five awards in 2017 for “Pippin”, 6 awards in 2016 for ''Urinetown: The Musical'', seven awards in 2014 for ''Cabaret'', and 13 award nominations— including best musical, in 2015 for “Anything Goes”. The 2017–2018 season was Stephen Gregg's ''Crush'' on November 16–18, 2017 and “

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

” on March 15–17, 2018. The 2018–2019 season was announced on May 21, 2018, the play “Brainstorm” and the musical “

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

”.

Athletics

The Pascack Valley High School PanthersPascack Valley High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the

(NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment in 2010, the school had participated in the

North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League The North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League, abbreviated NBIL or NBIAL, was an athletic conference of twelve high schools located in the northern part of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey. Wayne Hills High School, located in ...

. With 908 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. The football team competes in the Patriot Red division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2018–2020. There are 10 boys' interscholastic sports activities and seven girls' interscholastic sports activities. The school participates as the host school / lead agency in joint cooperative ice hockey and boys / girls swimming teams with

, while Pascack Hills is the host school for a joint gymnastics team. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. School colors are Kelly green and white. Interscholastic sports offered by the school include: Fall sports * Cheerleading: Varsity, JV * Cross Country (B&G): Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Dance: Varsity, JV * Football: Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Gymnastics: Varsity * Soccer (B&G): Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Tennis (G): Varsity, JV * Volleyball (G): Varsity, JV, Freshmen Winter sports * Basketball (B&G): Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Bowling (B&G): Varsity, JV * Cheerleading: Varsity * Dance: Varsity, JV * Ice Hockey: Varsity, JV * Swimming (B&G): Varsity * Winter Track (B&G): Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Wrestling: Varsity, JV, Freshmen Spring sports * Baseball: Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Golf (B&G): Varsity, JV * Boys Lacrosse: Varsity, JV * Girls Lacrosse: Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Softball: Varsity, JV, Freshmen * Tennis (B): Varsity, JV * Track & Field (B&G): Varsity, JV, Freshman The school has had considerable success in basketball and football. The boys track team won the spring track title as Group III champion in 1961 and 1965 (as co-champion). The boys track team was the indoor track Group III in 1965. The girls' basketball team, led since 1972 by New Jersey's winningest girls' basketball coach, Jeff Jasper, has won 30 consecutive league titles (1979 through 2008), and seven county championships to go along with multiple state titles. The girls' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1981 (vs.

Camden Catholic High School Camden Catholic High School (CCHS) is a four-year comprehensive private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Cherry Hill, Camden County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates ...

), 1982 (vs.

North Hunterdon High School North Hunterdon High School is a four-year regional public high school serving students from six municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, as one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High Sch ...

), 1989 (vs.

Mainland Regional High School Mainland Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students in grades nine through twelve from the communities of Linwood, Northfield and Somers Point in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, servi ...

) and 2017 (vs.

Ocean City High School Ocean City High School (OCHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Ocean C ...

), and the Group II title in 2005 (vs.

Rumson-Fair Haven High School The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (often abbreviated RFH) is a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school and school district in the eastern United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburba ...

), 2008 (vs. Rumson-Fair Haven) and 2017 (vs. Ocean City). The program's six state titles are tied for seventh-most in the state. The 1981 team became the first girls team to finish the season with victories after defeating Camden Catholic by a score of 58–52 in the Group II final. In 2008, Pascack Valley won the Group II state title with a 58–52 win against Rumson-Fair Haven, qualifying for the state Tournament of Champions, and giving Jasper the 800th coaching victory. Jasper was inducted by the

into its Bollinger High School Hall of Fame in 2006. The 2010 girls' basketball team was NBIL champions and won the North I, Group III state sectional title, defeating top-seed

Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...

51–47. Jasper earned his 900th win in January 2013, joining

Bob Hurley Robert Emmet Hurley (born July 31, 1947) is an American basketball coach. At the now-closed St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, Hurley amassed 26 state championships in 39 years as a coach. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the ...

as the only other coach in state history to reach that mark. On January 11, 2018, Jasper earned his 1,000th career coaching victory with a 73–25 win against

Northern Highlands Regional High School Northern Highlands Regional High School (NHRHS) is a regional public high school and school district in Allendale, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Allendale, Ho-Ho-K ...

, becoming the first girls basketball coach in New Jersey to reach this milestone, joining Hurley again as the only other high school basketball coach in New Jersey with 1,000 or more wins. The boys cross country running team won the Group III state championship in 1973. The football team, now coached by Len Cusumano, has made 14 state playoff appearances all-time, including seven sectional final appearances, and three sectional titles (1990, 2013, and 2014): Former coach Craig Nielsen led Pascack Valley to their 2013 and 2014 titles and compiled a 119–46 record during his 15 seasons (2001–15) as head coach. * 1989 (Final North I, Group III) * 1990 (Champions North I, Group III with a 14–0 win against

Wayne Valley High School Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary schools of the Wayne Pu ...

) * 1999 (Quarterfinals North I, Group III) * 2004 8-3 (Semi-Finals North I, Group II; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2005 10-1 (Semi-Finals North I, Group II; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2006 10-2 (Final North I, Group II; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2007 8-4 (Final North I, Group II; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2008 9-2 (Semi-Finals North I, Group III; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2009 8-2 (Quarterfinals North I, Group III; NBIL Division 2 Champions) * 2010 5-5 (Quarterfinals North I, Group III) * 2011 9-2 (Semi-Finals North I, Group III; Big North Independence Division Champions) * 2012 11-1 (Final North I, Group IV; Big North Independence Division Champions) * 2013 10-2 (Champions North I, Group IV with a 32–8 win against

Paramus High School Paramus High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school, located in Paramus, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Paramus Public ...

; Big North Independence Division Champions) * 2014 10-2 (Champions North I, Group IV with a 22–6 win against Paramus High School) * 2015 8-3 (Semi-Finals North I, Group III) The girls tennis team won the Group II state championship in 2003, defeating

Haddonfield Memorial High School Haddonfield Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Haddonfield, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary sch ...

in the final match of the tournament. The ice hockey team won the McMullen Cup in 2004 with a 5–0 win in the tournament final against

. The girls volleyball team won the Group II state championship in 2005, defeating

Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

in the final match of the tournament. The girls' soccer team won the Group II state championship in 2005 as co-champion with

. The Pascack Valley Regional gymnastics team won state titles in 2008 and 2009, and was selected by '' The Record'' as Team of the Year in 2009. The wrestling team won the North I Group III state sectional championship in 2018 The Pascack Valley Regional Dance Team has been the National Grand Champions for the past two years at the

National Dance Alliance The National Dance Alliance (NDA), originally named NCA Superstar, was established in 1999. NDA is the sister company of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), which was founded by Lawrence Herkimer in 1948. In 1976, NCA created NCA Superstar ...

Championship. In 2007 they were state champions as well. The Pascack Valley Regional Dance Team was on the cover of the February 2008 issue of '' The Record''s Sports Magazine. In 2008 they took home two first-place trophies in the Large Pom and Small Team Performance categories at the NDA National Championship. They were state champions in 2008 and 2014 as well.

Mascot controversy

The school's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

. In 2004, there was a major controversy at the school about the appropriateness of the mascot. The school took up the issue after researching high schools and colleges around the U.S. with similar nicknames that had decided to change their mascots. Many of these schools had received complaints from Native American groups about the stereotypes that the mascots reinforced. The student council also discussed rumors that New Jersey would be banning Native American-related mascots, and eventually it was decided that taking up the issue by choice rather than force was the right thing to do. After months of public debate and an official symposium in which students voiced opinions from both sides of the issue, a vote was held among the students and faculty and the motion to keep the Indian was affirmed, 67% voting in favor of keeping the mascot. In 2015, the school district decided to change the logo to one using the initials "PV" while deferring a decision on the mascot name. In July 2020 the district board of education voted to eliminate both the PVHS "Indians" and the "Cowboys" at

.Levine, Cecilia
"Pascack Valley, Hills High Schools Remove Racist Mascots"
Pascack Valley Daily Voice, June 23, 2020. Accessed June 23, 2020. "Two Bergen County sports teams are no longer named the Cowboys and Indians. The Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education voted unanimously to remove the nicknames and logos during Monday's virtual meeting.... Charleen Schwartzman, a PHHS math teacher who will assume the role of assistant principal position July 1, said the name 'cowboys' excludes females and people of color." In March 2021, the Board of Education ratified new team names that had been selected by a vote of students and staff at each school, with Pascack Hills being renamed the Broncos and Pascack Valley adopting the Panthers as its new team name.Cooper, Darren
"Board of Education approves new mascot names for Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills"
'' The Record'', March 8, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2021. "Get used to saying Pascack Valley Panthers and Pascack Hills Broncos. After a long, contentious and compelling process, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education voted 5-4 to approve the new mascots at both schools. Panthers and Broncos were the names that students of each school selected during a vote held last month.... Each school community (students and staff) voted last week on three finalists for its school. In both cases, the voter turnout was close to 75%, with Panthers and Broncos receiving a convincing majority."

Student government

The Pascack Valley High School

Student Government Association A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

consists of five councils. Each grade has a class council, and the PVHS Executive Council governs the entire student body. Each council consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and eight elected and appointed representatives. In 1996, two

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

students, Matt Kracinovich of Pascack Hills, and Ryan Shell of Pascack Valley, successfully lobbied the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

to accept a special student representative from each school to sit on the board. In the following year, the 1997–1998 school year, Kracinovich and Shell became the first students to occupy the new positions officially known as the Non-Voting Student Members of the Board of Education. The Executive Council recommends appropriation of funds for student activities, with the approval of the Board, for the school. It is also deeply involved in organizing activities and events for the school. The next step down the ladder of the student government consists of the four class councils, which participate in the running and operations of the school with the Executive Council, but represent and are responsible to the electing class. Elections to the class councils are held at the end of every year for various positions, and in the fall for the freshman class. There are two positions to which candidates must be appointed. The Executive Council, which is separate from the constituent class councils, holds elections in the spring.

Demographics and curriculum

* 99% of the senior students of the past year received a diploma. * 96% of the seniors planned to attend college. * As of the 2009–10 school year, four world languages are offered: Spanish, French, Chinese and Italian. * 15

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP) classes are offered:

AP Computer Science In the United States, Advanced Placement Computer Science (commonly shortened to AP Comp Sci) is a suite of Advanced Placement courses and examinations covering areas of computer science. They are offered by the College Board to high school stud ...

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

AP Calculus AB Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cov ...

AP Calculus BC Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cov ...

AP Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their ...

AP English Language and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (also known as AP English Language, APENG, or AP Lang) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. When AP exams were first implemen ...

AP English Literature and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition (also known as Senior AP English, AP Lit, APENG, or AP English IV) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United State ...

AP European History Advanced Placement (AP) European History (also known as AP Euro, or APEH), is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program. This course is for high school students who are interested in a first year ...

, AP Projects in Music Theory,

AP French Language Advanced Placement (AP) French Language and Culture (also known as AP French Lang, AP French Language or AP French) is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit ...

AP United States Government Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

AP Physics B Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B was an Advanced Placement Physics course equivalent to a year-long introductory college course in basic physics concepts. High school students studied Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, thermal ...

AP Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placeme ...

AP Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

, and

AP United States History Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (also known as AP U.S. History or APUSH () is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. Course The AP U.S. History course is designe ...

. * Pascack Valley participates in the Honors program.

Administration

The school's principal is John Puccio. His core administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

* Brooke Ammerman (born 1990),

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward who was the first player to score a goal in

Metropolitan Riveters The Metropolitan Riveters (originally the New York Riveters) are a professional women's ice hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with home games at the American Dream Meadowlands ice rink. They were one of the four charter franchi ...

history. * Sal Cenicola (born 1960), professional boxer recognized by the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' for the longest interval between professional boxing matches *

Richard Cottingham Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is an American serial killer and rapist who murdered at least 17 young women and girls in New York and New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. His confirmed killings include nine convictions and a fu ...

(born 1946),

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

active between 1967 and 1980 variously known as "The Butcher of

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

" or "The Torso Killer". *

Tyler Cowen Tyler Cowen (; born January 21, 1962) is an American economist, columnist and blogger. He is a professor at George Mason University, where he holds the Holbert L. Harris chair in the economics department. He hosts the economics blog ''Marginal R ...

(born 1962), economist, author and blogger. *

Rob Delaney Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and activist. He was the co-star and co-writer of the TV show ''Catastrophe'', and has appeared in comedy films such as ''Deadpool 2'' (2018) and ''Tom & Jerry'' (2021). ...

, (born 1984), pitcher in the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

' organization *

Peter Enns Peter Eric Enns (born January 2, 1961) is an American Biblical scholar and theologian. He has written widely on hermeneutics, Christianity and science, historicity of the Bible, and Old Testament interpretation. Outside of his academic work E ...

(born 1961), Old Testament scholar *

Dan Fogelman Dan Fogelman (born February 19, 1976) is an American television producer and screenwriter whose screenplays include ''Cars'', ''Tangled'', and ''Crazy, Stupid, Love''. He also created the 2012 television sitcom '' The Neighbors'', the 2015 fairy ...

(born 1976), screenwriter for multiple TV shows and movies, including ''

This is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

'', ''

Tangled ''Tangled'' is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the Grimms' Fairy Tales, German fairy tale ''Rapunzel'' ...

'' and the ''

Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

'' franchise * Jeff Phillips (born 1968), fitness trainer and former actor best known for his work in ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'', ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' and the 1996 film '' Independence Day'' *

David Remnick David J. Remnick (born October 29, 1958) is an American journalist, writer and editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book '' Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire'', and is also the author of ''Resurrection'' and ''King of th ...

(born 1958), editor for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' who was the editor-in-chief of ''Smoke Signal'' while in high school * Jesse Van Saun (born 1976), retired

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played professionally in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. *

Heather Zurich Heather N. Zurich (born October 23, 1987) is an American former basketball player and coach. She played college basketball for Rutgers University from 2005 to 2009 before playing professionally for one season in the Netherlands. Following her pla ...

(born 1987), former

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

women's basketball playerHeather Zurich

Women's Basketball. Accessed December 27, 2007. "Averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a senior at Pascack Valley High School ... Was named the 2005 Star-Ledger Player of the Year".

References

External links

Pascack Valley High School web pages

Pascack Valley Regional School District official site
*
Data for the Pascack Valley Regional High School District

Pascack Valley High School Theatre

The Smoke Signal, online newspaper
{{Authority control 1955 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1955 Hillsdale, New Jersey Pascack Valley Public high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey River Vale, New Jersey