Dumont High School


Dumont High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Dumont, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Dumont Public Schools.
The current Dumont High School opened in 1932. The original high school was founded in 1918 and located at what is now the Dumont Municipal Building. In 1961, construction on the current building yielded a new gymnasium, a library, over 20 classrooms, and a cafeteria. Another addition was added to the school in 2007. A state-of-the-art media center, modern science labs, and an elevator were part of the new construction. The school operates under the authority of the New Jersey Department of Education and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1939.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 802 students and 68.2 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1. There were 52 students eligible for free lunch and 17 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 101st-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. The school had been ranked 118th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 106th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 162nd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 174th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 179th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics and language arts literacy components of the High School Proficiency Assessment.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Dumont High School Huskies compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 615 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North I, Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 495 to 762 students in that grade range. The school had previously been part of the Bergen County Scholastic League American Conference, made up of private and public high schools located in Bergen County and Hudson County. The school colors are brown, orange and white. The head of the athletic department is Mr. Michael Oppido.
The school participates a cooperative boys and girls swimming program with New Milford High School as the host school / lead agency, under an agreement that expired at the end of the 2018-19 school year.
In 1984, the football team won its first ever North I, Section II state championship defeating Hawthorne High School, 23-20.
In fall 1998, the boys soccer team won the school's first ever Bergen County Tournament soccer game, beating Hackensack High School in penalty kicks, before losing to Bergen Catholic High School in the quarter finals. The team was named the Small School Team of the Year by ''The Bergen Record, finishing the year 18-3-2, setting the school record for wins in a season.
The 1999 boys indoor track team won the Bergen County Indoor Relays championship.
The baseball team won the 2002 North I, Group II state sectional championship, defeating Hoboken High School 4-3 in the tournament final.
In 2008, the baseball team won the BCSL American League Championship for the first time since 1988, defeating rival River Dell Regional High School by a score of 5-4 in nine innings. John O'Rourke allowed no earned runs over eight scoreless innings. They finished the year at an overall record of 17-6, losing in the opening round of the North I, Group II State Tournament to Mahwah, 8-3.
Prior to the 2008-09 school year, the district completed renovations of the majority of DHS athletic facilities. The project included the installation of a state-of-the-art six-lane track, artificial FieldTurf playing surface and lights at the high school. In addition, a new baseball and soccer field were installed at Honiss School, while a new softball and soccer field were installed at Selzer School.
In 2009, the girls varsity bowling team were the for the first time in Dumont's history. The bowling team is coached by Marc Ferrara.
In 2009, the baseball team repeated as BCSL American League champs by defeating River Dell Regional High School 8-0, winning their 11th league title in school history.
In 2010, the Dumont Huskies captured their third straight BSCL American Championship title by defeating Tenafly High School, 8-1. The 2009-10 Dumont boys baseball team, under the direction of head coach Jason Cannici, finished with an overall of record of 20-7 and finished first in the BCSL American at a record of 15-3. They advanced to the semifinals of the North 1, Group 2 State Tournament losing 1-0 to North Warren Regional High School, with the only run of the game scoring on a suicide squeeze.
In 2014, the Dumont High School boys varsity football team, under the direction of head coach Ted Evans, defeated Tenafly High School 21-14 ending a nine-game losing streak on Thanksgiving Day.

Music

Dumont High School has been known for its music department. The Dumont High School Marching Band has been performing at the North Jersey High School Band Festival for over 30 years, as one of the largest marching bands in Bergen County. In the past the band has played half-time shows for the New York Jets at Giants Stadium. The concert band and chorus perform music of the highest level and have performed throughout the United States and Canada. At music festivals, throughout the United States, the band has received superior ratings as has the chorus. The concert band and marching band are well known throughout the Eastern United States. The music department has always had an outstanding jazz program which encourages and teaches jazz improvisation. In 2017, the Dumont High School Marching Band was nominated by Senator Cory Booker to represent the state of New Jersey in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. At this time the band was Under the direction of Ms. Deanna Loertscher.

Theatre and arts

The Dumont High School proudly produces four productions a year with their Youth Theatre actors. In the fall is the straight play, winter is the London Play, spring is the musical and late spring is the student written and produced One Acts. Such shows included Godspell, Grease, Anything Goes, Matchmaker, Romeo and Juliet, Little Shop of Horrors, Midsummer Night's Dream, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Two Month Rule, Seussical the Musical, Beauty and the Beast, and Shrek the Musical.

NJDFL

Dumont High School is a member of the New Jersey Drama and Forensics League. The students have the opportunity to compete against other high schools in pair pieces, scenes, monologues, improvisation, speeches and storytelling. Dumont won the championship in 2002, taking home the inaugural Looby Cup. Dumont High School took home the Looby Cup once again in 2010 after accumulating a total of 256 points at a championship tournament at Raritan High School. The team won by a margin of 63 points over second-place finisher Mainland Regional High School. Dumont High School kept the Looby Cup at home after winning the state championships for a second straight time in 2011. Dumont won the team sweepstakes with a total of 235 points, only 5 points more than second-place finisher Absegami High School.

Administration

The school's principal is James Wichmann. His administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni