Bergen County Academies @ Englewood

In 1992, a new concept for education materialized in Bergen County with the initiative of magnet schools of choice at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack under the direction of Dr. Grieco. Since that time, the NJ State Department of Education has heralded this effort by designating it a Star School and awarding it eight Best Practice distinctions. Since its first graduating class in 1996, Academy alumni have been accepted into our nation’s most prestigious colleges, including every school in the Ivy League. Thus, the reputation of the Bergen County Academies extends beyond the state and they are currently recognized nationally as the premier educational option for county residents.

Because they are at facility capacity in Hackensack and, therefore, cannot accept all of the qualified applicants who wish to attend an Academy program, they have extended these programs to their Teterboro campus. And, beginning September 2002, in a unique partnership with the Englewood Board of Education, Bergen County Technical School leaders enthusiastically bring the following magnet Academy programs to Englewood:

Pre-engineering
Information Systems
Finance
Law and Public Safety

The Englewood Academies will have the same assets that distinguish the Bergen County Academy programs. Hallmarks of the Academies include a sophisticated, state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, a highly credentialed teaching staff, small classes and personalized learning, and extensive corporate partnerships.

Dr. Grieco predicted that the Academies @ Englewood would be “the envy of Bergen County.” (Source: Press Journal)

The first open house was Thursday, January 31^st at King Hall, a separate building from the high school on a magnificent 48-acre campus. Two members of the EHOA Board attended with their children, one 8^th grade student and one 7^th grade student. They joined 300 people for the presentations in the auditorium. Another 200 people attended the open house on February 12. It was wonderful to see the cultural mixture of students and parents. There were families from River Vale, Cresskill, Closter, Tenafly, Haworth, Dumont, Hackensack, Teaneck, Upper Saddle River -- we could almost name every town in the county. Why? Because the Bergen Academies have a superb national reputation. The overall passing rates for the Bergen Academies in the High School Proficiency Tests was nearly 100%. In contrast, only a little more than half of Englewood’s Dwight Morrow’s students pass the tests. (Source: Press Journal February 14, 2002.)

The academies are publicly funded. Each district pays the tuition of their students. Currently we have about 145 students from Englewood attending the Bergen County Academies.

The academies are a fabulous opportunity. Students receive a first class education in classes with typically only 15 students. All of the teachers have doctorates or master degrees. The academies have high academic standards and demand excellent behavior from their students. Parents of 8^th grade students should encourage their children to apply. Teachers’ recommendations, good grades from the past two years, and passing a two-hour test are the requirements for admission. The students also are required to write an essay.

Fifty-four spots are reserved for students who live in Englewood and Englewood Cliffs, and another fifty-four students will be filled from other towns in Bergen County. Next year 10^th grade will be added to the academies and during the following two years, the academies will grow to the 12^th grade. Other academies are also planned for the Englewood campus, including an Academy of Performing Arts.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny compared to what lies within us.” Intelligence is a gift. No amount of money in the world can buy it. We encourage parents of 8^th graders to seriously consider applying to the Academies @ Englewood. For further information please call 201-833-6160 or 6162 or email ADM@epsd.echalk.com.

All applications must be in by March 25, 2002. There are two dates for the test, Saturday, April 6, 2002 and Sunday, April 7, 2002.

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