Mountain Lakes High School

Mountain Lakes High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Mountain Lakes, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Mountain Lakes Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1940.[5]

Mountain Lakes High School
Location
Mountain Lakes High School
Mountain Lakes High School
Mountain Lakes High School
96 Powerville Road
Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046

United States
Coordinates40.894502°N 74.425635°W / 40.894502; -74.425635
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoTradition of Honest Excellence
Established1936 (Briarcliff Building), 1959 (present building)[1]
School districtMountain Lakes Schools
NCES School ID3411010[2]
PrincipalFrank Sanchez[3]
Faculty61.9 FTEs[2]
Grades9-12
Enrollment680 (as of 2017-18)[2]
Student to teacher ratio11.0:1[2]
Color(s)     Orange and
     blue[4]
Athletics conferenceNorthwest Jersey Athletic Conference
WebsiteSchool website

Students from Boonton Township attend the school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Boonton Township School District.[6][7][8]

As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 680 students and 61.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. There were 10 students (1.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 1 (0.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was ranked 19th in a study by 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.[9] The school had been ranked 7th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 9th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 4th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was ranked 5th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[12] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 28th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 7 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.6%) and language arts literacy (97.9%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13]

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 16th in New Jersey and 679th nationwide.[14] In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Mountain Lakes High School was listed in 3rd place, the 2nd-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[15]

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 538th in the nation among participating public high schools and 44th among schools in New Jersey.[16] The school was ranked 207th in the nation and 17th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.[17]

In 2013, a Mountain Lakes High School quiz bowl team won the Tri-State and New Jersey championships of MSG Varsity's TV show, The Challenge.[18]

Athletics

The Mountain Lakes High School Lakers[4] compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference which includes public and parochial high schools covering Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in northwestern New Jersey, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the NJSIAA.[19] With 511 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.[20] Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had been part of the Colonial Hills Conference.[21]

Mountain Lakes High School is well known for its athletic program. Its major sports are football, lacrosse and swimming. The field hockey team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2013.[22]

Basketball

The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1962 (defeating Dunellen High School in the final game of the tournament) and 1969 (vs. Ridgefield Memorial High School).[23]

In 2006, the girls' basketball team won North I, Group I state sectional title, edging Pascack Hills High School 43–42 in the tournament final.[24][25]

Tennis

The boys' tennis team won the Group I / II state championship in 1970 (vs Haddonfield High School), 1971 (vs. Glen Rock High School), 1972 (vs. Metuchen High School), 1973 (vs. Leonia High School), 1974 (vs. Shore Regional High School), and won the Group I title in 1988 (vs. Metuchen), 1989 (vs. Haddonfield), 1995 and 1996 (vs. Arthur P. Schalick High School both years) and 2004 (vs. Point Pleasant Boro High School). The team won the overall state championship in 1962 (vs. River Dell Regional High School), 1963 (vs. Ridgewood High School), 1964 (vs. Kearny High School), 1965 (vs. Montclair High School), 1971 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy) and 1972 (vs. Ramapo); the program's 10 state championships are tied for ninth most in the state, the six Tournament of Champions titles are tied for fourth most and the five consecutive titles from 1970 to 1974 is tied for fifth longest.[26]

Football

The football team (the "Herd") won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1974, 1976, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014.[27] The program was founded and developed in 1966 by Doug Wilkins, who served for 44 years as the team's head coach and made the program into one of the most successful in the state; his 328 wins rankg him among the state's top five in victories, in addition to his winning eight state championships, including two undefeated state championship teams in the 1970s.[28][29] During the years 2000–2010 the team's record was 99–15, which included a 23-game win streak from Thanksgiving 2001 until late November 2003, as well as a 36-game win streak that began at the start of the 2008 season and continued until a loss in the 2010 state sectional final against Wallington High School.[30] In 2002 the football program won the North II, Group I state sectional title over archrival Boonton High School by a score of 23–6 to cap a perfect 12–0 season and earn the program's first state title since 1976.[31] In 2008, the football team won the North I Group I state championship vs. Glen Rock High School at Giants Stadium on December 5, 2008, by a score of 35–21 and finished with an overall record of 12–0.[32] Coach Wilkins won his 300th career game in October 2007, in addition to having won over 22 CHC titles, a streak of 20 consecutive seasons of making the NJSIAA playoffs, and did not have a losing season since 1984, retiring in 2010 after having won 328 games and a seventh state championship in his 44 seasons with the school's football program.[33]

Lacrosse

The boys' lacrosse team has won the overall state championship in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996. The team won the Group I state title in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2014; with 11 state championships, the team has won the most state titles of any public school.[34] The 2007 boys lacrosse team won the NJSIAA Group I state championship with an 8–6 win over Madison High School.[35] The team moved on to win the Tournament of Champions, defeating Hunterdon Central Regional High School 9–5 in the semifinals, and took the state title with a 13–11 victory over Delbarton School, thereby, becoming state champions.[36] On April 25, 2009, Tim Flynn became the first head coach in New Jersey, and only sixth coach in the nation, to reach 500 career wins.[37] Flynn has been coaching Mountain Lakes High School for 30 years.

The girls' lacrosse team won the Group I state championship in 2009 (defeating Shore Regional High School in the tournament final) and 2014 (vs. Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child).[38] The 2007 girls lacrosse team won the North, Group I state sectional title, edging Chatham High School 14–13 in the tournament final.[39]

Swimming

The boys' swimming team won the 2007 North II – B state sectional championship with a 112–58 win over Chatham High School.[40] The team moved on to win the 2007 Group B state championship, edging Haddonfield High School 86–84.[41] The team won their fourth consecutive title in 2008, matching a feat that had not been accomplished by a public school since the 1970s.[42] The boys swim team won the state championship every season since the 2004–05 season, until losing to Haddonfield in 2010.[43]

The girls' swim team won the state title in the 2007–08 season over Chatham High School, making Mountain Lakes swimming to be the first high school to ever have both the boys and the girls win states.[44]

Soccer

The girl's soccer won the Group I state championship in 2019, defeating Shore Regional High School by a score of 4-2 in the tournament final, to win the program's first state championship in its first finals appearance.[45]

Administration

The school's principal is Frank Sanchez, whose administrative staff includes an assistant principal, Kevin Pfister.[3]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Mountain Lakes Historic District, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed September 8, 2019. "This structure was built as a junior-senior high school in 1936 and served as the junior-senior high school until 1959, when the new High School was opened."
  2. School data for Mountain Lakes High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2019.
  3. About MLHS & Contact Info, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed November 16, 2019.
  4. Mountain Lakes High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 17, 2015.
  5. Mountain Lakes High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed July 27, 2011.
  6. Mountain Lakes High School 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 17, 2017. "Mountain Lakes High School is a 9th through 12th grade school which serves the communities of Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township. The school enjoys an excellent reputation and also supports the enrollment of approximately 50 hearing impaired students, part of the Lake Drive Program, who travel from all over the state to attend Mountain Lakes High School."
  7. Boonton Township School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 17, 2017. "The Boonton Township School District has one school, Rockaway Valley School, which houses a PreK through Grade 8 program for approximately 450 children. The district maintains a send-receive relationship with the neighboring Mountain Lakes School District, whereby our students attend Mountain Lakes High School."
  8. Information/ MLHS Information, Boonton Township School District. Accessed January 3, 2017. "Boonton Township School District maintains a 'send-receive' relationship with Mountain Lakes High School.... Once enrolled in Mountain Lakes High School, the responsibility for the education of the student rests with the High School. While the Boonton Township School District pays tuition for all residents enrolled at the High School, the High School faculty, staff and administration bear the responsibility for all academics, student IEP's and 504's, extra-curricular activities and the students' general health, well-being and safety at school."
  9. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  10. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2012.
  11. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  12. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  13. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010–2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 24, 2012.
  14. Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Mountain Lakes High School", The Washington Post. Accessed July 27, 2011.
  15. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
  16. Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" Archived 2013-05-08 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 9, 2013.
  17. Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2012" Archived 2012-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Beast / Newsweek, May 20, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2012.
  18. "Mountain Lakes High School team wins The Challenge Championship", The Record (Bergen County), July 3, 2013. Accessed September 14, 2015.
  19. League & Conference Affiliations 2016–2017 Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  20. General Public School Classifications 2015–2016, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of December 15, 2015. Accessed December 12, 2016 20, 2014.
  21. Page, Colonial Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of November 19, 2010. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  22. History of the NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 3, 2017.
  23. Public Past State Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 3, 2017.
  24. Seegers, Sandy. "Mtn. Lakes holds on to win section", Daily Record (Morristown), March 7, 2006. Accessed August 1, 2007. "The game wasn't at all pretty but top-seeded Mountain Lakes got what it wanted Monday night – a 43–42 victory over sixth-seeded Pascack Hills for a second consecutive North Jersey Section 1, Group I girls basketball title."
  25. 2006 Girls Basketball – North I, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 1, 2007.
  26. History of Boys' Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 1, 2017.
  27. Goldberg, Jeff. NJSIAA Football Playoff Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 19, 2015.
  28. Czerwinski, Mike. "Football preview: Around the leagues", The Record (Bergen County), September 10, 2009. Accessed October 17, 2015. "Mountain Lakes coach Doug Wilkins begins his 44th season at the Herd helm and has 316 career wins, one of only five New Jersey coaches in history with 300 or more victories. Wilkins, whose first year at the small but powerful Morris County school was in 1966, guided the Herd to a 12–0 record last year."
  29. Friedman, Jackie. "Mountain Lakes football coach Doug Wilkins retires after 44 years, eight state championships", The Star-Ledger, February 4, 2010. Accessed October 17, 2015. "Wilkins did him 43 better, amassing a 328–105–5 record — and eight state championships — during a 44-year career that has now come to an end.... Wilkins' 328 victories rank him No. 4 in state history. Vic Paternostro of Pope John is the all-time leader with 363 coaching victories. He had 35 winning seasons."
  30. Staff. "Football roundup: Pequannock stuns Mountain Lakes, 7–6, to secure playoff spot", The Record (Bergen County), October 29, 2011. Accessed August 19, 2012. "Before Saturday, Mountain Lakes (7–1) had won 43 of its previous 44 games, dating back to November 2007. The Herd's lone loss during that stretch was a 23–21 defeat to Wallington in the North 1, Group 1 championship game on Dec. 3, which snapped their 36-game winning streak."
  31. Bierman, Fred. "HIGH SCHOOLS; Barnes Coaches Wall to State Title on His Third Attempt", The New York Times, December 8, 2002. Accessed August 19, 2012. "In the Section 2 Group 1 final, Paul Chiara ran for a touchdown and Mark Lane caught a touchdown pass to lead MOUNTAIN LAKES to a 23–6 victory over BOONTON (8–4). The Lakers (12–0), who won their first state title since 1976, led by 16–0 at halftime."
  32. Staff. "Mountain Lakes 35, Glen Rock 21", The Star-Ledger, December 5, 2008. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  33. Hague, Jim. "Mtn. Lakes football coach to retire after 44 seasons, 328 victories", Daily Record (Morristown), February 5, 2010. Accessed July 27, 2011. "Wilkins met with his players Tuesday night and told them of his decision to retire after 44 seasons, after 328 victories, after seven NJSIAA state sectional titles – including the last in 2009, capping a 12–0 campaign and a 25-game winning streak."
  34. History of the NJSIAA Boys' Lacrosse Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed February 1, 2017.
  35. 2007 Boys Lacrosse – Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 5, 2007.
  36. 2007 Boys Lacrosse – Tournament of Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 20, 2007.
  37. "Flynn gets 500th win as Lakers triumph", Jersey Sports Now, April 25, 2009.
  38. History of the NJSIAA Girls' Lacrosse Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 21, 2016.
  39. 2007 Girls Lacrosse – North, Group I, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 22, 2007.
  40. 2007 Boys Team Swimming – North II – B, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 22, 2007.
  41. 2007 Boys Team Swimming – Group Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 24, 2007.
  42. Havsy, Jane. "Boys Swim Team of the Year: Mtn. Lakes never let up", Daily Record (Morristown), March 27, 2008. Accessed July 27, 2011. "Mountain Lakes is the first public-school boys team to win four straight state championships since Cherry Hill East in the mid-1970s, and just the sixth since the NJSIAA Tournament began in 1921."
  43. Havsy, Jane. "BOYS SWIMMING:Haddonfield ends Mtn. Lakes' boys streak at four", Daily Record (Morristown), March 1, 2010. Accessed July 27, 2011.
  44. Havsy, Jane. "Girls Swim Team of the Year: Mtn. Lakes broke through with state title", Daily Record (Morristown), March 27, 2008. Accessed July 27, 2011. "The Lakers not only qualified for the NJSIAA final, they defeated archrival Haddonfield to win just the second girls Public B title in school history."
  45. Logiudice, Daniel. "NJ girls soccer: Mountain Lakes stuns Shore for first state title", Asbury Park Press, November 16, 2019. Accessed November 16, 2019. "Jumping out to a three-goal lead in the first half, Mountain Lakes dominated on both sides of the ball as the Lakers stunned the Blue Devils, 4-2, in the Group 1 final on Saturday afternoon at Kean University. It was Mountain Lakes' first championship in the first ever appearance in a state final in program history."
  46. Alumni Hall of Fame Jo Becker Class of 1985, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.
  47. Ortenberg, Art. Liz Claiborne: The Legend, The Woman, p. 108. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. ISBN 9781589794948. Accessed September 8, 2019. "They all returned to the United States at the outbreak of the war; all three of the Claiborne children had attended Mountain Lakes High School in New Jersey. Liz, of the three, did not graduate."
  48. Alumni Hall of Fame Richard Freeland Class of 1959, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.
  49. Alumni Hall of Fame: Peter Meinke Class of 1950, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.
  50. Lindsey Munday, USC Trojans women's lacrosse. Accessed September 8, 2019. "A three-sport star at Mountain Lakes (N.J.) High School, Munday earned prep All-America first-team honors in lacrosse in 2002, and was an All-State second team selection in basketball."
  51. Alumni Hall of Fame Claire McCusker Murray Class of 2000, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.
  52. Travis Tripucka, UMass Minutemen lacrosse. Accessed September 8, 2019. "Hometown: Boonton Township, N.J. High School: Mountain Lakes H.S."
  53. Lutz, Jaime. "From Mountain Lakes to Nickelodeon, Brittany Underwood doesn't sleep", The Star-Ledger, July 5, 2012. Accessed January 11, 2015. "She started acting professionally while she was still a student at Mountain Lakes High School, getting a steady, if slight, stream of work: a guest-star role on Law and Order, a featured part in Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret, various commercials."
  54. Alumni Hall of Fame: Adam Zucker Class of 1994, Mountain Lakes High School. Accessed September 8, 2019.
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