Welcome to Memorial High School

Welcome to Memorial High School an educational institution with a tradition of excellence that spans many decades and reaches countless areas throughout the United States.   Memorial High School has an extremely dedicated faculty and administration that takes great pride in its ability to positively impact the lives of its students.  Preparing our students for jobs that may not even exist yet is a reality that we at Memorial understand and are extremely aware of.  The 21^st Century workplace is one that is changing more rapidly than any other time in history; therefore, it is our goal to try and keep our students ahead of the curve so they may reach their highest possible achievement levels.  We also understand that students will spend a great deal of time on our campus so it is also crucial for us to make Memorial a place where they feel safe and secure.  We have many resources available to ensure their experience at Memorial is one of a home away from home. 

Our implementation of Small Learning Academies continues to grow in leaps and bounds.  We are entering the third year of the Freshmen/Sophomore Academy and career based academies. They are expanding rapidly as our faculty continues to provide new and innovative ideas. This program will support and foster college and career readiness for all students.  The Small Learning Academies bring adult-student relationships closer and facilitate a collaborative environment which allows student and teacher to work more closely together. 

Our curriculum continues to be rigorous, challenging, and diverse. It exceeds the NJ State requirements and challenges the student body. Our entire student population can choose from a wide variety of core courses and electives covering over twelve different subject areas. College bound students are offered numerous honor level courses as well as Advanced Placement studies in their junior and senior years. In addition, we have entered into agreements with Syracuse, Hudson Community College, Caldwell College, Kean University, and Farleigh Dickinson University that will offer our students the ability to earn college credits while they are still enrolled at Memorial. Certain staff members have been trained and are considered Adjunct professors of the institution they are teaching our concurrent course with. Our goal is to not only provide our students with innovative up to date instructional techniques and materials, but also to create an environment that cultivates an interest in lifelong learning in this ever-changing world.  The students’ success has earned them acceptances into many prestigious universities and increased the percentage of seniors that enter four year colleges each September.

A rich social life is also afforded our student body through athletics and extracurricular programs.  Our winning athletic programs add greatly to our school spirit.  The Student Council, the Key Club, and the Honor Society participate in many community-building activities.  M.O.M.S. our student outreach program is over 200 students strong and counting. Our award winning School Band and Chorus are actively involved in both academic and athletic events.  Various subject clubs allow students to extend their content knowledge.  The Drama Club continues to produce successful renditions of many current and past Broadway hits.

Memorial High School continues to be the “Healthiest School in America” named by The National Alliance for a Healthier Generation. It honored Memorial once again for its progress in creating healthier school environments for its students and staff with the Healthy Schools Program Gold Award.  Memorial was the only high school in America to receive the Gold Award.  In 2011, the tradition of excellence at Memorial was exemplified when we received the AP District of the Year Award from College Board. We were one of only four schools in the United States to be honored.  It is a testament to the dedicated faculty, staff and students.  Our commitment to the green movement is expanding with the Alternative Fuels Program that has converted a gasoline powered vehicle to a 100% zero emission electric car and has converted another car to biodiesel where it is able to run on recycled cooking oil. 

Memorial has a long and valuable tradition of providing quality education by a dedicated and caring administration, faculty, and staff that is committed to excellence.  As educators we embrace the challenge and understand the importance of our profession. We are continuously looking for ways to improve the academic culture of our school as well as foster the development of our students into well rounded productive members of society.  I am looking forward to an exciting year working closely with our community, students and staff. Together we can create an atmosphere that will promote hard work, respect and ultimately success.

Scott Cannao, Principal