MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY

'Montclair Kimberley Academy', abbreviated "MKA", is a private coeducational day school located in Montclair, New Jersey. The school serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. The school has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. Thomas W. Nammack became the school's fourth Headmaster in July 2005.
Today's Montclair Kimberley Academy, established in 1974, is the result of the merger of three separate schools: Montclair Academy, a boys' school founded in 1887; The Kimberley School, a girls' school founded in 1906; and Brookside, a coed school founded in 1925.^[1][2]

Contents

Curriculum

Awards and recognition

Athletics

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

References

External links

Curriculum

The school is known for its academically rigorous liberal arts curriculum, and it is also unique in its Signature Programs which are the Writing Challenge, Character Education, Core Works and May Term.
MKA offers a rigorous college prep curriculum featuring Signature Programs in Ethics, Writing, and the study of Core Works – works of western and non-western literary, artistic, musical, historical or mathematical significance. Each graduating senior is required to complete May Term. Choices for May Term include internships and travel opportunities in Europe. French and Spanish are offered from Pre-K onwards; Latin is introduced in sixth grade. The school has advanced technology, modern science labs supporting research-based learning, four gymnasiums, a swimming pool, auditoriums, a black box theatre and a new $3 million arts wing at the Upper School. An interscholastic athletic program encourages participation and sportsmanship, and fields competitive teams in over 25 sports. Students enjoy extensive fine and performing arts opportunities ranging from a tri-campus Strings Program, to mounting a full Shakespeare production in 7th grade, to making award-winning movies in the Upper School. Numerous community service opportunities exist at each campus, as well as extensive extra-curricular offerings. 100% of students go on to college, with an 87% acceptance rate to one of their first three colleges of choice.
The school is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.

Awards and recognition

For the 1999-2000 school year, Montclair Kimberley Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. The Upper School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School for the 1994-95 school year.Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006
In 2003, Montclair Kimberley Academy was recognized as a National School of Character Winner by the Character Education Partnership, one of ten schools selected nationwide.^[3]

Athletics

Montclair Kimberley Academy competes in the Colonial Hills Conference which is comprised of eighteen public and parochial high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in west central New Jersey, under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).
MKA's longtime rival is Newark Academy; there is also a rivalry with Montclair High School, Montclair's public high school. Some of the school's more successful Athletic Teams include Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Boys Soccer, Softball, Ice Hockey, Wrestling, Golf, Baseball, Boys lacrosse, and Girls volleyball.
Softball has won seven Non Public B State Championships in the past nine years, 1999-2000, 02, 2004-07, and they also have won nine straight Colonial Hills Conference Championships 1999-2007. The 2007 team won the North B state title with a 7-0 win against Newark Academy.^[4] The team moved on to win the Non-Public Group B State Championship with a 2-0 win over St. Joseph High School of Hammonton.^[5]
Girls Tennis won their 4th straight Parochial B State championship in 2006.^[6]
In the 2005-06 season the MKA wrestling team won their first Prep B State championship in the history of the school. In 2006-07 season, the MKA Wrestling Team had their second highest win total, 13 wins, in the past 11 years.
The MKA Ice Hockey team finished the 2006-07 season ranked in the top 20 in New Jersey and made it to the 2007 State Semi-Finals. The season was highlighted with a win over Montclair High School in the Montclair Cup.
The Boy's Soccer team won Parochial B and Prep B State championships in 2006 and their 2nd straight Colonial Hills Conference title.
Baseball has also done well in years past winning three Prep B State Title since 1991, most recently in 2003, and five Colonial Hills Conference Championships, the most recent was in 2005 when the Cougars were named the Colonial Hills Conference Co-Champions. The MKA baseball has also won two Non Public B North crowns, in 1997 and 2002, but they lost in both of their overall Non Public championship games which they advanced to after winning their two Non Public B North Titles. The Cougars Baseball team began the 2007 season ranked in the top 10 in Essex County. The MKA baseball team made it to the finals of the 2007 Prep B state tournament where they lost to Morristown-Beard School 11-9. The Cougars also made it to the finals of the North Non-Public B state championship in which they lost to their rival Newark Academy 2-0.^[7] The Cougars had defeated Newark Academy twice already in 2007. The Cougars' head baseball coach, Ralph Pacifico, won his 300th game in 2007. Pacifico has been the coach at MKA since 1991.
The Cougars' boys lacrosse team has also made a name for itself by winning the 2007 Prep B state title and ending Morristown Beard's five-year win streak.
The Girls Volleyball team has also been very successful, most recently winning the 2006 Colonial Hills Conference Championship.
The Boys tennis has showed vast improvement in 2007 by finishing 2nd in the Prep B tournament and finished #2 in the overall Prep B standings. The boys tennis team also won 1st and 2nd doubles in the Prep B tournament, and made it to the finals in 1st singles. The boys tennis team also made it to the finals of the 2007 Non-Public B state championship where they lost to Newark Academy 3-2.^[8]
The MKA golf team has also had great success, winning the 2007 Colonial Hills Conference Championship, came in 2nd in the 2007 Essex County Tournament and won the 2007 Prep B State Championship.

Notable faculty

★ Timothy W. Lynch, one of the earliest Internet television critics.

★ Captain Robert Iverson, co-founder of Kiwi International Air Lines

★ Thomas Fleming, winner of the New York City, Tokyo, Cleveland International and Los Angeles marathons

★ Johnette Bennett, 1994 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year and 1997 Biology Teacher of the Year

★ Charles Olsen, former New York Philharmonic trumpeter

★ Marianne Burke, poet featured in ''Poetry Magazine''

Notable alumni

★ Jim Courter (1941-), represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991.^[9]

★ Wayne Dumont, served in the New Jersey Senate from 1951-1990 (with a two-year gap).

★ Francis M. Giantomasi, former All-Conference Football player. Former Wesleyan University football player. Wesleyan University Intramural 2006 A-League Softball Champion and 2005-06 B-League Basketball Champion.^[10]

★ Frank Herrmann, former All-State Basketball and Baseball player. Former Harvard Baseball standout and current Single A Professional Baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. (first full year in pros)

★ Tim Howard, soccer goalie ^[11]

References

1. School History, accessed March 23, 2007
2. Merger: The First Two Years, accessed March 23, 2007
3. 2003 National Schools of Character Winners, accessed September 25, 2006
4. 2007 Softball - North B, NJSIAA. Accessed July 22, 2007.
5. 2007 Softball - Non-Public Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed June 12, 2007.
6. 2006 Girls Team Tennis - North B, NJSIAA, accessed March 23, 2007
7. 2007 Baseball - North B, NJSIAA. Accessed June 11, 2007.
8. 2007 Boys Tennis - Non-Public, North B, NJSIAA. Accessed June 8, 2007.
9. James Andrew Courter, ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''. Acecssed September 6, 2007.
10. http://www.wesleyanargus.com/article.php?article_id=2949
11. Tober, Steve. "MKA’s Riddick has unique view as she watches surging Mounties", ''The Montclair Times'', May 20, 2005. Accessed August 27, 2007. "Former MKA goalkeeper Tim Howard recently had his starting keeper’s job taken away for Manchester United as the British power decided to insert the more experienced international player Roy Carroll in his place, at least for the moment, as the team approached solidifying its FA Cup final lineup."

External links

★ Montclair Kimberly Academy Website

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Montclair Kimberley Academy