“Only ONE student was selected to go on to a military academy! That’s just as bad as only 4 merit scholars. If people don’t want to believe the ratings published in other sources, just look at a TRUE statistic–the total lack of colleges and other such sources who leap to grab a promising Ridgewood student before someone else grabs him/her. That basically means that it doesn’t mean a darn thing to anyone who counts if you graduated from Ridgewood. Colleges used to race each other to get an out-standing student. Our own daughter had a giant box filled with applications sent to her. How many students can say that now? (now it’s probably e-mails but I’m willing to bet that even they lack in both quantity and quality.) A student used to be told to apply to at least 4 schools–now even 10 isn’t enough.”
Selection for military academy has VERY LITTLE to do with school.
You need to have an internal desire.
Additionally, I don’t care how GREAT a school is or isn’t, the individual student needs to have ambition.
And I’ll say it again…only the parents give a shit about the ivey’s and all the supposed glory that goes along with it. Junior could give a flying f&$*.
The schools don’t care if you graduated from Ridgewood or Bogota or Paterson…they just want to know if you can write the check that puts you in hock for 20 years after you graduate. Stop looking at the bullshit ratings that are PAID for by the schools and check out this thing called reality.
Selection to go to a military academy DOES have A LOT to do with internal desire. No argument there.
HOWEVER, a school IS also one of the MAJOR contributors to shaping a student into a successful military academy candidate.
Obviously the emphasis on stingent academics is a part of it, but there are many schools with sringent academics (and for the sake of this discussion will allow that Ridgewoods academics are stringent – even though I beleive they can be significantly improved).
BUT, a school also significantly influences (more than we’d like to admit) a student’s priorities. This is where Ridgewood falls down significantly.
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A school DOES have a lot to do with producing attractive candidates for military academies.
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So:
1) if a student DOES NOT have drive, ambition, persistence and leadership qualities EVEN if they attend a school that prepares them for a military academy, they will never get into one.
and
2) if a student DOES have drive, ambition, persistence and leadership qualities and attend a school that DOES NOT prepare them for a military academy, they will never get into one.
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Obviously there are other factors (parents, etc.) that are also critical to being a successful candidate, but I am limiting my comments to “school” and “internal desire”.
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Yeah, reality is we’re not producing competitive, top tier students anymore despite top tier taxes and spending $110 mm a year. Better change the slogan from “Tradition of Excellence” if you don’t think rankings matter. Reality is the best universities aren’t competing for graduates of RHS. Twenty years ago we produced a lot more students matriculating to the best colleges in the country.
Does anybody believe Fishbein and Gorman are the right leaders to right this sinking ship?
The motto on the high school is an embarrassment. A truly excellent school would not have to advertise it. I wish they would take it down.
There were 9 NMSF for the current senior class at RHS (2019).
How many students from RHS class of 2019 applied to a military academy?
Service Academy Statistics:
12,973 Applicants
4,019 Nominated
2,220 Qualified
1,231 Admitted
1247 SAT Avg
28 ACT Avg
Many kids in Ridgewood easily fi the academic profile, but very few have the actual desire to serve.
Easier, much more lucrative, and safer to get a job through nepotism on the RPD with high school equivalency.