Morris County School of Technology: An Unusual School

We have a really good school system here in Morris County. At least ten of our high schools ended up in the top 50 for the state and that makes them very highly rated for the entire country.  We’re lucky that way. Still, we like to pick and choose among the best of the best.  It’s only natural that parents want to pick the right school for their children.

 One of the best kept secrets in the county is the school that used to be called the “Votech.” Morris County School of Technology has a campus in Denville and subsidiaries in two other schools, Butler High School and Morris Hills high school.

The school covers an impressive list of specialities and has been described as “high school plus.”  This is due to the way the school manages to work in specialities along with the regular curriculum.  It’s kind of like adding an extra 20% in a speciality to a regular high school.

There is also one really unique option for students: 12th graders in some academies who have performed well may elect to spend their last year at County college.  How’s that for a “leg up” on the competition? Additionally, some academies provide for internships during junior and senior year. How would an internship at the Morris County Prosecutors office or in New York at the U.N. look on a resume?

The first period of each day is taken up by each students chosen track, their area of study.  There are the traditional cosmetology, auto mechanic, culinary arts and construction tracks, but this school also offers many academies that are not so usual. Who ever heard of Finance and International Business as a course at a Votech?  Or Computer Aided Design?   The list includes Law and Public Safety, Veterinary science, Child related careers, Math, Science and Engineering, Health Care and Visual and Performing arts.

Not all of this happens on the Denville campus, several other schools house academies as well. I should let you know that my son attends the School of Technology in the Networking, Information Technology and Communications academy, on the “creative” track.  In simpler words, he’s learning to use computers to design things and his chosen focus is computer animation for films and games.  It’s still a mouthful when I have to call him in sick. He loves the work and the campus, although having the Cosmetology and Culinary Arts academies in the same location may have something to do with that.  Pretty girls and free fresh cookies, what’s not to like?

 Academically it’s a challenging school– those who apply need to take a skills test and suffer through an interview to be accepted.  This may be one of the reasons why Morris County School of Technology got the highest SAT scores in the state a year or so ago. The atmosphere is a little different as well. My son says he’s never seen a fight at school.  During our initial parents' orientation, the Director of Athletics & Student affairs, Neil Torino, told us that the school didn’t suffer from some of the typical High School problems “Because they’re all too busy.”  I guess he was right.  Although I suspect that doing something you really enjoy, first period every day, has something to do with it as well.

It’s a focused, friendly atmosphere at the school, which lends credibility to their 100% school graduation and zero dropout rate.  It seems everyone passes the HSPAs and gets good SAT scores. That’s pretty impressive for any school. 

 Students in the county don’t need to attend full-time. The school also accepts students from other high schools for part-time instruction.  There is also a summer camp for kids who’d like to check it out. However, for those that do attend full time, about 44% go on to four year colleges and another 40% go on to two year schools. For parents whose children will be facing stiff competition for jobs of any kind, it’s nice to know that a school like this exists nearby and is accessible for their kids.