Kinnelon High School Honored for High Ranking

The celebration continues for Kinnelon High School a month after learning the school has made it to NJ Monthly magazine's list of Top 5 high schools in the state.

In August, the magazine released its rankings of 328 public high schools in New Jersey, taking into account information from the state Department of Education. Student performance and outcomes and school environment figures were used to determine the top schools. The last time the rankings were released, two years ago, Kinnelon came in at No. 21.

But the school moved up to the No. 5 spot this year, causing not only school district officials but also Kinnelon Borough officials to  recognize the work of the high school community.

Mayor Robert Collins said that the credit is due, in large part, to "our teachers, our students and probably a group that doesn't get recognized enough, our parents."

"It really is a collaborative effort," he said.

Collins congratulated Principal Dr. Wayne Merckling before reading a proclamation prepared on behalf of the borough council at Thursday night's meeting. He also commended school board members and the community for supporting the school. In his own remarks, Merckling said the entire community should be proud.

"Really, this is a celebration for the whole town," he said.

Merckling said the achievements on the high school level would not be possible without the hard work put in leading up to that point.

"If the parents here didn't value education and really push their children, we wouldn't be here," he said. "It just says a lot about Kinnelon."