A
Middle School in the NYC-suburb of Montclair, NJ, established in 1896 in an Historically
Black neighborhood, Glenfield was one of the first Magnet Schools created in Northern New Jersey following the protests and race riots in the "
Long Hot Summer" of 1967 and NJ Supreme Court decisions in the 60s and 70s requiring steps to combat de facto segregation beyond "freedom of choice" plans (
e.g. Rice v. Montclair Board of Education, 1966, and Jenkins v. Morristown, 1971). Glenfield was designated the Magnet School for Performing Arts (while Upper Montclair's Mount Hebron - now named after Astronaut and Montclair Native Buzz Aldrin - became the Magnet School for
Math and Science) - with students from any part of town able to select where to go, with bussing available. A short bus-ride from NYC theaters and TV studios, Glenfield has strong Performing Arts programs and its students and alumni have gone on to professional careers in the Performing Arts and has been used as a movie site with students selected as extras. Glenfield also has options for advanced courses in liberal arts and math and sciences. Glenfield maintains a strong connection with Black Culture and Black History, which is often included in all subjects,
e.g.
Black Scientists in Science classes,
Black Authors in
English classes, etc.
