This year marks the 60th anniversary of the graduation of the first class at NPHS that spent 4 years in the current building, which opened in 1958.   

Class of ’62 member Larry Schmidt has kept in touch with his classmates and has organized several reunions following graduation. He graduated alongside many successful classmates who still remain memorable to him, although he didn’t consider himself successful until his college years.  Recently, Schmidt had a chance to look back at his nostalgic memories from NPHS, and he has noticed distinguishable differences in the high school from the present to his past. 

As Schmidt remembered, before 1958, students from New Providence had to go to High School in Chatham or Summit: “When I was a freshman, the junior and sophomore class came in from Chatham, while the senior class stayed and graduated from Summit High School. My first year of High School only consisted of three grades, but when I became a sophomore, the fourth class was added.”

As a “start up” school, the variety of classes accessible to NPHS students was very limited in the first few years. Some of their classes consisted of Math, Science, English, History, Phys Ed, Personal Hygiene, and Personal Typing. 

“We were nowhere near as advanced as you guys are today. You guys have one of the best school districts in this area, if not the state,” Schmidt said. 

The athletic department has also immensely improved from Schmidt’s graduating year, as it solely consisted of just four sports.  NPHS now offers just more than that per season. 

When the high school was originally built in 1958, the school could not afford to have a football team. Considering football is currently our most popular sport, this was the most notable difference in NPHS athletics. Many students participate in football, cheerleading, and marching band today, when no students in 1962 were even given the opportunity. 

“It’s so surprising how important football is to the community now, when before it wasn’t even a sport that was offered here,” Schmidt said. 

The sports community here at New Providence High School not only unifies the school, but the rest of the town. The class of 1962 created a base, and took the first step towards the future of NPHS. 

Sixty years later, the major differences of the school didn’t change the overall success and happiness of its graduates. Many students and alumni still stay in contact with each other, showing a strong and united Pioneer spirit.