Association of Independent Schools. Awards and recognition In 2013, MKA was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for its use of technology in education. In 2009, Montclair Kimberley Academy was voted Best NJ Private School by parents in Bloomberg Businessweek. In 2010, the school was designated a Johns Hopkins School of Excellence. In 2003, Montclair Kimberley Academy was recognized as a National School of Character by the Character Education Partnership, one of ten schools selected nationwide. Montclair Kimberley Academy was recognized by the US Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School for 1999–2000, and the Upper School was also recognized as a Blue Ribbon School for 1994–1996. Arts Montclair Kimberley Academy has an extensive program for both performing and visual arts. The Fine and Performing Arts department is run by Nicole Hoppe. The school puts on four productions each academic year, including one large-scale musical. On average, up to a quarter of the student body participates in the musical in some capacity. The school additionally puts on an arts showcase in September, and one to two plays each year, in the fall and in the spring. Every other year in the spring, the play is replaced by a film made by students with the help of a professional film crew. The department oversees the production of an arts newsletter, The Informer, published several times each semester. The Informer covers topics from current productions, to artist spotlights, and artistic opportunities and events in the community. Each year, students are recognized for their work on stage and in the fine arts. Montclair Kimberley Academy students are frequent recipients of Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. In 2016, two students have won Rising Star Awards from the Paper Mill Playhouse. Athletics The Montclair Kimberley Academy Cougars compete in the Super Essex Conference, which includes public and private high schools in Essex County and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had previously participated in the Colonial Hills Conference which included public and parochial high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in west Central Jersey. With 335 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent