Mainland Regional High School (New Jersey)

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Mainland Regional High School is a regional public high school and regional school district serving students from the communities of Linwood (550 students), Northfield (484 students) and Somers Point (639 students) in Atlantic County, New Jersey, serving a total population of over 25,000 in the three communities. The high school is located in Linwood.

Mainland is an academically oriented four-year public school with an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students in grades 9 - 12. Mainland’s students are served by 140 faculty members, and 50 support personnel. The school is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education.

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[edit] Awards and recognition

For the 1997-98 school year, Mainland Regional High School was formally designated by the United States Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School[1], the highest honor that an American school can achieve[2][3].

The Washington Post writer Jay Matthews ranked Mainland sixth in New Jersey and 111th in the nation in his book, “Class Struggles: What’s Wrong (and Right) with America’s Best Public High Schools,” based on the school's efforts at exposing students to challenging course work. In New Jersey Monthly’s September 2002 issue, Mainland was ranked fifth among high schools in South Jersey.

Mainland Regional High School was recently ranked as Number 310 in Newsweek magazine's recent listing of "America's Best High Schools" in the August 5, 2005 issue[4].

[edit] 2006 Graduation Controversy

In Mainland Regional High School's graduation of 2006, valedictorian Kareem Elnahal gave an unauthorized speech instead of the approved one. In his speech he criticized Mainland saying "the education we have received here is not only incomplete, it is entirely hollow." After delivering his speech, Mr. Elnahal received an ovation from the some of the students in the audience. Kareem then left the graduation ceremonies before receiving his diploma. [5][6][7]

[edit] Recent threats

Mainland experienced several bomb threats during the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. A series of four written threats in a five school day time span were left by students throughout the school. After several school lockdowns, evacuations, five arrests, and the installation of cameras with government funding throughout the school, it seems the problem has been resolved. Unfortunately it is still unclear as to the fate of those charged with the threats. School officials have implied that the students arrested will be charged harshly, to the fullest extent of the law.[8]

[edit] Administration

  • Russell Dever, Ed. D. - Superintendent
  • Kim Jensen Gniewyk - Board Secretary / Business Administrator
  • Dr. Robert Blake - Principal
  • Darren Hickman - Assistant Principal

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), accessed May 11, 2006
  2. ^ CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  3. ^ Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  4. ^ The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools, Newsweek, August 5, 2005
  5. ^ 2006 Valedictorian Speech, Press of Atlantic City, June 22, 2006
  6. ^ Valedictorian Complains of 'Hollow' Public School Education, Cybercast News Service, June 29, 2006
  7. ^ Applause (and some boos) for graduation speaker, Press of Atlantic City, June 25, 2006
  8. ^ Mainland to hold meeting on bomb scares at school, Press of Atlantic City, October 30, 2006
  9. ^ Greg Buttle: NFL Analyst, at MSG Network, accessed December 2, 2006

[edit] External links

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