Monsignor Donovan High School

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Monsignor Donovan High School is the only Roman Catholic High School in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. Located in the coastal community of Toms River, the school originally opened in 1962 as St. Joseph's, but was renamed after its founder, Msgr. Lawrence Donovan in 1983.

1 Extracurricular activities
2 Statistics
3 Administration
4 Motto
5 Notable alumni
6 Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School
7 External link

[edit] Extracurricular activities

The athletic teams, nicknamed the Griffins, compete in the Shore Conference in the following sports: football, soccer, baseball, hockey, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, softball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, wrestling, track and field, sailing, bowling and cross country running.

The most accomplished athletic groups are the powerlifting team, headed by Mr. Mark Deppen, and the cheerleading squad, led by Mrs. Donna Milana. Both teams frequently win national championships in their respective categories.

The school is also noted for its performing arts department, under the direction of Ms. Cindy Wald-Hardyal and Mr. Harold Frazee. Ms. Wald-Hardyal specializes in vocals, and heads the school's mixed show choir, girls' show choir, jazz choir, and women's choir. Mr. Harold Frazee enjoys celebrity status on campus for having given Jon Bon Jovi piano lessons. He is the school's band director and heads the jazz band and concert band. He's known for his wonderfully unusual tastes in selecting music for both bands and his very exciting performances. He also likes to choose music that does not fall into the range of the usual school band. For example, many times the bands have played music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, mostly to showcase the band's unusually large rhythm section.

The Monsignor Donovan drama department is headed by Mrs. Carol Babuschak and her husband Deacon Frank Babuschak. The couple retired from teaching art and religion respectively in 2006, but continue to be a part of performing arts at Monsignor Donovan. Both have been especially successful in directing the school's Spring Musicals. Their hard work and dedication, plus the support of many students, parents, and friends, earned the drama department the honor of performing at the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2006. Monsignor Donovan was the only school chosen from the state of New Jersey to take part in this event. The school was chosen above performing arts schools, which is especially impressive considering Monsignor Donovan does not even have a theatre. Unfortunately, the department was unable to participate due to a ruling of the Diocese of Trenton which banned air travel. It is unlikely, however, that the trip would have taken place, as most students had decided not to take the trip due to financial or other concerns.

[edit] Statistics

The front of the school building.

For the 2005-06 academic year, the school's student population was 998. The Senior Class graduated 232 students on June 5, 2006. Tuition is $7,235 per year, plus fees.

The school, along with its grade school counterpart St. Joseph's, has more buses on its campus per day than any other school in New Jersey, public or private.

[edit] Administration

Administrator: Msgr. Sean Flynn
Principal: Dr. Edward Gere
Vice Principal: Mrs. Kathleen D'Andrea
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Eileen McCullion
Deans of Discipline: Mrs. Kim Sandomerski and Mr. Jason Asch
Chaplain: Fr. Dean Gaudio

[edit] Motto

The school's motto is "Modern Excellence, Rich in Tradition."

[edit] Notable alumni

John Cudia - Broadway Actor
Diamond Dallas Page - professional wrestler
Mike Straka - Fox News journalist

[edit] Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School

Monsignor Donovan High School should not be confused with Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School, an independent Catholic high school located in Athens, Georgia.