Toms River High School North

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Toms River High School North is a four-year public high school, and was the second high school established in Toms River, New Jersey, as part of the Toms River Regional Schools. The school opened in 1969 when the original high school (now called Toms River High School South) was found to be too small to accommodate the fast-growing community. However, the first class to graduate wasn't until 1971, since all of the seniors were kept at the TRHSS for the class of 1970. Toms River High School North is the largest of all schools in the Toms River Regional School district, with a student body nearing 2,500 students. The TRHSN mascot is the Mariner, and the school colors are blue and gold. The other high schools in the district are Toms River High School East and Toms River High School South. The school day lasts six hours and 20 minutes. Toms River high schools are some of the earliest daily closing high schools in New Jersey, closing at 1:40 PM everyday.

Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Toms River High School North vs. Toms River High School South football game, also known as the "Civil War". The game is considered to be the biggest event of the year for students. The annual event began thirty-three years ago. Of those thirty-three games played, Toms River High School North won ten, and Toms River High School South won twenty-three.

Toms River has also had notable teams in other areas, including perennial powers in the Girls Swimming, Boys Cross Country, Tennis and Outdoor Track teams, as well as the Boys Soccer Team, which has reached the state semifinals two out of the last four years. Under the tutelage of Matt Jelley, they have won six county titles, three South Jersey Group 4 state titles, Group 4 State Championship, and ranked in the top twenty-five of the country four times reaching a high of 17th in 2004.

1 Demographics
2 Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center
3 Notable alumni
4 External links

[edit] Demographics

87% White
3% Black
6% Hispanic
4% Asian

[edit] Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center

The Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center is a public arena connected to the school. It is the centerpiece of the Toms River Regional School District. It opened June 19, 2003, and is situated on the grounds of Toms River High School North. The facility is used by the high school and the school district for many functions, and is also used for performances by world-renowned artists. The performances and events inside the arena are ticketed and tickets are sold and marketed to the general public. The venue is used for major concert events throughout the year to raise money for the school district.

Its biggest performances over the past three years, some as part of Toms River Fest, include Kelly Clarkson, Vanessa Carlton, The Beach Boys, Kenny Rogers, Simple Plan, Joan Jett, Hilary Duff, Clay Aiken, Bill Cosby, Air Supply, Fall Out Boy, Ryan Cabrera, Ashlee Simpson, Rick Springfield, Maroon 5, Jesse McCartney, Little River Band, Jo Dee Messina, Jay Leno, Hanson, The Cheetah Girls (girl group), Aaron Carter, John Edward, 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic! at the Disco, and others have been featured at the arena. It was also the host of a WWE live event for the new ECW originally scheduled for July 1, 2006 but was postponed due to the rowdy un-family friendly crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom's pay per view event One Night Stand 2006 on June 11th, it was instead held on September 9th after WWE proved the new ECW was more friendly on the Sci-Fi channel than at the pay per view.

The building was originally named The Ritacco Center, after Michael Ritacco, the superintendent of Toms River Regional Schools. The name was then changed to The Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center after Poland Spring became a major sponsor.

[edit] Notable alumni

Darian Barnes (1998), Pro football player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jerry Dipoto (1986), former Major League Baseball player.
Demetri Martin (1991), Emmy Award-nominated American comedian, actor, and writer.
Piper Perabo (1994), Actress. Film credits include Coyote Ugly, Cheaper by the Dozen.
Maria Ressa (1982), Journalist, former Manila and Jakarta bureau chief of CNN, currently head of news division of ABS-CBN, one of the two largest broadcast companies in the Philippines.