Matawan Regional High School

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Matawan Regional High School
Excellence in education
Location
450 Atlantic Avenue
Aberdeen, NJ 07747
Information
School district Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District
Principal Michele Ruscavage (Acting)
Enrollment

1,052 (as of 2005-06)[1]
Faculty 88.3[1]
Student:teacher ratio 11.9 (FTE basis)[1]
Type Public high school
Grades 9 - 12
Athletics conference Shore Conference
Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Team name Huskies
Color(s) Maroon and steel gray
Yearbook The Pillar
Newspaper Huskyview
Established 1924
Information 732-290-2800
Homepage School website

Matawan Regional High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey, United States. The school is part of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District and it is one of Monmouth County's largest schools. It has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since 1951. The school mascot is a huskie.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,052 students and 88.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 11.9.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

When the State of New Jersey mandated graded school systems replace district schools in 1894, Matawan Township and Matawan Borough constructed an eight-room brick school building at the corner of Broad Street and South Street, which was completed and occupied in 1895. [2]

A 1913 graduate described the school as having four rooms on the first floor, and four rooms and a long, wide hall on the second floor. There was no indoor plumbing until a major addition was made to the building about 1910, so outdoor toilets were used for about fifteen years. Sanitary facilities were added in the basement. The Class of 1913 consisted of 34 eighth graders, most of whom were expected to go to work after they finished school. [3]

By 1923, the school was so overcrowded that it was running double sessions to teach its 900 students in 12 rooms, so the township voted to build a new high school next door.[2]

The first Matawan High School was completed and occupied in 1924 on eight acres at the corner of Broad Street and South Street. The two and a half story brick building of Georgian design was constructed at a cost of $175,000. It contained 13 classrooms, a study hall, a cafeteria, an auditorium seating 527, and a gymnasium with capacity for 300. The school had 388 students and 14 teachers in 1936; 76 seniors graduated with the Class of 1936. The school had recently taken in students from Laurence Harbor, New Jersey, effectively doubling the graduating class between 1933 and 1936.[2] The school, which included some middle school students in 1957, had 540 high school students and their 28 teachers.[4] After it was replaced in 1962, consideration was given to making the old high school an elementary school [5] but it was eventually demolished.

A hallway at Matawan Regional High School
A hallway at Matawan Regional High School

Matawan Regional High School was built in 1962 to deal with sharp population growth due to the construction of 2,300 new housing units in the area. Population nearly doubled between the 1960 census figure of 12,456 and the 1965 estimate of 21,177. The school had 1,780 students and 102 teachers in the 1964-1965 school year. The 62 rooms included 33 classrooms, 2 gymnasiums, an auditorium, a cafeteria, 2 music rooms, 2 industrial arts shops, 8 science rooms, and 2 fine arts rooms. [5]

The school recently underwent major renovations including a new facade, new chemistry and oceanography laboratory classrooms, a new art wing, including a kiln, computer labs, as well as a new greenhouse. [6] The sports department received a renovated artificial turf football field and stadium lighting. Streetside saw a new electronic sign.

[edit] Sports

The Matawan High School Huskies compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.[7] All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

The Matawan High School baseball team (63-2) won the Central New Jersey Championship three consecutive years from 1922 to 1924 under Coach Benjamin W. Davis. Matawan's African-American pitcher Henry Schanck was edged out by Keyport High School in a 16-inning match in 1924. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added a sports field at the high school in 1936.[2]

The Matawan Catfish swim team competed against the Laurence Harbor Eels at nearby Lake Lefferts in the spring of 1936.[2]

[edit] Music

Music has deep roots at Matawan. In 1895, The New York Press ran a statewide competition to determine the most popular new school in budding New Jersey school system. Matawan returned the most coupons, defeating its nearest competitor by 40,000 votes, thereby winning a Chickering and Sons piano.[2]

[edit] Administration

  • Principal - Michele Ruscavage
  • Assistant Principals - Frank J. Liotti, Barbara Walls, Patricia Phillips

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Elementary and middle schools

The old Matawan School, built in 1895, became Matawan Elementary in 1924. The school had 664 students and 17 teachers in the 1935-1936 school year. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added two rooms to the grade school in 1936.[2] The building was demolished in the late 1960's. [5]

The Matawan Memorial School, known locally as the Broad Street School, was built in 1960 and had 12 classrooms, 1,170 students, and 49.8 teachers in the 1964-1965 school year. [5]

The Cliffwood Elementary School on Cliffwood Avenue was built in 1912 to replace the District Number 45 wooden schoolhouse that was built on that spot before 1854. The brick building initially had 6 classrooms, 3 teachers and a principal. 198 students were enrolled in 1936.[2] Cliffwood received an addition in 1952, for a total of 12 classrooms. [5] Cliffwood had 13 classrooms, 767 students, and 25 teachers in 1956-1957. Since it was overcrowded, eighth graders attended the high school and 22 students attended Matawan Elementary. [4] By 1965, the Cliffwood Memorial School branch had been built, with 22 classrooms, 970 students, and 38.6 teachers. [5]

Strathmore Elementary School was built by the Strathmore developers in 1962. The school had 34 classrooms, a multipurpose room, 1,280 students, and 50.6 teachers in the 1964-1965 school year.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Matawan Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 25, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Federal Writers' Projects: Matawan, 1686-1936, pp 70-71
  3. ^ Donnell, Genevieve, When American Legion Hall Served as School, Bayshore Independent, 13 March 1973, contained in booklet entitled Matawan Memories
  4. ^ a b Tiemann, Alice M., Township of Matawan, 1857-1957, pg 35
  5. ^ a b c d e f g League of Women Voters, Know Your Town: Matawan Borough and Township, 1965, pp 40-46
  6. ^ Schooldesigns.com provides a description of the renovation project and concept drawings. [1]
  7. ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  8. ^ Jim Jeffcoat, database Football. Accessed November 27, 2007.
  9. ^ Plume, Kenneth. "Interview with J. Michael Straczynski", IGN, September 5, 2000. Accessed September 15, 2007. "No. I attended four different high schools: St. Benedict's High School in Matawan, New Jersey, Matawan Public School, Lennox High School in Lennox, California, and Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, California."

[edit] External links

[edit] See also