Middletown High School North

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Middletown High School North
Location
63 Tindall Road
Middletown, NJ 07748
Information
Authority Middletown Township Public School District
Principal Patricia Vari-Cartier
Enrollment

1,692 (as of 2005-06)[1]
Faculty 129.0 (on FTE basis)[1]
Student:teacher ratio 13.1[1]
Type Public high school
Grades 9 - 12
Athletics conference Shore Conference
Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Nickname Lions
Color(s) Orange and Black
Publication Viewpoint
Newspaper The Lion's Roar
Established 1966
Information 732-706-6061
Homepage School website

Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township, New Jersey, and is part of the Middletown Township Public School District. The school serves 1,700 students from parts of Middletown Township. Other students from Middletown Township attend Middletown High School South. The school also houses a 750-seat theater.[2] Approximately 89% of North students attend college after graduation.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,692 students and 129.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 13.1.[1]

Contents

[edit] Athletics

The Middletown High School North Lions compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.[3] 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).

Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Middletown North and Middletown South. The game is one of the most important events of the year for North students, and a pep rally is held before the game. At halftime, the homecoming court comes to the field to greet the fans.

The girls soccer team won the 2005 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Brick Memorial High School 2-1 in the tournament final.[4]

[edit] Renovation

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the school underwent a massive renovation to update its teaching facilities. During the renovations, much of the school was inhospitable and sealed off. This resulted in the usage of both the upper and lower gymnasiums partitioned off into several classes, without ceilings.

The renovations were completed sometime in 2004. The new building is modern, featuring standard teaching facilities. The tent outside (the Middletown High School North Bubble) has remained, and is used to house sporting events. A 750-seat professional theater was also installed, which features new lighting and sound systems and hosts various professional events, as was a TV production studio, which Broadcasts student produced programs across Middletown and its surrounding boroughs.

[edit] SIDS Game

For the last six years, the Middletown North Student Council has hosted the annual Megan Biebel Memorial SIDS game to benefit research for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The event has raised over $100,000, and has attracted support from celebrities including singer Jon Bon Jovi. The game puts the Middletown North faculty and students up against New Jersey policemen. In recent years, the SIDS game has also held a pre-game carnival. The half-time show includes a performance by a special all-male cheerleading squad, as well as a raffle. The event is held in honor of Megan Biebel, who died of SIDS in March of 2000. However, the event is not scheduled to take place in 2007, with Matt Biebel and his wife saying that they no longer wish to.

2007 will bring the "North Carnival," which will be the traditional SIDS event, but raising money for brain cancer charities.

[edit] Teachers Strike

Middletown North and the Middletown School District received national attention in the fall of 2001 when its teachers went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes for several days, and hundreds of teachers were jailed. After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.

[edit] The Lion's Roar Newspaper

Middletown North's school newspaper, the Lion's Roar, is a monthly to bi-monthly production. The paper has won many awards over the years, including

  • Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal
  • Quill and Scroll First Place Award

The Lion's Roar production staff is as follows:

  • Erin Castle- Editor-in-Chief
  • Samantha Marrazzo- News Editor
  • Sean Fitzgerald- Interim Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor, Business Manager
  • Kirstie Nicholson- Sports Editor
  • Dennis Mikolay- Arts and Entertainment Editor
  • Chris Ernst- Photography Editor
  • Judy Bolton- Adviser

The Lion's Roar is available by subscription. Potential advertisers should contact the school.

[edit] Performing Arts Center

Recently, the school has gained notoriety for its outstanding Performing Arts Center. The PAC can seat 750 people, and houses a professional lighting and sound system. There is an orchestra and a balcony. The theater hosts cultural and musical events, as well as various drama productions. Several political figures have appeared there.

Notable events hosted at the MHSN PAC, and open to the public, include:

  • Middletown High School North Battle of the Bands
  • Middletown North vs. South Battle of the Bands
  • So, North Thinks it Can Dance
  • North Idol
  • Middletown Film Festival
  • Rockit for Kids Holiday Concert 2006
  • Josh Zuckerman, known for his #1 singles Out from Under, Be Real, and Something Inside announced he will perform a Christmas benefit in the MHSN PAC.[citation needed]

[edit] Television production

For several years Comcast Cable ran the student produced series North in Action, which featured student made movies, comedy sketches, music, and news. The series was put on hiatus in 2007. The series was filmed in the school's TV production room. Rival Middletown High School South also has a Television program.

A new television show is being produced in April 2008 and will be run on the channel 20 station.

[edit] Drug testing

A renovated hallway circa 2007
A renovated hallway circa 2007

In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown School District voted on a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at either High School to submit their name to a pool for random selection.

Controversy has recently sparked over the target group for the random drug testing, as many students and faculty believe that students who participate in school activities are less likely to be active with drug and alcohol abuse. However, New Jersey state law prohibits the entirety of the student population be tested, and so the students in after school activities and parking spaces make up a greater majority for the testing pool.[5]

[edit] Administration

  • Patricia Vari-Cartier, Principal
  • Nubeja Allen, Assistant Principal
  • Susan Blank, Assistant Principal
  • Carol Buckley, Assistant Principal
  • John Carmody, Assistant Principal
  • Kevin Robinson, Assistant Principal
  • Michael Wells, Assistant Principal

The newest assistant principal, math teacher Kevin Robinson was announced at the Homecoming Pep Rally on November 21, 2007.

He replaces David Healy, who will now become Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Middletown High School North, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  2. ^ Mikolay, Dennis "DJ". South Pacific Comes to Middletown South, Atlantic Highlands Herald, March 21, 2007. Accessed May 30, 2007.
  3. ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  4. ^ 2005 Girls Soccer - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed May 30, 2007.
  5. ^ Middletown school board OKs random drug testing: Some say plan would deter use, Asbury Park Press, October 24, 2006.

[edit] External links