Middletown High School South

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Middletown High School South
Middletown South
Location
900 Nut Swamp Road
Middletown Township, NJ, 07748
USA
Information
School district Middletown Township Public School District
Principal Mark Kelly
Vice principal Marie Caldaro (curriculum)
Mark Gotthelf (curriculum)
Tom Olausen (discipline)
Mary Ellen Walker (discipline / student activities)
Enrollment

1,435 (as of 2005-06)[1]
Faculty 106.0 (on FTE basis)[1]
Student:teacher ratio 13.5[1]
Type Public high school
Grades 9-12
Athletics conference Shore Conference
Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Team name Eagles
Color(s) Navy Blue and Silver Grey
Yearbook Aquiline
Newspaper The Eagle Eye
Established 1976
Information 732-706-6111
Homepage School website

Middletown High School South 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 students from parts of Middletown Township. Other students from Middletown Township attend Middletown High School North.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,435 students and 106.0 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 13.5.[1]

Contents

[edit] Relationship to Middletown North

In the mid seventies, Middletown High School was considered overcrowded and construction on a new high school began. In 1976 the new school was opened as Middletown High School South, and the old school's name was appended with North. In general, the new school's population was to consist of students from the southern side of town. The town council, however, chose to send a small number of students from the areas north of High School North to the new High School South.

Today, the student body of South is comprised mainly of students from the districts of Lincroft, River Plaza, and Middletown, which lie on the southern end of town, as well as students from Navesink and Leonardo on the northern end of town. Students scheduled to attend one high school sometimes petition the district to attend the other (particularly to stay grouped with peers from the district's middle schools, whose geographical divisions are not the same as those for the high schools).

The two schools continue to maintain a strong rivalry, particularly in sports. High School South's annual homecoming game, played on Thanksgiving Day, is always played against High School North. They have also faced off at a Battle of the Bands and during a film festival.

[edit] Awards and recognition

Middletown High School South was the 85th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.[2]

In June of 2006, Thomson Gale and the School Library Journal jointly awarded Middletown High School South's library the Giant Leap Award for "innovative and improved programs in service to youth; community outreach; and overall commitment to literacy and education."[3]

[edit] Theater

Like Middletown High School North, South houses a large professional theater, often used for plays and music productions. Unlike North, however, the school's theater is only one level, lacking the balcony of Middletown North. Rockit for Kids performed there in 2006.

[edit] Newspaper

Middletown High School South's newspaper, The Eagle Eye, is available by subscription.

[edit] Athletics

The Middletown High School South Eagles compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.[4] 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).

Middletown South is well known for its football program, which is regarded as one of the top programs in the state of New Jersey. The program holds nine State Sectional Championships, 15 Shore Conference Division Championships, 8 Undefeated Seasons, and 17 State Playoff Berths. Middletown High School South's football program also holds the Shore Conference Longest Win Streak with 43 straight wins from 2003-2006. In 2004, The Eagles were ranked #1 in the state of New Jersey unanimously by The Gannet, The Star Ledger, and News 12 New Jersey polls.[citation needed] Middletown South's head coach is Steve Antonucci who has a record of 91-13 through nine seasons.

The boys basketball team did not win a single game in the 2004-2005 season.[citation needed] Three years later, during the 2007-2008 season, second-year head coach Kevin Cullen led the team to the Central Jersey Group III Sectional Championship with a win over Neptune High School 45-33.[5][6]

[edit] Teacher strike

Middletown South 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] Drug testing

In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown Township Public School District voted on a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at the high school to submit their name to a pool for random selection.[citation needed]

[edit] Administration

Core members of the school's administration include:[7]

  • Mark Kelly - Principal
  • Marie Caldaro - Vice-principal for curriculum
  • Mark Gotthelf - Vice-principal for curriculum
  • Tom Olausen - Vice-principal for discipline
  • Mary Ellen Walker - Vice-principal for discipline and student activities

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Middletown High School South, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 29, 2007.
  2. ^ "Top Public High Schools in New Jersey" (Schools 51-100), New Jersey Monthly, September 2006, backed up by Internet Archive as of March 10, 2007. Accessed March 5, 2008.
  3. ^ Linebaugh Library System and Middletown High School South Library Named Winners of 2006 “Giant Step Award”, Gale Press Room, June 2006.
  4. ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
  5. ^ 2008 Boys Basketball - Central, Group III, NJSIAA. Accessed March 12, 2008.
  6. ^ Rosenfeld, Josh. "Dougher helps Scotch Plains capture crown" (substory: "Middletown South prevails behind Callori"), The Star-Ledger, March 5, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008.
  7. ^ Administration page, Middletown High School South. Accessed June 12, 2008.
  8. ^ Jeff Kunkel, The Baseball Cube. Accessed February 3, 2008.
  9. ^ About Melanie. MelanieMcGuire.com. Accessed July 22, 2007.
  10. ^ Wilno, Don. "Jump gets jump on Wesley College; Sanderson helps bowl over Temple", Asbury Park Press, September 29, 2007. Accessed October 17, 2007. "Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno, a graduate of Middletown High School South, tied senior starting tailback Thomas Brown with 74 yards rushing in the University of Georgia's 26-23 overtime victory over Alabama at Bryan-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala."
  11. ^ Christian Peter profile, database Football. Accessed August 1, 2007.
  12. ^ Ginley, Bill. "When the Cheers Aren't Enough", The New York Times, February 12, 2006. Accessed August 1, 2007. "Peter, who grew up in the Locust section of Middletown and played at Middletown South before moving on to the University of Nebraska and then to the Carolina Panthers, saw his life crumble."

[edit] External links