Absegami High School

Absegami High School
Location
201 South Wrangleboro Road
Galloway Township, NJ 08205
Information
Type Public high school
Established 1972
School district Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District
Principal Jeri Lynn Gatto
Vice Principals Brian Aron
Leslie Madison
Michael Wilbraham
Faculty 125.6 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,657[1] (as of 2012-13)
Student to teacher ratio 13.19:1[1]
Color(s) Brown and Vegas Gold         
Athletics conference Cape-Atlantic League
Nickname Braves
GEHRHSD Absegami High School
Cedar Creek High School
Oakcrest High School
Community served Galloway Township
Website School website

Absegami High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving stundets in ninth through twelfth grades in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, one of three secondary schools operating as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. The student body comes from Galloway Township.[2]

As of the 2012-13 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,657 students and 125.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.19:1. There were 458 students (27.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 160 (9.7% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Oakcrest High School and Cedar Creek High School are Absegami's sister schools. Absegami and Oakcrest shared the same buildings during the period from the creation of Absegami High School in 1972 to the construction of a separate campus for Absegami in 1982. In a referendum held on September 25, 2007, voters approved by a 3,176 – 1,719 margin a plan to construct a third high school in the district, to be located in Egg Harbor City, which would help alleviate overcrowding in the two existing schools and serve students from Egg Harbor City and Mullica Township. Construction started in Fall 2008 and was completed in Summer 2010 at a total project cost of $80 million (of which $59.9 million was related to construction costs), with the new facility opening that September.[3]

The school has a variety of programs designed for a diverse student body, including 'special needs', a "High School-to-Work" program, college preparatory, Advanced Placement (AP), and performing arts. as of the 2010 graduating class, the school offered 15 courses through which students earn college credits by taking AP examinations, and 89% of students planned to go on to college.[4]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 164th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[5] The school had been ranked 260th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 238th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] The magazine ranked the school 230th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[7] The school was ranked 231st in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8]

Programs

The school's mission statement objective is to "provide each student the educational opportunity and support that will enable him or her to develop the skills necessary to function politically, economically, and socially as a responsible and contributing citizen in a democratic society."[9] To accomplish this goal, Absegami provides a diverse range of classes designed to help students reach their full potential during their future careers in mathematics, art, wood technology, humanities, and science.

Athletics

Girls Soccer Award plaque, a sample of the various awards Absegami has collected.

The Absegami High School Braves compete in the Atlantic Division of the Cape-Atlantic League, an athletic conference consisting of both parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, and Gloucester County, that operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] With 1,164 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2014-15 school year as South Jersey, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,084 to 1,845 students in that grade range.[11]

School colors are brown and Vegas gold. Sports offered at the school include Tennis (women), Lacrosse (men), Lacrosse (women), Baseball, Track and Field Winter (men), Tennis (men), Track and Field Winter (women), Swimming (women), Golf (men), Swimming (men), Field Hockey, Soccer (women), Football, Soccer (men), Cross Country (women), Softball, Volleyball (women), Basketball (men), Wrestling (men), Track and Field Spring (women), Basketball (women), Track and Field Spring (men) and Cross Country (men).[12]

Teams that have won notable championships include:

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:[17]

Controversy

Absegami employs a school resource officer, who is a member of the area's police force permanently assigned to a particular school. In March–April 2005, it was revealed that Absegami's then resource officer, Eric Allen, had sex with a 17-year-old female student in his patrol car three times over the course of a month.[18][19] Allen was dismissed from his position and found guilty of official misconduct.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 School Data for Absegami High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 23, 2015.
  2. ↑ Absegami High School 2014 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 23, 2015. "A most positive and strong relationship exists with the Galloway Township School District which sends students to Absegami High School thus providing a seamless transition into ninth grade."
  3. ↑ Cedar Creek High School, Learning by Design Outstanding Project 2011. Accessed July 10, 2011.
  4. ↑ Absegami High School 2013 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed January 31, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Absegami Website". Absegami High School. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  10. ↑ League Memberships – 2014-2015, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ 2014-2015 Public Schools Group Classification: ShopRite Cup–Basketball–Baseball–Softball for South Jersey, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of July 8, 2014. Accessed November 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ Absegami High School, New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ 2006 Football Tournament - South, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 5, 2006.
  14. ↑ PUBLIC GIRLS PAST STATE CHAMPIONS, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 8, 2012.
  15. ↑ Tournament of Bands - Chapter One History, Tournament of Bands. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  16. ↑ USSBA National Championship Titles, United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) press release dated November 14, 2006. Accessed January 31, 2011.
  17. ↑ Administration, Absegami High School. Accessed September 22, 2014.
  18. ↑ 6abc.com: Cop Admits Affair with School Girl, WPVI-TV, May 20, 2005.
  19. ↑ Cop Working In High School Arrested On Sex Charges, WCAU, April 7, 2005.
  20. ↑ Cronick, Scott. "Everyone has a story: Galloway woman choreographs 'Rockin' Eve'", The Press of Atlantic City, December 30, 2009. Accessed January 31, 2011. "The Absegami High School graduate and Los Angeles resident can be seen on Fox's 'So You Think You Can Dance,' where she and her husband earned an Emmy nomination this year for outstanding choreography on the show and choreographed a number for the Emmys that was performed live."
  21. ↑ Jackson, Vincent. "(RODNEY) JERKIN'S JOURNEY / HOW HOMETOWN MUSICIAN GOT TO THE GRAMMY AWARDS", The Press of Atlantic City, February 21, 1999. Accessed January 31, 2011. "Six years ago, record producer Rodney Jerkins, 15, was an Absegami High School sophomore trying to sell cassettes of his Christian rap album. Now, Jerkins is the producer of the No. 1 pop song in the country, has his own record label and has been asked to work with Michael Jackson."
  22. ↑ Toner, Noreen. "SMITHVILLE'S OWN LEE BROTHERS FIND HOLLYWOOD SUCCESS", The Press of Atlantic City, October 7, 1992. Accessed January 31, 2011. "When you reach for your TV book this evening, check the 8 p.m. listing for today's episode of 'Beverly Hills, 90210.' You may recognize the name of someone you know. Namely, that of Mushond Lee, a 1989 Absegami High School graduate who grew up in Smithville."

External links

Coordinates: 39°28′26″N 74°30′49″W / 39.474014°N 74.513473°W