Matawan Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Matawan Regional High School is a four-year regional 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 Schools
since 1951. The school mascot is a husky.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,111 students and 92 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student-teacher ratio
of 12.08.
The school was the 126th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 111th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 115th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
constructed an eight-room brick school building at the corner of Broad Street and South Street, which was completed and occupied in 1895.
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.
By 1923, the school was so overcrowded that it was running double sessions to teach its students in 12 rooms, so the township voted to build a new high school next door.
The first Matawan High School was completed and occupied in 1924 on 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) at the corner of Broad Street and South Street. The -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. The school, which included some middle school students in 1957, had 540 high school students and their 28 teachers. After it was replaced in 1962, consideration was given to making the old high school an elementary school but it was eventually demolished.
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.
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. The sports department received a renovated artificial turf football field and stadium lighting. Streetside saw a new electronic sign.
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
. 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.
The Matawan Catfish swim team competed against the Laurence Harbor Eels at nearby Lake Lefferts
in the spring of 1936.
In 1958, the Matawan High School Huskies football squad, led by Coach Barry Rizzo, won the Shore Conference Championship, losing only to Neptune. More importantly, they defeated their hated rivals, the Keyport High Red Raiders in a hard fought Thanksgiving Day game, 6-2. Notable players on that Huskies team were their "Touchdown Twins", David Jones and Purvis Peeler.
The 1959 Huskies baseball team, coached by George Dietz, won the Shore Conference Championship and competed in the Group 1 State Championships, losing in the first round. Their star pitcher, Carl Stephens, threw three no hitters that season and was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in their minor league system until an arm injury ended his career.
The football team won the Central Jersey state sectional championships in Group IV in 1975, in Group III in 1988, 1991 and 1992, and in 2009 in Group II. In 2009, the football team won the Central Jersey Group II sectional title by a score of 28-12 against Manasquan High School
in a game played at The College of New Jersey
, marking the program's first sectional title since 1992.
In 2009, the boys indoor and outdoor track and field teams took the Central Jersey Group II titles, marking the first time since 1996 since the boys team took the outdoor title, and the first time the indoor team had ever taken a state title. The indoor team won a second consecutive title in 2010, defeating second place Summit Senior High School by 56-42. In 2011, the outdoor track and field team won its third consecutive Central Jersey, Group II sectional title, edging Long Branch High School
80-77 for the victory.
ran a statewide competition to determine the most popular new school in the 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.
In the 2011 season, the Marching Huskies reached new heights of success, claiming 1st in the Tournament of Bands
(TOB) Group II Chapter X Championships with a score of 93.0. The chapter title was the first for the band since 2006. They ended the season with a 3rd place finish at the TOB Atlantic Coast Championships in Hershey, Pennsylvania
with a score of 95.5, earning the Marching Huskies not only their highest ever placement at the ACCs, but their highest ever score in school history to date.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Aberdeen Township
Aberdeen Township, New Jersey
Aberdeen Township is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 18,210....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. The school is part of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District
Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District
The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District is a regional school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The district serves students in grades K - 12 from the communities of Aberdeen Township and the neighboring community of Matawan Borough .As of the 2007-08 school year, the district's seven...
and it is one of Monmouth County's
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
largest schools. It has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
since 1951. The school mascot is a husky.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,111 students and 92 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student-teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the institution. For example, a student-teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students for every one teacher...
of 12.08.
The school was the 126th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 111th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 115th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
History
When the State of New Jersey mandated graded school systems replace district schools in 1894, Matawan Township and Matawan BoroughMatawan, New Jersey
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,810. The name "Matawan" comes from a Native American Lenape word....
constructed an eight-room brick school building at the corner of Broad Street and South Street, which was completed and occupied in 1895.
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.
By 1923, the school was so overcrowded that it was running double sessions to teach its students in 12 rooms, so the township voted to build a new high school next door.
The first Matawan High School was completed and occupied in 1924 on 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) at the corner of Broad Street and South Street. The -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
Laurence Harbor, New Jersey
Laurence Harbor is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located on the Raritan Bay within Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 United States Census, the CDP population was 6,227.-Geography:...
, effectively doubling the graduating class between 1933 and 1936. The school, which included some middle school students in 1957, had 540 high school students and their 28 teachers. After it was replaced in 1962, consideration was given to making the old high school an elementary school but it was eventually demolished.
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.
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. The sports department received a renovated artificial turf football field and stadium lighting. Streetside saw a new electronic sign.
Sports
The Matawan High School Huskies compete in the Shore ConferenceShore Conference
The Shore Conference is an athletic conference of private and public high schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey, centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The Shore Conference is broken up into six classes based on...
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
and Ocean County
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
(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
Keyport High School
Keyport High School is a five-year public high school in Keyport, New Jersey, United States, for students in grades 8-12, operated as part of the Keyport Public Schools. Students in grades 9-12 from Union Beach attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship...
in a 16-inning match in 1924. The Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
(WPA) added a sports field at the high school in 1936.
The Matawan Catfish swim team competed against the Laurence Harbor Eels at nearby Lake Lefferts
Lake Lefferts
Lake Lefferts is a lake in Matawan, New Jersey. The lake is the result of the construction in 1928 of Lake Lefferts Dam, which captured and stores the flow of Matawan Creek.-Reference:...
in the spring of 1936.
In 1958, the Matawan High School Huskies football squad, led by Coach Barry Rizzo, won the Shore Conference Championship, losing only to Neptune. More importantly, they defeated their hated rivals, the Keyport High Red Raiders in a hard fought Thanksgiving Day game, 6-2. Notable players on that Huskies team were their "Touchdown Twins", David Jones and Purvis Peeler.
The 1959 Huskies baseball team, coached by George Dietz, won the Shore Conference Championship and competed in the Group 1 State Championships, losing in the first round. Their star pitcher, Carl Stephens, threw three no hitters that season and was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in their minor league system until an arm injury ended his career.
The football team won the Central Jersey state sectional championships in Group IV in 1975, in Group III in 1988, 1991 and 1992, and in 2009 in Group II. In 2009, the football team won the Central Jersey Group II sectional title by a score of 28-12 against Manasquan High School
Manasquan High School
Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Manasquan Public Schools...
in a game played at The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey, abbreviated TCNJ, is a public, coeducational university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a suburb of Trenton....
, marking the program's first sectional title since 1992.
In 2009, the boys indoor and outdoor track and field teams took the Central Jersey Group II titles, marking the first time since 1996 since the boys team took the outdoor title, and the first time the indoor team had ever taken a state title. The indoor team won a second consecutive title in 2010, defeating second place Summit Senior High School by 56-42. In 2011, the outdoor track and field team won its third consecutive Central Jersey, Group II sectional title, edging Long Branch High School
Long Branch High School
Long Branch High School is a comprehensive, four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in the city of Long Branch, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Long Branch Public Schools. LBPS, one of 31 special-needs...
80-77 for the victory.
Music
Music has deep roots at Matawan. In 1895, the New York PressNew York Press (historical)
The New York Press was a New York City newspaper that began publication in December, 1887 and continued publication until July 2, 1916, then being merged with Frank Munsey's New York Herald...
ran a statewide competition to determine the most popular new school in the budding New Jersey school system. Matawan returned the most coupons, defeating its nearest competitor by 40,000 votes, thereby winning a Chickering and Sons
Chickering and Sons
Chickering and Sons was an American piano manufacturer located in Boston, known for producing award-winning instruments of superb quality and design. The company was founded in 1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart, but the partnership dissolved four years later...
piano.
Marching band
Matawan is also well known for its marching band. The Matawan Marching Huskies band won the national championships in Jacksonville, Florida in 1977 with Anthony DeVizia as drum major. They are currently led by band director Chris Hensel with drum majors Uzo Amuzie and Michaela Marte.In the 2011 season, the Marching Huskies reached new heights of success, claiming 1st in the Tournament of Bands
Tournament of Bands
The Tournament of Bands is one of the largest competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states . TOB was founded in 1972 by the National Judges Association and currently has 439 member bands...
(TOB) Group II Chapter X Championships with a score of 93.0. The chapter title was the first for the band since 2006. They ended the season with a 3rd place finish at the TOB Atlantic Coast Championships in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
with a score of 95.5, earning the Marching Huskies not only their highest ever placement at the ACCs, but their highest ever score in school history to date.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Principal - Michele Ruscavage
- Assistant Principals - Frank J. Liotti, Patricia Phillips and Debra Scesney
Notable alumni
- Jay BellamyJay BellamyJay Bellamy is a former American football safety most notably for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1994...
(born 1972), NFL safety. - Michael Davino, pro baseball player 89-92 Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers- graduated class of 86'
- Mark D. Hellenack, 2004 NJ Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame inductee (part of US LacrosseUS LacrosseUS Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 63 chapters throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire...
) - Jim JeffcoatJim JeffcoatJames Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League. From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team...
(born 1961), professional football player for the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1983 to 1997. - Charlie RogersCharlie RogersJohn Edward Rogers is a former American football running back and wide receiver in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks , the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins ....
(born 1976), NFL running back and wide receiver - J. Michael StraczynskiJ. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
(born 1954), writer for television, film and comics, attended 1970.
External links
- Matawan Regional High School website
- Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District
- Data for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- DigitalSports Matawan Homepage
- Matawan Football Alumni Foundation
- Huskies Sports Online
- Huskies football statistics