St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey)
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011) |
| St. Joseph's High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 145 Plainfield Road Metuchen, NJ (Middlesex County), 08840 |
|
| Coordinates | 40°33′12″N 74°22′20″W / 40.55333°N 74.37222°WCoordinates: 40°33′12″N 74°22′20″W / 40.55333°N 74.37222°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, All-Boys |
| Motto | Where excellence is a habit, not a goal. |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Joseph |
| Established | 1961 |
| Principal | John Anderson '70 |
| Faculty | 49.4 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 798[1] (2009-10) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.2:1[1] |
| Campus size | 70-acre (280,000 m2) |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and White |
| Athletics | 14 sports |
| Athletics conference | Greater Middlesex Conference |
| Mascot | Falcon |
| Team name | Falcons |
| Rival | Christian Brothers Adademy |
| Accreditation(s) | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2] |
| Average SAT scores | 590 critical reading 640 math 600 writing |
| Publication | The Vignette (literary magazine) |
| Newspaper | 'The Falcon' |
| Yearbook | 'Evergreen' |
| Tuition | $10,900 |
| Affiliation | Brothers of the Sacred Heart |
| Athletic Director | Jerry Smith |
| Website | http://www.stjoes.org |
St. Joseph High School is an independent, all-boys Roman Catholic college preparatory school located on a 70-acre (280,000 m2) site in Metuchen and Edison, New Jersey.[3] It draws students from a wide geographic area encompassing over forty school districts and over seventy grammar schools in Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties, as well as other outlying areas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1968.[2]
St. Joseph is operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, who have been active in American education since their arrival from Lyon, France in 1847. From 1901 to 1961, St. Joseph’s served as a center for training and educating Brothers prior to their apostolate. The main school building was dedicated in the spring of 1963.[3]
There are both lay and religious teachers. As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 798 students and 49.4 faculty members (on an FTE basis), resulting in a student–teacher ratio of 16.2.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] The Brothers of the Sacred Heart move to Metuchen
Brothers Stanislaus Florent and Philip Lindner moved into a three-story roadhouse in 1902 with the intention of setting up a training center for novices. Their funds were limited and finding willing recruits for the novitiate proved to be difficult as few people had heard of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. However, by the start of the first session in November 1902 there were ten postulants.
The arrival of the additional personnel[vague] fueled support[clarification needed] for the construction of a new building that could serve as both a dormitory and classroom. However, in June 1903, a fire destroyed St Stanislaus College and with it the hopes for the new building.
The Brothers could afford to make only patchwork repairs and they had to assume the roles of blacksmiths and carpenters in order to repair damaged farm equipment and property. They also had to instigate cost-cutting measures, one of which involved the heating of the various buildings. Coal was used only to heat the main building, while stoves in the other buildings were fueled by railroad ties. The novices had to transport and handsaw the ties during their leisure time.
The greatest asset to the novitiate was the farm. The community could afford only things such as meat, bread, coffee and sugar. The rest had to be grown. The novices and postulants worked on the farm both in their free time and on scheduled work rotations. A common recreational activity of the residents was fishing on nearby Woodburn Pond.
[edit] Education of novices
The arrival of sixteen novices from France caused overcrowding. Due to the community's budget constraints, they were forced to improve on their facilities in piecemeal fashion.
The first true expansion of the novitiate occurred in 1907 when the main house was renovated. It was determined that a new chapel was needed in order to handle the number of inhabitants. A new building would have been too expensive and so it was decided to add a new wing.[clarification needed] Three years later, the main house underwent another refurbishment. The top floor was refitted as a dormitory, while dining and recreation rooms were added to the lower level. Outside, the carriage house that held the novices was moved and a small cottage was placed adjacent to the main building.
Not all the changes were strictly practical. The community was concerned about the appearance of the grounds and after the addition of the new wing in 1907, a marble statue of Saint Joseph, weighing 1,400 lb (640 kg), was installed in front of the building.
[edit] The community expands
During the early 1920s, various fund-raising events provided the necessary capital to begin construction of a proper chapel. This was formally opened in 1922. At the dedication ceremony, the Bishop of Trenton, Thomas J. Walsh, asked the Brothers to take control of the Cathedral High School in Trenton.
In 1924 construction of what is now known as O’Neil Hall was completed. The building, designed by the same architect who had created the chapel, provided recreation rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, science labs, several classrooms and a large dormitory.
In 1951, a proposal was made to move the novitiate to Blairstown but failed due to lack of funding. Ten years later, the novitiate moved to Belvidere. This resolved the problem of overcrowding and enabled the separation of the novitiate from the postulant programs, as had been originally envisaged by the Province.
[edit] Founding of the high school
With the new found space,[clarification needed] the Brothers decided to establish a high school[clarification needed] and in the fall of 1961 admitted 150 ninth grade students. A high school grew out of the old postulant program, which had existed for some time.[vague] Essentially, it was a regular high school program for those considering a vocation[clarification needed]. The building was constructed on the land occupied by Brother Fabian’s[clarification needed] vineyard that had been planted about sixty years before. The building was completed in 1963 at a cost of US$1 million.
The school soon developed high academic standards. The class of 1965 had two national merit[vague] semi-finalists and has had students in this elite[clarification needed] group ever since.
In 1963, the school newspaper, The Falcon, had a literary contest and published their winners in a special edition. This contest continued to be held under the auspices of the newspaper until it grew into the current school literary magazine, The Vignette, which has since won various awards and received national recognition. Another product of the arts program was the Drama Club, established in 1963.
[edit] Athletics
The St. Joseph High School Falcons compete in the Red Division of the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC), comprising 32 public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[4] The school fields teams from freshmen through varsity levels in various sports including football, cross country, soccer, basketball, bowling, ice hockey, swimming, winter track, baseball, golf, lacrosse, spring track, crew, tennis and volleyball.
In 1963, St Joseph’s established their first varsity teams, these being in track, basketball and baseball. A varsity soccer team was set up in the following year. St. Joseph's soccer team has won seven NJSIAA state championships, winning the Non-Public A state title in 1964, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1988 and 1994.[5]
The swimming team was formed in 1968 by Brother Aldric Smith,Ph.D., and has since gone on to do well in state competition. St. Joseph has won nineteen (19) state swimming championships in 1980–91, 1993–97, 1999, 2002–04 and 2006, as well as winning 33 consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference championships in total.[6] The school has also won state titles in cross country, curling, winter and spring track, soccer, tennis, lacrosse and volleyball.[citation needed]
The Varsity volleyball program has brought home three state championships in 2002, 2006, and 2008.[7] The team has also won four sectional state championships in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2011.
Although no longer offered, the school once had a competitive gymnastics program, winning state championships in 1992 and 1993. Other sports no longer played are water polo and wrestling.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Jon Bon Jovi (born 1962), musician, actor and lead singer of the band Bon Jovi, attended for two years and then transferred.[8]
- Andrew Bynum (born 1987, Class of 2005), basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.[9]
- John Carlson (born 1990), professional ice hockey defenseman for the Washington Capitals, drafted in the 1st round (27th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.[10]
- Jim McGreevey (born 1957, Class of 1975), former Governor of New Jersey.[11]
- Jay Williams (born 1981, Class of 1999), McDonalds All-American, Duke University guard, two time All-American and 2002 NBA Draft #2 pick of the Chicago Bulls, ESPN college basketball analyst.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Data for St. Joseph High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 12, 2011.
- ^ a b Saint Joseph High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed November 10, 2011.
- ^ a b School Overview, Saint Joseph High School. Accessed April 15, 2011.
- ^ League Memberships – 2011-2012, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 10, 2011.
- ^ History of NJSIAA Boys Soccer, NJSIAA. Accessed November 10, 2011.
- ^ Bevensee, Rich. "Middlesex County boys swimming season in review, 2010-11", The Star-Ledger, April 3, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2011. "At the GMC, Burzinski won two events, Louie won once and 16 swimmers — Aker, Joe Baron, Burzynski, Dezenzo, Louie, Kurt MacDonald, McDermott, McNamara, Andrew Nesbitt, Riker Pasterkiewicz, Matt Rein, David Scala, Danny Sullivan, Kyle Terracciano, Tonery and Alex Torrisi — scored individual points to help St. Joseph steam toward its 33rd straight title. In the Non-Public A tournament, St. Joseph overpowered Bergen Catholic (118-52) and Seton Hall Prep (120-50) to find itself in the state championship meet for the first time since 2007."
- ^ Hageny, John Christian. "NJ Boys Volleyball: Fair Lawn rolls through Super Six Showcase EXPANDED COVERAGE",The Star-Ledger, May 15, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2011. "Southern Regional swept the round-robin Super Six tournament in 2009 and '10 en route to back-to-back NJSIAA titles. In 2008, host St. Joseph swept the tournament on the way to the state crown."
- ^ Jon Bon Jovi remarks, American Music Awards, November 14, 2004. "In the fall of 1977, I was just another sophomore at St. Joseph's High School in New Jersey."
- ^ Spears, Mark J. "Bynum worth seeking out", The Denver Post, April 7, 2007. Accessed May 31, 2007. "Instead of going to Connecticut out of St. Joseph's High (N.J.) in 2005, the 7-footer joined the last group of high schoolers eligible to enter the draft."
- ^ Stephenson, Colin. "Caps take Colonia's Carlson at 27", The Star-Ledger, June 21, 2008. Accessed June 12, 2011. "Carlson, who played one season at St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, also played youth hockey for the New Jersey Rockets."
- ^ Moritz, Owen; and Katz, Celeste. "TEN FACTS ABOUT GOV. JIM MCGREEVEY.", Daily News (New York), August 13, 2004. Accessed January 8, 2009.
- ^ Jay Williams profile, NBA Draft. Accessed May 31, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Brothers of the Sacred Heart
- Data for St. Joseph High School, National Center for Education Statistics
- St. Joe's HighSchoolSports.net Page
|
||||||||||||||
