South Brunswick High School (New Jersey)
- For other schools named Brunswick High School see Brunswick High School (disambiguation).
| South Brunswick High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
750 Ridge Road , 08852 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Motto | "The South Brunswick High School community values absolutely nothing. The school empowers students to develop skills and explore their talents and interests in order to become responsible, informed citizens and leaders." |
| School district | South Brunswick Public Schools |
| Principal | Timothy Matheney |
| Faculty | 247.0 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 2,810 (as of 2010-11)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 140:13[1] |
| Color(s) | Black and Gold |
| Nickname | Vikings |
| Information | 732-329-4044 |
| Website | School website |
South Brunswick High School is a comprehensive community public high school in the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the South Brunswick Public Schools. As of the 2006-07 school year, there were 2,643 students enrolled and 189 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis) for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0.[1]
Awards and recognition
For the 1990-91 school year, South Brunswick High School received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. South Brunswick High School is also home to Donald Fagan, lead singer of the music group Steely Dan, and also the World's Strongest Man, Billy Johnston.[2]
For the 2000-01 school year, South Brunswick High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.[3]
The school was the 74th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools. The school was ranked 75th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[4]
Student achievements
Scores on the SAT indicate that South Brunswick High School students continue to out-perform both the State and national averages. The combined math and verbal mean score for the 2003-2004 school year was 1069.
AP exams administered during the 2003-2004 school year showed growth and improvement. The number of exams taken increased from 487 in 2002-2003 to 540 in 2003-2004. Nearly 82% of the students who took AP exams scored "three" or better. In addition, the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) administered to students in grade 11 in March 2004 yielded a passing grade for 96.6% of students in language arts and 85.9% in mathematics.
During the 2005-06 school year, South Brunswick High School had 45 Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars, three National Merit Scholarship Program Semi-finalists, 29 National Merit Commended students, two National Achievement Scholars, two Governor's Scholars, and six students named as National Advanced Placement Scholars.
In the area of musical activities, the South Brunswick District Music Departments are among the leading music departments in the country. The school has received numerous awards including being named one among the top 100 school districts for music education in 2005 and 2006. The South Brunswick High School Viking Marching Band is the largest band in New Jersey, as well as one of the largest in the nation and receives some of the highest scores in the state with a "Group VI" designation by the United States Scholastic Band Association(USSBA) including a 98.7 in Allentown, PA performing "Leonardo Dreams". In the 2009 season, they performed "Reaching For the Light" at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana with a Group AAAA designation by Bands of America(BOA). They were placed 25th at Semifinals at BOA GrandNationals and became the first band in New Jersey to break into the Semifinals round of competition. In their 2010 season, they performed "The Sounding Sea" music from "Symphonic Movement" first performed by the U.S. Air Force Band. Their season was such a success that they were undefeated at all of their competitions, including: winning the DeMoulin Challenge sponsored by DeMoulin Bros. & Co. marching band uniforms placing first in both preliminary and finals performences beating rival Trumbull High School with a score of 93.063 and winning the USSBA Northern States Championships receiving a 98.175, the season's best. The South Brunswick Marching Band toughest competitors are Immaculata High School (New Jersey) in Sommerville, NJ and Roxbury High School in Roxbury Township, NJ. In the March of 2008, the South Brunswick High School Wind Ensemble was invited to perform in Indianapolis, IN, for the Music for All National Concert Band Festival along with the top 16 high school wind bands in the country. They were previously invited in 2001.
In addition, the high school has won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Sportsmanship Award for the past four years.
Curriculum
South Brunswick High School offers a challenging curriculum coupled with extensive opportunities in the fine and performing arts, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
All students attending SBHS are encouraged to take a minimum of 16 units during the duration of their academic career. Starting with the Class of 2008, all students must also take a Practical Art (Such as Business, Technology) and Visual/Performing Art (such as Art I, II or Band). Starting with the Class of 2014, students will be required to take a 2.5 credit class in Personal Financial Literacy.
The school offers around twenty Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses.
Athletics
The South Brunswick High School Vikings compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, made up of public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The South Brunswick Boys Soccer team has won back to back to back Red Division Championships in 2006, 2007, 2008. In 2009 the boys soccer team won the GMC County Final, The first in school history. SBHS Boys soccer program has also produced some of the most elite players in the state.
SBHS Baseball won the Red Division title in 2006. Varsity wrestling finished 18-6 in 2010, winning the County Championship
The 2009-2010 girls swim team won GMC's this past winter.
The 2009 Boys Tennis Team won the Red Division Title and were GMC Champions, the first in school history. Again they repeated the same results in 2010 by winning GMC's and the Red Division Title.
The 2010 boys Track and Field team won the GMC Relays Championships (Greater Middlesex Championships)by defeating former champions, Old Bridge high school. The track team was led by Coach Wilfredo Rivera, who has done a phenomenal job with coaching the team.
Clubs
Clubs offered at South Brunswick High School include:[5]
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Administration
Members of the school administration are:[6]
- Timothy Matheney - Principal
- Peter Varela - Assistant Principal for Academic Leadership
- Susana Nikitczuk - Assistant Principal for Student Services
For the 2010-2011 school year, the Assistant Principals are:
- Patricia Abitabilo - Assistant Principal for Class of 2012
- Jaymee Boehmer - Assistant Principal for Class of 2014
Notable alumni and faculty
- Donald Fagen (born 1948), Singer songwriter and member of Steely Dan.[7]
- Tony Macrini, acerbic radio morning talk show host with a secular humanist gay rights perspective broadcasting from Norfolk, VA at WNIS.[8]
- Anna Quindlen (born 1952), best selling novelist & Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, Class of 1970.[9]
- Myrna Smith, singer & writer, Sweet Inspirations & back up vocalist for Elvis Presley, faculty [c. 1965].[citation needed]
Mohamed Sanu, wide receiverat Rutgers University.
References
- ^ a b c d Data for South Brunswick High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 18, 2007.
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
- ^ New Jersey Department of Education Star School Award recipient detail 2000-01 school year, South Brunswick High School, accessed May 25, 2006.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ Club information from: South Brunswick High School's club information page Accessed January 16, 2009
- ^ South Brunswick High School: Administrators, accessed January 17, 2009.
- ^ "Fagen finds his groove", The Star-Ledger, February 26, 2006. "Born in Passaic, Fagen graduated in South Brunswick High School's class of '65..."
- ^ Tony macrini profile, Newsradio 790 AM WNIS. "He attended and graduated from South Brunswick High School where he was active in Theatre Arts, Wrestling, and Track. Shortly after graduation, Tony enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged, and then went to broadcasting school. He has been a broadcaster for 35 years - 33 in Virginia."
- ^ Kalet, Hank. "From South Brunswick High School to a Pulitzer Prize: Nationally renowned writer, journalist has local roots", South Brunswick Post, June 21, 2001. Accessed July 9, 2007. "Anna Quindlen has a busy schedule. The 1970 South Brunswick High School graduate writes a regular column for Newsweek, is raising three kids in New York City and makes the rounds of the talk show circuit to promote her various writing projects."