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John F. Kennedy Memorial High School (New Jersey)

Coordinates: 40°34′23″N 74°18′22″W / 40.57311°N 74.306177°W / 40.57311; -74.306177
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John F. Kennedy Memorial High School
Location
Map
200 Washington Avenue
Iselin, NJ 08830
Information
TypePublic High School
Established1964
School districtWoodbridge Township School District
PrincipalMichael A. Cilento
Faculty113.5 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,408[1] (as of 2012-13)
Student to teacher ratio12.41:1[1]
Color(s)Green and White   
Athletics conferenceGreater Middlesex Conference
Team nameMustangs
NewspaperThe Torch
YearbookCamelot
WebsiteSchool website

John F. Kennedy Memorial High School (J.F.K.) is one of three four-year comprehensive public high schools that serve students in ninth through twelfth grades from Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Woodbridge Township School District. The other two high schools in the district are Colonia High School and Woodbridge High School. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1968.[2]

What was to be named Iselin High School was constructed for the 1964-65 school year to alleviate overcrowding in the district's high schools that had 5,600 students in double sessions during the 1962-63 school year.[3] After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Board of Education voted to change the name of the school from Iselin High School to John F. Kennedy Memorial High School at their meeting on November 26, 1963. The school opened in September 1964.[4]

J.F.K., like the other two high schools in the district, uses block scheduling, instead of the conventional eight periods a day.

As of the 2012-13 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,408 students and 113.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.41:1. There were 340 students (24.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 133 (9.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 129th-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 132nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 146th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] The magazine ranked the school 171st in 2008 out of 316 schools.[7] The school was ranked 142nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 63rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 5 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (91.2%) and language arts literacy (96.4%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[9]

Athletics

The John F. Kennedy Memorial High School Mustangs compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which includes public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] With 1,065 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2014-15 school year as Central Jersey, Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 776 to 1,073 students in that grade range.[11]

The boys' baseball team won the Group III State Championship in 2009, which is the only group state title in the school's history.[12]

The boys' soccer team won the 2005 Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship with a victory over Roselle Park High School, the first soccer state title in the school's history, and earning Ed Bobal honors from the Home News Tribune as its coach of the year.[13]

The softball team won the 2007 North II Group III state sectional championship with a 2-1 win over South Plainfield High School.[14] The team repeated as the 2008 North II Group III state sectional champions with a 5-0 win in the tournament final over crosstown rival Colonia High School.[15]

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:[16]

  • Michael A. Cilento, Principal
  • Steve Caroscio, Vice Principal
  • Sherry Wandras, Vice Principal

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b c d School Data for John F. Kennedy High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 26, 2015.
  2. ^ John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet archive as of April 14, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
  3. ^ Staff. "Middlesex; More Crowding Expected", The New York Times, September 3, 1963. Accessed July 6, 2012.
  4. ^ via Associated Press. "List Of Memorials To JFK Still Grows", Eugene Register-Guard, February 6, 1964. accessed July 5, 2012. "Iselin, N.J. - New high school to open next September will be called John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial High School."
  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 August 28, 2012.
  7. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed September 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  9. ^ New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 27, 2012.
  10. ^ League Memberships – 2014-2015, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 25, 2014.
  11. ^ 2014-2015 Public Schools Group Classification: ShopRite Cup–Basketball–Baseball–Softball for Central Jersey, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of July 8, 2014. Accessed October 25, 2014.
  12. ^ Layton, Shawn. "JFK plays its way to a state baseball title", Brick Township News, June 24, 2009. Accessed September 7, 2011. "The John F. Kennedy High School baseball team wrapped up the 2009 season in style by winning its first state championship in school history. Led by a historic tournament run by senior hurler Brian Schroeder, the Mustangs ended their quest with a 5-2 victory over Shawnee in the NJSIAA Group III final."
  13. ^ Staff. "COACH OF THE YEAR Bobal getting better as years go by", Home News Tribune, December 10, 2005. Accessed September 7, 2011. "Ed Bobal's 25th year as the head boys soccer coach at J.F. Kennedy High School in Iselin may have been his finest. The Mustangs ended the 2005 campaign with a 17-3 record which tied the all-time school mark for victories and winning percentage. They also captured the first sectional title in school history scoring a 1-0 shootout victory over Roselle Park for the Central Jersey Group II championship."
  14. ^ 2007 Softball - North II, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 8, 2008.
  15. ^ 2008 Softball Tournament - North II, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 31, 2008.
  16. ^ Administration, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. Accessed October 25, 2014.
  17. ^ Senator Vitale's Legislative Website, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 22, 2007.

40°34′23″N 74°18′22″W / 40.57311°N 74.306177°W / 40.57311; -74.306177