Mainland Regional High School (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
Mainland Regional High School is a regional public high school
and school district
serving students in grades nine through twelve from the communities of Linwood
, Northfield
and Somers Point
in Atlantic County
, New Jersey
, serving a total population of over 25,000 in the three communities. The high school is located in Linwood. Mainland Regional High School has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,611 students and 133 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.11.
The school is fully accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education
.
The school was the 139th-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 116th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 104th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.
as a National Blue Ribbon School
.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
, the school was ranked 26th in New Jersey and 910th nationwide. In Newsweek
's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Mainland Regional High School was listed in 719th place, the 14th-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school ranked as number 310 in Newsweek
magazine's 2005 listing of "America's Best High Schools". The Washington Post
writer Jay Matthews
ranked Mainland sixth in New Jersey and 111th in the nation in his book, “Class Struggles: What’s Wrong (and Right) with America’s Best Public High Schools,” based on the school's efforts at exposing students to challenging course work. In New Jersey Monthly
’s September 2002 issue, Mainland was ranked fifth among high schools in South Jersey
.
, an athletic conference consisting of both parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic County
, Cape May County
, Cumberland County
, and Gloucester County
, operating under the aegis of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
.
In 2002, the golf team won the New Jersey State Championship, giving them the #1 ranking in the state for the 2003 season. In 2010, Mainland's Kylie Strijek won the girls state tournament of champions.
In 2003, the cross country
team made history when fifth man Alex Palmentieri crossed the finish line to clinch the team's second consecutive Meet Of Champions title. The team's average time of 16:19, was a second off of the record set by Christian Brothers Academy
in 1982 for the state championship course in Holmdel Township, New Jersey
.
In 2007, the girls soccer team won the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference for the first time in Mainland's history. A 1-0 win over Oakcrest High School
guaranteed that Mainland would take the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference title in 2009.
In 2007, the Boys Rowing Team won the State Championship with the Varsity and Second Varsity Eight.
In 2008, the JV Girls Rowing Team, won the National Championships.
The football team won the 2002 South Jersey Group III State Championship, defeating Delsea Regional High School
21-7 in the final. In 2008, the football team won their first South Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 21-14 win against Southern Regional High School
, going 12-0 for the first time. All previous Mainland championships were in South Jersey Group III.
In 2010, the Girls Track and Field team won County Champions.
Chapter One Champions in 1979 (Group 2), 1980 and 1984 (Group 3) and 1989 (Group 1). The marching band also won the USSBA New Jersey State Championship in 2005 and 2006, and were Northern All-State Group 1A Champions in 2008.
in New Orleans. On March 31, 2009, the Mainland "mockers" won the state championship in New Brunswick, New Jersey
. They went undefeated (11-0) to get there, after winning county and regional tournaments and went on to participate in the American Mock Trial Invitational
.
Kareem Elnahal gave an unauthorized speech instead of the approved one. In his speech he criticized Mainland saying "the education we have received here is not only incomplete, it is entirely hollow." After delivering his speech, Elnahal received an ovation from the some of the students in the audience. Kareem then left the graduation ceremonies before receiving his diploma.
Jennifer Chau's speech was cut off, after she strayed from her approved text and issued a criticism of the school's administration. Students and parents in the audience protested the cut off, requesting that she be allowed to finish her remarks. Chau's issue revolved around her not receiving credit for a freshman honors class, which she believed allowed another student, the child of a Board of Education member, to be chosen as valedictorian.
when the SUV they were driving in to an annual team breakfast on August 20, 2011, overturned, killing four of the eight passengers when the vehicle lost control and crashed.
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....
and school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving students in grades nine through twelve from the communities of Linwood
Linwood, New Jersey
Linwood is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 7,092.Linwood was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1889, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, based on the...
, Northfield
Northfield, New Jersey
Northfield is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 8,624.Northfield was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 21, 1905, from portions of Egg Harbor Township...
and Somers Point
Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 10,795.The City of Somers Point is in the eastern part of Atlantic County, southwest of Atlantic City.-History:...
in Atlantic County
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, 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...
, serving a total population of over 25,000 in the three communities. The high school is located in Linwood. Mainland Regional High School has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,611 students and 133 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 of 12.11.
The school is fully accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
.
The school was the 139th-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 116th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 104th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.
Awards and recognition
For the 1997-98 school year, Mainland Regional High School was formally designated by the United States Department of EducationUnited States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
as a National Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
.
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, the school was ranked 26th in New Jersey and 910th nationwide. In Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Mainland Regional High School was listed in 719th place, the 14th-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school ranked as number 310 in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine's 2005 listing of "America's Best High Schools". The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
writer Jay Matthews
Jay Matthews
Jay Mathews is an author, education columnist and blogger with the Washington Post. Mathews attended Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California, Occidental and Harvard College and is a Vietnam veteran...
ranked Mainland sixth in New Jersey and 111th in the nation in his book, “Class Struggles: What’s Wrong (and Right) with America’s Best Public High Schools,” based on the school's efforts at exposing students to challenging course work. 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...
’s September 2002 issue, Mainland was ranked fifth among high schools in South Jersey
South Jersey
South Jersey comprises the southern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation is a colloquial one, reflecting not only geographical but perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official...
.
Athletics
The Mainland Regional High School Mustangs compete in the Atlantic Division of the Cape-Atlantic LeagueCape-Atlantic League
The Cape-Atlantic League is an athletic conference consisting of both parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, and Gloucester County, New Jersey. The Cape-Atlantic League operates under the aegis of the New Jersey State Interscholastic...
, an athletic conference consisting of both parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic County
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, Cape May County
Cape May County, New Jersey
-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...
, Cumberland County
Cumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population is 156,898. Its county seat is Bridgeton. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland....
, and Gloucester County
Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
, operating under the aegis 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:...
.
In 2002, the golf team won the New Jersey State Championship, giving them the #1 ranking in the state for the 2003 season. In 2010, Mainland's Kylie Strijek won the girls state tournament of champions.
In 2003, the cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
team made history when fifth man Alex Palmentieri crossed the finish line to clinch the team's second consecutive Meet Of Champions title. The team's average time of 16:19, was a second off of the record set by Christian Brothers Academy
Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey)
Christian Brothers Academy , located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, New Jersey, is a private, all-boys college preparatory school with a focus on Christian education run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle...
in 1982 for the state championship course in Holmdel Township, New Jersey
Holmdel Township, New Jersey
Holmdel Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 16,773. Holmdel Township was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1857, from portions of Raritan Township .Holmdel is a suburb of...
.
In 2007, the girls soccer team won the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference for the first time in Mainland's history. A 1-0 win over Oakcrest High School
Oakcrest High School
Oakcrest High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. The school name was chosen based on its site on the crest of a hill amid oak trees...
guaranteed that Mainland would take the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference title in 2009.
In 2007, the Boys Rowing Team won the State Championship with the Varsity and Second Varsity Eight.
In 2008, the JV Girls Rowing Team, won the National Championships.
The football team won the 2002 South Jersey Group III State Championship, defeating Delsea Regional High School
Delsea Regional High School
Delsea Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Elk Township and Franklin Township Delsea Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth...
21-7 in the final. In 2008, the football team won their first South Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 21-14 win against Southern Regional High School
Southern Regional High School
Southern Regional High School is a regional public high school in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in grades 9 - 12 and operating as part of the Southern Regional School District. The school is located on of wooded land, upon which future projects are to be completed...
, going 12-0 for the first time. All previous Mainland championships were in South Jersey Group III.
In 2010, the Girls Track and Field team won County Champions.
Marching band
The school's marching band was Tournament of BandsTournament 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...
Chapter One Champions in 1979 (Group 2), 1980 and 1984 (Group 3) and 1989 (Group 1). The marching band also won the USSBA New Jersey State Championship in 2005 and 2006, and were Northern All-State Group 1A Champions in 2008.
Mock trial
Mainland Mock trial team won the Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition covering the whole state of New Jersey in 2003 and went on to compete in the National High School Mock Trial ChampionshipNational High School Mock Trial Championship
The National High School Mock Trial Championship is an American nationwide competition of high school mock trial teams. The competition debuted in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with teams representing Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin....
in New Orleans. On March 31, 2009, the Mainland "mockers" won the state championship in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. They went undefeated (11-0) to get there, after winning county and regional tournaments and went on to participate in the American Mock Trial Invitational
American Mock Trial Invitational
The American Mock Trial Invitational is a national mock trial competition for high schools in the United States, created and administered by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice....
.
2006 graduation controversy
In Mainland Regional High School's graduation of 2006, valedictorianValedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
Kareem Elnahal gave an unauthorized speech instead of the approved one. In his speech he criticized Mainland saying "the education we have received here is not only incomplete, it is entirely hollow." After delivering his speech, Elnahal received an ovation from the some of the students in the audience. Kareem then left the graduation ceremonies before receiving his diploma.
2008 graduation controversy
During the 2008 Graduation ceremony, SalutatorianSalutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
Jennifer Chau's speech was cut off, after she strayed from her approved text and issued a criticism of the school's administration. Students and parents in the audience protested the cut off, requesting that she be allowed to finish her remarks. Chau's issue revolved around her not receiving credit for a freshman honors class, which she believed allowed another student, the child of a Board of Education member, to be chosen as valedictorian.
October 2006 bomb threats
Mainland experienced several bomb threats during the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. A series of four written threats in a five school day time span were left by students throughout the school. After several school lockdowns, evacuations, five arrests, and the installation of cameras with government funding throughout the school, it seems the problem has been resolved. Two girls held responsible were placed on probation and face fines of up to $11,000 dollars to cover costs incurred by police departments from Linwood, Somers Point, Northfield, The State Police, Prosecutors Office, Atlantic City Bomb Squad, Egg Harbor Township K-9 units and Cape May County, who were forced to respond to the incidents. This includes the Atlantic County Emergency Response Units' vehicle. The two girls also must provide hours of community service and various other forms of restitution. School officials have implied that the students arrested will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.Loss of four football players in 2011
Four players from the school's football team were killed in a crash on the Garden State ParkwayGarden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...
when the SUV they were driving in to an annual team breakfast on August 20, 2011, overturned, killing four of the eight passengers when the vehicle lost control and crashed.
Administration
Core members of the district's / school's administration are:- Dr. Thomas Baruffi - Superintendent
- Kim Jensen Gniewyk - Board Secretary / Business Administrator
- Mark Marrone - Principal
- Jahvan O'Neal - Assistant Principal
Notable alumni
- Greg ButtleGreg ButtleGregory Ellis Buttle is a retired American football linebacker for the New York Jets. He played college football at Penn State University. He was named a Consensus All-American in 1975. In 2005, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.-High school:Buttle grew up in Linwood, New...
(born 1954), former NFL linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
who was a four-sport letterman in footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
at Mainland. - Karen S. DavisKaren S. DavisKaren Susan Davis is an American photographer, author, editor, singer-songwriter, and actor. She is best known for Santa Anita Morning Rhapsody, the first coffee table book to document morning thoroughbred horse training at a racetrack.-Photographer and Author:Karen S...
(born 1955), photographer, author, musician, performer, editor, and former Thomson OrganizationThomson OrganizationInternational Thomson Organization was a development of the commercial empire founded by Lord Thomson of Fleet . It was formed in 1978 as a holding company for interests in publishing, travel, and natural resources...
journalist. Davis was the 1973 valedictorian of Mainland Regional High School with perfect academic standing and a record 14 awards and scholarships. - David Klemic (born 1978), former NFL wide receiver.
- Jennifer Pershing (born 1980 as Jennifer Ackley, class of 1998), Miss March 2009 in PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine. - Stephen H. SegalStephen H. SegalStephen H. Segal is a Hugo Award-winning American editor, writer and publication designer.Segal began his editorial career as a journalist at In Pittsburgh Weekly and WQED's Pittsburgh Magazine...
(born 1975), Hugo Award-winning editorial chief of Weird TalesWeird TalesWeird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
magazine. - John Stone (born 1979), former NFL wide receiver.
- Timothy Watson (born 1974), former NFL defensive tackle.
External links
- Mainland Regional High School website
- Data for the Mainland Regional High School, 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...
- South Jersey Sports: Mainland HS