Old Bridge High School
Encyclopedia
Old Bridge High School is a four-year comprehensive
public high school
that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Old Bridge Township
in Middlesex County
, New Jersey
, United States, operating as part of the Old Bridge Township Public Schools
. The school is located on County Route 516
in Old Bridge Township, however, it is assigned a Matawan
mailing address. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1970.
Through partnerships with Fairleigh Dickinson University
, Middlesex County College
and DeVry University
, students can take courses, fulfill high school requirements and receive college credit.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,119 students and 209 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.92.
The school was the 162nd-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 211th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings.
Principal Dr. James Hickey has received the Visionary Principal of the Year for secondary schools in New Jersey in 2009 as presented by the New Jersey State Board of Education. As a result of this principal's policies, he has made the school a stricter but better learning environment as it shows as student achievement and standardized test scores have exceeded state standards, suspensions have dropped 35% and student tardiness dropped by more than 60%.
, which comprises 33 public and private high schools
located in the greater Middlesex County area, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
. Old Bridge High School is known primarily for its cross country and track programs, but its bowling, wrestling, and volleyball programs have also been successful.
Old Bridge is also on the uprise for boys and girls lacrosse.
The boys and girls track teams have won many GMC and State Competitions.
In 2001, the Knights football team, went on to play at Rutgers University in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to an undefeated J.P. Stevens High School
team 14-7.
In 2008, the girls softball team went to win the Red Division title for the second year in succession, the GMC Championship, and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 2-1 win against Hunterdon Central Regional High School
.
/Cablevision (now MSG Varsity
) game show "The Challenge" (2009) in which schools compete in a single-elimination trivia competition in order to advance toward a $10,000 prize. In their first round, they defeated Clifton High School at 315-240. In Round 2, they beat Leonia High School
with a score of 320-240 before suffering a crushing defeat by St. Joseph's High School in Round 3 by a score of 420-240.
The members of Old Bridge High School's Academic Team which competed in "The Challenge" were juniors Dedeepya Konuthula, Sibel Ozcelik, Cristina Sorice, Neal Sukhia (a sophomore) and the alternate; freshman Jordan Stefanski. The advisor of Old Bridge High School's academic team is Barbara Hauser.
Their first competition against Eastern Christian High School
aired on MSG Varsity
on February 3, 2011, with Old Bridge winning 290-240. Their second competition against Randolph High School
aired on April 21, 2011, with Old Bridge again winning 395-290. Their next episode against Manalapan High School
will air on May 19, 2011.
Comprehensive high school
Comprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
public high school
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....
that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Old Bridge Township
Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township had a total population of 60,456...
in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
, 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, operating as part of the Old Bridge Township Public Schools
Old Bridge Township Public Schools
The Old Bridge Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States....
. The school is located on County Route 516
County Route 516 (New Jersey)
-Route description:The highway extends 19.27 miles from Route 18/CR 527 in Old Bridge Township to Route 36 in Middletown Township. It is known as Old Bridge-Matawan Road for its entire length in Old Bridge Township where it intersects US 9 then continues several more miles to the Old...
in Old Bridge Township, however, it is assigned a Matawan
Matawan, 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....
mailing address. The school 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...
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1970.
Through partnerships with Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
, Middlesex County College
Middlesex County College
Middlesex County College is a community college with its main campus located in Edison, New Jersey, United States. The two-year college serves the needs of Middlesex County, as well as surrounding communities. There are two urban campuses located in New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.The college was...
and DeVry University
DeVry University
DeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of DeVry Inc , a proprietary, for-profit higher education organization that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University, American University of the Caribbean, Apollo College, Western...
, students can take courses, fulfill high school requirements and receive college credit.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,119 students and 209 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 14.92.
The school was the 162nd-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 211th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings.
History
Old Bridge High School opened in September 1994. It was formed from the merger of Cedar Ridge High School and Madison Central High School, which were the two existing high schools in Old Bridge Township. OBHS was originally set up as a two campus system having an East Campus at the former Cedar Ridge site containing Grades 9 and 10 and a West Campus at the former Madison Central site containing Grades 11 and 12. The entire high school is now located at the former Cedar Ridge High School (East Campus) and Carl Sandburg Middle School Building after an addition was added in 2004. The former Middle School building houses the Grade Nine Center.Principal Dr. James Hickey has received the Visionary Principal of the Year for secondary schools in New Jersey in 2009 as presented by the New Jersey State Board of Education. As a result of this principal's policies, he has made the school a stricter but better learning environment as it shows as student achievement and standardized test scores have exceeded state standards, suspensions have dropped 35% and student tardiness dropped by more than 60%.
Athletics
The Old Bridge High School Knights compete in the Greater Middlesex ConferenceGreater Middlesex Conference
The Greater Middlesex Conference is an athletic conference comprising 33 public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County, New Jersey area. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.-Gold Division:-Blue...
, which comprises 33 public and private high schools
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
located in the greater Middlesex County area, operating under the supervision 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:...
. Old Bridge High School is known primarily for its cross country and track programs, but its bowling, wrestling, and volleyball programs have also been successful.
Old Bridge is also on the uprise for boys and girls lacrosse.
The boys and girls track teams have won many GMC and State Competitions.
In 2001, the Knights football team, went on to play at Rutgers University in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to an undefeated J.P. Stevens High School
J.P. Stevens High School
John P. Stevens High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves the northern end of Edison, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is one of two public high schools in the Edison Township Public Schools, the other being Edison High School...
team 14-7.
In 2008, the girls softball team went to win the Red Division title for the second year in succession, the GMC Championship, and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 2-1 win against Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, regional, four-year public high school, and school district that serves students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States...
.
2008-09
The school has also been featured on the News 12News 12 Networks
News 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
/Cablevision (now MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity is a high school sports television network focused on the New York metropolitan area, that covers schools from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. Owned and operated by Madison Square Garden, Inc. the network is advertised as "another Optimum exclusive" and only...
) game show "The Challenge" (2009) in which schools compete in a single-elimination trivia competition in order to advance toward a $10,000 prize. In their first round, they defeated Clifton High School at 315-240. In Round 2, they beat Leonia High School
Leonia High School
Leonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from the Borough of Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Leonia Public Schools...
with a score of 320-240 before suffering a crushing defeat by St. Joseph's High School in Round 3 by a score of 420-240.
The members of Old Bridge High School's Academic Team which competed in "The Challenge" were juniors Dedeepya Konuthula, Sibel Ozcelik, Cristina Sorice, Neal Sukhia (a sophomore) and the alternate; freshman Jordan Stefanski. The advisor of Old Bridge High School's academic team is Barbara Hauser.
2010-11
In June 2010, it was announced that Old Bridge High School was chosen to compete on "The Challenge" 2010-11 competition. The team included returning students Neal Sukhia (senior - captain) and Jordan Stefanski (junior), as well as newcomers Shelby Lyons (senior) and Kunal Amin (senior), with Jacqueline Olwell (junior) as the alternate. Barbara Hauser returns as the advisor.Their first competition against Eastern Christian High School
Eastern Christian High School
Eastern Christian High School is a private Christian school located in North Haledon, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The high school is a part of the Eastern Christian School Association which also has a middle school in Wyckoff and an elementary school in Midland Park...
aired on MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity is a high school sports television network focused on the New York metropolitan area, that covers schools from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. Owned and operated by Madison Square Garden, Inc. the network is advertised as "another Optimum exclusive" and only...
on February 3, 2011, with Old Bridge winning 290-240. Their second competition against Randolph High School
Randolph High School (New Jersey)
Randolph High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in grades nine through twelve from Randolph, in Morris County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Randolph Township Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and...
aired on April 21, 2011, with Old Bridge again winning 395-290. Their next episode against Manalapan High School
Manalapan High School
Manalapan High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students from all of Englishtown and portions of Manalapan...
will air on May 19, 2011.
Marching Knights
The Old Bridge Marching Knights, also known as the OBHSMK were ranked in the 2009 season as the number 4 marching band in the USSBA circuit, with the number 1 percussion with the theme The Dark Knight. In the 2010 season, the Marching Knights placed 6th in group 4 with the theme Requiem for a Knightmare. Recently in the 2011 season with the show In Motion the Marching Knights ranked 6th in group 3 but also taking home the caption of Best Percussion and tying for Best Music. The Marching Knights were 6/10s of a point away from first place.Notable alumni
- Junot DíazJunot DíazJunot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
(born 1968, class of 1987), Pulitzer Prize-Winning author - The Ergs!The Ergs!The Ergs! were an American punk rock band formed in 2000 in South Amboy, New Jersey, by three high school friends: drummer/lead vocalist Mikey Erg , guitarist/vocalist Jeff Erg , and bassist Joey Erg...
, punk rock band. [2000-2008] - Ken LeungKen LeungKenneth "Ken" Leung is an American actor best known for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC television series Lost and roles in such films as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Saw.-Early life:...
(born 1970), actor, known for character Miles on "Lost". - Caren LissnerCaren LissnerCaren Lissner was born in New Jersey in 1972. Her published novels include Carrie Pilby and Starting from Square Two . She has also published humorous essays in The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is editor-in-chief of the Hudson Reporter group of newspapers in New Jersey...
(born 1972, class of 1989), novelist. - Brian O'HalloranBrian O'HalloranBrian Christopher O'Halloran is an American actor best known for his roles in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films, notably as Dante Hicks in Smith's debut film Clerks and its 2006 sequel, Clerks II...
(born 1969, class of 1987), actor. - Cameron RichardsonCameron RichardsonCameron Richardson is an American actress and model, who portrayed Chloe Carter on the CBS television series Harper's Island.- Early life :Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Cameron grew up in New Jersey....
(born 1979, class of 1997), actress, star of Alvin and the Chipmunks. - Shannon SohnShannon SohnShannon Sohn is a television news reporter at WABC-TV Eyewitness News in New York City, where she became the first helicopter reporter to win a national Emmy Award....
(born 1974, class of 1992), traffic reporter, WABC-TVWABC-TVWABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
. - Vitamin CVitamin C (artist)Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick is an American pop music singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress better known by her stage name, Vitamin C. Her singles include "Graduation ", "As Long As You're Loving Me", "The Itch", and her most successful hit the Top 20 Gold certified "Smile"...
(born 1969, class of 1987), singer/actress, known for "Graduation" song. - Chris Thatcher (born 1980, class of 1998), drummer.
External links
- Old Bridge High School
- Old Bridge Township Public Schools
- Data for the Old Bridge Township Public Schools, 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...