Middletown High School North
Encyclopedia
Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township
, New Jersey
, and is part of the Middletown Township Public School District
. The school serves students from parts of Middletown Township. Other students from Middletown Township attend Middletown High School South
. The school also houses a 750-seat theater. Approximately 90% of North students attend college after graduation.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,698 students and 109 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student-teacher ratio
of 15.58.
The school was the 159th-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 143rd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 164th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County
and Ocean County
. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
(NJSIAA).
Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Middletown North and Middletown South. The game is one of the most important events of the year for North students, and a pep rally is held before the game. At halftime, the homecoming court comes to the field to greet the fans.
The girls soccer team won the 2005 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Brick Memorial High School
2-1 in the tournament final.
The ice hockey team has also been quite successful in recent years, amassing 86 wins in the last five seasons while reaching the Elite Eight of the NJSIAA Public Ice Hockey Tournament in 2004, 2005, and 2008, and the Frozen Four in 2004.
The renovations were completed sometime in 2004. The new building is modern, featuring standard teaching facilities. The tent outside (the Middletown High School North Bubble) has remained, and is used to house sporting events. A 750-seat professional theater was also installed, which features new lighting and sound systems and hosts various professional events, as was a TV production studio, which Broadcasts student produced programs across Middletown and its surrounding boroughs.
. The event has raised over $100,000, and has attracted support from celebrities including singer Jon Bon Jovi
. The game puts the Middletown North faculty and students up against New Jersey policemen. In recent years, the SIDS game has also held a pre-game carnival. The half-time show includes a performance by a special all-male cheerleading squad, as well as a raffle. The event is held in honor of Megan Biebel, who died of SIDS in March 2000. However, the event is not scheduled to take place in 2007, with Matt Biebel and his wife saying that they no longer wish to.
2007 will bring the "North Carnival," which will be the traditional SIDS event, but raising money for brain cancer charities.
, went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes for several days, and hundreds of teachers were jailed. After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.
Notable events hosted at the MHSN PAC, and open to the public, include:
also has a Television program.
New television series are continuously produced within the Middletown High School North TV production center. The studio serves as the main production location for Middletown's Public-access television
cable TV station on Comcast channel 20).
In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown School District voted on a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at either High School to submit their name to a pool for random selection.
Controversy has recently sparked over the target group for the random drug testing, as many students and faculty believe that students who participate in school activities are less likely to be active with drug and alcohol abuse. However, New Jersey state law prohibits the entirety of the student population be tested, and so the students in after school activities and parking spaces make up a greater majority for the testing pool.
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
, 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...
, and is part of the Middletown Township Public School District
Middletown Township Public School District
The Middletown Township Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States....
. The school serves students from parts of Middletown Township. Other students from Middletown Township attend Middletown High School South
Middletown High School South
Middletown High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township, New Jersey, operating part of the Middletown Township Public School District...
. The school also houses a 750-seat theater. Approximately 90% of North students attend college after graduation.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,698 students and 109 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
Student-teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the institution. For example, a student-teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students for every one teacher...
of 15.58.
The school was the 159th-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 143rd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 164th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Athletics
The Middletown High School North Lions compete in the Shore ConferenceShore Conference
The Shore Conference is an athletic conference of private and public high schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey, centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The Shore Conference is broken up into six classes based on...
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
and Ocean County
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
. The league operates under the jurisdiction 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:...
(NJSIAA).
Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Middletown North and Middletown South. The game is one of the most important events of the year for North students, and a pep rally is held before the game. At halftime, the homecoming court comes to the field to greet the fans.
The girls soccer team won the 2005 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Brick Memorial High School
Brick Memorial High School
Brick Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Brick Township, in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, operating as a part of the Brick Public Schools....
2-1 in the tournament final.
The ice hockey team has also been quite successful in recent years, amassing 86 wins in the last five seasons while reaching the Elite Eight of the NJSIAA Public Ice Hockey Tournament in 2004, 2005, and 2008, and the Frozen Four in 2004.
Renovation
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the school underwent a massive renovation to update its teaching facilities. During the renovations, much of the school was inhospitable and sealed off. This resulted in the usage of both the upper and lower gymnasiums partitioned off into several classes, without ceilings.The renovations were completed sometime in 2004. The new building is modern, featuring standard teaching facilities. The tent outside (the Middletown High School North Bubble) has remained, and is used to house sporting events. A 750-seat professional theater was also installed, which features new lighting and sound systems and hosts various professional events, as was a TV production studio, which Broadcasts student produced programs across Middletown and its surrounding boroughs.
SIDS Game
For the last six years, the Middletown North Student Council has hosted the annual Megan Biebel Memorial SIDS game to benefit research for Sudden Infant Death SyndromeSudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
. The event has raised over $100,000, and has attracted support from celebrities including singer Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
. The game puts the Middletown North faculty and students up against New Jersey policemen. In recent years, the SIDS game has also held a pre-game carnival. The half-time show includes a performance by a special all-male cheerleading squad, as well as a raffle. The event is held in honor of Megan Biebel, who died of SIDS in March 2000. However, the event is not scheduled to take place in 2007, with Matt Biebel and his wife saying that they no longer wish to.
2007 will bring the "North Carnival," which will be the traditional SIDS event, but raising money for brain cancer charities.
Teachers strike
Middletown North and the Middletown School District received national attention in the fall of 2001 when its teachers, members of the Middletown Township Education AssociationMiddletown Township Education Association
The Middletown Township Education Association is the Middletown Township Teachers Union. The organization is Middletown's local NEA, NJEA MCEA office.- Teacher strike:...
, went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes for several days, and hundreds of teachers were jailed. After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.
Performing Arts Center
Recently, the school has gained recognition for its Performing Arts Center. The PAC can seat 750 people, and houses a professional lighting and sound system. There is no orchestra pit but a full balcony, housing the sound and light systems, is present. The theater hosts cultural and musical events, as well as various drama productions. Several political figures have appeared there.Notable events hosted at the MHSN PAC, and open to the public, include:
- Middletown High School North Battle of the Bands
- Middletown North vs. South Battle of the Bands
- So, North Thinks it Can Dance
- North Idol
- Middletown Film FestivalFilm festivalA film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
- Rockit for Kids Holiday Concert 2006
- Josh ZuckermanJosh Zuckerman (musician)Josh Zuckerman is a singer/songwriter. He is openly gay. His music has been featured on TV shows and his single "Out From Under" was number one for four weeks on Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006.-Early career:...
, known for his #1 singles Out from Under, Be Real, and Something Inside announced he will perform a Christmas benefit in the MHSN PAC.
Television production
For several years Comcast Cable has run the student produced series North in Action, which features student made movies, comedy sketches, music, and news. The series was put on hiatus in 2007, but the program is set to resume for the 2008-2009 school year. The series is filmed in the school's TV production room. Rival Middletown High School SouthMiddletown High School South
Middletown High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township, New Jersey, operating part of the Middletown Township Public School District...
also has a Television program.
New television series are continuously produced within the Middletown High School North TV production center. The studio serves as the main production location for Middletown's Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV station on Comcast channel 20).
Random drug testing
Controversy has recently sparked over the target group for the random drug testing, as many students and faculty believe that students who participate in school activities are less likely to be active with drug and alcohol abuse. However, New Jersey state law prohibits the entirety of the student population be tested, and so the students in after school activities and parking spaces make up a greater majority for the testing pool.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Dr. Patricia Vari-Cartier, Principal
- Caroline Buckley, Assistant Principal of Curriculum
- Marie Dorio Caldaro, Assistant Principal - Freshman Academy
- John Carmody, Assistant Principal of Guidance
- Kevin Robinson, Assistant Principal of Discipline
- Michael Wells, Assistant Principal of Discipline
External links
- Middletown High School North website
- Middletown Township School District website
- Data for the Middletown Township Public School District, 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...
- DigitalSports Middletown North Homepage