Pinelands Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Pinelands Regional High School (PRHS) is a three-year regional public high school
that serves students from four communities in tenth through twelfth grade from Ocean County
, New Jersey
, operating as part of the Pinelands Regional School District
, which serves students from Bass River Township
, Eagleswood Township
, Little Egg Harbor Township
and Tuckerton Borough
. The school is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education
and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1986.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 931 students and 75 classroom teachers (on a FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.41.
The school was the 262nd-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 241st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 254th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Of a recent graduating class, students went on to a
Four-Year College (30.5%),
Two Year College (31.9%),
Trade-Vocational School (2.9%),
Work (18.0%),
Military (1.0%),
Undecided (1.0%) or were
Vocationally Trained (14.7%).
Pinelands Regional is 96.7% white, 1.5% black, and 1.8% Hispanic.
in Manahawkin.
The building originally housed grades 7-8 on the third floor, 9-10 on the second, and 11-12 on the first. The building featured an experimental "Open classroom
" design, where a large group of students of varying skill levels would be in a single, large classroom with several teachers overseeing them; and contained no interior walls. However, this format didn't last long, and in the 1980's, the rooms were walled off, and separated by floor-to-ceiling folding partitions.
In 1991, Pinelands Middle School opened across the street for students in grades 7-8. Also in the 90s, a new building was completed next to the high school, which houses a daycare center called "Rainbow Express". Students taking Child Care classes go to class in this building to help with the daycare kids. In 2002, the Middle School was expanded and the 9th grade was moved there. When the expansion was completed at the Middle School, it was renamed "Pinelands Regional Junior High School" while the High School was renamed the "Senior High School", although this name is rarely used.
Most of the High School is centered around a "Commons" area, which is a two-story open court with skylights, benches, and planters. The commons is home to many of the school's events, such as the Junior Prom, Semi-formal, and Jazz & Java Art show. Most of the commons feeds into a 3-story mall-like hallway where most of the classrooms are off of. Most elective classes, such as Art rooms, Shop classes, Auto tech, etc. are located in the one-story "D-wing" away from the rest of the classrooms, surrounding the Auditorium. This wing also houses remedial and self-contained classes, causing the remedial students to be called "D-wingers". Some of these classes have since been moved to a new off-site building built near the Athletic fields that opened in 2009.
Most of the school, especially the Commons area, has remained unchanged since its 1979 opening. Elements from the decade, such as globe lighting, planters, and earth tones are present. Recent major improvements to the school include renovated science labs and locker rooms, expanded parking lot, permanent lighting for the football field, and repainting of the lockers, which were formerly painted in a 70s-esque repeating orange-yellow-red-brown pattern were painted a dark green.
In 2010, severe budget cuts resulted in the removal of several teachers and programs, including Freshmen sports and the 3-day Pinelands Experience, which was held annually at the school since the opening.
, 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). Pinelands Regional's strongest athletic sport is wrestling where it has won 9 division titles, 2 district titles, and has been ranked in the top 20 in the state four times.
, including 8 Governor's awards, which are the highest honors in the state to be given for education.
cable TV station sponsored by Comcast
Cable. It is located on channel 21 for the area that the district serves. Most of the cast and crew is made up of students who take the video production classes as an elective. The channel shows live morning announcements at 8:20am daily, followed by a commercial or short skit made by members of the WCAT class. Throughout the day, especially during lunch periods, other school programs or past school events are shown on the channel. The remainder of the time the channel broadcasts school and community events through the Infochannel program, along with a simulcast of lite-rock station WWZY
. The communities which it serves are Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton, Eagleswood and Bass River, New Jersey.
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 from four communities in tenth through twelfth grade from 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...
, 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...
, operating as part of the Pinelands Regional School District
Pinelands Regional School District
Pinelands Regional School District is a regional school district in Ocean County, New Jersey, serving students from Bass River Township, Eagleswood Township, Little Egg Harbor Township and Tuckerton Borough....
, which serves students from Bass River Township
Bass River Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,510 people, 548 households, and 409 families residing in the township. The population density was 19.9 people per square mile . There were 602 housing units at an average density of 7.9 per square mile...
, Eagleswood Township
Eagleswood Township, New Jersey
Eagleswood Township is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population had increased to a record high of 1,603....
, Little Egg Harbor Township
Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Little Egg Harbor Township is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population had increased to a record high of 20,065....
and Tuckerton Borough
Tuckerton, New Jersey
Tuckerton is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker , and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry as commonly believed, in the United States As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 3,517.Tuckerton was incorporated as a borough...
. The school is overseen 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...
and 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 1986.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 931 students and 75 classroom teachers (on a 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 12.41.
The school was the 262nd-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 241st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 254th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
Of a recent graduating class, students went on to a
Four-Year College (30.5%),
Two Year College (31.9%),
Trade-Vocational School (2.9%),
Work (18.0%),
Military (1.0%),
Undecided (1.0%) or were
Vocationally Trained (14.7%).
Pinelands Regional is 96.7% white, 1.5% black, and 1.8% Hispanic.
History
Pinelands Regional High School officially opened on September 5, 1979 as a Junior-Senior High School, originally housing grades 7-12 from Tuckerton, Little Egg Harbor, Bass River, and Eagleswood. Prior to the opening of the school, students from those towns attended Southern Regional School DistrictSouthern Regional School District
The Southern Regional School District is a regional public school district in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in grades 7–12...
in Manahawkin.
The building originally housed grades 7-8 on the third floor, 9-10 on the second, and 11-12 on the first. The building featured an experimental "Open classroom
Open classroom
An open classroom is a student-centered classroom design format popular in the United States in the 1970s. In its most extreme form, entire schools were built without interior walls, which made teaching loud and disruptive in worst case scenarios - for most schools this has not been as big a...
" design, where a large group of students of varying skill levels would be in a single, large classroom with several teachers overseeing them; and contained no interior walls. However, this format didn't last long, and in the 1980's, the rooms were walled off, and separated by floor-to-ceiling folding partitions.
In 1991, Pinelands Middle School opened across the street for students in grades 7-8. Also in the 90s, a new building was completed next to the high school, which houses a daycare center called "Rainbow Express". Students taking Child Care classes go to class in this building to help with the daycare kids. In 2002, the Middle School was expanded and the 9th grade was moved there. When the expansion was completed at the Middle School, it was renamed "Pinelands Regional Junior High School" while the High School was renamed the "Senior High School", although this name is rarely used.
Most of the High School is centered around a "Commons" area, which is a two-story open court with skylights, benches, and planters. The commons is home to many of the school's events, such as the Junior Prom, Semi-formal, and Jazz & Java Art show. Most of the commons feeds into a 3-story mall-like hallway where most of the classrooms are off of. Most elective classes, such as Art rooms, Shop classes, Auto tech, etc. are located in the one-story "D-wing" away from the rest of the classrooms, surrounding the Auditorium. This wing also houses remedial and self-contained classes, causing the remedial students to be called "D-wingers". Some of these classes have since been moved to a new off-site building built near the Athletic fields that opened in 2009.
Most of the school, especially the Commons area, has remained unchanged since its 1979 opening. Elements from the decade, such as globe lighting, planters, and earth tones are present. Recent major improvements to the school include renovated science labs and locker rooms, expanded parking lot, permanent lighting for the football field, and repainting of the lockers, which were formerly painted in a 70s-esque repeating orange-yellow-red-brown pattern were painted a dark green.
In 2010, severe budget cuts resulted in the removal of several teachers and programs, including Freshmen sports and the 3-day Pinelands Experience, which was held annually at the school since the opening.
Athletics
The Pinelands Regional High School Wildcats 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). Pinelands Regional's strongest athletic sport is wrestling where it has won 9 division titles, 2 district titles, and has been ranked in the top 20 in the state four times.
Drama department
Pinelands Regional's drama and theater program has been highly successful, especially in the past several years. In 2010, the team won 19 awards at the annual Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey competition at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, including 8 Governor's awards, which are the highest honors in the state to be given for education.
WCAT-TV
WCAT-TV is Pinelands Regional's local Public-access televisionPublic-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 sponsored by Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
Cable. It is located on channel 21 for the area that the district serves. Most of the cast and crew is made up of students who take the video production classes as an elective. The channel shows live morning announcements at 8:20am daily, followed by a commercial or short skit made by members of the WCAT class. Throughout the day, especially during lunch periods, other school programs or past school events are shown on the channel. The remainder of the time the channel broadcasts school and community events through the Infochannel program, along with a simulcast of lite-rock station WWZY
WWZY
WWZY/WBHX is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Neptune, New Jersey, referred to as "107.1 The Breeze" and "99.7 The Breeze"....
. The communities which it serves are Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton, Eagleswood and Bass River, New Jersey.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:- Thomas Normile - Principal
- Alfonso Cirulli - Assistant Principal
- Will Sundermann - Athletic Director
Notable Alumni and Faculty
- Sarann Kraushaar, former vice-principal of the school, who was the mistress of murderer Robert O. MarshallRobert O. MarshallRobert O. Marshall is a former Toms River, New Jersey, businessman who in 1984 was charged with the contract killing of his wife, Maria....
, whose slayings inspired the bestselling book Blind FaithBlind Faith (book)Blind Faith is a bestselling 1989 true crime novel by Joe McGinniss, based on the 1984 case in which American businessman Robert O. Marshall was charged with the contract killing of his wife, Maria...
, and was later a film with the same name, in which a character based on Kraushaar and a fictional incarnation of the school is featured. - Lily McBethLily McBethLily B. McBeth is an American transgender teacher from Tuckerton, New Jersey. She was born William B. McBeth and as part of her transition underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2005. Her actions were hailed as a model of tolerance and acceptance of transgender Americans. She has three grown...
(born 1934), former transgender substitute teacher at the school who made national news after she underwent a sex-change operation and quit a position as a substitute teacher at the school. - Aronicimo RichottiAronicimo RichottiAronicimo Carl Richotti is an American boxer.-Early life:Born on January 9, 1979 in Rahway, New Jersey. Attended high school at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey and Pinelands Regional School District in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Attended college in Atlanta, Georgia...
(born 1979), heavyweight boxer.
External links
- Pinelands Regional School District
- Data for the Pinelands Regional 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...