Ocean Township High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ocean Township High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 550 West Park Avenue Oakhurst, NJ 07755 |
|
| Information | |
| School district | Ocean Township School District (Monmouth County, New Jersey) |
| Principal | Mrs. Julia Davidow |
| Enrollment |
1,447 (as of 2005-06)[1] |
| Faculty | 109.5 (FTE basis)[1] |
| Student:teacher ratio | 13.2[1] |
| Type | Public high school |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Color(s) | Red, White & Blue |
| Established | 1965 |
| Information | 732-531-5650 |
| Homepage | School website |
Ocean Township High School (OTHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Ocean Township School District. OTHS serves Oakhurst, Wanamassa, Wayside, West Allenhurst, Loch Arbour, and Shadow Lawn Manor.
The school opened in 1965 serving grades 7-11. The Ocean Township seniors completed their final year at Asbury Park High School, which all Ocean Township public school students attended prior to the construction of OTHS. Thus OTHS graduated its first class in 1967. Gradually, the 7th and 8th grade students were moved to other schools.
As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,447 students, and 109.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 13.2.[1]
In 2005, three new Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses were added to the fourteen already offered. In conjunction with Monmouth University, Ocean Township High School offers a dual credit program to AP students. The program is called MODEL. The school's average graduation rate for the past two years is 99% and 97% of students go on to post secondary education.
The school itself has state-of-the-art science facilities and library/media center. Family and Consumer Science kitchens, for culinary instruction, were remodeled in 2005. Over 93% of Ocean's teachers are at or above intermediate skill levels in the use of technology.
Contents |
[edit] Awards and recognition
In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Ocean Township High School was listed in 838th place, the 21st-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[2]
Ocean Township High School was the 69th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.[3]
[edit] Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:[4]
- Mrs. Julia Davidow - Principal
- Miss Kelly Weldon- Assistant Principal/ Grades 11-12
- Mr. Fred West - Assistant Principal/ Grades 9-10
[edit] Extracurricular activities
The school's extra-curricular programs provide invaluable learning experiences and life-lessons for students. The emphasis on sportsmanship and scholarship is the primary focus and philosophy of the Ocean Township Board of Education and administration.
[edit] Laramie Project controversy
In August, 2007 the school received international attention when its principal, Julia Davidow, backed by superintendent of schools Thomas Pagano decided to prohibit West Park Players, the school's drama club, from staging the play The Laramie Project. The play, an account of the 1998 murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, had a pro-LGBT and pro-tolerance message that the two administrators felt would offend conservative community values, Davidow stating "I do not want to draw a line between those who think homosexuality is right and those who think it is wrong. I have a school community to run here and I must protect everyone involved."[5][6][7][8][9] In the wake of widespread outrage at Pagano's and Davidow's act and calls for their disciplining, the play was reinstated.[10]
[edit] Athletics
The Ocean Township High School Spartans compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.[11] 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).
Ocean Township offers a comprehensive and all-inclusive sports and activities. The school fields twenty-four varsity teams, ten junior varsity teams and ten freshman teams, as well as a student trainer program. In addition, there are currently forty approved after-school clubs and activities.
In 2005, the girls soccer team won the Central, Group III sectional championship with a 1-0 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.[12]
The baseball team won the 2006 Shore Conference Championship over Toms River High School South 13-6 under the lights at First Energy Park in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. They also won the 2006 and 2007 Central, Group III state sectional championship, edging Colts Neck High School 9-0 and Allentown High School 1-0 in the tournament finals, respectively.[13]
The 2007 wrestling team won the Central, Group III state sectional title with a 40-23 win against Wall High School.[14]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Phil Villapiano (1949-), former NFL linebacker who played in four Pro Bowls and was a part of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI winning team.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Ocean Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 25, 2007.
- ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
- ^ "Top Public High Schools in New Jersey" (Schools 51-100), New Jersey Monthly, September 2006, backed up by Internet Archive as of March 10, 2007. Accessed March 5, 2008.
- ^ Administration, Ocean Township High School. Accessed December 22, 2007.
- ^ Larsen, Erik. "School officials forbid club to perform play", Asbury Park Press, August 4, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ Angelini, Bob. "Wyoming Town Rejected Bigotry: Will Ocean Township High School?", Asbury Park Press, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ Larsen, Erik. "No mention of controversial play at board meeting: Principal nixed Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ Larsen, Erik. "Jersey Guys offer to pay for staging of The Laramie Project", Asbury Park Press, August 8, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ Larsen, Erik. Instructor Assails Banning of Play, Asbury Park Press, August 5, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ Papaianni, Joanne L. "Play Will Go On In Ocean", The Coaster, August 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
- ^ 2005 Girls Soccer - Central, Group III, NJSIAA. Accessed June 3, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Baseball - Central, Group III, NJSIAA. Accessed June 20, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Team Wrestling Tournament - Central, Group III, NJSIAA. Accessed July 22, 2007.
- ^ Phil Villapiano, database Football. Accessed December 15, 2007.
