- Middletown High School North
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Middletown High School North (MHSN) 
Location 63 Tindall Road
Middletown, NJ 07748Information Type Public High School Established 1966 Authority Middletown Township Public School District Principal Dr. Patricia Vari-Cartier Asst. Principal Caroline Buckley (Curriculum)
Marie Dorio Caldaro (Freshman Academy)
John Carmody (Guidance)
Kevin Robinsonn (Discipline)
Michael Wells (Discipline)Faculty 109 (on FTE basis)[1] Grades 9 - 12 Enrollment 1,698 (as of 2009-10)[1] Student to teacher ratio 15.58[1] Color(s) Orange and Black Athletics conference Shore Conference Nickname Lions Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Publication Viewpoint Newspaper 'The Lion's Roar' Yearbook Polaris Website School website 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.[1]
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.[2] The school was ranked 164th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[3]
Contents
Athletics
The Middletown High School North Lions compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.[4] 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.[5]
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,[6] 2005,[7] and 2008,[8] and the Frozen Four in 2004.[6]
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 Syndrome. 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.
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 Association, 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.[citation needed] 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 Festival
- Rockit for Kids Holiday Concert 2006
- Josh Zuckerman, known for his #1 singles Out from Under, Be Real, and Something Inside announced he will perform a Christmas benefit in the MHSN PAC.[citation needed]
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 South 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).
Random drug testing
A renovated hallway circa 2007
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.[9]
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:[10]
- 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
References
- ^ a b c d Middletown High School North, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 29, 2011.
- ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 20, 2011.
- ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
- ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
- ^ 2005 Girls Soccer - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed May 30, 2007.
- ^ a b 2004 NJSIAA Ice Hockey Tournament Brackets, New Jersey high school hockey. Accessed July 31, 2008.
- ^ 2005 NJSIAA Ice Hockey Tournament Brackets, New Jersey high school hockey. Accessed July 31, 2008.
- ^ 2008 NJSIAA Ice Hockey Tournament Brackets, New Jersey high school hockey. Accessed July 31, 2008.
- ^ Middletown school board OKs random drug testing: Some say plan would deter use, Asbury Park Press, October 24, 2006.
- ^ Administrators' Page, Middletown High School North. Accessed February 20, 2011.
External links
- Middletown High School North website
- Middletown Township School District website
- Middletown Township Public School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Middletown Township Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics
- DigitalSports Middletown North Homepage
Coordinates: 40°24′06″N 74°06′01″W / 40.401574°N 74.10036°W
Shore Conference (NJSIAA) Division A NorthHowell • Freehold Township • Manalapan • Marlboro • Christian Brothers Academy • Middletown North • Middletown South
CentralSouthDivision B NorthCentralSouthDivision C CentralCategories:- Middletown Township, New Jersey
- Educational institutions established in 1966
- High schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey
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