Old Bridge High School

Old Bridge High School
Location
4209 County Route 516 Old Bridge, NJ 07747
Information
Type	Public high school
Motto	As Knights, we recognize the importance of lifelong learning, show respect for each other, and take pride in ourselves.
Established	1994
School district	Old Bridge Township Public Schools
Principal	David Cittadino
Faculty	209 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	3,119 (as of 2009-10)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	14.92[1]
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Purple, Black, and White
Athletics conference	Greater Middlesex Conference
Mascot	Wellington The Knight
Team name	Knights
Newspaper	Knight Life
Yearbook	Excalibur
Website	School website

Old Bridge High School (formed from combining the former Cedar Ridge and Madison Central High Schools) 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.^[2]

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.^[1]

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.^[3] The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings.^[4]

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.^[5] 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%.^[6]

Athletics

The Old Bridge High School Knights compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

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.^[9]

"The Challenge"

2008-09

The school has also been featured on the News 12/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^{[disambiguation needed ]} 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 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.

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.^[10]

Notable alumni

• Junot Díaz (born 1968, class of 1987), Pulitzer Prize-Winning author^[11]
• The Ergs!, punk rock band. [2000-2008]^[12]
• Ken Leung (born 1970), actor, known for character Miles on "Lost".^{[citation needed]}
• Caren Lissner (born 1972, class of 1989), novelist.^[13]
• Brian O'Halloran (born 1969, class of 1987), actor.^{[citation needed]}
• Cameron Richardson (born 1979, class of 1997), actress, star of Alvin and the Chipmunks.^[14]
• Shannon Sohn (born 1974, class of 1992), traffic reporter, WABC-TV.^[15]
• Vitamin C (born 1969, class of 1987), singer/actress, known for "Graduation" song.^[16]
• Chris Thatcher (born 1980, class of 1998), drummer.^[17]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Old Bridge High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 30, 2011.
2. ^ Old Bridge High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed September 7, 2011.
3. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 15, 2011.
4. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
5. ^ Sargeant, Keith. "7:30 p.m. – A high school sports powerhouse e-merges slowly", Home News Tribune. Accessed July 28, 2007. "When Madison Central and Cedar Ridge merged in September 1994, most observers agreed that the Knights would rule the local sports scene."
6. ^ Staff. "Hickey honored as state Principal of the Year", Old Bridge Suburban, June 18, 2009. Accessed May 30, 2011. "He said curriculum, test scores and overall student achievement have improved; out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 35 percent over the five years; and student tardiness plummeted more than 62 percent over the last two years."
7. ^ League Memberships – 2011-2012, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 7, 2011.
8. ^ Reppleyea, Warren. "Old Bridge falls to Stevens 14-7 in CJ Group IV final", North Brunswick Sentinel, December 6, 2001. Accessed September 7, 2011. "Two minutes — that’s all that separated the Old Bridge High School football team from living the seemingly impossible dream. Nursing a 7-6 lead, the Knights had the ball in opposition territory and were seemingly on their way to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship at Rutgers Stadium, after starting the season with a 1-3 record."
9. ^ Spivey, Mark. "GMCT SOFTBALL SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: Knights, Tigers focus on task at hand", Home News Tribune, May 31, 2008. Accessed September 7, 2011. "The bus ride home from his team's dramatic 2-1 NJSIAA Central Group IV championship win at Hunterdon Central Thursday told Old Bridge High School softball coach Mike Bilello all he needed to know about whether his players would be ready to wind down the celebration and switch gears to focus on today's Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinal against South Plainfield."
10. ^ RECAP USSBA - NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT ANNAPOLIS, MD, Accessed 21 Sep 2010.
11. ^ Tejada, Miguel Cruz. "Junot Díaz dice “en RD hay muchos quirinos”; escribirá obra inspirada en caso", El Nuevo Diario (Dominican Republic), August 11, 2008. Accessed August 25, 2008. "Hizo el bachillerato en el Cedar Ridge High School de Old Bridge, Nueva Jersey, en 1987, y se licenció en inglés en la Universidad Rutgers (1992), e hizo un Master of Fine Arts en la Universidad de Cornell."
12. ^ Bove, Steve. "Peace, Ergs!", Asbury Park Press, October 23, 2008. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Drummer/vocalist Mikey Erg (Mike Yannich), bassist Joey Erg (Joe Keller) and guitarist Jeffrey Erg (Jeff Schroeck), have been a unit in various other bands since their days together at Old Bridge High School."
13. ^ Celano, Claire Marie. "Young author offers tips to audience at workshop: Caren Lissner says love of writing should be first ingredient toward success", News Transcript, July 30, 2003. Accessed August 25, 2008. "Lissner, 31, grew up in Freehold Township and attended the Laura Donovan School and the Barkalow Middle School.... She later graduated from high school in Old Bridge."
14. ^ Gacser, Ava. "Jersey girl making a name for herself as an actress", Asbury Park Press, April 26, 2009. Accessed February 15, 2011. "I had a great childhood and upbringing in New Jersey said the Old Bridge High School graduate who has called California home for the last eight years."
15. ^ Smith, Jessica. "TV news reporter recalls how her career took off: OBHS grad became first helicopter reporter to win national Emmy", Old Bridge Sentinel, July 3, 2008. Accessed November 7, 2008.
16. ^ Benning, Erin. "`Graduation' blues - Vitamin C shares memories of senior year", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 8, 2000. Accessed September 7, 2011.
17. ^ "Chris Thatcher-Interview ft. Footage of A Dark Knight rehearsal"

External links

• Old Bridge High School
• Old Bridge Township Public Schools
• Old Bridge Township Public Schools's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Old Bridge Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics

Coordinates: 40°25′19″N 74°13′19″W / 40.421859°N 74.221866°W / 40.421859; -74.221866