St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey)

Infobox School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = St. Joseph's High School


motto = "Where excellence is a habit, not a goal.
established = 10 November 1901
enrollment = 835
type = Private, day
religion = Roman Catholic
principal = Mr. John Anderson
president = Mr. Lawrence Walsh
city = Metuchen
state = NJ
country = USA
campus = 70 acres (284,000 m²)
faculty = 72
ratio = 17:1
year = 2007
SAT = 562 critical reading
583 math
542 writing
newspaper = The Falcon
yearbook = Evergreen
literary magazine = The Vignette
athletics = 13 sports
colors = Green and White
nickname = Falcons
conference = Greater Middlesex Conference
homepage = [http://www.stjoes.org School website] |

St. Joseph High School is an independent Roman Catholic college preparatory school located on a 70 acre tract in Metuchen and Edison, New Jersey. It draws students from a wide geographic area encompassing over forty school districts and over seventy grammar schools in Middlesex, Somerset, and Union Counties, as well as other outlying areas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

St. Joseph is conducted by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, who have been active in American education since their arrival from Lyon, France in 1847. From 1901 to 1961, St. Joseph’s served as a center for training and educating Brothers prior to their apostolate in Catholic education. The current faculty includes both lay and religious educators.

The main school building was dedicated in the spring of 1963.

History of St. Joseph High School

The Early Years

In the summer of 1902, Brothers Stanislaus Florent and Louis Fabian tookup residence in a three-story roadhouse owned by Mr. Thomas Allen in order to see that the hotel was made suitable for occupation and outfitted as a training center for novices. As the guests of Thomas and his wife, LouiseAllen, the Brothers found the inn comfortable, but when the former proprietorleft, the hardships began. They took with them all the tools, furniture, utensilsand provisions, leaving the Brothers without the bare necessities. Due to the costof property maintenance, the Brothers had little to spend on outfitting the house.

As Brother Stanislaus tried to make the home hospitable, Brother Fabianworked at making it presentable. He graded the land to the right of the inn andturned it into a recreation yard for the novices. He planted the large pine and elm trees thatborder the grassy plain and the small vineyard.

The community had purchased the property in hopes of opening a novitiate;however, finding willing recruits proved to be difficult. Few people had heard of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and despite Brother Stanislaus’s best efforts,the response was less than enthusiastic. However, by the start of the firstsession, the Brothers had managed to gather ten postulants.In November 1902, Saint Joseph’s tenure as a training center began.The arrival of the additional personnel fueled the already growing support forthe construction of a new building that could serve as both a dormitory andclassroom.

The Brothers, eager to expand, set aside a large plot of land for the project.However, in June 1903, a fire destroyed Saint Stanislaus College and with itthe hopes for the new building.With a new financial strain on the Province, the Brothers were forced tomake do with what they had and could afford to make only patchwork repairs.This not only meant that plans for new buildings be terminated but also that theold farm equipment be cared for. The financial burdens of the time forced theBrothers to assume the roles of blacksmiths and carpenters in order to repairdamaged equipment.

Frugality forced the Brothers to adopt several cost-cutting measures, one ofwhich involved the heating of the various buildings. In order to conserve coal,only the furnace in the main building would use the ore, the stoves in thecarriage house and other buildings were fueled by railroad ties that had beenobtained from the Reading and Lehigh Valley railroads. However, it was thetask of the novices to transport and cut the ties into usable lengths during theirprecious leisure time. Using simple simple handsaws, they cut timber which in many cases reached bridge length. The greatest asset to the novitiate was the farm. The communitycould afford only things such as meat, bread, coffee and sugar. The rest had tobe grown. The novices and postulants worked on the farm both on their freetime and scheduled work rotations. A common recreational activity of the residents was fishing on nearby Woodburn Pond.

The arrival of the sixteen novices from France created a problem thatplagued the novitiate. Overcrowding became a fact of life at Saint Joseph’swith more and more novices and postulants.It had long been the desire of the Brothers living here to construct a buildingthat would suit the place. Due to the community's budget restraints, they were forced to improve on their facilities in piecemeal fashion. Living quarters would be remodeled and other buildingspressed into service.

The first true expansion of the novitiate occurred in 1907 when the mainhouse was renovated. It was determined that a new chapel was needed in orderto handle the ever-growing number of inhabitants.Since the community could not afford to construct a separate building, it wasdecided that a new wing be added instead. Three years later, the main houseunderwent another refurbishment. The top floor was refitted as a dormitory,while dining and recreation rooms were added to the lower level. Outside, thecarriage house that held the novices was moved and a small cottage was placedadjacent to the main building.

Not all the changes, however, were strictly practical. The community wasalways concerned about the way the grounds looked. After the addition of the new wing in 1907, a large marble statue of Saint Joseph was hoisted into placein front of the mansion. The convert|1400|lb|abbr=on. figure was a tremendous source of pride for all those who attended the novitiate, who saw it as adding to the dignity of the facilities.Despite the renovations, the community still longed for a building thatwould suit the place. During the early 1920’s, various fund-drives provided thenecessary capital to begin construction of a proper chapel. Building began onOctober 1921 and continued into May of the following year. A month lateron June 28th, the chapel was formally dedicated. Inside, marble statues fromItaly stood in solitude.

At the dedication ceremony, the Bishop of Trenton, Thomas J. Walsh, madea startling announcement. He requested that the Brothers of the Sacred Heartassume control of the Cathedral High School in Trenton, their first high schoolin the Diocese of Trenton. Inside the small chapel, applause filled the air!While the addition of the chapel may have served as a source of pride for thecommunity, it did little to solve the question of overcrowding but an answer wason the horizon.

In July 1923, construction on what is now known as O’Neil Hall began.The Annex, designed by the same architect who had created the chapel, wasintended to provide both classrooms and living space for the ever-growingnumber of postulants.

Completed in the Spring of 1924, the Annex provided the space the Brothershad long wanted. The basement housed recreation rooms, lockers, andfurnace rooms. Upstairs, the first floor was home to kitchens and dining rooms.On the second floor were science labs and several classrooms. Above wasa large dormitory capable of handling the increasing number of members inthe community.

In 1951, a proposal was made to move the novitiate to Blairstown. This plan was rejected, however, when proper funding could not be obtained. Yet the initiative to relocate wasn’t completely laid to rest. Ten years later, the idea to move the novitiate to another locale resurfaced when a large estate in Belvidere was purchased by the community. There were two advantages of this plan. First, the move would solve the problem of overcrowding. Second, the novitiate that the Province had originally wanted could be established. In Metuchen, both the novice and postulant programs had coexisted, which was not the original intent of the Province. So, in 1961 the novitiate was fficially moved to Belvidere.

Founding of the High School

With the newfound space, the Brothers decided to establish a high school and in the fall of 1961 admitted 150 ninth grade students — St. Joseph’s first class. A high school grew out of the old postulant program, which had existed for some time at Saint Joseph’s. Essentially, it was a regular high school program for those considering a vocation. The curriculum consisted of six subjects a year, though these varied between classes. All four grades adhered to a core curriculum of Religion, Mathematics, and English. To this base, Freshmen added French, Civics, and Speech. Sophomores continued with French and Speech, but added American History to their schedules. Third-year students were required to take Chemistry, World History and Typewriting, while seniors took Physics, Typewriting, and either Latin or Spanish. Construction on the main school building began in 1962, built on the land occupied by Brother Fabian’s vineyard that had been planted some sixty years before. Construction was completed in 1963 at the cost of one million dollars. The school started developing high academic standards for itself shortly after its founding. The class of 1965 had two national merit semi-finalists and the school has had students in this elite group ever since. In 1964, the debate team represented the Diocese of Trenton in a national debate in Colorado. In 1972, four students represented Saint Joseph High School on "It's Academic", a television game show similar to Jeopardy that aired on NBC. The school won, securing a set of encyclopedias for the library.

In 1963, Saint Joseph’s established the first varsity teams — track, basketball and baseball —followed by varsity soccer a year later. These teams have since won many titles in their respective sports throughout their histories and are competitors on both the state and local levels. The swim team was added in 1968 by Brother Aldric and has since gone on to dominate in state competition.

In 1963, the school paper, "The Falcon", had a literary contest and published their winners in a special edition. This contest continued to be held under the auspices of the newspaper until it grew into the current school literary magazine, "The Vignette", which has established quite a reputation for itself and the school by winning various awards and receiving national recognition. Another outgrowth of the arts program was the Drama Club, established in 1963 by Thomas Ryan, who served as the group’s director. Since their first production of "Stalag 17", the Drama Club has continued toproduce plays and musicals every fall and spring for the school community.

Athletics

The St. Joseph High School Falcons compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, comprising 32 public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County area. In all sports, St. Joe's teams are in the Red Division of this conference. The Red Division is the top division in the GMC made up of larger schools with excellent athletic programs. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

St. Joseph High School fields teams on the freshmen through varsity levels in various sports including cross country, soccer, basketball, bowling, ice hockey, swimming, winter track, baseball, golf, lacrosse, spring track, tennis and volleyball.

St. Joseph is a perennial powerhouse in swimming, winning state championships in 1980-91, 1993-97, 1999, 2002-04 and 2006, as well as winning every county championship in the sport since its inception, 29 in total. While St. Joe's has had great success in swimming in particular, the school has also enjoyed success in its other sports. St. Joe's has won state titles in cross country, soccer, track, tennis, and most recently in 2008 volleyball.

Although no longer offered, St. Joe's once had a competitive gymnastics program, winning state championships in 1992 and 1993. Along with gymnastics, the school once offered teams in water polo and wrestling, but all three programs ended due to a lack of student interest.

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=909 Baseball] =

* Current Head Coach: Paul Esposito
* 2007 Record: 16-13, Non-Public A South Sectional Champions
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public South A), GMC (Red Division)
* Sectional Championships: 1989, 2007
* County Championships: 1968, 2004, 2006, 2008
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=912 Basketball] =

* Current Head Coach: Dave Turco
* 2006-07 Record: 20-9, 2nd place in GMC tournament
* Levels: Freshmen (2 teams), JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public South A), GMC (Red Division)
* Sectional Championships: 1992, 98, 99
* County Championships: 1993, 98, 99
* Home: Vincent Maglio Gymnasium on campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=923 Bowling] =

* Current Head Coach: Wayne Fischer
* 2006-07 Record: 13-9
* Levels: Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Group III), GMC (Red Division)
* Sectional Championships: 1991, 99
* County Championships: 1991, 2001, 04
* Home: Brunswick Zone (North Brunswick)

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=920 Cross Country] =

* Current Head Coach: Gary Trojanowski (Class of '72)
* 2007 Record: 4-3, 5th place in GMC championship
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public A), GMC (Red Division), NJCTC
* State Championships: 1973, 74
* County Championships: 1964-78, 86, 1996-98
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=916 Golf] =

* Current Head Coach: Ryan Lechner
* 2007 Record: 14-3
* Levels: Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public South A), GMC (Red Division)
* Sectional Championships: 1999, 2000
* County Championships: 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002
* Home: Metuchen Golf & Country Club (Edison); Hyatt Hills Golf Course (Clark)

Gymnastics

* No longer in existence
* State Championships: 1992, 93

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=921 Hockey] =

* Current Head Coach: Ryan Carter (Class of '91)
* 2007-2008 Record: 16-5-4
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public), NJIHL (Red Division)
* State Championships: 1991
* Home: Woodbridge Community Center (Woodbridge)

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=911 Lacrosse] =

* Current Head Coach: Marc Moreau
* 2008 Record: 18-4
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public A), GMC
* County Championships: 2002, 03, 04, 08
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=1052 Soccer] =

* Current Head Coach: Mike O'Boyle
* 2007 Record: 6-11-1
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public South A), GMC (Red Division)
* State Championships: 1971, 73, 76, 78, 88, 94, 95
* County Championships: 1983, 88, 89, 91, 2003
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=919 Spring Track] =

* Current Head Coach: Gary Trojanowski (Class of '72)
* 2007 Record: 5-3
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public A), GMC (Red Division), NJCTC
* State Championships: 1972, 76, 98
* County Championships: 1966, 67, 69, 70, 1972-78, 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 91, 92, 97, 98
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=917 Swimming] =

* Current Head Coach: Steve Whittington (Class of '92)
* 2006-07 Record: 14-2
* Levels: JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public A), GMC (White Division)
* State Championships (NJ record for most in a single sport): 1980-97, 99, 2002-04, 06
* County Championships (longest streak of titles in a single sport in NJ): 1979-2008
* Home: Middlesex County College (Edison)

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=915 Tennis] =

* Current Head Coach: Jarrett Dewelde (Class of '96)
* 2007 Record: 3-15
* Levels: JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public South A), GMC (Red Division)
* State Championships: 1987
* Home: Middlesex County College (Edison)

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=910 Volleyball] =

* Current Head Coach: Miguel Cabrita (Class of '91)
* 2007 Record: 25-10
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (North), GMC
* Sectional Championships: 2006
* State Championships: 2002, 06
* County Championships: 1999, 2002
* Home: Vincent Maglio Gymnasium on campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=913 Winter Track] =

* Current Head Coach: Gary Trojanowski (Class of '72)
* 2006-07 Record: 2-0
* Levels: Freshmen, JV, Varsity
* Membership: NJSIAA (Non-Public A), GMC (Red Division), NJCTC
* State Championships: 1972, 73, 77, 98
* County Championships: 1965-73, 1977-81, 84, 86, 1988-93, 97, 98
* Home: On campus

= [http://stjoes.org/saintjoseph.aspx?pgID=922 Wrestling] =

* No longer in existence
* 1977 12 - 1, 2nd Place Middlesex County, District 19 Champs
* 1977 team included:
* Undefeated Craig Belunes & Dickie Hone
* Jim Grabler, Jake Daneri, Peter Porcelli, Marty Martin,
* John (Savage) Antosiewicz, Rick Masterson, Bob Fordi,
* Ray Calvano, Glenn Nacion, Doug Staebler, Stu Santiago

Notable alumni

* James E. McGreevey - Class of 1975, former Governor of New Jersey
*Andrew Bynum - Class of 2005 basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. [Spears, Mark J. [http://www.denverpost.com/spears/ci_5618717 "Bynum worth seeking out"] , "The Denver Post", April 7, 2007. Accessed May 31, 2007. "Instead of going to Connecticut out of St. Joseph's High (N.J.) in 2005, the 7-footer joined the last group of high schoolers eligible to enter the draft."]
*Jon Bon Jovi, musician, actor and lead singer of the band, Bon Jovi. Attended for only two years [ [http://www7.islandrecords.com/bonjovi/theband_jbj_speeches_ama.las Jon Bon Jovi remarks] , American Music Awards, November 14, 2004. "In the fall of 1977, I was just another sophomore at St. Joseph's High School in New Jersey."]
*Ed. Fern, Class of '72 - (Track and Field) - Summer Olympic Trials Qualifier, 1976, 1980, 5 Time Atlantic Coast Conference High Jump Champion (Clemson University), Author - "Ed. Fern's Flight School" (1989), Jumps Coach, New Zealand from 2002.
*Pat Lepore - politician, who has served on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 2004
*Scott Marino - Class of 2008 swimming 2008 Summer Olympics Trials Qualifier
*Bobby Savulich - swimming 2004 Summer Olympics Trials Qualifier. [Layton, Shawn. [http://ems.gmnews.com/News/2004/0107/Sports/026.html "St. Joseph’s continues to leave its foes behind"] , "Edison Sentinel", January 7, 2004. Accessed July 22, 2007. "METUCHEN — At the start of the winter season, St. Joseph High School swim coach Steve Whittington felt his team was destined for greatness and immortality."]
*Jay Williams - Class of 1999, Duke University guard, two time All-American and 2002 NBA Draft #2 pick of the Chicago Bulls. [ [http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/jaywilliams.htm Jay Williams profile] , NBA Draft. Accessed May 31, 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://www.stjoes.org/ St. Joseph High School Website]
* [http://www.brothersofthesacredheart.org/ Brothers of the Sacred Heart Website]
* [http://blog.nj.com/stjosephmetuchen_sports/ St. Joe's Sports Blog on NJ.com]
* [http://highschoolsports.net/defaultcal.cfm?schoolid=NJ088402287&CFID=7534265&CFTOKEN=97072434/ St. Joe's HighSchoolSports.net Page]