Ocean Township High School

Ocean Township High School
Location
550 West Park Avenue Oakhurst, NJ 07755
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1965
School district	Ocean Township School District
Principal	Kelly E. Weldon
Asst. Principal	Gina Hagerman (grades 10-12) Michael Lambusta (grades 9-11)
Faculty	100 (FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,342 (as of 2009-10)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	13.42[1]
Color(s)	Red & Blue
Nickname	Spartans
Website	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 residents of Loch Arbour and all communities in Ocean Township, including Oakhurst, Wanamassa, Wayside and West Allenhurst.^[2]

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. Beginning in the 1975-76 school year, with the opening of the then 7-9 Ocean Township Intermediate School, the school only served 10-12, with the freshman class returning to OTHS for the 1978-79 school year.

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,342 students, and 100 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.42.^[1]

As of the 2011-12 school year there were 20 Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered, reflecting the addition of AP European History.^[3] In conjunction with Monmouth University, Ocean Township High School offers a dual credit program called MODEL to AP students. 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.

Demographics

• 1,049 White
• 113 Hispanic
• 110 Black
• 114 Asian/Pacific Islander^[1]

Awards and recognition

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 55th in New Jersey and 1,637th nationwide.^[4] 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.^[5]

The school was the 64th-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 97th in 2008 out of 316 schools.^[6] The school was ranked 69th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.^[7]

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:^[8]

• Kelly E. Weldon - Principal
• Gina Hagerman - Assistant Principal/ Grades 10 & 12
• Michael Lambusta - Assistant Principal/ Grades 9 & 11

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.

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, in Monmouth County and Ocean County, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).^[9][10]

Notable alumni

• Caroline Elkins (born 1969), Pulitzer Prize winning author.^{[11][citation needed]}
• Dave Frankel (born 1957), former weatherman and news anchor for WPVI-TV and KYW-TV in Philadelphia, now partner in the law firm Frankel and Kershenbaum.^{[citation needed]}
• Susan Littenberg (class of 1985), film editor.^[12]
• Eric Nies (born 1971), model and reality television personality.^{[citation needed]}
• Michael Uslan (born 1951), writer and producer of the Batman film franchise.^[13]
• Phil Villapiano (born 1949), former NFL linebacker who played in four Pro Bowls and was a part of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI winning team.^[14]
• Wendy Williams (born 1964), radio and television host.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Ocean Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 1, 2011.
2. ^ Spoto, MaryAnn. "N.J. appeals court sides with Ocean Twp. against Loch Arbour in school funding dispute", The Star-Ledger, July 14, 2011. Accessed October 17, 2011.
3. ^ Ocean Township High School 2010 Report Card narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 17, 2011. "In addition, Ocean offers nineteen advanced placement courses approved by the College Board. We intend to add AP European History in the 2011-2012 school year bringing our AP offerings to twenty."
4. ^ Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Ocean Township High School", The Washington Post. Accessed September 10, 2011.
5. ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
6. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed April 6, 2011.
7. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
8. ^ Administration, Ocean Township High School. Accessed June 1, 2011.
9. ^ League Memberships – 2011-2012, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 10, 2011.
10. ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
11. ^ Jacobs, Samuel P. "History Prof Snags Nonfiction Pulitzer: Caroline M. Elkins is among 5 Harvard affiliates to win renowned prize this year", The Harvard Crimson, April 18, 2006. Accessed January 13, 2009.
12. ^ Staff. "Susan Littenberg Nominated for Prestigious ACE Film Award", Atlantic Highlands Herald, January 30, 2011. Accessed October 17, 2011. "Highly acclaimed Hollywood film editor Susan Littenberg, who graduated from Ocean Township High School in 1985, has been nominated for an American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award, given to recognize excellence in film editing."
13. ^ Longsdorf, Amy. "'Dark Knight' producer was 'just a kid from Jersey'", Courier-Post, January 26, 2009. Accessed June 1, 2011. "By the time Uslan graduated from Ocean Township High School in 1969, he had amassed more than 30,000 books..."
14. ^ Phil Villapiano, database Football. Accessed December 15, 2007.
15. ^ Neglia, Ashley V. "Mixing Media", New Jersey Monthly, June 9, 2008. Accessed July 22, 2008.

External links

• Ocean Township High School
• Ocean Township School District
• Ocean Township School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Ocean Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• Ocean Township High School Drama Club

Coordinates: 40°16′06″N 74°01′49″W / 40.268294°N 74.030285°W / 40.268294; -74.030285