Collingswood High School is a four-year comprehensive

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

that serves students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s from Collingswood in Camden County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is the sole secondary school of

Collingswood Public Schools The Collingswood Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Collingswood, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2021–22 school year ...

. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 777 students and 65.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.9:1. There were 265 students (34.1% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 38 (4.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Collingswood High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. Students in grades 9–12 from Oaklyn and Woodlynne attend Collingswood High School as part of

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

s with the Oaklyn Public School District and

Woodlynne School District The Woodlynne School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Woodlynne, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comp ...

History

Schools were established in Collingswood soon after the borough was created in 1888. By 1909, the first football squad to represent the high school took the field and the first class of graduates left the school the following year. Students from Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township had attended the district's high school as part of

s with the

Gibbsboro School District The Gibbsboro School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Gibbsboro, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, co ...

and the

Voorhees Township Public Schools The Voorhees Township Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Voorhees Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2019–20 school ...

until

Eastern Regional High School Eastern Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, three communities in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, o ...

opened in September 1965. Prior to the opening of

Haddon Township High School Haddon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Haddon Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary sc ...

in 1962, students from Haddon Township attended Collingswood High School.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 208th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 262nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 267th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 237th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 235th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Extracurricular activities

The Collingswood Panther Marching Band, under the direction of Joe Lerch since 2003, has captured titles for the

United States Scholastic Band Association United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

(USSBA) All-States and New Jersey state championships in the years 2004 and 2005, and participated in the National Championships in 2006, 2007, and 2009. They have performed for the Philadelphia Phillies (three times), the Philadelphia Phantoms, and were the honorary band for the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure on Mother's Day 2008. More recently the Collingswood High School Panther Marching Band captured the Tournament of Bands 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015 Southern NJ Chapter One Championships, the 2012 and 2013 Tournament of Bands New Jersey state championship, and the 2013 Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championship. The Panther Band scored the highest band score in school history, with a 92.82 at the 2019 Atlantic Coast Championships. Most recently, the band was crowned the Cavalcade of Bands New Jersey State Champions for 2021. Clubs and organizations at Collingswood High School include: Anime Club, Spanish Club, German Club, French Club, Latin Club, Junior Classical League, BeatMakers Club, Junior Black Student Union, Gender-Sexuality Alliance, Poetry Club, The ''Paw Print'' student paper,

Mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting ...

Interact Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

and Boys and Girls State Students also participate in state and national organizations such as

Boys State The American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school juniors, which focus on exploring the mechanics of American government and politics. The programs are sponsor ...

. The Academic Challenge team has been ranked No. 1 in South Jersey.

Athletics

The Collingswood High School PanthersCollingswood High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete as a member school in the Colonial Conference, which is comprised of small schools in Camden and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

counties whose enrollments generally do not exceed between 750 and 800 students for grades 9–12 and operates under the supervision of the

(NJSIAA). With 612 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group II South for most athletic competition purposes. The football team competes in the Colonial Division of the 94-team

West Jersey Football League The West Jersey Football League is a 94-school superconference that stretches from Princeton, New Jersey to Wildwood, New Jersey encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conferenc ...

superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2022–2024. The school participates in joint boys / girls swimming teams with

Audubon High School ''For the high school in Iowa with the same name, see Audubon Community School District'' Audubon High School is a comprehensive six-year community public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from Audubon, in Camd ...

as the host school / lead agency. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. Sports offered at the high school include: *''Boys'' **Fall – soccer, football, cross country **Winter – basketball, wrestling, bowling, swimming **Spring – track & field, baseball, tennis, volleyball *''Girls'' **Fall – soccer, tennis, cross country, field hockey, cheerleading, volleyball **Winter – basketball, swimming, bowling **Spring – track & field, softball, lacrosse The baseball team won the South Jersey Group IV state championship in 1964 and won the South Jersey Group III title in 1966 and 1967. The girls' lacrosse team won the sport's first overall state championship in 1976 (defeating

Moorestown Friends School Moorestown Friends School (also known as MFS) is a private, coeducational Quaker day school located in Moorestown, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 652 student ...

in the tournament final), and again in 1977 (vs.

Moorestown High School Moorestown High School (MHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Moorestown in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the M ...

), 1979 (vs. Moorestown Friends) and 1982 (vs. Moorestown); The program's four state championships are tied for third-most in the state. The 1976 team finished the season with a record of 17–1 after winning the state title with a 6–2 win against Moorestow Friends in the championship game. The field hockey team won the South I state championship in 1974, and won the Group II state title in 1993 (defeating

Northern Highlands Regional High School Northern Highlands Regional High School (NHRHS) is a regional public high school and school district in Allendale, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Allendale, Ho-Ho-K ...

in the tournament final), 2000 (vs.

Voorhees High School Voorhees High School is a four-year public high school located in Lebanon Township, named for Foster McGowan Voorhees, the 30th Governor of New Jersey. It is one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District ...

) and 2004 (vs.

West Essex High School West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which comprises the constituent municipalities of Essex Fells, Fairfield, N ...

). The team won the 2000 South Jersey Group II state sectional championship with a 2–1 win against

Camden Catholic High School Camden Catholic High School (CCHS) is a four-year comprehensive private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Cherry Hill, Camden County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates ...

in the tournament final and went on to finish the season at 22–1 after a double-overtime 2–1 win against Voorhees in the championship game played at

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

. The 2004 field hockey team won the Group II state championship, defeating West Essex in the tournament final. The girls basketball team finished the 1986 season with a 28–1 record, winning the Group II state title by a score of 76–66 in double overtime against

Harrison High School Harrison High School may refer to: in the United States ''(by state)'' *Harrison High School (Harrison, Arkansas), listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Harrison High School (Colorado Springs) — Colorado Springs, Colorado * Har ...

in the championship game. The 2007–08 team won the Colonial Conference and South Jersey Group II championships, defeating

Glassboro High School Glassboro High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Glassboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of the Glassboro ...

by a score of 47–42 to earn the team's first sectional title since 1986. The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 2006, 2016 and 2017, and the South Jersey Group I title in 2008. In 2006, the team won their first South Jersey Group II state sectional championship, defeating

Cinnaminson High School Cinnaminson High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cinnaminson Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Cinnaminson ...

by a final score of 43–17. The 2007–08 boys' basketball team won the Colonial Conference and South Jersey Group II championships, edging

by a 70–69 score. The girls track team won the indoor relay championship in Group I in 2018.

Administration

The school's principal is Michael Ostroff, His core administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

* John Aglialoro (born 1943, class of 1961), businessman and film producer. * B. J. Averell (born 1979, class of 1998), co-winner of ''

The Amazing Race 9 ''The Amazing Race 9'' is the ninth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race.'' It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS on February 28, 2006, and concluded on May ...

''. * Jacqueline Crahalla (Class of 1958), former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. * Dave Crossan (born 1940, class of 1958),

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who played in the NFL for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. * William K. Dickey (1920–2008, class of 1938), speaker of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

and chairman of the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of Penn ...

. *

Cathy Engelbert Catherine Engelbert is an American business executive and Commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Before joining the WNBA, she had been with Deloitte for 33 years, including as its first female CEO from 2015 to 2019. E ...

(born 1965, class of 1982), first female CEO of

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

and a Commissioner of the WNBA. * Steve Kaplan, former basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball co ...

and is ranked 8th all-time in career points in the league. *

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

(1936–1991, class of 1954), actor who had the nation's longest high school

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

– – in 1954. * Ted Laux (1916–1965), professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who played in the NFL for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. * Edwin Mills (born 1928, class of 1946), economist and professor emeritus at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. *

Ray Narleski Raymond Edmond Narleski (November 25, 1928 – March 29, 2012) was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cleveland Indians (1954–58) and Detroit Tigers (1959). He batted and threw right-handed. His father, Bill Narleski, ...

(1928–2012), professional baseball pitcher who played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. * Eddie Picken (1907–1994), early professional basketball player; younger brother of Jim. *

Jim Picken James Edison Picken (August 7, 1903 – April 2, 1975) was an early American professional basketball and minor league baseball player. He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio but grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey. Picken's basketball career during ...

(1903–1975, class of 1920), early professional basketball player; older brother of Eddie. *

Matthew Quick Matthew Quick (born October 23, 1973) is an American writer of adult and young adult fiction. His debut novel, ''The Silver Linings Playbook'', became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as a movie of the same name starring Bradley C ...

(born 1973, class of 1992), author of ''

The Silver Linings Playbook ''The Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2008 debut novel of American author Matthew Quick. Plot The book is narrated through the eyes of Pat Peoples, and occasionally Tiffany's through letters. A former history teacher who has moved back to his ...

''. *

Richard Sterban Richard Anthony Sterban (born April 24, 1943) is an American singer. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. In 1973, he joined the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, in which he sings bass. Personal life Born in Camden, New Jersey, Ste ...

(born 1943, class of 1960), bass singer who joined the country and gospel quartet

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was change ...

. *

Bucky Waters Raymond Chevalier "Bucky" Waters (born December 17, 1935) is an American basketball broadcaster with ESPN and Madison Square Garden Network and a retired basketball coach. He served as head basketball coach at West Virginia University from 1965 to ...

(born 1935), basketball broadcaster with

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and

Madison Square Garden Network The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable provider ...

and a retired

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

basketball head coach. *

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

(born 1945, class of 1963), former head coach of the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

and

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

men's basketball teams.Callahan, Kevin
"Gary Williams headed to Hall of Fame"
''

Courier-Post The ''Courier-Post'' is a morning daily newspaper that serves South Jersey in the Delaware Valley. It is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and serves most of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. The paper has 30,313 daily paid subscriber ...

'', April 8, 2014. Accessed August 7, 2019. "Gary Williams has gone from playing pickup basketball on the old courts outside Collingswood High School to the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame."

References

External links

School web pageCollingswood Public Schools
*
Data for the Collingswood Public Schools

Collingswood Panther Marching BandSouth Jersey Sports: Collingswood HS
{{Authority control 1910 establishments in New Jersey Collingswood, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1910 Oaklyn, New Jersey Public high schools in Camden County, New Jersey Woodlynne, New Jersey