Holmdel High School is a comprehensive community four-year

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 ...

serving 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 Holmdel Township, in Monmouth County,

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 ...

, United States, operating as the lone secondary school in the Holmdel Township Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1977.Holmdel High School

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed April 4, 2020. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 950 students and 82.8 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 11.5:1. There were 13 students (1.4% 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 3 (0.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Holmdel 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. Holmdel High School is known for academic, athletic, and artistic excellence. The school regularly ranks highly in academic competitions. Holmdel sports teams, notably the field hockey and boys tennis teams have been

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 ...

(NJSIAA) state champions.

History

Until 1962, the district had sent students in grades nine to twelve to

Keyport High School Keyport High School is a four-year public high school in Keyport, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operated as the lone secondary school of the Keyport Public Schools. Students f ...

as part of a

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 ...

. The district started sending students to Red Bank High School in 1962 and then

Red Bank Regional High School Red Bank Regional High School (often abbreviated RBR) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the boroughs of Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbu ...

when that district was established in 1969, which ended when the district opened Holmdel High School. The high school opened in September 1970 with a ninth grade that was housed in a middle school building that had been constructed two years earlier. While less than 60% of graduating eighth-graders in 1969 moved on to Red Bank High School, nearly all of the students who completed eighth grade in Holmdel in 1970 moved on to attend the new high school. The high school was constructed at a cost of $8.2 million (equivalent to $ million in ) and a design capacity of 965 students, with a building that featured many large roof spans above open spaces and unusually shaped rooms that added substantially to the cost above those of other facilities constructed at the same time for comparable numbers of students. Ground was broken for the new facility in September 1971 and the first group of 701 students started attending the school two years later, in September 1973.

Awards, recognition and rankings

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 91st out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 19th among all high schools in New Jersey and sixth among the state's non-magnet schools. In Newsweek's annual list of the top public high schools in America for 2015, Holmdel High School ranked at number 41 in the nation, the 13th-highest in New Jersey and the third-ranked of the state's non-selective high schools. In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' ranked the school 244th in the nation among participating public high schools and 19th among schools in New Jersey. The school was ranked 179th in the nation and 13th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by ''

'' / ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'', with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

/ ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students. In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the school was ranked 20th in New Jersey and 735th nationwide. In ''

's'' May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Holmdel High School was listed in 480th place, the ninth-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was ranked as the 45th-best public secondary school in New Jersey and the 380th-best in the U.S. in ''

'' magazine's listing of "America's Best High Schools" in 2006., and was ranked 426th in the 2005 rankings. The school was the 12th-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 13th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 17th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 11th in 2008 out of 316 schools. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 38th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 1 position from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (94.3%) and language arts literacy (97.2%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA). The chess team competes with other schools in the Shore Chess League of New Jersey (SCLNJ). The chess team won the 2005 New Jersey High School Booster Championship, and in 2006 won the New Jersey High School Varsity Championship. Holmdel High School is home to ''Baseball Primetime,'' a regional cable television show that won the 2005 New York-area National Television High School Award for Excellence in the Sports category. The

American Computer Science League ACSL, or the American Computer Science League, is an international computer science competition among more than 300 schools. Originally founded in 1978 as the Rhode Island Computer Science League, it then became the New England Computer Science Le ...

2005-06 competition was held May 27, 2006, at

Lakota East High School Lakota East High School is a four-year, public high school in Liberty Township, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is a member of the Lakota Local School District, which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township. The ...

, with the Holmdel High School team coming in third in the three-member team competition.

Campus

Holmdel High School is physically connected to the William R. Satz Middle School and is notable for its unusual

hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A '' regular hexagon'' has ...

architecture. The oldest part of the building structure is the English/Humanities Hallway, with classroom numbers running in the 100s. The main part was completed in 1973, including the Commons, the 400s, the 500s, the Library, the Gym, the Complex Auditorium, and the TV Studio. The 400s (and 500s on the second floor) are eccentrically designed in a circular fashion, with both ends reaching the Commons. They surround the Library and Conference area. In addition to classrooms, the 400s wing also houses the Humanities Department Office, ''The Sting'' newspaper office, and ''Creation'' yearbook office. The Commons is the main meeting area of the school, with lunch, school events, and many after-school activities taking place there. Within the Commons is the Chartwells Lunch Service, where students buy food. The Commons is also a main advertising area for school events, such as club fundraisers, activities, sports events, and annual functions like Powderpuff and Spirit Week. The Complex Auditorium features state-of-the-art sound systems and hosts a multitude of events, ranging from the Holmdel Theater Guild annual productions to Holmdel

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

meetings. The large gym hosts basketball games and daily physical education classes. The TV studio hosts classes and TV production after school. The Library consists of several thousand volumes, and also contains nearly 40 desktop computers for student use. In 2000, construction of a new 600s/700s wing was completed, bringing new science facilities to the school. In 2004, construction of a new 800s/900s wing was completed, hosting both language and science classrooms. A new multipurpose gymnasium/cafeteria and the adjacent kitchen were constructed in 2004. However, the gymnasium's length is three feet short of the minimum that is required to host varsity basketball games and the kitchen has never been used because it was constructed without the proper ventilation systems. The Board of the Holmdel was disappointed with the implications of the construction error. States former president Mark Mawerds, "The carelessness that took place has resulted in a space that is not functional. The next rebuild will be done by professionals only." Because of the open space Holmdel houses, the several dozen acres behind the school contain soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse, football, tennis, and track sports areas. The combination football/track field is known as Bob Roggy Field, named after the Holmdel alumnus who set the world

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

record. It was renovated as part of a project that began in 2006, which included the construction of a new six-lane track and a synthetic turf to replace the existing grass field. On Holmdel High School grounds is the Duncan Smith Theater, named after a Holmdel alumnus, in which Holmdel Theater Company and Holmdel Theater Guild productions are regularly performed.

Extracurricular activities

The students of Holmdel participate in a variety of activities, ranging from sports to academic clubs to artistic organizations on campus. The largest sport is track, and the largest extracurricular club is the

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club's goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. Key Club International is the hig ...

. Other clubs include Best Buddies,

Future Business Leaders of America The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is an American career and technical student organization headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1940, FBLA is a non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), Middle Level ("FBLA ...

, ''Creation'' yearbook, ''The Sting'' newspaper, Eco Club, SPCA Club, Transitions, Model U.N, Operation Smile, Heroes and Cool Kids, and C.O.I.N . Holmdel also has a National Honors Society chapter. The Holmdel High School TV Society finished its second season of ''The Hornet Report'', a news show about Holmdel High School and the local community. The show was developed by Athletic Director Randy Westrol, Television Production Teacher David Kaiserman, and students Joe Ponisi, Michael Stanziale, and Monika Marciszewski. The Hornet Report won a 2011 Telly Award. The TV Society also won the 2011 NJM BIANJ Award for its

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

, "Don't Press Send Until Your Ride Ends". The Holmdel Theatre Guild is Holmdel High School's resident theatre production company. Each year, it hosts three major productions, including a fall drama, winter musical, and a one-act play festival in the spring. The Holmdel mascot is the Hornet. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

the British named this area the Hornet's Nest because the sting from the town's fighting patriots meant frequent defeat to the British raiders. The Student Advisory Board is the main student governing body of the school. It is responsible for approving/denying fundraisers, dealing with club and organization issues, and serving as a liaison between the administration and the student body. The Student Council, on the other hand, deals with issues specific to each grade. The Student Council of the Holmdel High School is a separate entity from the Student Advisory Board. The Student Council consists of class officers, e.g. Freshman President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two S.A.B. representatives. The band program offered in Holmdel High School has won numerous awards from various festivals and ranked competitions. The band program in Holmdel High School consists of a symphonic band and a jazz ensemble. The jazz band is audition-only and travels to numerous competitions in the tri-state area every year. Many students from the band program successfully audition for various honors ensembles, including the All Shore Jazz and Symphonic Bands and CJMEA Region Bands.

Athletics

The Holmdel High School HornetsHolmdel High School

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in Division A Central of the

Shore Conference The Shore Conference is an athletic conference of private and public high schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey, centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County ...

, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and

Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

counties along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020

. Accessed November 15, 2020. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 712 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III South for football for 2018–2020. The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with

Marlboro High School Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, ...

as the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. The girls' tennis team has won the Group I title in 1978 (defeating

Chatham Township High School Chatham Township High School (CTHS) was a public high school that existed from 1962 through 1988, located on Lafayette Avenue in Chatham Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. CTHS had as its mascot the Gladiator. The school bec ...

in the finals), Group II in 1999 (vs. Chatham High School), 2014 (vs. Summit High School), 2015 (vs. Ramapo High School), 2016 (vs.

Haddonfield Memorial High School Haddonfield Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Haddonfield, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary schoo ...

), 2017 (vs. Haddonfield) and 2018 (vs.

Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

) and won in Group III in 2005 (vs. Wall High School); the program's seven state titles are tied for tenth-most in the state. Holmdel won the Tournament of Champions in 2005 against runner-up

Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to: * The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia * Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana) * Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts * Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts * West ...

. The 1978 team won the Group I state title in the tournament final at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

with a 4-1 win against a Chatham Township team that beat Holmdel 4-1 the previous year. The 1999 team won against

Pascack Hills High School Pascack Hills High School (PHHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two secondary schools serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, New ...

4-1 in the semis and defeated Chatham 3-2 in the tournament finals at

Mercer County Park The Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is a recreational park located in Mercer County, New Jersey – mostly within West Windsor Township, but also with small western sections extending into Hamilton and Lawrence Townships. Originally and sti ...

. The team won the program's fifth consecutive Group II title with a 3-2 win in 2018 against Northern Valley at Demarest. The girls cross country team won the Group II state championship from 1982-1984 and 2019. The boys' tennis team won the Group II state championship in 1983 (against runner-up

Tenafly High School Tenafly High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school in Tenafly in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Tenafly Public Schools. ...

), 1984 (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 ...

), 2002 (vs. Moorestown), 2012 (vs.

), 2013 (vs.

Bernards High School Bernards High School is a comprehensive high school, comprehensive four-year regional state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school serving students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades in Somerset County, Ne ...

), 2015 (vs. Summit High School), 2016 (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, No ...

), 2017 (vs.

) and 2018 (vs.

). The program's nine state titles are tied for tenth-most in the state. The team won the 2002 Tournament of Champions with a 3-2 win against

Dwight-Englewood School The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in three ...

. A 5-0 win against Northern Valley Demarest in 2017 earned the team their third straight Group II title. The 2018 team won the program's fourth consecutive Group II title with a 4-1 win against Haddonfield in the finals at

. The boys cross country team won the Group II state championship in 1994, 1995, 2001, 2011 and 2012. In 1998 and 1999, the boys' basketball team won back-to-back Group II state championships by defeating West Morris Mendham High School both seasons. The 1998 team won the program's first state title with a 67-52 against West Morris Mendham in the Group II championship game. The team won its second consecutive Group II title in 1999 with a 55-51 win against West Morris Mendham in the tournament final at the

Atlantic City Convention Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's pri ...

. The 1999 team went on to defeat

Parsippany High School Parsippany High School (also known as PHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two high schools in the township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Parsippany-Tr ...

in the quarterfinals of the Tournament of Champions by a score of 77-55 before falling to eventual ToC champion

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...

by a score of 63–42 in the semifinals. In 2001, the baseball team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship, beating Spotswood High School by a score of 7–1. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional title in 2007 and the North II Group III title in 2008. In 2007, the field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group II sectional championship with a 2–1 win over

Allentown High School Allentown High School is a public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from three communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Upper Freehold Regional School District. The scho ...

in the tournament final. The boys soccer team won the Group III state championship in 2010 (defeating Chatham High School in the tournament final), and won the Group II title in 2017 (vs. Dover High School) and 2018 (vs.

Glen Rock High School Glen Rock High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Glen Rock, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Glen Rock Public ...

). In 2006, the boys' soccer team won the North II Group III state sectional championship, beating

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 ...

4–2, before losing in the Group III state championship game by a score of 3–0 to Ramapo High School. In 2010, the team finished the season with a 22-1 record, having won the Group III title, the program's first, with a 2–1 win over Chatham in the championship game. The victory was the first and only Group III championship won by Holmdel in any sport.LoGiudice, Daniel
"NJ boys soccer: 30 greatest Jersey Shore teams ever"
''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'' is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state. It has been owned by Gannett since 1997. Its reporting staff has been awarded numerous national hon ...

'', June 16, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020. "2010 Holmdel (22-1) - The first of three group titles for Holmdel and head coach John Nacarlo, the Hornets won their historic title with a 2-1 win against Chatham in the Group III final." The 2017 team finished the season with a 21-1-1 record after winning the program's first championship in the Shore Conference Tournament title with a 7-1 win against

Ocean Township High School Ocean Township High School (OTHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school in the Ocean Township ...

in the finals and taking the Group II title with a 4-1 win against Dover in the championship game played at

Kean University Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as th ...

. The 2018 team won the program's third state title and second in two years after a 3-1 win against Glen Rock in the Group II finals, to finish the season 22-0-1. Holmdel girls' soccer varsity won the NJSIAA Group II state championship in 2014, the program's first, with a 1–0 victory in the tournament final against Ramapo High School.

Controversy

While attending an off-site pre-season football training camp in the summer of 1989 at Camp Green Lane located in Pennsylvania, senior members of the Holmdel Hornets Football team were alleged to have committed acts of "hazing," forcing underclassmen (mostly sophomores) to remove their clothing and play a game of Twister. The event was videotaped. ''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...

'' of November 12, 1989, is quoted as stating that "some coaches reportedly were disciplined." The incident also appeared on an episode of ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'', a news tabloid show on

WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship W ...

, Fox Television, in 1989. As a result of the incident, all of the school's 85 football players reportedly were ordered to undergo mental health counseling. In 1991, the sophomores who had been hazed (then seniors) went 9-2 and were the runner up for the Central Jersey Group II state sectional title. In 1997, Holmdel High School had an additional incident of hazing in the news, related to the soccer team. More than 200 people attended a Board of Education meeting after hazing reports surfaced. Many were angry that someone had complained about hazing. "Soccer is not a sport of the timid," a mother told the board, according to the ''

''. In September 2005, a lawsuit was filed against the Holmdel Board of Education on behalf of a lesbian student claiming that she had been abused and assaulted by fellow students, including an incident where she injured her ankle after being pushed down a stairway. In Fall 2005, six-year head football coach Joe O'Connor stepped down in protest against the school administration's reinstatement of a player he had dismissed from the team. In a show of support for O'Connor's stand, all nine assistant football coaches resigned as well. In October 2013, Laurie Cancalosi, an openly gay physical education teacher at Holmdel, was awarded $800,000 in a wrongful termination lawsuit that also alleged that the district had created a

hostile work environment In United States labor law, a hostile work environment exists when one's behavior within a workplace creates an environment that is difficult or uncomfortable for another person to work in, due to illegal discrimination. Common complaints in sexua ...

. In May 2018,

Kenilworth Public Schools The Kenilworth Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the borough of Kenilworth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2019–20 ...

superintendent Thomas Tramaglini was charged for lewdness, littering, and public defecation after being caught defecating on the Holmdel High School track after police and school officials found human feces near the bleachers "daily".

Administration

The school's principal is Dr. Matthew Kukoda. His administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

* John Burke (born 1971), former professional football player who played in the NFL for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. * Johnny Cannizzaro (class of 2001), stage, film and television actor and writer who appeared in the film ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of th ...

''. * John Cannon (born 1960), former

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played nine seasons for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. * Sean Davis (born 1993), professional soccer player for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. *

Christopher Dell Christopher William Dell (born 1956) is a career United States Foreign Service officer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Angola, Zimbabwe, and Kosovo. Early life and education Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Dell moved with his family to H ...

(born 1956, class of 1974), diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. *

Jodi Kantor Jodi Kantor (born April 21, 1975) is an American journalist. She is a ''The New York Times, New York Times'' correspondent whose work has covered the workplace, technology, and gender. She has been the paper's Arts & Leisure editor and covered tw ...

(born 1975, class of 1992), reporter for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and author of ''The Obamas''. *

Quenton Nelson Quenton Emerson Nelson (born March 19, 1996) is an American football guard for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, where he was a unanimous All-American, and was selected by ...

(born 1996),

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

who has played in the NFL for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. * Michael V. Pomarico (born 1955, class of 1974), six-time Emmy Award Winner who was a member of the school's first graduating class and produced the 2006 documentary ''Coming Home Again - An Evening With Dr. Richard White'' about the school's history. *

Bob Roggy Bob Roggy (August 6, 1956 in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, United States – August 4, 1986) was a javelin thrower from the United States. He set the world best year performance in 1982, throwing 95.80 metres in Stuttgart, West Germany on Aug ...

(1956–1986, class of 1974), who set the American

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 ...

record in the early 1980s, whose javelin is on display in the front entrance hall of Holmdel HS, and after whom the Holmdel HS football field and track is named. *

Lorene Scafaria Lorene Scafaria (born 1978) is an American filmmaker, playwright, musician, and former actress. She wrote and directed the films ''Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' (2012), ''The Meddler'' (2015), and '' Hustlers'' (2019), in addition ...

(born 1978, class of 1995), actress and writer of several screenplays of films including ''

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World ''Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' is a 2012 American apocalyptic romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as a pair of st ...

'' starring

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott (The Office), Michael Scott in ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the The Office (B ...

and

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

.Bourbea, Mary Ann
"Holmdel Writer Brings Her Story to Hollywood"
''The Two River Times'', May 25, 2016. Accessed February 5, 2018. "After graduating from Holmdel High School in 1995, Scafaria studied English with a writing concentration and a theater minor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, and later transferred to Montclair State University, where she earned her degree."

References

External links

*
Holmdel High School The Sting NewspaperHolmdel Forums
*
School Data for the Holmdel Township Public Schools

DigitalSports HomepageHolmdel Hornets Football Alumni Association
{{Authority control 1970 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1970 Holmdel Township, New Jersey Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey