The Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) is a

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

al four-year

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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 ...

located in the

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...

section of Middletown 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, 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 ...

. The school offers learning in all subjects, specializing in marine technology and science. It is one of five career academies administered by the

Monmouth County Vocational School District The Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) is a vocational and technical public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, providing vocational education to students across the county. Monmouth County Vocational ...

(MCVSD). MAST requires each student to participate in the Naval

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...

(NJROTC) every year as well as an Annual Military Inspection (AMI) in the spring or fall. The school's curriculum focuses on marine sciences and marine technology/engineering. The school offers small classes with close personal attention. As of the 2020–21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 283 students and 28.0 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 10.1:1. There were 4 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 th ...

and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Marine Academy Of Science And Technology

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 February 15, 2022. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.Marine Academy of Science and Technology
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 21, 2020. The Marine Academy is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. For the 1997–98 and 2013 school years, the Marine Academy was designated a

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

.Schools Recognized 1982 Through 2019
National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed January 21, 2020. MAST was selected by the Department of Education as a

New American High School The New American High Schools initiative, started in 1996 under the direction of the United States Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, is a national recognition program for United States secondary schools. Description In 1996, 1998, 1999, a ...

for the 1998–99 school year; among the many honors and awards the innovative program has received throughout its years. On April 15, 2007, in honor of the Marine Academy's 25th Anniversary, a proclamation by the Monmouth County

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the b ...

declared April 15 as "Marine Academy of Science and Technology Day" in Monmouth County.

History

Marine Academy was founded in 1981 as a part-time program which served an inaugural class of 53 students who attended their home high school in the mornings and took 2 hours of classes at MAST in the afternoon. The school has since become a full-time diploma-granting program.

Location and campus

MAST campus is located in the Fort Hancock Historic Area, as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The school is adjacent to the

Sandy Hook Lighthouse __NOTOC__ The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isa ...

, the oldest operating lighthouse in the country, and is within walking distance of several beaches. The campus includes 13 newly renovated buildings and various laboratories devoted to marine biology, marine chemistry, oceanography, C.A.D., and multi-media. The buildings were previously mess halls and latrines for the "Tent City" that was set up at Fort Hancock for a time during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A Technology Workshop, a Media Center containing a Computer Classroom, a Naval Science Building, a state of the art wet lab in the James J. Howard Marine Science laboratory, and other classrooms round out the facilities. There is also hands-on instruction on the school research vessel, the ''R/V Blue Sea'' for underclassmen and some seniors. The "R/V Blue Sea" is currently berthed at the Coast Guard Station on Sandy Hook. This vessel is extensively used throughout many core classes in the curriculum including marine biology, marine chemistry, marine physics, and oceanography. In the wake of significant damage to the Sandy Hook campus following

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

in October 2012, the MAST campus was temporarily relocated to St. Joseph's School in Keyport, in addition to the use of lab space at

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...

. As of September 9, 2013, MAST relocated back to its Sandy Hook campus.

NJROTC

All students at the Marine Academy participate in the Navy

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...

(NJROTC). The unit is designated as an Area 4 school and participates in many inter-unit competitions, the most prominent of which is the Drill Team. Cadets can participate in several disciplines including Freshmen, Color Guard, Armed Platoon, Unarmed Platoon, Unarmed Exhibition, and Armed Exhibition. In the past, MAST has been successful at several area competitions, including Neptune, Linden, and Area 4. Exceptional performance in the Area 4 Drill Competition (placing first in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012) has qualified the school for national competition in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

for those years. In 2016,the MAST Drill Team attended Navy Nationals once again in

, their first time back since 2012. Each year, cadets take a physical fitness test (PFT). The standards for this exam are based upon Navy guidelines. Grades range from "unsatisfactory" to "outstanding", and the result forms a part of the Naval Science grade for credit. Satisfactory PFT performance is a criterion for advancement and promotion. At the end of each year, qualified cadets are promoted to a rank and billet commensurate with academic performance, ability, and PFT results. The MAST unit is organized into a battalion with four companies and a headquarters section. The highest rank a cadet can achieve is Cadet Commander.

Awards

* For the 1997-1998 and 2013 school years, Marine Academy of Science and Technology received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. * MAST was one of two high schools recognized by the New Jersey "Star School" program in its inaugural year of 1993–94. MAST has been honored twice since with the New Jersey Department of Education's highest recognition for a New Jersey school, in both 1997-98 and 2003–04.New Jersey Star Schools Program Winners
/ref> * For the 1998–1999 school year, MAST received additional national recognition as the New American High School. * Best Practice Award (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) * New Jersey Governor's School of Excellence Award, October 2005 * Intel Scholastic 21st Century Schools of Distinction, 2004 finalist * Toyota Tapestry Award, 2002 * Designation as NJROTC Honor Unit/CNET Unit or Distinguished Unit with Honors: every year since 1990 *In 2005–06, the school averaged a 1875 combined SAT score, sixth highest of all public high schools statewide. *In April 2010, the MAST Ocean Bowl team competed at the

National Ocean Sciences Bowl The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a national high-school science competition managed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. It follows a quiz-bowl format, with lockout buzzers and extended team challenge questions to test students on th ...

and placed 2nd in the nation. *Schooldigger.com ranked the school as one of 16 schools tied for first out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (unchanged from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy (100.0%) and mathematics (100.0%) 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). *In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", ''

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'' ranked the school 364th in the nation among participating public high schools and 33rd among schools in New Jersey. *In September 2013, the academy was one of 15 in New Jersey to be recognized by the

as part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, an award called the "most prestigious honor in the United States' education system" and which Education Secretary

Arne Duncan Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator who served as United States Secretary of Education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools from 2001 to 2008. A lifelong resident of Chicago, Du ...

described as schools that "represent examples of educational excellence".2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private
pp. 15-17.

, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed September 25, 2013. *In April 2015 MAST was one of nine schools in the nation recognized by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) with the Excellence in Action Award. MAST won for its Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography program. NASDCTEc Executive Director, Kimberly Green, said of the winning programs, "Incredibly successful graduating their students at above average rates, building strong industry and community partnerships, and increasing students chances to obtain postsecondary credit and degrees and industry-recognized credentials," Moore, Earl
"MAST wins Excellence in Action award"
''

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 ...

'', April 20, 2015. Accessed November 11, 2016. In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 181st out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 28th among all high schools in New Jersey.

Other career academies

There are four other career academies /

sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...

s in the

. The other schools (with 2020–21 enrollment data) are: * Academy of Allied Health & Science (AAHS) in Neptune Township (306 students; in grades 9-12) *

Biotechnology High School Biotechnology High School (BTHS), or commonly referred to as Biotech, is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive vocational school, vocational state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school serving studen ...

(BTHS) in Freehold Borough (315; 9-12) *

Communications High School Communications High School (CHS) is a four-year magnet public high school and career academy serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United Stat ...

(CHS) in Wall Township (306; 9-12) *

High Technology High School High Technology High School (HTHS), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, United States, operated a ...

(HTHS) in the Lincroft section of Middletown TownshipHigh Technology High School
Monmouth County Vocational School District. Accessed January 20, 2020. (295; 9-12)

References

External links

Marine Academy of Science and TechnologyMonmouth County Vocational School District
*
School Data for the Monmouth County Vocational School District

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marine Academy Of Science And Technology Middletown Township, New Jersey 1981 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1981 NCSSS schools Magnet schools in New Jersey Monmouth County Vocational School District School Military high schools in the United States Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey Sandy Hook, New Jersey