Old Bridge High School
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Old Bridge High School (formed from combining the former Cedar Ridge and Madison Central High Schools) 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 Old Bridge Township in Middlesex 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 of the
Old Bridge Township Public Schools The Old Bridge Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2016-17 sc ...
. The school is located on County Route 516 in Old Bridge Township, however, it is assigned a Matawan mailing address. 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 1970.Old Bridge High School
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. Accessed February 9, 2022.
Through partnerships with
Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
and
Middlesex County College Middlesex College, formerly known as Middlesex County College, is a Public college, public community college with its main campus in Edison, New Jersey. Founded by the Middlesex County Board of Elected Freeholders in 1964, the two-year college ...
, students can take college courses for credit in both high school and college. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,711 students and 203.0 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 13.4:1. There were 314 students (11.6% 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 77 (2.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Old Bridge 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.
The school operates from 7:35 A.M. to 2:06 P.M. and runs on a 12-period schedule.


History

Old Bridge High School opened in September 1994. It was formed from the merger of Cedar Ridge High School and Madison Central High School, which were the two existing public high schools in Old Bridge Township. By the 1980s, the enrollment in the two predecessor schools had been little more than half the combined peak of 4,000 that had been reached in the 1970s. The district estimated that the combination of the two schools into a single facility would save $600,000 per year (equivalent to $ in ) after up-front costs of the merger estimated at $400,000. OBHS was originally set up as a two campus system having an East Campus at the former Cedar Ridge site containing Grades 9 and 10 and a West Campus at the former Madison Central site containing Grades 11 and 12. The entire high school is now located at the former Cedar Ridge High School (East Campus) and Carl Sandburg Middle School Building after an addition was added in 2004. The former Middle School building houses the Grade Nine Center. Dr. James Hickey was hired in 2003 and he oversaw a $26.8 million high school construction project that was completed in September 2005. The school developed a stricter but better learning environment as shown through student achievement and standardized test scores which have exceeded state standards. Out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 55% and student tardiness dropped by more than 60%, while scores on state exams rose more than 20% in mathematics and more than 10% in language arts literacy. For his work in transforming Old Bridge High School, Dr. Hickey was recognized as the New Jersey Principal of the Year in 2009. He was also recognized by the New Jersey State Board of Education. The district Superintendent of Schools also publicly recognized Dr. Hickey for his work in transforming OBHS. In 2010, Old Bridge High School became part of the Confucius Classroom following the implementation of a comprehensive Chinese program at the high school. Delegations from the school went to China in 2009 and 2010. In 2011 according to the New Jersey School Report Card, Old Bridge High School made
Adequate Yearly Progress Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing ac ...
(AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act by meeting 40 out of 40 indicators, a first for Old Bridge High School.


Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 158th-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 178th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 162nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 211th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 169th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 45 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (81.0%) and language arts literacy (93.6%) 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).


Athletics

The Old Bridge High School KnightsOld Bridge 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 in the
Greater Middlesex Conference The Greater Middlesex Conference is an athletic conference comprising 34 public and private high schools located in the greater Middlesex County, New Jersey area. The league operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Ath ...
, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in the Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the
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 ...
. With 2,082 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. The football team competes in Division 5C of the
Big Central Football Conference The Big Central Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in Central New Jersey. The 60-team league was formed in 2020. History The Big Central consists of the members of the former Mid-State 38 Conference and the foot ...
, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex,
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
,
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and
Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2018–2020. Old Bridge High School is known primarily for its cross country and track programs, while its bowling, wrestling, and volleyball programs have also been successful. The ice hockey team won the Handchen Cup in 1998 and the Dowd Cup in 2006. The 1998 team won the Handchen Cup with a 5-4 win against
Toms River High School East Toms River High School East is a comprehensive four-year public high school, the third high school built in Toms River in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Toms River Regio ...
in the championship game played at South Mountain Arena. The boys cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2015. The girls cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001. The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championships in 2001 and 2002 In 2001, the Knights football team, went on to play at
High Point Solutions Stadium SHI Stadium is the football stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse use the venue for home games. It is located on the Busch Campus at ...
in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to an undefeated
J.P. Stevens High School John P. Stevens High School (abbr. JP or JPS) is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school that serves students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades fr ...
team 14–7. In 2015, the Knights football team made a second appearance in the Central Jersey Group V title game, falling to an undefeated South Brunswick High School by a score of 42–0 in the tournament final. In 2018, Old Bridge and
East Brunswick High School East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school serving students in tenth through twelfth grades in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of East Brunswick Public Schools. ...
played their 25th and final Thanksgiving Day game, with Old Bridge winning 22 of the 25 games in the series. The two schools will continue to have a "Battle of Route 18" rivalry game that will be played as part of the regular schedule. The boys' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 2002 and 2010. The boys track team won the Group IV spring track state championship in 2005, 2006 and 2016. The boys track team won the indoor track Group IV state championship in 2008 and 2016. In 2008, the girls' softball team went to win the Red Division title for the second year in succession, the GMC Championship, and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 2–1 win against
Hunterdon Central Regional High School Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school, and regional school district that serves students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Students hail from ...
. In 2010, the boys' soccer team had the most successful soccer year in school history when they went on to play in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to
Freehold Township High School Freehold Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, and is part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students ...
by a score of 1–0 in the final. In the fall of 2012, the girls' soccer team completed the most successful soccer year in school history when they made the finals in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to Montgomery. The boys volleyball team won the overall state championship in 2018 (defeating
Southern Regional High School Southern Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school located in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades and operating as part of the S ...
in the final match of the tournament) and 2019 (vs.
Fair Lawn High School Fair Lawn High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Fair Lawn Pu ...
). In 2018, the team won the school's first Tournament of Champions title in any sport with a win in the finals against Southern Regional. The team repeated as state champion in 2019 with a win in three sets in the finals against Fair Lawn High School.


''The Challenge''

The school has been featured on the News 12/
Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its ex ...
(now MSG Varsity) game show ''The Challenge'' in which schools compete in a single-elimination trivia competition in order to advance toward a $10,000 prize. Their first year of competition was in 2008 when they defeated
Nutley High School Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Nutley Public Schoo ...
in the first round. In 2009, in their first round, they defeated Clifton High School at 315–240. In Round 2, they beat
Leonia High School Leonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from the Borough of Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Leonia Public Schools. Students ...
with a score of 320–240 before suffering a crushing defeat by St. Joseph's High School in Round 3 by a score of 420–240. Old Bridge High School was again chosen to compete on ''The Challenge'' in 2010–11a. Their first competition against
Eastern Christian High School Eastern Christian High School (ECHS) is a private Christian high school located in North Haledon, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The high school is a part of the Eastern Christian School Association which also has a middle scho ...
aired on MSG Varsity on February 3, 2011, with Old Bridge winning 290–240. Their second competition against Randolph High School aired on April 21, 2011, with Old Bridge again winning 395–290. Their next episode against
Manalapan High School Manalapan High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Manalapan Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students i ...
aired on May 19, 2011.


Marching Knights

The Old Bridge Marching Knights, also known as the OBHSMK, has been recognized as a competitive marching band for the past several years and has gained high ranks in more-than-one marching band circuits. In 2005, the OBHSMK gained a Silver-medal finalist position in the Tournament of Bands' Group III 2005 Atlantic Coast Championship with their show ''Wild Knights''.RECAP TOB - 2005 ACC AT MOSSIC PA
Accessed October 21, 2012
Their show ''Metamorphosis'' was ranked fourth place in the same competition in 2006 with a score of 95.00, making them a Gold-medal finalist.
Accessed October 21, 2012
OBHSMK transferred fro

t
USSBA
in 2007. Eventually, they were ranked fourth in the 2009 season in their USSBA circuit, with ''The Dark Knight''. In the 2010 season, the Marching Knights placed sixth in group IV with the theme ''Requiem for a Knightmare''. Recently in the 2011 season with the show ''In Motion'' the Marching Knights ranked sixth in group III and tied for Best Music. The Marching Knights were six-tenths of a point away from first place.Recap USSBA - National Championships At Annapolis, MD
, Accessed September 21, 2010.
In their 2012 season titled 'Into the Inferno,' the Marching Knights were undefeated in group III open. They placed first at Nationals in Metlife Stadium with a 96.375. The Old Bridge Marching Knights participated at the D-Day Anniversary Parade in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, France in June 2015 as one of five American bands participating in the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The band performed in the annual parade in
Sainte-Mère-Église Sainte-Mère-Église () is a commune in the northwestern French department of Manche, in Normandy. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Beuzeville-au-Plain, Chef-du-Pont, Écoquenéauville and Foucarville were merged into Sainte-Mère-Ég ...
. After winning the USBands Group 3 Open state championship, the band traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, in December 2018 to represent the state and the USS ''New Jersey'' in the Pearl Harbor anniversary parade.


Administration

Core members of the school's administration are the school's principals, as well as the three vice principals: *Vincent Sasso, Principal *Timothy Dolan, Principal of Ellen McDermott Grade Nine Center


Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Old Bridge High School and its predecessors include: * Adam Chazen (born 1986, class of 2004), special effects producer, best known for his work on the cable television series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'', for which he has received five Emmy Awards. * Steve Corodemus (born 1952, class of 1970), politician who served in 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 ...
from 1992 to 2008, where he represented the 11th Legislative District. * Quinton Crawford (born 1990), assistant coach for the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
of the NBA. *
Junot Díaz Junot Díaz (; born December 31, 1968) is a Dominican-American writer, creative writing professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and was fiction editor at ''Boston Review''. He also serves on the board of advisers for Freedo ...
(born 1968, class of 1987), Pulitzer Prize-Winning author *
Mikey Erg Mikey Erg (real name Mike Yannich) is a punk rock drummer, guitarist, and vocalist, from New Jersey. He has played in numerous bands, most famously The Ergs!, but also Star Fucking Hipsters, The Dopamines, The Unlovables, Dirtbike Annie, Paras ...
, punk rock drummer for
The Ergs! The Ergs! are an American punk rock band formed in 2000 in South Amboy, New Jersey, by three high school friends: drummer/lead vocalist Mikey Erg (Mike Yannich), guitarist/vocalist Jeff Erg (Jeff Schroeck), and bassist Joey Erg (Joe Keller). T ...
*
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(born 1976), professional poker player. *
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(born 1970), actor, known for character Miles on ''
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''. *
Caren Lissner Caren Lissner is an American novelist, essayist, and newspaper editor. Her published novels include ''Carrie Pilby'' (2003) and ''Starting from Square Two'' (2004). Early life Caren Lissner was born on February 13, 1973, in Elizabeth, New Jers ...
(born 1972, class of 1989), novelist. *
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(born 1961, class of 1979), writer and co-creator of
Deadpool Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. *
Brian O'Halloran Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film '' Clerks'' and its 2006 and 2022 sequels '' Clerks II'' and '' Clerks III' ...
(born 1969, class of 1987), actor famous for his role as Dante in the 1994
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
movie ''
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''. * Cameron Richardson (born 1979, class of 1997), actress, star of ''Alvin and the Chipmunks''. *
Mark Schlissel Mark Steven Schlissel (born November 24, 1957) is an American medical scientist and academic administrator who served as the 14th president of the University of Michigan from 2014 to 2022. Schlissel's initial contract with the University of M ...
(born 1957, class of 1975), president of the
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. * Anthony Seratelli, (born 1983, class of 2001), professional baseball player. * Shannon Sohn (born 1974, class of 1992), traffic reporter,
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. *
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" song.Acampora, Rob
"Jersey Girl Scores Major Gig for Nickelodeon"
WSJO WSJO (104.9 FM, "SoJO 104.9") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, through licensee Townsquare License, LLC, and broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format. WSJO broad ...
, March 26, 2012. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Colleen grew up just over the Monmouth County border in Old Bridge (the same town that produced Brian O'Halloran - Dante of ''Clerks'' and ''Clerks II'' fame), graduated from Cedar Ridge High School in 1989, and about a year after her graduation found herself on the big screen playing Amber Von Tussle in the 1988 hit movie ''Hairspray.''"


References


External links


Old Bridge High SchoolOld Bridge Township Public Schools
*
School Data for the Old Bridge Township Public Schools
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 ...
{{Authority control Old Bridge Township, New Jersey 1994 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1994 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Middlesex County, New Jersey