Sayreville War Memorial High School (SWMHS) is a 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 ''Öffentlichk ...

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 Parlin section of Sayreville, 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, serving students in ninth 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 as the lone secondary school of the

Sayreville Public Schools Sayreville Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from kindergarten to twelfth grade from Sayreville, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the distri ...

district. The school is home to the Sayreville Bombers, who are best known for their varsity football and track program. Sayreville's colors are blue and grey. The name "War Memorial" recognizes the

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 opposing ...

veterans who reside in the borough.Zernike, Kate; and Schweber, Nate
"Sayreville High School Arrests Divide a Town That Lived for Football"
''

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 d ...

'', October 12, 2014. Accessed September 27, 2016. "Maureen Jenkins, who organized the vigil on Sunday evening, noted that the original 'bombers' were the town's World War II veterans, not to mention the other teams at the high school." The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1946.Sayreville War Memorial High School
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 9, 2022. As of the 2020–21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,755 students and 135.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. There were 504 students (28.7% 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 128 (7.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Sayreville War Memorial High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 163rd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in '' New Jersey Monthly'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 241st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 232nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 213th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 217th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 222nd out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (an increase of 1 position from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).

Athletics

The Sayreville War Memorial High School BombersSayreville War Memorial High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. 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 greater Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Sports consist of tennis, bowling, softball, field hockey, soccer, basketball, swimming, football, cross country, track and field, baseball and wrestling. With 1,342 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 was reclassified into Central Jersey, Group V for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and then into North Jersey II, Group IV starting with the 2015 season. The football team competes in Division 5D of the Big Central Football Conference, 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_ ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

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. The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative field hockey and football teams with

South Amboy Middle High School South Amboy Middle / High School (also known as H. G. Hoffman High School) is a seven-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from South Amboy in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state ...

. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

Championships

The boys' basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1951 (defeating Verona High School in the tournament final) and 1952 (vs.

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

). The 1951 team won the Group I title with a 46-36 win against Verona in the championship game played in the Elizaebth Armory. The boys' track team won the Group IV state indoor relay championship in 1968. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 1975. The football team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III state sectional championship in 1997, the Central Jersey Group IV title in 2010, 2011 and 2012, the North Jersey II Group IV title in 2016 and the Central Jersey Group V title in 2018. The 2012 team finished the season 12-0 after winning the Central Jersey Group IV title with a 35-28 win against Middletown High School South in the championship game, the program's third straight sectional title; the 2004 team earned consideration from the ''

Courier News The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927. Notable employees *John Curley, former presid ...

'' as one of "the best in GMC history". The team won the 2016 North Jersey II Group IV title, defeating

Middletown High School North Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the tw ...

by a score of 41-13 in the finals. The team won the Central Jersey Group V title in 2018 with a 6-0 win against

North Brunswick Township High School North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary s ...

in the championship game and then went on to finish the season with a 12-1 record by defeating Williamstown High School by a score of 14-7 in the Central / South Group V bowl game. Prior to the creation of the playoff system, the team had unbeaten seasons in 1941 (6-0-1), 1946 (9-0) and 1949 (8-0). The boys' bowling team won the Group III state championship in 2008-2010 and 2013, 2015 and 2016; the program's six group titles are ranked second in the state. The team won the Tournament of Champions in 2008, 2009 and 2013 and 2016, making the program the only one to win the ToC more than twice. The wrestling team won the North II Group III state sectional championship in 2008 The boys track team won the Group IV spring track state championship in 2014.

Hazing

On October 6, 2014, in the wake of a criminal investigation into allegations of repeated serious hazing among members of the football team, Sayreville's school superintendent Richard Labbe, himself a former assistant football coach at SWMHS, announced the cancellation of the remainder of the high school's 2014 football season for its varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams. The school suspended seven students after county prosecutors charged them with crimes including sexual assault of their younger teammates, in a case that received widespread media coverage and "focused national attention on hazing". The athletic director resigned; the head coach was transferred to an elementary school; and the seven students remained suspended for the duration of the 2014–2015 school year. By August 2015, six of them were sentenced to probation and community service for lesser crimes ranging from hazing to simple assault. The seventh criminal case was settled in February 2016. According to junior varsity players, "the same thing had been done to them by upperclassmen when they were freshmen. It's been going on for a long time."

Administration

The current principal is Dale Rubino. His core administration team includes three vice principals: Michael Salum, Megan Romero, and Katelyn Zurawski.

Notable alumni

Carlo Alban Carlo Mauricio Alban (born October 3, 1979) is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from ''Sesame Street'' (1993–98). He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on ''Prison Break'' (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a varie ...

(born 1979, class of 1996), actor who appeared on ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

'' and '' Prison Break''. *

Barry T. Albin Barry T. Albin (born July 7, 1952) is an American lawyer and former judge from New Jersey. He served as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 2002 to 2022. A Democrat, Albin is noted for his jurisprudence in New Jersey's crim ...

(born 1952, class of 1970), justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

Members of the SWMHS Hall of Fame
Sayreville War Memorial High School. Accessed April 8, 2021.Becker, Arielle Levin

''

Home News Tribune The ''Central New Jersey Home News Tribune'' is a Daily newspaper serving Middlesex County, New Jersey. The paper has an average daily weekday circulation of about 49,000. The newspaper is the result of the 1995 merger of ''The Home News'' of E ...

'', May 21, 2005. Accessed October 13, 2014. "After graduating from high school in 1970, inductee Barry T. Albin went on to earn a law degree, serving as an assistant prosecutor, president of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and, since 2002, an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.... Rhonda Rompola a 1978 graduate won two national basketball championships while attending Old Dominion University." * Jon Bon Jovi (born 1962, class of 1980), lead singer of the rock band Bon Jovi *

Jamaal Bowman Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American politician and educator serving as the U.S. representative for since 2021. The district covers much of the north Bronx, as well as the southern half of Westchester County, including Mou ...

(born 1976), member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New York's 16th congressional district New York's 16th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives represented by Jamaal Bowman. The 16th district includes the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, includin ...

. * Randy Corman (born 1960, class of 1978), New Jersey politician and judge who represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 1994Acker, Michael
"Inductees include boro officials, judge, diver; Second annual round of SWMHS inductions scheduled for May"
''Suburban'', April 13, 2006. Accessed October 9, 2018. "The honorees in this second round of inductions - the Hall of Fame was created last year - are Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA) Executive Director and former state Sen. Randy Corman, Borough Councilman Stanley Drwal, national diving champion Reyne Borup Quackenbush, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Victor J. Wolski, and SERA Vice Chairman and volunteer firefighter Raniero Travisano.... Corman, who graduated from Sayreville with the class of 1978, is another public official being inducted into the Hall of Fame." *

Greg Evigan Gregory Ralph Evigan (born October 14, 1953) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He began his career in theater, appearing in the Broadway production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', followed by a stage production of the musical '' Gr ...

(born 1953, class of 1971), actor who appeared in ''

B.J. and the Bear ''B.J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series stars Greg Evigan. The series was produced when the CB ...

'' and ''

My Two Dads ''My Two Dads'' is an American sitcom television series that was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with Tri-Star Television (later Columbia Pictures Television) and distributed by TeleVentures. It starred Paul Reiser, Greg ...

'' *

Kene Eze Kene Eze (born January 21, 1992) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for FC Motown in the National Premier Soccer League. Career College and amateur A native of Sayreville, New Jersey, Eze attended Sayreville War Memorial High ...

(born 1992, class of 2010), soccer player for

North Geelong Warriors FC North Geelong Warriors Football Club, formerly known as North Geelong Croatia, is an Australian semi-professional soccer club from the regional Victorian city of Geelong. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, Au ...

, after setting SWMHS record with 106 career goals * Jehyve Floyd (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. * Marilyn Ghigliotti (born 1961, class of 1979), actress who played the character Veronica Loughran in Kevin Smith's cult hit ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

'' *

Myles Hartsfield Myles Hartsfield (born August 5, 1997) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Ole Miss. Early life and high school Hartsfield grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey and attended Sayreville War Memorial High ...

(born 1997),

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 wi ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

and

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for whi ...

(born 1975, class of 1993), actor on '' Psych'' and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'' *

Rhonda Rompola Rhonda Lee Rompola (born March 9, 1960) is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the head women's basketball coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1991 to 2016. Early life and education Rompola was born and raise ...

(born 1960, class of 1978), head women's basketball coach at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

* Edward D. Thalmann (1945–2004, class of 1962), expert in diving medicine * Mike Wasko (born 1964, class of 1982),

bobsledder Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

who competed in the four-man event at the 1988 Winter Olympics.Bourbeau, Garry
"Wasko is becoming man for all seasons"
'' The Record'', September 4, 1987. Accessed April 8, 2021, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

. "Mike Wasko always wanted to be in the Olympic Games. During a gold-studded track career at both Sayreville High School and Fairleigh Dickinson University, he was driven by that desire. He still wants to be an Olympian, but something has changed. Instead of the Summer Games, the former high hurdles star is aiming at the Winter Olympics." * John S. Wisniewski (born 1962, class of 1980), member 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 f ...

who has served as Deputy Speaker since 2004Peters, Jeremy W
"Politicians of All Stripes Join the Line for Bon Jovi"
''

'', December 16, 2007. Accessed September 20, 2011. "'Who would have thought?' said John S. Wisniewski, a Democratic assemblyman who graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School with Mr. Bon Jovi. 'I'm probably one of the few people in my graduating class who was involved in politics then and involved in politics now. And most of my friends looked at me like I had two heads.'" * Victor J. Wolski (born 1962, class of 1980), federal judge

References

External links

Sayreville High School websiteSayreville Public Schools website
*
School Data for the Sayreville Public Schools
National Center for Education Statistics {{Authority control Sayreville, New Jersey 1962 establishments in New Jersey Public high schools in Middlesex County, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1962