Voorhees High School 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 ''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 ...

located in Lebanon Township, named for

Foster McGowan Voorhees Foster McGowan Voorhees (November 5, 1856 – June 14, 1927) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician, who served as the 30th governor of New Jersey from 1899 to 1902. Biography Voorhees represented Union Coun ...

, the 30th

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

. It is one of two high schools in the

North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District is a regional, four-year public high school district, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from twelve municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United St ...

, 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 seven municipalities in northern

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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

. 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.Voorhees High School

Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 7, 2022. Students come from the constituent municipalities of

Califon Califon is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 1,076,Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

, High Bridge, Lebanon Township and Tewksbury Township. Clinton Town and Glen Gardner residents can select either North Hunterdon or Vorhees High. As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 672 students and 72.3 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 9.3:1. There were 26 students (3.9% 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 10 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Voorhees 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 February 1, 2024.

History

Voorhees High School, constructed at a cost of $7.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ), opened for the 1975-76 school year, helping end overcrowding that necessitated split sessions at

North Hunterdon High School North Hunterdon High School is a four-year regional public high school serving students from six municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, as one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High Sch ...

. Students in the following areas, except for incoming 12th graders (seniors), were reassigned to Vorhees High: Lebanon Township,

Califon Califon is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 1,076,High Bridge, and Tewksbury Township. The lot reserved for Voorhees High School was unusually long and narrow, which posed an engineering and design challenge. To solve this, Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects designed the school building to be nearly in length and three stories tall. In 1980, a addition was built, adding a second gymnasium and cafeteria, technology laboratories, and additional classrooms to all three floors. Voorhees High School Addition Plaque

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, the North Hunterdon-Voorhees High School District undertook a large solar power installation project, which was completed in November 2022. Voorhees High School's photovoltaic system totals 655.2 kilowatts. Glen Gardner students were zoned only to Voorhees High until 2014 after which Clinton and Glen Gardner residents were given the option to select which high school they wished to attend.

Awards, recognition and rankings

In 2015, Voorhees High School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of nine public schools, recognized as a

National 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, ...

in the exemplary high performing category 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 ...

. In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 233rd out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 38th among all high schools in New Jersey and 21st among the state's non-magnet schools. 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 24th in New Jersey and 830th nationwide. In ''

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 ...

's'' May 22, 2007, issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Voorhees High School was listed in 1118th place, the 36th-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was the 43rd-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 48th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 59th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 41st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 30th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 83rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 40 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (88.1%) and language arts literacy (97.0%) 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). The school was the Consumer Bowl 2006 and 2007 state champion, a program that evaluates the skills of students as informed consumers. The architects of Voorhees High School, Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects, achieved a design award, "Outstanding Planning and Design", from the New Jersey Department of Education. Additionally, in the Annual State School of the Year awards program, Voorhees High School was judged best high school because of "The simplified form of the building, restrained use of materials and color, precision detailing, the play of sun and shadow and the wonderful site and setting."

Athletics

Voorhees High School VikingsVoorhees 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

Skyland Conference The Skyland Conference is a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The conference is made up of 22 public and parochial high schools covering Hunterd ...

, which comprises public and private high schools in Hunterdon,

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_ ...

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 Angl ...

counties in west

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 761 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range. The football team competes in Division 2A 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 Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, Somerset,

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 counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 680 to 884 students. The district approved a plan in 2010 for construction of an $850,000 artificial turf field to be mainly be used for football. Voorhees' football team was unable to use its grass field between 2008 and 2009 when glass shards and other debris was found in the turf. The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 1981–1983, 1995, 1996 and 1998; the Central Jersey Group III title in 1983, 1985-1989 and 1991; the North Jersey II Group II title in 2004 and 2013; and the North Jersey II Group III title in 2015 and 2018. The team won the state Group II title in 1982 and 1995, and the Group III title in 1985 and 1987. The program's 15 sectional titles are the seventh-most of any public high school in the state. The team won the program's fourth state title and finished the season with an 18-1 record after winning the Group II championship 40-21 against

Buena Regional High School Buena Regional High School is a comprehensive regional public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from communities in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Buena Region ...

. The boys' cross country team won the Group II state championship in 1981-1983, 2015 and 2016.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The team won the 2015 Group II state championship, the team's first state title since 1983. The 1984 softball team won the Group III state championship in 1984, defeating Ramsey High School by a score of 3-0 on a three-run home run in the fourth inning of the tournament final 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 ...

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

/ ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'' ranked Voorhees as their number-one softball team in the state in 1984. The team won the 1998 Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship, defeating

Raritan High School Raritan High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hazlet Township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hazl ...

by a score of 1–0 in the first round and

Manasquan High School Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone high school of the Manasq ...

by 4–1 in the semifinals, before defeating

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

by a score of 8–2 in the tournament final. They lost 1–0 to a nationally ranked

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

team in extra innings on a controversial call at the plate to end their playoff run in the Group II championship. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 1993 and 1996, won the North II Group II title in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2016, and won the North II Group II title in 2006.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The field hockey team won the 2002 North II, Group II sectional championship, edging

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentucky ...

3–2 in the final game. The 2006 team won the North II, Group III tournament with a 1–0 win over

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 ...

. The 1995 Voorhees football team won the Central Jersey Group II state championship. Voorhees High School's

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

team competes in an annual Milk Can Game against rival

. After the conclusion of the game, a golden milk can is awarded to the winner, which earns bragging rights and ownership of the can until the next year's game. The 36th annual Milk Can Game was played in November 2011, with Voorhees winning at home by a score of 13–7 to end a five-year streak by North Hunterdon.Loigu, Andy
"Voorhees High School upsets North Hunterdon in Milk Can Game"
''Lehigh Valley Live'', November 19, 2011. Accessed November 19, 2011. "The seniors for Voorhees High School walked off Rich Degnan Field as winners of The Milk Can for the first time in their rivalry game against North Hunterdon on Friday evening after a 13–7 win over North Hunterdon. However, North Hunterdon has won the can for the last five years." With a 14–7 win in 2018, North Hunterdon had won seven consecutive games in the series and holds an overall record of 30–12–1 in the 43 Milk Can games played between the two schools.

called the Milk Can "maybe the most famous trophy in New Jersey football" and listed the rivalry in the fifth spot on their 2007 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". The girls cross country team won the Group III state title in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2006-2009, and won the Group II championship 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2017. The team's 10 group titles are the fourth-most of any school in the state.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The girls cross country team won the Meet of Champions in 1990, 2007, 2008 and 2012; the program's four state team titles are tied for third-most in the state. The girls track team won the Group III winter / indoor track state title in 2001 and 2012. The girls' track team won the Group II indoor relay championship in 2001. The girls' basketball team won the 2000 Central, Group II title over

Delaware Valley Regional High School Delaware Valley Regional High School is a regional, four-year public high school and school district, that serves students in western Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The high school is located in Alexandria Township. Students hail from the townsh ...

, 62–42. The boys fencing team won the overall state championship in 1986, 1994 and 2005. The team won in 2005 when they defeated Ramapo High School 14–13 in the tournament final. The girls fencing team won the overall state championship in 1996 and was épée team winner in 2004 and 2010.

Administration

The school's principal is Ron Peterson. His core administration team includes five assistant principals.

Notable alumni

* Thomas Zander Bleck, (born 1985, class of 2003), recording artist, vocalist and songwriter. * Lee Getz (born 1964), former

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

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

in 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 ...

. *

Alison Haislip Alison Fesq Haislip (born February 6, 1981) is an American actress and former television personality for ''Attack of the Show!'' on the first incarnation of the G4 network and the NBC reality singing competition show ''The Voice''. Early lif ...

(born 1981, class of 1999), actress and TV correspondent. *

Brett Jungblut Brett Jungblut is an American professional poker player, born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and based in Las Vegas, Nevada. With only one class left to graduate college, Jungblut dropped out to pursue his dream as a professional poker player. ...

(born 1979, class of 1997), poker player, won the World Championship Omaha Hi/Lo event in 2004 at the

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...

. *

Doug Payne Doug Payne (born December 2, 1981) is an American equestrian. Payne was part of the American gold medal-winning eventing team at the 2019 Pan American Championships as well as finishing fourth in the individual competition in Lima, Peru. He has ...

(born 1981, class of 2000), American equestrian who was selected to compete for the United States in the delayed

2020 Summer Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. *

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(born 1981, class of 2000), editor, political commentator and author who serves as the online editor of ''

Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...

''. * Michele Smith (born 1967, class of 1985), two-time Olympic Softball Gold Medalist with the U.S. National Team, having played in the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. Smith set school records for wins, strikeouts and no hitters and was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 1998. * John P. Thornton (born 1984), business executive who is CEO of

Astrobotic Technology Astrobotic Technology is an American privately held company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates with the goal of w ...

."Voorhees boys fencers get back on winning track"
''New Jersey Hills'', January 9, 2002. Accessed February 7, 2022. "'We think the foil squad is solid, and the épée team had been good with Brian Luteran, John Thornton and Greg Haislip, but the saber squad is still a question, except for Chris Sakos.'"

References

External links

Voorhees High School website
*
Voorhees High School

{{Authority control Califon, New Jersey Glen Gardner, New Jersey Hampton, New Jersey High Bridge, New Jersey Lebanon Township, New Jersey Tewksbury Township, New Jersey 1975 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1975 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Hunterdon County, New Jersey