Wall High School 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 ''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 ...

that serves 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 from Wall Township in Monmouth County,

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

, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the

Wall Township Public Schools The Wall Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Wall Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 schoo ...

. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 990 students and 116.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.5:1. There were 52 students (5.3% 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 2 (0.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Wall High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.

History

Constructed at a cost of $2 million (equivalent to $ million in ) and designed to accommodate up to 1,260 students, the high school opened in September 1959 for grades 7-11 with an enrollment of 900. Students in twelfth grade that year attended

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 Manas ...

, which had served Wall Township as part of a

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

that was ended due to overcrowding at the Manasquan school.

Rankings

The school was the 90th-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 137th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 155th of 322 schools listed in 2010, 127th out of 316 in 2008, and 121st out of 316 in 2006. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 153rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 12 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above on the mathematics (84.2%) and language arts literacy (92.7%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment.

Extracurricular activities

Wall High School offers many clubs and after school activities, including the Environmental Club,

Mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...

, Key Club, National Honor Society,

National Art Honor Society The National Art Honor Society was established in 1978 in the United States by the National Art Education Association for high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the ...

, National Music Honor Society, DECA, NNDCC: Drill & Rifle Team, S.A.D.D. and

International Thespian Society The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Thespian troupes serve students in grades 9–12; Junior Thespian troupes s ...

Athletics

The Wall High School Crimson KnightsWall Township High School , NJSIAA
Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in Division B North of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020. The conference under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 790 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 school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III South for football for 2018–2020. Wall High School is known for its sports rivalry with

in Manasquan, with the two schools playing each other in front of crowds of 5,000 at their annual Thanksgiving Day American football game. The football rivalry with Manasquan dates back to 2001 and was listed at 10th on

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 ...

's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Wall leads the series with an overall record of 8-7 through the 2017 season. The school was the Group III winner of the 2019-20 Shop Rite Cup, which recognizes athletic achievement across all interscholastic sports. The boys soccer team won the Group III state championship in 1978 (defeating Ramapo High School in the playoff finals), 1979 (vs.

Dwight Morrow High School Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Engle ...

), 1980 (vs. James Caldwell High School), 1981 (vs. Randolph High School) and 2004 (vs.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (or SPFHS) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the Township of Scotch Plains and the ...

). Between 1978 and 1981, the team won four consecutive state titles, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the state.NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. From 1977 to 1983 the program had an overall record stood at 130-13-5 and had overall state rankings during their 1978-1981 championship streak of #2, #3, #1 and #1 (among 300 eligible schools). During those years, they won five straight Central Jersey Group III state sectional championships and had an NJSIAA state playoff record of 24 wins out of 25 games over a five-year span. The teams won five Wall Fall Festival Classics over this period as well and captured six straight Monmouth County Titles as well as winning the first ever Monmouth-Ocean County Championship. The 1978 team finished the season with a record of 23-2-1, including 13 shutouts, and capped off the year by winning the team's first state championship with a 4-1 win against Ramapo in the Group III finals. In 1979, the team won its second consecutive Group III championship with a 2-1 win against Dwight Morrow, to finish the season with a record of 21-4-1.LoGiudice, Daniel
"NJ boys soccer: 30 greatest Jersey Shore teams ever"
'' Asbury Park Press'', June 16, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020. "1978 Wall (23-2-1) Wall head coach Tom Farley in 1981 The beginning of one of the state's best dynasties, Wall began its four-year reign as Group III champions under head coach Tom Farley. The 1978 team, Farley's 14th season, defeated Ramapo 4-1 in the Group III final to win the program's first group title.... Senior fullbacks Allen Gray and Tom Graves were staunch defenders while senior goalkeeper Bill McNeel posted 13 shutouts. 1979 Wall (21-4-1) - Wall won its second straight Group III title with a 2-1 victory against Englewood and a second Monmouth County Tournament title in the tournament's two-year history by beating Neptune, an intense rival at the time, 5-4 in the final." The 1980 team ended the season with an 18-game unbeaten streak, capped off by a 3-2 championship-game win 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 st ...

against James Caldwell in the Group III finals that gave the team its third straight title and a record of 23-1-1 for the year. With

George Gelnovatch George Gelnovatch (born February 12, 1965) is the men's soccer coach at the University of Virginia. He played professionally in the MISL I, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League. As head coach, he has led Virginia Cava ...

leading the team with 20 goals, the 1981 team finished the season with a 23-1-1 record after a 4-1 win against Randolph in the Group III championship game, the program's fourth consecutive state title. The 1992 team won the Central Jersey Group III championship and in 1993 a Central Jersey Group II sectional title was added to the overall record. The 2004 team won the Group III state championship, the program's fifth state title and the first since it won four in a row from 1978 to 1981, with a 4-1 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in a game played at

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

, to finish the season with a record of 19-3-3. The Wall High School soccer program was founded by Harry Baldwin, a member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame, and has produced nearly 50 All-State players. Wall High School's first soccer captain and Soccer America Professional Coach of the Year, Gary Hindley, played here. These teams had two coaches, Tom Farley and Jim Carhart, who together have coached for nearly 50 years and combined have won nearly 700 games. Farley won the National Coach of the Year title in 1979. Carhart has won regional and state coaching honors several times. Top soccer players at Wall include

Tom Kain Tom Kain (born July 1, 1963) was the director of sports marketing at Nike. He is also a retired U.S. soccer midfielder. He played collegiate soccer at the Duke University where he was named as the top collegiate player winner in the 1985 Herm ...

, America's top player at Duke and Walls's only Olympian, and

, runner-up as the US's top player as well as All American. In 2009, displays were erected and a Hall of Fame established honoring the overall success of WHS soccer teams. The football team won the Central Jersey Group III title in 1982, 1983, 2002 and 2019, and won the South Jersey Group III title in 2016. The 1982 team finished the season 11-0 after winning the program's first Central Jersey Group II sectional title with a 21-0 win against

South Plainfield High School South Plainfield High School (or SPHS) is a four-year, co-ed comprehensive community public high school located in South Plainfield in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades and operating ...

in the playoff finals. In front of a championship-game crowd of 9,000, the 1983 team won the Central Jersey Group III title with a 21-3 win against

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

to finish the season with an 11-0 record. The team won the 2016 South Jersey Group III state sectional championship, defeating reigning four-time champion

Delsea Regional High School Delsea Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Elk Township (feeding into Delsea from Aura Elementary School, which serves grades PreK-6) and Frank ...

by a score of 20-7 in the tournament final. The team won their fifth sectional title in 2019 with a 14-13 win against Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. The baseball team won the Group III state championship in 1983 (vs. Indian Hills High School), 2004 (vs.

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 ...

) and 2019 (vs.

West Morris Central High School West Morris Central High School (WMCHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. It is one of two high schools in ...

), and won the Group II title in 1994 (vs.

Jefferson Township High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Village, Arkansas *Thoma ...

). Head Coach Todd Schmitt retired in 2019 with 403 wins and two state titles (in 2004 and 2019), four state sectional titles (2002, 2004, 2008 and 2019) and two Shore Conference titles (in 2003 and 2004). The 2004 baseball team won all four championships (division, Shore Conference, Middlesex County Tournament and Group title), becoming the first Shore Conference baseball team to achieve that milestone. The 2004 team, which defeated

by a score of 402 in the Group III final, was listed by the '' Asbury Park Press'', as one of the best baseball teams in Shore Conference history. The team won the Group III title in 2019 with a 10-2 win against West Morris Central High School. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group III state sectional championship in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2008-2010 and won the Central Jersey Group II title in 2013 and 2015; the team won the Group III state championship in 2008 vs. runner-up

Holmdel High School Holmdel High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Holmdel Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school in the ...

. In 2008, the field hockey team won the Group III title with a 1-0 win on a second-half goal against Holmdel in the tournament finals and continued to the Tournament of Champions, losing to

Eastern Regional High School Eastern Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, three communities in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, o ...

by 3-1 in the championship game to finish the season 21-2. In 2013, the team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship and continued to the Group II championship game where they fell to

West Essex High School West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which comprises the constituent municipalities of Essex Fells, Fairfield, N ...

by a score of 1-0. Coach Nancy Gross earned her 500th win in the 2013 season with a 7-0 win over

Monmouth Regional High School Monmouth Regional High School is a regional, four-year public high school and public school district based in Tinton Falls, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Eatontown, Shre ...

. The softball team won the Group III state championship in 1997 (vs.

River Dell Regional High School River Dell High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school, part of the River Dell Regional School District, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell and River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, Unite ...

) and 2007 (vs. Ramapo High School). The softball team won the 2007 Central, Group III state sectional championship with a 6-5 win over

Monroe Township High School Monroe Township High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Monroe Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades part of the Monroe Township School Distr ...

. The team moved on to win the Group I state championship with wins over

Hammonton High School Hammonton High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hammonton, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hammonton ...

(11-10) and Ramapo High School (4-1) in the final game. The 2007 girls' tennis team won the Central Jersey, Group III state sectional championship with a 3-2 win over Princeton High School in the tournament final. The 2008 competition cheer team took first place in the state competition, grand champion in the regional competition, and second place at the national competition. In 2009, the team won its Conference Championship, took first place in the New Jersey State Competition, first place at the National Competition in Orlando, Florida, and received the Grand National Champions title (overall highest score) at the National Competition in Orlando, Florida. In 2008, the Wall High School golf team won the South-Central Jersey Group III Tournament. The Wall lacrosse team had its first season in 2006 and won the Shore Conference division championships in both 2008 and 2011. The boys' bowling team won the Group II state championship in 2009. The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional title in 2014. The girls soccer team won the Group III state title in 2016 (as co-champion with

Northern Highlands Regional High School Northern Highlands Regional High School (NHRHS) is a regional public high school and school district in Allendale, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Allendale, Ho-Ho-K ...

) and won the Group II title in 2017 (vs.

Westwood Regional High School Westwood Regional High School (formerly Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School) is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Borough of Westwood and the Township of Washing ...

). The ice hockey team made its first appearance in the New Jersey Public B state championship in 2017, losing to

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

by a score of 9-1 in the tournament final.

Controversy

In 2015, former district superintendent James Habel was sentenced to five years in prison, forfeiture of his pension and the loss of his ability to work in a public sector job in the state, after his conviction on charges of official misconduct. Habel earned nearly $300,000 a year in salary and benefits, but took more than 100 vacation days that he didn't report so that he could cash out an extra $85,000 for the unused vacation time. The judge rejected Habel's attorney's requests for leniency, saying that Habel's actions were a prime example of "greed". The school found itself in the middle of a national controversy when high school yearbooks were distributed to students at the end of the 2016-17 school year. In two instances, students wearing political campaign apparel bearing the name Trump had the logos airbrushed out of their student photos. A third student included a Trump quote in her yearbook profile, which was also omitted from final publication. Students noted that political apparel for other politicians (Reagan-Bush and Barack Obama) were included in the current and past yearbooks. The school district suspended the teacher who oversaw the yearbook, pending a formal investigation. The school suspended a scheduled playoff game in November 2021 after players on the football team were involved in a bullying incident in which a player on the team was sexually assaulted as part of a hazing-like ritual.

Administration

The acting principal is Dr. Peter Righi. His core administration team includes two assistant principals.

Notable alumni

* Matthew Bouraee (born 1988, class of 2006), professional soccer player for the Adelaide Comets. *

Dara Brown Dara Brown is a news anchor and senior producer for MSNBC.com. In 2006, she became an alternating host of Early Today on NBC and First Look on MSNBC. Biography Born Dara Evans Brown, she is the daughter of Karen (née Peterson) and David E. Bro ...

(born 1964/1965, class of 1983), news presenter for

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

and former Broadway actress. *

Ashley Alexandra Dupré Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

(born 1985 as Ashley Youmans — transferred out after sophomore year), best known as the woman at the center of the

Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal On March 10, 2008, ''The New York Times'' reported that Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer had patronized a prostitution ring run by an escort agency known as Emperors Club VIP. During the course of an investigation into the escort agency, the f ...

. *

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(stage name of Cari Elise Fletcher, born 1994, class of 2012), singer-songwriter. *

(born 1965), head men's soccer coach at the University of Virginia * J. D. Gordon (class of 1985), former Pentagon spokesman during the George W. Bush Administration. * Suzy Hansen (born 1978, class of 1995), writer, whose book ''Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-America World'' was a finalist for the 2018

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published duri ...

. *

Gary Hindley Gary Hindley (born May 8, 1947) is an American soccer coach. He has coached youth soccer, high school, college and professional teams. He won Coach of the Year honors in 1984 in the United Soccer League, 1991 American Professional Soccer League a ...

(born 1947), soccer coach of college and professional teams. *

(born 1963), former Director of Global Soccer Marketing for

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

, who played soccer professionally for the Kansas City Comets. *

Jessica Poland Jessica Charlotte Poland (born January 15, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter, better known by her current and former stage names, JPOLND, Charlotte Sometimes, and Laces. Her debut album '' Waves and the Both of Us'' was released on May 6, ...

(born 1988), musician signed to

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

as Charlotte Sometimes. *

Dan Prestup Daniel Benjamin Prestup (born November 13, 1984), better known as Dan Prestup, is an American drummer, percussionist, and drum instructor. He is the drummer for symphonic metal band Everdawn (formerly known as Midnight Eternal), hard rock band S ...

(born 1984), World's Fastest Drummer winner and drummer for Spider Rockets and

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

. *

Alex Skuby Alex Skuby (born December 27, 1972) is an American actor who has appeared in film and television. He is most known for his role on ''The King of Queens'' as Doug Pruzan, Carrie's boss and a lawyer at her Manhattan law firm. Born in Neptune Ci ...

(born 1972), actor best known for appearing on ''

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''. * Tim Wright (born 1990), NFL

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for the Kansas City Chiefs and

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...

champion as a member of the

2014 New England Patriots The 2014 season was the New England Patriots' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 55th overall and their 15th under head coach Bill Belichick. The 2014 season would mark the tenth anniversary of the Patriots third and then most re ...

Notable faculty

* Dwain Painter (born 1942), collegiate and NFL coach who was Wall High School's first head football coach.Awards & Recognition

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

. Accessed March 16, 2015. "Painter entered coaching at the high school level at Wall High School in New Jersey from 1965-70."

References

External links

Wall High School official websiteWall Township Public Schools
*
Data for the Wall Township Public Schools
National Center for Education Statistics {{Authority control 1959 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1959 Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey Wall Township, New Jersey