Matawan Regional High School is a four-year regional

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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in Aberdeen Township, United States, serving students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

s as the lone secondary school of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. Serving students from Aberdeen Township and Matawan, it is one of Monmouth County's largest schools. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

since 1951.Matawan Regional High School

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

as of March 15, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015. The school mascot is a husky. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,154 students and 97.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.9:1. There were 176 students (15.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 56 (4.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Matawan Regional High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 15, 2024.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 139th-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 New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 92nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 126th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 111th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 115th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"
''

'', September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008. Schooldigger.com ranked the school 253rd out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 38 positions 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 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).

History

When the State of New Jersey mandated graded school systems replace district schools in 1894, Matawan Township and Matawan Borough constructed an eight-room brick school building at the corner of Broad Street and South Street, which was completed and occupied in 1895.Federal Writers' Projects: Matawan, 1686–1936, pp 70-71. A 1913 graduate described the school as having four rooms on the first floor, and four rooms and a long, wide hall on the second floor. There was no indoor plumbing until a major addition was made to the building about 1910, so outdoor toilets were used for about fifteen years. Sanitary facilities were added in the basement. The Class of 1913 consisted of 34 eighth graders, most of whom were expected to go to work after they finished school. By 1923, the school was so overcrowded that it was running double sessions to teach its students in 12 rooms, so the township voted to build a new high school next door. The first Matawan High School was completed and occupied in 1924 on at the corner of Broad Street and South Street. The -story brick building of Georgian design was constructed at a cost of $175,000 (equivalent to $ million in ). It contained 13 classrooms, a study hall, a cafeteria, an auditorium seating 527, and a gymnasium with capacity for 300. The school had 388 students and 14 teachers in 1936; 76 seniors graduated with the Class of 1936. The school had recently taken in students from Laurence Harbor, effectively doubling the graduating class between 1933 and 1936. The school, which included some middle school students in 1957, had 540 high school students and their 28 teachers.Tiemann, Alice M., Township of Matawan, 1857–1957, pg 35 After it was replaced in 1962, consideration was given to making the old high school an elementary school but it was eventually demolished. Matawan Regional High School was built to deal with sharp population growth due to the construction of 2,300 new housing units in the area. Population nearly doubled between the 1960 census figure of 12,456 and the 1965 estimate of 21,177. Constructed at a cost of $2.5 million (the value of $ million in ), the school opened in September 1962 with nearly 1,200 students in grades 7–12. The school had 1,780 students and 102 teachers in the 1964/1965 school year. The 62 rooms included 33 classrooms, two gymnasiums, an auditorium, a cafeteria, two music rooms, two industrial arts shops, eight science rooms, and two fine arts rooms.League of Women Voters, Know Your Town: Matawan Borough and Township, 1965, pp 40-46 The school underwent a $13.3 million renovation project completed in September 2004 which included a new facade, new chemistry and oceanography laboratory classrooms, a new art wing, including a kiln, computer labs, as well as a new greenhouse. The sports department received a renovated artificial turf football field and stadium lighting. Streetside saw a new electronic sign.

Demographics

Sports

The Matawan High School HuskiesMatawan Regional 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 Division B North of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

and Ocean counties along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 797 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 2024–2026, which included schools with 695 to 882 students. The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Howell High School as the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. The Matawan High School baseball team (63-2) won the Central Jersey championship three consecutive years from 1922 to 1924 under Coach Benjamin W. Davis. Matawan's African-American pitcher Henry Schanck was edged out by

Keyport High School Keyport High School is a four-year public high school in Keyport, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operated as the lone secondary school of the Keyport Public Schools. Stud ...

in a 16-inning match in 1924. The

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) added a sports field at the high school in 1936. The 1959 Huskies baseball team, coached by George Deitz, won the Shore Conference championship and competed in the Group I state championships, losing in the first round. Their star pitcher, Carl Stephens, threw three no-hitters that season and was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in their minor league system until an arm injury ended his career. The team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 1960.Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024

, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. The Matawan Catfish swim team competed against the Laurence Harbor Eels at nearby Lake Lefferts in spring 1936. The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track title in Group I in 1955-1958 and won the Group II championship in 2013.NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1969. The boys' team won their division back-to-back in 2017 (tied with Keansburg as co-champion) and 2018. The 2018 season saw the boys team achieve an undefeated season in divisional matches going 45–0. In 1958, the Matawan High School Huskies football squad, led by Coach Barry Rizzo, won the Shore Conference Championship, losing only to

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Neptune ...

. They defeated their rivals, the

Red Raiders in a hard-fought Thanksgiving Day game, by a score of 6–2. Notable players on that Huskies team were the "Touchdown Twins", David Jones and Purvis Peeler. The 1973 football team finished the season with a record of 7-2 and was awarded the Central Jersey Group III title by the NJSIAA based on strength of schedule, despite

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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone high school of the ...

finishing with a 9–0 record. In the playoff era, the football team won the Central Jersey state sectional championships in Group IV in 1975; in Group III in 1988, 1991, 1992 and 2014; and in both 2009 and 2011 in Group II. In 1975 the team won the Central Jersey Group III title with a 7–0 win against previously unbeaten Colonia High School in the championship game to finish the season with a record of 11-0 and extend their winning streak to 19 games. The 1988 team finished the season with an 11–0 record after winning the Central Jersey Group III title with a 14–6 victory against Franklin High School, which had entered the championship game with a 21-game winning streak. The 1991 team won the Central Jersey Group II title with a 28–14 victory 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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school in the Ocean To ...

to finish the season 9–2. In 1992, the team finished the season 10-1 and won its second Central Jersey Group II sectional title with a 29–28 win against Neptune High School on a

Two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion, two-point convert, or two-point attempt is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that ...

scored in overtime. In 2009, the football team won the Central Jersey Group II sectional title by a score of 28–12 against

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, ...

, marking the program's first sectional title in more than 25 years. The team won the program's seventh sectional title in 2014 with a 27–7 win against Carteret High School in the Central Jersey Group III state sectional championship. The girls spring track team was the Group IV state champion in 1973 and 1974.NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The girls bowling team was overall state champion in 1974 and won the Group I title in 2018. In 2005, the girls' softball team won the Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship with a 1-0, 12-inning win in the tournament final against Carteret High School, earning the program's first state championship. In 2009, the boys indoor and outdoor track and field teams took the Central Jersey Group II titles, marking the first time since 1996 since the boys team took the outdoor title, and the first time the indoor team had ever taken a state title. The indoor team won a second consecutive title in 2010, defeating second place Summit High School by a score of 56–42 in the finals. In 2011, the outdoor track and field team won its third consecutive Central Jersey, Group II sectional title, edging

Long Branch High School Long Branch High School is a comprehensive, four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in the city of Long Branch, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the ...

80-77 for the victory. The boys track team won the indoor relay state championship in Group II in 2013, 2015 and 2017. The girls team won the Group II title in 2013. The boys track team won the indoor track state championship in Group II in 2013. The girls team won the Group II title in 2015. The boys' basketball team won the 2013-14 Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship with a 67–54 win in the tournament final against Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, going 24-5 throughout the season. In 2014, the boys' track and field team won the B-North division championships and the Central Jersey Group II sectional champs, earning the team's seventh sectional title, having most recently won in 2011.

Academics

Music

Music has deep roots at Matawan. In 1895, the ''

New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...

'' ran a statewide competition to determine the most popular new school in the budding New Jersey school system. Matawan returned the most coupons, defeating its nearest competitor by 40,000 votes, thereby winning a Chickering and Sons piano.

Marching band

The Matawan Marching Huskies band won the national championships in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1977. They are led by band director Noel Beers. In the 2011 season, the Marching Huskies finished first in the Tournament of Bands (TOB) Group II Chapter X (Greater NYC Metro) Championships with a score of 93.0. The chapter title was the first for the band since 2006. They ended the season with a 3rd-place finish at the TOB Atlantic Coast Championships in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

with a score of 95.5, earning the Marching Huskies not only their highest-ever placement at the ACCs, but their highest score in school history. In the 2024 season, the Marching Huskies finished first in the USBands Group 1A State Championships in

South Brunswick, New Jersey South Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring subur ...

with a score of 92.4. The band also achieved best overall effect, music, visual, and colorguard. The band ended the season with a second place finish at the USBands A Class National Championships in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

with a score of 95.0, also achieving best effect and colorguard.

Staff

The school's principal is Aaron Eyler, who is assisted by three assistant principals.Administration
Matawan Regional High School. Accessed February 14, 2023.

Notable alumni

Monica Aksamit Monica Aksamit (born February 18, 1990) is an American former Olympic saber fencer. She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, earning a bronze medal in the Women's Saber Team competition. She won a gold medal with Team US ...

(born 1990, class of 2008), saber fencer who won a bronze medal at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in the Women's Saber Team event *

Jay Bellamy Jay Bellamy (born July 8, 1972) is a former American football safety who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at Rutgers University, he went undrafted in ...

(born 1972),

safety Safety is the state 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 The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who played in the NFL for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

* Erison Hurtault (born 1984, class of 2003), Olympic sprinter who competed in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

representing

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

* Eugene Michael Hyman (born 1950, class of 1968), retired judge * Jim Jeffcoat (born 1961), professional football player for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

from 1983 to 1997 * Robert F. Milligan (born 1932, class of 1951), retired lieutenant general in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

who served as Comptroller of Florida from 1994 to 2002Past Inductees Matawan Regional High School Hall Of Fame/Alumni
Matawan Regional High School. Accessed November 17, 2021. "Lt. General Robert Milligan, USMC (Ret.) 1951 – Florida Comptroller, Marines... Eugene M. Hyman 1968 - Superior Court Judge" *

Retta Marietta Sangai SirleafJung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018

(born 1970, class of 1988), actress known for her role as Donna Meagle on NBC's '' Parks and Recreation'' * Charlie Rogers (born 1976), former NFL running back, wide receiver and kick returner * Anthony Sesely (born 1983), professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver who competes in the

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...

(born 1954), writer for television, film and comics, attended 1970 * Eileen Tell (born 1966), former professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player * Nancy J. Woodhull (1945–1997, class of 1963), co-founding editor of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', president of

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...

, executive vice president and editor in chief of the

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Past Inductees Matawan Regional High School Hall of Fame/Alumni
Matawan High School. Accessed September 14, 2020.

References

External links

Matawan Regional High School websiteMatawan-Aberdeen Regional School District
*
School Data for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District

DigitalSports Matawan HomepageMatawan Football Alumni FoundationHuskies Sports OnlineHuskies football statistics
{{Authority control 1924 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1924 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey Works Progress Administration in New Jersey Aberdeen Township, New Jersey Matawan, New Jersey