Montgomery High School (New Jersey)

Montgomery High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in the Skillman area of Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Montgomery Township School District.

Montgomery High School
School as seen from Skillman Road
Address
1016 Route 601

Skillman
,
New Jersey
08558

United States
Coordinates40.417368°N 74.702353°W / 40.417368; -74.702353
Information
TypeComprehensive public high school
School districtMontgomery Township School District
NCES School ID3410590[1]
PrincipalPaul J. Popadiuk
Faculty118.4 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,613 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.6:1[1]
CampusRural
Color(s)  Green and
  Gold[2]
Athletics conferenceSkyland Conference
Team nameCougars[2]
NewspaperThe Pawprint
YearbookThe Lens
Websitewww.mtsd.k12.nj.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=79

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,613 students and 118.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 41 students (2.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 17 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

The district's District Factor Group ranking of "J" indicates that the school serves students of relatively high socioeconomic status.[3]

History

The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools from 1976[4] until 2013, when the school's accreditation status was removed.[5]

Awards, recognition and rankings

For the 1992–93 school year, Montgomery High School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,[6] the highest award an American school can receive.[7][8]

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 13th in New Jersey and 636th nationwide.[9] The school was ranked 643rd nationwide, the 18th-highest in New Jersey, in Newsweek magazine's 2010 rankings of America's Best High Schools.[10] In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Montgomery High School was listed in 656th place, the 13th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[11]

The school was the 33rd-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.[12] The school had been ranked 61st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 10th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[13] The magazine ranked the school 16th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[14] The school was ranked 4th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[15]

Schooldigger.com ranked the school 39th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 7 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (93.3%) and language arts literacy (98.1%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[16]

Testing

Montgomery was recognized in 2006 as excellent in Advanced Placement Art History; all 203 students who took the AP exam that year scored 3 (out of 5) or above.[17]

SAT Scores

In 2005–06, Montgomery averaged a 1760 combined SAT score, 15th-highest statewide, and ranked 7th among all non-magnet, general admission public high schools.[18] In 2006–07, Montgomery averaged a 1755 SAT score, 14th-highest in the state and the 7th-highest for any non-magnet, general admission public high school.[19]

Student activities

Clubs and publications

Montgomery High School offers multiple academic, co-curricular and athletic club programs.[20]

In science, Montgomery High School has a FIRST Robotics Competition Team, TSA TEAMS, science league, science bowl, and Science Olympiad. The band program also offers several extracurricular activities, including: a marching band which plays at every varsity football game and at various area competitions, where they have received superior ratings and special awards such as "Best Overall Effect", "Best Color Guard", and "Best Music"; a jazz band; and a lower-level jazz group called the "Stage Band." All musical ensembles are non-competitive, and only attend competitions in exhibition.

The Yearbook is called the Lens and, since 2007, is printed in full color.

Each year a video is produced for the senior class, known as senior video. The video is a look back at the time spent in Montgomery by the outgoing seniors and consists of a wide variety of video footage, from the annual senior class trip to Disney World all the way back to kindergarten. It has historically been handled by the TV department, however since 2008 it has been done as a joint venture between the TV department and the Class Historian for the graduating class. The video is shown once, at the senior dinner dance.

There are other extracurriculars at the school. The Future Business Leaders of America Club competed for the first time at competitions and 9 out of 11 people placed in regionals and went to states and three people went to and placed at the national competition.

Pawprint is MHS' high school newspaper.

MHS also offers a Literary Magazine that gets published annually. Students can submit poetry, prose, photography, and traditional and digital artwork.

FIRST Robotics Competition

Montgomery High School is the home of Team 1403, Cougar Robotics which has been participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition since 2004. Over the years they have been to the Worlds Competitions 8 times, earned 6 blue banners, won 34 awards, such as Xerox Creativity Award, Motorola Quality Award, Chrysler Team Spirit Award, Excellence in Engineering Award, Industrial Design Award, etc. were finalists at 9 Events, and won at 2 Events

Science Olympiad

Science Olympiad in Montgomery is run by the teachers in the Science department. From 1997 to 2005, the school won the New Jersey state championships nine consecutive times, qualifying for the national tournament each time. The nine state titles are the most of any high school in the state.[21]

Athletics

The Montgomery High School Cougars[2] compete a member of the Skyland Conference, which includes public and parochial high schools covering Hunterdon County, Somerset County and Warren County in west Central Jersey, and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[22] With 1,232 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.[23] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2018–2020.[24] Sports offered at Montgomery High School include golf, wrestling, soccer, cross country running, baseball, football, ice hockey, field hockey, basketball, lacrosse, softball, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, cheerleading, and track.[2]

The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Hopewell Valley Central 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.[25]

The 1991 boys soccer team finished the season with a record of 14-4-2 after winning the Group I state championship with a 1-0 win against Glen Rock High School in the final game of the tournament at Trenton State College.[26][27]

The boys' tennis team won the Group IV state championship in 1993 (vs. Haddonfield Memorial High School), 1997 (vs. Pitman High School), 1998 (vs. Madison High School) and 1999 (vs. Haddonfield), and won the Group IV title in 2017 (vs. Livingston High School), 2018 (vs. Westfield High School) and 2019 (vs. Montclair High School). The team won the Tournament of Champions in 2017 (defeating runner-up Newark Academy in the final match of the tournament), 2018 (vs. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South) and 2019 (vs. Newark Academy).[28] The 2019 team won the Group IV state title over Montclair 5-0 in the tournament final[29] and went on to finish the season 23-0 after winning the Tournament of Champions over Newark Academy 3-2 in the final round.[30]

The girls swimming team won the Public Group B state championship in 2004 and the Public B title in 2015. The boys team won the Public Group B title in 2020.[31]

The girls soccer team was the Group III co-champion in 2005 with Moorestown High School and won the Group IV state championship with a 1–0 win over Ridge High School in 2012.[32]

The ice hockey team won the Dowd Cup in 2003.[33]

The girls' softball team won the 2004 NJSIAA Group III state championship.[34] They also won the 2009 Somerset County Tournament.[35]

The boys and girls track teams won the 2005 North II Group III state championships.

The baseball team won the 2005 North II Group III state championship with a 3–1 win over Millburn High School.[36]

Montgomery High School made it to the 2006 and 2011 NJSIAA Public School Ice Hockey state championship game, falling to Randolph High School both times in the finals of the 64-team tournament.[37]

The boys lacrosse team won the Group III state championship (defeating Randolph High School in the tournament final), and won the Group IV title in 2017 (vs. Ridgewood High School) and 2019 (vs. Hunterdon Central Regional High School).[38] The team won the 2007 Group III state championship with a 10–8 win in the playoff finals over Randolph High School.[39]

The 2007 girls' tennis team won the Central Jersey, Group IV state sectional championship with a 3–2 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in the tournament final.[40] The team won the Group I state championship in 1994 vs. Verona High School and 1996 vs. Mountain Lakes High School. The team won the Group II championship in 2002 vs. Summit High School.[41]

The boys' basketball team won the Central Jersey Group IV sectional title in 2010 with a 57–30 win over North Brunswick High School,[42] and have also won their respective conference championship in 1975, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018.

The 2010 boys' tennis team won the Central Jersey Group IV sectional title with a 3–2 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.[43]

The girls fencing team was épée team winner in 2011 and 2019, and was the foil team winner in 2016 amd 2017.[44]

The 2011, 2012 and 2015 boys' golf teams won the Central/South Group IV state sectional championship.

The boys fencing team was the foil team winner in 2019.[45]

The Varsity Cheerleading squad qualified for Nationals in 2010-2011 and 2011–2012 seasons. The Junior Varsity squad qualified for Nationals in 2011–2012 season, placing first at Empire Regionals at Hofstra University.

Administration

The school's principal is Paul J. Popadiuk. The core administrative team includes three vice principals.[46]

Notable alumni

Notable faculty
  • Yannick Smith (born 1990), former professional soccer player, currently a Health & PE teacher and a coach at the school.[52]

References
  1. School data for Montgomery High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Montgomery High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 14, 2014.
  4. Montgomery High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 17, 2012.
  5. Spring 2013 Accreditation Actions, The Standard; A Newsletter from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, Spring 2013. Accessed November 11, 2020. "Removal of Accreditation... Montgomery High School, Skillman, NJ "
  6. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
  7. "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 90 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  8. "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test" The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  9. Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Montgomery High School", The Washington Post. Accessed July 24, 2011.
  10. Staff. "America's Best High Schools: The List", Newsweek, June 13, 2010. Accessed March 27, 2011.
  11. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
  12. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  13. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 19, 2012.
  14. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2011.
  15. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  16. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2010-2011, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 26, 2012.
  17. Snyder, Susan (January 26, 2005). "Pennsylvania lags U.S. average in AP scores". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  18. 2005-06 School Test Score Rankings Archived October 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Star-Ledger. Accessed June 19, 2007.
  19. 2006-07 School Test Score Rankings, The Star-Ledger. Accessed February 21, 2008.
  20. 2015-16 Student Handbook, Montgomery High School. Accessed November 28, 2015.
  21. New Jersey Science Olympiad Tournament Champions, New Jersey Science Olympiad. Accessed November 18, 2015.
  22. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  23. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  24. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2018–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, finalized August 2019. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  25. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  26. NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 1, 2020.
  27. Mattura, Greg. "Defeat does not spoil Glen Rock's season", The Record, November 22, 1991. Accessed December 30, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "For Glen Rock, winning the Group 1 State title would have been 'icing on the cake.' Glen Rock baked a tasty cake heading into Thursday night's final, but was denied an equally delicious frosting when Montgomery posted a 1-0 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association victory at Trenton State College.... Kaplan lost a bid to raise his Glen Rock single-season shutout record to 15 when Montgomery (14-4-2) scored with 6:41 left in the first half."
  28. History of Boys' Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  29. "Top-ranked Montgomery tops Montclair to win 3rd straight Group 4 title (VIDEO)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 22, 2019, updated August 22, 2019. Accessed January 23, 2021. "Montgomery, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, stayed unbeaten and rolled past Montclair, No. 12 in that ranking, 5-0 in Wednesday's Group 4 final at Mercer County Park in West Windsor."
  30. Nalwasky, Chris. "Boys Tennis: Li lifts No. 1 Montgomery over No. 2 Newark Academy in Tournament of Champions final (PHOTOS/VIDEO)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 31, 2019, updated August 22, 2019. Accessed January 23, 2021. "It was, after all, the final of the 2019 NJSIAA boys tennis Tournament of Champions. Despite excruciating back pain, Li fought through the third set against Andrew Zabelo and gave top-seeded Montgomery, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, a thrilling, down to the wire 3-2 victory over second-seeded and No. 2 Newark Academy on Friday afternoon at Mercer County Park in West Windsor.... Li, just a freshman, topped Zabelo, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0. His clinching point gave the Cougars (23-0) their third straight T of C title, their only three in program history."
  31. NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  32. NJSIAA History of Girls Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 1, 2020.
  33. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  34. 2004 Softball - Public Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 25, 2007.
  35. New, Mike. "Colonia wins Group IV debut on the road; Dunellen and South Amboy succumb to upsets in Central I". Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  36. 2005 Baseball - North II, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 12, 2007.
  37. 2006 Ice hockey - Public, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 12, 2006.
  38. NJSIAA Boys Lacrosse Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  39. 2007 Boys Lacrosse - Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 5, 2007.
  40. 2007 Girls Team Tennis - Central, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 25, 2007.
  41. History of NJSIAA Girls Team Tennis Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  42. New, Mike. "Montgomery's run comes to an end", Home News Tribune, March 11, 2010. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Loupos finished with 20 points and nine rebounds and junior guard Ryan McCoy added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead fourth-seeded Montgomery to a 57-30 victory over 11th-seeded North Brunswick and the Cougars first sectional title."
  43. LoPrinzi, Ann. "West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys' tennis players up to the 'challenge'", The Times, April 1, 2011. Accessed July 24, 2011. "What they really would like is a state title. Last year, the Pirates suffered some late-season injury setbacks and were eliminated, 3-2, by Montgomery in the sectional final."
  44. NJSIAA History of Girls Fencing Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  45. NJSIAA History of Boys Fencing Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  46. Administration, Montgomery High School. Accessed December 8, 2019.
  47. Franklin, Paul. "N.J. quarterback Chugunov passes on West Virginia, transfers to Ohio State", The Times, August 27, 2018, updated January 30, 2019. Accessed September 9, 2020. "Montgomery High School alum Chris Chugunov accomplished his mission at West Virginia University."
  48. "Kevin East, New Jersey City Soccer Coach, Inducted Into Kean Athletic Hall Of Fame", New Jersey City University, November 18, 2004. Accessed June 26, 2019. "East is a 1989 graduate of Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ."
  49. Franklin, Paul. "Mike Ford, Hun School and Princeton product, hitting books, balls hard in the minors; faces Lakewood this week", The Times, April 21, 2014. Accessed June 26, 2019. "Ford, a resident of Belle Mead who attended Montgomery High School as a freshman before transferring to the Hun School, has two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs."
  50. Radebaugh, Don. "High school dirt modified ace Grosso preps for full pull ahead with KSR", ARCA Menards Series, February 22, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2020. "Seventeen-year-old Brandon Grosso will soon be graduating from Montgomery High School with his well-earned diploma. However, the New Jersey native won't be around for the ceremony in June because he'll be strapped into the No. 52 Ken Schrader Racing ARCA car at Gateway Motorsports Park."
  51. Mark Wiltse, South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer. Accessed June 26, 2019. "Played for coach Shaun McCulkin at Montgomery High School"
  52. Smith, Yannick / Overview Montgomery High School. Accessed August 4, 2019.
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