Phillipsburg High School (New Jersey)

Phillipsburg High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school located in Phillipsburg, in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The school was first established in 1871 and is located in the eastern part of the Lehigh Valley, at the Pennsylvania border.[4] For this reason, the school's nickname is the "Stateliners." The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2000.[3]

Phillipsburg High School
Address
1 Stateliner Boulevard

Phillipsburg
,
Warren County
,
New Jersey
08865

United States
Coordinates40.696865°N 75.191252°W / 40.696865; -75.191252
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1871
School districtPhillipsburg School District
NCES School ID3412960[1]
PrincipalMatthew J. Scanlon
Asst. principalsKyle Rovi
John Stillo
Faculty126.5 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,650 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio13.0:1[1]
Color(s)  Maroon and
  Grey[2]
MascotSuzy Stateliner
Team nameStateliners[2]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
NewspaperKarux
YearbookKarux
Websitephs.pburgsd.net

The school is part of the Phillipsburg School District, one of 31 former Abbott Districts in the state,[5] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.[6][7] The district serves students from Phillipsburg and from five other municipalities: Alpha, Bloomsbury (in Hunterdon County), Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.[8][9][10]

The site of the new Phillipsburg High School, which began construction in January 2014, is in Lopatcong Township. The three-story, 330,000-square-foot (31,000 m2) building, with more than double the floor space of the existing high school and a capacity to accommodate more than 2,100 students, was completed for the 2016–17 school year and was dedicated in September 2016 at ceremonies attended by Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie.[11][12] Phillipsburg High School's enrollment had been in excess of the school's capacity. To compensate for this, the Phillipsburg School District has purchased or leased 31 trailers.

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,650 students and 126.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1. There were 455 students (27.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 73 (4.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 183rd-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.[13] The school had been ranked 215th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 276th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[14] The magazine ranked the school 275th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[15] The school was ranked 234th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[16]

New high school

Original plans for a new high school campus stalled due to lack of funds. (See New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation) However, in July 2008, new state funding was secured and on October 5, 2009, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new high school located on Belvidere Road in Lopatcong Township. Then-Governor Jon Corzine was in attendance as well as former Governor James Florio, Phillipsburg School District Superintendent Mark B. Miller and then-State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy.[17]

The new campus had been expected to cost $174.4 million and was planned to hold a 326,000 sq ft (30,300 m2) school and seven athletic fields. After the initial plans had been put on hold, Governor Chris Christie announced in February 2012 that the plan was back online, with a revised estimate of $675 million for the project.[18] Initial contracts were awarded in 2013, with a projected open date for the 2016–17 school year.[19] After many delays, construction started in January 2014 and the new school opened on September 12, 2016. The class of 2020 will be the first to have never attended the old high school building.[20]

Athletics

The Phillipsburg High School Stateliners[2] compete as a member of the Skyland Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Somerset County and Warren counties, and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[21] With 1,242 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.[22] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2018–2020.[23] The school had been a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's defunct East Penn Conference.[24]

The Stateliners have an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton Area High School, which celebrated its 100th annual football game on Thanksgiving 2006, making it one of the oldest rivalries in the nation.[25] The 100th meeting between the two schools, which Easton won 21–7, was broadcast nationally on ESPN2 on Thanksgiving Day 2006.[26] The game, which typically draws some 15,000 - 20,000 fans before Thanksgiving dinner is served, was broadcast nationally on ESPN in 1988, with games played on Lafayette College's Fisher Field in Easton. In 2009, the 1993 teams from the Easton / Phillipsburg game met again for the Gatorade REPLAY Game to resolve the game, which ended in a 7–7 tie, with more than 13,000 fans watching as Phillipsburg won by a score of 27–12.[27] The two schools have participated in an annual rivalry since 1905, which Easton leads 63-42-5 through the 2017 season. NJ.com listed the rivalry in the second spot on their 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", saying that the only thing that kept it from being top-ranked was the fact that one of the schools is not in New Jersey.[28]

The softball team won the Central state title in 1972, was overall state champion in 1973 (defeating runner-up Roxbury High School in the finals) and 1975 (vs. Lenape High School), and won the Group III state championship in 1976 (vs. Mainland Regional High School).[29] The 1975 team won the overall state title with a 3-2 win against Lenape at Mercer County Park with the winning run scored on a walk with the bases loaded.[30]

The field hockey team won the Central sectional championship in 1972, won the North II Group III state sectional title in 1977, the North I / II Group IV title in 1998 and the North II Group IV title in 1999.[31]

The football team won the North II Group III state championship in 1977 and 2008, the North II Group IV in 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2018.[32] By the end of the 2019 season, the football program had a total of 703 wins in 114 seasons of play, which include 14 state sectional championships.[33] In 2008, the Stateliners completed a 10–2 season beating Rahway High School by a score of 20–6 in the North II Group III state sectional final to win the program's fourth sectional title.[34] 2008 postseason rankings put the Stateliners at 13th in the state, 1st in West Jersey, and 5th in Group III. The 2018 team won the North II Group IV sectional title with a 42-7 win against Irvington High School[35]

The wrestling team won the North II Group III state sectional championship in 1980–1984, 1989, 1991–1996, 2003, 2004, won the North II Group IV championship in 1985–1988, 1997–2002, 2005–2008, 2012 and 2014–2019, and won the North I Group IV sectional in 2010 and 2011; the team won the Group III state championship in 1983, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2009, and won the Group IV state title in 1986–1988, 1997–2000, 2012 and 2014–2018. The 22 group championships are the second most of any school in the state.[36] The team won the 2007 North II, Group IV state sectional championship with a 34–25 win against Bridgewater-Raritan High School.[37]

The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1983, defeating Ewing High School in the tournament final.[38]

In 2005, the boys cross country team won the New Jersey Group IV state championship and placed 3rd at the Meet of Champions.[39] The team finished the season ranked 10th in the Nike Team Nationals Northeast region rankings.[40]

Administration

Core members of the schools administration are:[41]

  • Matthew J. Scanlon, Principal
  • Kyle Rovi, Assistant Principal (Grades 11/12)
  • John Stillo, Assistant Principal (Grades 9/10)

Notable alumni

References
  1. School data for Phillipsburg High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Phillipsburg High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Phillipsburg High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 8, 2018.
  4. School Information, Phillipsburg High School. Accessed October 3, 2011. "Phillipsburg High School, one of the oldest high schools in New Jersey, was organized by an act of the State legislature in 1871. It offered two programs, the Classical course designed for 'our young men to enter the freshmen class of any American College,' and the Normal Course for those planning to attend the State Normal Schools (later known as State Colleges)."
  5. Abbott School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 1, 2020.
  6. What We Do, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2020.
  7. SDA Districts, New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed March 1, 2020.
  8. Phillipsburg High School 2016-17 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 20, 2018. "Along with the residents of Phillipsburg, the high school consists of students from the sending districts of Lopatcong, Pohatcong, Alpha, Bloomsbury, and Greenwich Townships."
  9. About PSD Archived May 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Phillipsburg School District. Accessed June 1, 2016. "The district serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Lopatcong and Pohatcong Townships."
  10. Municipal Guide to Public School Districts, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed June 1, 2016.
  11. Peters, Sarah. "New Phillipsburg High School beginning to take shape in Lopatcong Township", The Express-Times, July 7, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2015. "The new Phillipsburg High School is starting to take shape atop a steep hillside off Belvidere Road in Lopatcong Township.... Five school board members and at least four administrators embarked on the tour of the property scheduled to open during the 2016-2017 academic year."
  12. Novak, Steve. "Christie: New Phillipsburg High School most modern in N.J.", The Express-Times, September 21, 2016. Accessed January 17, 2017. "The 330,000-square-foot high school finally opened for classes this month, and Gov. Chris Christie -- who on Wednesday was the guest of honor at a ceremony marking the $127.5 million project's completion -- thanked the assembled staff, students and other dignitaries for their patience.... The building on a hilltop in Lopatcong Township is designed for 2,172 students in grades 9 to 12, with 50 general classrooms, 12 science labs, 4 computer labs, media center and arts and vocational facilities."
  13. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  14. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed October 3, 2012.
  15. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 20, 2011.
  16. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  17. Beyer, Sue. "Groundbreaking dignitaries", The Express-Times, October 5, 2009. Accessed October 3, 2012. "Dignitaries of the podium during the ground breaking ceremony for the new Phillipsburg High School. Included in the center is Governor Corzine as well as former governor James Florio."
  18. Wojcik, Sarah M. "Phillipsburg High School back on list for New Jersey Schools Development Authority-funded projects, Gov. Chris Christie says", The Express-Times, February 15, 2012. Accessed October 3, 2012. "Christie announced he is recommending approval for construction of eight new schools statewide, including the Stateliners' new home slated for Belvidere Road in Lopatcong Township. The projects total $675 million."
  19. Petty, Todd. "New Phillipsburg High School one step closer, with $80M construction contract", May 7, 2013. Accessed July 17, 2013.
  20. Peters, Sarah. "Work starts on new Phillipsburg High School in Lopatcong Township, superintendent says", The Express-Times, January 13, 2014. Accessed January 18, 2014.
  21. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  22. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  23. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2018–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, finalized August 2019. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  24. #344-05 BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE TOWN OF PHILLIPSBURG, WARREN COUNTY, R.T.C. Jr. vs. New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 3, 2012. "Beginning in 1976, Phillipsburg was a member of Pennsylvania's East Penn Conference (predecessor to the Lehigh Valley Athletic Conference) for football, having joined for basketball in 1963 and baseball in 1958.... In Fall 1995, because of the increasing difficulty in reconciling East Penn and NJSIAA requirements and the continuing impact of the 50% Rule on the school's ability to enter championship competition, Phillipsburg joined the newly created Skyland Conference in New Jersey."
  25. Patrick, Dick. "High school rivals are like family", USA Today, September 21, 2005. Accessed August 17, 2012. "Phillipsburg (N.J.)-Easton (Pa.): The game, played on Thanksgiving morning at Lafayette College in Easton, will celebrate 100 years in 2006."
  26. Lawlor, Christopher. "Easton (Pa.) Area High wins 100th game of historic rivalry; state playoffs next", USA Today, November 23, 2006. Accessed October 3, 2011.
  27. Conover, Allan. "Phillipsburg beats Easton in Gatorade Replay football", Warren Reporter, April 29, 2009. Accessed August 17, 2012. "For almost three toasty hours earlier in the day, however, Wargo had been among the most prominent Phillipsburg football players in Lafayette College's Fisher Stadium and was a key performer in the Stateliners' 27-12 triumph over Easton as 13,350 sun-baked spectators looked on. Wargo, a tackle, was selected as the game's 'Outstanding Defensive Player,' an honor he never gave a thought to while helping the 'Exliners' win the rematch of the 1993 Thanksgiving Day battle which ended in a 7-7 stalemate."
  28. Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "2-Phillipsburg vs. Easton (Pa.)... If it was two squads from the Garden State, it would probably be No. 1. But these two teams separated by the Delaware River have been meeting since 1905 with interstate bragging rights on the line. All-time series: Easton leads series, 63-42-5"
  29. NJSIAA Softball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  30. Driscoll, mary Ellen. "Mistakes Stop Softball Repeat; 'We'll Be Back' Vows Lenape", Courier Post, June 9, 1975. Accessed February 3, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Their hopes of a second consecutive NJSIAA state softball title had, literally, walked away Saturday at Mercer reliever Cathy Stewart, who came in from third base to take over for Harker after the State Liners' third run.... In a game where all three runs were scored on mistakes, it took a bases-loaded walk to Phillipsburg's Patti Riley to score Eileen Clymer with the winning run. The final score read 3-2 but, it couldn't have hurt more than losing by three times as many runs."
  31. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  32. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  33. Scancarella, Doug. "Wayne Valley football delivers playoff shutout at Phillipsburg", The Record, November 17, 2019. Accessed September 15, 2020. "The Phillipsburg football website says it all: 'New Jersey’s Most Victorious Football Program.' It's not wrong. In the program's storied 114-year history, Phillipsburg has 703 wins, 14 state sectional championships and 28 conference titles."
  34. Staff. "Phillipsburg 20, Rahway 6", The Star-Ledger, December 7, 2008. Accessed October 3, 2011. "Rahway seemed to get just what it wanted yesterday, but Phillipsburg senior quarterback Nick Codis turned the tables by rushing for a touchdown and passing for a score to lead Phillipsburg to a 20-6 victory in the NJSIAA/Gatorade North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 final at Rutgers Stadium. It was the fourth sectional championship for Phillipsburg (10-2), No. 16 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, and first since 2005."
  35. Wilson, Brad. "Phillipsburg football ices down Irvington to capture NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 title", Express Times, November 17, 2018, updated September 5, 2019. Accessed October 15, 2020. "Phillipsburg 42, Irvington 7 -- NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 football championship -- Rapid Recap Amid the piles of unexpected November snow decorating Maloney Stadium like early Christmas presents, the Stateliner football entered history Saturday evening with a focused, powerful and near-complete performance to win the N2 G4 championship."
  36. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  37. 2007 Team Wrestling Tournament - North II, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 23, 2007.
  38. NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  39. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  40. Nike Team Nationals 2005 - Northeast region, DyeStat. Accessed November 15, 2017. "10 - Phillipsburg XC Club (Phillipsburg) NJ - 3rd, New Jersey Meet of Champions"
  41. Administration, Phillipsburg High School. Accessed April 29, 2020.
  42. "Jack's Facts: A Closer Look at the Easton/Phillipsburg Rivalry", The Morning Call, November 21, 2006, accessed April 13, 2007. "The Garnet's Charlie Berry would score all Phillipsburg's points in a 14-7 win. Berry after graduating from PHS went on to have outstanding career at Lafayette College and later became an American League baseball umpire and officiated in the NFL."
  43. Staff. "Warren County Hall of Fame inductees announced", Warren Reporter, August 22, 2014. Accessed May 2, 2015. "A native of Lopatcong Township and a Phillipsburg High School graduate, Bolcar was a 1984 USA Today High School All-American selection."
  44. Tim Brewster, Minnesota Golden Gophers Football.
  45. Joe Buzas, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed September 1, 2020. "He was a three-sport star at Phillipsburg (New Jersey) High School, where he was the baseball team’s captain and leading hitter."
  46. Staff. "Dailey Comes to heights From Pitt", The Heights (newspaper), October 8, 1937. Accessed July 23, 2014. "Coach Ted Dailey was brought up in Pennsylvania and attended Phillipsburg High School where he played left end on the school football team for three years."
  47. Kita, Joe. "In The Wild World Of Pro Wrestling, It's White Horses And Black Hats", The Morning Call, April 26, 1984. Accessed June 1, 2016. "One of the CWA's most gallant knights is 'D.C.' Drake, whose very name conjures thoughts of Capitol Hill.... A graduate of Phillipsburg High School and an idolizer of Bruno Sammartino, he is living his childhood dream."
  48. Wojcik, Sarah M. "Phillipsburg honors posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, hometown hero Martin O. May", The Express-Times, May 2, 2009. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Martin O. May, Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipient, died in April 1945 after a three-day standoff on an island near Japan's Okinawa. His courage inspired the Chapter 700 Military Order of the Purple Heart to install a memorial in his honor at Phillipsburg High School, where he attended as a member of the class of 1941."
  49. Robert B. Meyner, The Robert B. & Helen S. Meyner Center For the Study of State & Local Government at Lafayette College. Accessed February 20, 2011. "Robert Meyner was graduated from Phillipsburg High School in 1926, where he was class valedictorian and a member of the debating team."
  50. Schoof, Dustin. "Bloomsbury native Jen Ponton to appear on NBC's 30 Rock", The Express-Times, October 18, 2010. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Actress Jen Ponton , a native of Bloomsbury and 2002 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, will appear on the hit NBC comedy. Ponton says she plays an employee of a local Carvel, which becomes the base of a secret operation hatched by Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) and Jenna (Jane Krakowski), who also get assistance from Kelsey Grammer, who plays himself."
  51. Devlin, Ron. "Documentary Maker Happy Being Mr. History At 71, Easton's Lou Reda Is Riding The Wave Of A Renewed Interest In History, Thanks To Cable TV.", The Morning Call, September 29, 1996. Accessed August 29, 2019. "As a kid in the '30s, Reda sang for nickels in Phillipsburg's working-class gin mills. In 1942, when he was a freshman at Phillipsburg High, he quit school and put on a Navy uniform."
  52. "Charles Rinehart". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  53. Brady, Erik. "Every year fields the game of the century" USA Today, November 23, 2006, accessed April 13, 2007. "Dailey was an assistant coach at Syracuse who recruited some P-burg players, including Jim Ringo, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a center for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles."
  54. Lauer-Williams, Kathy. "Phillipsburg welcomes home Hell's Kitchen winner", The Morning Call, September 25, 2012. Accessed December 6, 2020. "Christina Wilson, the winner of Hell's Kitchen, came home to a hero's welcome in Phillipsburg.... Wilson, a 1997 Phillipsburg High grad, had spent part of the summer in her hometown visiting friends."
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