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For other schools named Brunswick High School see Brunswick High School .
East Brunswick High School is a comprehensive public high school in East Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is part of East Brunswick Public Schools. The school has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. It consists of grades 10 through 12 and has received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school motto is "Justi, Fideles, Elati." (Justice, Faith and Joy.)
- As of the 2006-07 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,260 students and 156 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 14.5.
- History
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East Brunswick High School opened for the 1958-59 school year. Previously, students living in the Township attended South River High School in neighboring South River. In that first year, the school housed grades six through nine. When the first class graduated in June 1962, the school housed grades eight through twelve. The next year, it became a nine-through-twelve school. Because the school exceeded its intended capacity of 1,700 students, freshmen were dropped into the town's two junior high schools in 1967. Enrollment reached a peak of about 2,600 in 1973 before dropping. By 1990, the school had less than 2,000 students, falling to around 1,700 by 1997. At that point, the enrollment began rising again, to its present total.
- Additions to the school were built in 1965, 1971 and 2001, in efforts to ease overcrowding. The 2001 expansion included a second level of classrooms, over the administrative offices; a corridor connecting three "buildings" that had previously been connected only by a covered outdoor walkway; and expanded facilities for the cafeteria, library, arts and athletic departments. Currently, a large portion of the building does not have air conditioning and are supplied with fans instead. In the winter, the heating system in several rooms do not function well. As a result, it may get hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
- School day
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The school day at East Brunswick High School begins at exactly 7:26 AM and ends at 2:12 PM. It operates its daily bell schedule on a 12 period system. Periods 1, 3, 4, and 12 are 42 minutes long. The 47-minute long Period 2 is homeroom, when attendance is taken and daily announcements are broadcasted. Lunch periods are 5, 7, 9, and 11. These periods are 25 minutes long. Periods 6, 8, and 10 are 17 minutes long and are lunch preparation periods for cafeteria staff. Classes that are in session during these periods are still 42 minutes long. For example, a student with period seven lunch would have classes periods five and six, then go to lunch period seven, head to another class periods eight and nine, and finally class periods ten and eleven. All students get eight blocks to take classes and yet have room for a short lunch.
- In the beginning of the 2005-6 school year, due to security reasons, principal Robert Murphy instituted an ID system in which the students must wear their IDs at all times.
- Academic excellence
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East Brunswick High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1990-91 school year.
- In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, East Brunswick High School was listed in 997th place, the 30th-highest ranked school in New Jersey. The school was ranked 886th in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the "Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States".
- For the 1996-97 school year, East Brunswick High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve.
- In the April 1996 issue, the high school was cited as best in the state by Redbook Magazine.
- During the 2001-02 school year, East Brunswick High School's Intergenerational Program was honored by the Best Practices Program in the state of New Jersey.
- The school was the 76th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools. The school was ranked 60th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.
- Curriculum
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In addition to regular, honors, and Advanced Placement classes, the curriculum also includes numerous electives in Humanities, Business, Visual Arts, Music, Drama, Family and Consumer Science, and Technology Education. Two Cooperative Education programs are available, as well as a shared time program at the East Brunswick campus of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools. Students are encouraged to elect courses outside their major interests. Students may receive credit for private music lessons.
- Extracurricular activities
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East Brunswick High School offers a full range of clubs and events. Clubs include Model United Nations, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Key Club, Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Math Team, Programming Team, Women's Club, Clarion (The School Newspaper), Emerald (The Yearbook), Drama Club, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, African American Club, Asian American Club, Spanish Club, French Club, German Club, Amnesty International Club, and various honor societies. East Brunswick High School is also one of the growing number of schools in the country that has various religious clubs such as According to Jesus (A2J, formerly known as Bible Club), Islamic Club, Coptic Orthodox Club, and the Jewish Student Union. East Brunswick High school also has a well-received Drama Club. This year they put on the production of Urinetown.
- Pay2Play
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In the 2006-2007 school year, a Pay2Play policy was implemented for all extracurricular activities. This was due to the situation of the school budget. The cost to participate in a club is $15. For an athletic activity, or an activity needing regular school bus transportation, the cost is $50. This program has continued into the 2007-2008 school year. However, some clubs have returned to being free. This is likely to continue as long as the annual school budget continues to pass.
- Athletics
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The boys volleyball team won the NJSIAA South sectional championship with a 25-19, 31-29 victory over Southern. The team went on to win a state title, defeating St. Peter's, 25-21, 25-22.
- The East Brunswick girls soccer team has been one of the most successful programs in New Jersey. The Bears have won 27 of 30 county/conference tournament championships, including 21 consecutive championships from 1980-2000. The Bears have won the last five Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament titles, including a 2-1 victory over Old Bridge in 2007 and a 3-0 win over Bishop Ahr in 2008.
- The girls bowling team won a Group IV title in the 2007-2008 season, after bowling a 1077 in the state final.
- The girls tennis team won a state championship in 2008, defeating Millburn.
- Robert Chess won the boys tennis state singles title in the early 1990s.
- Michael Weber is a good football player and had a interception, the schools 1000th in the schools history.
- Computer IP issues
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During March 2009 East Brunswick High School has been subject to a string of computer viruses. The trojan was existent in the system for more than 48 hours disabling a series of school related websites. It was detected on March 9, 2009 and the school has been trying to get rid of it since. The virus was the most serious infiltration into the school's computer system since an attack in 2001.
- Football coach prayer controversy
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On October 7, 2005, shortly after being informed by Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro that he would not be permitted to join his football team in prayer as he had done in the past and that some parents had complained about the prayers, East Brunswick High School coach Marcus Borden resigned from his position. Borden, also a tenured Spanish teacher, had by then had a distinguished 23-year career with East Brunswick Public Schools. District spokeswoman Trish LaDuca told the East Brunswick newspaper Home News Tribune that a "representative of the school district cannot constitutionally initiate prayer, encourage it or lead it." The East Brunswick football team lost its game in a shutout on the day Borden resigned. Following Borden's resignation, nearly 100 players, parents, and coaches arrived at his house on a rainy day pleading for his return. Borden agreed and received pro bono legal representation the next week. He filed a lawsuit against the district on November 23 that year alleging that it was violating his constitutional rights; lawyer Ronald Riccio represented Borden.
- Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh of the United States District Court for New Jersey ruled on July 26, 2006 that Borden could bow his head and bend his knee when the team captains (i.e., students) lead the players in prayer. However, this decision was overturned on April 15, 2008 by a unanimous decision in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in which Judge D. Michael Fisher concluded that "a reasonable observer would conclude that he is continuing to endorse religion when he bows his head during the pre-meal grace and takes a knee with his team in the locker room while they pray."
- Grades
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The school district had all its staff input their students' grades into a computer program called InteGrade Pro. Starting with the 2009-10 school year, InteGrade was replaced with a system known as Genesis, which provides a unified, wholly-online attendance and grading system. Genesis also features auto-updating grades, a huge improvement over the previous online component to the InteGrade system, ParentConnect, which only updated once daily. If a teacher finds the need to, progress reports will be mailed to students' homes at a designated date near the middle of a quarter. At the end of a quarter, the grades are exported by teachers to administration, where they are formally presented to the parents/guardians of students through a formal report card.
- Grade Point Average Calculations are weighted three different ways: Standard scale, Honors Scale, and AP scale.
- Standard GPA ScaleThe Honors Scale transposes GPA values to their respective letter grades by a factor of 1.15, while the AP scale transposes by a factor of 1.25.
- SAT mean scores and National Merit semifinalists
- 50th Anniversary
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In the 2008-2009 school year, EBHS will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. In celebration, the name "Grizzly" was selected for its mascot, the Bear. The school stadium, Jay Doyle Field, has been renovated with artificial turf, a new track, and other minor enhancements.
- Administration
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Core members of the school's administration are:
[ Staff 2007-2008, East Brunswick High School. Accessed October 25, 2008.]
- Robert T. Murphy, Principal
- Leslie J. Szukics, Assistant Principal (grade 12)
- Glen Pazinko, Assistant Principal (grade 11)
- Sara DiMaggio-Forte, Assistant Principal (grade 10)
- Notable alumni
- Mina-Jacqueline Au (born 1980), author and acclaimed luxury lifestyle connoisseur.
- Dedrick Dodge (born 1965), safety for eight NFL seasons, from 1991-1998.
[ Dedrick Dodge, database Football. Accessed December 8, 2007.]
- Jesse Eisenberg (born 1983), actor, whose films include The Squid and the Whale.
[Ross, Mary Anne. "‘Same sweet kid,’ but now he’s a movie star: Jesse Eisenberg, 23, tells local audience about his roles in major films", Old Bridge Suburban, December 14, 2006. Accessed December 9, 2007. "Growing up in East Brunswick, Eisenberg attended the Frost and Hammarskjold schools and Churchill Junior High School. He went to East Brunswick High School for one year before switching to a performing arts school in New York."]
- Josh Miller (born 1970), NFL punter who is currently a free agent.
[ Josh Miller player profile, New England Patriots, accessed April 7, 2007. "Lettered in football, basketball and track at East Brunswick High School in East Brunswick, N.J."]
- Heather O'Reilly (born 1985), soccer player.
[ Heather O"Reilly profile, United States Olympic Committee, accessed April 7, 2007. "Three-time All-American at East Brunswick (N.J.) H.S. and National Player of the Year as a senior"]
- Cenk Uygur (born 1970), Radio Talk Show Host, The Young Turks , Air America Radio and columnist for The Huffington Post.
- Cary Woodworth (born 1977), actor.
- Aaron Yoo (born 1979), actor. Appeared in the films Disturbia and 21 .
[ Aaron Yoo profile, Flixster. Accessed April 1, 2008.]
- Matt Pinfield (born 1961), Music personality and TV host.
- Michael Barkann (born 1960) Television personality, Comcast SportsNet, USA Network
- Colie Edison (born 1983), MTV reality personality, Roommate on the Real World Denver, cast on RW/RR Challenge
- Dave Wohl, Assistant General Manager of the Boston Celtics
- Greg T. The Frat Boy, Radio show broadcaster, Elvis Duran Morning Show
- Peter I. Haskell, Radio broadcaster, for WCBS 880 New York
- See also
- List of high schools in New Jersey
- External links
- East Brunswick High School Website
- East Brunswick Marching Band Website
- Data for the East Brunswick Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
- East Brunswick District Website
- Home News Tribune article on EBHS and school prayer
- EBHS Student Handbook 2007-2008
- Parent Connect
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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