Bridgeton High School

Bridgeton High School
Address
111 North West Avenue Bridgeton , Cumberland County , New Jersey 08302 United States
Coordinates	39°26′18″N75°14′42″W / 39.43833°N 75.24500°W / 39.43833; -75.24500
Information
Type	Public high school
School district	Bridgeton Public Schools
NCES School ID	340225001784 [1]
Principal	Michael Eckmeyer
Faculty	103.5 FTEs [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,703 (as of 2023–24) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	16.5:1 [1]
Color(s)	Maroon and   White [2]
Athletics conference	Cape-Atlantic League
Team name	Bulldogs [2]
Website	bhs.bridgeton.k12.nj.us

Bridgeton High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the city of Bridgeton, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Bridgeton Public Schools, an Abbott District. ^[3] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1931. ^[4]

Students from Downe Township and Lawrence Township attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. ^{[5] [6]}

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,703 students and 103.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.5:1. There were 1,015 students (59.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 25 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. ^[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 334th-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. ^[7] The school had been ranked 273rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 303rd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. ^[8] The magazine ranked the school 297th in 2008 out of 316 schools. ^[9] The school was ranked 283rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. ^[10]

History

The school's current building was completed in 1952. ^[11]

Athletics

The Bridgeton High School Bulldogs ^[2] compete in the National Division of the Cape-Atlantic League, an athletic conference comprised of both parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Gloucester counties, operating under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). ^[12] With 1,315 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group IV South for most athletic competition purposes. ^[13] The football team competes in the United Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference ^{[14] [15]} and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,333 to 2,324 students. ^[16]

The boys' baseball team won the South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 1962 and were runner-up to Livingston High School in 1976 for the Group IV state championship. ^[17]

The boys cross country team won the Group III state championship in 1988. ^[18]

The boys track team won the indoor state championship in Group III in 1989 (as co-champion), 1991 and 1994 and won the Group II title in 1995 (co-champion), 1999 (co-champion), 2001 and 2002; the program's six state group titles are tied for 11th-most in the state. ^[19] The girls track team won the Group III title in 1993 and 1994, and in Group II in 1998 (as co-champion) and 2000; the program's four state titles are tied for tenth-most statewide. ^[20]

The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track state championship in Group III in 1991-1995, and in Group II in 1997, 2002 and 2006. ^[21]

The boys track team won the indoor relay championship in Group III in 1994 and in Group II in 1997, 2001 and 2002 ^[22]

The football team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 1997 and 1999. ^[23] The 1997 team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional title with a 20-8 win against Gloucester City High School in the championship game, the first title since the school was awarded the championship in 1947. ^[24]

The boys spring / outdoor track team was the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state champions in 1991–1995 in Group III, and in 1997, 2002 and 2006 in Group II. ^[25]

Administration

The school's principal is Michael Eckmeyer. The administration team includes five assistant principals. ^[26]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Bridgeton High School alumni

• Markquese Bell (born 1999), American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. ^[27]
• Robin Bernstein (born 1953, class of 1972), Florida businesswoman who has served as the United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. ^[28]
• Joseph W. Chinnici (1919-2007), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 1st Legislative District from 1972 to 1988. ^[29]
• Nadia Davy (born 1980, class of 1999), Jamaican track athlete who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. ^[30]
• Braheme Days Jr. (born 1995), shot putter. ^[31]
• James Galanos (born 1924, class of 1942), fashion designer. ^{[32] [33]}
• Helen Gandy (1897–1988) Secretary to Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover for 54 years. ^[34]
• George Jamison (born 1962), NFL linebacker who played for the Detroit Lions. ^[35]
• Harvey Johnson (1919–1983), head coach of the NFLs Buffalo Bills in 1971. ^[36]
• Brison Manor (born 1952), defensive lineman who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, from 1977 to 1984. ^[37]
• Rube Oldring (1884–1961), professional baseball outfielder from 1905 to 1918, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. ^[38]
• Harold E. Pierce (1922-2006), dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon. ^[39]
• Jeffrey Sammons (born c. 1949, class of 1967), historian and professor who has focused on African-American history, military history and sports history. ^[40]
• Charles C. Seabrook (1909-2003, class of 1927), executive who was an earlier pioneer in frozen food. ^[41]
• George H. Stanger (1902–1958), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1938 to 1946 ^[42]
• Dominique Williams (born 1990), football running back. ^[43]
• Shana Williams (born 1972, class of 1989), former track and field athlete who competed in the long jump. ^[44]
• H. Boyd Woodruff (1917-2017), soil microbiologist who discovered actinomycin and developed industrial production by fermentation of many natural products, including cyanocobalamin (a synthetic form of Vitamin B12), the avermectins and other important antibiotics. ^[45]

References

1. School data for Bridgeton High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. Bridgeton High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. Abbott School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 15, 2016.
4. Member Directory Archived June 9, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed September 20, 2012.
5. Region Profile - Western/Southern Cumberland Region Strategic Plan Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Cumberland Development Corporation, January 2003. Accessed December 21, 2014. "Students in grades 9-12 residing in Commercial, Maurice River and a portion of Lawrence Townships attend Millville High School. Students in Bridgeton, Downe and a portion of Lawrence Township attend Bridgeton High School."
6. Staff. "Bridgeton High School", South Jersey magazine. Accessed December 21, 2014. "Bridgeton High School provides opportunities for students from Bridgeton, Lawrence Township and Downe Township in Cumberland County to become members of society who are thoughtful, informed, involved and committed to life-long learning."
7. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly , September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
8. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly , August 16, 2012. Accessed August 24, 2012.
9. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly , August 16, 2010. Accessed October 8, 2011.
10. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly , September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
11. Bridgeton Senior H.S., New Jersey Schools Development Authority. Accessed February 16, 2022. "Bridgeton High School was constructed in 1952."
12. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
13. NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
14. Bridgeton Bulldogs, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.
15. Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
16. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
17. Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
18. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country Group State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
19. Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
20. Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2023. Accessed February 1, 2024.
21. NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
22. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
23. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
24. Cagle, Nick. "Bridgeton is Title Town; Bulldogs win South Jersey Group II title", The Daily Journal , December 8, 1997. Accessed March 4, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In front of 2,500 fans fighting to stay warm at Jim Hursey Stadium, Rhett was the alpha and omega for the Bridgeton High School football team Saturday in the South Jersey Group II championship game against visiting Gloucester. Rhett returned a pair of fumbles for 16-yard touchdowns, including the icebreaker that snapped a scoreless tie in the second quarter as the Bulldogs won their first Group II title with a 20-8 victory. The victory was the first sectional title for the school under the playoff format and first of any kind since 1947."
25. NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
26. Home Page, Bridgeton High School. Accessed April 22, 2024.
27. Gill, Mike. "Bridgeton, NJ, Alum Markquese Bell Off to 'Excellent Start'", WPEN, August 5, 2022. Accessed August 31, 2022. "Former Bridgeton Bulldogs star Markquese Bell went undrafted in this year's NFL Draft, but he is making a name for himself at Dallas Cowboys training camp."
28. "U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic: Who Is Robin Bernstein?", AllGov.com, November 13, 2017. Accessed August 10, 2018. "Born in 1953, Robin Stein Bernstein is from Bridgeton, New Jersey, and graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1972 after spending her junior year as an exchange student in Paris."
29. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 202, Part 2, p. 239. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1987. Accessed October 30, 2019. "Joseph W. Chinnici, Rep., Bridgeton - Assemblyman Chinnici was born in Rosenhayn July 27, 1919. He was graduated from Bridgeton Senior High School in 1938 and attended the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania."
30. McCann, Courtney. From Bridgeton to Athens games, The Press of Atlantic City , August 31, 2009. Accessed February 10, 2014.
31. Dougherty, Nyssa. "Bridgeton shot putter Braheme Days Jr. uses hard work to become The Press Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year", The Press of Atlantic City , March 21, 2012. Accessed July 24, 2019. "Bridgeton High School junior Braheme Days Jr. is constantly looking to improve in his high school track and field career."
32. Gerston, Jill. "Personality: Nancy Reagan Put Galanos On The Map", The Philadelphia Inquirer , February 19, 1981. Accessed July 29, 2007. "Like another famous Jimmy, James Galanos was "Jimmy who?"... After graduating from Bridgeton High School... "
33. McCullen, Sean C. "BHS Hall of Fame grows", Bridgeton News , November 16, 2007. Accessed December 11, 2007. The third class of the Bridgeton High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame was inducted during a ceremony at the high school Thursday night. The 2007-2008 inductees are fashion designer James Galanos (Class of 1942)..."
34. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of Congress, Volume 110, Part 8, p. 10282. United States Government Publishing Office, 1964. Accessed July 24, 2019. "...and it gives me great pleasure to note in passing that when Mr. Hoover was appointed Acting Director by Attorney General Harlan F. Stone on May 10, 1924, under President Calvin Coolidge that his private Secretary then and now is Miss Helen Gandy, a native of Cumberland County, a graduate of Bridgeton High School in my Second District of New Jersey, and the descendant of a fine Old South Jersey family."
35. George Jamison Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed July 24, 2019.
36. Harvey Johnson, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed July 24, 2019.
37. Brison Manor, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed July 24, 2019.
38. Rube Oldring, Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed December 23, 2021. "High School: Bridgeton HS (Bridgeton, NJ)"
39. Sims, Gayle Ronan. "Harold E. Pierce Jr., 84, dermatologist, surgeon", The Philadelphia Inquirer , November 4, 2006. Accessed December 21, 2014. "He was born in the Art Museum area, and his mother died when he was 7. His father decided the best situation for his son was to be raised by his paternal grandparents in Bridgeton, N.J. He graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1939 and earned a bachelor's degree in science in 1943 from Lincoln University and a medical degree in 1946 from Howard University."
40. Jeffrey T. Sammons Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , AAUW Poughkeepsie. Accessed September 26, 2017. "Jeffrey T. Sammons is a professor of history at New York University, where he has taught since 1989 in addition to having served previously as the department's director of graduate studies. Sammons is a graduate of Bridgeton High School, Class of 1967."
41. Seabrook, Charles Courtney, Encyclopedia.com. Accessed December 21, 2023. "(b. 15 January 1909 in Bridgeton, New Jersey; d. 4 October 2003 in Woodstown, New Jersey), frozen food packager who was instrumental in building the frozen food industry in the twentieth century.... Seabrook graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1927 and joined his older brother at Mercersburg Academy, a college preparatory school in Pennsylvania."
42. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1944, p. 265. Accessed December 16, 2022. "George H. Stanger (Rep., Vineland) Senator Stanger was born in Glassboro, N.J., September 25, 1902. He was educated at Bridgeton High School and Lafayette College."
43. Grugan, Erin. "Bridgeton grad Dominique Williams makes Jets' roster ", The Press of Atlantic City , September 3, 2016. Accessed September 26, 2017. "Bridgeton High School graduate Dominique Williams got a very nice surprise Saturday afternoon. The running back's name was not on the cut list after the New York Jets announced their 53-man roster."
44. Hadden, Doug. "Bridgeton Athlete Takes 3 Events In Girls' Track", The Philadelphia Inquirer , May 8, 1988. Accessed December 21, 2014. "Bridgeton High's Shana Williams won three events, and Kingsway was an easy winner in the team competition, highlighting yesterday's 16th annual Pennsauken-South Jersey Open track meet for girls."
45. Woodruff, H. Boyd Interview, Rutgers University. Accessed February 4, 2017. "So, my last two years, ... in seventh grade and eighth grade, ... I was in the new Hopewell Township School. Then, students from Hopewell Township went to Bridgeton High School. About forty percent of the students in Bridgeton High School came from the city and the others were from outlying areas, a far-ranging distance, actually all the way down to Port Norris, twenty miles away, and our area was maybe about ten miles away. So, my four years of high school were in Bridgeton High School."

External links

• Bridgeton High School
• Bridgeton Public Schools
• School Performance Report for Bridgeton High School , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Bridgeton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• South Jersey Sports: Bridgeton HS