Millville High School (New Jersey)

Millville Senior High School
Front of school
Address
200 Wade Boulevard Millville , Cumberland County , New Jersey 08332 United States
Coordinates	39°23′53″N75°01′06″W / 39.397965°N 75.018389°W / 39.397965; -75.018389
Information
Type	Public high school
School district	Millville Public Schools
NCES School ID	341032001868 [1]
Principal	Jaime Sutton
Faculty	70.0 FTEs [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,640 (as of 2022–23) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	23.4:1 [1]
Color(s)	Orange and   Blue [2]
Athletics conference	Cape-Atlantic League (general) West Jersey Football League (football)
Team name	Thunderbolts [2]
Rival	Vineland High School
Newspaper	Tattler [3]
Yearbook	Torch [3]
Website	mhs.millville.org

Millville Senior High School is a comprehensive community public high school located in Millville, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of Millville Public Schools. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1943. ^[4]

Maurice River Township sends 180 students who attend the district's high schools, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Maurice River Township School District. ^{[5] [6]} Commercial Township and Lawrence Township also send students to the district's high schools; The sending districts filed suit in 2009, challenging the way in which the Millville district charges for students from outside the district to attend the school. ^[7] Students from Woodbine had attended the district's high schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship, before the Woodbine district switched to have students attend Middle Township High School starting with freshmen starting school in the 2013–14 school year. ^{[8] [9]}

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,640 students and 70.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 23.4:1. There were 932 students (56.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 186 (11.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. ^[1]

History

In 2016, the school board decided to create a single principal position for all high school students as it had plans to consolidate the two high schools. ^[10] That year Kathy Procopio, the principal, chose to retire. ^[11] David Gentile, the superintendent, stated that the retirement made the district's principal consolidation plans more complex. ^[10]

As part of an expansion and renovation project overseen by the New Jersey Schools Development Authority that ultimately cost $145 million and had been scheduled to start in 2017, the school's capacity was to be doubled to accommodate up to 2,300 students, allowing all of the freshmen and sophomore classes that had been at Memorial High School to be consolidated at the Senior High School building; for the 2017–18 school year, all high school students were shifted into Millville High School. ^{[12] [13]} The completion of the project was marked in September 2023, which ultimately doubled the size of the building and added 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) of space to the facility that had opened in 1964 to replace the original high school building that was completed in 1925. ^[14]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 291st-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. ^[15] The school had been ranked 308th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 306th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. ^[16] The magazine ranked the school 289th in 2008 out of 316 schools. ^[17] The school was ranked 295th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. ^[18]

Millville High School is a participant in the NASA Toys in Space program, a joint project of American and Russian students to learn the science behind designing a toy, and about the study of space. ^[19]

Athletics

The Millville Senior High School Thunderbolts ^[2] compete in the American Division of the Cape-Atlantic League, an athletic conference comprised of parochial and public high schools located in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Gloucester counties that operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). ^[20] With 1,260 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022-23 school year as South, Group 4 for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. ^[21] The football team competes in the American Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference ^{[22] [23]} and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students. ^[24]

Since 1893, Vineland High School, in Vineland, has participated in an annual Thanksgiving football game with Millville High School. The rivalry is one of the oldest public high school rivalries in the United States and the state's oldest, with Vineland leading the series 64-63-19, heading into the 2017 game. ^{[25] [26] [27]} The rivalry with Vineland was listed at 6th on NJ.com's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". ^[28]

The boys' tennis team was the state overall co-champion in 1950 with Asbury Park High School, the first year that the state title was determined by playoffs. ^{[29] [30]}

The boys track team won the Group IV spring / outdoor track state championship in 1970, 1998 (as co-champion), 1999 and 2001. ^[31]

The football team won the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state sectional title in 1975 and the South Jersey Group V title in 2016. ^[32] The 1975 team finished the season with an 11-0 record after winning the South Jersey Group IV state sectional title by defeating defending champion Brick Township High School 22-12 in the championship game to snap Brick's 20-game winning streak. ^[33] The team won the South Jersey Group V state sectional championship in 2016, defeating Toms River High School North by a score of 22–16 in the tournament final. ^[34]

Field hockey coach Claudia E. McCarthy, inducted into the New Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame in 1990, won her 500th game in 2011 in her 41st season as a coach, with a win against Middle Township High School. ^[35] She became the fifth coach to reach 500 field hockey victories. ^[36]

The girls track team won the indoor relay state championship in Group IV in 2019. ^[37]

The girls spring track team was the Group IV state champion in 2019. ^[38]

Administration

The principal is Jaime Sutton. Her administration team includes three vice principals. ^[39]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Millville High School (New Jersey) alumni

• LeQuint Allen (born 2004, class of 2022), running back for the Syracuse Orange ^[40]
• Ryquell Armstead (born 1996, class of 2015), running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. ^[41]
• Fred Pierce Corson (1896–1985, class of 1913), Bishop of the Methodist Church and United Methodist Church. ^[42]
• Merritt Gant (born 1971, class of 1989), guitarist who had played with the heavy metal band Overkill. ^[43]
• Bubba Green (1957–2019) played defensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts in 1981. ^[44]
• Leon Henderson (1895–1986), administrator of the Office of Price Administration from 1941 to 1942. ^[42]
• Dwayne Hendricks (born 1986), former football defensive tackle. ^[45]
• Buddy Kennedy (born 1998, class of 2017), professional baseball third baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. ^[46]
• R. Bruce Land (born 1950, class of 1968), politician and former corrections officer who represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2016 to 2020. ^[47]
• Larry Milbourne (born 1951), former utility infielder who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. ^[48]
• Calvin Murray (born 1958), running back who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. ^[49]
• Steve Romanik (1924–2009, class of 1942), NFL quarterback from 1950 to 1954 for the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals. ^[50]
• Barry H. Streeter (born c. 1949, class of 1967), former college football coach. ^[51]
• Bob Surace (born 1968), head coach of the Princeton Tigers football team. ^[52]
• Mike Trout (born 1991), MLB center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels. ^[53]
• Ashleigh Udalovas (born 1988), Miss New Jersey 2010. ^[54]

References

1. School data for Millville Senior High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Millville Senior High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. The Key Student Handbook 2018-2019, Millville High School. Accessed May 15, 2022.
4. Member Directory, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed September 20, 2012.
5. Maurice River Township School District 2016 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 26, 2017. "The Maurice River Township School District consists of one elementary school and is a sending district to the Millville School District for its high school students.... Maurice River Township transports approximately 180 students to the Memorial and Senior High Schools in Millville."
6. Maurice River Township Elementary School Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Maurice River Township School District. Accessed March 29, 2011. "The Maurice River Township School District consists of one elementary school and is a sending district to the Millville School District for its high school students.... Maurice River Township transports approximately 180 students to the Memorial and Senior High Schools in Millville."
7. Jones, Jean. "Sending districts Maurice River, Commercial, Lawrence, Woodbine suing Millville School District over tuition rates", The News of Cumberland County , April 13, 2009. Accessed March 29, 2011. "The suit, filed in the state Administrative Law Court, asks the commissioner of education to resolve a dispute about the method which the Millville school district is using to estimate and audit tuition for four sending districts. The four districts, Maurice River, Commercial, Lawrence and Woodbine, have joined in the suit with Maurice River as the lead agency."
8. Campbell, Al. "Woodbine School Proposes Consolidation with Middle Schools", Cape May County Herald , February 27, 2008. Accessed March 29, 2011. "One key factor, said Kopakowski, is Woodbine's sending-receiving relationship with Millville School District. That Cumberland County district, with about 6,400 pupils K-12 has long educated Woodbine's high school students."
9. Campbell, Al. "Woodbine Freshmen to Enter Middle Township High School in September", Cape May County Herald , August 7, 2013. Accessed November 14, 2017. "The ride to high school will be a bit shorter this September for about 15 freshmen from Woodbine. That’s due to the July 29 decision by state Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf to permit eighth grade graduates from Woodbine to enter Middle Township High School instead of Millville High School. Pupils presently enrolled at Millville High School from Woodbine will graduate from there, to minimize impact on them."
10. Smith, Joseph P. "Millville moving to 1 high school principal position", The Daily Journal , April 26, 2016. Accessed October 27, 2021. "The city school system wants its two high schools operating under one principal next year as it looks ahead to Millville Senior High School becoming a four-year institution. The Board of Education on Monday night unanimously approved creating a position for a principal with responsibility for ninth through 12th grades."
11. Smith, Joseph P. "Millville Senior High Principal Kathy Procopio retiring", The Daily Journal , February 23, 2016. Accessed October 27, 2021.
12. Smith, Joseph P. "Millville planners get look at high school expansion", The Daily Journal , March 15, 2016. "Schematic designs submitted to New Jersey for a proposed $110 million Millville Senior High School expansion were laid out before city planners Monday night.... On completion, the district will be able to consolidate at the senior high all freshman classes and those sophomore classes now in Memorial High School.... Additional space will allow the student population to increase from 1,200 now, approximately, to about 2,300."
13. Smith, Joseph P. "First look Wednesday at Millville senior high expansion proposals", The Daily Journal , February 8, 2017. Accessed December 10, 2017. "Companies interested in taking on a pending Millville Senior High School expansion and renovation project submitted their technical proposals, as well as sealed pricing bids, on Wednesday afternoon to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. The authority and Millville intend to start the multiyear project in mid-2017 after graduation. Students will be present during portions of the construction, though, since the estimated $110 million project should last into 2020.... The senior high will become a freshman class through senior class campus once the work is finished."
14. Conklin, Eric. "Millville High School overhaul brings new era for students, officials say", The Press of Atlantic City , September 24, 2023. Accessed February 4, 2024. "After years of patience, a more than $140 million transformation of Millville High School is over. Officials on Thursday celebrated the project’s completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the doorway leading into the school’s new auditorium. The four-phase renovation began in 2018.... More than 200,000 square feet of additions and about 55,000 square feet of renovations were implemented at the building on North Wade Boulevard. The project increased the school’s size to about 375,000 square feet.... The original high school opened in 1964, replacing a building built in 1925, Superintendent Tony Trongone told the ceremony’s roughly 30 attendees."
15. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly , September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
16. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly , August 16, 2012. Accessed September 20, 2012.
17. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly , August 16, 2010. Accessed January 31, 2011.
18. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly , September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
19. Millville High School Students Participate in Toys in Space Project, New Jersey Department of Education, press release dated March 2, 2007.
20. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
21. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
22. Millville Thunderbolts, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.
23. 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."
24. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
25. Evans, Bill. "Millville vs. Vineland: Division title, stellar seniors and N.J.'s longest Thanksgiving rivalry", NJ Advance media, November 21, 2017. Accessed November 21, 2017. "The season isn't ending the way the Millville and Vineland High School football teams hoped back in August.... And in addition to the division crown, there's the honor of playing in the state's longest Thanksgiving rivalry – one that dates back to 1893 and in which Vineland took a one-game lead, 64-63-19, with a win last year."
26. "Thanksgiving brings feast of rivalries" ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}, Courier-Post , November 22, 2006.
27. VHS-MHS games on the 6s were eventful, colorful Archived September 14, 2012, at archive.today , The Daily Journal , November 29, 1996.
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. "6-Millville vs. Vineland... These Cumberland County rivals and neighboring towns have been long-time Thanksgiving Day opponents. In fact, Vineland-Millville is the state's longest standing Thanksgiving Day rivalry and the 10th longest in the country. The teams have played at least once every year since the series started in 1893 with the exception of 1905.... All-time series: Vineland leads, 64-63-19"
29. History of Boys' Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
30. "Asbury Park Shares State Tennis Diadem; Ties Millville for Championship as Parreott and Mudd Annex Douhles Crown - Torres Bows in Singles Final to Eisenberg", Asbury Park Press , May 28, 1950. Accessed January 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Asbury Park high school tennis team tied with Millville for the state championship yesterday afternoon when each scored seven points."
31. NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
32. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
33. Gifford, Dave. "Thunderbolts Capture State Title", The Millville Daily, December 8, 1975. Accessed January 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Brick Township's Green Dragons came to Wheaton Field Saturday breathing fire but Millville's Thunderbolts were equal to the task and dumped enough bombs on the visitors to take a thrilling 22-12 decision and the undisputed Group IV title for South Jersey. Prior to Saturday's contest, Brick had gone 20 games without a defeat and had lost but one game in the past five years. Now they have lost two. It was the 11th victory of the season for the Thunderbolts which was just one of several records set during 1975."
34. Evans, Bill. "Millville shut down some of state's top stars on way to title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 3, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2016. "On Saturday night, the Thunderbolts took down top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Toms River North, 22-16, in a South Jersey Group 5 victory that did as much to put Millville athletics on the map as any non-Mike Trout-related event in recent memory."
35. Szafran, Wes. "McCarthy gets 500th win as Millville field hockey edges Middle", NJ.com, September 17, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2017. "The Millville High School field hockey team barely squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Middle Township on Friday, but the real story was on the sideline. Millville coach Claudia McCarthy picked up her 500th career victory in her 41st year on the sideline."
36. "Local Athletes' Feats", Philadelphia Daily News, October 9, 2011. Accessed November 29, 2017. "McCarthy got her 500th victory as Millville High School's field-hockey coach in September, the most in South Jersey history."
37. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
38. NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
39. Administration, Millville Senior High School. Accessed October 27, 2021.
40. Huba, Nicholas (March 5, 2021). "Millville running back Allen commits to Syracuse". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
41. Coppola, Anthony V. "Millville's Ryquell Armstead readies for life in the NFL", The Daily Journal , April 24, 2019. Accessed September 13, 2019. "Ryquell Armstead knew from a young age what his life's calling was. This week, the 2015 Millville High School graduate will fulfill that destiny."
42. Our People of the Century - Millville's Class of 1913: Fame, Power, Influence Await Three High School Graduates" Archived December 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed December 6, 2007. "The legendary Millville High School Class of 1913 turned out a business leader, a political leader, and a religious leader. Collectively known as the 'Big Three,' William M. Dougherty, Leon Henderson, and Bishop Fred Pierce Corson, all schoolboy chums, went on to shape a good chunk of 20th century America."
43. "Millville musician hits the big time", The Daily Journal , May 25, 1991. Accessed June 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Gant is a 1989 Millville High School graduate and is known by his previous work with the bands, 'Drastic Measures' and 'Faiths of Fear.'"
44. Cook Jr., Jim. "Battling Stray Electricity: A family's journey", The News of Cumberland County , November 20, 2011. Accessed March 20, 2012. "Anthony 'Bubba' Green, a Woodbine-native and member of the 1975 football team that led Millville High School to its state title, lost his daughter in a tragic accident involving stray electricity running through a fence in a Baltimore city recreation park in 2006."
45. Canavan, Tom via Associated Press. "Millville native Dwayne Hendricks cut by New York Giants", The Press of Atlantic City , August 31, 2012. Accessed September 26, 2017. "Defensive tackle Dwayne Hendricks, a Millville High School graduate, was one of several cuts made by the New York Giants on Friday, including two members of their Super Bowl-champion team — running back D.J. Ware and linebacker Greg Jones."
46. Russo, John. "Millville's Buddy Kennedy thrilled about promotion to Arizona Diamondbacks; family, friends there to see his MLB debut tonight", The Press of Atlantic City , June 17, 2022. Accessed June 20, 2022. "Buddy Kennedy was in the startling lineup Friday, hitting sixth as the designated hitter, for his major league debut. The 2017 Millville High School graduate was promoted that afternoon, the team announced, as the Diamondbacks were set to begin a three-game series against the Twins."
47. Smith, Joseph P. "2015 Election: 1st Legislative District Democrats", The Daily Journal , October 28, 2015. Accessed August 18, 2016. "A 1968 Millville high school graduate, Land was drafted in 1969 for a two-year hitch."
48. Larry Milbourne, NJSports.com. Accessed June 20, 2022. "After earning All-State honors as a junior and senior at Millville High, he signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles out of high school in 1969."
49. Weinberg, David. "South Jersey's football stars reflect on how the NFL draft has changed", The Press of Atlantic City , April 28, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2018. "Calvin Murray (Woodbine, Millville), fourth round, Philadelphia Eagles"
50. Gray, Matt. "Former NFL player, city commissioner Steve Romanik dies", The News of Cumberland County, September 16, 2009. Accessed January 31, 2011. "Steve Romanik graduated from Millville Senior High School as part of the Class of 1942."
51. Carty, Jack. "South Jersey firing the Bullets; Gettysburg!", Courier-Post , November 15, 1985. Accessed February 11, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Coach Barry Streeter, who was a three letter-winner at Millville High School, has Gettysburg 9-0, ranked in the top 10 among Division III schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and only Franklin and Marshall standing in its way to perfection."
52. Gargan, Guy. "Millville graduate Bob Surace named Princeton football coach", The Press of Atlantic City , December 24, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2018. "Millville High School graduate Bob Surace has been hired as the football coach at his alma mater, Princeton University, the school announced Wednesday."
53. Lulgjuraj, Susan. "Millville minor-leaguer Mike Trout named All-Star", The Press of Atlantic City , June 14, 2011. Accessed July 6, 2011. "Arkansas Travelers center fielder Mike Trout was selected Monday to start in the Texas League All-Star Game for the North Division on July 29 in San Antonio. Through Monday, the Millville High School graduate was sixth in the league with a .327 batting average through 56 games this season for the Travelers, the double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels."
54. "BEN column — Holly City Midgets roll; water rates; ode to Shep; Nelda Jane ‘Iron Mama’; Scottie Bailey remembered", The News of Cumberland County , October 5, 2010. Accessed November 13, 2018. "The Greater Millville Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce its selection as the Outstanding Citizen for October is Ashleigh Udalovas, Rowan University student, graduate of Millville High School and reigning Miss New Jersey."

External links

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