Pemberton Township High School

Pemberton Township High School
Address
148 Arney's Mount Road Pemberton Township , Burlington County , New Jersey 08068 United States
Coordinates	39°59′23″N74°41′10″W / 39.989648°N 74.68616°W / 39.989648; -74.68616
Information
Type	Public high school
Motto	(PTHS) Peace-Truth-Honor-Spirit
Established	1935
School district	Pemberton Township School District
NCES School ID	341281001202 [1]
Principal	Eder Joseph
Faculty	75.0 FTEs [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,057 (as of 2022–23) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	14.1:1 [1]
Color(s)	Green and   white [2]
Athletics conference	Burlington County Scholastic League (general) West Jersey Football League (football)
Team name	Hornets [2]
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [3]
Website	www.pemberton.k12.nj.us/Domain/8

Pemberton Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Pemberton Township, in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Pemberton Township School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2012 ^[3] as part of the first district in the state to receive accreditation for all of its schools. ^[4]

As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,057 students and 75.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.1:1. There were 436 students (41.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 159 (15.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. ^[1]

History

A united high school for grades nine through twelve opened at the Arney's Mount Road site in 1990; the high school was previously split with grades 9 and 10 attending Pemberton High School No. 1 on Fort Dix Road (now the Helen A. Fort Middle School) and grades 11 and 12 attending school at the building then known as Pemberton High School No. 2. ^[5]

In 1996, legislation signed into law would allow the Woodland Township School District to sever its sending/receiving relationship with the Pemberton Township School District and join the Lenape Regional High School District. Woodland Township had been sending about 30 students a year—and nearly $300,000 in tuition payments—to join the 1,350 students at Pemberton Township High School as part of a relationship that dated back to the 1920s. For years, the Pemberton district had refused Woodland Township's repeated requests to terminate the relationship. ^[6] In May 1997, the Lenape district agreed to start accepting students from Woodland Township at Lenape High School starting with the 1997–98 school year and to add Woodland Township as the regional district's eight constituent municipality. ^[7]

In 1999, as part of its efforts to discourage students from smoking, the Pemberton Township Council established fines for students caught smoking in school bathrooms, with fines assessed at $100 for a first offense and $200 for each additional incident. ^[8]

In 2014 the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression "awarded" Pemberton Principal Ida Smith a "Muzzle" for censoring student publications. ^{[9] [10]}

Attendance area

It is one of the two high schools which takes in high-school aged dependent students living-on post in these portions of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst: McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix. ^[11]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 293rd-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 195th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 266th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. ^[13] The magazine ranked the school 257th in 2008 out of 316 schools. ^[14] The school was ranked 277th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. ^[15]

Schooldigger.com ranked the school as tied for 309th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 14 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). ^[16]

Pemberton Township High School won first place in the New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl Burlington County competition, held at the Palmyra Cove Nature Park and Environmental Center in Palmyra as part of the 10th annual New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl. ^[17] PTHS has won the statewide competition in 2000, 2003 and 2004. ^[18]

Pemberton Township High School Choral Music Department students have successfully auditioned into the National Association for Music Education All National Honors Mixed Chorus, New Jersey Music Educators Association All State Mixed Chorus and All State Women's Chorus as well South Jersey Choral Directors Association (SJCDA) Region III District Chorus.

Athletics

The Pemberton Township High School Hornets ^[2] compete in the Burlington County Scholastic League, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Burlington, Mercer and Ocean counties in central New Jersey, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). ^[19] With 752 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. ^[20] The football team competes in the Freedom Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference ^{[21] [22]} and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III South for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 680 to 889 students. ^[23] The school colors are dark green and white, and the school's mascot is the hornet. ^[2]

The football program has enjoyed the school's most success with several winning seasons and a state championship under the guidance of former head coach William McDowell. The current head coach is John Rosnick. Parade All-Americans include Octavius Gould who went on to play for the Florida Gators ^[24] and Irv Smith who went on to play for Notre Dame. ^[25] The 1977 football team finished the season with a record of 8-2-1 after winning the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state sectional title with a 9–6 win against Rancocas Valley Regional High School in the championship game. ^{[26] [27]}

The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group IV state championship in 1980 ^[28]

Administration

The school's principal is Eder Joseph. His administration team includes three assistant principals. ^[29]

Student body and academic achievement

In 1996, its enrollment was 1,350. At the time the percentage of students who matriculated to community colleges or four-year universities was 55%. ^[30]

Notable alumni

• Jerry Dunn (born 1953), college basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Tuskegee Golden Tigers. ^[31]
• Matthew Emmons (born 1981), Olympic Gold Medal winner at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the Men's 50 m Rifle Prone. ^[32]
• Ed Gillespie (born 1962), former chairman of the Republican National Committee, where he served from July 2003 to January 2005. ^[33]
• Chris Hall (born 1970), NFL player for the Dallas cowboys. ^[34]
• Chelcie Ross (born 1942), character actor most known for Above the Law, Major League, Basic Instinct, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Hoosiers and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. ^[35]
• Ed Smith (born 1969), former NFL tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and Detroit Lions . ^[36]
• Irv Smith (born 1971), tight end who played most of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints. ^[37]
• Johnnie Troutman (born 1987), offensive lineman who has played for the San Diego Chargers. ^[38]

References

1. School data for Pemberton Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.
2. Pemberton Township High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. Pemberton Township High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 8, 2018.
4. Zimmaro, Mark. "Pemberton schools receive Middle States accreditation", Burlington County Times , August 29, 2012. Accessed April 15, 2021. "Pemberton became the first district in the state to receive system-wide accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which evaluates districts through a system protocol."
5. Wiggins, Ovetta. "Construction Delays Mean Some Schools Will Open Late", The Philadelphia Inquirer , September 2, 1990. Accessed June 1, 2016. "Pemberton Township is combining its two high schools, formerly called High School No. 1 and High School No. 2. Ninth and 10th graders, who would have attended Pemberton Township High School No. 1 on Fort Dix-Pemberton Road, will be attending Pemberton Township High School on Arney's Mount Road along with 11th and 12th graders. That school was formerly known as Pemberton Township High School No. 2."
6. Wilson, David E. "Woodland youths may get to skip Pemberton High; Well, the way is clearer for them to go to Lenape Regional. Parents have yearned for that for years.", The Philadelphia Inquirer , September 8, 1996. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Convinced that the Lenape Regional High School District can offer a better education for graduates of their elementary school, many parents want to end an almost 70-year relationship with Pemberton Township High School.... All that the Woodland educators needed to get started on the switch to Lenape was Pemberton's permission. But Pemberton officials, mindful of the negative publicity such a move would create and the $7,800 annual tuition payment for each graduate of Chatsworth Elementary School said 'no' every time.... Losing Woodland's students would be a financial loss for the Pemberton Township School District, which as a special-needs district already qualifies for additional state dollars. With the transfer of the Woodland students, the high school would lose about $300,000. About 1,350 students attend Pemberton Township High School."
7. Harbach, Louise. "Lenape district board lets Woodland in", The Philadelphia Inquirer , May 12, 1997. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "After years spent trying to sever its sending-receiving relationship with Pemberton Township, the Woodland Board of Education has finally gotten its wish: Come September, high school students from the sprawling 94-square-mile township deep in the Pinelands will attend school in the Lenape Regional High School District. Next year, about 15 Woodland students from the sparsely populated municipality will go to Lenape Regional High School, one of three high schools in the Lenape district, following a decision Tuesday by the Lenape school board. As a result of the Lenape board's decision, Woodland will be admitted as the eighth member of the regional district. Since 1958, Lenape has consisted of students from Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton and Tabernacle."
8. Kent, Bill. "In Brief; The Rising Cost of Smoking, And Getting Caught", The New York Times , February 28, 1999. Accessed September 7, 2011. "Students who are caught trying to steal a smoke in the Pemberton Township High School lavatories after March 18 will be hit with a $100 fine if it's the first time, $200 after that."
9. Clark, Lesley. "White House 'awarded' for press freedom", McClatchy DC, April 10, 2014. Accessed August 11, 2014.
10. Jefferson Muzzles 2014, Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. Accessed August 11, 2014.
11. "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Education". Military One Source . Retrieved August 7, 2022. - This is a .mil site. The site explains there are three school district choices for McGuire and Dix. One of those districts is elementary-only, so logically the comprehensive high schools of the remaining two are the two choices.
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 August 24, 2012.
14. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly , August 16, 2010. Accessed February 13, 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 2009-2010, Schooldigger.com. Accessed January 20, 2012.
17. Pemberton Township High School Takes First Place in Burlington County Consumer Bowl Competition, New Jersey Attorney General press release dated February 6, 2006
18. Past Consumer Bowl Winners, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Accessed May 14, 2012.
19. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
20. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
21. Pemberton Hornets, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.
22. 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."
23. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
24. Robb, Sharon. "UF Hoping Gould Turns Into Gold", South Florida Sun-Sentinel , February 13, 1986. Accessed July 5, 2012. "Gould, a first team Parade Magazine All-American, rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior and senior. He runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds."
25. Temkin, Barry. "Bloom Guard's Long-range Missiles Penetrate All Kinds Of Defense Systems", Chicago Tribune , February 3, 1989. Accessed July 5, 2012. "Notre Dame has added to its seemingly inexhaustible supply of Parade magazine All-Americas by getting commitments from lineman Junior Bryant of Omaha, tight end-defensive back Irv Smith of Pemberton, N.J., and running back Dorsey Levens of Syracuse."
26. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
27. "Pemberton Wins Group IV Title", The Millville Daily, December 5, 1977. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "A first-quarter field goal, a third-quarter touchdown and strong fourth-quarter defense carried Pemberton (8-2-1) to a 9-7 victory over Rancocas Valley and the South Jersey Group IV football championship Saturday at Rancocas Valley."
28. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
29. Meet the Administration, Pemberton Township High School. Accessed March 13, 2022.
30. Wilson, David E. "Woodland youths may get to skip Pemberton High; Well, the way is clearer for them to go to Lenape Regional. Parents have yearned for that for years.", The Philadelphia Inquirer , September 8, 1996. Pages BR1-2. Clipping from first page and second page. Accessed March 13, 2022, via Newspapers.com.
31. Gorman, Kevin. "Dunn rewarded for sacrifices, wait", The Daily Collegian , October 19, 1995. Accessed October 1, 2017. "At Pemberton Township High School, the Dunn twins started at the swingman and power forward positions for three years, only distinguished by the rubber band that Coach Richard Stahl forced Terry to wear to tell them apart."
32. Matthew Emmons, Civilian Marksmanship Program. Accessed June 22, 2007. "He once pitched a perfect game for his high school team in Pemberton, NJ."
33. Transcript of June 15, 2004 Conference Call with RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie and New Jersey State Senator Joe Kyrillos, Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, provided by the Republican National Committee. Accessed February 16, 2007. "E. Gillespie: Thank you, Chairman. I am very excited about New Jersey as a competitive state because I am a native of New Jersey - Brown's Mills. 'I went to Pemberton Township High School'."
34. Chris Hall, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed August 11, 2014.
35. Chelcie Ross profile, IndustryCentral.net, accessed February 16, 2007. "A military 'brat', he attended many schools in the United States and abroad, graduating Stateside from Pemberton Township High School in New Jersey."
36. Staff. "Brothers Share The Key To Their Nfl Success \ It's School, Said Ed And Irv Smith, Pemberton Grads.", Philadelphia Inquirer , May 16, 1999. Accessed January 30, 2012. "At 6 feet, 4 inches and 253 pounds, Ed Smith, a tight end for the Cleveland Browns, is a force to be reckoned with. The same is said of his brother Irv, who at 6-foot-3 and 262 pounds will play the same position next season for the reborn NFL team. But when ``The Boss calls, ``we had better listen, said Ed Smith, 29, the older of the two brothers from Browns Mills."
37. Irv Smith player profile, Sporting News . Accessed February 17, 2007.
38. Johnnie Troutman Archived May 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , San Diego Chargers. Accessed October 12, 2014. "three-time All-Burlco/ Olympic-Patriot Football Conference pick at Pemberton Township High in Brown Mills, N.J."

External links

• Pemberton Township High School
• Pemberton Township School District
• School Performance Report for Pemberton Township High School , New Jersey Department of Education
• School Data for the Pemberton Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics