Montville Township High School

Montville Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Montville Township, in suburban Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The school was founded in 1971 and serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Montville Township School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1975.[3]

Montville Township High School
Address
100 Horseneck Road

Montville
,
Morris Township
,
New Jersey
07045

United States
Coordinates40.8936°N 74.3602°W / 40.8936; -74.3602
Information
TypePublic high school
Motto"You Can't Hide From Mustang Pride"
School districtMontville Township School District
NCES School ID3410650[1]
PrincipalDouglas Sanford
Faculty108.4 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,162 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio10.7:1[1]
Color(s)  Green and
  white[2]
Athletics conferenceNorthwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Team nameMustangs[2]
Websitewww.montville.net/1/home

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,162 students and 108.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. There were 23 students (2.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 13 (1.1% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

History

MTHS was founded in 1968 with only a ninth grade class; previously, high school students from the township attended nearby Boonton High School.[4] For the first two years of its existence the school was lodged in what was then referred to as Central School (now named Robert R. Lazar School, located on Change Bridge Road, within sight of the new high school). An additional grade was added in each of the following three years. After two years the student body moved into the new building (located on Horseneck Road), built on what was formerly The Sunset Dairy Farm, a.k.a. Sisco Tract. The initial class to complete all four years at MTHS graduated in 1972.

The first principal of the High School was Dr. Arthur Dermer, followed by Dr. Timothy Dyas. Another long serving principal was Dr. Clifford Keezer. After the initial recruitment of a high school staff in 1968 the Montville School District gradually added to the faculty as it became a full four-year school. The last member of the original staff departed in 2008 with the retirement of Mr. O'Brien.

The mascot adopted by the Board of Education for the high school suitably fit with the several horse/riding farms within the township: The Mustangs. "You can't hide from Mustang Pride", as coined by later principal Dr. Steven Kramer.

The auditorium of the High School is named in Honor of Dr. Robert O. Stafford. Dr. Stafford was raised in the township and was a long time teacher and Administrator at MTHS. Beloved by both students and staff for his integrity, character and devotion to the school, his name is thus memorialized.

Awards, recognition and rankings

In its listing of "America's Best High Schools 2016", the school was ranked 198th out of 500 best high schools in the country; it was ranked 31st among all high schools in New Jersey and 15th among the state's non-magnet schools.[5]

In its 2013 report on "America's Best High Schools", The Daily Beast ranked the school 415th in the nation among participating public high schools and 34th among schools in New Jersey.[6]

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 41st in New Jersey and 1,346th nationwide.[7] In Newsweek's May 22, 2007 issue, ranking the country's top high schools, Montville High School was listed in 964th place, the 28th-highest ranked school in New Jersey.[8]

The school was the 51st-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.[9] The school had been ranked 39th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 47th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 54th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was ranked 49th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.[12]

Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 114th out of 389 public high schools statewide in its 2012 rankings (a decrease of 42 positions from the 2011 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (88.2%) and language arts literacy (96.7%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13]

Graduate statistics

Based on data for the Class of 2017 from the New Jersey School Report Card, the graduation rate was 99%.[14] Average SAT scores were 581 Mathematics, 548 Critical Reading and 554 Writing, for a composite score of 1683, vs. statewide averages of 496/521/497 and a composite of 1514; Of students who took the SAT, 65.1% met the standard of college readiness with a composite score of 1550, vs. a statewide average of 44.6%. There were 19 AP courses offered / exams taken, with 42.1% of students taking at least one exam and 84.5% scoring 3 or above.[15]

Athletics

The Montville High School Mustangs[2] compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, an athletic conference comprised of private and public high schools located in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties in Northern New Jersey, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[16][17] With 904 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.[18] Montville is assigned to the American Division for most sports. Prior to the NJSIAA's realignment that took effect in the fall of 2009, Montville was a member of the Suburban Division of the Northern Hills Conference.[19] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2018–2020.[20]

The baseball team won the Group II state championship in 1978, winning the tournament's final game against South Brunswick High School.[21] The 2007 Mustang baseball team defeated Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, 9–7, to take the North I Group III section title for the first time since 1989.[22] The team has won the Morris County Tournament three times, tied for the fourth-most in tournament history, winning in 1974, 1980 and 1992.[23]

The girls' field hockey team won the North II Group II state sectional championship in 1975 and 1977, and the North II Group III state sectional title in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1984. The team won the Group III state championship in 1980 (vs. Ocean Township High School), 1981 (vs. Camden Catholic High School) and 1983 (as co-champion with Hillsborough High School).[24] The 1980 team finished the season with a record of 19-1-3 after winning the Group III title with a 3-2 win against Ocean Township in overtime in the tournament final at Mercer County Park.[25]

The girls' lacrosse team won the overall state championship in 1984, defeating Moorestown Friends School in the tournament final.[26]

The girls tennis team won the Group III state championship in 2013, defeating Princeton High School in the tournament final.[27] The 2013 team beat Moorestown High School 4-1 in the semifinals and moved on to defeat Princeton 4-1 in the finals.[28]

In 2001, the Montville boys' soccer team won the North II, Group II state sectional title with a 2–1 win in the championship game against Pequannock Township High School in sudden death overtime.[29] In 2009, the Montville boys' soccer team tied Madison High School 0–0 in the final of the Morris County tournament. The shared title was the first in the program's history.[30] The Mustangs went on to win their third ever sectional title, beating Northern Highlands Regional High School 2–0 in the final.[31] In 2010, Montville captured the Morris County boys' soccer title outright, winning 1–0 in overtime against Chatham High School.[32] The Mustangs also repeated as sectional champions, defeating Wayne Valley High School 5–1 in the section final for their fourth ever title.[33]

The girls' track team won the Group I indoor relay state championship in 2002.[34]

In 2003, the Montville Mustang football team set school records with nine wins and six shut outs, winning the first round of the state sectionals before losing in the state semi-final game, earning induction into the Montville Township Hall of Fame in 2011.[35][36]

The ice hockey team won the Haas Cup in 2009 and 2018, and won the Halvorsen Cup in 2015.[37]

The boys' wrestling team won the North I Group III state sectional title in 2009, 2019 and 2020. The team won the Group III state championship in 2020.[38]

The boys' bowling team won the Group III state championship in 2014.[39]

In 2014, Meg Hishmeh was hired as the head coach of the boys' ice hockey team to steer the team in a new direction, becoming the first women hockey coach of a boys' team in the state.[40]

Extracurricular activities

The school's marching band won the USBands Group III A national championship in 2015 with their program Equilibrium.[41]

In 2018, teacher Mary Gormley received the "National Educator of the Year" award from the National Speech and Debate Association for her work as a both a coach and educator.[42]

The school's marching band won the USBands Group II-A national and state championships in 2018 with their program Elements.[43]

Administration

The school's principal is Douglas Sanford. His core administration team includes two assistant principals.[44]

Notable alumni

References
  1. School data for Montville Township High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Montville Township High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Montville Township High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 24, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
  4. "Board Has Date on Hot Seat; Boonton Citizens Committee to Prove Budget", Herald News, January 23, 1968. Accessed June 8, 2020. "The budget also might be affected -- either up or down -- the board hasn't said which -- by the Montville Township high school referendum which was passed last week and means that Montville will withdraw its freshman class from Boonton High next fall, and all of its students by 1971."
  5. Staff. "America's Best High Schools 2016", Newsweek. Accessed November 11, 2016.
  6. Streib, Lauren. "America's Best High Schools" Archived May 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Beast, May 6, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2013.
  7. Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Montville High School", The Washington Post. Accessed September 8, 2011.
  8. "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools", Newsweek, May 22, 2007. Accessed May 24, 2007.
  9. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  10. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012.
  11. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2011.
  12. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  13. New Jersey High School Rankings: 11th Grade HSPA Language Arts Literacy & HSPA Math 2011-2012, Schooldigger.com. Accessed February 5, 2013.
  14. "Home - Performance Reports". rc.doe.state.nj.us. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  15. Montville Township High School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 27, 2015.
  16. Home Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."
  17. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  18. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  19. Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  20. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2018–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, finalized August 2019. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  21. NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  22. 2007 Baseball - North I, Group III, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed June 12, 2007.
  23. "The history of the Morris County Baseball Tournament (Throwback Photos)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 11, 2019, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2020.
  24. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  25. "Montville tops Ocean in overtime", Asbury Park Press, November 23, 1980. Accessed January 23, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The chant was beard throughout the Ocean Township-Montvllle NJSIAA Group III field hockey championship yesterday. It was heard most loudly by the Montville players. Three times Montville scored off a corner, and the third time was at the 4:45 mark of a 10-minute sudden death overtime period, giving the Mustangs a 3-2 victory and the championship over the Spartans at Mercer County Park."
  26. NJSIAA Girls Lacrosse Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  27. History of NJSIAA Girls Team Tennis Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  28. Breeman, Bill. "Montville wins Group III", Daily Record, October 18, 2013. Accessed January 18, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Matched against Moorestown in the semifinals, the Morris County Tournament champions rolled to a 4-1 victory behind dominant play from its doubles teams and singles victories from sisters Kaitlin and Erin Sanzone at second and third singles....The win over Moorestown set the stage for a finals showdown with unbeaten Princeton, which featured recently crowned NJSIAA singes champion Christina Rosca.... But the Mustangs took control of the match early and never looked back, using the same formula to produce a 4-1 victory."
  29. Kedem, Dan. "Montville gets the 'golden goal' that downs Pequannock", North Jersey Sports, November 10, 2001. Accessed September 28, 2016. "Emotions ran high in the North 2 Group 2 boys soccer sectional final between Pequannock and Montville on Friday afternoon.... But it was Montville that emerged victorious after Philippe Cardona delivered the 'golden goal' five minutes into the second overtime for the 2-1 win."
  30. "Montville ties Madison in county final" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jersey Sports Now, November 1, 2009.
  31. "Montville wins section title over No. Highlands" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jersey Sports Now, November 13, 2009.
  32. "Montville beats Chatham for Morris County title" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jersey Sports Now, October 30, 2010.
  33. "Montville waxes Wayne Valley in section final" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jersey Sports Now, November 11, 2010.
  34. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  35. Staff. "Montville inducts 2003 football champs, eight alumni, administrator into Hall of Fame", The Citizen of Morris County, September 19, 2011. Accessed October 15, 2011.
  36. 2011 MTHS Hall of Fame: 2003 Football Team Archived August 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Montville Township High School. Accessed March 29, 2012.
  37. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  38. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  39. History of NJSIAA Boys' Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  40. Hageny, John Christian. "Ice Hockey: Meg Hishmeh breathes new life into Montville", The Star-Ledger, December 19, 2013. Accessed May 6, 2016. "In June, Meg Hishmeh was hired as the new coach of the Montville boys' ice hockey program. The first female coach installed at a boys' program in New Jersey, and only the second female coach in the Garden State joining Lawrenceville's Nicole Uliasz, Hishmeh met resistance, but after Montville's 3-2 triumph over Mount Olive last night helped it improve to a perfect 6-0 start the season in the Haas Division, said naysayers are now singing a different tune."
  41. "Congratulations to Our National Champions!" Archived February 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, USBands. Accessed January 24, 2016.
  42. Giannantoni, Christina. "Debate coach honored by the NSDA", The Star-Ledger, April 30, 2018. Accessed August 12, 2018. "Montville Township High School English teacher Mary Gormley has been named the 2018 National Teacher of the Year by the National Speech & Debate Association."
  43. Staff. "Montville Township High School Marching Band lands top spot", The Citizen of Morris County, November 5, 2018. Accessed November 9, 2018. "The Montville Township High School Marching Band took first place at the U.S. Bands National Competition on Saturday, Nov. 3, in Allentown, Pa. The Mustangs competed against 16 other Class II-A division schools. On Oct. 27, the band also landed first place at states."
  44. Administration, Montville Township High School. Accessed January 13, 2021.
  45. "Ex-KIT CEO, Socialite Convicted at Fraud Trial". Bloomberg. December 26, 2017.
  46. Hall of Fame / Welcome, Montville Township High School. Accessed July 17, 2016. "2005 Omar Amanat"
  47. Yahoo! Sports Profile, "Lester Archambeau", Yahoo! Sports
  48. Hall of Fame Member Profile: Lester Archambeau Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 29, 2006.
  49. Marinello, Katie. "Jerseylicious Finale: Blois Sharpe Celebrates Future: With the Gatsby future uncertain, Olivia Blois Sharpe considers her options." Archived October 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Montville Patch, October 17, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2011. "After five months, the Season 3 finale of Jerseylicious aired on Sunday with Montville Township High School grad Olivia Blois Sharpe contemplating her future."
  50. Hall of Fame, Montville Township High School. Accessed November 10, 2011.
  51. Staff. "Rutgers Recruiting Class Nationally Ranked: Scarlet Knights rated 27th by College Soccer News" Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, August 3, 2007. Accessed February 23, 2011. "Highlighting this group of standout players is Dilly Duka (Montville, N.J.), a midfielder from Montville High School, who Reasso has described as one of the best attacking midfielders graduating from the state of New Jersey last spring."
  52. Lauren English, USA Swimming. Accessed December 9, 2007.
  53. "Montville Hall of Fame welcoming new class Friday", Daily Record (Morristown), November 16, 2017. Accessed February 15, 2018. "A backstroker, English remains the only swimmer to be a NJSIAA champion for four years. She also won the 50-yard freestyle as a senior, and set the national public-school record in the 100 meters at the Morris County Championships. A nine-time All-American at Montville, English was named High School Swimmer of the Year twice, National High School Swimmer of the Year in 2007 by the National High School Swim Coaches Association, and the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year."
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  55. Kristem McNabb, Virginia Cavaliers. Accessed August 12, 2018. "High School: Montville Township; Hometown: Montville, N.J."
  56. Hall of Fame Member Profile Dan O'Dowd Archived August 13, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Montville Township High School. Accessed August 12, 2018. "Dan was born and raised in Montville Township. A 1976 graduate of TMHS, Dan starred in baseball and was awarded All State honors in his junior year."
  57. Fox, Ron. "Montville Produced Super Duo", The Record, January 19, 1999. Accessed November 28, 2007.
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  59. MTHS Hall of Fame, Montville Township High School. Accessed August 12, 2018.
  60. Dena Tauriello, Drew University Athletics. Accessed August 12, 2018. "The Montville N.J. native, recorded a school record 11 varsity letters in her four years at Montville Township High School. In her senior year Tauriello was named Montville Township High School Female Athlete of the Year, 2nd Team All State in softball and received a scholarship to play Division I softball."
  61. Hall of Fame Member Profile: Peter Verniero Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 29, 2006.
  62. Kocieniewski, David. "Whitman Narrowly Wins Fight to Put Verniero on Top Court", The New York Times, May 11, 1999. Accessed August 12, 2018. "Education: Montville High School, Montville, N.J., 1977"
  63. Staff. "Montville's Warech living his dream playing professional basketball in Germany", USA Today High School Sports, December 31, 2013. Accessed August 12, 2018. "Growing up, Travis Warech always wanted to play professional basketball and on Oct. 18, 2013, his dream became a reality. Warech, a Montville High School graduate, landed in Germany in October to begin his professional basketball career with the Pro-A Gotha Rockets, a team based two hours outside of Frankfurt."
  64. "Hall of Fame Member profile: Pete Yorn" Archived September 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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