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2014 High School Guide

by Edited by Erica Bauwens

South Jerseyans wear the names of their local high schools like a badge of honor, and not just because of a favorite football or basketball team. What parents and students around the area are really proud of are their academic accomplishments. It’s no secret that our state has some of the best public and private high schools in the country, and South Jersey is leading the race with educational opportunities that are giving our students more than enough opportunities to succeed.

Which brings us to Suburban Family magazine’s annual High School Guide. We’ve got a look at 18 of South Jersey’s private and public schools, from Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. We also take a look at school stats, crunching the numbers on average SAT scores, senior class size, student/teacher ratio, graduation rate, and the percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education for each school. In a matter of fairness, we are only reporting the average SAT scores for 100 percent of the student body taking the test. If schools only provided a select percentile, rather than the average, we have omitted their scores.

We also asked some of our area’s leading educators what makes their school such a special place. Flip through the following pages to see how your school stacks up against the others. No matter where they stand, one thing remains clear: South Jersey schools continue to reign supreme.

Bishop Eustace
• Senior class size: 176
• Tuition: $16,000
• Average SAT score: 1759
• Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
• Graduation rate: 100 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 99 percent

Camden Catholic
• Senior class size: 147
• Tuition: $8,200
• Average SAT score: N/A
• Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
• Graduation rate: N/A
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: N/A
What’s new at the school: “In addition to a $6 million campaign to renovate the dining hall and facade of the school, and to increase scholarship offerings, CCHS has evolved its Leadership Academy to be a graduating requirement for all students. This means every student will receive specialized training in positive psychology and resilience based on the five core values of the Leadership Academy: faith, unity, excellence, creativity, and passion.”
—Marc Vallone, International Admissions Officer and 2014-15 Fulbright Scholarship winner

Cherokee
• Senior class size: 556
• Average SAT score: 1547
• Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
• Graduation rate: 96 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 90 percent
Most important lesson for students: “One lesson I try to teach all my students is to take responsibility for their actions/choices but not to dwell on mistakes. I want them to always do their best, but there will be times when things don’t go well. If they can look at setbacks and learn from them instead of brooding over them or blaming others, they have succeeded.”
—Elaine Winder, Cherokee North Teacher of the Year

Cherry Hill East
• Senior class size: 530
• Average SAT score: 1734
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 98 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 95 percent

Cherry Hill West
• Senior class size: 337
• Average SAT score: 1533
• Student/teacher ratio: 13:1
• Graduation rate: 90 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 90 percent Favorite memory from last year: “My favorite memory of 2013 is our production of In The Heights. It is the best musical production we have done at Cherry Hill West in my tenure here. The show was a perfect display of our talented students and it also allowed us to highlight the diversity of our student body.”
—Carole Roskoph, English teacher and director of student activities

Clearview Regional
• Senior class size: 408
• Average SAT score: 1540
• Student/teacher ratio: 14:1
• Graduation rate: 94 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 93 percent

Eastern Regional
• Senior class size: 511
• Average SAT score: 1658
• Student/teacher ratio: 13:1
• Graduation rate: 95 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 79 percent
Most important lesson for students: “Believe in yourself and never give up. Nothing is forever and attitude is everything. It may seem like the end of the world right in that moment but it’s really just happening at that moment.”
—Lisa Cooper, English Department, Eastern Teacher of the Year

Gloucester Catholic
• Senior class size: 179
• Average SAT score: N/A
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: N/A
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: N/A
What’s new at the school? “We have some new retreat experiences that we’re planning for the students. One of them is a leadership retreat; we’ll take students to a camp where [they] can learn how to work together and be leaders in their school community. Those kind of activities give them the opportunity to meet other students that they might not normally hang out with and sends a positive message about how much fun it can be to be a part of the school community.”
—Father Allain Caparas, Religious Studies teacher

Haddonfield Memorial
• Senior class size: 190
• Tuition: $11,250 for out-of-district students
• Average SAT score: 1769
• Student/teacher ratio: 10.6:1
• Graduation rate: 95 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 98 percent
Most important lesson for students: “Remain full of wonder and gratitude. It’s all too easy to become disenchanted with life—in fact, many of the books I teach are about that process—but the authors I admire most (Melville, Whitman, and Steinbeck) never lost their ability to wonder, to explore, and to be grateful for what they had.”
—Jamie Vermaat, English teacher

Kingsway Regional
• Senior class size: 361
• Average SAT score: 1560
• Student/teacher ratio: 14:1
• Graduation rate: 94 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 85 percent
What are you excited about for the upcoming school year? “This upcoming school year at Kingsway we are very excited to introduce the SMART lunch schedule. This new schedule will allow all teachers and students to share a common lunch. It will give our students the opportunity to participate in clubs, activities or utilize the time as extra study or enrichment time; all of this is built into the school day.”
—Lana Lowry, Health and Physical Education Department, Kingsway Teacher of the Year

Lenape
• Senior class size: 485
• Average SAT score: 1575
• Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
• Graduation rate: 94 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 90 percent
Unforgettable moment from your career: “Two of my former students, who now have a degree like mine in athletic training, made the time to return to Lenape and visit with my current students. They assisted me with the running of a Sports Medicine Workshop. … These two young men are also pursuing advanced degrees, and will go on to have very successful futures. I will never forget how proud I was to see these former high school boys, now men, give back to our Sports Medicine Program.”
—Jody Stansbury, Health and Physical Education Department, Lenape Teacher of the Year

Moorestown
• Senior class size: N/A
• Average SAT score: 1710
• Student/faculty ratio: 12:1
• Graduation rate: 98 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 88 percent

Moorestown Friends
• Senior class size: 75
• Tuition: $26,450
• Average SAT score: 1862
• Student/teacher ratio: 8:1
• Graduation rate: 100 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 100 percent
Little known fact: “MFS has a wonderful tradition that occurs each year on the day before Thanksgiving called “Thanksgiving Happening.” … Students from the Lower, Middle, and Upper School are grouped together to get to know one another and create crafts and banners that are donated to nursing homes throughout South Jersey. It is also the last day of the Thanksgiving food drive, which always turns out a staggering amount of completed bags that have all components of a Thanksgiving dinner. “
—Emily Maciolek, English teacher and yearbook co-advisor

Paul VI
• Senior class size: 243
• Tuition: $8,615
• Average SAT score: 1558
• Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
• Graduation rate: 100 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 97 percent
What’s new?: “This coming school year will be the first year that all four grade levels will be incorporating iPad technologies in their academic pursuits. Most notably, however, are the changes that have been undertaken to the physical plan itself. Recently we’ve undergone classroom renovations, extensive reconstruction and updating of the auditorium, and refurbishing of the athletic facilities around the campus. The Play Like a Champion Program, in which we partner with the University of Notre Dame to develop the character, fellowship and service of our student-athletes, was expanded this year to include all of our extracurricular activities —arts, publications, cultural, as well as leadership and service organizations.”
-—John Yeager, English teacher

Seneca
• Senior class size: 273
• Average SAT score: 1519
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 96 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 90 percent
Your most important lesson for students: “Teaching is important work—it’s challenging every day, but knowing we teachers can positively impact generations of young people is fulfilling. The best lessons we can offer students are the ones that encourage critical and independent thinking, ones that help them make good decisions and consider new perspectives.”
—Dave Knecht, English teacher, Lenape Regional High School District Teacher of the Year

Shawnee
• Senior class size: 415
• Average SAT score: 1615
• Student/teacher ratio: 21:1
• Graduation rate: 97 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 90 percent
Unforgettable moment from your career: “I think it’s the ongoing contact I have with current students and alumni who are reaching their career goals. Just yesterday, I had a former student email me about his new job at CBS Philadelphia as an editor, and he’s just as excited as I am to share his experience with current students as a guest speaker this year.”
—Brian Pistone, TV Technology Department, Shawnee Teacher of the Year

St. Augustine
• Senior class size: 170
• Tuition: $16,100
• Average SAT score: N/A
• Student/teacher ratio: 11:1
• Graduation rate: 100 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 98 percent

Washington Township
• Senior class size: 596
• Average SAT score: 1520
• Student/faculty ratio: 11:1
• Graduation rate: 94 percent
• Percentage of graduates pursuing secondary education: 88 percent
Favorite memory from the last year: “My favorite memory from 2013-2014 was throwing out the first pitch at a Phillies game on Washington Township Night as teacher of the year. I always dreamed of being on that mound one way or another!”
—Bob Byatt, English Department, Washington Township Teacher of the Year

Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 6 (August, 2014).
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