Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, serving students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

s as one of the two secondary schools of the Middletown Township Public School District. Other students from Middletown Township attend

Middletown High School South Middletown High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary school ...

. The school also houses a 750-seat theater. Approximately 90% of North students attend college after graduation. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1936; the school's accreditation expires in July 2025.Middletown High School North

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 21, 2024. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,322 students and 102.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 12.9:1. There were 175 students (13.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 56 (4.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Middletown High School North

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 15, 2024.

History

Originally known as Leonardo High School, starting in 1966 Middletown High School North was known as Middletown Township High School until the year 1976 when Middletown South opened to address overcrowding. In 1948 in the physical education classes, black students were grouped together for

line dancing A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.Knight, ...

while white students were organized by height.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 136th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 128th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 159th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 143rd in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 164th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 93rd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 73 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (87.4%) and language arts literacy (96.4%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA).

Athletics

The Middletown High School North LionsMiddletown High School North

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in Division A North of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

and Ocean counties along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020. The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 1,032 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. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students. Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Middletown North and Middletown South. The game is one of the most important events of the year for North students, and a pep rally is held before the game. At halftime, the homecoming court comes to the field to greet the fans. Through the 2015 season, South leads the series with a 27-11-1 record, including 14 consecutive victories in the Thanksgiving matchup. The football team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional title in 1983, 1986 and 1996. The 1983 team finished the season with a record of 11-0 after winning the Central Jersey Group IV sectional title on an 88-yard kickoff return to start the second half to defeat Hunterdon Central Regional High School by a score of 6–0 in the playoff finals. The 1996 team beat J. P. Stevens High School by a score of 27–12 to win the Central Jersey Group IV championship game and end the season 7-2-1. The team won the Central Jersey Group IV title in 1996 with a 33–8 win in the championship game played at

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and primarily hosted sporting events and ...

against the previously undefeated Hillsborough High School team led by future NFL player Shawn Mayer. Middletown North's football team finished their 2014–15 season with a 7–4 record after losing to state champions and rival Middletown High School South in the second round of the state playoffs; this was Middletown North's first winning season since 2000. Coach

Steve Bush Steven Jack Bush (born July 4, 1974) is a former tight end and fullback in the NFL. He went to Arizona State University. Bush was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1997. After several years with the team playing m ...

was an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins. In 2015, to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of football in Middletown, alumni of both schools played each other; The Middletown North Lion football alumni defeated the Middletown South alumni 6–3 at The Swamp, to claim the victory in what was the first-ever game of its kind in Middletown.Zedalis, Joe
"Football: Middletown South, Middletown North alumni ready to renew old rivalry"
NJ Advance Media for

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore reports that ...

, August 13, 2015. "Middletown North versus Middletown South is one of the most heated Thanksgiving Day rivalries in the Shore Conference. Saturday, 7 p.m., at South's sunken treasure known affectionately as 'The Swamp,' former Lions and Eagles meet in the first Middletown North-Middletown South alumni game.... The alumni game, promoted by OT Football, figures into the celebration of 100 years of football in Middletown."

listed the rivalry between Middletown North and South as 11th best in their 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Middletown South holds the overall lead with a head-to-head record of 29-12-1 through the 2017 season, which includes 16 consecutive wins by South from 2001 to 2016. The field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional title in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1988, and won the North II Group IV title in 2006.History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group IV title in 1996. The ice hockey team amassed 86 wins in five seasons while reaching the Elite Eight of the NJSIAA Public Ice Hockey Tournament in 2004,2004 NJSIAA Ice Hockey Tournament Brackets
New Jersey high school hockey. Accessed July 31, 2008. 2005, and 2008, and the Frozen Four in 2004. The ice hockey team won the Public B state championship in 2015 and 2023. The team won the Dowd Cup in 2002, 2004 and 2007 and won the Handchen Cup in 2016. The team won the Shore Conference Championship in 2022 and fell short in the Handchen Cup game of the 2022 season. The annual Mayor's Cup game is when the rival schools Middletown North and Middletown South play to win the towns award of the Mayor's Cup, Middletown North now holds the trophy for two years in a row being they won the Mayor's Cup in their 2022 and 2023 season. The team won the 2023 Public B title with a 3-2 win in the championship game against Chatham High School. The girls' soccer team won the 2005 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Brick Memorial High School by a 2–1 score in the tournament final. The boys cross country running team won the Group III state championship in 2013.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The baseball team won Group III state championship in 2022, defeating Cranford High School by a score of 5-4 in the finals to finish the season with a record of 21-10.

Renovation

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the school renovated its teaching facilities. During the renovations, much of the school was inhospitable and sealed off. This resulted in the usage of both the upper and lower gymnasiums partitioned off into several classes, without ceilings. The renovations were completed sometime in 2004. The new building features standard teaching facilities. The tent outside (the Middletown High School North Bubble) has remained, and is used to house sporting events. A 750-seat professional theater was also installed, which features new lighting and sound systems and hosts various professional events, as was a TV production studio, which broadcasts student produced programs across Middletown and its surrounding boroughs.

SIDS Game

For the last six years, the Middletown North Student Council has hosted the annual Megan Biebel Memorial SIDS game to benefit research for

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...

. The event has raised over $100,000, and has attracted support from celebrities including singer

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

. The game puts the Middletown North faculty and students up against New Jersey policemen. In recent years, the SIDS game has also held a pre-game carnival. The half-time show includes a performance by a special all-male cheerleading squad, as well as a raffle. The event is held in honor of Megan Biebel, who died of SIDS in March 2000. However, the event is not scheduled to take place in 2007, with Matt Biebel and his wife saying that they no longer wish to. 2007 will bring the "North Carnival," which will be the traditional SIDS event, but raising money for

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

charities.

Teachers strike

Middletown North and the Middletown School District received national attention in the fall of 2001 when its teachers, members of the Middletown Township Education Association, went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes for several days, and hundreds of teachers were jailed. After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.

Performing Arts Center

Recently, the school has gained recognition for its ''Performing Arts Center''. The PAC can seat 750 people, and houses a professional lighting and sound system. There is no orchestra pit but a full balcony, housing the sound and light systems, is present. The theater hosts cultural and musical events, as well as various drama productions. Several political figures have appeared there. Notable events hosted at the MHSN PAC, and open to the public, include: * Middletown High School North Battle of the Bands * Middletown North vs. South Battle of the Bands * So, North Thinks it Can Dance * North Idol * Middletown

Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

* Rockit for Kids Holiday Concert 2006

Television production

For several years Comcast Cable has run the student produced series ''North in Action'', which features student made movies, comedy sketches, music, and news. The series was put on hiatus in 2007, but the program is set to resume for the 2008–2009 school year. The series is filmed in the school's TV production room. Rival

also has a Television program. New television series are continuously produced within the Middletown High School North TV production center. The studio serves as the main production location for Middletown's

Public-access television Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is Narrowcasting, narrowcast through cable tele ...

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...

station on Comcast channel 20.

Random drug testing

In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown School District voted on a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at either High School to submit their name to a pool for random selection. Controversy has recently sparked over the target group for the random drug testing, as many students and faculty believe that students who participate in school activities are less likely to be active with drug and alcohol abuse. However, New Jersey state law prohibits the entirety of the student population be tested, and so the students in after school activities and parking spaces make up a greater majority for the testing pool.

Administration

The school's principal is Matthew Ferri. His administration team includes the school's four assistant principals.Building Administration
Middletown High School North. Accessed September 12, 2024.

Notable alumni

* Eugene J. Bedell (1928–2016, class of 1946), politician who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 1972 to 1982 * Shilique Calhoun (born 1992, class of 2011),

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

* Dean Ehehalt (born 1964), head coach of the

Monmouth Hawks baseball The Monmouth Hawks baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. The team is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, which is part of the National Collegiate A ...

team * Tom Hanson (1907-1985, class of 1927), football halfback in the

, mainly for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, for whom he caught the first touchdown in franchise history * Ed Jones (born 1952, class of 1970), former

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

from 1976 to 1984, who won five

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

s for the Eskimos and was a CFL All-Star from 1979 to 1981 * John Montefusco (born 1950), ex-major league baseball player who played for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

(born 1950, class of 1968), musician and actor, best known as a member of

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

, * Claudia Vázquez (born 1990),

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who has played as forward and

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for the Puerto Rico women's national football teamClaudia Vazquez

Monmouth Hawks The Monmouth Hawks refer to the 23 sports teams representing Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. The Hawks compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Coastal Athletic Association, joining on July 1, 2022. The football ...

. Accessed April 12, 2020. "High School: Middletown North; Hometown: Belford, N.J."

References

External links

Middletown High School North websiteMiddletown Township School District website
*
School Data for the Middletown Township Public School District

DigitalSports Middletown North Homepage
{{Authority control 1966 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1966 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Middletown Township, New Jersey Public high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey