Mater Dei Prep: A Catholic Preparatory School (commonly known as "Mater Dei High School") was a four-year

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

that served 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, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s, located in the New Monmouth section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, United States. Mater Dei used to be a part of St. Mary Parish and later operated under the supervision of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton The Diocese of Trenton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties in central New Jersey. The Diocese of Trenton is a suffragan diocese in the ecc ...

. The school was accredited by the

Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional accreditation of public and private schools in the Mid-Atla ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary SchoolsMater Dei Prep

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 7, 2022. and was a member of the

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

(NCEA). In February 2015, the pastor of St. Mary Parish announced that the school would be closing at the end of the 2014-15 school year, in the wake of chronic fiscal deficits. A few days after the announcement, it was disclosed that the Parish Finance Council had agreed to a two-month extension in order to raise the $1 million needed to remain open. Through the Seraph's Fund, and massive efforts by the student body, $1.5 million was raised in just six weeks, and the school managed to stay open. As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 316 students and 28.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 10.9:1. The school's student body was 76.9% (243) White, 12.7% (40) Black, 5.7% (18) Hispanic and 4.7% (15) Asian.School data for Mater Dei (Listed As 345)

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district financ ...

. Accessed March 10, 2022. On May 9, 2022, it was announced that the school would be closing at the end of the school year due to a dramatic decline in enrollment.

History

The school was founded in September 1961 by the Reverend Monsignor Robert T. Bulman and is located on a small portion of the parish's campus. The school attracts students from over 30 parochial, private, and public schools in Monmouth County and Middlesex County. The school maintains an average enrollment of 435 students in grades nine through twelve. The virtual learning program began in 2005 and ended in 2010. Virtual learning classes included all levels, including

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

, in Math, Foreign Languages (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and Chinese) as well as

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Athletics

The Mater Dei Prep SeraphsMater Dei Prep

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 B Central of the

Shore Conference The Shore Conference is an athletic conference of private and public high schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey, centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The Shor ...

, an athletic conference comprised of private and public high schools in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

and Ocean counties along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...

.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020

. Accessed November 15, 2020. The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the

(NJSIAA). With 212 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools). The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group III for football for 2018–2020. The school participates as the host school / lead agency for joint cooperative football team with

Ranney School , motto_translation = Life grants nothing to mortals without great work , address = 235 Hope Road , location = , region = , city = Tinton Falls , county ...

. The co-op program operates under an agreement scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. The boys track team won the Non-Public Group B spring track state championship in 1967, 1973, 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2017-2019. The program has won 10 state titles, which is tied for eighth-most among all schools in New Jersey The baseball team won the Non-Public B South championship in 1967, 1968 and 1970. The girls cross country team won the Group I state championship in 1976, 1977, 1987, 1991 and 1992, and won the Non-Public Group B state title in 1982-1985. The nine state championships won by the program are ranked fifth in New Jersey. The girls basketball team won the Group I state championship in 1980 (defeating Benedictine Academy in the tournament final) and won the Non-Public Group B title in 1990 (vs. Immaculate Conception High School of Montclair). The team won the 1980 Group I title with a 64-52 win in the finals against Benedictine Academy. The boys soccer team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1981 and 1983, against runner-up

Eastern Christian High School Eastern Christian High School (ECHS) is a private Christian high school located in North Haledon, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The high school is a part of the Eastern Christian School Association which also has a middle scho ...

both years in the finals of the tournament). The 1983 team finished the season with a 16-4 record after defeating Eastern Christian by a score of 3-1 at

Mercer County Park The Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is a recreational park located in Mercer County, New Jersey – mostly within West Windsor Township, but also with small western sections extending into Hamilton and Lawrence Townships. Originally and s ...

in the Parochial B finals. The boys tennis team won the Non-Public B/C state championship in 1981, defeating

Oratory Preparatory School Oratory Preparatory School, commonly known as Oratory Prep, is a Roman Catholic college preparatory day school for boys in grades 7-12, located in Summit, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, approximately west of Manhattan. The scho ...

in the final match of the tournament. The girls spring track team was the Group I state champion in 1981 and won the Non-Public Group B title in 1982, 1983 and 2000. The boys track team won the indoor track state championship in Non-Public Group B in 1981. The girls tennis team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1982, defeating

Pope John XXIII Regional High School Pope John XXIII Regional High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Sparta, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. The school was founded in 1956, originally as ''Our Lady Of The Lake School'' and is part of the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

5-0 in the tournament final. The boys cross country running team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999, 2007 and 2017. The program's seven state titles are tied for tenth-most in the state. The softball team won the Group II state championship in 2008, defeating Montclair Kimberley Academy in the finals of the tournament. The football team won the Non-Public Group II state sectional championship in 2016, winning by a score of 26-20 in the tournament final against Holy Spirit High School on a touchdown scored on a

hook and lateral The hook and lateral is a trick play in American, Canadian football and indoor American football, often colloquially called the hook and ladder play. Although the latter term is often used generically, a “hook and ladder” route specifical ...

play with 11 seconds left in the game. The boys track team won the indoor relay state championship in Non-Public Group B in 2018 and 2019. The girls team won the Group II title in 2013, In 2018, the boys' winter track team finished their season with the program's first state indoor relay championship title and was runner-up in the Non-Public B state championships. In outdoor track, the team set numerous school records and took home both a sectional title and their second consecutive Non-Public B group state title in June 2018. The team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1967, 1973, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2017 and 2018.

Notable alumni

* Mary Kay Adams (born 1962, class of 1979), television actress. *

Joe Benning Joseph Charles Benning (born December 7, 1956) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Vermont Senate representing Caledonia District since 2011. He served as the Senate's Minority leader from January 2013 to January 2017, when ...

(born 1956, class of 1975), member of the Vermont Senate who has represented the Caledonia District since 2011. * Gerard Canonico (born 1989), original Broadway cast member of the musical, '' Spring Awakening''. * Billy Devaney (born 1955, class of 1973),

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

football analyst who was General Manager of the St. Louis Rams from 2008 to 2011. *

Nick Gillespie Nicholas John Gillespie (; born August 7, 1963) is an American libertarian journalist who was editor-in-chief of ''Reason'' magazine from 2000 to 2008 and editor-in-chief of Reason.com and Reason TV from 2008 to 2017. Gillespie originally joined ...

(born 1963, class of 1981), editor in chief of ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...

'' magazine from 2000 to 2008 and of its online video website Reason.tv from 2008 to 2017. * Bob Halloran, sportscaster and author of ''Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward''. * Robert Harper (1951–2020), stage, film and television actor. * Ted Kurdyla, film, television and stage producer. *

Mark LaMura Mark LaMura (October 18, 1948 – September 11, 2017) was an American actor. His name was occasionally spelled as Mark La Mura or Mark Lamura. Early years LaMura was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, one of six siblings born to Robert E. LaMur ...

(1948-2017), actor who has played the role of Mark Dalton on ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

''. *

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

(born 1959, class of 1977), anchor and managing editor for ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...

''. *

Richie Williams Richard "Richie" Williams (born June 3, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player and coach. Known for his diminutive height and his dogged tackling, Williams spent the vast majority of his playing career in the United States, pla ...

(born 1970, class of 1988), former player for the MetroStars, who was an assistant coach for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

.Giase, Frank
"Red Bulls fire longtime assistant coaches Richie Williams, Des McAleenan"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'', February 28, 2011. Accessed July 20, 2011. "Williams, a Mater Dei graduate who played eight years in MLS, including stints with the MetroStars in 2001 and 2003, was entering his sixth year as an assistant coach, but he has been much more important to the team than that."

References

External links

Mater Dei High School official websiteDigitalSports Mater Dei
homepage {{Authority control 1961 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1961 Middletown Township, New Jersey Private high schools in Monmouth County, New Jersey Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton Catholic secondary schools in New Jersey