Overbrook High School is a comprehensive community four-year

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., ...

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 from Pine Hill, in Camden 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 ...

, operating as the lone secondary school of the

Pine Hill Schools The Pine Hill Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Pine Hill, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2018–19 school year, the ...

. The high school also serves the communities of Berlin Township and Clementon through

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

s with their respective school districts. School colors are orange and blue. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 846 students and 59.3 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 14.3:1. There were 411 students (48.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 89 (10.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Overbrook Senior High School

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

The school opened as Lower Camden County Regional High School in October 1939 in Lindenwold with an enrollment of 700 students, having been constructed at a cost of $575,000 (equivalent to $ million in ). It served students from up to ten municipalities at one point. The population soon began to grow, however, and Edgewood Regional High School (now Winslow Township High School) was founded in Winslow Township. The school took the name Overbrook Regional Senior High School in the 1950s, and joined its sister school Edgewood as part of the Lower Camden County Regional School District. Soon, the student population became too large for the now 60+ year old building to handle, and the current building was erected in 1969 in Pine Hill. The former building became known as Overbrook Regional Junior High School. Overcrowding again became an issue in the late 90s, as Overbrook Junior High School was serving Berlin Township, Clementon, Lindenwold, Pine Hill, and portions of Winslow Township. In 1999, each of the individual school boards voted to dissolve LCCRHSD. Lindenwold would build its own high school and take over the old junior high building to make it the district's middle school. Edgewood Regional Junior High became Winslow Township Middle School, and Edgewood Senior High became Winslow Township High School. Pine Hill would build Pine Hill Middle School in the forested area next to the school. Over the next decade, the population at Overbrook slowly faded from a high of over 1700 students to a new low of just under 800 students. After 28 years at Overbrook, Paul J. Harmelin retired as principal following the 2012–13 school year. His replacement starting in the 2013–14 school year was Don Borden. Adam Lee was hired as the Principal in July 2015. Lee was a social studies teacher and then an Assistant Principal before being named the Principal.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 282nd-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 253rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 300th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 276th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 278th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. The school was later ranked 237th in the magazine's 2016 issue out of 337.

Athletics

The Overbrook High School RamsOverbrook High School

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 as one of the member schools in the Tri-County Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in Camden,

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and Salem counties.Member Schools
Tri-County Conference. Accessed November 18, 2020. The conference is overseen by the

(NJSIAA). From 2008 to 2020, the school had been a member of the Colonial Conference. With 471 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 75 to 476 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Colonial Division of the 94-team

West Jersey Football League The West Jersey Football League (or the WJFL) is a 96-school superconference that stretches from Princeton, New Jersey, to Wildwood, New Jersey, encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, th ...

superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 514 to 685 students. The school offers fall, winter, and spring season sports. For fall, the school offers boys'/girls' cross country, girls' tennis, boys'/girls' soccer, girls' cheerleading, girls' field hockey and boys' football. Winter sports are boys'/girls' basketball, boys'/girls' bowling, girls' dance, boys'/girls' indoor track, and boys' wrestling. For spring, there are boys'/girls' track, girls' softball, boys'/girls' golf, boys' tennis and boys' baseball. In the 2017–2018 school year, Overbrook High School introduced a program called Unified Sports which is offered in all three seasons. The boys cross country running team won the Group II state championship in 1966-1968 and the Group III title in 1972.NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The boys' soccer team won the Group III state title in 1977 as co-champion with Summit High School.NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer

. Accessed May 1, 2023. The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group III sectional championship in 1980 and 1981 Overbrook has had four state wrestling champions in the school's history: Erik Saunders (who won in 1989 in the 135 lb. weight class), Damien Covington (1991 at 189 lb.), Kip Covington (1992 at 145 lb.) and Mark Peiffer (2005 at 171 lb.). In 2020, Alexis Rosano (143 lb.) became Overbrook's first ever female wrestling state champion. The football team won the South Jersey Group III title in 1990 and the South Jersey Group IV title in 1998. The 1990 team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional title with a 22–19 win against Brick Memorial High School in the championship game. The Rams were undefeated 1998, winning the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV title, defeating Shawnee High School by a score of 21–14 in a game played at

Rutgers Stadium SHI Stadium is the football stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse use the venue for home games. It is located on the Busch Campus ...

and ending the season with a perfect 12–0 record. The win marked the program's first state sectional title since they won in Group III in 1990. As of September 9, 2006, Overbrook High School's varsity football field was renamed as the Larry Mauriello Varsity Football Complex. Overbrook and crosstown rival Lindenwold High School play a traditional Thanksgiving Day football game each year. On December 27, 2016, before the finals of the Overbrook Wrestling Holiday Christmas Tournament, the Overbrook High School Athletics Department dedicated to name their first ever wrestling room after respected and former wrestling coach Paul Mauriello, in his honor, naming it the "Coach Paul E. Mauriello Wrestling Room".

Extracurricular activities

The clubs offered at Overbrook are African American Culture Club, Multicultural Club, Book Club, Band (including Concert Band, Lab Jazz Band, Jazz Band, and Marching Band) Choir (including Coding Club, Concert Choir, Chambers Singers, Overtones Honors Choir and After-School Choir), Stage Crew, Sports (see above), Academic Challenge, Interact Club, Leo Club,

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

, Science League, Student Government, Yearbook Committee, and

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...

(MUN).

Performing arts

The Performing Arts at Overbrook High School is a well established program consisting of band, choir and theatre. All 3 programs combined make up about 1/3 of the entire school's population. These programs are some of the most well recognized in the state. Some recent achievements include... *The Overbrook Jazz Band has won the NJIAJE state championship in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2004. *The Overbrook Jazz Band has been accepted into the NJIAJE State Finals for nearly all of the past 24 years. *The Overbrook Jazz Band won their division in the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

High School Jazz Festival in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2008 and was one of the top high school jazz bands nationally in 1996. *The Overbrook Marching Band Percussion Group Won the Tri-State Title of Best Percussion in the season 2004–05 with a score of 19.4/20.0, and won the State Best Percussion Title October 28, 2006 with a score of 19.4/20.0 *The Overbrook Marching Band Percussion Group and Color Guard won the Tri-State title of Best Percussion and Best Color Guard in the season of 2013–2014. *The Overbrook Marching Band Percussion Group also achieved an undefeated season for the season of 2013–2014. *The Overbrook Overtones Honors Choir performed the National Anthem at a

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

game in June 2011, 2013, and 2019. *The Overbrook Overtones Honors Choir placed third in the B101 Christmas Choir Contest in December 2011. *The Overbrook Overtones Honors Choir was invited to and performed at the

Kimmel Center The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street (Philadelphia), Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts, Philadelphia, Avenue of the Ar ...

with Christopher B. Thomas and Rowan University's Concert Choir in 2012. *For the years 2010–2019, the Overbrook Choir has had at least 15 students audition and several participate in the NJ All-State Choir. Recent Fall plays include '' You Can't Take It with You'' (2009), '' Murder's in the Heir'' (2010), '' Noises Off!'' (2011), ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' (2012), and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (2013), '' 12 Angry Jurors'' (2014), '' It's a Wonderful Life'' (2015), ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' (2016), '' Getting Sara Married'' (2017), ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'' (2018), ''

Almost, Maine ''Almost, Maine'' is a 2004 American Play (theatre), play written by John Cariani, comprising nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical Unincorporated area, almost-town called Almost, Maine. It premiered at the Portland ...

'' (2019), '' Play On'' (2021), and '' Elephant's Graveyard'' (2022). Recent Spring musicals include ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

'' (2007), ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' (2008), ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

'' (2009), ''

Once on This Island ''Once on This Island'' is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel ''My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl'' by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retel ...

'' (2010), ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' (2011), '' Pippin'' (2012), ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' (2013), '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (2014), ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

'' (2015), ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (2016), ''

Seussical ''Seussical'', sometimes ''Seussical the Musical'', is a musical comedy with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and written by Ahrens and Flaherty. The musical is inspired by many of the children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most ...

'' (2017), ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical theater, musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway theat ...

'' (2018), ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...

'' (2019), ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American musical crime comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (billed as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to hide in a convent after being placed in a witn ...

'' (2020 - canceled for COVID shutdown), '' Working'' (2021), ''

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

'' (2022), and '' Annie'' (2023). The Performing Arts Program has helped Overbrook to become a "Choice School" for the Performing Arts for the 2013–14 school year.

Administration

The school's principal is John Carullo. His administration team includes two assistant principals, head of guidance, and athletic director.

Notable alumni

* Damien Covington (1972–2002), linebacker who played for three seasons for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. * Ron Dayne (born 1978; class of 1996), Division I all-time rushing yards leader (6,397) and 1999

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner, who played in the NFL for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

as a running back. * LaMarr Greer (born 1976) former professional basketball player who transferred from Overbrook after his sophomore year. *

Jermaine Jones Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is a former professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. Jones was last the head coach of Central Valley Fuego FC in USL League One. Born in Germany to an American father an ...

(born 1986), who competed on the eleventh season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''. *

Tim Lenahan Tim Lenahan is an American retired soccer coach known for his 20-year tenure as the head men's soccer coach at Northwestern University starting with the 2001 season. He rebuilt the Northwestern program from a team that had been winless over 35 ga ...

(born 1959, class of 1977), retired head men's soccer coach at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and member of the South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame. * Eric Lewis (born 1973), jazz piano player, who has worked with artists including

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

.Staff
"Two Native-Son Jazzmen Set For Return Engagements \ Pianist Eric Lewis Is A Young Lion On Rise"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', April 24, 1997. Accessed March 3, 2011. "Lewis grew up a loner. Slightly overweight and with few close friends he was often the last to be picked in sports. From seventh grade on he traveled almost 35 miles a day to attend Overbrook Senior High School in Pine Hill where the music instruction was better."

References

External links

* *
Data for the Pine Hill Schools

South Jersey Sports: Overbrook HS
{{Authority control 1939 establishments in New Jersey Berlin Township, New Jersey Clementon, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1939 Pine Hill, New Jersey Public high schools in Camden County, New Jersey