Rancocas Valley Regional High School

Rancocas Valley Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students in grades 9 through 12 from five communities in Burlington County, New Jersey. The district encompasses approximately 40 square miles (100 km²) and comprises the communities of Eastampton Township (394 students from a 2000 Census population of 6,202), Hainesport Township (234 students from 4,126 residents), Lumberton Township (639 students from 10,461 residents), Mount Holly Township (567 students from 10,728 residents) and Westampton Township (494 students from 7,217 residents).^[2][3] The school is located in Mount Holly Township.

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,273 students and 135.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.8.^[1]

The school was the 242nd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools. The school was ranked 243rd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.^[4]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "DE", the fifth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.^[5]

Board of Education

The district's Board of Education consists of nine members: two each from Eastampton, Lumberton, Mount Holly and Westampton, and one member from Hainesport.

The school

The school was built on the ruins of a private school for boys that was abandoned at the time of the Civil War. Mount Holly High School was founded around 1900, and after a vote to establish a regional high school, Rancocas Valley Regional opened its doors in 1937.

Rancocas Valley High School offers a range of college prep, honors, Advanced Placement Program courses, business and industrial arts classes. New to the curriculum this year is the Virtual High School (VHS). VHS allows students access to over 150 courses online, including pre-veterinary medicine, DNA technology and AP Macroeconomics.

Rancocas Valley High School offers over 40 clubs and activities. The drama and music classes offer top-notch musicals and performances.

RVTV, otherwise known as Channel 19, is operated out of the school. The channel is distributed by Comcast and showcases sporting events, concerts and student-created programming.

Athletics

Rancocas Valley Regional High School competes in the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL), which consists of nineteen public and parochial high schools covering Burlington County, Mercer County and Ocean County in central New Jersey. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). RV competes in the BCSL's Liberty Division.

In 1998, the boys Varsity Spring Track team went undefeated for the first time since 1979.

In 2004-05, the school's girls' softball team and boys' soccer team ended the season as state champions.

The softball team won the 2007 Central, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Manalapan High School 1-0 in the tournament final.^[6]

The 2006 field hockey team took the Central, Group IV state sectional title with a 2-1 win against Cherokee High School in the tournament final.^[7]

The Cross Country team went 16-0 in 2004 on its way to winning the Liberty Division Title.

Until 2007 the Boys Track and Field Team hadn't lost a dual meet in three years, winning three consecutive Liberty Division Titles.

The 2008 boys basketball team won the Central, Group IV state sectional championship with a 70-51 win over Trenton Central High School in the tournament final.^[8][9]

The 2008 boys soccer team won the Group IV state championship with a 2-0 win over Clifton High School.

The school's mascot: Red Devils; colors: red and white.

The RV Boy's swim team won six consecutive division titles.

The school is represented by an ice hockey team in Varsity Tier I of the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League.

RV is noted for producing three first round NFL Draft Picks in Franco Harris, Irving Fryar, and Alonzo Spellman.

Extracurricular activities

In 2007, the Mock Trial team won the Burlington County Title in the NJ State Bar Foundation's Mock Trial Competition.^{[citation needed]}

Students

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:^[10]

Dr. Jamil Keaton - Superintendent/Principal

Tatianna Jean-Baptise - Assistant Superintendent for Business/Board Secretary

• Dana Paykos - Assistant to the Superintendent for Curriculum/Instruction
• Letitia Branin - Assistant Principal - Attendance and Discipline
• Craig Wigley - Assistant Principal - Scheduling andServices
• William Booth - Assistant Principal - Building Operations

Notable alumni

• William S. Donaldson (1944-2001), former United States Navy officer and critic of the TWA Flight 800 investigation.^{[citation needed]}
• Ron Gassert (Born 1940), professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers.
• Irving Fryar (born 1962), professional football player, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles.^[11]
• Franco Harris (born 1950), Hall of Fame NFL Running back who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he led the team to four Super Bowl victories.^[12]
• Pete Harris (1956-2006), All-America in football player at Penn State University; younger brother of Franco.^[13]
• Norbert Basil MacLean III (born 1971), dual American-Australian citizen and U.S. Navy veteran who championed equal access to the Supreme Court of the United States for members of the United States Armed Forces.^[14]
• Barbara (Tidswell) Park (born 1947), best-selling author of the "Junie B. Jones" series of children's books.^[15]
• Alonzo Spellman (1971-), former National Football League defensive tackle who was a 1st-round draft pick, who also played in Arena Football League.^[16]
• DeMya Walker (born 1977), professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Sacramento Monarchs in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[17]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Rancocas Valley Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 19, 2007.
2. ^ History of the School, Rancocas Valley Regional High School. Accessed June 24, 2008. "The district encompasses approximately 40 square miles (100 km²) and comprises the townships of Eastampton, Hainesport, Lumberton, Mount Holly, and Westampton."
3. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 210.
4. ^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
5. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 27, 2009.
6. ^ 2007 Softball - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed June 11, 2007.
7. ^ 2006 Field Hockey Tournament - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed July 31, 2007.
8. ^ 2008 Boys Basketball - Central, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed March 12, 2008.
9. ^ Ryan, Thomas. "Rancocas Valley boys win sectional title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 4, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008.
10. ^ Administration, Rancocas Valley Regional High School. Accessed November 19, 2007.
11. ^ Livingston, Bill. "MAN IN MOTION - FRYAR'S SHIFTINESS MAKES HIM A NEBRASKA GAME-BREAKER", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 30, 1983. Accessed June 11, 2007. "We will join Irving Fryar in progress, which happened to be his usual state last night in Nebraska's 44-6 victory over Penn State at Giants Stadium: Having just taken a quick screen pass two yards (2 m) upfield from quarterback Turner Gill in the third quarter, Fryar, the Nebraska wingback from Rancocas Valley High, ducked behind a sceening [sic] block by a lineman and then he was off."
12. ^ Franco Harris: From Mt. Holly to the Hall of Fame..., New Jersey LifeStyle, accessed December 21, 2006. "Harris grew up in a family of nine children in Mt. Holly, near the Fort Dix Army base, and starred at Rancocas Valley Regional High School."
13. ^ "Pete Harris, former Penn State safety, dead at 49", Philadelphia Daily News, August 15, 2006. Accessed June 24, 2008. " Harris played football, basketball and baseball at Rancocas Valley High in South Jersey."
14. ^ "Bill Offers Troops Way to Appeal", by Rick Rogers, San Diego Union Tribune, July 26, 2007
15. ^ Junie B. Jones: About Barbara Park, accessed December 21, 2006. "[Q:] Where did you go to high school? [A:] I went to Rancocas Valley Regional High School (RVRHS) in Mt. Holly, NJ. I loved that high school, I tell you!
16. ^ Garber, Greg. "Spellman returns to football after addressing disorder", ESPN.com, June 9, 2006. Accessed June 11, 2007. "The video of his junior and senior seasons at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, N.J., is, frankly, amazing. Spellman, a head taller than most of the other players, virtually engulfs opposing runners. He seems to almost absorb them into his imposing body."
17. ^ DeMya Walker player profile, WNBA. Accessed June 11, 2007. "Established a Rancocas Valley High School record for career rebounds (851), rebound average (14.2 rpg), most rebounds in a game (29), points in a season (675), and career points (1,546)"

External links

• Rancocas Valley Regional High School
• Rancocas Valley Regional High School's 2007-08 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for Rancocas Valley Regional High School, National Center for Education Statistics
• Rancocas Valley Regional High School Instrumental Music Programs
• Online Alumni Community

Coordinates: 40°00′16″N 74°46′51″W / 40.004394°N 74.780696°W / 40.004394; -74.780696

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