Enrollment nears 10K in 6 high schools Largest freshman class ever is ready to begin four years of study

Staff Writer

By dave benjamin

Enrollment nears 10K in 6 high schools
Largest freshman class ever is ready to begin four years of study


JERRY WOLKOWITZ C. Richard Applegate School second-grade teacher Dee Andrejewski makes final preparations in her Freehold Township classroom as schools prepare to welcome students on Sept. 6.JERRY WOLKOWITZ C. Richard Applegate School second-grade teacher Dee Andrejewski makes final preparations in her Freehold Township classroom as schools prepare to welcome students on Sept. 6.

As school doors swing open on Sept. 5 for students in the Freehold Regional High School District, record enrollment figures will be the first hurdle to cross in the new school year.

"Enrollment in the Freehold Regional High School District will climb to almost 10,000 students this fall, including 2,700 incoming freshmen, the largest class in history," said Teresa Rafferty, public information coordinator.

In total, the district’s six high schools — Colts Neck, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro — anticipate an enrollment of 9,925 students, according to Rafferty. This figure will fluctuate until opening day and represents an increase of almost 600 students over September 2000.

Additionally, the district also serves about 130 students at out-of-district facilities. These are students whose needs cannot be serviced in mainstream high schools, Rafferty said.

"The fall enrollment figures illustrate what we all know: There is tremendous housing and population growth in Western Mon-mouth County," said Superinten-dent of Schools James Wasser. "This impact is being felt at all levels of our educational system, from classrooms to transportation."

It is anticipated that the enrollment at the six high schools will be:

• Colts Neck, 1,000 students;

• Freehold Borough, 1,030 students;

• Freehold Township, 2,000 students;

• Howell, 1,650 students;

• Manalapan, 2,250 students.

• Marlboro, 1,995 students.

In order to accommodate the increased student population and state curriculum requirements, more than 100 new teachers have been hired during the summer.

"Because of existing teacher shortages in certain areas — mathematics, science, special education and applied technology —, we got a head start last February," said Wasser. "We’re competing with other districts for a limited pool of new teachers and I am pleased to say most of our positions are filled."

At Freehold Township High School, Dr. Anthony Procopio will become the new principal, stepping in to replace Dr. James Hayden who left the district after 29 years to accept a position at Rider University, Lawrenceville. Procopio previously served as assistant principal at Marlboro High School.

Colts Neck and Freehold Borough high schools will each have full-time guidance supervisors this year. In addition, two assistant principal vacancies need to be filled due to recent resignations.

With a $68 million expansion and renovation project in motion, a 64,000-square-foot addition to Manalapan High School is almost complete with classrooms and science laboratories being readied for the September opening. It is expected that the remainder of the project — an auxiliary gymnasium, cafeteria and media center upgrades — will be completed this fall.

"It is a credit to everyone involved that classrooms will be ready in September," said Wasser. "The patience, sense of humor and cooperation of our students and staff are very much appreciated."

At Colts Neck High School, work on 18 regular classrooms, 14 special purpose classrooms, six science labs, an auxiliary gym and cafeteria space is under way.

Progress at Freehold Township High School is being made with the construction of six classrooms, five science labs, and cafeteria, gym and media center renovations. Work will begin at Howell, Marlboro and Freehold Borough high schools later this year.

September will see the opening of the district’s seventh specialized learning center — Global Cultures and World Languages. It will open with 20 students at Colts Neck High School.

"The new center is designated for students who want to achieve fluency in at least two other languages and study other core content subjects in their target language," explained Rafferty. "This center will be the first of its kind in the state."

Other specialized learning centers are science and engineering at Manalapan; fine and performing arts, and humanities at Howell; medical sciences at Freehold Borough; international studies at Freehold Township; and business administration at Marlboro.

Courses of study have been revised in 14 areas, including chemistry, accounting and some world languages.

The new school year brings a state mandate that all high school students take at least two years of a world language.

"This necessitated revision to curriculum to accommodate students who traditionally do not study foreign languages or have learning disabilities," Rafferty said.

The district has spent $500,000 for new textbooks in math and science that are updated and revised.

Lacrosse has been added to the athletic program at Howell and there will be volleyball and swimming at Colts Neck. Additionally, bowling, swimming and an expanded lacrosse program have been added at Freehold Township.

The distinct is also updating the transportation department and has replaced five 54-passenger buses, four 12-passenger vans and a wheelchair van. Last year students traveled 3.7 million miles to school, on field trips and to athletic events, according to Rafferty. The district owns 67 full-sized buses and 64 vans and covers 60 percent of the bus routes. The remainder is covered by private contractors.

Administrators noted that Freehold Borough High School will celebrate its 75th anniversary at its current location at the corner of Broadway and Robertsville Road. Before the 1925 construction of the new building, the borough’s high school was at the corner of Hudson and Bennett streets. The school is the oldest in the regional system, having been the original facility that drew students from several Western Monmouth County communities.

As to the other regional schools, Howell (originally called Southern Freehold Regional High School) was built in the early 1960s; Marlboro was built in the late 1960s; Manalapan and Freehold Township were constructed in the early 1970s; and Colts Neck opened three years ago.

Time schedules for the 2001-02 school year are: Freehold Borough, Howell and Manalapan, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Colts Neck, Freehold Township and Marlboro, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Incoming freshmen will report for orientation on Sept. 4 and all students will begin classes on Sept. 5. The last day for students will be June 20, which will also be the date scheduled for graduation.