Toms River High School North


Toms River High School North is a four-year comprehensive public high school, and was the second public high school established in Toms River, in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Toms River Regional Schools. The school opened in 1969 when the original high school was found to be too small to accommodate the fast-growing community. However, the first class to graduate wasn't until 1971, since all of the seniors were kept at TRHSS for the class of 1970. Toms River High School North is the largest of all schools in the Toms River Regional School district. The TRHSN mascot is the Mariner, and the school colors are navy blue and gold. The other high schools in the district are Toms River High School East and Toms River High School South.
As of 2019, the school day starts at 7:15 AM and lasts six hours and 20 minutes. Toms River high schools have some of the earliest daily opening and closing high schools in New Jersey, closing at 1:35 PM every day. Parents lobbied for later high school start times in 2014, but the district found that the cost to purchase the additional buses and additional drivers necessary to accommodate the change would be prohibitive.
As of the 2015-16 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,254 students and 161.3 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1. There were 449 students eligible for free lunch and 103 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 154th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 228th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 222nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 212th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 178th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.

Athletics

The Toms River High School North Mariners compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County, and the league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 1,716 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as South Jersey, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,082 to 1,934 students in that grade range.
Toms River North has had notable teams in football, including perennial powers in girls' swimming, boys' and girls' cross country, tennis and outdoor track teams.
The football team won the South Jersey Group IV state sectional championships in 1979, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2007. The team won the South Jersey Group V state championship in 2015, ending the season with an 11-1 record and defeating Williamstown High School by a score of 14-7 in the tournament final. The title marked a turnaround from two seasons earlier, when the team finished with a 1-9 record. Each year, students, parents, teachers, alumni, and administrators gather for the annual Toms River High School North vs. Toms River High School South football game, also known as the "Civil War". The game is considered to be the biggest event of the year for students. The annual event began in the fall of 1972.
The field hockey team won the South Jersey Group IV sectional title in 1980 and 1987, and won the Central Jersey Group IV title in 1987; the team won the Group IV state championship in 1987. In 2004, the team took the Central Jersey Group IV title, edging Shawnee High School 1-0 in the tournament final.
The boys' cross country team won Group IV state championships in 1982, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 2002. Under the tutelage of Matt Jelley, who was coach at Toms River North from 2000 until 2007 when he was hired to become coach at Temple University, the team won six county titles, a Shore Conference title, three South Jersey Group IV state titles, a Group IV state championship, and was ranked in the top 25 of the country four times reaching a high of 17th in 2004, with Jelley named by The Star-Ledger as its coach of the year for cross country in 2001.
The boys' soccer team earned the South Jersey, Group IV sectional title and the state Group IV title in 1983 with a 3-2 win over Kearny High School at Princeton University. They also earned the South, Group IV sectional title in 2004 with a 2-1 victory against Shawnee High School.
The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1987.
The girls' cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1978 and 2007.
The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group IV state sectional title in 1990.
The competition cheerleading squad, led by Ida Clendenin, has won many titles, including 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 Ocean County Champions, 1999 NJCCA State Champion Stunt Group and the 1999 NCA Myrtle Beach Spring Classic Champions.
The girls' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1996.
The girls' gymnastics team has won the team state championship in 1997, 1998 and 2000; the three titles are tied for the most of any public school in the state.
The girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 2000, defeating Bloomfield High School in the tournament final. The team won the 2000 South Jersey, Group IV state sectional championship with a 63-42 win. The team took the title again in 2004 with a one-point victory against Absegami High School in the tournament final.
From 2004-2006 the men's ice hockey team was considered a top public power. The Mariners finished the 2004-05 season with a 17-4-1 record and were Shore Conference Champions but were ineligible for state playoffs due to receiving three disqualifications in regular season play. In the 2005-06 season, Kevin Raylman took over as head coach of the program, while the team was in a very competitive, predominantly private school division, they were able to compile a 19-8-2 record. In the state tournament, the Mariners received the #3 rank in public schools and were able to make it to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual state champions Randolph High School, 3-1.
The baseball team won the state championship in both 2008 and 2009, coached since the early 1990s by Ted Schelmay. The team won the 2009 South Jersey Group IV title with an 8-6 win over Cherokee High School in a game in which Cherokee committed nine errors in the field.
The school's girls' lacrosse team won division championships in 2009 through 2011, led by Tatum Coffey, who scored 123 goals and 65 assists in her senior year.

RWJBarnabas Health Arena

The RWJBarnabas Health Arena is a public arena connected to the school. It is the centerpiece of the Toms River Regional School District. It opened June 19, 2003, and is situated on the grounds of Toms River High School North. It has had many sponsorships and name changes since its opening including: The Ritacco Center, The Poland Springs Arena, The Pine Belt Arena and its current name, The RWJBarnabas Health Arena

Administration

In July 2011, Ed Keller was named the school's new principal, replacing James Hauenstein who was promoted to an Assistant Superintendent. Keller had previously been principal at North Dover Elementary School and before that at West Dover.
Core members of the school's administration are: