Collingswood High School

Collingswood High School
Address
424 Collings Avenue Collingswood , Camden County , New Jersey 08108 United States
Coordinates	39°54′45″N 75°04′39″W
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1910^[citation needed]
NCES School ID	340342001474[1]
Principal	Doug Newman
Faculty	63.1 FTEs[1]
Enrollment	786 (as of 2023–24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	12.5:1[1]
Color(s)	Blue and   gold[2]
Song	Hail the Gold and Blue^[citation needed]
Athletics conference	Colonial Conference (general) West Jersey Football League (football)
Team name	Panthers[2]
Newspaper	Paw Print
Website	www.collingswood.k12.nj.us/o/ch

Collingswood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Collingswood in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of Collingswood Public Schools.

As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 786 students and 63.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 253 students (32.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 44 (5.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.^[1]

Students in grades 9–12 from Oaklyn and Woodlynne attend Collingswood High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Oaklyn Public School District and Woodlynne School District.^[3][4]

History

Schools were established in Collingswood soon after the borough was created in 1888. By 1909, the first football squad to represent the high school took the field and the first class of graduates left the school the following year.^[5]

Students from Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township had attended the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Gibbsboro School District and the Voorhees Township Public Schools until Eastern Regional High School opened in September 1965.^[6]

Prior to the opening of Haddon Township High School in 1962, students from Haddon Township attended Collingswood High School.^[7]

The school's alma mater is "Hail the Gold and Blue"

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 208th-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.^[8] The school had been ranked 262nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 267th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.^[9] The magazine ranked the school 237th in 2008 out of 316 schools.^[10] The school was ranked 235th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.^[11]

Extracurricular activities

The Collingswood Panther Marching Band, under the direction of Joe Lerch since 2003, has captured titles for the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) All-States and New Jersey state championships in the years 2004 and 2005, and participated in the National Championships in 2006, 2007, and 2009. They have performed for the Philadelphia Phillies (three times), the Philadelphia Phantoms, and were the honorary band for the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure on Mother's Day 2008. More recently the Collingswood High School Panther Marching Band captured the Tournament of Bands 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015 Southern NJ Chapter One Championships, the 2012 and 2013 Tournament of Bands New Jersey state championship, and the 2013 Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championship. The Panther Band scored the highest band score in school history, with a 92.82 at the 2019 Atlantic Coast Championships. Most recently, the band was crowned the Cavalcade of Bands New Jersey State Champions for 2021.

Clubs and organizations at Collingswood High School include: Anime Club, Spanish Club, German Club, French Club, Latin Club, Junior Classical League, BeatMakers Club, Junior Black Student Union, Gender-Sexuality Alliance, Poetry Club, The Paw Print student paper (formerly The Collingswood Chronicle), The Social Justice League, Mock trial, Interact Club and Boys and Girls State^[12] Students also participate in state and national organizations such as Boys State.

The Academic Challenge team has been ranked No. 1 in South Jersey.^{[citation needed]}

Athletics

The Collingswood High School Panthers^[2] compete as a member school in the Colonial Conference, which is comprised of small schools in Camden and Gloucester counties whose enrollments generally do not exceed between 750 and 800 students for grades 9–12 and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).^[13][14] With 612 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Group II South for most athletic competition purposes.^[15] The football team competes in the Colonial Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference^[16][17] and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 514 to 685 students.^[18]

The school participates in joint boys / girls swimming teams with Audubon High School as the host school / lead agency. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.^[19]

Sports offered at the high school include:^[2]

• Boys
  • Fall – soccer, football, cross country
  • Winter – basketball, wrestling, bowling, swimming
  • Spring – track & field, baseball, tennis, volleyball
• Girls
  • Fall – soccer, tennis, cross country, field hockey, cheerleading, volleyball
  • Winter – basketball, swimming, bowling
  • Spring – track & field, softball, lacrosse

The baseball team won the South Jersey Group IV state championship in 1964 and won the South Jersey Group III title in 1966 and 1967.^[20]

The girls' lacrosse team won the sport's first overall state championship in 1976 (defeating Moorestown Friends School in the tournament final), and again in 1977 (vs. Moorestown High School), 1979 (vs. Moorestown Friends) and 1982 (vs. Moorestown); The program's four state championships are tied for seventh-most in the state.^[21] The 1976 team finished the season with a record of 17–1 after winning the state title with a 6–2 win against Moorestow Friends in the championship game.^[22]

The field hockey team won the South I state championship in 1974, and won the Group II state title in 1993 (defeating Northern Highlands Regional High School in the tournament final), 2000 (vs. Voorhees High School) and 2004 (vs. West Essex High School).^[23] The team won the 2000 South Jersey Group II state sectional championship with a 2–1 win against Camden Catholic High School in the tournament final^[24][25] and went on to finish the season at 22–1 after a double-overtime 2–1 win against Voorhees in the championship game played at The College of New Jersey.^[26] The 2004 field hockey team won the Group II state championship, defeating West Essex in the tournament final.^[27]

The girls basketball team finished the 1986 season with a 28–1 record, winning the Group II state title by a score of 76–66 in double overtime against Harrison High School in the championship game.^[28][29] The 2007–08 team won the Colonial Conference and South Jersey Group II championships, defeating Glassboro High School by a score of 47–42 to earn the team's first sectional title since 1986.^[30]

The wrestling team won the South Jersey Group II state sectional championship in 2006, 2016 and 2017, and the South Jersey Group I title in 2008.^[31] In 2006, the team won their first South Jersey Group II state sectional championship, defeating Cinnaminson High School by a final score of 43–17.^[32]

The 2007–08 boys' basketball team won the Colonial Conference and South Jersey Group II championships, edging Cinnaminson High School by a 70–69 score.^[33]

The girls track team won the indoor relay championship in Group I in 2018.^[34]

Administration

The school's principal is Doug Newman, His core administration team includes two assistant principals.^[35]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Collingswood High School alumni

• John Aglialoro (born 1943, class of 1961), businessman and film producer^[36]
• B. J. Averell (born 1979, class of 1998), co-winner of The Amazing Race 9^[37]
• Jacqueline Crahalla (Class of 1958), former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives^[38]
• Dave Crossan (born 1940, class of 1958), American football center who played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins^[39][40]
• William K. Dickey (1920–2008, class of 1938), speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority^[41][42]
• Cathy Engelbert (born 1965, class of 1982), first female CEO of Deloitte and a Commissioner of the WNBA^[43]
• Steve Kaplan, former basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the Israel Basketball Premier League and is ranked 8th all-time in career points in the league^[44]
• Michael Landon (1936–1991, class of 1954), actor who had the nation's longest high school javelin throw – 193 feet 4 inches (58.93 m) – in 1954^[45][46]
• David Laury (born 1993), former professional basketball player^[47]
• Ted Laux (1916–1965), professional football player who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles^[48]
• Gerald Luongo (born 1938), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 4th Legislative District^[49]
• Edwin Mills (1928-2021, class of 1946), economist and professor emeritus at Northwestern University^[50]
• Ray Narleski (1928–2012), professional baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers^[51]
• Stan Pawlak, former professional basketball player and coach^[52]
• Eddie Picken (1907–1994), early professional basketball player; younger brother of Jim^[53]
• Jim Picken (1903–1975, class of 1920), early professional basketball player; older brother of Eddie^[54]
• Matthew Quick (born 1973, class of 1992), author of The Silver Linings Playbook^[55]
• Richard Sterban (born 1943, class of 1960), bass singer who joined the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys^[56]
• Bucky Waters (born 1935), basketball broadcaster with ESPN and Madison Square Garden Network and a retired NCAA basketball head coach^[57]
• Gary Williams (born 1945, class of 1963), former head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Maryland Terrapins men's basketball teams^[58]

References

1. School data for Collingswood High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
2. Collingswood High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
3. Collingswood High School, South Jersey magazine. Accessed May 28, 2011. "Collingswood High School serves about 850 students in grades nine through twelve from the Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne school districts."
4. Giordano, Rita. "N.J. puts pressure on schools to share Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne are just three districts being pushed to combine services – or more.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 2009. Accessed September 3, 2014. "Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne, she said, are reasonable candidates for administrative sharing.... Collingswood Superintendent Scott Oswald is established and well-regarded. Oaklyn and Woodlynne students attend Collingswood High School."
5. History, Borough of Collingswood. Accessed March 15, 2022. "The new high school on Collings Avenue, named after Edward C. Knight, had its first graduating class in 1910.... The first football team to represent the high school took the field in 1909 and was a success from the beginning."
6. "$1.3 Million in Pacts Given For Voorhees Twp. School", Courier-Post, July 29, 1964. Accessed March 23, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The regional district includes Gibbsboro, Berlin Borough and Voorhees Township. At present, high school pupils from Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township attend classes at Haddonfield and Collingswood High Schools while Berlin pupils attend Edgewood High School."
7. "High School Has Room for 1,298 Pupils", Courier-Post, December 15, 1961. Accessed April 2, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The ultimate capacity of the new Haddon Township High School, Memorial ave., will be 1,298, Dr. John W. Brown, superintendent of schools, announced to the board of education Thursday night. Dr. Brown said the students would be fed into the new school gradually with the enrollment of the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grades reaching 894 next September.... Collingswood Board of Education has informed Haddon Township that tuition for latter students would be increased next year from $460 to $560."
8. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
9. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed September 10, 2012.
10. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 10, 2011.
11. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
12. Student Activities Booklet, Collingswood High School. Accessed August 11, 2017.
13. Schools, Colonial Conference. Accessed September 13, 2022.
14. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020–2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
15. NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
16. Collingswood Panthers, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.
17. Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
18. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
19. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
20. Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
21. NJSIAA Girls Lacrosse Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
22. Sadler, Ruth. "Colls tarn back Friends for state lacrosse crown", Courier-Post, June 5, 1976. Accessed March 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Whether the old, never-washed black glove had anything to do with it, Jackie played the best game of her life, sparking Coilingswood to the first NJSIAA lacrosse championship with a 6–2 victory over Moorestown Friends in Cherry Hill Stadium. It was the first NJSIAA tournament title in Collingswood's long athletic history.... The Delaware Valley Lacrosse League champion Colls finished the season with a 17–1 record, while runnerup Friends was 12–3–1 overall."
23. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
24. Brett, Phil. "Collingswood rallies past Camden Catholic for Group 2 title", Courier-Post, November 10, 2000. Accessed August 19, 2007. "Trailing third-seeded Camden Catholic 1–0 late in the game, the top-seeded Panthers scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to defeat the Irish 2–1 and win the South Jersey Group 2 championship."
25. 2000 – South, Group II Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 19, 2007.
26. McGurk, Tom. "Panthers capture state title in 2d OT; Tracy Bucholski scored on a penalty stroke to give Collingswood a 2–1 win in Group 2 field hockey", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 20, 2000. Accessed March 8, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Collingswood field hockey team proved again yesterday that its games were not for the weak of heart. Concluding a remarkable state tournament run that included two other scintillating finishes, senior Tracy Bucholski buried a penalty stroke with 7 minutes, 3 seconds left in the second sudden-death overtime period as the Panthers defeated Voorhees, 2–1, in the NJSIAA state Group 2 final at the College of New Jersey. The state title was the first since 1993 for the Panthers, who finished their season at 22–1."
27. 2004 Field Hockey – Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed July 29, 2007.
28. Girls Basketball Championship History: 1919–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
29. "Collingswood's late rally trims Harrison in 2 OT", The Record, March 23, 1986. Accessed November 15, 2020. "The question: What caused the Harrison girl's[sic] basketball team to lose a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 2 title game, 76–66, in double overtime, to Collingswood yesterday at Rutgers Athletic Center?... Collingswood (28–1) was able to stem the Blue Tide (26–3) because senior Jeanne Mooney scored 37 points, including 18 of her team's 27 points in a thrilling fourth quarter."
30. Staff. "Panthers hold off the Bulldogs, South Jersey Group 2 Girls' Basketball Final: Collingswood 47, Glassboro 42", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 5, 2008. Accessed August 8, 2012. "Gregg scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Collingswood to a 47–42 victory over Glassboro, as the Panthers won their first NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 crown since 1986. Collingswood, 25–4 overall and ranked 10th in South Jersey by The Inquirer..."
31. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
32. 2006 Team Wrestling – South, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 5, 2007.
33. 2008 Boys Basketball – South, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 8, 2012.
34. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
35. Welcome, Collingswood High School. Accessed December 19, 2023.
36. Franks, Serena. "Atlas Shrugged Film Event @ Camden County College", Gloucester Township, NJ Patch, March 26, 2012. Accessed August 7, 2019. "The CCLR is pleased to present Atlas Shrugged, produced by Camden County native, John Aglialoro, who graduated from Collingswood High School and Temple University."
37. The Philadelphia Inquirer Newsmakers column: an 'Amazing' win for Collingswood alum, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 19, 2006. "A true winner? That'd be Collingswood High School. Wednesday night, best buds BJ Averell, 26, and Tyler Macniven, 25, won the cosmic challenge that is CBS's The Amazing Race – collecting a $1 million prize (well, before taxes)."
38. "Jacqueline R. Crahalla (Republican)". Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on January 10, 2006.
39. Dave Crossan, Pro-Football-Reference.com. Accessed September 23, 2019. "High School: Collingswood (NJ)"
40. Hall of Fame Member Bios 1992, Collingswood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Accessed September 23, 2019.
41. Hall of Fame Member Bios 2004, Collingswood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Accessed September 3, 2014. "Dickey suffered an eye injury at 16 which exempted him from active military service, but after graduating from Collingswood High in 1939 he did serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves and also helped the war effort by working the midnight shift at New York Shipyard."
42. Downey, Sally A. "William K. Dickey, 1920–2008 Ex-speaker of Assembly, DRPA chair", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 2008. Accessed September 3, 2014. "The Westmont native graduated from Collingswood High School."
43. Hall of Fame Member Bios 1993, Collingswood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Accessed June 5, 2016. "Cathy Engelbert: Cathy is known to be the only Collingswood High athlete to achieve All-South Jersey honors in three sports."
44. Frambes, Doug. "Colls Rock Rancocas", Courier-Post, March 3, 1967. Accessed November 23, 2020. "Again Collingswood prospered from a splendid team effort. Steve Kaplan (6–6) led the scoring with 23 points and did yeoman work off both backboards."
45. "His Early Days Were Fun, Pals Recall Some Refute Image of A Troubled Childhood", Philadelphia Daily News, July 2, 1991. "In a 1985 interview, Landon claimed he ate lunch alone at Collingswood High School, that he never had a date as a teen-ager because no Christian father in the town would allow his daughter to go out with a Jew."
46. Track and Field News, December 1953
47. Stanmyre, Matthew. "Jersey native David Laury's long basketball journey ends in happiness at Iona", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 20, 2013. Accessed December 29, 2023. "As a freshman, Laury attended Collingswood High, but he and his father clashed. He transferred to Riverside High in Burlington County as a sophomore and started living with the family of teammate Corey Williams."
48. Ted Laux Statistics, JustSportsStats.com. Accessed August 7, 2019. "High School: Collingswood (NJ)"
49. Brant, Del. "Select Choir Enroute to San Francisco Music Fest", The Daily Journal, May 22, 1979. Accessed February 8, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "'Every group has a first team in something,' says Dr. Gerald Luongo, chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Vineland High School.... That's not unusual since their father was once a three-letter athlete at Collingswood High School."
50. Mills, Edwin 1928–, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Accessed August 7, 2019. "Edwin Smith Mills is an emeritus professor of real estate and finance at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was born on June 25, 1928, in Collingswood, New Jersey. After graduating from Collingswood High School in 1946, he served two years in the U.S. Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers."
51. Hall of Fame Member Bios 1993, Collingswood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Accessed September 3, 2014. "In high school, besides his pitching prowess, he lettered as a reserve quarterback on the championship football team of 1946 and then served as co-captain of the 1947 unit."
52. "Four Collingswood Alums Inducted Into County Sports Hall of Fame", Collingswood, NJ, Patch, October 27, 2011. Accessed November 20, 2023. "Stan Pawlak Jr. Stan was the first Collingswood basketball player to reach the 1000-point level."
53. "Eddie Picken to Follow in Brother's Footsteps", Courier-Post, August 30, 1927, p. 18. Accessed April 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. Accessed April 11, 2021. "Edward C. Picken, former Collingswood High School and Pennington Seminary three-letter athlete, is to matriculate at Dartmouth College next month."
54. Jim Picken, Peach Basket Society. Accessed April 11, 2021.
55. Skoufalos, Matt. " Q&A with Matthew QuickEleven questions with author and Collingswood native Matthew Quick, whose debut novel, "The Silver Linings Playbook," is being released as a movie Nov. 21.", Collingswood, NJ, Patch, March 2, 2012. Accessed August 8, 2012. "Quick: I don't feel that way at all about the SJ/Philly area. Collingswood has been incredibly supportive of my career from the beginning. Even when I was a student at Collingswood High School, there were people encouraging me to write, albeit a small number."
56. Lloyd, Jack. "Sturdy Oaks And A Country Boy From Phila." Archived March 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 22, 1991. Accessed July 9, 2014. "The remaining member of the Oaks, Richard Sterban, is a native of Camden who graduated from Collingswood High School and attended Trenton State College."
57. Vecsey, Peter. "Bad Boys Leader Had Heart of Gold", New York Post, May 10, 2009. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Bucky Waters, who played for McCloskey at Collingswood (N.J.) High School and already was a Blue Devil assistant, recommended Daly."
58. Callahan, Kevin. "Gary Williams headed to Hall of Fame", Courier-Post, April 8, 2014. Accessed August 7, 2019. "Gary Williams has gone from playing pickup basketball on the old courts outside Collingswood High School to the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame."

External links

• School web page
• Collingswood Public Schools
• School Performance Report for Collingswood High School, New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Collingswood Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Collingswood Panther Marching Band
• South Jersey Sports: Collingswood HS