Mater Dei High School (New Jersey)

Mater Dei Prep: A Catholic Preparatory School is a four-year Catholic coeducational high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the New Monmouth section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.

Mater Dei Prep High School
Address
Mater Dei Prep
Mater Dei Prep
Mater Dei Prep
538 Church Street

New Monmouth
,
NJ
07748

United States
Coordinates40°24′50″N 74°6′7″W
Information
TypePrivate, Coeducational
MottoFide et Fortitudine[1]
(Faith and Fortitude[1])
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1961[2]
FounderMonsignor Robert T. Bulman[2]
School districtDiocese of Trenton
PresidentDonald Galante[3]
PrincipalDebra Serafin[3]
ChaplainFr. Richard Osborn
Faculty27.5 (on a FTE basis)[4]
Grades9–12
Enrollment322[4] (2017–18[4])
Student to teacher ratio11.7:1[4]
Color(s)     Navy blue
     Columbia blue and
     White[5][1]
SongSeraphs are a Powerhouse
Team nameSeraphs[5][1]
RivalSaint John Vianney
AccreditationAdvancED[6]
PublicationInsights (literary magazine)[7]
NewspaperThe Seraph[7]
YearbookTheotokos[7]
Tuition$12,900 (2019-20)[8]
Patron saintBlessed Virgin Mary
Athletic directorRobert Erickson[3]
Websitehttp://www.materdeiprep.org

Mater Dei is no longer part of St. Mary Parish and operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton.[9] The school has been accredited by AdvancED since June 2013[6] and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).

In February 2015, the pastor of St. Mary Parish announced that the school would be closing at the end of the 2014-15 school year, in the wake of chronic fiscal deficits.[10] A few days after the announcement, it was disclosed that the Parish Finance Council had agreed to a two-month extension in order to raise the $1 million needed to remain open.[11] Through the Seraph's Fund, and massive efforts by the student body, $1.5 million was raised in just six weeks, and the school managed to stay open.[12]

As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 322 students and 27.5 (on a FTE basis) classroom teachers. The school's student body is 77.6% White, 11.2% Black, 5.9% Asian and 5.6% Hispanic.[4]

History


The school was founded in 1961 by the Reverend Monsignor Robert T. Bulman and is located on a small portion of the parish's 32-acre (130,000 m2) campus. The school attracts students from over 30 parochial, private, and public schools in Monmouth County and Middlesex County. The school maintains an average enrollment of 435 students in grades nine through twelve.

The virtual learning program began in 2005 and ended in 2010. Virtual learning classes included all levels, including Advanced Placement, in Math, Foreign Languages (Latin, Italian, and Chinese) as well as History.

The school is best known as "Mater Dei High School"

Athletics

The Mater Dei Prep Seraphs[5] competes in the Shore Conference, which includes public and parochial high schools covering Monmouth County and Ocean County in Central Jersey. The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[13]

The football team won the Non-Public Group II state sectional championship in 2016, winning by a score of 26-20 in the tournament final against Holy Spirit High School on a touchdown scored on a hook and lateral play with 11 seconds left in the game.[14]

In 2018, the boys' winter track team finished their season with the program's first state indoor relay championship title and was runner-up in the Non-Public B state championships.[15] In outdoor track, the team set numerous school records and took home both a sectional title and their second consecutive Non-Public B group state title in June 2018.[16] The team has won the Non-Public B state championship in 1967, 1973, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2017 and 2018.[17]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Facts & Figures, Mater Dei Prep. Accessed August 15, 2011.
  2. Mission & Philosophy, Mater Dei Prep. Accessed August 15, 2011.
  3. 2010 - 2011 FACULTY & STAFF DIRECTORY, Mater Dei Prep. Accessed August 15, 2011.
  4. School data for Mater Dei Prep High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 23, 2020.
  5. Mater Dei Prep, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 11, 2016.
  6. Mater Dei Prep, AdvancED. Accessed February 3, 2020.
  7. Extracurricular Activities & Clubs, Mater Dei Prep. Accessed August 15, 2011.
  8. Tuition, Mater Dei Prep. Accessed February 3, 2020.
  9. [https://dioceseoftrenton.org/schoolfinder School Finder, Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  10. Spahr, Rob. "Mater Dei Prep in Middletown announces it will close in June", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 3, 2015. Accessed February 4, 2015. "Just days after a planned celebration for its 50th anniversary, Mater Dei Prep will reportedly close its doors. Citing a severe, multi-year financial deficit, Father Jeff Kegley - the pastor of St. Mary Parish - announced in a letter to parents on Tuesday that the coed Catholic high school would close in June at the end of its current school year."
  11. Kegley, Fr. Jeff. "ANNOUNCEMENT/Press Release: Parish announces extension for Mater Dei Prep to raise needed funds." Archived 2015-02-06 at the Wayback Machine, Mater Dei Prep, February 5, 2015. Accessed February 9, 2015.
  12. O'Neill, Natalie; and Buiso, Gary. "Brian Williams hasn't donated a dime to his cash-strapped high school", New York Post, February 22, 2015. Accessed May 5, 2015. "The school has raised $427,000, but is still waiting to hear from its most famous graduate, according to Palmer."
  13. League Memberships – 2016-2017 Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 11, 2016.
  14. Zedalis, Joe. "Mater Dei game-winning hook-and-lateral is CBS MaxPreps national Video of the Week", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 6, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2016. "Mater Dei's game-winning hook-and-lateral play with 11 seconds to go in the Non-Public, Group 2 title game against Holy Spirit Saturday was named the CBS MaxPreps national Video of the Week."
  15. Koob, Andrew. "A Night of Firsts: East Orange and Mater Dei boys, St. Dominic girls claim first indoor state relay titles", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 19, 2018. Accessed January 20, 2019. "All three did so as East Orange took home the Group 4 boys title, Mater Dei cruised to the Non-Public B boys championship and St. Dominic hoisted the Non-Public B girls trophy by the end of day two of a four-day stretch of relay championships.... Mater Dei made their first indoor state relay title look like a breeze, collecting 50 points in the first seven events en route to a 56-point performance."
  16. Carino, Jerry. "Track: Mater Dei Prep boys win another state title; wild meet for St. Rose's Antognoli", Asbury Park Press, June 2, 2018. Accessed January 20, 2018. "The Mater Dei Prep boys track team’s performance this weekend was the latter. The Seraphs racked up a whopping 99 points to defend their NJSIAA Non-Public B title at Central Regional High School.... He was motivated by Mater Dei’s second-place finish at February’s indoor Non-Public B meet, when Bishop Eustace nipped the Seraphs for the crown."
  17. Summary of Group Titles, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 20, 2018.
  18. Oliwa, Lori Anne. "Mater Dei Prep Celebrates 50 Years of Musicals", The Monitor, July 3, 2014. Accessed February 3, 2020. "'The performing arts program at Mater Dei has produced a tremendous amount of talent,' Meenan added, noting the names Mary Kay Adams from television series The Guiding Light; Mark Lamura from All My Children; Ted Kurdyla, a producer and director in Hollywood; Kerrianne Spellman, a Broadway actress; Robert Harper; Emmy and Grammy Award-winner Trudy Craney; Hollywood actor and musician Bob McEvilly; Joe Rapolla, musical legend and current chair of the music department at Monmouth University; Robert Waldron, a well-known director; musician Robert Marriner, and actresses Kathy Smith Logan and Catherine Tarpey."
  19. Senator Joe Benning, Vermont General Assembly. Accessed January 5, 2018. "Joe Benning of Lyndon, Caledonia County, Republican, was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on December 7, 1956. Occupation: trial lawyer. Joe graduated from Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth, New Jersey, in 1975"
  20. Hemhauser, Danielle. "Setting the stage: Setting the stage", Asbury Park Press, March 28, 2006. Accessed July 19, 2008. "Mater Dei High School is connected to Broadway through Gerard Canonico, 16, a junior from Matawan."
  21. Garafolo, Mike. "Monmouth County's Billy Devaney now making waves as GM of the St. Louis Rams", The Star-Ledger, April 21, 2009. Accessed July 20, 2011. "'He's very happy right now. And I can tell he is, too,' said Mike Corley, Devaney's best friend from before their days together at Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth.... It was a fitting career path for a self-proclaimed "draftnik" (before there were draftniks) who used to take the bus from Leonardo -- a section of Middletown -- to Port Authority in Manhattan to pick up a copy of Street & Smith's draft guide."
  22. Gillespie, Nick. "Really Strange Bedfellows IIA final word (for now) on libertarians vs. conservatives", Reason (magazine), December 20, 2001. Accessed February 3, 2020. "It's been a long, long while since I've been accused of impairing the morals of a minor (really). In fact, the last time I can remember such a claim being leveled against me was back in high school when I coaxed some classmates at good old Mater Dei High School into seeing Monty Python's Life of Brian rather than a less theologically charged movie."
  23. Staff. "HALLORAN-MARINELLA", Asbury Park Press, October 3, 1989. Accessed July 23, 2017. "Karen Marinella and Bob Halloran were married Aug. 12 at St. Bonaventure's Church.... The bridegroom graduated from Mater Dei High School, Middletown Township, and Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. He is the sports director for WCVX-TV 58, Hyannis."
  24. "Mater Dei to present ‘50 Years of Musicals’ on June 18", The Monmouth Journal, June 13, 2014. Accessed February 3, 2020. "Many talented individuals graced the Mater Dei Prep stage during those years. Returning alumni slated to perform include Grammy- and Emmy-award-winner Trudy Craney; Hollywood producer and director Ted Kurdyla; Broadway, National and World Tour actors Kerrianne Spellman (Les Miserables) and David J.V. Meenan (A Chorus Line, 42nd Street); music legend Joe Rapolla; Hollywood actor and musician Robert McEvilly; director Robert Waldron; musician Robert Marriner; Kathy Smith Logan and Catherine Tarpey."
  25. Spoto, Mary Ann. "Long time Red Bank resident questions Brian Williams' Christmas mugging story", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 9, 2015. Accessed February 3, 2020. "Murphy's friend, actor and New Jersey native Mark LaMura, said Williams lives in a society that likes to build up celebrities and then tear them down. LaMura, who graduated Mater Dei High School in Middletown 10 years ahead of Williams, said he hopes the professional career of his fellow alumnus can survive."
  26. Chmiel, David. "His Heart Belongs to Jersey: Anchorman Brian Williams is as comfortable hosting Saturday Night Live as he is interviewing world leaders for NBC Nightly News. An avowed Springsteen fanatic, car nut, and adrenaline junkie, the Middletown native still clings to his Garden State roots.", New Jersey Monthly, June 9, 2008. Accessed July 20, 2011. "NBC anchor Brian Williams returns to Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth, where he was a member of the class of '77."
  27. Giase, Frank. "Red Bulls fire longtime assistant coaches Richie Williams, Des McAleenan", The Star-Ledger, February 28, 2011. Accessed July 20, 2011. "Williams, a Mater Dei graduate who played eight years in MLS, including stints with the MetroStars in 2001 and 2003, was entering his sixth year as an assistant coach, but he has been much more important to the team than that."
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