Long Branch, NJ (September 20, 2007) – Long Branch School District and New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) officials today held a dedication ceremony for the new Long Branch High School, which will ease overcrowding and enhance the quality of education for 1,200 students in grades 9 through 12.
Students, parents and residents, along with state and local officials, were on hand for the ceremony and tours of the new 4-story building on Indiana Avenue.
The dedication marked a major milestone. The high school is the fourth new state-of-the-art school to be built under SDA management and funding in this Monmouth County city. It was preceded by Gregory Elementary School, Amerigo A. Anastasia School and Long Branch Middle School. Gregory School, handed over to the district in July, also opened earlier this month.
Scott Weiner, Chief Executive Officer of the SDA, stated, “All of us at the SDA are proud to have been a part of the significant work accomplished here. The new schools exemplify the successful collaboration we have enjoyed with district, city and state officials for the benefit of current and future generations of Long Branch students.”
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The new high school is among 22 new and renovated schools managed by the SDA that opened this month, benefiting 13,500 students statewide. It is the largest slate of major school projects opened in a single fall since the school construction program’s inception.
The 292,000-square-foot Long Branch High School has 75 classrooms, an auditorium, media center, gymnasium, auxiliary gym, vocal and instrumental music rooms, art rooms, science, business, computer and technology labs, and athletic fields.
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DLR Group Architecture & Engineering, PC designed the project. Gilbane managed the project for the SDA. Hunt Construction Group, Inc. was the general contractor.
"This new long branch high school is the realization of the shared vision of the New Jersey Supreme Court, the Education Law Center, several Governors, many legislators, and the Long Branch community," said Joseph Ferraina, Superintendent of Schools in Long Branch. “What we see here today is the fulfillment of a dream – a giant step to level the educational playing field for high school students in Long Branch.”
Ferraina continued, "This was a difficult project and it could not have been completed without teamwork. The New Jersey Schools Development Authority, the Department of Education and our community worked tirelessly together so that our students would have the benefits of a state-of-the-art educational facility."
"We are very grateful," he added.
The district plans to convert the original Long Branch High School, built in 1926, into a facility for students in the Challenge and Achievement program. The school board is considering naming it the Chattle School after Thomas M. Chattle, a 19th century physician credited with establishing the public school system in Long Branch.
Overall, the SDA has completed 41 schools and 28 major renovations and additions, and nearly 400 health, safety and other projects in Abbott districts. An additional 21 are under construction.
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