ABSEGAMI H S
As Principal of Absegami High School, it gives me great pride to outline the myriad of opportunities available to the large population of students who attend the home of the Braves. Absegami High School opened in 1982 and is located in Galloway Township as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. The district currently includes Absegami High School, Oakcrest High School located in Mays Landing and Cedar Creek High School located in Egg Harbor City.
A most positive and strong relationship exists between the Galloway Township School District which sends students to our regional high school and Absegami High School thus providing a seamless transition into ninth grade. When arriving at Absegami, ninth grade students participate in an onsite Freshman Transition Program to assist them in beginning their high school career with an eye to success in the future. As a visitor to Absegami, you would be most impressed to watch 1800 students disembark each morning from their buses and head into the beautiful atrium at the front of the school building. Housed on an impressive campus, the facility boasts a state of the art Performing Arts Center, specialty classrooms outfitted to support programs such as culinary arts, sculpture, dance, animation, creative writing and science research to name a few. Athletic fields are host to outstanding sporting competitions in twenty-five varsity sports and a menu of co-curricular activities is available for students. Post secondary plans for eighty-five percent of the students graduating from Absegami in 2011 included enrollment in two or four year college programs. During the past twenty years, Absegami students have continued to make strides in critical reading and math on the SAT well above the national level. Data analysis indicates an increase of four points in critical reading while at the national level there was a decrease of three points. In math, Absegami students saw an increase of seventeen points while the national increase was twelve points. One hundred and two graduates in the class of 2011 earned college credit on two hundred and thirty-two Advanced Placement exams. Of the total AP exams taken in 2010-2011, students received a score of 3 or higher on 75% of those exams.
The Absegami school community includes two hundred and thirteen members of the faculty and support staff who work tirelessly each day to provide an atmosphere where each student feels like an individual in a caring environment. This is no small task in a facility as large as Absegami. The Absegami High School Course Description Book reflects a menu of course offerings that is born of a collaborative discussion among members of the administrative team who recognize the diversity of our student body, and try to match their needs with the expertise of our faculty. Our collective vision is to engage students in meaningful courses that are designed to instill a love of learning and to develop interests and talents that students may not have been aware of prior to coming to high school.
The academic program includes thirteen advanced placement courses in English, social studies, math, science and world language. We are very proud of the Special Education Department’s REACH Program which is designed to enable students with mild to moderate cognitive disabilities to acquire academic and functional skills necessary for employment and independent living. In addition to the requirements mandated by the New Jersey Department of Education, the Absegami student has an extensive elective program to consider. Each department within the school is proud of their elective program that offers unique opportunities in courses such as pop culture, personal finance, debate and discussion, film appreciation, choir, band and cultural anthropology to name only a few of the offerings that are the hallmark of the talents of the faculty.
In 2010-2011 Absegami High School was most proud of our progress in meeting the standards set by the New Jersey Department of Education in terms of meeting Adequate Yearly Progress on the High School Proficiency Exam. In language arts, 98.2 percent of students were considered proficient or advanced proficient while the state average was 96.1 percent. In math, 85.8 percent of Absegami students were considered proficient or advanced proficient while the state average was 83.7 percent. Faculty continue to strive for excellence by their participation in Professional Learning Communities and the examination of data relating to their students and their courses in an effort to continuously move to the next level of success.
The school operates with an administrative team of vice-principals and curriculum supervisors who lead by example. Guidance counselors and the adolescent study team members work to aid students with special concerns providing a venue at the high school level where the academic, social, emotional and physical needs of the student are considered of paramount importance. Students are supported through voluntary teacher mentors who provide added support to students who find they are struggling in any area of growth. Every adult employed at Absegami High School considers it their mission to guide, support and celebrate the successes of each and every student who walks through the front door each day. Please visit us at www.absegami.net to become more familiar with the many exciting opportunities offered to students at Absegami High School.