St. Thomas Aquinas High School (New Jersey)

St. Thomas Aquinas High School, formerly known as Bishop George Ahr High School, is a private four-year college preparatory and coeducational Roman Catholic high school for students from ninth through twelfth grades. It is located on a campus covering in the northern section of Edison, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.School Finder, Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Accessed September 24, 2020.

The school has an enrollment of 570 students and 45 classroom teachers,St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Private School Review. Accessed September 23, 2023. for a student–teacher ratio of 12.75:1. Students attend the school from Middlesex, Union, Monmouth, and Somerset counties in Central New Jersey.

The administration and teaching faculty hold B.S. or B.A. degrees; a significant percentage have M.A. degrees; and some hold a Ph.D. degree. St. Thomas Aquinas High School is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Education and is accredited by AdvancED.St. Thomas Aquinas High School, AdvancED. Accessed September 24, 2020.

History The school opened in 1969 as St. Thomas Aquinas High School. For the first year, the building was occupied by St. Thomas Aquinas High School on the first floor and St. Pius High School on the second floor, as St. Pius was still under construction. Originally a part of the Diocese of Trenton, St. Thomas Aquinas High School joined the newly-formed Diocese of Metuchen in 1981.

The school was renamed Bishop George Ahr High School in 1983, in honor of George W. Ahr, Trenton's longest-serving bishop.

In fall 2006, a multi-million dollar addition opened, which featured a second gymnasium, two computer labs, a weight room, a new music room, and several classrooms and conference rooms.

On July 1, 2019, as part of several significant changes in honor of its 50th anniversary, the school reverted to its original name.Tufaro, Greg. "Bishop Ahr High School renamed St. Thomas Aquinas again", Courier News, Jul 1, 2019. Accessed September 24, 2020. "The leadership of Bishop George Ahr High School announced Monday that the diocesan school will return to its original name, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, effective immediately. A co-educational college preparatory school within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, founded in 1969, was renamed Bishop George Ahr High School 14 years later."

Academics

Graduation requirements Graduation from St. Thomas Aquinas High School requires a minimum of 130 credits. Subjects required for graduation are as follows: Theology4 yearsEnglish4 yearsMathematics4 yearsPhysical Education & Health4 yearsScience3 yearsSocial Studies3 yearsWorld Language2 years (3 recommended)Fine Arts1 yearComputer Science1 yearFinancial Literacy1 semester (senior year)Career & College Education2 quarters (sophomore and junior years)

Course levels St. Thomas Aquinas High School offers courses at the College Prep, Accelerated, Honors, and Advanced Placement levels.

Advanced Placement courses are offered in AP 2D Art & Design, AP Art History, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP United States History, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Physics B, AP Psychology, and AP Statistics.

Athletics The St. Thomas Aquinas High School TrojansBishop Ahr High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in the Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Sports offered for men include: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, wrestling, and winter and spring track. Women's sports include: basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and winter and spring track. With 510 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group II for public schools).NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in Division 2B of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group B (equivalent to Group I/II for public schools) for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 140 to 686 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.

The football team won the Non-Public A South state sectional championship in 1984, 1985 and 1986.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023. The 1984 team won the Parochial A South state sectional title with a 17–0 victory against Holy Cross Academy in the championship game.Viggiano, Bob. "Bishop Ahr rolls to convincing win over Holy Cross", Courier-Post, December 2, 1984. Accessed February 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It didn't take Bishop Ahr High School football coach Tony Aschettino long to figure out that a break or two was going to decide yesterday's South Jersey Parochial A championship game. For the first 24 minutes Bishop Ahr and Holy Cross slugged it out toe to toe. with neither giving an inch. But the second half was a different story as the visitors took advantage of a couple of breaks and rolled to the championship with a convincing 17-0 victory." The 1985 team finished the season with a 9–2 record after defeating Holy Spirit High School by a score of 10-6 by scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown in the Parochial A South championship game.Wagner, Lee. "Doctor's prescription gives Bishop Ahr championship", Courier-Post, December 8, 1985. Accessed February 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Junior running back Mike Doctor's 48-yard touchdown reception with 9:32 left led defending champion Bishop Ahr to a hard-fought 10-6 win over Holy Spirit here yesterday as the Trojans captured the South Jersey Parochial A championship. Doctor's reception brought Bishop Ahr (9-2) back from 6-3 half time deficit in a game that featured hard-hitting defense on the part of both squads." The team was champion of the Middlesex County Blue Division in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009.Haley, John. "Middlesex County Football Blog: All-time GMC champions chart" , The Star-Ledger, November 4, 2009. Accessed October 3, 2011.

The girls' gymnastics team has won the team state championship in 1992, 1994, 1995, 2003–2007, 2010 and 2013; the 10 titles are the second-most of any school in the state.History of NJSIAA Girls Gymnastics, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.

The boys bowling team won the overall state championship in 1995.History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.

The girls swimming team won the state Non-Public A South sectional championship in 1996, 1997 and 1998.NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The school's swimming team won the Greater Middlesex Conference in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011.

The baseball team won the 2006 Non-Public South A sectional championship over St. Augustine, 16–15.2006 Baseball - Non-Public, South A , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 28, 2007.

The wrestling team won the Parochial B South state sectional title in 2007 and the PArochial A South title in 2011.NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The team won the 2007 Non-Public South B sectional championship with a 46–27 win over Holy Cross.2007 Team Wrestling Tournament - Non-Public, South B , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 28, 2007.

The softball team took the 2009 Non-Public South A sectional title, shutting out both Holy Spirit High School and Camden Catholic High School, and won the tournament final over Gloucester Catholic High School to win the team's first sectional title for nine years.Iezzi, Bill. "Plate call pulls plug on Rams' hopes" , The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3, 2009. Accessed October 3, 2011. "Ahr (24-2), the second seed, won its first sectional trophy since 2000, when its coach, Missy Magyar, was a junior playing shortstop for the Trojans.... The Trojans, who shut out Holy Spirit, 13-0, and Camden Catholic, 2-0, to advance to the final, demonstrated that they could get their bats on the ball one through nine."

The girls soccer team won the Non-Public A state championship in 2013 with a 1–0 win in the tournament final against Immaculate Heart Academy, which came into the game ranked fourth in the state by The Star-Ledger.NJSIAA History of Girls Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023."Girls soccer: Unranked Bishop Ahr knocks out No. 4 Immaculate Heart, 1-0, for first Non-Public A title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 20, 2013, updated August 25, 2019. Accessed September 24, 2020. "Sophomore Jill Vassallo scored in the 47th minute and Foster made sure it stood up as the game winner with five saves and countless other defensive stops as unranked Bishop Ahr topped Immaculate Heart, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, 1-0, to win the first ever NJSIAA/Sports Authority Non-Public A title in program history on Wednesday at The College of New Jersey in Ewing."

The varsity cheerleading team won the National Championship and best overall Grand Champion in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on March 11, 2017.

Performing arts The St. Thomas Aquinas Drama Department oversees production of at least three full-length performances each school yearDrama Department, St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Accessed September 23, 2023. with opportunities throughout the year both onstage and offstage.

Fall opportunities include the “Shakespeare and the Classics” program which begins rehearsals In late summer to produce a play in mid-September. Then, in November, the department puts on another full-length play or musical. Recent Fall Productions include "Into the Woods," "Noises Off!" and "Little Shop of Horrors."

In the spring, the department presents a large-scale musical. Recent performances include "Something Rotten," "The SpongeBob Musical," and "Legally Blonde: The Musical."

The Music Department includes a Marching Band with Color Guard (the Marching Trojans), a symphonic band (the Concert Band), a mixed chorus (the Concert Choir) an a cappella group (the Director’s Select Chorus), a Liturgical band, and a jazz ensemble (the Jazz Band).Music Department, St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Accessed September 23, 2023.

Notable alumni