Toms River High School North is a four-year public high school, and was the second high school established in Toms River, New Jersey, as part of the Toms River Regional Schools. The school opened in 1969 when the original high school (now called Toms River High School South) was found to be too small to accommodate the fast-growing community. However, the first class to graduate wasn't until 1971, since all of the seniors were kept at the TRHSS for the class of 1970. Toms River High School North is the largest of all schools in the Toms River Regional School district, with a student body nearing 2,500 students. The TRHSN mascot is the Mariner, and the school colors are blue and gold. The other high schools in the district are Toms River High School East and Toms River High School South. The school day lasts six hours and 20 minutes. Toms River high schools are some of the earliest daily closing high schools in New Jersey, closing at 1:40 PM everyday. As of the 2005-06 school year, there was a student population of 2,365 students with 150.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis). This equates to a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. [1]

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Demographics

• 87% Caucasian
• 3% African American
• 6% Hispanic
• 4% Asian

Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center

The Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center is a public arena connected to the school. It is the centerpiece of the Toms River Regional School District. It opened June 19, 2003, and is situated on the grounds of Toms River High School North. The facility is used by the high school and the school district for many functions, and is also used for performances by world-renowned artists. The performances and events inside the arena are ticketed and tickets are sold and marketed to the general public. The venue is used for major concert events throughout the year to raise money for the school district.

Its biggest performances over the past three years, some as part of Toms River Fest, include Kelly Clarkson, Vanessa Carlton, The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, and Kenny Rogers. It was also the host of a WWE live event for the new ECW originally scheduled for July 1, 2006 but postponed due to the rowdy un-family friendly crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom's pay-per-view event One Night Stand 2006 on June 11, it was instead held on September 9 after WWE proved the new ECW was more friendly on the Sci-Fi channel than at the pay per view.

The building was originally named The Ritacco Center, after Michael Ritacco, the superintendent of Toms River Regional Schools. The name was changed to The Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center after Poland Spring became a major sponsor.

During the building of the Ritacco Center, additional wings, a cafeteria, and a library were added onto the school. These additions helped limit overpopulation of the school. They also allowed freshmen to have their own wing so they could easily adjust to the high school.

Notable alumni

• Darian Barnes (1998), Pro football player with the Buffalo Bills. ^[2]
• Jerry Dipoto (1986), former Major League Baseball player. ^[3]
• Demetri Martin (1991), Emmy Award-nominated American comedian, actor, and writer.
• Piper Perabo (1994), Actress. Film credits include Coyote Ugly, Cheaper by the Dozen .
• Maria Ressa (1982), Journalist, former Manila and Jakarta bureau chief of CNN, currently head of news division of ABS-CBN, one of the two largest broadcast companies in the Philippines.

References

1. Toms River High School North from the National Center for Education Statistics, accessed December 29, 2007.
2. Darian Barnes player profile, National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 23, 2007. "Hometown: Toms River, NJ... Attended Toms River North High School in Toms River, New Jersey ... Earned second-team all-state honors and first-team all county from the Star-Ledger as a senior."
3. "Hill adds 200th girls tennis victory to impressive coaching resume", ''Asbury Park Press'', September 22, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007. "'I've enjoyed every season of it,' said Hill, who coached former New York Mets pitcher Jerry DiPoto."