Superintendent's Message
Welcome to the Eastern Camden County Regional School District:
On behalf of the Board of Education and its students and staff, I welcome you to the school district's Web site. This Web site is a resource designed to assist you in learning more about our school district.
Eastern is a limited purpose, public, regional system consisting of two schools: Eastern Intermediate High School (grades 9 and 10) and Eastern Senior High School (grades 11 and 12), located on the same site. The student population of approximately 2200 is multicultural and reflects the diversity of the three communities it serves: Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township.
Our current professional staff includes more than 150 fully-certified classroom teachers, nine guidance counselors, six full-time and two part-time Child Study Team members, two nurses, two media center specialists, one full-time athletic trainer, and one part-time student assistance counselor. The administrative personnel include: the Superintendent, the School Business Administrator/Board Secretary, a Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Professional Development, a Director of Special Services, building level Principals, grade level Vice Principals, a Vice Principal for Math and Science, a Vice Principal for English and Social Studies, a Vice Principal for Athletics, a Supervisor of Guidance, a Director of Building and Grounds, a Director of Food Services and a Coordinator of Transportation.
Eastern is committed to the three A’s: Academics, the Arts and Athletics. Our students excel in academics. They are accomplished in the arts and theatre. They play and sing beautiful music, and they are highly competitive in athletics.
Our academic program offers a myriad of educational programs and services designed to meet the needs of individual students and to provide them with opportunities to pursue their own special areas of interest. In addition to traditional course offerings in English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, four World Languages (French, German, Spanish, and Latin), Health and Physical Education, the school district provides programs in Preschool Child Development, Art, Vocal and Instrumental Music, Business Education, Gifted and Talented, Special Education, Family and Consumer Science, Building Trades and Technology.
A comprehensive high school, Eastern offers a multitude of courses, including nineteen Advanced Placement courses, a professional staff recognized for excellence on the state and local levels, and a class size average of approximately twenty-six students. Curriculum is taught in a clean and safe environment that includes state-of-the-art learning facilities and extensive technology.
We are most fortunate to have some of the most talented and academically gifted students in the tri-state area. Our students represent a diverse and multicultural population that continues to excel both in and out of the classroom. This is reflected by the high scores consistently earned on such standardized assessments as the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP) and HSPA. The Class of 2011 included 518 graduating seniors, more than 94% of whom will be attending two and four-year colleges. Three seniors were identified as National Merit finalists, three as semi-finalists, and fifteen as Commended students.
Eastern is extremely proud of its students and recognize their achievements regularly through special programs and publications. It is our belief that each student contributes something unique to the school in his or her own way. Outside the classroom, there are various activities from which students may choose to participate. More than forty clubs and school organizations help enrich a student’s educational experience. Offerings include our Gifted and Talented program, in which students have participated in the Model United Nations at Harvard, Brown, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Rutgers universities, and on our own campus, the South Jersey Model UN; the state champion Drama and Forensics Team, the Robotics Team, the Academic Challenge Team; Science and Math League competitors; and outstanding performing arts programs, featuring the annual fall play, one-act plays, and the spring musical.
In the area of athletics, Eastern maintains one of the finest and most successful programs in the state of New Jersey. With twenty-two (22) highly competitive sports’ teams, Eastern competes in the Olympic Conference, arguably the toughest athletic conference in the state. We are proud of all our Viking athletes.
Parents and members of the community are encouraged to become active partners in the governance of the schools. The following parent groups share in the schools’ many successes: District Advisory Council, Eastern Education Foundation, Band Parents' Association, Project Graduation, Eastern Parents' Athletic Association and the Berlin-Gibbsboro-Voorhees Municipal Alliance.
Outstanding students, dedicated staff members, first-rate facilities, and three communities that support and value education make the Eastern Camden County Regional School District a special place to work and learn.
School safety and security are of prime importance to the school district. A School Resource Officer is employed on a full-time basis. In addition, extensive security cameras are installed to help monitor the interior and exterior of the buildings. Upgraded lighting in the parking areas has been erected. All students and staff have been issued I.D. cards. Electronic doors have been installed. A visitor must depress a buzzer before gaining entrance to the buildings. A staff member directs visitors to the office to sign-in and to secure a pass. The district’s Crisis Management Plan is continually reviewed and shared with staff. The attacks at schools throughout our country remind us once again that school violence can happen anywhere, anytime and for any reason, and that we must be prepared.
In the event you wish to speak with me regarding the school district or a related matter, please feel free to call (856) 346-6740.
Dr. Harold Melleby, Jr.
Superintendent