Awards and Recognition

Major Awards:

U.S. News & World Report Silver Medal Award

Best High Schools Silver LogoWoodbury Junior-Senior High School has earned a place among the top public high schools in New Jersey and the country according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Best High Schools.

Woodbury Junior-Senior High School earned a Silver Medal from the prestigious publication, with a state ranking of #46. State ranking was based on whether a school received a gold or silver medal. Only 7% of the 21,035 public high schools analyzed in 49 states and the District of Columbia received this Silver Medal distinction; 2.4% of the schools received the gold medal. (Nebraska was not evaluated due to a lack of data.) Woodbury Junior-Senior High School was one of only four high schools in South Jersey to be ranked and the only high school in Gloucester County to receive this honor.

AVID National Demonstration School

AVID LogoWoodbury Junior-Senior High School is an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) National Demonstration School -- the only one in the Northeast.

AVID is a middle through post-secondary college readiness system that is designed to increase school-wide learning and student performance. AVID focuses on the least served students in the “academic middle,” students who are motivated and exhibit good citizenship but may not have benefited from gifted and talented programs.

AVID National Demonstration Schools are exemplary models of the AVID program and demonstrate the very best AVID methodologies and strategies.

We received this recognition because, “Woodbury exemplifies the college readiness culture to which excellent AVID programs aspire. The college-going environment is noticeable throughout the school and high expectations for students were evident. AVID strategies are school-wide and used as a platform to support the school’s mission and strategic plan objectives. The school exemplifies a warm and inviting environment that celebrates diversity and embraces collaboration among students and staff. There are many things to be shared with the wider AVID world."

Woodbury Junior-Senior High School was re-validated as a National Demonstration School in October 2016. The school will now have Demonstration status through the 2018-2019 school year. In addition, in the Fall of 2016, the Junior-Senior High School received Highly Certified Status. 

Additional Information:

Gaston Caperton Inspiration Award

Woodsbury Junior-Senior HS logoIn the spring of 2012, Woodbury Junior-Senior High School had the distinction of being awarded the Gaston Caperton Inspiration Award, a recognition that is given by the College Board to only three schools nationwide each year.

Gaston Caperton is a past president of the College Board, a non-profit membership organization that “promotes excellence and equity in education through programs for K-12 and higher education institutions, and by providing students a path to college opportunities, including financial support and scholarships.”

Additional Information:

Awards, Recognition, and Honors

  • In addition to national and college-based scholarships and awards, our seniors received over $52,000 in local scholarships and awards in 2017.

  • In the 2016-17 school year, two Woodbury principals made a positive impact by being featured in the local and national news. Evergreen Avenue School Principal Tom Braddock's Students of the Week home visits story, along with West End Memorial Principal Vince Myers running a race with one of his special needs students, went viral and was picked up USA Today, Yahoo, Fox News, Inside Edition, and other media outlets.

  • The district is excited to announce that in 2016 it received from the New Jersey Department Of Education a 21st Century Learning Center Program and Out-of-School Time Resources grant. The grant is for $300,000/annually and can be re-issued for a total of five years as long as the grant expectations are met each year. Thus, this will be a $1.5 million dollar award over five years.

  • The Junior-Senior High School received a $1,500 grant from the American Chemical Society. The funds will be used to purchase chemicals and lab equipment in order to implement inquiry-based laboratory investigations based on the National Science Teachers Association book “Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry.”  The goal is to increase students’ science proficiency, generate interest in science practices and careers, and inspire more students to take AP Chemistry.

  • Thanks to a nearly $3,000 Municipal Alliance grant, SLAG and GALS members in 3rd-5th grade each received the book “Safe at Home” along with an outing to Citizen’s Bank Park in August 2016. In addition, the grant supported 4th and 5th grade students who met for a Summer Book Club in July and August. 

  • The Junior-Senior High School in March 2016 received the honor of being named an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction for the 2015-2016 school year! This achievement “represents the highest level of AVID implementation fidelity demonstrating excellence in instructional practice and the promotion of college readiness schoolwide.” 

  • The Junior High School, Walnut Street School, and Evergreen Avenue School have been named certified digital citizenship schools by Common Sense Media for the 2015-2016 school year. The schools' teachers and students have earned this distinction by becoming safe, responsible, digital citizens through the use of Common Sense Media curriculum.

  • A post on the district's Facebook page about Evergreen Avenue teacher Chandni Langford writing notes to her students on their desks before the PARCC test went viral in May 2016. Over 3.7 million people were reached just on our site alone. In addition, media outlets around the world shared the story. It was featured on a wide array of websites including AP News, ABC News, Good Morning America, Huffington Post, U.K. Daily Mail, and AOL. 

  • We’re very happy to report that in 2016 all four of our schools were given Asthma Friendly School Awards from the Pediatric/Adult Asthma Coalition of New Jersey. Thank you to our school nurses, especially Mrs. Mills, who spearheaded this initiative.

  • Athletic Director Grant Shivers was recognized by the Directors of Athletics Association of New Jersey as the recipient of the Sectional Award of Merit in 2016. This award was in recognition of his “significant contributions made to interscholastic athletics in New Jersey” and was presented at their annual convention in March. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated individual overseeing our Junior-Senior High School activities and supporting the district in so many other ways.

  • For the second year in a row, BASF bestowed on WHS a $5,000 science education grant to purchase new equipment for the chemistry lab. Students will be using the new lab equipment and accompanying software to analyze sports drinks, tap water, and bottled water to determine what is in each drink and the concentrations of components. Using data they collect, students will make recommendations about the value and safety of each sideline drink to determine the healthiest sports thirst quencher.

  • Former Superintendent Joseph Jones was named 2015 South Regional Superintendent of the Year by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. “It is an honor to be recognized,” Superintendent Jones said. “I am very fortunate that our district has been able to accomplish many positive things for our students due to a strong team of dedicated individuals working together.  This recognition speaks to the uncompromising commitment that our faculty and staff have to achieving the school district mission to be a leader in personalizing education for the children of Woodbury.”

  • The Washington Post named Woodbury High School to its 2015 “Most (Academically) Challenging High Schools” list. We were one of only 13 high schools named in South Jersey and the highest ranked school in Gloucester County!

    Washington Post America's Most Challenging High Schools 2015Paired with the U.S. News Best High School Rankings for 2015, whose College Readiness Index for Gloucester County High Schools had us leading in performance and participation on Advanced Placement (AP) tests by seniors (both AP performance by seniors and AP participation by seniors), you get a clearer picture that our high school is not only offering challenging, rigorous courses to students, but that our results are indicative of performance as well.

  • Former Superintendent Joseph Jones was named 2015 Gloucester County Superintendent of the Year by the Gloucester County Superintendents Roundtable. “It is nice to be recognized locally by people who know the good work accomplished in the Woodbury City Public Schools,” Superintendent Jones said. “We are proud of our National Demonstration School status in the AVID program, our leadership in student performance in the Advanced Placement testing program, our unique pilot program with Rowan College of Gloucester County where 20% of our seniors take college courses on the college campus, a one-to-one Chromebook initiative in the elementary grades, and our expanding preschool program for children as young as three years of age. Woodbury is an exciting and powerful place to work as an educator.”

  • U.S. News’ Best High School Rankings for 2015 offer a College Readiness Index for Gloucester County High Schools. This formula combines performance and participation on Advanced Placement (AP) tests by seniors, AP performance by seniors, and AP participation by seniors. Woodbury High School led in all three categories! See how we compare to other South Jersey schools with this chart.

  • WHS history teacher Kathryn Bourquin received an ‘Honorable Mention’ in SJ Magazine’s Top Teachers 2015. Read about the touching nomination she received from sophomore Jaquan Solomon.

  • The Woodbury City Public School District received funding for the fourth straight year to participate in the 2015 Summer Food Service Program, a federal program from the United States Department of Agriculture. The program has expanded to serve free lunch in both July and August to those under 18 years of age.

  • Editorial from the South Jersey Times (March 27, 2015) positively praising the district's Summer Safari Reading Camp. 

  • Article from the South Jersey Times (March 24, 2015) and article from The Philadelphia Inquirer (March 25, 2015) about the Summer Safari Reading Camp.

  • In 2014, BASF bestowed on WHS a $5,000 science education grant to upgrade six lab stations with digital equipment. Students used the new equipment to study the physics of athletic gear for safety.

  • Opinion piece from Milton W. Hinton, Jr., director of equal opportunity for the Gloucester County government, praising our district. (South Jersey Times; July 6, 2014)

  • Grant for the 2014-2015 school year from the NJ Department of Agriculture for Evergreen Elementary School to participate in their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). This is the fourth time Evergreen School received this grant.

  • New “Center for College & Career Readiness” program established between the county college, Rowan College of Gloucester County (RCGC), and our high school. News article highlights the program. (South Jersey Times; September 30, 2014)

  • Helen E. MacMaster, Woodbury High School class of 1941 and former Woodbury teacher and principal, bequeathed over $33,000 to WHS to award $2,500 scholarships each year to graduating seniors.

  • Dr. John E. Hesson, Woodbury High School class of 1957, bequeathed $400,000 to the high school to establish a trust in which interest earned will be used to award scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing higher education.

  • Woodbury Junior-Senior High School hosts numerous school visits each year for educators from Maine to Virginia, as well as international educators from as far away as Singapore, England, Australia, and China because of its status as a National Demonstration School for the AVID system and its work with the local New Jersey Network for Closing the Achievement Gap (NJNCAG)

    Woodbury Junior-Senior High School is often chosen as a tour site because of the school’s small class sizes, diverse student body, outstanding extracurricular and athletic programs, and a strong AVID system that supports students taking rigorous classes in preparation for college.

    In addition, Woodbury Junior-Senior High School has been singled out from other public high schools in the area because of its vast array of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and one of the strongest AP success rates in all of South Jersey.

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