Pope John XXIII Regional High School explained

Pope John XXIII Regional High School
Streetaddress:28 Andover Road
City:Sparta
State:New Jersey
County:(Sussex County)
Zipcode:07871
Country:United States
Coordinates:41.0319°N -74.6678°W
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Sussex County#USA New Jersey#USA
Religion:Roman Catholic
Founder:Bishop James A. McNulty
President:Walter Jenkins[1]
Principal:Gene Emering
Sat:534 Verbal
555 Math
541 Writing
Type:Private, Coeducational
Tuition:$17,250 (2023–24; grades 9-12)[2]
Grades:812
Conference:Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (general)
North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Motto:Esse Honorem Patri Nostro
Accreditation:AdvancEd
Team Name:Lions
Colors: Navy Blue
White
Gold
Yearbook:Generation
Publication:Le Coeur du Lion (literary magazine)
Newspaper:The Lion's Pride
Established:1956
Enrollment:691 (as of 2021–22)
Faculty:50.8 FTEs
Ratio:13.6:1
Us Nces School Id:A1902841

Pope John XXIII Regional High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Sparta, in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was founded in 1956, originally as Our Lady Of The Lake School[3] and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.[4] The school name was changed to honor Pope John XXIII after his death in 1963. The school has been accredited by AdvancEd since 2010.[5]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 691 students and 50.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. The school's student body was 87.0% (601) White, 5.4% (37) Black, 2.9% (20) Hispanic, 2.6% (18) Asian, 1.6% (11) two or more races, 0.4% (3) American Indian / Alaska Native and 0.1% (1) Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander.[6]

In 2016, grades 5-7 at the Rev. George A. Brown Elementary School were moved into the newly built Pope John XXIII Middle School, which shares its campus with the high school. To do this the schools of Immaculate Conception Regional School (in Franklin), Saint Joseph's Regional School (in Newton) and Saint Michael's Regional School (in Netcong) were all closed and merged into Pope John Middle School.[7]

Philosophy and coursework

Pope John XXIII Regional High School has a Catholic philosophy in accordance with Church teaching. The school also has a college prep course of study in academic subjects. Students are required to not only take state required courses but an additional year of Math and Science. Theology coursework is required for every marking period a student is enrolled at the school. Two years of a foreign language such as Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin are also required as well as computer courses. Seventeen Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered. An eighth grade honors program for math, history, English and science is also offered The math and science taught to the eighth grade honors students is also taught to the freshman. The school's music department was founded in the mid-1970s by John-Michael Caprio, who would go on to be director of music at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral in the 1990s.[8] In addition to the eighth grade honors program for area Catholic schools, Pope John launched their own eighth grade class in the 2009–2010 academic year, but only accepted eighth grade students who were previously from public schools.

Like most Catholic schools, students are required to wear uniforms. The uniform policy is often strictly enforced to ensure students live up the proper standard expected of them by the administration and faculty. Uniforms, for example, include uniform dress shoes, ties (for boys), and dress pants and skirts, respectively, which are coordinated by class and change as a student moves to the next grade. The school also does not allow for any facial hair on boys or any "hair that reaches past the ear or below the collar;" infractions of proper uniform often result in punishment by the administration or faculty.

The school maintains a mainstream Roman Catholic theological position, with 80% of the student body being Catholic, though students from all denominations and religions are accepted.

Athletics

The Pope John Lions[9] compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] [11] Until the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Sussex County Interscholastic League, which included public and private high schools located in Sussex County and northern Morris County.[12] 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).[13] The football team competes in the United White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[14] [15] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group A (equivalent to Group II for public schools) for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 225 to 723 students.[16]

The 1964 baseball team won the Non-Public C state championship, defeating Saint James High School in the tournament final.[17]

Since the playoff era started in 1974, the school's football team won 18 state championships under coach Victor Paternostro. The football team won the NJSIAA Non-Public B North state sectional title in 1975, 1979, 1981–1983, 1986–1991 and 1993, and won the Non-Public II titles in 1995-1998, 2001 and 2002.[18] The 1975 team finished with 10–0 record for the season and extended its streak to 34 games without a loss after a 14–6 win in the championship game against St. Mary High School gave the team the Parochial B North title.[19] [20] The 1979 team had a 10-0-1 record after winning the Parochial B North final over Immaculate Conception High School of Montclair by a 28-0 score.[21] A 28-0 win against St. Cecilia High School in the 1981 Parochial B North championship game gave the team a 10-1 record for the season.[22] A 27-0 championship game win against Immaculate Conception of Montclair gave the team the 1982 Parochial A North state sectional title.[23] The 1983 team finished the season with a record of 11-0 after winning the Parochial B North sectional title with a 40-14 win against Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School in the championship game.[24] The 1986 team took the Parochial B North title and finished the season at 10-1 after a 35-0 win against Phillipsburg Catholic High School in the championship game.[25] The 1987 team's 22-7 championship game win against Morris Catholic High School gave the team the Parochial B North sectional title and an 11-0 season record.[26] A 35-0 win against Marist High School in the championship game gave the team an 11-0 record and the 1991 Parochial B North title, and making Pope John the first program in the state to win six straight state football titles.[27] [28] The 1993 team won the inaugural Parochial Group II title with a 14-0 win in the championship game against Marist to finish the season with a 10-1 record.[29] The 2001 team used a strong defense to finish the season with a 9-1 record after winning the Parochial Group II state title by defeating Paterson Catholic High School by a score of 13-12 in the finals.[30] In 2002, the football team won the Non-Public II state sectional championship with a 41-12 win against Queen of Peace High School in the tournament final.[31] In 2009, Coach Paternostro became New Jersey's winningest high school football coach with the Lions' win over West Morris Mendham High School.[32] Paternostro resigned from his coaching position after the 2010 season, leaving with an overall record of 373-68-5 in 43 seasons, including 20 state championships, 19 Sussex County Interscholastic League titles and two NJAC titles, and was replaced by Brain Carlson formerly from Kean University.[33]

The wrestling team won the Non-Public Group B North state sectional championship in 1980–1983 (as co-champion in 1980), 1986, 1988, 1992, 1994 and 2018-2020. The team won the Non-Public Group B state title in 1982, 1983, 1986, 1992 and 2018.[34]

The boys tennis team won the Non-Public Group B&C state championship in 1982, against runner-up Saint Mary's High School (South Amboy) in the final match of the tournament.[35]

The girls' outdoor track and field team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1984-1990 and won the Non-Public B title in 2006, 2007 and 2012-2014. The program's 12 state titles are tied for the most in the state and the streak of seven consecutive titles from 1984 to 1990 is tied for the second-longest statewide.[36] The 1990 team won the program's seventh straight Parochial B title, defeating Mater Dei High School by 45-32 in the finals.[37]

The boys track team won the spring / outdoor track title as Non-Public B champion in 1990, 1991, 1993 (as co-champion) and 1994.[38] The 1990 team won the program's first championship, defeating DePaul Catholic High School by 51-32 in the Parochial B finals.[37]

The boys cross country team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1993, 1994 and 1995.[39]

The girls swimming team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1995.[40]

The field hockey team won the North I Group II state sectional championship in 1996.[41]

The girls cross country running team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 2001 and the Non-Public A title in 2005.[42]

The boys track team was the indoor track Group II state championship in 2004 and the Group I title in 2007.[43] The girls indoor track team won in Group I in 2007, and in Non-Public A in 2013 and 2014.[44]

In 2005–06, the hockey team advanced to the state semi-finals, where they lost 3-2 to the Delbarton School.[45] The 2003-04 team was the champions of the Northern Red division, going undefeated in conference play and winning the conference tournament. The 2002-03 team had lost the previous year in the conference championship game after winning the conference regular season title.[46] During the 2018-19 season the team captured the Gordon National Division Title and finished ranked number 4 in the state in NJ.com boys ice hockey rankings.

In March 2008, the Pope John ski team won its first state championship.[47]

The boys basketball team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 2015, defeating Christian Brothers Academy in the final of the tournament.[48] The program won the 2015 title with a 71-35 win in the playoff final against Christian Brothers Academy.[49]

Student organizations and clubs

The following organizations and clubs are present at Pope John XXIII Regional High School:

Robotics team

The Pope John XXIII Regional High School FIRST Robotics Team supports three levels of FIRST robotics: FLL for area elementary schools, FTC and FRC for high school students. In 2011 a Zero Robotics team was also started. Pope John does not restrict the program to their own students, approximately ten to fifteen percent of the FTC and FRC team members in any given year come from other area high schools, and FLL students come from both public and private area elementary schools. In the 2010–2011 academic year sixty-two students were involved in some level of the program.

In the 2009–2010 season the school's two FTC teams both qualified for the World Championship held in Atlanta, Georgia. FTC Team 247 won the New York City Championship as captain team,[50] and FTC Team 248 won the New Jersey Championship as captain team. Additionally, the teams jointly came in second place at the Pennsylvania Championship.

In the 2010–2011 season the school expanded FTC to three teams. One of the three teams qualified for the World Championship held in St. Louis, Missouri (team 4391). This marked the third consecutive season in which a Pope John FTC team qualified for the World Championship.

In the 2011–2012 season the school added a Zero Robotics team and was one of only nine schools nationally to qualify as a captain team in the finals.[51] The finals were held on board the International Space Station on small SPHERES robots which maneuver in zero gravity. Pope John and other finalist teams observed from MIT. Astronauts on board the ISS served as referees for the game. Although the tournament only officially named the top three winning teams, Pope John's scores during elimination rounds placed them at fourth position nationally.[52]

The team also publishes a book, FTC Robotics: Tips, Tricks, Strategies, and Secrets, which guides new and veteran teams through the process of building a winning FTC program. The book is available through major online retailers.[53] Over one thousand copies sold during the 2010–2011 season. The team has also donated over hundreds of copies of the book to rookie FTC teams across the United States as an outreach effort.

A major expansion of the Robotics program took place in 2010–2011. This expansion included adding academic awards recognition to robotics team participants, creating the first Varsity Letter program for Robotics in Sussex County, New Jersey on March 31, 2011, and adding a new academic course, Honors Robotics I.[54]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.popejohn.org/about/faculty-staff-directory Faculty & Staff Directory
  2. https://www.popejohn.org/admissions/tuition-aid Tuition and Aid
  3. https://popejohn.org/about/history History of Pope John
  4. https://patdioschools.org/sussex-county Sussex County Elementary / High Schools
  5. http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=41859 Pope John XXIII High School
  6. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&ID=A1902841 School data for Pope John XXIII High School
  7. Scruton, Bruce A. "Catholic schools to merge at Pope John campus", New Jersey Herald, January 28, 2016. Accessed January 15, 2019. "Four Catholic elementary schools, three in Sussex County and the fourth in Netcong, are merging, and by the end of the next school year, students will be housed on a campus at Pope John XXIII Regional High School that will include a new Pope John Middle School, parents were told at a meeting Wednesday..... The plan announced at the meeting will keep the current elementary schools open for the start of the next school year, but, depending on a construction schedule for a new middle school on the Pope John campus, local schools will close and grades will be split, with pre-kindergarten through fourth grade housed at the Rev. Brown school and grades 5-7 combining into the new middle school.... With the opening of Pope John XXIII Middle School, three current elementary schools -- Immaculate Conception Regional School in Franklin, St. Joseph Regional School in Newton and St. Michael School in Netcong -- will close."
  8. News: Church gets music head. Herald-News. Passaic, NJ. August 30, 1974. 24.
  9. https://www.njsiaa.org/schools/pope-john-xxiii-high-school Pope John XXIII High School
  10. https://www.nwjerseyac.com/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=235 Home Page
  11. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-10/2020-2021-lc-officers-schools.pdf League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20120204211530/http://sussexcountyinterscholasticleague.com/ Home page
  13. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/general-classifications-2018-2020.pdf NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020
  14. Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  15. Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  16. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-08/Football%20%2722%20%26%20%2723.pdf NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024
  17. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/20-baseball-history.pdf NJSIAA Baseball Championship History
  18. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/21-football.pdf NJSIAA Football History
  19. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/07/archives/livingston-bows-to-barringer.html "Livingston Bows to Barringer"
  20. Schwartz, Paul. "St. Mary's bows, 14-6", The Record, December 7, 1975. Accessed January 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Pope John of Sparta held off two St. Mary's drives in the final 7 1/2 minutes and hung on to win 14-6, yesterday at Sparta High School to capture the State's Parochial B North Jersey championship. It was Pope John's 34th consecutive win."
  21. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/484837841/ "Pope John drubs Immaculate, 28-0"
  22. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/06/sports/seton-hall-prep-downs-bergen-catholic.html "Seton Hall Prep Downs Bergen Catholic"
  23. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/21/sports/pope-john-romps-27-0.html "Pope John Romps 27-0"
  24. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/04/sports/passaic-11-0-tops-north-bergen-24-13.html "Passaic (11-0) Tops North Bergen, 24-13"
  25. Seegers, Sandy. "Pope John adds to tradition, 35-0", Daily Record, December 7, 1986. Accessed February 6, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Movements by the opposing offensive line would be the focal point of Pope John High School football team's strategy. The plan worked to perfection as evidenced by the Lions 35-0 victory against Phillipsburg Catholic for the North Jersey Parochial B championship yesterday. Pope John finished its season at 10-1, winning its fourth state title in six years."
  26. Nerone, Michele. "Morris Catholic falters", The Record, December 6, 1987. Accessed February 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The undefeated Lions of Pope John showed just how tough they are on the football field by defeating Morris Catholic, 22-7, yesterday for their second consecutive New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Parochial B title."
  27. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/496515889/ "Pope John dominates for sixth straight title"
  28. Rice, John. "A playoff record for Pope John", Daily Record, December 8, 1991. Accessed March 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Pope John's latest state championship was one for the books. In routing Marist 35-0 yesterday, the Lions not only won another North Parochial B title; they won it for the sixth straight year. No New Jersey team has ever done that."
  29. Davidove, Gerry. "Pope John rebounds for 7th title in eight years", Daily Record, December 5, 1993. Accessed January 24, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The senior fullback scored two touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards yesterday, leading Pope John to a 14-0 victory over Marist in the state's first Parochial Group II title game.... It was the seventh state title in the last eight years for Pope John (10-1). The Lions had a string of six consecutive North Jersey Parochial titles snapped by DePaul last year, 28-21."
  30. Rowe Jr., Ron. "Pope John captures state championship; Defense holds off challenge, for 13-12", Daily Record, November 18, 2001. Accessed March 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "For four years, Pope John defensive back Alex Miller wanted to know what that feeling was like.... Miller was one of the standouts on a hard-nosed Pope John defense that held off a late game drive to preserve a 13-12 victory over Paterson Catholic for the Parochial Group II state championship."
  31. http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=25369&tclass=Parochial%202 2002 Football - Parochial 2
  32. Reyes, Masulli Jesicca. "Beloved coach's funeral expected to draw many mourners", KWWL (TV), February 1, 2012. Accessed August 24, 2012. "The funeral and visitation are expected to draw a large number of people because of Paternostro's great tenure at Pope John. While coaching football for 43 years, Paternostro earned the title of the state's all-time winningest football coach with 373 victories."
  33. Reilly, Sean. "High school football previews: Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference", The Star-Ledger, September 7, 2011. Accessed March 14, 2012. "Bill Percey has replaced Delaney at High Point, while Brian Carlson is the new coach at Pope John, where he replaces Vic Paternostro, the winningest coach in state history, who exited with a 373-68-5 record over 43 years."
  34. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-wrestling-history.pdf NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History
  35. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/20-team-tennis-history.pdf History of Boys Team Tennis Championship Tournament
  36. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-08/21-spring-track-group-history.pdf NJSIAA Girls Spring Track Summary of Group Titles
  37. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8767544/parochial-b-champs-june-2-1990/ "Pope John sweeps to Parochial B championships"
  38. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-08/21-history.pdf NJSIAA Boys Spring Track Summary of Group Titles
  39. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/21-xc-group-team-champions_0.pdf NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions
  40. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/20-swimming-history.pdf NJSIAA Boys and Girls Swimming History
  41. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/21-girls-field-hockey_0.pdf History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships
  42. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-12/21-xc-group-team-champions.pdf NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions
  43. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-01/Boys%20Indoor%20Track%20%26%20Field_0.pdf Boys Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023
  44. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-01/Girls%20Indoor%20Track%20%26%20Field.pdf Girls Winter Track and Field Championship History: 1922-2023
  45. http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=144340&tclass=Non%2DPublic NJSIAA 2006 Ice hockey - Non-Public
  46. Yardley, Jonathan. 2003-04 New Jersey Hockey Standings, HNIB New Jersey. Accessed August 24, 2012.
  47. Staff. "Pope John takes state skiing title", New Jersey Herald, March 4, 2008, updated January 23, 2009. Accessed October 26, 2020. "Neither the less-than-ideal course conditions or the snow squalls could slow the Pope John boys in their eventual run to the state title on Saturday. The 2008 champs were led by Brian Kazar who finished in second place in the slalom event with a time of 1:17.80. Teammates Ben Rabe and Jeff Antonucci also had top 15 finishes."
  48. https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2020-11/2020-basketball-history_0.pdf Boys Basketball Championship History 1919–2024
  49. https://usatodayhss.com/2015/boys-basketball-pope-john-claims-first-nonpublic-a-state-title "Boys Basketball: Pope John claims first Non-Public A state title"
  50. Press Release. Pope John XXIII High School Robotics Team Wins New York City FTC Championship
  51. Joe Moszczynski, Newark Star Ledger. Sparta school robotics team ready for NASA satellite contest after nailing down the No. 1 seed Accessed August 8, 2014.
  52. [MIT Zero Robotics]
  53. https://www.amazon.com/FTC-Robotics-Strategies-Secrets-2013-14/dp/1492763950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407524983&sr=8-1&keywords=ftc+tips FTC Robotics: Tips, Tricks, Strategies, and Secrets
  54. Pope John XXIII Regional High School Website Science Department Course Listing
  55. https://gocrimson.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/bryce-aiken/21673 Bryce Aiken - 2019–20 - Men's Basketball
  56. Hague, Jim. "Scoreboard: A new beginning at Marist", The Hudson Reporter, July 19, 2005. Accessed November 3, 2017. "Arico was a standout running back at Pope John of Sparta who then went on to play college football at Lehigh, graduating there in 1992."
  57. Spaulding, Anthony. "After breaking leg in 2015, former PJ star Noah Brown to start for Ohio State on Saturday", New Jersey Herald, September 2, 2016. Accessed January 12, 2017. "Noah Brown has every reason to be pumped up for Saturday. That day at noon, the Flanders native and 2014 Pope John High School graduate is expected to start in the first NCAA Division I college football game of his career at wide receiver in the Ohio State Buckeyes' season opener against Bowling Green."
  58. Bouchal, Lyndsay Cayetana. "Delicate Steve frontman happy to be home", New Jersey Herald, April 22, 2011. Accessed January 12, 2017. "The Fredon resident began taking private piano lessons as child, but when he was given a toy guitar by his grandmother one Christmas, the young musician quickly switched to guitar.... His first brush with the professional world of music came in 2004 when his high school band was signed by Warner Brothers. Marion was a 2005 Pope John graduate."
  59. [Jerry Doyle|Doyle, Jerry]
  60. Skevin, Tom. "Vernon native Katie Henry ready to break out debut album", NJArts.net, October 2, 2018. Accessed November 1, 2022. "She took piano lessons as a youngster and was encouraged to get involved with school band (she started high school in Vernon before transferring to and graduating from Pope John in Sparta)."
  61. Stein, Peter. "Sussex Seminole: Vernon resident, Pope John grad Ryan Izzo starts at TE for Florida State", New Jersey Herald, September 9, 2015. Accessed January 4, 2018. "Vernon resident and 2014 Pope John graduate Ryan Izzo did start at tight end for Florida State and did catch a 13-yard touchdown pass from Golson in the Seminoles’ 59-16 victory over Texas State Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla."
  62. Sigel, Ben. "Louis King enrolls at Hudson Catholic", 247Sports, February 9, 2016. Accessed September 8, 2018. "Today, Schneider is reporting that King has enrolled at Hudson Catholic (NJ), but will sit out the remainder of the 2015-16 season.... He spent his freshman year at Roselle Catholic before transferring to Pope John for his sophomore season. King is going on his third school in as many years."
  63. https://books.google.com/books?id=zJrtBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA277 Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition
  64. Goovaerts, Diana. "Ex-Sparta resident recalls Amazing Race challenge", New Jersey Herald, March 7, 2014. Accessed October 10, 2017. "Being selected to compete on the hit CBS show The Amazing Race was just one turn in a series of fortunate events for Tim Sweeney.... The 33-year-old is a Sussex County native, originally hailing from Sparta and attending Pope John XXIII Regional High School."