Merchantville High School

Merchantville High School was a four-year public high school that operated from 1929 until 1972 in Merchantville, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Merchantville School District.

The school served students from the borough and the neighboring communities of Cherry Hill and Pennsauken Township, as well as Maple Shade in Burlington County.^[1] But with the loss of Maple Shade students to the new Maple Shade High School in 1972, Merchantville closed its high school after the end of the 1971–72 school year and started sending its students to Pennsauken High School for grades nine through twelve.^[2]^[3]

Athletics[]

The boys' basketball team won the Group II state championship in 1947 vs. Weehawken High School and in 1965 vs. Clifford Scott High School.^[4] The 1965 team won the Group II title with a 57-54 win in the finals against Clifford Scott of East Orange at Atlantic City Convention Hall^[5]

Notable alumni[]

George Dempsey (born 1929), former professional basketball player who played five seasons (1954–1959) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors and Syracuse Nationals.^[6]
Bob Greacen (born 1947), former professional basketball player who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Nets.^[7]

References[]

^ Van Sant, Will. "Decades Of Merchantville Students Stay True To Their School A Reunion Took Years To Organize, But Nearly 1,000 People Are Expected. It Will Begin With A Friday Night Tradition.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 20, 2000. Accessed December 24, 2015. "Next weekend, after more than a decade of preparation, alumni of Merchantville High, from the year the school opened in 1929 until it closed in 1972, will be meeting for a reunion.... Early on, Merchantville High served the surrounding region. As population growth during the 1950s and '60s affected Pennsauken, Maple Shade and Cherry Hill, other high schools were built in the area. Students were drawn away from Merchantville, and the high school shut down."
^ McPherson, Gary. "Looking back through the Maple Shade archives", The Central Record, December 8, 2010. Accessed September 2, 2014. "With the then brand new Maple Shade High School slated to open its doors in 1972, Merchantville residents were faced with a dilemma. Keep the high school open and support a 200 student building or close the school and send local students to Pennsauken High School instead."
^ Florio, Gwen. "Looking Beyond The School Decision Time To Make Up, Officials Say, After A Decade Of Fussing.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 21, 1992. Accessed July 10, 2008. "Ever since its own high school closed in 1972, the Borough of Merchantville has been sending its public school students to Pennsauken High School."
^ NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
^ Golden, Ed. "Merchants Only Champ From S. Jersey; Top Clifford Scott For Group 2 Title", Courier-Post, March 29, 1965. Accessed December 30, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Concisely, that's the story of Merchantville High School's surprising 57-54 victory over Clifford Scott High in Atlantic City's Convention Hall Saturday, 1 victory which gave the Merchants their first Group 2 championship since 1947."
^ Narducci, Marc. "Art Still among 16 to be inducted into Camden sports hall He is a former basketball and football standout. Proceeds will benefit the Special Olympics office.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 8, 2005. Accessed December 24, 2015. "George Dempsey. The former star at Merchantville played five NBA seasons and was on the 1955–56 champion Philadelphia Warriors."
^ Williams, Andre. "At 50, Ex-buck Greacen Is Still A Gym Rat", The Morning Call, March 20, 1998. Accessed December 24, 2015. "'I was a typical suburban kid,' said the 50-year-old Greacen, who grew up in South New Jersey and attended the now-defunct Merchantville High."

Coordinates: 39°56′56″N 75°02′56″W / 39.949°N 75.049°W / 39.949; -75.049

[1] Van Sant, Will. "Decades Of Merchantville Students Stay True To Their School A Reunion Took Years To Organize, But Nearly 1,000 People Are Expected. It Will Begin With A Friday Night Tradition.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 20, 2000. Accessed December 24, 2015. "Next weekend, after more than a decade of preparation, alumni of Merchantville High, from the year the school opened in 1929 until it closed in 1972, will be meeting for a reunion.... Early on, Merchantville High served the surrounding region. As population growth during the 1950s and '60s affected Pennsauken, Maple Shade and Cherry Hill, other high schools were built in the area. Students were drawn away from Merchantville, and the high school shut down."

[2] McPherson, Gary. "Looking back through the Maple Shade archives", The Central Record, December 8, 2010. Accessed September 2, 2014. "With the then brand new Maple Shade High School slated to open its doors in 1972, Merchantville residents were faced with a dilemma. Keep the high school open and support a 200 student building or close the school and send local students to Pennsauken High School instead."

[3] Florio, Gwen. "Looking Beyond The School Decision Time To Make Up, Officials Say, After A Decade Of Fussing.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 21, 1992. Accessed July 10, 2008. "Ever since its own high school closed in 1972, the Borough of Merchantville has been sending its public school students to Pennsauken High School."

[4] NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.

[5] Golden, Ed. "Merchants Only Champ From S. Jersey; Top Clifford Scott For Group 2 Title", Courier-Post, March 29, 1965. Accessed December 30, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Concisely, that's the story of Merchantville High School's surprising 57-54 victory over Clifford Scott High in Atlantic City's Convention Hall Saturday, 1 victory which gave the Merchants their first Group 2 championship since 1947."

[6] Narducci, Marc. "Art Still among 16 to be inducted into Camden sports hall He is a former basketball and football standout. Proceeds will benefit the Special Olympics office.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 8, 2005. Accessed December 24, 2015. "George Dempsey. The former star at Merchantville played five NBA seasons and was on the 1955–56 champion Philadelphia Warriors."

[7] Williams, Andre. "At 50, Ex-buck Greacen Is Still A Gym Rat", The Morning Call, March 20, 1998. Accessed December 24, 2015. "'I was a typical suburban kid,' said the 50-year-old Greacen, who grew up in South New Jersey and attended the now-defunct Merchantville High."

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