New Kids on the Block: High School Relocates to Centenary Campus

If you have noticed some green swag on campus amidst a sea of Cyclone blue, you are not imagining things. Cyclones, meet the Celtics. That would be The Patrick School Celtics, a 6th through 12th grade school nationally known as a basketball powerhouse that is leasing space here to enhance their ability to provide their students the highest-quality academic, athletic, and residential opportunities for their students.

The historic agreement was announced on Centenary’s website on December 9 and was the topic of a WRNJ radio interview with President Dale Caldwell in January.

Parents of CU students were alerted in a newsletter. However, a review of CUs social media platforms revealed no one told the primary population: the Centenary students. 

The Patrick School: Who Are They?

The Patrick School (TPS)–an independent co-educational high school– was established in 2012 after the closing of St. Patrick High School Academy (the first parochial high school in NJ). Both schools count NBA all-stars, NCAA champions, and state and conference champions among their alumni.

“The last 14 years have been a roller coaster,” said Chris Chavannes, TPS president and head basketball coach, in an interview with Staff Writer Troy Sumpter. “We lost a building in Hillside due to a hurricane and have pretty much been gypsies ever since, holding school temporarily here and there including spaces in Union County Community College and a Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) in Union until last year.” 

“Covid hit us hard too; enrollment dropped from 200 students to just 40,” said Chavannes. “Yet we were able to keep going due to donors who helped with tuition and electronic devices for teachers.” 

From Nomads to Boarders in Smith Hall

“It was really an accident that the Patrick School arrived here,” said President Caldwell in an interview with Sumpter. “They were looking for a new home–for student housing– in different places and someone suggested they look here. It was a little far for them and they came to look with a low probability of doing something, but they really fell in love with our beautiful campus.”

They visited our campus located in the heart of North Jersey, a rural suburbia where they could experience the beauty and safety of a small town coupled with vast acreage.

“Plus, they really liked my passion for every level of education, whether it's elementary or high school or college. So we started talking and saw some real synergies culturally,” said President Caldwell.

“We saw how talented and personable the students were, and, so, it really made sense that this could be a wonderful home for them.”

The Agreement: A Collaboration

“I want Centenary to really be one of the leading universities that really helps to create a bridge between high school and college,” said President Caldwell. 

To that end, members of The Patrick School’s elite boys basketball program (19 student-athletes) live in Smith Hall, attend TPS classes on campus, and dine in Cyclone Dining.

“At Smith Hall, two Centenary residence life professionals reside there full-time as well as a TPS assistant coach,” said Jessica Rosano, director of residence life and community standards. “The assistant coach is responsible for supervising the students, but Centenary Residence Life has a presence to help with questions and concerns. The head coach, Chris Chavannes, has imposed a curfew on his team that the assistant coach enforces.”

In addition, the team practices and holds games in the University’s Reeves Athletic Facility.

The balance of TPS students who are not in the elite basketball program are considered day students and are shuttled to campus and attend classes in the Ferry Building, according to the University’s website.

However, the total number of TPS students is unclear as requests by The Cyclone Chronicle staff for this figure and additional information from TPS administrators regarding academic offerings and the shuttle population were not answered. The total number of students–both boarding and day students– is estimated to be between 40 and 60.

Benefits to Centenary

“The wonderful thing about this partnership,” according to President Caldwell in an interview with Sumpter, “is that, as a new president, I’ve spent a lot of time in K-12 and I’ve experienced a big disconnect in higher education between high school and college.”

To bridge the gap between high school and college, Centenary offers dual enrollment to area high school students–not just TPS students– where they can experience college courses before graduating, challenge themselves academically, and complete prerequisites early. 

“For Centenary, we get the opportunity to enhance our education by really understanding how to better connect with high school students coming right out of high school,” said President Caldwell. 

With The Patrick School students living on campus, President Caldwell hopes it will open them up to the possibilities and future of academia and athletics outside of high school.

“I always love making history and this is historic,” continued President Caldwell in the interview as he spoke about benefits to Centenary.

“The Patrick School in pre-season was ranked number nine in the country for boys basketball programs. These are some of the best basketball players in the world. Many of them are going on to D1 and get paid with Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) and many will go on to the pros,” said President Caldwell.

“Having some of the best young athletes in the world on campus is already inspiring our student-athletes to play at a higher level as they compete in D3 sports,” said President Caldwell. “In addition, residents of Hackettstown will get to see future NBA stars, who will potentially do as well as TPS alumnus Kyrie Irving.”

Another benefit of this partnership is the space is leased by TPS, which generates revenue so that we can pay our bills, according to President Caldwell in his interview with Sumpter. “That’s a good thing.”

Centenary’s education program will also benefit, according to President Caldwell.

“We have a wonderful education program. Many of our students need to do a practicum or student teaching. So, instead of having to go way off campus, they can actually work with The Patrick School and do their practice teaching there,” said President Caldwell.

At the time of publication, this was only an anticipated benefit, as this opportunity for our education majors is not in place yet.

Benefits to The Patrick School

In addition to room, board, and gym facilities, it’s been an amazing experience for the students, according to Chris Chavannes, president and head basketball coach of The Patrick School.

“This place gives the kids so much; it takes them away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many don’t have the best home situation. Some of them could go through their entire life and never see an environment like this, never get to see a farm and get to see what peace is like. These are things beyond the academics and athletics. You can’t buy that. I look forward to being here every day.”

High School and College Students

“I don’t think that the college students here feel that they’re outplaced by having high school kids on campus,” said Chavannes during an interview with Sumpter. “If anything, they’re very welcoming, very inviting. They are very engaging about who we are and what we are doing.”

Chavannes continued, “I don’t think we clash in any way shape or form as far as disrupting their social life or their space…. I don’t hear our kids complaining about it. And I haven’t seen that I have to worry as far as the age difference…we also have some 6th and 7th graders who have an abundance of energy.”

How Can Centenary Students Support This Partnership?

“Centenary students can be involved in this partnership in a couple of different ways,” said Kerry Mullins, Centenary University’s vice president of campus life and dean of students, in an interview with Sumpter. “First and foremost, welcome them into our community.”

“Interact with them; get to know them. We find we’re actually more similar than we’re not but also supporting them. They have gone through a lot, and they’ve given up a lot to focus on their passion and their future success. And we can only support and applaud that moving forward. Come out and support their games.”

Dean Mullins continued, “Engage with them. Let them come to your events. Get to know them so that we can really enjoy each other and learn from one another.”

But, Is This Mash-Up Feasible?

Centenary students–at least in Smith Hall–have received mixed messages about mingling with TPS students. On the one hand, campus life encourages CU students to interact with TPS high school students. Yet that may not be the message coming from CUs residence life. In an email, Smith Hall residents were advised that TPS students would be leasing out the first floor and that access to first floor lounges and the laundry room were no longer accessible to them. Additionally, swipe access to 2nd and 3rd floor doors and the stairwell have been installed. Dorm programming has been moved to other locations.

The Cyclone Chronicle staff would not speculate how Smith Hall collegiate residents felt about having TPS high school students living on their first floor. So we asked them. 

Residents listed several “annoyances.” The first was needing an additional swipe (total of three) to get into their room. The second annoyance was the over-used laundry room. It houses two washers and two dryers and with athletes frequently doing laundry, there is often a back-up. 

However, the biggest gripe of Smith Hall collegiate residents was losing their lounge. Residents indicated that lounges are very important spaces to college students and with the current arrangement, they are locked out of the lounge with no other comparable space in their dorm.

Smith Hall residents also felt the curfew for the TPS high school students was not effectively enforced.

Does Centenary Have Dorms to Rent?

By the numbers, Centenary has the space to lease, or more precisely, has available dorm space.

Centenary University currently enrolls 788 undergraduates. The breakdown of residents to commuters is nearly equal at 414 residents to 374 commuters. 

There are approximately 750 beds on Centenary’s campus, according to Rosano. “The spaces that were offered to The Patrick School had not been used in housing for a few years so were not included in Residence Life’s overall count. Their first semester (Fall 2024), they had about eight students living in a property owned by the University. We expanded this number to 19 by opening up the first floor of Smith Hall, which had served as offices and storage spaces.”

“With the addition of The Patrick School students, we still have available spaces should anyone else want to join our residential community,” said Rosano.

Another school has the first residential agreement with Centenary: Sussex County Community College (SCCC). Three years ago, the University signed an agreement with SCCC to house members of their football team in our residence halls, providing the players with a residential college experience and a clear pathway to transfer to Centenary after earning an associate’s degree. Currently, 67 SCCC student-athletes dorm at Centenary. 

Subsequently, students who complete their associate’s degree from local community colleges, such as Warren, Sussex, and Raritan, are guaranteed acceptance to the University, up to 66 credits transfer, and students receive additional scholarships via the transfer pathway, known as the State-Wide Transfer Agreement Grant. 

“Centenary’s relationship with Sussex County Community College has been highly successful, and, now, we are pleased to provide similar residential experience to high school student-athletes from The Patrick School,” said Dean Mullins. “Living on Centenary’s campus will better prepare these students to succeed in college.”

Any Effects on Cyclone Dining?

Our dining hall has always been open to Centenary students, faculty, and staff and the local community, according to Dean Mullins. “It is equipped to handle an even larger student population, so there has not been any impact on Cyclone Dining.”

Athletics and Gym Time

The Patrick School student-athletes also need to use Centenary’s athletic facilities. The University and The Patrick School, according to Dean Mullins, who also serves as interim athletic director, work together to share the spaces and support each other. 

We wondered how the TPS athletic schedule affected the availability and scheduling in the Reeves Gym. Dean Mullins, responded with the following:

“In terms of the gym schedule, Centenary’s athletic requests are taken care of first. After that, The Patrick School’s schedule is factored in. There have been select times wherein we need to make changes and I have appreciated how the Centenary teams and The Patrick School have worked together to share the space and support one another.”

“The Patrick School really provides a nice enhancement in our competitive culture with sports,” said President Caldwell. “But also, it gives us a chance to really be an educational institution focused on teaching people in different ways and different levels. And that's really important.” In preseason polls, The Patrick School was the ninth best of thousands of high school basketball teams across the country, according to President Caldwell. “The students come from all over the world to play at this school and most attend division one universities after high school and are drafted into the NBA.” 

The TPS boys basketball team finished their inaugural 2024-2025 season in the shared Reeves Gym with a 22-7 record, according to NJ.com High School Sports. Of the 15 players on their roster this season, 11 were seniors.

“Coach Chavannes and his team have been a great asset to the University since joining in the fall, and it has been a pleasure to get to know him and his players,” said Chris LaBelle, head coach of the Centenary University men’s basketball team. “The student-athletes are all terrific young men who are constantly putting in the work to be the best at their craft. They bring a lot of positive attention and publicity to Centenary athletics, and we hope to continue to build our partnership and collaboration for the future.”

The staff at The Cyclone Chronicle reached out via email to Rose Haller, head women’s basketball coach, for a comment but did not receive a response.

Future of the Historic Partnership

Dean Mullins is excited to see the program and partnership grow over the next five years and hopes to see these high school students still a part of the campus. 

“They are amazing young men that have shown such great resilience and experiences and bring such diversity to our campus that I'm excited to see that continue and grow,” said Dean Mullins. “I know that we're going to see even more talent coming through that we'll continue to kind of bring to our campus and celebrate them as they continue on their journey.”

How About You?

Do you have any thoughts/comments/opinions on this partnership? If so, we would like to hear from you.

Please contact Editor-in-Chief Alexis d’Ambly at alexis.dambly@centenaryuniversity.edu or Managing Editor Amanda Masiello at amanda.masiello@centenaryuniveristy.edu