UPDATE: On our beloved Mr. Jenkins. Thanks for all your prayers, he is doing quite well and out of the hospital. He is now at home. Please continue to pray for him.

So Alumni make yourselves at home and feel free to roam the virtual "Castle on the Hill". Make sure you also visit and join our Official Social Network, Castle Connections. Where you can upload pictures, videos & music, blog, particiate in discussion forums and much more. Remember these are "The Only CHS Alumni sites created for and by Camden High Alumni of Camden NJ". Be Blessed! More upgrades to our site are coming so stay tuned!

NEXT CHSAACNJ MEETING 6/12/12 @ 6PM @ CHS - Upcoming Mtg. 7/10/12

AS AN ALUMNUS DO YOU REALLY CARE? THEN JOIN US AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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Camden High School Alumni Castle Connections

RETURNING SOON!!!

2012 - Anyone with Class Reunion info for this year please send that info to webmaster@thehighalumni.org, and we will post it.

Camden Co. Cultural and Heritage Commission honors dedicated African Americans: CHS ALUM Clarence Bagwell

Photo by John Ziomeky/Courier Post

By Kim Mulford/Courier Post Staff

Clarence Bagwell of Camden lives two doors down from Antioch Baptist Church in the Centerville section of the city. His hair is nearly white; his handshake is warm. He is “semi-retired” as a housing director in North Camden for the nonprofit Respond Inc.

He has roots in Centerville; his father was the longtime pastor of Ferry Avenue United Methodist Church.

But now, he’s a Baptist. He prefers the Pentecostal flavor of its church services. The large glass doors of the modern Antioch Baptist Church overlook a revitalized section of Ferry Street.

Across the way are two new structures built for senior housing, Antioch Manor and John O. Parker Jr. Hall. The properties are meticulously maintained. New low-income housing stretches for blocks around them. The sidewalks are clean; the neighborhood is quiet. A schoolgirl walks alone down the street, swinging a bag.

It’s largely the result of the church’s investment in the area. Led by his pastor, Bagwell was part of the team that helped get the senior housing built on ground owned by Antioch.

On his block, “everybody knows everybody.” He shares a favorite story about a neighbor who took his trash to the curb one day after noticing Bagwell had forgotten to. The new housing has brought in new residents, and Bagwell is taking an interest in them.

“Our job is to teach them to have that old neighborhood the way it used to be,” a neighborhood of folks who look out for one another, says Bagwell.

Married for 20 years to Cynthia, their children are grown. Besides being an active member of his church, he is also a 2nd Ward Democratic committeeperson, charged with getting out the vote for the next election.

He loves Camden.

“I thank God I stayed,” says Bagwell, who describes himself as a grassroots, under-the-radar kind of person. “I hope to die here. It’s a blessing to see all this happen in my lifetime.”

HAVE ALUMNI NEWS? LET US KNOW ABOUT IT! PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHS BOY'S 4 X 400 RELAY TEAM

Winners of the SJ Small School 4x400 Relay Championship at the 2012 Penn Relays. We're proud of you! Great job Coach Miller!

Group to help restore Camden High School athletic fields

A $200,000 NFL grant for a turf field will kick off restoration efforts at Camden High's football stadium. An ad hoc group is also banding together to continue with other needs at the complex. / AL SCHELL/Courier-Post

CAMDEN — There’s unseen history when you look out across the Camden High athletic fields — grueling gridiron battles with rival Woodrow Wilson on Thanksgiving Day, and memorable performances in track and field.

Today, the once well-manicured playing field is pockmarked like the face of the moon, threatening ankle injuries to players running fly patterns.

Giving the student-athletes of Camden High School a place they can be proud of has been the mission of an ad hoc committee working with the Camden City Board of Education.

Made up of dozens of alumni from the school, the “We Can Do This! With a little help from our friends” campaign is gradually putting pieces together to rejuvenate the dilapidated facilities.

“We’re just a group of people who has felt like the pride has gone away and that’s what we want to bring back,” explained Stan White, a volunteer member of the committee.

“It took 30 of us to come together. It’s a whole lot of people that are going to make this happen.”

Camden High’s field house dates back to the 1960s, though its condition makes it look like it dates back to the 1930s. The exterior may have a fresh coat of the school’s signature purple and gold, but inside there’s chipped paint, holes in walls and, at times, puddles of standing water.

Plans for the field house include full-sized locker rooms, a concession stand and first aid post in addition to a meeting room for conferences and community groups. The portable bathroom trailers wheeled in for games would be replaced by permanent facilities.

“The parents were using their car lights for practice,” committee member Joyce Miller explained. “That’s how it all started. Stan saw it and called me and at that point we got a group together and decided we’re going to renovate it.”

The capital plan calls for a complete overhaul of the stadium complex costing about $5 million. Back in November, word came that the Panthers would receive a $200,000 grant from the National Football League’s Grassroots Program to replace the existing grass at the stadium with synthetic turf.

Subsequent phases call for the installation of lighting, then bleachers, the demolition of the existing field house and erection of a new one, paving of the parking lot and eventual improvements to the school’s tennis courts.

How does a once proud field that produced state champions and future pro players get to this point?

School board member Sara Davis explained a myriad of reasons come into play.

“Over the years the district has been short on cash and also some of it is maintenance,” Davis said.

“It wasn’t taken care of, but it didn’t just happen overnight — it’s wear and tear.”

Their efforts could get a much-needed influx of capital if the Camden City Council accepts a federal Community Development Block Grant this week. The grant, which is not funded by taxpayer money, would be applied to chip away at the overall cost along with a recent contribution from the Parkside Business Association.

Stephen Moore, a Camden High graduate and a now a councilman in Lawnside, is one of the newest members of the ad hoc committee. He coached youth football in Centerville for years only to see talent from across the city go off to play for schools in the suburbs.

“What better recruiting tool do you have than for a kid to say they can go play on that brand new field?” Moore asked.

Football players could be competing for field time with futbol players. An emerging soccer culture is developing in the city. A school team hasn’t been fielded in a number of years.

“We want to make certain that the children are introduced to soccer,” Miller said. “That’s one of the key things we’re trying to have here.”

Additionally, a turf field could also be used to start a lacrosse program.

Youth sports associations also utilize the complex. Even more could be accommodated once it’s finally completed.

“A plus for the community as a whole,” as Davis puts it.

Organizers acknowledge that conditions inside the school itself need improving. However, the belief is that athletic programs go hand-in-hand with academics in order to make a well-rounded student.

It’s helping bring back that “Panther Pride.”

As a former educator, Kathy Gaines sees the merit in the project, giving hope to kids in a city that often lacks it. Students at the city’s creative arts high school have done well in the past, but have thrived in their new space in Morgan Village.

“They need it and deserve it,” Gaines added. “This is a great motivator for them.”

“The kids are always working against the odds and they come out on top,” Miller added. - Lucas K. Murray Courier Post

CLASS OF '89'S CHEF ARRON McCARGO FOODNETWORK STAR: STILL COOKIN' FULL STORY

PHOTO BY DOUGLAS BOVITT/COURIER-POST

CHS ALUM LEWIS KATZ '62 PARTNER IN NEW OWNERSHIP OF PHILADELPHIA MEDIA NETWORK FULL STORY

PMN PHOTO

KATZ STAYS CLOSE TO CAMDEN ROOTS FULL STORY

Panther Basketball is BACK!!!!

THANKS FOR A GREAT SEASON LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR!

CourierPost Photo/Jose F. Moreno

REMEMBERING

DAJUAN'S HUNDRED Click Pic

CHS 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year: Francine Keepler '77

Congratulations to Ms. Francine Keepler the 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year for Camden High School. Congratulations also to Mrs. Nancy Walker-Hunter who is the first-runner up.

Ms. Keepler chairs the Special Needs Department and is also the lead teacher for the 9th Grade Academy. When not in the classroom, she Chairs the School Leadership Council and is a member of both the Data and Professional Development committees.

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