Friday, May 18, 2012
Members of the National Junior Honor Society at the Russell O. Brackman Middle School worked enthusiastically on fixing up the gazebo and the Cox House well into the afternoon.
Members of the National Junior Honor Society chose to reach beyond the walls of the Russell O. Brackman Middle School and help beautify the rest of the town. According to Robin Urso, co-advisor of the NJHS, the students were given the option to re-plant around the flagpole at their own school or work on enhancing the historic Cox House and the gazebo. The students overwhelmingly agreed to help out downtown, Urso said, with volunteers Morgan Ridgway and Nick Pace spearheading the project. Jessica Hochrun, member of the NJHS, said they chose this project "so [the downtown] won't look as run down, and hopefully bring more tourists in the summertime." Kyle Gorman and Reese Hardy began by sweeping up the sidewalks and raking up the leaves …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Growing enrollment, OCC-Kean partnership sparking need for new access driveway, student center
In two separate ordinances on Wednesday, the Ocean County Board of Freeholders approved $18.5 million in spending for improvements to the campus at Ocean County College. Thanks to state funding and money from the college itself, the measures are expected to cost the county $11 million of that total, however, Freeholder Deputy Director John C. Bartlett said. The improvements are the result of the college’s partnership with Kean University that allows students to start at OCC and wind up with a bachelor’s degree from Kean. “This is going to be a major development for our community,” Freeholder Director Gerry Little said. “It will offer students an affordable baccalaureate degree for under $25,000 total.” One ordinance, for $8.5 million, will…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Board, administration officials counter accusations delivered by former Board of Education member.
In an open letter to the media, the Board of Education, Barnegat Township Committee and New Jersey Department of Education, resident Angelo Mureo faulted the Barnegat school district Tuesday for allegedly overspending and fumbling the tax assessment process, resulting in an inflated tax bill. "Thought I've heard and seen everything when it came to skyrocketing property taxes in Barnegat," Mureo's letter began. "We saw our own taxes increase by 60 percent in just five years, caused by a botched reassessment at the height of the real estate bubble in 2007, an illegal selective partial assessment in 2011 and a Barnegat school board that can't put the lid on overspending." "Fact is last year alone, the Board of Ed raised taxes on our three-…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Male students to live on campus and compete in athletics
Georgian Court University announced a change on Tuesday that will dramatically change the face of the Lakewood school in the fall of 2013. The school will go co-ed after having served as a school for women since it opened more than 100 years ago. The school, which had only allowed men to take classes at night, will allow them to reside on campus as well as take part in the school's athletic program. The decision, according to a school news release, followed "a strategic planning process that began in the summer of 2011." Tara Strickland, the school's assistant editorial director, said having men on the campus will not be new as they have been allowed to attend graduate classes since 1976 and regular classes since 1979. But fall 2013 will …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Executive committee approves proposal to add Group V
Beginning this fall, 160 high school football teams around the state will have the opportunity to win a state sectional championship, under a proposal approved by the NJSIAA this afternoon. The NJSIAA Executive Committee approved the proposal to create a Group V designation in the four public school sections by a vote of 22-5-3 at its meeting in Robbinsville, according to Jack DuBois, NJSIAA assistant director who's in charge of football. "This creates a greater opportunity for schools and for student-athletes," DuBois said. "It increases the number of teams playing in the playoffs from 128 to 160. At the same time, it eliminates 16 consolation games that schools didn't want to play anyway." The proposal also allows teams whose records are…
Students at Lacey Township High School join together with staff from the Department of Environmental Protection in the second Barnegat Bay Blitz
A little bit of rain didn’t stop the second Barnegat Bay Blitz as approximately 45 Lacey Township students enthusiastically made their way out into the woods surrounding the high school to pickup trash and debris. “The Barnegat Bay is one of our treasures,” said Bob Martin, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protect, which ran the cleanup effort. Martin told the high school students that Governor Chris Christie is concerned the bay is dying and has developed a 10-point restoration plan, which addresses areas such as nutrients going into the waterways and stormwater basins as well as education. The Blitz fits in with action item number eight in the plan, which calls for increased education efforts to foster public stewardship …
The NJSIAA Executive Committee is expected to vote on — and likely approve — the creation of Group Vs in the public school sections for the high school football playoffs
More local football teams will have an opportunity to play in the high school football playoffs if the NJSIAA Executive Committee approves an expansion proposal at its meeting today. In early April the committee approved on first reading a proposal submitted by Northern Highlands High School of Bergen County to create a Group V in each of the four public school sections. Currently, there are four groups in each of the state’s sections: North Jersey Section 1, North Jersey Section 2, Central Jersey and South Jersey. NJSIAA officials say the proposal would create more opportunities for the players and the teams, while some point out that it also would increase playoff ticket revenue for the organization, which has come under fire in recent …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ryan Sullivan, a senior from Lacey Township, was on the winning team for three years in a row
For the third year in a row students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences (MATES) in Manahawkin were the winners of the New Jersey Envirothon held on Saturday, May 5. The team, consisting of Seniors Ryan Sullivan of Lacey, James Geddis of Jackson, Alex Hascha of Brick, Kelsey Lardiere of Manahawkin, and Michelle Predi of Barnegat Light, will represent New Jersey in the 2012 Canon Envirothon at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. in July. “We are so proud of our students,” added MATES Science Instructor and Team Advisor David Werner. “Their dedication and hard work has paid off for the third year in a row. Our nine graduating members will be severely missed next year.” The same students taking home first …
Monday, May 7, 2012
A look back at the past week in Barnegat High School sports along with a look ahead
Baseball: After dropping the two early week games this week against Brick Township and Matawan, the Bengals bounced back in a big way with a win against Lakewood and a nine inning thriller over Toms River East in the Ocean County Tournament. The contest against Lakewood was a 14-4 win, which only required five innings of play. While they saved two innings against the Piners, they played two extras in their 2-1 win against the Raiders of Toms River East on Saturday. Nick Fraim continued his excellent freshman campaign going 1-for-3 with the game winning RBI single in the top of the ninth as Mark McCoy locked down a scoreless ninth, his sixth inning of work on the day. Barnegat can clinch a share of the division title if they win their …
Monday, April 30, 2012
A look back at the past week of Barnegat High School sports along with a look ahead
Baseball: Coach Dan McCoy's Bengals have surged up the standings in the past week. Barnegat made the most of a big opportunity going 3-1 including 2-0 in divisional play. On Monday, the Bengals battled the wet weather as well as the Toms River East Raiders and prevailed with a 4-3 win. Mark McCoy once again was the story for Barnegat as he plated the tying and winning runs with a 2 out, bottom of the seventh walk-off single. In a team effort against Pinelands on Wednesday, Justin Chasmar and Mike Dunkin combined to go 6-for-8 with three runs scored and two RBI's in a 6-2 win. Sandwiched between two divisional wins was an extra inning loss to Monsignor Donovan on Thursday but was followed up with a dominant 7-1 division win over Manchester…
Larry Cataldo
7:32 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
thank you so much! young brackman students, you should all be honored as keepers of the clock!!! more ›