District Partners with Community in Support of Ronald McDonald House

After a long, trying day, there is nothing more comforting than a home-cooked meal, enjoyed in the company of family and friends.  But for some people the mere idea of such a scenario is a luxury beyond the scope of imagination. These are the people, for whom, the concept of eating, fails to register in their consciousness, those who choose, instead, to focus their collective thoughts and action on the health and well-being of loved ones who are undergoing treatment for catastrophic illnesses. It is for these people, specifically the parents and families of seriously ill children, who comprise the basis of operations for Ronald McDonald Houses around the world.

Nellie's Newest Panthers Compete in Annual Preschool Olympics

While the collective conscious of the world is seemingly focused solely on The Hunger Games phenomenon, a select group of Nellie F. Bennett Elementary School parents were captivated with an entirely different sort of games at the school’s annual Preschool Olympics. Well, maybe it wasn’t so much the games but rather the players, the 22 boys and girls enrolled in Nellie Bennett’s Preschool Program.

“Torch” in hand and Olympic anthem blaring, the athletes, wearing patriotic-themed shirts depicting red, white & blue handprints, paraded into the school’s gymnasium as their audience of truly adoring fans clapped and cheered them on. Click here for more.

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Ocean Road Team Takes Home the Trophy in Annual Academic Bowl

On Wednesday, April 18th, 144 fifth grade students from schools across Monmouth and Ocean Counties traveled to Jackson’s Goetz Middle School to compete in the 20th Annual Goetz Academic Bowl, a Jeopardy-style trivia contest that pits teams of students from participating schools against each other, to compete for the title of Academic Bowl Champion.

Twenty-four teams battled through three preliminary rounds, demonstrating their knowledge on everything from pop culture to math and science. Click here for more.

State Lawmakers Talk Politics with Memorial Middle School Students

Are politicians made? Or are they born? Is there a genetic component that predisposes the embodiment of civic responsibility in certain individuals? Or is it that potent mixture of education and experience that prepares and motivates people to pursue a place in the political forum?

There is likely no one answer to determine if it is the influence of nature or nurture that has a greater impact on the creation of political figures, and while history provides examples to support both arguments, it is more likely, that a politician’s development is the result of a confluence of factors that include, upbringing, education, experience and perhaps some innate characteristics. Click here for more.

Bye Bye Birdie Rocks Point Boro at Spring Musical Performances

From the depths of 19th century London’s seedy underbelly and into the grisly shop of murderous barber Sweeney Todd to pre-revolutionary Russia and the plight of poor milkman, Tevye and his machinations to preserve his family’s religious customs in the face of societal and political opposition, Point Pleasant Borough High School’s Performing Arts Department has garnered a well-deserved reputation for taking their audiences on unforgettable journeys during the performances of their annual spring musical.

Albeit lighter in tone, yet just as exceptional, was the Department’s most recent production, Bye Bye Birdie, which wrapped up its four-night run on March 24th. Washing away the dark and serious undertones of the past years‘ productions in glorious technicolor, Bye Bye Birdie transported audiences to 1950’s Sweet Apple, Ohio, rocking and rolling the high school’s Loren Donley Center for Performing Arts, performing the beloved musical-comedy to near sold-out audiences. Click here for more.

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