Freehold Township Board of Education Meeting 06/03/2025

001[Music] [Applause] So, you know you're doing really well when two of the two of the top three students in Freehold Township, Freehold Burough are from Freehold Township schools, and they're both from the Dwight David Eisenhower Middle School. Congratulations from the American Legion. American Legion, Giana, what they did for you is they took your essay, they put it in this beautiful cover, and also presented you a special certificate for finishing second place overall. Congratulations to you. Thank you. Stella Grace. This is from the American Legion. [Applause] Congratulations. [Applause] It's going to be the Mr. Crup show for a bit. You're you're up here for like the next four or five. He does a lot with our students. We're very very grateful. Next is the Elks Lodge of Freehold 2425 essay contest. What does patriotism mean to

002me? And presenting will be John Crow. Thank you, Superintendent Dixine. Couple things about the Elks Lodge. So their essay competition changes every year. So this year they decide to talk about patriotism and how convenient next summer, not this summer, but next summer will be the 225th anniversary. So this this summer is a semiquincentennial anniversary of the United States of America. Something to think about for a board of education is to see if we can do some kind of concerted effort. I have lots of ideas to recognize 250 years. Okay, awesome. Thanks, Miss Montgomery. So, we entered the essay contest. They asked us again this year. We had this year six entries. Two of our entries went on from the local level. They were winners at the local level. They then went on to the state

003championship round. They selected this year from the state of New Jersey 1,000 essays. 10,000. You don't hear too much of that in essay contests. So, the 1,021 essays from all the counties in New Jersey went to the state finals. We did not win the state championship there, but we had two students earn from Dwight David Eisenhower Middle School, two of the 21 state finalists. And before you clap, it's the first time ever in the history of Freehold Township that any student from Field Intermediate, from Barcelo or Eisenhower, in this case to David Eisenhower Middle School that made the state finals and we did it twice this year. So congratulations to those students. Mandy Guo, if you would come forward, if you're here, and Lily Tora, if you are here, please come forward. Congrat Congratulations girls.

004Next, Mr. Crop will be presenting the award Mammoth New Jersey 250 semiquincentennial essay contest for Mammoth County students. Thank you, Mr. Dixon. Couple couple of background pieces here because as a history guy I love talking about historical background. Special thanks to Mr. Dixine, to our school building principal, Mrs. Gambino, and to our social studies supervisor, Dr. King. They gave us the opportunity that Mammoth New Jersey was running this year an essay contest for the semiquincentennial anniversary. So, we had a window of about two weeks, if you're counting, that's 10 school days, to put together essays, and we did it. We had this year three students decide to go forward to compete. And I was waiting. They said by right around June 1st, we should know the results. June 2nd came and I like to be

005really strong on my followup. My followup with parents and administrators and my colleagues. So I sent an email. They said, "Mr. Gruper, we're sorry it's been a little hectic, but we want to let you know one of your students placed." You heard Lily Torter's name mentioned, you're going to hear it a second time. What's going to be amazing about this is Lily's essay will eventually be posted online and will be a huge part next year in Mammoth County. And again, how awesome is it for Freehold? Because Freeold's the county seat of Mammoth County. How awesome is that that Lily will be recognized too for that ceremony? So, we'll call Lily Torter up again. Third place overall. You'll never guess who's presenting the next award. It'll be John Crup 2425 Eisenhower Middle School Geography B individual

006awards. Thanks, Mr. Dixon. I'm gonna ask at this time the following students to come forward. Artis Celich, Adrienne Bandong, and unfortunately Michael Wood could not be with us. So I'm sure all of us in this room remember CO and remember all the different challenges we had inside and outside of our work environments with CO, right? So the National Geographic B society ended the National Geographic B and that was heartbreaking news to those of us in the in the field of social sciences. So one of my dear friends across town at the Clifton T Barlo Middle School, Mr. Tanzy said, "Mr. Crup, let's get together. Let's together own geography. So, we did it. This year, we were able to come up with about 224 questions in the preliminary round and it was rigorous. Students were overwhelmed.

007They couldn't believe how challenging it was. Boy, did those students respond. To advance out of the preliminary round, you had to answer six out of seven minimally questions correct. We had two students, Arta was one of them, who went seven for seven. If you understand the seven rounds, only the first two rounds are choices of answers. The other five are all fill in the blank. So, we that this is the best of the best. Eisenhower, we got down. We had the final 15 students. And what a great story was in the final round of three. We had a student from sixth grade, Audrey and Bandong. We had a student from seventh grade, Michael Wood could not be here with us tonight, and we had an eighth grader, Artisel. I read a story a couple years

008ago and they said, "Boys don't take school seriously." I take a lot of offense to that being a student in school. And so when I went on, I took a look at the 15 finalist. The 15 finalists, 14 of them were boys at Eisenhower. again this year most boys advancing on to the finals. So we got down to at one point Arda Audrian and Michael Wood at one point answered 24 correct out of 27 questions. The students my seventh graders I teach two grades. My seventh graders in class it was like being in the stadium like being at Yankee Stadium. Sorry Mets fans, but it was like being at Yankee Stadium. It was so loud. It felt like the roof was going to come off the classroom. The kids were clapping. What a beautiful thing

009to see competition when it's run right as healthy. So congratulations to third place overall Artisa [Applause] Celich. And again, Arda was the only student, one of two students at Eisenhower that went seven for seven in the preliminary round. Congratulations to our sixth grader, Adrian Bandong, who finished second place overall. and he he couldn't be here tonight, but I believe we're recognizing him on June 24th, the 2024 2025 Dwight David Eisenhower Middle School National Geography Be Champion, Michael Wood. It's not a joke. Mr. Crup will be presenting the next award. Eisenhower Middle School academic team. Thanks, Mr. Dixie. I'm going to ask the Eisener academic team members to come forward. I'm going to ask Miss Logan to also come forward. So, the Eisenhower Academic Team is made up of students in grades six, seven, and eight.

010And what we do is we prepare the entire year starting all the way normally the first full week in September, right? Students are nervous trying to figure out what the teachers expectations are and boom, we set up our first meeting. We go right to work. I one of the special things at our school which allows us to be successful in the classroom and the playing surfaces is we have a very professional way we carry ourselves both in the classroom and on our playing surfaces and the academic team is no different. And so we had a chance to compete. We were invited. You can only compete in some of the competitions by invitation only. The Marine Academy of Science and Technology that a number of students in previous years from from Barcelo and from Eisenhower have

011gone to invite us to come back to compete. And it's been about four years since they had that competition. So, it was great to be back at Mast. In fact, when I went into Mast, I looked up at the National Drill Team Championship banner. Their last time they were national champions. The captain that team was Nicholas Dona. Members of board of education, if you've been here with us for a little bit of time, you remember that Coltsneck High School used to have an award. They used to have the top academic award for each middle school. And Nick Dona was the recipient of that award at Eisenhower Middle School. Nick would later go on to graduate and number one in his class, amassed battalion commander and would later go on to graduate from the United States

012Air Force Academy. Unbelievable story. So, the students competed back and forth through a series of five rounds. You know you're doing well when you're competing against schools like Oakill Academy that cost over $30,000 a year to go to and Eisenhower is defeating them in competition. What a great story for public schools. What a great story members of the board of education for Freehold Township schools being able to not only hang with the private schools but defeat them in academic team competitions. The Eisenhower team was so strong this year that the only loss the seventh grade team here have that won tonight and it was the second championship they won in the same season. Most teams win one. They won two this year. The only loss they had was to the eighth grade Eisenhower academic team

013in the mass competition. That's really good news for the Eisenhower academic team. So I did something a little special for you. I wanted to ate this with the same John, [Applause] Mason Brewer, [Applause] Congratulations to the academic team. Next, we'll be recognizing the Eisenhower girls track and field individual awards from the Shore Intermediate Track and Field All-Star Meet. We'll like to invite our head coaches up, Mrs. Snow and Mr. Kale. And we have assistant coaches, whoever's here, Mr. Fenukin, Mr. Crup, Mrs. Mter, and Miss Turner. Okay. So, I am the girls head coach. Mr. Kale, unfortunately, was not able to make it tonight. Um, but on his and my behalf, we'd like to thank the board, U, Mr. Dixon, Mrs. Gambino, um, Dr. breath hour for supporting athletics and extracurricular activities and giving the opportunity

014to our students to be able to compete in these larger meets. So, tonight we're going to be recognizing um our girls individual winners from our all-star meet. So, this is a meet that takes place um at Asbury Park High School each year and there are 16 teams that compete and we this year I would say we had some phenomenal phenomenal athletes on our team and it shows that many of them are eighth graders and three years of hard work really paid off for them. So, individually from our girls, if I could have Mandy Guo So Mandy was um a runner and a jumper this year and Mandy got first place in the girls 100. Um she also won the girls long jump and she was also the MVP one of the MVPs at the um

015all-star meet. I'd next Next next I would like to recognize uh Jenna Thomas. So Jenna is also a runner and a jumper. Um from as her running coach, she was part of Eric Girl's 4x100 team who placed third at the Allstars. And Jenna also got first place in the high jump. Um, and Mr. Kale wanted to gave me some some words to read about the two of you. Um, so he wanted to express his heartfelt congratulations on the recognition of your hard work, dedication, and determination throughout the season. To be an all-star competitor alone is quite an accomplishment to but to be one with a gold medal around your neck is another level. Those daily practices believing you couldn't jump any higher or longer. Those frowns that you thought would never go away. All overcome

016by your rigor and the belief that you would eventually reach your personal best. Today you are the best. Enjoy. Enjoy it and celebrate. Hold on. Not yet. They, as I said, they were both runners for me. Um, and they were part of our girls 4x 100 team that got third place. I don't know if Brinn or Ella was here or are here. If you are, I don't see either of them. So, they were part of this team that placed third place at the relay meet and then continued to work hard all season and placed third place at the Allstar meet also. Nice job, ladies. And then our last individual girl, U. Maggie Romero. So, Maggie placed second place in the 800 at the All-Star meet. Um, and on her way to that second place finish,

017she also set a school record in that event. Hi. Um, I have the two girl throwing girls that uh competed at the All-Star meet this year. Uh, sole Evans and Ashley Tedman. Uh, girls, come on up. It's very rare to have one female thrower that is head and shoulders above the competition. Uh, I was fortunate enough to have two and I've had both of them for three years. Um, this year Sole won the discus competition at the media champions. uh and Ashley won the shot put competition at the meet of champions. Both of both of them took first place at the relay earlier in the year. Um but the best thing I could say about them is uh having them as students as well. They are a pleasure to have in class every day and

018they're the reason why we are up here in coaching. Thanks. Oh, we got another one. Yep. Got that one, too. Congratulations to our individual awards for the Eisenar Middle School Middle School girls track and field team um all-star meet. Let's give them another round of applause. Next, we have our same coaches who also coach the boys track and field team. First, we'll start with the boys track and field individual awards from the shore intermediate track and field all-star meet. So, I'm going to start with Brody. So, I'll wait for Brody to get here. So, at the all-star meet, I would say maybe two meets before the all-star meet, Brody said to me, "Can I try the 400?" And I said, "Sure." Um, and uh after running it at the Baralo meet and then running it

019at All-Stars, he placed first in that event in the county. And then, so in within our track meet, the 1600 or the mile goes first. Then we kind of proceed through some other events and then the 400 happens. the 400 as one full sprint around the track. So Brody started the meet by getting second place in the 1600 or the mile, then had to kind of wait his turn, got first place in the 400, continued to wait his turn while the 100 happened or the 200 happened, sorry, and then competed as part of the 4x100 boys team that won gold and got first place. And because of Brody's overall performance at that meet, he also was the meet MVP for boys [Applause] running. I'll I'll do I'll do the 100 4x1 so you can stay

020up here. So I'm going to have Brody stand stay up here and then I'm gonna invite up Kenny, Kan, and Matt. So these four boys I would say maybe the first week of practice we said we're going to try you four as the 4x1 team and they made it their season goal to have as many gold medals and first places humanly possible um throughout the season they worked worked extremely hard at practice figuring out what who was going to run each leg, how they were going to determine handoffs, and they really they wanted it really badly is an understatement, I think. Um, so these boys, they started the season, our very first meet was the relay meet at Aspbury Park, also another very large meet. They got first place at that event, and then they

021made it their life's goal for the rest of the season to continue to win. And I they went undefeated during the season in the 4x1 and then they won gold at the all-star meet in the 4x1. [Applause] Matt, I'll have you stay here because I'll do so the rest of you. I had Matt stay because within that all-star meet, three out of four of those boys competed in the 100 event and it was very difficult as a coaching staff to figure out where we were only supposed to take two people in the 100 and luckily we get a wild card because we could not determine what two out of those three we were going to pick. It ended up in the final all three of them made the final eight um which was very impressive.

022We were the only school that had more than I think more than one runner in the 100 final. Um and they finished within hundreds of seconds of each other. That being said, Matt got um third place in the 100 at the All-Star meet. And then my last individual is Mason Assadi. Um so this Mason was um one of our kind of distance runners, sprinters, wherever we put him, he excelled. Um, and that being said, he was somebody who ran typically the 800, which is the half mile, and then later in a meet, he also had to run the 400, which was a full-on sprint, and consistently consistently took first place in many of those um meets. At the All-Star meet, Mason got third place in the 800 and also set a school record in the

023800 this year. to do and then we'll do the whole at this time. If I can call up Xavier folks. I'm going to do If you're listening back to If you were there, but if you know Xavier folks like I do, if you know Xavier folks that I do, you know that after the first trial throw being a foul, he 100% is going to stay the course and stay the line. 90 feet 10 inches, setting the school record. Wow, what a story. First place in Mammoth County in Chapput, first place in Discus, and oh, I forgot something else, too. Third year in a row, Mammoth County Shore Intermediate Track and Field League field MVP. And oh, by the way, we're still not done. When this summer is over, Xavier Folks' name will be on the

024individual championship banner. Not once, not twice. I'm still not done. Not three times, but four times. Never before in this school district has any athletes name appeared in the banner four times. Xavier folks is that young man. Xavier, you shouldn't have walked too far. Um, I'm now going to ask the members of the boys track and field team to come up. Just kind of stand pictures. Okay. So, um again, I am the girls coach, but Mr. Kale and I do share a lot of responsibilities. So, I really can speak on his on both of our behalfs about these um young men. Um many of them we have known and coached for three years. Some of us have had the joy of coaching them in multiple sports, having them in the classroom. Um, and I would

025say these eighth graders really stepped up and showed our sixth and seventh graders what it meant to be part of a team and what it meant to work hard. Um, and I will say that Mr. Samonte and I go back and forth. We are pretty competitive people and I showed these boys the banner um, at some point in the season um, after we had won a couple of meets and said, "We haven't won a divisional championship since 2019 because Barlo keeps winning them all." Um, and it it ended up it came down to our meet against Barlo. Um, and these boys showed up. They worked hard all season. They went undefeated for the season. Um, and our eighth graders, you've put in the work for three years and it's really paid off. And my sixth

026and seventh graders, we've got more seasons to go and hopefully some more championships to win. If any parents want to take a picture, you can come up and take their picture. I just want to say one more thing too and this is credit to Xavier and all the boys throwers. This year capped off our boys throwing team. This marked our 18th I did say 18. Our 18th undefeated season throwing. Thanks Xavier. Congratulations boys. Everybody get their pictures. Okay then have a seat. Next, we'll be recognizing students from both middle schools, Barlo and Eisenhower Middle School's competition, band team award, music in the parks band competition. To uh give some information and provide those awards, we have the Baralo band director, Mr. Crawford, and I have to say Mrs. Feldman's last board meeting as she goes

027into retirement, Eisenhower band director. she can speak later so I get Good evening everybody. Uh I'm Mr. Crawford. I'm the band teacher here at Bararko and this is Mrs. Feldman. She's the band teacher for 11 more days very sadly at um at Eisenhower Middle School. Um, before we start, I would just like to point out there are a lot of kids in purple shirts over there and among here that have already been up here receiving awards tonight, which is a pretty cool thing for us to see. Um, it's it's no coincidence though. Um, the students that do band, raise your hand, anybody in the audience if you ever played a band instrument. Good for you. Good for you. It's hard. It's hard. It takes a lot of discipline, a lot of time, a lot of

028dedication, and so it's no surprise that a lot of our competition band students are also receiving other academic and sport awards this evening. So now to talk about competition band, Mrs. Feldman and I Oh, should we invite them up? All right, I'll speak in a second. Competition band members, can you please come and flood the front? That's I can So these students you see in front of you and a few who are unable to make it this evening are I would dare say these are the best students best band students and most dedicated band students in our school district. So, Mrs. Feldman and I years ago started a district competition band which auditions students in seventh and eighth grade from both middle schools on two pieces of music that we had worked on for about

029a month or so. Um, and the students they have to prepare their music, you know, for our concert as normal, but then they take it to the next level. Really focusing on dynamics and articulations and blending and just playing the music as best as they can, to the best of their ability. And they come and they audition for Mrs. Feldman and myself. And while we we seem like really nice and friendly people, we push them. We push these kids and so those that earn their audition and win their audition into the group rehearse only five times um after school but later in the evening. So they go and do the sport thing or a club and then they come back to one of our middle schools and spend more time not home doing their homework

030yet um playing their instruments. And so we do these five rehearsals and then we go and compete at a venue. This year we went and competed at Manalapin High School against other bands from throughout the state from other states. It's a cool design of a competition where anybody from anywhere in the country can come and compete in the music in the parks competitions. And then once we um once we finish our performance in competition, we go to Six Flags for the day and the kids get treated to a nice day at the park riding on rides and all that fun stuff as a reward for all of their hard work. And then the award ceremony takes place in the arena at the park. And so this year, our competition band won first place with a

031superior rating. So if you've been here before, as I make a point to say, the first place is nice, but that's not the important thing. It's the superior rating that determines the rating determines how well you played. There's a rubric that is linked to the national standards of music and that is used for all of these competitions and the superior rating is the highest rating that our students uh could possibly receive that any group could receive. So that's first place is great like I said but the superior rating is really the cool part. Um and then that's not all we want. The other trophy that we came home with, which is an even larger trophy than the first place trophy, has nothing to do with how we play. There's an award called the Aspree Decor

032award that is all about student character, student enthusiasm, and basically are you the best behaved, most respectful, and nicest group there that day? And the students are told the second you get off the bus, you are you are being judged by everybody. And when you're at the park, you're being judged by everybody. And they judge all of the groups up until they give that award. And so this year, in addition to our first place superior rating, our competition band took home the Aspria core award. [Applause] So, we're going to recognize our students. Um, we're going to call their names out. We students, we will hand you your certificates afterwards, okay? But we're going to say your names now. I'm going to go through all the Barcelo ones first. We'll hand we'll hand these out. All

033right. So, if you could hold your applause until the very end, um, I would appreciate it. Henry Calder, Riley Chang, Chen, Muia Chowry, Andrew Chen, Gavin Churnney, Kayla Conrad, Saia Downey, Sophia Fina, Kira Hines, Miles Imriggi, Olivia Leone, Ethan Luke, Graham Matthews, Alexander Miller, Marlene Morales, Fiero, Lucas Orent, Vincent Ostro, Kisha Patel, Dalton Suzinski, Giovana Simonetti, Katherine Trenticost, Matthew Ukno, Ariela Williams, and Benjamin Zach. Those are our Barko members. And here are the Eisenhower members from Mrs. Feldman. I apologize if I get any names wrong. I never really say your last names out loud. Preston Blash, Asher Bole, Stella Grace Brown, Jackson Codle, Mark Chubati, Cresant Ganesha, Joel Ganon, Mandy Guo, Olivia Laauo, Lillian Lee, John Lynn, Juliana Lopes, Carlo Mietta, Aiden Marino, Sophia Pchelli, Allison Rodriguez, Sarah Sabino, Lily Salvani, Dylan Short, Will Sargiassi,

034Lily Turra, Eva Vanpelt, and Andy Ship. and boys and girls that are up here and parents who support. Let's give one round of applause. Mrs. Felman's last year working with Mr. Crawford in this band. Thank you. Next, we'll be recognizing the Barcelo Middle School Boys Track and Field Individual Awards from the Shore Intermediate Track and Field All-Star Meet. I'd like to invite up our head coaches, Mr. Samonte and Miss West. Thank you to the board of education for having us this evening. Thank you Mr. Dixon, Dr. Brethau, Mrs. Montgomery as well for having us. Um we're super thankful for the opportunity to be able to be up in front of everybody again for another great season. Uh first and foremost, I'd like to congratulate Eisenhower Middle School on the division championship this year. Um another

035round of applause. Um, as Coach Snow said, it was a very competitive um, week and I'll give that to Miss Mter. Um, putting M&M's in my mailbox. Uh, those of you that don't know, uh, whoever we're going against that day in any sport, I do not eat that color M&M. So, if I eat a handful of M&M's out of my office and if it's blue and we're playing against How North, I will not eat the blue ones. If it's Colt's neck, I will not eat green ones. So, I don't eat yellow or brown M&M's on the day of Eisenhower because it looks like Eisenhower and I'll eat that afterwards. Uh, it's got to take care of business. So, I wake up, I show up to work, and there's M&M's in my mailbox. So, I knew

036it was going to be a very competitive day. Um, there was a mole in the building. I found out who. It's okay. It's all good. But, uh, we found that out, you know, Tom Kale, his wife. So, all fun. Um, but again, I want to congratulate again Eisenhower for a great season as well as our season for the boys as well. Um, boys track and field had a great year. They competed hard in each event. Um, we had a ton of depth across the board. Um, a lot of young talent and especially a lot of talent that we started developing in sixth grade and trying to get them ready for eighth grade for moments like this year. Um, I'm going to name off a couple guys. I'm just going to have them come up first.

037Um, these are the individuals that placed or meddled top three in the all-star meet in the 1600. Alex Tennessee Chuck in third place 200 meters. Josiah Tucil in third place, 800 meters, Landon Valentine, first place. Yeah, we could. Yeah, clap it up for Landon. Here we go. Um, high jump. Second place, Dylan Moore. Nice job, Dylan. Third place, Miles Gman in the long jump. And in our last one for the 4x1 relay, Grayson Brunelli, Sean Penniston, Francis Diaz Rodriguez, and Josiah Tousil. So, if those boys are here, come on up. We got the core. We got the core for tonight. So, a little bit about each guy. Um, I'll keep it very brief and everything, but I do want to, you know, speak a little bit on their behalf because they've been with us for

038three seasons now. I'll start with Grayson. Um, at the All-Star meet, Grayson placed in the top five all time for our school 100 meter in the trials in a very competitive heat. Uh, Grayson has been a tremendous person on the team, an even better student in school, and just comes in with a smile, ready to play every day. He's a tremendous young man, works hard, works his tail off, and he came out and he gave everything that he had to help his team finish second place in a leadoff leg for the relay. So, congratulations, Grayson. This next guy um was a high jumper for us for a year. I saw him walking around in Fizzad and I said, "Hey, you're tall. We need you. Let's go." And Shawn comes out and he's high jumping and

039everything's all good. And he's high jumping and that's what we're doing. And that's all we really were doing with Shawn. We didn't really think much about it. And Sean and I had a good heartto-he heart afterwards about it about not being afraid to speak up. And that's on me as a coach, too. Um but it's a life lesson I think that we learned. Um, we went to Freel Burrow and Fel Burrow's high jump mats were not able to be used. So, I said, "Well, we got these guys here. You know, I don't want them to not have an event to do." So, we put Shawn into the 100. And Shawn ran um 3/10en of a second off the record board in the 100. And then we put him in the 200 and we said, "All

040right, now go do that." And if he ran maybe 3/10en of a second faster, maybe it was 4/10, I'm not sure, but you would have placed top five on the record board for that. And then in the relay, we realized that that was the missing piece that we needed to be competitive at our Barklo Eisenhower meet. Um, again, great great athlete, great kid. And, you know, I think the the message that we learned was don't be afraid to speak up. And, um, don't be afraid to talk to your coaches about something. And I have to it was a really good moment for me too as a coach to kind of learn like, you know, there's there's moments that you got to kind of give every kid a shot in every event rather than just single

041you out and say, "Hey, I think you should high jump." You know, so that's on me. Um, I'd like to recognize that. So there you go. So congratulations to Sean Penniston. Next guy, again, a great high jumper and a long jumper for us. Dylan Moore has been part of our program for a couple years now. Um, all around, I think the best word to explain and describe Dylan would be athletic. Uh, Dylan can do it all. He puts his passion into everything. He's competitive. He runs, he competes, he jumps with a chip on his shoulder. He's not afraid to work hard. He's not afraid to speak up either. And I think that's a really big quality to have and it's a big quality to take that, harness that and take that to high school because

042you could really be a tremendous leader with that. Dylan placed second place in the high jump for the all-star meet overall. Um his PR with the school was 5'4 and he's on our record board in the top five for that as well uh this year as well. So congratulations to Dylan Moore. Great job. Got it. And our last gentleman up here, Landon Valentine, has been an athlete with us for three seasons now as well. He's been part of the foundation with track and field. All these guys have been part of it. Um, part of the building blocks of what we've been trying to do. They've been great leaders for everybody for the younger guys to look up to. Landon was an 800 meter specialist this year. He ran the 400 um to start off the

043season and he went on the record board for that. Top five, I think it was 55 and change or 56 low, I think. um tremendous job uh running one lap around the track. He said, "Hey, let's go try to do it again." So, we show up throughout the season, we're running the 800 and the back the the best school record that we have here was a 1997 record and that was set by Chris Reed in 20 in 1997 and that's a way back that's I was uh two three years old. So, at the time, you know, full circle behind that. Um it was a really special moment too obviously for me as a coach. Um the school record was set by a kid named Chris Reid who ran here at Barcelo. Um he was coached

044by my father and my father is the official for the track and field meets. So he's starting the race and you know I got a kid who's like capable of running under 210. I'm like a this is cool. And Landon shows up that day and he runs 203. The previous record was 207. He ran 203 in the 800 and he set the new alltime school record here at Barko. Um, if it was done at the All-Star meet, it would have been an all-time league record as well. Um, and at that time, at the day of that race, he ranked fifth in the United States. So, his time was tremendous. So, congratulations. On top of that, um, going with rankings, uh, Dylan's high jump performances well this year was ranked number three, I think, overall in

045New Jersey. Was it number? It was number one at one point. It was one It's one in New Jersey at one point when he jumped it. I have to check it now, but he's in the top five in New Jersey for the high jump as well. So again, congratulations by mistake. Um, all these guys are tremendous kids. Really grateful for the opportunity to work with them all. They gave everything that they had and they had a tremendous season individually. And at the end of the day, when you look back as a team, I think our team is better for this season because of the leadership that you guys all brought to the table. So, thank you guys very much. Right. I got to look at I think you're number one. Make Yeah. Well, tied for

046crew. Tied. Okay. Sorry. Tied for first. Sorry. Next, we'll be recognizing the Barlo Middle School girls track and field all uh individual awards and then the team award from the short intermediate track and field all-star meet and coach head coach Mrs. West. Thank you. Can I just call everybody up? Girls, how about you all come up? Come on down. As you can see, track and field is strong in freehold. And congratulations to Eisenhower for their amazing uh season. Yay. And all these girls here. All right. So, going into this season, I knew two things. One, we were going to be awesome because I had a lot of returning talent. And two, it was going to be hard because we lost our coach, um, Colin Monahan, in October. Um, but what was really amazing was the

047things that were unexpected that made the season so unforgettable. It came down to our eighth graders a most of the time. Um they were returning many of them as top athletes and they could have easily made the season about them. Instead they led the team with selflessness, encouragement and faith. Right away I had three runners approach me, well athletes approach me, Miss Sande, Cameron and Charlotte and said we really want to dedicate our night meet to Mr. Monahan. and it meant so much to see how much they cared about honoring their late coach. That same thoughtfulness I saw every day at practice where the girls encouraged and supported each other before every meet. We all held hands and prayed together and the captains gave encouraging words. They kept wanting to help us every day. They

048thanked us for every practice, even the tough ones. and we saw how dedicated they were every time they competed. That dedication to their team allowed us to reach our team goal of going undefeated and winning our division this year. We also represented Barklo well at the U relay meet, the county relay meet where we placed in eight of of the 10 events including three first place finishes and we had seven individuals bring home medals from the all-star meet. Another nice surprise was the new talent that um came in and we definitely had some new talent in the sprinters. Uh I don't see Kirsten, but she was a sixth grader who came to the team and um I could have put her in a lot of different races, but we really needed her in the sprints.

049and she was able to get third in the 200 at the All-Star meet and she had the second best time for the 100 and 200 ever recorded at Bararko. And we also had a newcomer seventh grader who was amazing in sprinting. She was our anchor for our relay and she was able to get second place in the 200 at the All-Star meet and she got the best time ever recorded in Barlo history for the 100 and the 200. So she is the fastest girl ever at Barlo. Olivia Ramirez, another seventh grader who won an award at the All-Star meet. I don't see, but we had a lot of talent in the high jump. And um Melania Dlamino, I can say her last name. She placed third in the high jump. So, I'm looking forward to

050um all of the girls how how they will improve next year in the high jump as well. So, let's cheer her. And now to my eighth graders. Um we had two throwers who were kind of like the unofficial assistant coaches in throwing. Uh they helped our new coach out a lot and uh were just so encouraging and helpful. Um, this first thrower was dominant in the shot put and she kept raising the bar uh every time getting the best throws um and moving up the record board. She has the fourth best throw in shoput and she was able to get second at the all-star meet. We're really going to miss her sense of humor. Charlotte Bar and her other assistant coach um was also so incredibly encouraging to the other athletes. She always came and

051cheered for everyone. Um she was really a huge part of the heart of our team and so much so that she took home the sportsmanship award at the All-Star meet as well as third place in the discus. Cameron Platt. Uh these last two runners I had the honor and privilege to coach in distance. Um the first runner I've coached in cross country and track for three years and she is the backbone of distance. I count on her for so many races and she never failed to surprise me with her strong dedication and quiet strength and I'm really going to miss her. She came in third in the 800 and made it on the record board and I know she's just beginning to show her true potential. Ariela [Applause] Williams. And this last runner is just

052such a natural runner, but she works so hard as well. And she is somebody who I can completely depend on every single time to run any race I ask her to do. And she will give it her all. Um I say I'm not a gambler, but if I was, I would put money on her every time. Um she has been on the record board for the 400, the 800. She was able to become fourth best time in the 1600 with a really amazing race at the All-Star meet and she came in second place by a little bit. Um, but she is just going to do amazing things in high school. Belle [Applause] Gordon, I want to thank all these girls for their hard work, their kindness, um, making this season so special. I thank all

053the parents for raising these remarkable young women. Um, I'm going to miss you guys. I I want to thank Dr. Caris and Miss Slayman and Mr. Benjaminino and my wonderful assistant coaches and Mr. Santi um for all their hard work. And uh, girls, I hope that this season will be as unforgettable and special to you as it is for us. Thanks, girls. Thank you. And I'll hand out your certificates out here because I think they Yep. Oh, you want to take a picture? If anybody wants to take a picture or did you get them already? Anybody? You got them. Okay. Thank you, girls. I'll hand out your certificate. Okay. Yes. I just like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation to all of our coaches that are here this evening who support all of

054our students. I'd like to also thank our parents. We know that getting our your kids back and forth, making arrangements, showing up for practices, showing up for games and meets, showing up and supporting their efforts, whether they're writing essay uh for essay contests, proofreading, giving them feedback. Your role is second to none in what these children have been doing. So, thank you parents. And last, but certainly not least, and most importantly, thank you to all of our students this evening who have been recognized, their hard work, their dedication to academics and athletics. We are so lucky in Freel Township to have the best kids and I'd like to show my appreciation to them as well. Thank you everybody. We're going to take a 5minute break and at 7:15 we'll begin with staff recognition. Have a

055wonderful night parent. [Music] Hello. How are you? Welcome this evening to our annual staff recognition board meeting. Thank you for your patience as we transitioned. We ran a little bit late from our sta uh student recognition. Thank you for your patience affording the opportunity for your colleagues to recognize the students with whom they worked uh so diligently with throughout the year and giving them the recognition that they deserve. Sorry we ran a little bit late. This evening is the second part of our board meeting which is to recognize our staff for two reasons. We have our 25 year uh service recognition and we have our retiree recognition. Um it is uh I the one time a year I I share with everybody um a couple of things. First, I am honored to lead such an

056amazing staff in this school district. It is always a sad time, although celebratory, but sad to see our retirees go. Um I do share annually at this meeting. Uh I started here in 2004 as principal at the Cina School in February and realized quickly how special Freelo Township was. So much so that when my own kids were born, I moved to Freehold so that people in this room can educate my own children and some even driving them to and from school that are here this evening. Um because I knew how special this staff is in this school district and um visiting classrooms on a daily basis. Um being among all of our staff every day is a reminder of how lucky I am to be in this school district. how lucky we as a collective

057staff are to be among some of the best in education and how lucky our students and families are to have the privilege to send their kids to school leading classrooms with the people driving buses with the people that are here this evening. So, thank you very much to everybody. This evening is dedicated though to those who have received 25 years of service and to our retirees. We'll start this evening with our 25 years of service. As you know, our 25 years of service uh is awarded with a certificate and our very special pen um in a beautiful case that's engraved saying 25 years of service. A funny story last year uh we started with the pens. We switched from anybody remember broken clocks? Yes. Wonderful clocks. They were great until they broke after about a

058week. So when I took over, we transitioned to pens. And when we ordered those pens, they were etched beautifully. Frio Township Schools 25 years of service PO90621 engraved right across the front of it with the purchase order number. They made a mistake. Uh they were gracious enough to send us new ones in time for our meeting and they have not made that mistake since. So this evening we are going to recognize our 25 years of service. When your name is called, please come up and stay up here so we can take a group picture that we keep every year. We will start with our 25 years of service. Uh certificates are over here from the Applegates. We we'll give a round of applause for every school. For the Applegate School, 25 years of service attained

059by Janet Gillio and Katie Kovaleeski. Thank you. I know there'll be more coming. I promise. not able to join us this evening from the child study team. Jennifer Moore from Barcelo Middle School, Chris Erso. 30 years we'll give you ink for the pens. from Eisenhower Middle School. 25 years of service attained by Sue Flickinger, Kathy Reid, and Carrie Weber. 25 years of service attained at the Catina School. Lauren Gutierrez. Congratulations. Big group from Ericson this year. 25 years of service. Gina Capidano, Kristen Lawrence, Melissa Pola, and Liz Zach. not able to join us this evening from property service and transportation. Lane Vulkar and Kim Daly and attaining 25 years of service from West Freehold School Tamara Moore and Debbie Reeri. Now we're here. If anybody like to take pictures, we'll also have a picture that

060we can keep in our district. Let's give everybody up here a round of applause for their years of service. They represent collectively four I did that on the calculator 400 years of service among them. 400 I hope yes. Okay. Next, we'll move into a retirey recognition. Uh, most of you know how this works, but we take the time, each um administrator, sometimes working collaboratively with staff, takes the time to write a resolution adopted by the board for each staff member to recognize the work that they've done in our district. We will start, I think this year we're in alphabetical order. Last year we we reversed it. So, we're back to alphabetical order. We'll start with the Applegate School inviting up principal Brad Milloway and Supervisor Amy Cerulo. Also this evening joining us up here representing

061the FTA are co-presidents Joel Nappy and Lauren McGawan. Uh, Mrs. Kathleen, come on up. Please join me. Whereas, Mrs. Enis has served as a teacher in the Freehold Township School District for 20 years. And whereas in her role as an elementary teacher, Mrs. Zenis has worked to support the learning and the growth of her first and second grade students at both Applegate school and Laura Donovan School. From year to year, she ensured each child's social, emotional, and developmental needs were met each day. Mrs. Enis has been a consistent and highly valued member of her team, earning the respect and admiration of her colleagues through her collaborative nature and her engaging positive demeanor. And whereas Mrs. Dennis will be remembered for her tireless efforts to support the unique needs of each and every one of her

062students. She has had a profound impact on their lives and has left an indelible mark on the hearts and souls of all her students. This is apparent in Mrs. Zennis's well-earned reputation as a favorite and often requested teacher among the students and parents. And whereas Mrs. will now have time to enjoy the beauty relaxation of her South Carolina home where she will have Yes, that is another round of applause. Where she will have the opportunity to spend time with her three adult children, Rean, Connor, and Caitlyn, and her husband, Chris. She is especially excited to buy a golf cart and explore and enjoy the beauty of the Seabrook community where her home is located. And now therefore, it be resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Kathleen for her years of service to

063the staff and students of the Freehole Township School District and instead extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Congratulations. Would you like to say something? Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all so very very much and thank you um to everybody. Thank you Becky Winters Montgomery for taking a chance on me a long time ago. I still remember interviewing with you in the board office. I felt very old because all the other people were 21 and I and I was not. So um thank you. Thank you to my husband Chris and Caitlyn who are here tonight. um Rean and Connor who could not be here tonight. My uh Regan is a school psychologist in DC and and Connor is serving in the United States Army. So

064um thank you. I am so grateful for my time here. I really am. I I people I'm looking at the smiles that I see tonight. I got to see a couple students tonight, too, who um made this all worthwhile. I'm very fortunate that this is a calling for me and I will miss it and I will miss you guys the most. Thank you all very very much. Mrs. Gracie, you're next. Come on up. our first and second grade pod is well represented today. So um whereas Mrs. Guacy has served the Freehold Township School District for 31 years and whereas Mrs. Gracie has been an elementary teacher at Applegate Ericson and West Freehold School, she has worked tirelessly and dedicated herself to the learning and the growth of her students. Her commitment to her craft is

065evident when you watch her work with her students and you see them hang on her every word. This is no surprise considering that Mrs. Gracie comes from a long line of educators, having followed in the footsteps of her mother, who encouraged her to become a teacher, not to mention the influence of her grandfather, Clifton T. Barko. And whereas Mrs. Gracie can always be seen with a smile on her face, go and a spring in her step, full of energy and enthusiasm each and every day. For many years, Mrs. Gracie held the honor of Applegate school's jump rope champion at our annual jump rope for heart event. Confidently skipping away while her colleagues dropped out one by one. And even after the last competitor had finished, she continued in stride without breaking a sweat. We basically

066had to stop her because she was just going to keep going. So, and whereas we know Mrs. Gracy's retirement days will be filled with fun and activity. She will be busy either paddle boarding, playing pickle ball, taking a run, enjoying a good book for her book club, or perhaps just simply spending some time on the beach. She also plans to visit her sister who lives in Germany. And on top of all that, Mrs. Gracie looks forward to spending time with her three children, Riley, Luke, and Kaden, as well as her husband, Mark, and their dog, Bentley. And now, therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Carrie for her years of service to the staff and the students of Freel Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long

067and happy retirement. Congratulations. Did you want to say a few words or much. Um, I guess I just have to start off by saying that say that that old saying time flies is truly an understatement. Um, when I think about my time in Freel Township, it started way before I was hired in 1993. I recall my mom telling the story of dragging in a play pen so she could set up her classroom at the old Westfield school. and my brother, my sister, and I would play and sleep in the play pen while she would set up. And fast forward eight years, when I was finally old enough to help out in the classroom, I would come in in the summer and I, this is going to make me sound very old, but I would fill

068paste jars and stack cigar boxes, which would hold the students supplies. And then I would take her desk chair, which was on wheels, and wheel across the hallway and help my aunt, who was teaching second grade, hang a bulletin board. And it was then that I noticed the desire and passion that they had for teaching. And I wanted to be just like them. So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was in 1993 when I interviewed for a Freehill Township position and I got the call from Dr. Judy Jalavik saying that I would be the next third grade teacher at Westfield Old School. A week later, I got another call saying that the board of education denied the position based on the fact that some students would have had Mrs. C. Barlo for first grade and

069Mrs. J. Barlo for second grade and Miss C. Barlo for third. But it truly was the best decision the board could have ever made because it forced me to become more independent and to develop relationships with staff members that were unrelated. Um I started in Ericson school second grade and then I jumped around after maternity leaves to the old Westfield school, the new Westfield school and I'm so happy to have ended my career at Applegate School. And I have to say it was probably around October, November that staff members started stopping me in the hallway and saying, "Have you started your countdown?" or "How are you feeling about retirement?" And it has been such a whirlwind of emotions ranging from sadness knowing that I'm going to be saying goodbye to such special families and students

070and my colleagues. Um, pride in knowing that I may have played a role in shaping young minds, gratitude for the support of my colleagues and administration and my wonderful family that are here with me today. And um, mostly excitement because now I'm going to have more time to spend with them. So, I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart and I will miss you all, but I will carry your stories with me forever. [Applause] Rich Missionary, come on up, bud. Rich is a little nervous, so he's got nothing to worry about. Yeah. Yeah. And the bad knees. So whereas Mr. Pishioner has worked as a custodian in the Freehold Township School District for 20 years. And whereas he would always arrive early for work and could be found in his custodial

071room preparing for a shift, Mr. Pisher always took great pride in his work and paid close attention to the small details to ensure a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for our students and staff. And whereas at he made as he made his way through the halls, Mr. Pisher greeted I got to call you Pish. We're going to go with that. All right. Mr. Mr. Pish greeted everyone with a smile and a sports question or story. He engaged with staff in spirited conversation about his teams. Always brutally honest about the struggles of his beloved Jets, but also equally excited to share the news about his Yankees and his Ruckers teams. Mr. Pish committed to excuse me, Mr. Pisher's commitment to his position at Applegate was only outweighed by his commitment to his teams. And whereas Mr.

072Mr. Pisher will now have time to sit back, relax, and enjoy all his favorite teams without worrying about work the next day. We know that he and his brother Larry will certainly enjoy watching their teams together as they both settle into their retirement. We hope Mr. Pisher knows that he will be missed and that his legacy at our school will live on. And now, therefore, it be resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Richard for his years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Congratulations, Oh, thank you. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Thank you. I just want to repeat what all these uh wonderful ladies have said before me. But I want to I want to

073really thank Gerard uh Gerard Redmond who uh trusted me and sent me over to uh 384 to uh put my application in and it's been great ever since. So this is 2003 uh when I met him. 2004 I started subbing in January and uh uh for me I've been through all the other schools every school. God bless me putting me over at at CRA. So really, I want to thank everybody and uh I'm gonna miss everyone, especially my co-workers and my Hey, Kenny. Brady, I'm out of here, man. I'm out. Thank you. Next, I'd like to invite up Anne Curus and Kim Layman to recognize our retirees from Barkello Middle School. I would like to take a moment to call up Miss Racklin. Now, Julia Racklin and I's time passed very briefly. Um, I am

074new to Barcelo this year, although I've been in the district for many years. Miss Racklin retired in the fall officially, but she came in eager to start the school year and was a great help from day one. And we miss her already. So, without any hesitation, whereas Miss Julia Racklin has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 25 years. And whereas Julia has successfully taught and touched the lives of both students and teachers at Barcelo Middle School. And whereas Julia has worked tirelessly to ensure her students growth and to encourage their curiosity about mathematics. And whereas Julia is a devoted mother of three humans and one canine and a true friend to many. She cares for nurtures those relationships. And whereas in her retirement, she will enjoy trips with her family and friends both

075near and far. Julia, who loves a good competition, intends to continue to crush her opponents in all games of strategy and chance. And now, therefore, be it be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Julia for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for long and happy retirement. Congratul Thank you. Thank you. So, I'm not one of those people who can speak off the cuff unless I'm teaching a class of kids, but with adults, it's a little more intimidating. So, for those of you who don't know me, I'm the one who drove the blue Honda Odyssey, which could be found in the Baralo parking lot until 3:00 on an early day, until 5:00 on a normal day, and until,

076you don't want to know, on a late day. Yes, I was even chased out by the custodians when they were about to set the alarm. Is this the sign of a dedicated teacher or merely a sign of insanity? I think it's both. When I began teaching more than 30 years ago, oh no, one second. Uh, there were no electronics in my classroom, unless you count the intercom system that connected me to the front office. I taught in a world of chalk dust, overhead projectors, and mimograph copies that left purple stains on my fingers. An analog clock hung in my classroom, and the kids knew how to read it. Before coming to Barlo, I taught in a unique school in Chvy Chase, Maryland with only grades three through six. I taught math to nearly every sixth

077grader in the school. We were a community of four core teachers who taught all of the same students every day and that made us a true village. That blue ribbon school was a very special place with an interesting mix of families, some really passionate teachers, and a principal who knew that the best way to lead was to support her teachers and trust them to teach in their own individual way. So, when my fiance was offered a job opportunity in central Jersey and asked me if I'd be open to moving, it was with trepidation that I said yes. I was leaving my happy place. Fortunately, John Seavo was just the kind of principal I had hoped to find, and Bararko was a good place to work. John always stressed that family came first. I had a

078couple of very rough patches unrelated to my job during my tenure at Barcelo. John Seo was there for me and Tom Smith was there for me and Charlene Marquesy and Neil as assistant superintendent and Diane as assistant superintendent and Katie Harms. and I am so thankful for all of their support during those difficult times. Speaking of support, I was truly blessed to teach as part of the dream team consisting of Mike Delgaldo, Betsy Parker, and Tracy Gable. It was either Betsy or Tracy who coined the dream team name for our seventh grade math team, and it fit perfectly. I learned so much from each of them and we shared countless laughs. I was also blessed to find my kindred spirits in the form of two ELA teachers, Leslie Ruben and Carol Ewig. The tide that

079bound the three of us was that we all cared too much. We understood what it meant to go down the rabbit hole of taking an excellent lesson we had previously created and taught and spend hours tweaking it to make it even better. We simply couldn't help ourselves. I'm elated to say that we have all left that behind and have traded endless hours of planning lessons for coordinating our walks at Battlefield Park followed by lunch. Our gatherings always include food. My husband, my kids, and I are all happy to have the relaxed version of me year round now. And I'm ecstatic to say I made it to the other side. Mrs. Deborah Soraniano, come on up. Although I'm new to Barcelo, um our time has passed twice at Eisenhower and now at Barcalo. Whereas Mrs. Deborah

080Soraniano has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 22 years. And whereas Deb has supported students and reinforced their skills in order to help them succeed. And whereas Deb has successfully assisted staff and touched the lives of students at Applegate, Eisenhower, and finally Barcelo for the last 15 years. For all those years, Deb worked closely with Mr. Erso and was a valuable asset to his teaching. And whereas Deb recently became a grandmother for the first time with the birth of her grandson, John, she awaits the birth of her second grandchild later this year. Deb is a loving mother, devoted daughter to her, excuse me. Deb is a loving mother, devoted daughter to her mom, and a dedicated spouse to her husband. Deb moved her family from Brooklyn to Freehold to raise her son and

081daughter, and has never forgotten her Brooklyn roots. And whereas in her retirement, Deb plans on taking time to travel with her husband, visiting with her new grandchildren, and having more time to spend with her family and friends. Most of all, she hopes to spend time relaxing, enjoying life to the fullest. And now, therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Deb for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Congratulations. Um, this is just short and sweet. Um, I've been very fortunate to work with amazing educators. Um I thank them for welcoming me into their classroom and um just worked with great administrators, teacher assistants, um child study team and I feel very

082lucky. Thank you so much. Mrs. Maryanne Meisner, come on up. Take your time. This is your night. Whereas Mrs. Maryanne Meisner has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 23 years. And whereas Maryanne continued to pursue her education for many years while raising four children and leaving an accounting career behind, she is a lifelong learner, always looking to grow and learn. And whereas Maryanne Maryanne student taught in the district and became a substitute within hours, was offered a long-term position. She speaks on how lucky she was to have the help of her mom so she could embark on her dream of being a teacher. And whereas Maryanne has held many roles within the district, including teaching math, financial literacy, STEM, and intervention, she continues to work tirelessly on helping her students achieve success. And

083whereas Maryanne is the proud grandmother of nine grandchildren, she has been married for 42 years to her high school sweetheart, Craig. Besides being a wife and grandma is the caretaker of her 92year-old father as well as other family members, she will continue caring for all of those family members surrounding her. And whereas Maryanne's colleagues tease her about supplying her with bubble wrap as a retirement gift as she will be focusing on building her balance and strength back after double knee replacement. She and Craig plan to spend time traveling, including trips to Greece and Italy. And who knows what the next adventure will be. And now therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Maryanne for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and

084extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Thank you, Julia. Must be a math thing because I have it written down also. I don't know. Um, it's true. I was hired uh unexpectedly. I don't know if you all remember, but school had already started and I had a 15-month-old at home with three other older children. And I just asked my mom if she would be willing to babysit for me once or twice a week while I substituted. So, school had already started. The teachers were here. The students weren't. And I called and I remember Ann Lanahan saying, "Oh, sure. You start student taught in the district. just send your papers in. And I think it was literally two hours later, I got a phone call and was offered a full-time position as a

085long-term substitute. And I didn't know what to do because I wasn't really planning on going back to work. And um sure enough, I took the position and the rest is history. But I'm just going to thank some people and then I'll I'll be finished. Thank you to the board members, to our superintendent, Mr. Dixon, Dr. Breathau, and Mrs. Montgomery. To my administrators, both past and present, from Barbara Longo, uh Becky Winters Montgomery, John Seo, Thomas Smith, and Kathleen Rosen, to most recently Dr. Curus, and Kim Layman. Thank you to all of the teachers, teacher assistants, custodians, and office workers that have supported me and worked alongside me over these last it's been 25 years because of all the substituting. But anyway, um most importantly, thank you to almost and I did the math 1,500 students

086and their families that I have come in contact with throughout my career. See, I taught Piffles, personal financial literacy, and I taught every student in the building every year. So, I saw them come in as babies and leave as very tall eighth graders. Anyway, um yeah, so thank you to those almost 1500 students and their families. Um they they made everything worthwhile. Um, I watched them grow both academically and emotionally and physically throughout the years. Um, of course, I want to thank my family. So, first to my four children, two of which you may know. Um, my daughter, Mrs. uh, Nicole Scoville, teaches in Kina. I always get that that confused. And my other daughter, Mrs. is uh Elise Jakovich. No one could ever say her name, not even me. She just had a baby

087a week ago and she's here. Um she teaches in West Freehold School. Two of my uh two sons, David Meisner, who's here and Jason Meisner, he's working. He couldn't be here. and David and Erica, his wife, send three of my grandchildren to Laura Donovan School. So, thank you to my family. They had to share me with all of my students for many years and they never complained. Finally, I want to thank my husband Craig, who I could have never done any of this without. um his love, support, encouragement, and patience have helped me more than he knows. I'm very blessed with a wonderful family and I love them all. I just want to end by saying um you won't get rid of me that is easily because I have a few ties to the district

088and you never know when I'm going to show up in the school as a mystery reader or a teacher's helper or just picking up my grandchildren. So, thank you everyone. Thank you. Next, we'll be recognizing our retirees from Eisenhower Middle School. I'd like to invite up Principal Lori Gambino. And I would like to invite up Mrs. Susan Flickinger. Whereas Mrs. Susan Flickinger has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 25 years, but a total of 42 years of teaching. And whereas Susan can command a room with a single read aloud and her love of literature has inspired many, many readers and writers, her tender heart and empathy, no no boundaries, and has elicited many sets of tears over the years. Susan's ability to connect with her students range from the giants blue, red, and

089gray that runs through her veins to her beloved dog, Eli. And whereas Susan's professional contributions to the school and district community range far and wide from adviser of peer leaders and the school newspaper to committed FTEA representative, vice president, and secretary. However, her most valuable roles include loving wife of 41 years to Stephen, mother to Stephen and Brian, mother-in-law to Britney and Kayla, and Grammy to Reed, Payton, Nolan, and Sage. And whereas in retirement, Susan will happily be spending relaxing days reading on the beach at her condo in Florida, enjoying time with all of her Elks friends, and working on turning her house into an art museum featuring the latest new artists Reed, Payton, Nolan, and Sage. And now therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Susan for her years

090of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. [Applause] Okay, I'll try. I'll try. I I wasn't going to say anything, but I I have a little something prepared. What most of you don't know is yesterday I had the honor of my lifetime to and uh when I delivered the eulogy for my 91year-old father yesterday. So the past seven days have been a whirlwind but it was a true tribute to his life. But as I was writing the eulogy I sat down at my computer and I thought well where do I start? What do I do? And well I'm a writer so it came easily but after 10 minutes I had seven and a half pages. So, um, the moral

091of the story is when a chapter ends in your life, the good memories start flowing so fast, it becomes a flood of good feelings in your heart. And I know as I start to pack up and I will be crying with every book I I put on the shelf and dust off for the next person that those good memories will start to flood my heart. And I know with Carrie and and Carrie Carrie and Kathy, we were in the back already starting um to reminisce. So I do want to thank everybody. And the second thing I learned from writing that eulogy was that my father's through his life and legacy, he taught everyone he knew something. So it is my greatest joy to know that I have taught the children of Freehold Township something, whether

092to be a better writer or a better reader. But I and I've said this to Mrs. Gambino, I just hope that people say she was a good teacher. So, um I do want to thank you and I want to thank the administration. Um I love you all. Thank you so much. Thank you to the board of education, but most of all, thank you to the families um for providing me with wonderful children to have serve here in Freehold Township and for your support. Thank you very much. [Applause] I'd love to call up Mrs. Christine Feldman. Mrs. Christine Feldman has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 20 years. And whereas Christine's focus on developing a love and passion for music in her students has inspired countless musicians, her own love and passion for not

093only music but kids created a safe, welcoming space for all students. Christine's hard work and dedication contributed to expanding their exposure to the world of music by offering opportunities to envision their future music career, whether it was playing with the high school marching band or attending concerts and also inspiring the next generation of musicians at the elementary level. She determinedly marched across the parking lot too many times to count to ensure that the music program and Freehold Township continued to thrive. And whereas Christine was honored as teacher of the year, collaborated with her colleagues on the establishment of competition band, mentored numerous students featured in Allshore band, and leaves the district with an amazing legacy of inspired instrumentalists and beautiful music. And whereas retirement will allow Mrs. Feldman to enjoy her beautiful family, her husband

094Howeie and Eisenhower music alumni Julia, Lauren, and Jason, making them and her own wellness and happiness a muchneeded priority. And now, therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Christine for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. So, to echo um what Mr. Dixine said, um my kids also went through Freehold Township Schools. Um and I need to say that the staff here, every single staff member cares so deeply about kids and so deeply about each other. And so, as people were coming up, Miss Quacy, Miss Gillio, Mrs. and is my kids had these amazing teachers and I'm so grateful to have worked in such a community of just amazing people. Um,

095and it's been my honor and privilege to make music with the kids of Freehold Township Schools. Please protect the band program. It really really is. Thank you. I gotta do it. It it really really is such a a welcoming community and a safe space. And I have kids that come down every morning just for two minutes before home room to just be together and then they all go rushing off to their lockers just because they have that sense of of family and it's it's so important for some of them that's like the big thing that they have at school. So I'm preaching. I apologize. Thank you for the last 20 years. Um I don't know what else to say. Thank you. Next, we'll be recognizing retiring staff from ECLC. I'd like to invite our principal,

096Laura Ces Leone. It is my honor to call up Mrs. Arlene Holmes. Mrs. Holmes has served as an early childhood educator for 35 years, 12 years as the teacher of a prek classroom at Sunshine Schoolhouse, and in Freehold Township School District for 23 years. And whereas Mrs. Holmes has served with unwavering dedication as a teacher assistant at both Applegate school and the Early Childhood Learning Center, working with students with a wide range of disabilities, offering care, support, and love. Mrs. Holmes has worked tirelessly to hone skills in the areas of behavior management, applied behavior analysis, and social emotional development. Her exceptional contributions and profound impact earned her support staff of the year for ECLC. Mrs. Holmes has demonstrated outstanding leadership and advocacy through her service on the FTEA executive board, the ECLC liaison to the

097health and safety committee and on the ECLC crisis team, ensuring the well-being and security of staff and students. And whereas Mrs. homes will be remembered for being the creative spark in the classroom, ready to take on any craft or art project and of course elevate it with a touch of sparkle and a sprinkle of glitter because we all know how much she loves glitter. Beyond her creativity, she has been the steady and compassionate presence we've all been grateful for to have by our side. From her caring smile to her warm, comforting hugs and the wealth of wisdom she brings from her years as an early childhood educator. She makes the most challenging days feel manageable and does it all with remarkable grace. We are all better for having known her as a colleague, mentor, and

098dear friend. And whereas she will now have more time to spend with her husband Rich, sons Andrew and Mark, daughter Christina, and great grandchildren Ree and Hayes. Mrs. Holmes looks forward to embracing a life filled with exploration, joy, and meaningful moments. She plans to travel near and far, enjoying spontaneous day trips, relaxing weekend getaways, and adventurous week-long excursions. Mornings will begin with a smile and a scroll through her carefully curated Instagram collections filled with delicious foods to try, amazing cocktails to sip, breathtaking sightes to see, and rich history to uncover. With a heart full of gratitude and a spirit rooted in joy and humility, she is ready to savor this next chapter, living fully, learning continuously, and appreciate appreciating all the beauty life has to offer. And now therefore, it be resolved that the Freehold

099Township Board of Education thanks Arlene for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Well, I didn't know I was going to be talking tonight, so I have nothing prepared. But I do just want to thank Freehold Township for this amazing life that I've been able to have. All I've ever wanted to do since I was a little girl was to be a teacher of small children. When I met my husband, he had another idea for me. He said, "You're never going to make enough money if you want to have a good life with me. So, please do math and computer science." So, that was my first set of degrees. I did

100that job for two years, and I hated it. So, I decided I was going to get pregnant and have my baby. we were married and stay home with them. And then as soon as I could, I went back to work and I got from Kain University my degree to be a teacher and I went to Sunshine Schoolhouse where I had my four-year-old classes. I stayed there for a lovely time. Came to Freehold Township because my TA left me to come to Freehold. And then after I was at Applegate for a while, I'm ending my career back in the preschool setting where I am just so happy and I've learned so much over the years. As much as I've given to children, I have gotten much more in return. Thank you to everyone. I have loved

101my life. Thank you so much. Next, we'll be recognizing our retirees from the Cina School. I'd like to invite up Principal Tracy Shaw and Supervisor Jen Fern. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to invite Miss El Mud up. It's not a blank. Mrs. Mud has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 22 years. And Mrs. Mud has spent these years supporting both students and staff with nothing but a positive mindset and tremendous dedication. Because she went above and beyond always, her days at Kina began at 7:30 a.m. when she would spend time collaborating with staff, inputting all of her data, developing social stories, planning small groupoup lessons, and preparing for the day ahead. Mrs. Mud prioritized connections and relationships with students, allowing her to best support their needs and making it easier for her to

102dig deep for her to use her dig deep detective skills to get to the bottom of any mystery. Most of which ended with a confession made and accountability taken. And whereas Mrs. Mud has the ability to see the best in everyone and everything, allowing her to begin each day a new with an incredible sense of humor, a calmer than a cucumber demeanor, coffees for all, smiles, a listening ear, and a wonderful talk it out advice and hugs. Each rainy day has a little more sunshine when Mrs. Mud is around. And whereas when her children attended Kina, Mrs. Mud was a parent volunteer and has since been involved with and chaired many clubs and activities to support the school and surrounding community including steam club, mindful kids, social crew, PTO and project eat. And whereas Mrs.

103Mud is thoughtful, generous, and has a huge heart which she shares with everyone around her, especially her husband, Andy, three children, Megan, Nikki, and Taylor and her new grandson, Lachlan. And whereas we hope Mrs. Mud finds herself lost in a book poolside or with her toes in the sand sipping hot totties with those she holds most dear. While her Cina family will greatly miss Mrs. mud. We know Lachland and her loved ones at home are ready to have her all to themselves. And now, therefore, it be re be it resolved that the Freehold Township's Board of Education thanks Mrs. Mud for her years of service to the staff and students of Freehold Township Schools and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. [Applause] Congratulations. Next, I'll be recognizing a shared staff member.

104So, I'd like to invite up our administrators from Donovan and Ericson. Principal Jen Benbrook, Supervisor Kathleen Rosen, Principal Kathy Orman, and Supervisor Danielle Pill. We'd like to invite Michelle Kugan to come and join us. Whereas Mrs. Michelle Kugan has faithfully served the Freehole Township School District for over 26 years. And whereas Michelle has served as a speech language pathologist specialist beginning at Kina in the preschool program, then moved over to the early childhood learning center for 18 years. While there, Michelle also assisted with case loads at all the district schools, giving her the opportunity to work with students of every grade level in the district over her years. And whereas Michelle has been with the district long enough to remember the many changes we have seen over the years, including three IEP programs, the Q

105drive, the H drive. She initiated the first study with a control group using FM systems in the classroom while at Catina, which kicked off the district's purchasing systems schoolwide. Michelle found joy and reward in working with her students, watching their growth in communication skills, confidence, and self-expressions. even each one leaving a lasting impression on her. And whereas in retirement, Michelle will be working remotely as a speech language pathologist specialist part-time and is looking forward to spending more time with her family, her husband John, mom Marcy, daughters Caitlyn and Karen, and especially grandbabies Owen and Killian. And now, therefore, let it be resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Michelle for her years of service to the staff and students of Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and

106happy retirement. [Applause] I also missed the memo about making a speech. Okay. Um, actually everything they just said pretty much rounded it up. I have worked in every building. Obviously, I have a lot of I want to say bosses, okay? And I have had them in every school and I've enjoyed every minute of it. Okay? And well, you know, as a speech therapist, you would think I had a lot more to say, right? But I don't. So, thank you I'd like to invite Mrs. Rachel Pope Tucker up. For those of you who don't know um Rachel, she is a true swifty and um traveled to Canada to see her this year um thanks to her husband. Um so her resolution is has a little nod to Taylor Swift in it. So whereas Mrs. Pope Tucker

107has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District at the Marshall W. Ericson School for 21 years. And whereas Mrs. Pope Tucker has been the lucky one for second graders, creating a classroom that's more enchanted than your average learning space, where every lesson is sprinkled with joy, laughter, and maybe just a little bit of glitter. And whereas the um I'm sorry I didn't wear my glasses. Whereas she built all too well connections with families, forming partnerships that went far beyond the parent teacher conference, making every student feel safe and sound with a teacher who truly cared. And whereas her legendary t-shirt collection had a place in the world for every single school day from from the hundth day of school to read across America and everything in between proving she could shake it off and dress

108the part with flare and purpose. And whereas Mrs. Pope Tucker is known throughout the school as a baker extraordinaire, leaving her fellow staff saying, "You belong with me." every time the scent of warm cookies or cupcakes drifted into the faculty lounge. And whereas she is now turning the page to her next great adventure, trading lesson plans for flight plans as she juts off to Italy, um channeling for her inner fearless spirit to explore the world and take cooking classes where pasta is the new curriculum. And now therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks Rachel for her years of service to the staff and students of Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Thank you. I'd like to thank my Freehold Township family.

109I'd like to thank my Ericson family. When people ask me if I'm sad that I'm retiring, the answer is honestly no. But I'm going to miss the people so much. I would like to thank my son. He was literally an infant when I started. I'd like to thank his girlfriend Kendall for all of her support. My husband Ed. Um Ed went to Catholic school and he never experienced many of the things that we did in or we do in public school. When I came downstairs dressed as a hundredyear-old lady, he did not know what hit him. To my mom and her best friend Mary, thank you for all your love and support. Every morning I take a marble out of the jar and put it into the other jar for how many more days until

110I am retired. So, I'm going to end with two little quotes. Long live all the magic we made and I had the best days with you. Thank you. It is now my privilege to recognize our retiree principal of the Ericson School, Kathy Orman. Whereas Mrs. Kathy Orman has faithfully served the Freo Township School District for 28 years. And whereas Kathy served in various roles throughout her career in the district, third grade and fifth grade teacher at Ericson and West Freehold schools, supervisor at Ericson and principal at Kina and Ericson schools. And whereas Kathy is an inspirational principal, setting high expectations for staff and supporting them in meeting those expectations while demonstrating a great deal of care and compassion. She has transformed the climate and culture at Ericson into a second home for staff and students

111in which they feel valued and challenged to perform at high levels. And whereas Kathy was recognized for her dedication to the staff and students of Freel Township by being recognized as as an exemplary educator by the New Jersey Department of Education. And whereas Kathy is an avid equestrian traveling around the country to accept prizes for her award-winning horses. Bet you didn't know that. And whereas in retirement, Kathy looks forward to spending time at her beach house in Manisquan with her family, especially her grandchildren, and playing bingo with her mother. And therefore, now be it resolved that the Freelo Township Board of Education thanks Kathy for her years of service to the staff and students of the West of the Freel Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. And

112in 12 days, Kathy, dude, it's not your job. [Music] So, a little unknown fact about me is that speaking in public has always been a challenge. Um, and it's a big part of the job. So, I really didn't prepare anything today. Um, so I just have a few things to say. Um, a few years ago we had a resident artist come to our school and worked with us to create these beautiful murals throughout our building. And as part of that, um, she asked, you know, I want to put an inspirational quote in the faculty room. And so the quote that um, I found was behind every successful woman is a tribe of of other women who have her back. And this is where it's hard, but that that is my success. My success has been

113everybody that's had my back along the way. So, I want to just thank my staff because it's always been their hard work that has made me look good all the time that I've been their principal. So, thank you for everything that you do. I've had the privilege of working with some amazing secretarial staff who I know really are the people who run the school. So, thank you to all of them. And I know that some of you are here tonight. Um, I want to thank I've had some amazing partners um, as supervisors. So, Tracy was one of them, Sandy Gastner, who's not here, but my newest partner. Um, Danielle, which has been such a joy. I've known her since she was five. Um, so to have her as my partner has just been such a

114fantastic way to to end my years here. Um, I've worked with an amazing administrative team whose brilliance and hard work and drive and need to make our school district better has always been an inspiration to me. I'm grateful to my central office administrators to Neil and Diane and Becky who are always there for me when I have a question or I'm like, I don't know what to do with this because even after 28 years, there are still things that happen every day that you just don't expect. So, thank you for your guidance and your advice and your belief in me. Thank you to our board of ed who's always there to support our kids and do right by them all the time. That's why we're all here. They matter the most. So, thank you for

115your dedication. You don't get paid for this. You put up with so much, but thank you. It's much appreciated. And um thank you to my family who I've you know they've lost a lot of time with me because of all the time that we spend doing this work. Um my husband who I love and who encouraged me to do this many years ago. I promised him on July 1 I'll start making dinner [Music] again. Um, and I'm just looking forward to these next few years where we can just travel around, enjoy our family, um, cheer on our horses, and, um, enjoy our grandchildren. So, thank you. Through the hard days, the really hard days, it's always been a joy. So, thank you Next, we'll be recognizing retiring staff members from our transportation department. I'd like

116to invite up our transportation coordinator, Angie Castaltto, and our assistant transportation coordinator, Angela Russo. Good evening everyone. Um, tonight I have the privilege and honor of recognizing Diana for her outstanding dedication to our district. As I reflected on what to say about her, I asked myself, how could I possibly do justice to someone who has given 31 years of service? That's not an easy task. But here's what I can share with you. Over the years, Diana has transported students from preschool all the way through 8th grade. She's handled both easy routes and tough ones, always with the same unwavering commitment. The safety and well-being of her riders was always her top priority. She never cut corners and always did her job with integrity and care. Beyond the wheel, Diana also served her fellow drivers as

117a TWWU representative. Did we Did we always agree? No. But our mutual respect ensured that even in disagreement, we found common ground and worked together to resolve the challenges that came our way. What stands out most to me is that Diana is not only dedicated as a professional, she is also a strong and resilient woman who carries the weight of supporting her family with grace and strength. She never gives up. She meets every obstacle head on and pushes through with determination. To all who have worked with Diana, your presence will be missed. We wish you nothing but good health, joy, peace, and happiness in your well-earned retirement. Whereas Diana Drea has loyally served the Freehold Township School District for 31 years. And whereas Diana has been a dedicated school bus driver who truly loved her

118job, she also served proudly as a representative of the Transportation Workers Union. And whereas outside of work, Diana cherish cherishes spending time with her husband, even with glasses, I can't see. Cherish cherishes times spending time with her husband and her children. Recently, she was overjoyed and welcomed her first granddaughter, officially becoming a grandmother. And whereas she looks forward to relaxing on her porch in Lancaster, PA someday, taking in peaceful sunrises and enchanting sunsets with her beloved puppy Samantha by her side. Diana plans to enjoy quiet moments, cuddles, and her favorite pastime, gardening. And now therefore be it resolved that the Freehole Township Board of Education thanks Diana for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehill Township School District and extends their very best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

119Tough one. I dropped an earring, but that's okay. 31 and a half years. So, I'll take my moment here. The other people were talking about memories. One memory I thought of when we came here. When I came here, there was one bus left with a stick shift. And I cannot ever drive a stick shift. I just couldn't get it. And I prayed that my bus would never break down because the boss at the time would make us take that bus. And I never wanted to drive that. So, first I just want to say it's a very emotional night for me. I want to thank the board and Neil, Bob, and Diane for always being supportive. You help me a lot. Thank you. And making Freel Township Schools one of the best places to work for.

120Also, Mr. Wilson, who's not here, who he always made bus pickups and drop offs with his kids quite comical. Thank you to my office staff, Angie, Angela, and Maria, for always looking out for us and knowing how important our drivers and attendants are to the Freel Township District. I will truly miss you and will come back to visit. I have been with Freel Township over 30 years and it's been such a very big part of my life. I'm very sad, but I'm very excited for a new journey. I have been the union president as well for over three years. which I will also miss. I thank my husband for always putting up with me sitting in the driveway when I come home still working and him waiting for dinner. I give him the finger. One

121minute. One minute. Always took the job home with me. It took a lot of time to fill this position and you're not paid for it, but I would take it again in a heartbeat. And I will truly miss my sidekick, Tina, who is our vice chair, who has always been my friend since preschool. I used to go to Barcelo. I was a frail township girl all the way. My sister kept saying, "Hurry up and retire so we can do fun things." And I'm here for you now, baby girl. Our job is to drive safe and to keep up with all our credentials, make sure our vehicles are safe to drive. And the biggest and most important natural part of our job is to keep the children safe while getting them to and from school. We

122have built a bond with our children and I will dearly miss all my kids. I know they are your children as parents, but when they are on our buses, we treat them as our own and we keep them safe and carely deep for them. One last note, my co-workers, all you guys here tonight, it's killing me. I have to say all these free old township transportation has been absolutely amazing. I have made so many lifelong friends. I cherish each and every one of you. Even all the new teacher friends I made at Eisenhower. Even after retirement, I know we will still be li lifelong friends. And I always say that we are they are my family away from home and my heart breaks because I miss you guys already. Keep up the great work guys.

123You do a great job and I'm so proud to be a part of Freehold Township Schools and Transportation. Thank you. And now we'll be recognizing retiring staff from West Freehold School. I'd like to invite up the administrators, Principal Tara Lechner and Supervisor Melissa Danbury. I'd like to invite up Miss Christine Bole. So, as many of you know, I am new to Freehold Township Schools and Westfield School. And Christine, your warmth, patience, and kindness towards me and Melissa have been um overwhelming and everything uh from getting us ready for Dalmatian Day and understanding um kindergarten parent tea, mom, Mother's Day tea. So, I really appreciate your patience with us. Whereas, Miss Christine Bole has faithfully served the Freehold Township School District for 27 years. And whereas Christine began her teaching career in Maryland. When she came

124to Freehold Township, she began by teaching fifth grade with Kathy Armen at the Ericson School. And then she taught second grade at Erikson before taking time to have her daughter Maggie. After returning from her maternity leave, she came to West Freehold School to teach second grade and then kindergarten and continued teaching in that role for the remainder of her years in the district. And whereas Christine was born and raised in Freel Township, her daughter Maggie just graduated in Savannah and will be moving back north to spend time with Christine and her family while attending graduate school. And whereas Christine is looking forward to spending more time with her family, including her new dog, Sullivan, and kayaking in the river in Redbank. And now, therefore, be it resolved that the Freehold Township Board of Education thanks

125Christine for her years of service to the staff and students of the Freehold Township School District and extends their best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Congratulations, Wow. I think I'm the end, aren't I? Well, it's like my life happened here from beginning to end. that I have just have such a heart full of so much grace and and gratitude to the wonderful school board here, the administrators past and present. Um the amazing colleagues and friends that I've had throughout the years that I know I'll treasure my heart forever. Mostly the families and most importantly the children that fill my days with so much love and laughter and have given me just a lifetime of love. and especially my husband Jerry who I met right before I was hired here and has seen every

126step of my life as part of Freel Township. So, it's been an incredible journey and a beautiful part of my life that I know I'm going to leave and treasure forever. Um, but I did start here as a kindergarten student. So, after 55 years of being in kindergarten, uh, I mean, you know, 55 years later, I'm sorry, it's uh, I guess it's time to go to my next path. So, I'm looking forward to it and I just have such heartfelt thanks to all of you for making this a wonderful school, a wonderful school system, a beautiful town and a wonderful life. So, thank you all so [Applause] much. Let's give another round of applause for all our retirees this evening. On behalf of my administrative colleagues and also as a resident of this town, on

127behalf of all of the parents of Freehole Township, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of our retirees for all of the effort, time that you've given up from your families, from your friends, from your life, and dedicated to the staff and the students and the families of this town. You deserve a welldeserved restful retirement. Thank you.