BARNEGAT BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING October ...

Mrs. Mitchell: Thank you. Mrs. LaBruna, thank you for that, and also I myself over the
years have been to many of those, I did not attend this year and I know Mrs. Lally too has
been included with her son, and you also need to be commended because you put it all
out there and delegate it all and we owe you thanks too. Thank you. Would anyone else
like to address the Board? I am sorry, yes. Dr. Saxton, please?
Dr. Joseph Saxton, I live in town and I am Principal for the high school. I would just like
to say that and remind everybody in this room that about three years ago we invited the
young people in our high school, particularly to get involved with the civic process. We
invited them to be part of the debates at the high school and invited them to be part of
Board meetings and I just wanted to say as their Principal how proud I am to see how
when they come. I was at two meetings where students represented themselves and a
cause and the thing that caused me great pride, and pride in the people watching their
actions, was not the fact that they had an issue, but how they presented themselves with
that issue. I don’t know if you have every spoken to a teenager when they feel
passionately about something, but I can tell you that the way they spoke here is not the
way they spoke when they feel about something and expressing how they really feel. So
I want to give them a lot of credit, ok, because it is an indication of the quality of the
young people that we are raising in this town together and I think they deserve an
acknowledgement for the way they have handled themselves both in the townhall
meetings and in this forum tonight.
Mrs. Mitchell: Yes, thank you so much for that. Mr. Germano?
Mr. John Germano, Athletic Director at the High School – Tomorrow our girls’ volley
ball team is going to be at the States’, it is a huge honor and you should be really proud.
If you get an opportunity to drive all the way up to Cranford, go. The girls worked so
hard, they have done a great job and we are very proud of them. Our girls’ gymnastics
team has won B-South Public and if I can have a second please, I want to tell you a story
I have with those girls because I think it is important for you guys to understand what
these kids go through everyday. I got a call from one of the best teams in the Shore
Conference. Howell called and said we heard a lot of great things about Barnegat
gymnastics and we want to compete against you. Their average score is much stronger
than ours, not much that is not fair, stronger than ours. I sat down with the girls, what do
you want to do? They said bring them on, let’s go. That is the kind of attitude and effort
they give every single day and the coaches, and they made me so proud when I looked at
them and I said now that is what we are building here and everything you represent is
wonderful. They went up there had their best score of the year, performed against some
of the bet gymnasts in the state and not only did they do so great then, they qualified as a
team to go to State, six teams got denied and Barnegat was one of them that got in, so
they are going to the States. Our girls’ tennis team won B-South Public, all of our sports
are doing fantastic, and I wanted to point that out. Please come out and be a part of what
these kids are doing, be positive, come out and sit on the sidelines and root with me and
everyone around you and take a look around you because you see the same faces at the
games all the time. Tomorrow, field hockey is going all the way out to West Deptford,
they won six straight games facing elimination, so they have basically played six play-off
Barnegat Township Board of Education Regular Meeting – October 29, 2007 20