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Count Basie Theatre Announces Student Film Competition

Basie Project FX

New Jersey high school and college film students will have a chance to compete for an summer internship with Sony Pictures Classics in a contest announced today by the Count Basie Theatre.

PROJECT FX, the theater’s Statewide Student Film Festival, looks to inspire, invite and recognize emerging talent right in our own back yard and bring it before a panel of judges that can advance New Jersey’s reputation as a breeding ground for fantastic technical, directional and / or creative film making talent.

Students from all New Jersey high schools, public, private and parochial, as well as student is public and private colleges, universities and community colleges are invited to participate.

Entries, which must be no more than 10 minutes long and produced in 2013 or later, will be accepted until February 15, 2014.

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Posted: October 14th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Art, Count Basie Theatre, Education, Monmouth County, New Jersey, News | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Count Basie Theatre Announces Student Film Competition

Congressman Smith Announces National Blue Ribbon Schools

Biotech High School, Pace Charter School, Performing Arts Academy and St. Gregory the Great recognized

biotechnologyhs-1344525321_600Congressman Chris Smith announced yesterday that four schools in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools.

“Educating our children is among the most important investment we can make in our families’ and our nation’s future,” said Smith.  “I am thrilled that four of the 11 Blue Ribbon Schools in New Jersey are located right here in the Fourth Congressional District of New Jersey.”

The four schools being recognized for their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups, which requires demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels, are:

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Posted: October 1st, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education, Press Release | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Congressman Smith Announces National Blue Ribbon Schools

New School-Funding Case Turns Spotlight on State’s Rural Districts

New Jersey’s school-funding fight is heading back to the courts — again. In yet another foray into the judicial arena that has become central to New Jersey’s school-funding struggles, lawyers have filed a formal complaint against the Christie administration over its failure to fully fund 16 mostly rural districts. Akin to the state’s landmark Abbott v.… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: September 26th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Christie Administration, Education, New Jersey, NJ Courts | Tags: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Kolibas Elected Hazlet Board of Education President

William Kolibas Jr

William Kolibas Jr

William Kolibas, Jr was unanimously elected President of the Hazlet Board of Education on Monday evening, according to a statement by Superintendent Bernard F. Bragen, Jr Ed. D.

Kolibas replaces Stephen F. Willig who stepped down after serving on the Board for nine years due to conflicts with his work schedule.

Lauri O’ Leary was elected to replace Kolibas as Vice President.

The Board is seeking a replacement for Willig and hope to appoint the new member at its November 17, 2014 meeting.  Interested parties should contact Board Secretary Chris Mullins, [email protected] or 732-264-8401 ext. 1109.

Posted: September 24th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education, Hazlet, Monmouth County, New Jersey | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Kolibas Elected Hazlet Board of Education President

Pivotal Questions Await Answers as School Bells Ring in New Jersey

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Posted: September 3rd, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics, Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Education | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Kyrillos: Court Ruling Offers Blueprint for NJ Teacher Tenure Changes

By Senator Joe Kyrillos

8734642497_478d74fde0_bA JUNE 10 California court ruling that teacher tenure laws are unconstitutional and violate students’ rights to quality education signals the need for further education reforms in New Jersey and other states across the country.

New Jersey was the first state to pass tenure legislation more than 100 years ago, and despite bipartisan reforms enacted two years ago, many antiquated state education laws still persist.

In 2012, the Legislature and Governor Christie compromised to pass a bipartisan reform law, addressing teacher tenure and the teacher dismissal process. Although it was a good first step, that effort came up short because public teachers’ unions had enough influence over the Legislature to preserve policies such as “last-in, first-out.”

LIFO forces schools to ignore educator effectiveness and lay off high-performing, bright educators, instead of ineffective, more senior ones.

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Posted: June 18th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education, Joe Kyrillos | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Kyrillos: Court Ruling Offers Blueprint for NJ Teacher Tenure Changes

Assembly Votes to Put Brakes on Impact of Common Core and New Student Testing

Assembly Votes to Put Brakes on Impact of Common Core and New Student Testing (via NJSpotlight)

A bill to slow the impact of the new Common Core State Standards and accompanying student testing won big — and bipartisan — approval from the state Assembly this week. Now the question is: What happens next? The measure won a 72-4 victory in the…

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Posted: June 18th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education | Tags: , | 1 Comment »

Red Bank Regional substitute teacher charged with bedding 16 year old student

Accused rapist is founder of a youth advocacy organization

Darnell Lewis recruiting youth to make the right choices in Newark, August 2010. photo via I.M.P.A.C.T.'s facebook page

Darnell Lewis recruiting youth to make the right choices in Newark, August 2010. photo via I.M.P.A.C.T.’s facebook page

A substitute teacher and assistant football and basketball coach at Red Bank Regional High School is facing charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child after it was learned that he engaged in sexual intercourse with a 16 year of girl in his Red Bank home, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced from Afghanistan yesterday.

Gramiccioni is on a six month deployment with the Naval Reserve JAG Corps.

Darnell Lewis, 37, is charged with three counts of second degree Sexual Assault and one count of second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $200,000 bail with no 10 percent option, as set my Superior Court Judge Angela White Dalton. He is to have no contact with the victim, should he make bail, according to White Dalton’s order.

Described as a hall monitor, substitute teacher and coach by Gramiccioni’s statement, Lewis recently resigned from Red Bank Regional and has not returned to the school.

Lewis is the founder of I.M.P.A.C.T., an organization he founded in 2010 that purports to help people make better choices.

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Posted: June 17th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Crime, Crime and Punishment, Education, Monmouth County, Monmouth County Prosecutor, News, Red Bank | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Red Bank Regional substitute teacher charged with bedding 16 year old student

Middletown Planning Board Rejects Trinity Hall Application

All Girls School Says It Will Appeal

Trinity HallTrinity Hall, the all girls private school currently operating from Croydon Hall in the Leonardo section of Middletown Township, had its plans to develop a campus in the Chapel Hill neighborhood of the Township rejected by the Planning Board at 1am this morning, according to a report in The Asbury Park Press.

The board of trustees of Trinity Hall plans to appeal this decision, according to a press release posted on the school’s website.  They are confident in the merits of their case and anticipate this decision will be reversed. The Middletown Planning Board had directed the application be submitted without variance from the ordinance and that Trinity Hall accept reasonable additional conditions or amendments, which the application did follow.

“As a Middletown resident and Trinity Hall board of trustees member I am disappointed in the decision of the Middletown Planning Board, which seems arbitrary and contrary to Township ordinance,” said Donna Winchell. “The school is committed to being a good neighbor and has given back to the community through almost 500 hours of community service in just nine months.”

Posted: June 13th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education, Middletown, News | Tags: , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Man tries to enter two Freehold middle schools, ‘shelter in place’ activated

Man tries to enter two Freehold middle schools, ‘shelter in place’ activated (via NJ.com)

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Students and staff at eight Freehold Township middle and elementary schools were ordered to shelter in place after a man tried to gain access to two middle schools, authorities said. At around 10:50 a.m. a man tried to enter Clifton…

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Posted: May 27th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Education, Freehold, School Safety | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Man tries to enter two Freehold middle schools, ‘shelter in place’ activated