Election Results 2014: “In With the New!” 20-Year-Old Vincent Accettola Becomes Youngest Person Ever to Win A Board of Education Seat in New Jersey’s Largest Regional High School District

COLTS NECK, N.J., Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Twenty year old Vincent Accettola became the youngest person ever to win a seat on the Board of Education for the Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD). Accettola, a Colts Neck native and a product of New Jersey public schools, is a 2012 graduate of Biotechnology High School (BTHS) where he graduated at the top of his class. BTHS is ranked as the #1 public high school in NJ and #11 in the nation by US News & World Report. Accettola is currently a junior at Yale University majoring in psychology and neuroscience.

Accettola believes that his age will serve as an advantage by offering the Board a unique perspective as someone who recently experienced the educational system first hand. Said Accettola: “These past few years have allowed my ideas and opinions to germinate, especially on the topic of how to effectively prepare students for college in the modern age.”

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Congressman Smith Announces National Blue Ribbon Schools

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

Congressman 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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The Arnone Report

By Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

Freeholder Tom Arone

The Monmouth County “Made in Monmouth” Expo is rapidly approaching. It is an annual event showcasing products exclusively produced in Monmouth County. “Made in Monmouth” is a free event for both vendors and visitors; its purpose is to encourage people to shop local. To date 142 vendors are confirmed registered. The products sold at this event, made right here in the county are creative and nothing less than amazing. I am also happy to report that we are partnering with the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean counties this year to conduct a food drive at the event. We are asking our vendors as well as people that are attending to bring a donation of canned or dried food for the Food Bank. The third annual “Made in Monmouth” is Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the MAC Building at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. For more information, please call 732-431-7470.

On March 27, 2014, Verizon recognized the student team from Biotechnology High School, Freehold, one of Monmouth County’s premier high schools, for their achievement of Best in State, Best in Region and National Best Educational Application Concept status in the 2013 Verizon Application Challenge. It was an honor for me to be present at the recent ceremony as the student team received this recognition. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is extremely proud of the students at Biotechnology H.S. on this accomplishment and commends their efforts in achieving such high accolades.

On behalf of The Board of Chosen Freeholders and as liaison to the Department of Shared Services, I recently hosted and participated in a meeting at the Monmouth County Connection in Neptune to assist Middletown in their exploration of creating an animal shelter to service Monmouth County municipalities. Many municipalities are facing serious capacity and public health issues in this area as well as heavy annual increases in service costs which are greatly reducing their ability to meet other service needs in the community. Middletown contacted the county to assist in bringing together as many towns as possible to discuss this issue, engage the towns for their ideas and input and strategize on how to address these common issues together. The meeting went extremely well and the towns that attended were very appreciative of both Middletown’s and the County’s efforts. There was very high interest in moving forward and approximately 30 towns expressed interest in our initial outreach.

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