Southern Regional French Students Earn Seal Of Biliteracy

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — The students in Southern Regional High School's French 4 Honors Class were the first in school history to sit for a Bilingual State Certified Test, the AAPPL. Nineteen of the 25 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

The Seal of Biliteracy, offered by the State of New Jersey and 21 others states, affirms that the students have attained Intermediate-Mid Proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in two or more languages.

The speaking section is the most difficult part, as students are required to answer 25 questions with only 20 to think before answering. They must answer with at least a minute-long response to all the questions.

Some of the students went above the minimum requirement of intermediate-mid and attained intermediate-high and advanced levels. These students included Audrey Brognon, Larry Giberson, Claire La Sala, Abigail Lohrmann, Abigail Patchell, Mikey Pukala and Melanie Thorn.

Pictured above:

• Top row: Madame Greene, Jessica Datz, Abigail Lohrmann, Mikey Pukala, Celeste Leone, Abbey Quille, Audrey Brognon, Justin Shinn, Madame Skodi
• Bottom row: Zoe Deakyne, Abigail Patchell, Melanie Thorn, Claire LaSala, Emma Velez, Gabriella Pierro, Jessica Abrahims
• Not pictured: Alex Birch, Jaycee Biondolillo, Cassidy Callan, Larry Giberson and Sarah Pretopapa

Here's more of the latest news from Southern Regional.

Child Development Program Celebrates 40 Years

Twenty-two preschoolers graduated from the Southern Regional Child Development program May 16. There are 75 high school students in the Child Development program this year, allowing them to work together with the preschoolers and learn from one another.

Many of the students in the high school class first came to Southern as preschoolers in the program. Then they took the child development program in high school and assumed the roles of teacher and leader.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the program, Mary Lou Fitzgerald, founder of the program and former department head, and Holly Kropinack, the first Child Development teacher, joined current teacher Cathy Latshaw, to celebrate the occasion.

Middle School Student Wins Elks Lodge Essay Contest

Manahawkin Elks Lodge #2340 sponsors an annual essay contest for Stafford and Southern Regional students. This year, Southern eighth-grader Angelina Morizzo won first place in the local contest and placed third at the district level.

The essay question was, "What makes you proud of America." Morizzo attended a local awards ceremony and received a cash prize.

Paramedic Visits Southern Health and Science Club

The Health and Science Club got to experience what it's like to be a paramedic. Joe Giberson, a paramedic for Southern Ocean County, spoke May 22 about how to become a paramedic and what the job entails.

The students were then able to intubate a mannequin, read an EKG and Pulse Ox and drill into bone to give an IV.

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