High Notes, High Jumps, Achievements Of Manchester Students Honored

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Board of Education took time at its recent board meeting to honor and celebrate students' achievements, something the district has begun to do monthly at the board meetings.

The following students were honored at the March 15 meeting:

Audrey Stapp of Ridgeway Elementary School "is an exemplary student and musician in the Elementary Band program. She has been playing the clarinet since fourth grade and has excelled at learning the instrument due to her work ethic and positive attitude. Audrey has recently been chosen as part of the Region III Elementary Honors Band and will perform at the festival on April 29. In addition to being a talented and hardworking musician, Audrey is kind and polite, a true asset to Ridgeway School."

Mia Ortiz, Patrick Murray, Bella Cancel and Elyus Valmon of Manchester Township Elementary School were recognized for their work as the school collected new boxes of cereal for the Perlmutter Memorial Food Pantry at the Barn in Whiting. The Junior Impact Club led the collection. Mia, Patrick, Bella and Elyus "were in charge of organizing the cereal boxes and creating a schoolwide Cereal Domino activity. They made a maze of cereal boxes that acted like dominoes and with their help, the whole school participated in this final event. We were excited to give back to our community and with the leadership of these four students, we were able to do it in a fun and exciting way."

Shaelyn Seaman and Thomas Schenck were celebrated from Whiting Elementary. Shaelyn, a fourth grader, "created a cartoon to explain division concepts to her classmates. It was then placed in the classroom to be used as an additional reference for the students." Thomas "has been chosen to participate in the Region 3 (South Jersey) Elementary Honors Band this year! Thomas plays the trumpet and only started playing this instrument in the fourth grade. Kudos to Thomas for his hard work and perseverance!"

Jonah was the Regional Day School Student of the Month. "Jonah has made significant progress this school year! He has shown growth in the areas of academics, life skills and communication. Everyone is so proud of Jonah!"

Chris Albin is a seventh grader who plays the clarinet in the Manchester Township Middle School Band. "He is very dedicated to practicing his instrument and often looks for extra music outside of the classroom to play, especially video game music. Chris recently volunteered his time and talent by performing for the parents and members of the Ocean County PTA at their meeting in February. Chris did an amazing job for the PTA and we are very proud of him."

Janiece Reyes and Chase Griffith of Manchester Township Middle School are the school's Athletes of the month for March. "Janiece is on our cross country team in the fall, basketball in the winter and track and field in the spring. Chase is also on our cross country team in the fall, basketball in the winter and track and field in the spring. Both students work extremely hard in the classroom and the athletic arena and both serve as excellent examples to our younger students and athletes."

Also honored were two Manchester Township High School seniors, who were attending the district's annual 100 Nights Dinner the same night as the board meeting:

Brian Swain and Bella Palmiotto, Manchester Township High School, were the school's Athletes of the Month. "Brian Swain has had a strong indoor season. He qualified for the Meet of Champions in the pole vault by hitting 13 feet in the South Jersey Sectionals and again for the Group Championships. Also, Brian tied the school record for 13 feet, 6 inches in this event and won the Shore Conference Championship meet with that height. Brian currently has a 96.4 GPA and is looking forward to the Spring Track & Field Season for the Hawks."

"Bella Palmiotto has had a tremendous indoor track season with the high jump and triple jump. Bella placed third and NJ State Sectionals for the high jump, sixth at Shore Conference Championships and ninth at Group Championships. She broke her own indoor record for the triple jump with a distance of 35 feet, 7 inches, while qualifying for the Meet of Champions and finishing fifth overall in NJ. Bella currently has a 97.5 GPA and is looking to expand on her successes during the spring season."