Student Achievements Celebrated At Manchester School Board Meeting

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Board of Education honored the following students at Wednesday's school board meeting for a variety of achievements.

From Ridgeway Elementary School Jossalyn Yezilski and Avery Rolls were recognized for their work as members of the Junior Impact Club. They most recently volunteered their time on a Friday evening to assist at the 21 Plus Prom that was hosted at Manchester Township High School. Their efforts stood out to all involved.

Each year, the Ocean County Mental Health Awareness Committee promotes a calendar contest that our elementary school students participate in. At Manchester Township Elementary School, Meredith Smisek talks to the fifth graders about how both physical and mental health are part of our development, and that treating each other with respect and kindness is part of protecting everyone's mental health. The theme for the contest, "What a Difference a Friend Makes" highlights the importance of friendship in our overall mental wellness. Each student in 5th grade submits a poster to be considered for the calendar. Artwork by Dominic Greco was chosen to be included in next year's calendar.

Blake Cortez of Whiting Elementary was recognized as the Pinelands Chapter and New Jersey winner for the NJ Sons of the American Revolution poster contest. His poster is on its way to Louisville, Kentucky, for national judging. He will receive a cash award for these two distinctions.

Nathaniel Vazquez is the Regional Day School Student of the Month. Nathaniel is working very hard on his communication skills and using multiple words together. He is also using self-regulation skills. Every day he is a good friend to his peers.

Congratulations to Regional Day School students Aden King, Travis Jack and Jacob Hadley for placing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Whiting American Legion Post 502 Safety Poster Contest! Their posters have been forwarded to and entered in the county-level competition for judging.

Manchester Township Middle School recognized Emma Desantis for being selected into the AAUW National Tech Trek Program being held this summer at Stockton University. Students are selected from around the country to participate in this STEM event. Emma wrote an essay and went through the interview process to earn entry into this program. Emma wants to be a scientist one day.

The Manchester Middle School Engineering Team competed at the International SeaPerch Challenge at the University of Maryland against teams from more than 100 middle and high schools from 15 different countries. Manchester's team won The Spirit of SeaPerch Award. This award recognizes a team who represents the essence of the SeaPerch program and exhibits exceptional creativity.

Gavin Hanlon and Bianca Moreno are the Manchester Township Middle School Student-Athletes for May. Gavin is on the Track & Field Team in the spring and the Cross Country Team in the fall. Bianca also is on the Track & Field Team in the spring and plays soccer in the fall. Both also work as hard in the classroom as they do in the athletic arena and serve as an excellent example to younger student/athletes.

Manchester Township High School freshmen Madison Cubbison, Layla Petillon, Katelyn Grupposo, and Mackenzie Davis are the high school's Students of the Month. They won first place at the countywide Ocean County College Shark Tank Competition. The group will split the $3,000 grand prize. They also took third place at the Georgian Court University Pitch and Innovation Competition where they won $500.

Manchester Township High School's Athletes of the Month are Avary Ruocchio and Mubaraq Aderogba.

Avary is a three-year lacrosse player and has served as captain for two years, and was praised as a team leader in both field hockey and lacrosse. She leads the lacrosse team with 14 goals, 30 ground balls, 13 draw controls and 13 forced turnovers. Avary is also a member of the National Honor Society and Student Government Association. With a GPA of 101.53 she will be attending Florida Atlantic University to study Business.

Mubaraq broke the Manchester High School record in the long jump on May 12 with a jump of 23 feet, 8.5 inches, and is the top jumper in the state and currently tied for the best long jump in Ocean County history. He also is the Ocean County champion in the triple jump, with a jump of 46.5 feet, and he anchored the 4x100 relay team to an Ocean County title and school record. He is part of the sprint medley school record team this season and he helped lead the team to its third straight Shore Conference division championship. Mubaraq has a GPA of 104.09 and will be attending Brown University to study pre-med.