Marlboro Students Earn Awards and Accolades

It is not secret that Marlboro is a town chock full of talented children. In May, the recognized the following students for their talents, and award winning projects.

The following announcements come from the Marlboro K-8 School District:

Aidan Benavides of the was recognized by Johnson & Johnson and Rutgers University for Benavides' work with his organization, Aidan’s Voice, an outlet to help victims of bullying and their parents.

Rajaamatanji Pillai and Tiffany Zhao of Marlboro Memorial Middle School were recognized by the board for earning honorable mention in the  sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association. Their original essays, respectively, were A Crescendo in Memory: Music and the Brain and Solar Power.

The Marlboro Middle School math team, advised by Marcia Wilson, for taking first place in the CBA Math Competition. In individual competition, one student placed second, one student placed third, and one student placed fifth. The team also placed first in team competition at the regional level of the Math Counts Competition.

The Marlboro Memorial Middle School Math Team placed fourth in the CBA math competition in Lincroft. The sixth grade team placed first in the county and eighth in the state. 

Owen Zhang of Marlboro Memorial Middle School competed in the state round of the , where he placed in the top 25 percent of competitors.

Tarung Bhimnathwala from Marlboro Middle School eighth grader, who for the second year in a row, participated in the NJ State Final Competition of the National Geographic Geography Bee..

Rachel Zhou of Marlboro Memorial Middle School was honored as a national student leader and successfully completed each of the Continental Math League’s five competitions, achieving a perfect score in all five events. Zhou was also honored for her essay on the Cultural Revolution, which placed third in the Junior Paper Division at the National History Day State competition held May 5, at William Patterson University. She was honored for excellence and was named to serve as an alternate to the National Competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

Sonal Mahindroo of Marlboro Memorial Middle School placed third and received a $50 prize in the Freehold Soil Conservation District for the National Soil-to-Spoon Poster contest.

Marlboro Memorial Middle School was named as a sponsored by the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties. The school received the School Spirit of Giving Award.

Haylee Bellina, sixth grade, ; Chaiti Phanse, seventh grade, Marlboro Middle School; and Vivek Rajan, eighth grade, Marlboro Memorial Middle School all won the Great American Smokeout essay contest, sponsored by Marlboro Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse.

The Marlboro Memorial Middle School eighth grade boys basketball team coached by Mike Nausedas, that became the first boys basketball team in school history to win a conference championship as well as the conference tournament championship. The team also completed the season undefeated with 14 total wins.

The Marlboro Memorial Middle School musical students and staff, for receiving music awards at the Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey, PA. The Royalaires, under the direction of Ryan Guth, received first place for middle school mixed choir with a rating of “superior,” best overall middle school choir. An outstanding accompanist award for Angela Zhao, and highest score in the festival; the Monarch jazz orchestra, under the direction of Matthew Goley and Randall Haywood, received first place for middle school jazz ensemble with a rating of “superior,” best overall middle school jazz ensemble, and outstanding soloist award for Dean Dijour; and the jazz band, under the direction of Matthew Goley and Randall Haywood, received a rating of “superior.” 

Sixth graders Julia Moore and Andrew Wang from Marlboro Memorial Middle School placed first and receiving honorable mention, respectively, in the Monmouth County Fair Housing Board Poster Contest.

The Marlboro Memorial Middle School National History Day club students, for their accomplishments in the National History Day Regional Competition held March 24, at Rider University, where seven projects qualified to move on to the state competition on May 5, at William Paterson University.

The Marlboro Middle School applied technology students, advised byJamie Zimmerman, for their accomplishments at the annual New Jersey Technology Student Association, at which several students received awards and recognition.