Kids & Family

Monmouth Co. Teens Are Color Guard At U.S. Navy Submarine Unveil

Meet Dylan Agnese (Lincroft), Jack Arhanic (Fair Haven), Tessa Campolattaro (Rumson), Sam Puleio (Tinton Falls) & Brandon Weiss (Oceanport).

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From left to right: Tessa Campolattaro (Grade 11, Rumson), Dylan Agnese (Grade 11, Lincroft), Brandon Weiss (Grade 10, Oceanport), Sam Puleio (Grade 10, Tinton Falls) and Jack Arhanic (Grade 10, Fair Haven). (Marine Academy of Science and Technology NJROTC)
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The ship’s sponsor, Dr. Susan DiMarco, wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, breaks a bottle of American sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow. (Marine Academy of Science and Technology NJROTC/Ashley Cowan)
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Dr. Susan DiMarco christens the SSN New Jersey. (Marine Academy of Science and Technology NJROTC)
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From left to right: Tessa Campolattaro (Grade 11, Rumson), Dylan Agnese (Grade 11, Lincroft) Brandon Weiss (Grade 10, Oceanport), Dr. Susan DiMarco (Ship’s Sponsor), Sam Puleio (Grade 10, Tinton Falls) and Jack Arhanic (Grade 10, Fair Haven) (Marine Academy of Science and Technology NJROTC)
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Brandon Weiss (Grade 10, Oceanport), Dylan Agnese (Grade 11, Lincroft), Jack Arhanic (Grade 10, Fair Haven), NJ Governor Phil Murphy, Tessa Campolattaro (Grade 11, Rumson), Sam Puleio (Grade 10, Tinton Falls) (Marine Academy of Science and Technology ROTC)

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Here are photos of the five local Monmouth County teenagers who were chosen to serve as the color guard when the USS New Jersey, the U.S. Navy's newest nuclear attack submarine, was christened over the weekend.

The students are all cadets at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (M.A.S.T), the vo-tech school located in the Fort Hancock section of Sandy Hook. The USS New Jersey is a nuclear-powered Virginia Class attack submarine. It is the third U.S. Naval submarine or boat to be named after the state of New Jersey.

The students are Dylan Agnese (Lincroft), Jack Arhanic (Fair Haven), Tessa Campolattaro (Rumson), Sam Puleio (Tinton Falls) and Brandon Weiss (Oceanport).

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The USS New Jersey was christened Saturday at the Newport News Shipbuilding port in Virginia in a star-studded ceremony attended by Gov. Phil Murphy and others.

The Navy's newest submarine sponsored by Dr. Susan DiMarco of Montclair, wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (D). According to Navy tradition, it is always a woman who sponsors a boat and she does so by breaking a bottle over the ship's bow.

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On Saturday, Dr. DiMarco, a retired dentist, broke a bottle of American sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow as the Monmouth County teens presented our nation's flag.

M.A.S.T., a co-ed four-year high school, is part of the Monmouth County vo-tech school district. The school's curriculum focuses on marine sciences and marine technology/engineering.

All students who attend M.A.S.T are also enrolled in the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) and they are technically referred to as "cadets." However, unlike ROTC, the NJROTC program (Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps) is purely a citizenship development program. The students who attend M.A.S.T. have no military obligation whatsoever.

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Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com

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