Monday Night Special Edition - cdn.starnewsgroup.com · school had spent months planning for the open-ing on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Classrooms were refitted with plexiglass shields and

AVON y BELMAR y BRADLEY BEACH y BRIELLE y LAKE COMO y MANASQUAN y SEA GIRT y SPRING LAKE y SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS y WALL

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

®

Monday Night SpecialEdition

BAY HEAD y BRICK y LAVALLETTE y MANTOLOKING y POINT PLEASANT y POINT PLEASANT BEACH

Students tread carefully into a

new school yearBay Head Elementary

pupils return for in-person instruction

BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

BAY HEAD — A “Welcome Back” sign and colorful bal-loons greeted Bay Head El-ementary School students on Tuesday Sept. 8, as they returned to class in-person for the first time since mid-March. But so did measures designed to protect them from COVID-19.

Students were met with temperature checks con-ducted by school officials as they bid farewell to mom

and dad and made their way to their designated locations, with backpacks strapped on and lunchboxes in hand while wearing colorful face coverings.

“The day went so well, and despite the different routines, restrictions and wearing of masks, the staff and students returned as if we had practiced this for months,” Principal Frank Ca-mardo said of the first day of school on Sept. 8.

“The students quickly found their new teachers and classrooms and began the first day with enthusiasm. Parents were so supportive

MARK R. SULLIVAN THE OCEAN STAR

REMEMBERING THOSE LOSTMore than 100 community members, including firefighters and other first responders, gathered under gray skies in Windward Beach Park in Brick Township Friday evening, to honor and remember the 2,977 lives lost during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack. Speakers at the event also memorialized the nearly 200,000 victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.

St. Rose Grammar School opens with all due caution

BY MICHAEL NUNESTHE COAST STAR

BELMAR — It was a back-to-school day like no oth-er, as parents of St. Rose Grammar School students sent their children off in face masks to be greeted by staff members who checked their temperatures before granting them entry.

Officials at the parochial school had spent months planning for the open-ing on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Classrooms were refitted with plexiglass shields and desks were spaced six feet apart, in compliance with state-mandated measures to protect children and teachers from the spread of COVID-19.

“It actually feels wonder-ful because the kids cannot

wait to get back to school and see their friends,” said Principal Greg Guito as he welcomed the arriving students. “Not only is ed-ucation important, but the social and emotional com-ponent of it all and they miss their friends and we miss seeing them as well.”

He said that he believed that the new measures would be enough to keep students safe. Students ar-rived at 7:40 a.m. and were diverted to several different entrances to avoid crowd-ing. A staff member was stationed at each entrance with a scanning thermome-ter to check their tempera-tures. No students were turned away that day.

Several parents who were dropping their chil-dren off said that they had

faith in the school’s safe-ty measures, even though the threat of COVID-19 re-mains.

“We are both in the med-ical field so we are pretty comfortable,” said Katie Da-ley, of Shark River Hills. She and her husband Michael accompanied their daugh-ter Avery, who attended her first day of pre-kindergar-ten.

“I think St. Rose has done a great job setting up pro-visions to get the kids back into school,” she said

Teachers seemed as excit-ed as parents at the return of in-person instruction.

“I think it’s wonderful. I love what I do and I think it’s just the way we prepared all summer,” said Suzanne Schuster, a pre-K teacher. She added, “Right now, I am

just glad to have them here. It is just a wonderful feeling of community.”

About nine percent of the student body, 28 stu-dents, are continuing with all-virtual instruction, how-ever. Every classroom is equipped with a networked camera, and bluetooth microphones will enable teachers to see and hear the students who are at home and include them in live in-struction.

Should circumstances force the state to order a switch to all virtual instruc-tion, Mr. Guito said, St. Rose would be prepared.

“If we are told to go virtu-al by the governor, we could just toggle right into that,”

No COVID-19 spread noted in schools so

far, state official saysManasquan High School and Sea Girt Elementary

report cases locally

BY MICHAEL NUNESTHE COAST STAR

TRENTON — The state’s medical director said that as of Monday, no incidence of “person-to-person transmis-sion” of COVID-19 in schools had been reported since the start of classes across New Jersey last week.

Speaking during a press briefing led by Gov. Phil Murphy, Dr. Edward Lifshitz, medical director at the New Jersey Department of Health, said tests of some individual students or staff members could be expected to be pos-itive for the virus but added, “At this point … we are not aware of any in-school trans-mission of cases.”

“We can’t absolutely say that couldn’t have happened,

but we do not know of any,” he said

The Manasquan School District confirmed Monday that a staff member at the high school has tested pos-itive for the coronavirus; however, no students were in “close contact” with the undisclosed individual.

In a statement posted on the district website, Super-intendent of Schools Frank Kasyan said officials were notified by the employee, who was last in the school building on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

On Sunday, Sea Girt par-ents were notified that a staff member at Sea Girt Elemen-tary School was “presumed positive” for COVID-19 and awaiting test results after be-ing exposed to the virus. The notification came in a letter

SEE STUDENTS PAGE 3 SEE ST. ROSE PAGE 3

SEE MURPHY PAGE 3


Bay Head Elementary School welcomed students back for the start of the 2020-2021 school year on Sept. 8.

DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE OCEAN STAR

Emily Killeen gets her temperature taken by Monica Kinsel before entering St. Rose Grammar School in Belmar on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 2 SPECIAL EDITION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 COVID-19 COVERAGE

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COVID-19 safety stars in school nurses’ video

Point Pleasant school nurses instruct

students on proper hand washing,

face coverings and health protocols BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — The Point Pleasant School

District nurses have released a special video of

best practices for a safe and healthy return to

school.The “Healthy Steps to Return to School” video

was posted on the district website and YouTube

channel and addresses such subjects as daily

temperature screenings, proper mask wearing,

hand washing and other procedures being im-

plemented to ensure the safety of all students,

faculty and administrators when school reopens

in another week.“The Point Pleasant Borough nurses are here

today to inform all the parents and guardians of

the basic healthy guidelines for the reopening

of 2020,” Deborah Ewtushek, of Memorial Mid-

dle School, said. “The healthy guidelines were

established by the CDC and the Ocean County

Health Department.”Jill Lebret, of Nellie Bennett Elementary

School, spoke about some of the upcoming

pre-screening procedures that will be in place

for the start of school in September.

“Prior to sending your child to school on their

designated days, parents will be required to

complete a short questionnaire regarding pos-

sible symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19,”

she said. “It is important that parents fulfill this re-

quirement consistently and accurately to reflect

your child’s and household health. If your child

is displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19,

or if you had any exposure to COVID-19 with-

in your household, you will be required to keep

your child home from school.”

Cynthia Barry, of Point Pleasant Borough

High School, spoke about proper mask wearing

and hand washing procedures for students.

“When you come to school, you’ll see the

nurses, the teachers, and all the students with

their masks on,” she said. “To properly wear

your mask it goes behind the ear … and also you

pinch it at your nose and it must go under your

chin. “A lot of people think that a face shield is ac-

ceptable in lieu of a face mask, but it is not. The

face shield will protect you only if you wear it

in conjunction with the face mask. We will also

use a thermal scan thermometer to check your

temperature. We point it at your forehead, press

the button and you are good to go.

“Parents, we would like you to be the gate-

keepers of your children. Please practice with

your children wearing a mask for short periods

of time. Explain to them why it is so important

to wear a mask. We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health. “Another practice we want to remind you Pan-

thers is proper hand washing … remember hands

have to be wet, wash the front, wash the back,

wash in between your fingers and stay healthy.”

Ocean Road Elementary School nurse Chris-

tine Russell reminded families of procedures

that will be in place when students are sent to

the nurses office.“When a child is sent to the nurses office, we

will of course take their temperature and screen

them for any of the symptoms of COVID,” she

said.“If your child is displaying a symptom of

COVID, they will be sent home and they will

not be able to return for 10 days or if they have a

clearance from their doctor.“Another important part … is the emergency

cards. The emergency cards have to be complet-

ed in full and contain at least one contact that

can arrive at the school within 20 minutes.”

“We are eager to reconnect with your chil-

dren. We are committed to providing not only

the best medical care, but the safest medical

care,” Ms. Ewtushek added.


The layout for the fine art show in Centennial Park was reconfigured to assure plenty of space between artists and the public.

Fresh air and art fill Centennial Park

Event brought residents and artisans

out to view and exhibit creativityBY SCOTT YUNKER AND BRIGID MCCARTHY

THE OCEAN STARBAY HEAD — Scores of visitors seeking fresh

air and fine art flocked to the borough’s down-

town on Sunday during the fourth annual “Art

in the Park … and Beyond” sponsored by the

Bay Head Business Association.

The fine art show featured 50 vendors

spread across Centennial Park behind Bor-

ough Hall on Bridge Avenue and surrounding

streets. Previous shows were held in June and

drew up to 80 vendors packed side-by-side in

the park, according to Zsa Zsa Stackles, the

show’s organizer and owner of the ReFind gal-

lery on Mount Street. She said state-mandated

gathering limitations pushed this year’s show

back on the calendar.“Everybody’s dying to do something. I per-

sonally don’t understand why things have

been canceled. I think that if people are re-

sponsible, respectful, mindful and use com-

mon sense, it’s outside,” Ms. Stackles said.

“I’m not holding it in a gymnasium.”

True to its name, Sunday’s event spread be-

yond the confines of Centennial Park. Tents

and businesses hosting artists within could be

found on Mount Street, Route 35 and Bridge

and Lake avenues. This was apparently a hap-

py accident that aligned with social distancing

recommendations. According to Ms. Stackles,

artists were, and have always been, spread

out “not because of COVID. It’s just a way to

spread the wealth for the businesses, also.”

Face masks were recommended but not

required due to the show’s outdoor location,

Ms. Stackles said, apparently citing Gov. Phil

Murphy’s Executive Order No. 163, which

mandates individuals “wear face coverings in

outdoor public spaces when it is not practi-

cable to socially distance and keep a six-foot

distance from others.”Mask use was prevalent at Sunday’s event,

although numerous attendees were seen en-

tering vendor’s tents or congested areas with-

out masks, despite the governor’s mandate.

Despite these infractions, compliant attend-

ees and vendors reported feeling satisfied and

safe.“I think the way that they spread every-

thing out is great. I think everyone honoring

the mask policy is good, because there aren’t

tons of signs about it and they’re just doing it,”

said Allison Murray, a borough resident who

attends the event each year.Ms. Murray’s husband, Tim Murray, agreed.

Widespread compliance with social distanc-

ing and use of face masks was “indicative of

Bay Head [and] indicative of people’s hunger

to be able to be out and feel safe and feel a fun,

enjoyable event,” he said.Vendors who spoke with Ocean Star report-

ers also reported heavy financial losses over

the past few months as a result of lockdowns

and cancellations related to the pandemic.

Many said “Art in the Park … and Beyond” was

one of their few regularly-scheduled festivals

that had not been canceled.“All of my shows have been canceled except

for here and Viking Village in LBI,” said Linda

Ramsay, a fine artist from Long Beach Island.

“There’s not as much traffic, so my galleries

haven’t been as productive.”“It’s my first show since early March … Just

before everything broke loose,” Howell pho-

tographer Bob Novak said. “...This was all

signed up and planned months in advance.

“It’s my first show since early March … Just before everything broke loose.”

BOB NOVAK, featured artist

“We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health.”CYNTHIA BARRY, Nurse Point Pleasant

Borough High School

27 teachers in Point Boro ask to work remotelySo far, 16 requests approved, two rejected, nine pending, superintendent tells BOE BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — More than two

dozen members of the Point Pleas-

ant School District faculty have re-

quested approval to teach remotely

at the beginning of the school year

on Sept. 8, citing concerns about

the coronavirus.During the Aug. 24 meeting of

the Point Pleasant School District

Board of Education, the board ap-

proved the hiring of several teach-

ers, long-term substitutes and other

professionals, with Superintendent

Vincent S. Smith telling members

he expects several more hires will

need to be approved even after

school begins.“In your packet tonight, you have

the resumes of some staff members

that we are hiring for long-term

positions for your review,” he told

the board members.“One thing I want to mention is

we will probably have some addi-

tional hires coming through … and

that is due to some requests that

we are receiving from some of our

employees, so we are working on

those requests and reviewing each

Most Brick parents opt for in-school instruction Superintendent also says 95 percent of district’s teachers will return to classrooms BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE OCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Seventy-five

percent of parents with children in

the township’s public school sys-

tem want some form of in-person

learning when school begins in

September, Superintendent Thom-

as Farrell said during the Aug. 20

school board meeting.Ninety-five percent of faculty

will also return to their classrooms,

Mr. Farrell said: “Staff wants to be

back, as this pandemic has been

stressful on them as well.”Brick Township students have

been placed in cohorts partici-

pating in a hybrid A/B model an-

nounced last month. The hybrid

model alternates days of in-person

SEE TEACHERS PAGE 4

SEE IN-SCHOOL PAGE 4

SEE ART PAGE 2

Don’t miss a week of local BAY HEAD y BRICK y LAVALLETTE y MANTOLOKING y POINT PLEASANT y POINT PLEASANT BEACH

$1.00

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COVID-19 safety stars in school nurses’ video

Point Pleasant school nurses instruct

students on proper hand washing,

face coverings and health protocols BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT —

temperature. We point it at your forehead, press


The layout for the fine art show in Centennial Park was reconfigured to assure plenty of space between artists and the public.

Fresh air and art fill Centennial Park

Event brought residents and artisans

out to view and exhibit creativityBY SCOTT YUNKER AND BRIGID MCCARTHY

THE OCEAN STARBAY HEAD — Scores of visitors seeking fresh

air and fine art flocked to the borough’s down-

town on Sunday during the fourth annual “Art

in the Park … and Beyond” sponsored by the

Bay Head Business Association.

The fine art show featured 50 vendors

spread across Centennial Park behind Bor-

ough Hall on Bridge Avenue and surrounding

streets. Previous shows were held in June and

drew up to 80 vendors packed side-by-side in

the park, according to Zsa Zsa Stackles, the

show’s organizer and owner of the ReFind gal-

lery on Mount Street. She said state-mandated

gathering limitations pushed this year’s show

back on the calendar.“Everybody’s dying to do something. I per-

sonally don’t understand why things have

been canceled. I think that if people are re-

sponsible, respectful, mindful and use com-

mon sense, it’s outside,” Ms. Stackles said.

“I’m not holding it in a gymnasium.”

True to its name, Sunday’s event spread be-

yond the confines of Centennial Park. Tents

and businesses hosting artists within could be

found on Mount Street, Route 35 and Bridge

and Lake avenues. This was apparently a hap-

py accident that aligned with social distancing

recommendations. According to Ms. Stackles,

artists were, and have always been, spread

out “not because of COVID. It’s just a way to

spread the wealth for the businesses, also.”

Face masks were recommended but not

required due to the show’s outdoor location,

Ms. Stackles said, apparently citing Gov. Phil

Murphy’s Executive Order No. 163, which

mandates individuals “wear face coverings in

outdoor public spaces when it is not practi-

cable to socially distance and keep a six-foot

distance from others.”Mask use was prevalent at Sunday’s event,

although numerous attendees were seen en-

tering vendor’s tents or congested areas with-

out masks, despite the governor’s mandate.

Despite these infractions, compliant attend-

ees and vendors reported feeling satisfied and

safe.“I think the way that they spread every-

thing out is great. I think everyone honoring

the mask policy is good, because there aren’t

tons of signs about it and they’re just doing it,”

said Allison Murray, a borough resident who

attends the event each year.Ms. Murray’s husband, Tim Murray, agreed.

Widespread compliance with social distanc-

ing and use of face masks was “indicative of

Bay Head [and] indicative of people’s hunger

to be able to be out and feel safe and feel a fun,

enjoyable event,” he said.Vendors who spoke with Ocean Star report-

ers also reported heavy financial losses over

the past few months as a result of lockdowns

and cancellations related to the pandemic.

Many said “Art in the Park … and Beyond” was

one of their few regularly-scheduled festivals

that had not been canceled.“All of my shows have been canceled except

for here and Viking Village in LBI,” said Linda

Ramsay, a fine artist from Long Beach Island.

“There’s not as much traffic, so my galleries

haven’t been as productive.”“It’s my first show since early March … Just

before everything broke loose,” Howell pho-

tographer Bob Novak said. “...This was all

signed up and planned months in advance.

“It’s my first show since early March … Just before everything broke loose.”

BOB NOVAK, featured artist

“We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health.”CYNTHIA BARRY,

27 teachers in Point Boro ask to work remotelySo far, 16 requests approved, two rejected, nine pending,superintendent tells BOE BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — More than two

dozen members of the Point Pleas-

ant School District faculty have re-

quested approval to teach remotely

at the beginning of the school year

on Sept. 8, citing concerns about

the coronavirus.During the Aug. 24 meeting of

the Point Pleasant School District

Board of Education, the board ap-

proved the hiring of several teach-

ers, long-term substitutes and other

professionals, with Superintendent

Vincent S. Smith telling members

he expects several more hires will

need to be approved even after

school begins.“In your packet tonight, you have

the resumes of some staff members

that we are hiring for long-term

positions for your review,” he told

the board members.“One thing I want to mention is

we will probably have some addi-

tional hires coming through … and

that is due to some requests that

we are receiving from some of our

employees, so we are working on

those requests and reviewing each

Most Brick parents opt for in-school instructionSuperintendent also says 95 percent of district’s teachers will return to classrooms SCOTT YUNKEROCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — percent of parents with children in

SEE TEACHERS PAGE 4

SEE ART PAGE 2

Your Equity Loan Place

Manasquan Bank. Your Local Lender! No

Application fees. Discounted interest rate

for automatic payment transfer; Choice of

plans. Visit manasquanbank.com for current



Member FDIC.

HardwoodSanding, refi nishing, installation and

repairs. 732-223-6372, 732-272-2552.

Subscribe Today!



732-223-0076.

Seal Coating

Beautify your driveway. H&H Seal Coating.

Free Estimates. Call/Text Todd 908-783-

3007.

Matt’s Farm Market

Jumbo Seedless Watermelon 39¢/lb., Whole

$3.99/ea. Local Sweet Corn, Beefsteak

Tomatoes, Peaches, Plums, Apples,

Grapes, Pears, Berries, Cantaloupes,

Orange Honeydews, Heirloom Tomatoes.

Full Produce Market. Open Daily.

Fall Crops, Mums, Grasses, Herbs.

1740 Hwy. 71, West Belmar. 732-449-5600Leggett’sFriday: Turnpike Mike. Saturday:

Vinyl Trio. Sunday: Mike Dalton.

www.leggetts.us

I’m Looking to Buy a House!

See ad in the Classifi ed Section or call

732-829-2020.

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2169 Highway 35 • Wall Township, NJ • 732-282-0030 • www.briellefurniture.com

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Visitors to Manasquan’s Summer Festival on Saturday were greeted with signs alerting them to the COVID-19 safety measures.

DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE COAST STAR

Demonstrators in Bradley Beach criticized U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at a “Save the Post Office Saturday” rally.


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Start of Wall schools delayed until Sept. 16Staffing issues cited; Central Elementary opening uncertain

BY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STARWALL TOWNSHIP — The start

of schools for students in Wall

public schools will be delayed

until Wednesday, Sept. 16.The board of education at

its Tuesday meeting approved

a recommendation by Superin-

tendent of Schools Tracy Han-

derhan to push back the date

from the previously planned

opening date of Sept. 8. Teach-

ers are now to report on Mon-

day, Sept. 14. While normally the school

calendar is set well in advance,

“given the changing landscape,

we were forced to make these

changes at this time,” Ms. Han-

derhan said. The reason for

the delay is to deal with “staff

and student accommodations,

changing in staffing assign-

ments, staffing of the K-5 vir-

tual school, personnel leave

requests and operational logis-

tics,” she said. To make up for the six missed

days in September, the three

days that had been reserved

as snow/emergency days now

will become school days and

Feb. 11 and 12, when students

were to be off for Presidents

Day, also now are designated as

school days. The Friday before

Memorial Day will be an early

dismissal school day, Ms. Han-

derhan said.

At the Aug. 18 school board

meeting, Gail Maher, president

of the Wall Township Educa-

tion Association, had requested

that the district delay opening

of schools or start virtual-only.CENTRAL ELEMENTARY FLOODING

Ms. Handerhan also gave

an update on the impact of

flooding at Central Elementa-

ry School from a burst water

pipe that damaged hallways and

classrooms about two weeks

ago.In the event Central Ele-

mentary is not ready to open

on time, Ms. Handerhan said,

“I intend to petition the New

Jersey Department of Educa-

tion for permission to begin the

school year virtually for Central

School students and teachers. It

is my sincere hope that Central

School will reopen as sched-

uled. However, I wish to stress

that it is of paramount impor-

tance to the board of education,

for me and members of the staff

that all measures will be taken

to ensure that this building is

safe for students and staff to re-

turn.”Demolition of damaged ma-

terials should be finished by

Friday, and she expects to have

a report regarding the full scope

of repairs and a timeline for

completion from the foreman in

Peddler’s Village concept video stirs comment

in Wall, but little else Plan for lifestyle center to

be downsized, owner says, as town awaits proposalBY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — The owner

of the former Peddler’s Village

property on Atlantic Avenue off

the Manasquan Circle has creat-

ed a Facebook page with a pro-

motional video for “The Shore,”

a mixed-use lifestyle center he

proposes for the site.The video has generated

numerous comments, some

positive and some negative,

including some from a group,

Residents Against Peddler’s

Village Rezoning, that opposed

a previous version of the pro-

posal tabled by the Township

Committee last year. The resi-

dents group members said they

planned to contact elected of-

ficials to protest the proposal

again.The Facebook page and video,

posted on Aug. 21, also caught

township officials by surprise;

they say it was premature, be-

cause they have not received a

new version of the proposal.

“We haven’t seen a revised

proposal,” Mayor Carl Braun

said on Monday.

Bradley Beach joins nationwide protests

during ‘Save the Post Office Saturday’

Residents cheer for neighborhood mail carriers

BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE COAST STAR

BRADLEY BEACH — Dozens of borough residents joined

hundreds of protests nationwide demanding the res-

ignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy this past

weekend, during a local “Save the Post Office Satur-

day” demonstration held outside the Bradley Beach

Post Office on Main Street.Demonstrators raised concerns regarding mail slow-

downs and other controversial changes to the United

States Postal Service [USPS] implemented by Mr. De-

Joy months prior to a presidential election that will see

an increase in mail-in voting due to the novel corona-

virus pandemic.“We’re really concerned about keeping the local post

office functioning, and of course, we’re concerned about

the vote. Even though DeJoy has said they’re going to

prioritize the vote, then what happens to everything

else, like the medication and the social security checks

Squan enjoys community, six

feet apart at Summer Festival

Downsized Chamber of Commerce event still draws hundreds downtown

BY SCOTT YUNKER ANDBRIGID MCCARTHYTHE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — The borough Chamber of Commerce’s

Summer Festival brought hundreds downtown through-

out Saturday with live music, cold drinks and rows of

vendors set up in Manasquan Plaza.

This year’s festival was downsized to an estimated 30

vendors to accommodate social distancing and gathering

limitations due to the novel coronavirus, according to

event organizer and Chamber board member Pam Pat-

tullo, who said Summer Festival has averaged between

40 and 50 vendors per year in the past.

Other precautions taken by the chamber this year in-

cluded hand sanitizing stations set throughout the Sum-

merfest grounds and numerous signs reminding attend-

ees to wear facemasks at all times.

“Attendance is good today. We get people, we don’t

get huge crowds,” Ms. Patullo said. “Of course, a lot of SEE FESTIVAL PAGE 2

SEE POST OFFICE PAGE 3

SEE VIDEO PAGE 4

“We haven’t seen a revised proposal … Something will get

built at Peddler’s Village, someday. I probably

won’t be here [in office] to participate in that decision.”MAYOR CARL BRAUN, Wall Township

SEE WALL TOWNSHIP PAGE 4

Towers of light in Wall honor 9/11 victims, first responders

BY TYLER SPRINGSTEENTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — One Wall Township resident took it upon himself to arrange his own twin-beam light display in honor of the victims lost during the Sept. 11, 2001 at-tacks, as well as the firefight-ers, police and civilians who responded.

The lights illuminated the sky over the town on Sept. 11, 12 and 13.

Kevin Orender, of the Orender Family Home for Funerals, 2643 Old Bridge Road, where the display was set up, said the first night went well with people stop-ping by throughout the eve-ning to see the “Never For-get” display.

"We had an overwhelming response," Mr. Orender said Saturday. "Yesterday, I was there until about 11 p.m. and well over 100 people came through and then the gen-tleman that is there all night operating the lights said about midnight, 30 more people came through and about 1 a.m., there were like 40 people there."

The display lit up the night sky with white lights on Fri-day and Sunday and red and blue lights on Saturday.

Two flags with all of the victims' names were dis-played to acknowledge those lost.

"It's almost like a wall of honor," said Mr. Orender. "People come up and tell their story and why they're here, so it's pretty spiritual and uplifting that people still care."

The names on the flag are listed alphabetically. He said throughout the weekend, he saw hundreds of people sorting through the names to find their loved ones.

People interested in the display drove in from sur-rounding towns, following the lights, Mr. Orender said.

"Talking to them, they're telling us their story and how 9/11 affected them, and I would tell them my story," said Mr. Orender.

Mr. Orender is a retired New York Fire Department firefighter. He now serves on the Wall Township Com-mittee and owns the funeral home.

His idea to hold the local light display came after the Tribute in Light held annual-ly at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City was, at first, canceled this year.

"When New York City said they were going to first cancel it, I came to work and I was all bent out of shape because I knew 40 guys in the fire department who were killed that day. I said: I'm going to do something down here," he said.

He said by the time he found a light company and received approval from var-ious agencies, New York had reversed its decision to can-cel the city display.

"So, even though New York reversed the decision, I said I was going to do it any-way and I'm glad I did it," said Mr. Orender.

As for future years, espe-cially next year's 20th anni-versary of the attacks, Mr. Orender says he hopes to start a tradition.

"I'm going to start setting aside money each month so I can do it next year," he said, knowing the impor-tance of remembrance for family, friends and acquain-tances of the victims.

"I think it's very warm-ing to know that people still care and it's pretty calming for the families that come there and hang out and talk

with each other," said Mr. Orender.

Team Orender also has set up a GoFundMe campaign, https://charity.gofund-me.com/o/en/campaign/team-orender, he said, in which all donations will go to the Stephen Siller Tun-nel to Towers Foundation, which helps injured veter-ans, Gold Star families and fallen first responders. As of Monday, Sept. 14, the fund had passed its goal of $5,000.

Published reports have stated that the New York

City light display at first was canceled by the Na-tional September 11 Memo-rial & Museum because the pandemic health risks were deemed too great for the large crew required to pro-duce it. The museum later acquired the financial sup-port needed to provide ad-ditional protection for the crew, and decided to hold the Tribute in Light as origi-nally planned.

MARK R. SULLIVAN THE COAST STAR

People stopped by the “Never Forget” display of twin lights set up at the Orender Family Home for Funerals on Saturday. The display included American flags.

Number of coronavirus cases per

townMONMOUTH COUNTY

[SUNDAY, SEP. 13] 11,496

• Aberdeen: 274• Allenhurst: 12• Allentown: 20• Asbury Park: 359• Atlantic Highlands: 45• Avon-by-the-Sea: 22• Belmar: 66• Bradley Beach: 75• Brielle: 83• Colts Neck: 120• Deal: 57• Eatontown: 359• Englishtown: 49• Fair Haven: 49• Farmingdale: 15• Freehold Borough: 463• Freehold Township: 839• Hazlet: 393• Highlands: 48• Holmdel: 351• Howell: 839• Interlaken: 9• Keansburg: 239• Keyport: 117• Lake Como: 17• Little Silver: 60• Loch Arbour: 2• Long Branch: 719• Manalapan: 631• Manasquan: 81• Marlboro: 618• Matawan: 233• Middletown: 1,004• Millstone: 123• Monmouth Beach: 35• Neptune City: 77• Neptune Township: 706• Ocean: 464• Oceanport: 82• Red Bank: 344• Roosevelt: 10• Rumson: 94• Sea Bright: 11• Sea Girt: 37• Shrewsbury Borough: 82• Shrewsbury Township: 11• Spring Lake: 36• Spring Lake Heights: 58• Tinton Falls: 255• Union Beach: 45• Upper Freehold: 83• Wall: 537• West Long Branch: 98• Unknown: 0

OCEAN COUNTY [SUNDAY, SEP. 13] - 11,680

• Barnegat Light: 6• Barnegat: 319• Bay Head: 12• Beach Haven: 17• Beachwood: 168• Berkeley: 854• Brick Township: 1,437• Eagleswood: 26• Harvey Cedars: 2• Island Heights: 20• Jackson: 1,029• Lacey: 376• Lakehurst: 41• Lakewood: 3,077• Lavallette: 15• Little Egg Harbor: 228• Long Beach: 38• Manchester: 902• Mantoloking: 1 • Ocean Gate: 25• Ocean Township: 66• Pine Beach: 26• Plumsted: 65• Point Pleasant Beach: 40• Point Pleasant: 299• Seaside Heights: 40• Seaside Park: 14• Ship Bottom: 16• South Toms River: 88• Stafford: 371• Surf City: 13• Toms River: 2,017• Tuckerton: 24• Address Not Reported: 8

mailto:[email protected]










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he said. “So we will be more prepared, when it comes to that kind of situation.”

The Catholic school re-quires students to attend worship services during the day. However, since a cap remains on the num-ber of individuals inside of a house of worship, St. Rose students will do this virtu-ally.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy held a briefing in Trenton, to voice confidence that the De-partment of Education has made sure that all schools were prepared to begin the academic year with plans for whichever of several options they had chosen, whether remote, in-person or a “hybrid” of both.

According to informa-tion presented by the gov-ernor, 723 school districts throughout the state had

finalized their reopening plans, 388 included a hybrid model of in person and re-mote learning, 69 were all in person learning, 238 were all remote learning and 28 districts utilized a combina-tion of the two.

“To our students and fam-ilies, I wish you a good year full of learning and good health,” Gov. Murphy said.

Michael Nunes can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 26.

ST. ROSEFROM PAGE 1

and ensured all students had a mask and needed materi-als.

“Drop off and pickup were very organized, and went very well as this year, kindergarten and first grade exit through the front, along with a staggered dismissal of middle school, while grades 2-5 exit out of the back while standing behind their desig-nated cones with classmates until their ride arrives,” Mr. Camardo said.

“The lineup in the morn-ing separates the K-4 stu-dents from 5-8, and all stu-dents had their temperatures checked without a problem while staying with their classmates/homeroom.”

According to the princi-pal, lunchtime was not what students are accustomed to.

“Lunches were different for some grades this year, as some classrooms eat in the homeroom class while oth-ers utilize the cafeteria and the gym,” Mr. Camardo said.

“This was done so that classrooms can be cleaned immediately after the stu-dents eat, and the custodial staff has time to get all of the cleaning and sanitizing com-pleted before moving to the alternate locations — gym, cafeteria.”

School staff members were pleased with how well students adapted to their new routines the first few days of school.

“This being my 16th year as a teacher in Bay Head School, it truly is unique and unlike any other that I have experienced in my 20 years as a teacher,” said Beth Fal-livene, who is teaching sec-ond grade this year.

“Students are wearing masks, getting their tem-

peratures checked and con-stantly keeping their dis-tance. While all of this is new to students and staff, what is not different is our excitement to be back at Bay Head School. While my stu-dents couldn’t physically see the smile on my face they could sense my excitement and I could sense theirs.

“After spending all sum-mer, wondering, worrying and planning, trying to fig-ure out how and if students were going to be able to handle all of these new regu-lations, I was taken aback at how well they all handled it. My second graders ... adjust-ed very well, very quickly. I am very proud of them for how well they adapted to all of the changes.”

According to officials, at least 12 students chose to fol-low the virtual-only learning platform.

“Day one went rather well, once we got past the initial connection trouble and log-ging into certain apps,” said Melissa Kiss, K-5 virtual teacher.

“The kids were so excit-ed to log in to their Google Classrooms, Seesaw and Google Meet. They chatted happily about everything they were checking out and the fact they could see and hear each other, like a virtual playdate. Some even admit-ted they got up early so they wouldn’t miss log-in time.

“A few of them took ad-vantage of the ‘Come and Visit’ Google Meet times where they could log in just to ‘hang out’ or take a ‘brain break’ from their work and chat with me or other stu-dents that popped in.”

Ms. Kiss spoke about the virtual learning process for students.

“For this week, I have combined K-2 and 3-5 in the morning, and K-1, 2-3, and

4-5 in the afternoon. The different combinations al-low for different skills to be explored and different stu-dents to interact with each other and what is being covered while we are work-ing on review material,” she said.

“It allows me the opportu-nity to get to know them bet-ter, as I haven't taught them all before, as they interact with each other and the re-view material. If they aren’t live with me, they are work-ing independently on their assignments and can pop back into the Google Meet window for help.

“Next week, we will begin learning new material in all grades — 4 and 5 start their novel studies this week — and all grades will be solo with me so that they can get grade specific teaching. I am working closely with the classroom teachers. Our goal is to be on the same teach-ing schedule so that if the current teaching [in class/virtual] should change, my students will transition as smoothly as possible back to their classmates.”

Much like students, teach-ers are also adjusting to a different routine as school begins.

“My biggest adjustment is planning/creating activi-ties for six different grades in all subjects. This week is definitely unlike any oth-er first week of school, so classroom teachers and I are working with general plans that can be adjusted day to day,” Ms. Kiss said.

“As the classrooms get into their routines, knowing the plan of what and when things are being taught will be great, as it will give me a starting place, but since I can’t see each grade for the time that they are seen while in school, I must make sure

that my independent activi-ties cover the content, hope-fully in an enjoyable way, that needs little to no sup-port, because when I am live with them every minute will count.

“I am excited to find new ways to help spark the love of learning virtually that I have seen over the years while teaching in the class-room.”

Ms. Fallivene echoed her colleagues’ sentiments.

“Throughout the school, all of our staff members are doing a fantastic job to make this unique school year a positive and a memorable one,” she said. “My two chil-dren attend the school and they, along with myself, were excited to return.

“From a parent’s perspec-tive, the first few days have run very smoothly and have been handled with great care and professionalism. My children both said they had a really great first few days and they even said wearing the masks is not as bad as they thought it would be.”

With the first few days of school under everyone’s belt, Mr. Camardo was pleased with how things have gone so far.

“I am so very proud of everyone, as this could not have been done without a team effort and continued support and dedication from all stakeholders,” he said.

“I look forward to a won-derful year, and I am very grateful for a school district that goes above and beyond for the students and staff to ensure not only a safe and healthy environment, but values educating students both in-person and virtual-ly.”

Kayla Marsh can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 116.

First day of school

Flu shot recommended

Students return for in-person instruction


Students, all wearing face masks, arrived at Bay Head Elementary School for the first day of classes on Sept 8.

STUDENTSFROM PAGE 1

from Superintendent Rick Papera.

Most schools opened for in-person or virtual instruc-tion last week, with dis-tricts putting into practice reopening plans to protect students from the spread of COVID-19. Some strat-egies included mandating that students and staff wear face masks throughout the school day and using plexi-glass desk shields in class-rooms.

Of the 1.4 million stu-dents, the governor added “We certainly agree and know that some of them are going to test positive and that shows that people are being tested and are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Before schools reopened, the New Jersey Department of Education reviewed coronavirus response plans from school districts.

On Monday, Gov. Mur-phy said there will be stu-dents who test positive for COVID-19 over the course of the year, but he added that “the schools that have some form of in-person [instruction], whether it’s full or hybrid, again, the evidence is that they have done an extraordinary job.”

The governor said he feels confident in contact tracing at schools.

“At least in the K-12 [schools], the ability to track things down, the sys-tem feels very robust,” Gov. Murphy said.

During that same briefing, Judith Persichilli, commis-

sioner of the department of health, said the state is pre-paring for a “twin-demic” of a severe flu season and a resurgence of COVID-19. Such an event would put a strain on the state’s health-care infrastructure, she warned.

“This year, more than ever, it is important that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated against the flu,” she said, adding that the target for flu vaccine is 70 percent. Na-tionally, as well as in New Jersey, less than half of the population gets the vaccine.

“This leaves many peo-ple vulnerable to the com-plication of the flu,” she said. While the flu vaccine does not guard against COVID-19, it can reduce health complications linked to the flu.

OVERNIGHT NUMBERSOn Monday, Gov. Murphy

said there were 346 new cases of COVID-19 report-ed, bringing the state’s total to 196,968. Test positivity remained at roughly 1.82 percent as of Sept. 10. The rate of transmission, which is the average number of persons infected by each in-fected person, stood at 1.06.

As of Sep. 13, there are 420 total hospitalizations linked to COVID-19, with 91 of those in intensive care and 41 on ventilators.

There were three new deaths, bringing the state’s total to 14,245. Probable deaths are calculated to be 1,789.

Michael Nunes can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 26.

MURPHYFROM PAGE 1

“Not only is education important,

but the social and emotional

component of it all and they miss their friends and we miss seeing them as well.”

GREG GUITO, Principal





Family and close friends of the deceased may choose to wear or display certain items of their be-loved’s personal belongings that remind them of significant mem-ories and precious relationships. Perhaps the most famous exam-ples of these symbolic objects, known as “mementos,” can be traced back to Queen Victoria, who ordered custom designed jewelry made from jet (a black gemstone) to memorialize her late husband Prince Albert. The “mourning ring,” which she wore to publicly display her grief, was on her finger until the day she died. Today, people display pho-tographs, wear jewelry, and hold onto personal objects of their de-parted beloveds to remind them of the people who hold a special place in their hearts.

Planning a funeral service

can be a very difficult process for families who have just lost a loved one. But it’s important to provide those who are grieving with a supportive environment in which they can begin to find closure, say goodbye, and come to terms with the loss. Gather-ing with friends and family gives everyone the opportunity to connect, share memories, offer words of sympathy, and create a lasting network of comfort and support as they start the jour-ney toward healing. Please call O’Brien Funeral Home today to learn more about our services. Together we will work alongside you to plan a meaningful funeral service that pays tribute to your loved one.

QUOTE: “One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.”

- Antonio Porchia

CHERISHED MEMENTOS

Murphy: Rising COVID-19 transmission among young is ‘striking’BY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STAR

TRENTON — Increasing COVID-19 contagion among young people in New Jer-sey has state health officials worried.

“We are seeing case num-bers climb among ages 19 to 24. This population now has the highest percent positiv-ity in the state, at six per-cent. Right behind them is the 14 to 18 age group, with a positivity of four percent,” state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during Gov. Phil Murphy’s Friday

news conference. “Percent positivity among all other age groups is declining or remaining flat,” she said. The average positivity rate for New Jerseyans taking COVID-19 tests now is 2.6 percent.

“The positivity rate among young people is really strik-ing,” Gov. Murphy said.

Health officials are not aware of any transmission of the virus occurring inside any elementary or second-ary schools that have re-opened, Ms. Persichilli said.

“The most recent increase among young people began

in mid-August, and the de-partment is hearing anecdot-al reports of social gather-ings such as end-of-summer parties and back-to-school parties, and they are helping to drive transmission.

“We are also aware of reports of increasing cas-es among college students in some areas, those who have returned to off-cam-pus housing,” Ms. Persichilli said.

“We are all social beings and we know young people want to socialize, but it must be done safely. Stay at least six feet from one another,

wear face coverings and wash hands. AVoid sharing food and drink with others and certainly if you feel sick, stay at home,” she said.

She said it’s critical that the 14 to 18 age group follow the same precautions to pre-vent the spread of the virus, especially to older, more vulnerable people such as their grandparents.

Gov. Murphy said the statewide rate of transmis-sion “is down a hair,” to 1.08, but still above the bench-mark of 1.0 that shows the outbreak is not widening.

On Friday, state officials reported 518 new cases, bringing the cumulative to-tal to 195,888.

There were nine new con-firmed COVID-19 deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 14,234.

Gov. Murphy began the news conference Friday by remembering the 704 New Jersey residents killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“So, as we did all of us on that day, today we recommit to the values of liberty and community upon which this nation was built. We are a

nation of individuals, but as the first words of our Con-stitution note, ‘We, the Peo-ple,’ and we rise and fall as one.

“We were knocked down 19 years ago today, but we got back up and showed the world our nation, even when in shock and stricken with grief, comes togeth-er,” Gov. Murphy said. “And perhaps, with everything we have been facing over these past six months, this is the most pertinent of anniver-saries, because we are now forced to marshal that inner strength again.”

Point Pleasant students return to classrooms

in-person and at homeMessages welcome

students return


POINT PLEASANT — Point Pleasant School District of-ficials are lauding a success-ful first day of the 2020-2021 school year last Tuesday.

Students with the last names starting with letters L through Z, part of cohort B under the district’s hybrid schedule, returned to classes in-person for the first time since March, while their peers in cohort A, with last names from A to K, logged on once again from home.

“For the first day, under the circumstances and the fact that we haven’t been in school since March 13, I think it went pretty well overall,” Superintendent Vincent S. Smith told The Ocean Star. “Obviously there are things we still need to work out, but that is normal in any school year.”

On Sept. 8, students were welcomed back to school with a special video message from the superintendent, along with social media posts and other messages from school organizations, administrators and more.

“HAPPY 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL! Ocean Road School PTO wishes all stu-dents and teachers an amaz-ing first day of school!,” the parent organization tweet-ed Tuesday morning, while students at Nellie F. Bennett Elementary School were pleased to see “Welcome Back” written on the side-walk at the school entrance along with other positive messages to help them kick off the school year.

“It was good to see new and old faces [well the top half of them at least] today,” Point Pleasant Borough High School teacher Amy Hover posted in a Twitter message retweeted by the district.

Under the district’s hybrid learning model, which uses a combination of in-per-son and remote instruction during half-day schedules, students are split into two cohorts, with those in co-hort A attending school on Mondays and Wednesdays, while students in cohort B attending school Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On Fridays, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, all students will learn re-motely. Starting on Oct. 23, cohorts A and B will begin rotating on Fridays, coming into school for in-person in-struction.

“I was out at most of the schools in the morning. I was at Memorial Middle School, the high school and Nellie Bennett, and the drop-offs really went well overall. A lot of kids were walking and riding bikes and things so I think that went pretty well,” Mr. Smith said.

“I know at Ocean Road, I didn’t get there for that, but I did speak to the police and I talked to Mrs. [Sheila] Buck the principal and everything really went well there too. The people either walking their kids up, dropping them off, busing all went pretty well there. We were happy with that.”

According to Mr. Smith, safety measures put in place at the district, including temperature screenings and the health form parents fill out, were also adhered to.

“Our check-in with the temperatures went very well, pretty smooth. We have plenty of people do-ing them. We actually hired some nursing services so we have three nurses that will be working with us in the morning for a while as we go through this,” he said.

“The parents signing in on the forms went well. Unfortunately, today [Sept. 9] we had a glitch with our

parent portal. Our Genesis student information system was down so parents had trouble accessing the form in the morning, so we sent out a Honeywell alert telling that we had a problem so we just told them to follow the sample one that is on the website, but it all got worked out. It is something you can’t control, it is just a technolo-gy glitch.”

According to officials, at least 27 members of the dis-trict faculty requested ap-proval to teach remotely at the beginning of the school year, citing concerns about the coronavirus, and at least 486 students opted to take part in the full remote-learn-ing program.

“My understanding is things went well in the class-rooms. Dr. [Susan] Ladd [di-rector of curriculum and instruction] was making the rounds out to the schools and hitting the classrooms and once again there are some minor things we have to adjust,” Mr. Smith said. “Staff and students are get-ting used to the online learn-ing and I think overall it went pretty well.

“From our standpoint as administrators and it being the first day, I think kids were excited to be back and you could see it, so it was great. Our teachers were in last week and I think overall we’re very positive about re-turning ... so I think it was a great opening.”

Mr. Smith said he looks forward to a successful school year.

“Every year at the begin-ning of school you’re still working out the little kinks. We can only hope things get better and I know they will,” Mr. Smith said.

“I know there are little things we still have to work on but I thought it was a pretty good opening. It was a great day and hopeful it will continue as we move forward on this.”


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Point Boro officials laud successful summer season

Beach badge sales up, parks and recreation

programs active


POINT PLEASANT — Borough officials say Point Pleasant has managed to enjoy a suc-cessful summer season, in spite of the limitations posed by the ongoing health emer-gency.

“Despite the COVID-19 element, I believe the sum-mer in Point Pleasant Bor-ough was the best that it could be and I think what was the perfect part of it was our dedication the last four years building the parks up, getting new equipment, do-ing the various things for the beaches,” Mayor Robert Sab-osik told The Ocean Star on Wednesday.

“It was evident in that our beach badge sales exploded, which was incredible, and the beaches were wonder-ful. When we were able to open up the swing sets it was enjoyable for everybody and in the parks, people just walked, sat on their blankets, flew kites. It was the perfect scenario,” he said.

The borough operates the Maxson Avenue and River Avenue beaches along the Manasquan riverfront.

“Our vision of helping the people of Point Pleasant paid off this summer by hav-ing everything done so they were able to enjoy it. The fishing piers, boat launches, all of that added a recre-ational dimension far supe-rior to what this town had to offer five, six years ago,” the mayor said.

Borough Administrator Frank Pannucci Jr. spoke about the number of partic-ipants who took part in this summer’s recreation pro-grams amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Overall our summer rec programs went very, very well considering they all had to be altered because of COVID-19 precautions. It was the best job we could have done,” he said.

“With our summer pro-gram … all of the classes we had were done either via Zoom by participating busi-nesses or they had limited availability of participants if

they were an in-person pro-gram.

“Clearly we didn’t have summer camp, which was a bit of a bummer. Our coun-selors missed it, our kids missed it, we missed it, but clearly we just couldn’t have that this summer with COVID-19.

“The rec department did a fantastic job. The businesses all adhered to the policies that we implemented, so it was the best program that we could possibly put on this summer and I think it worked out well. I hope next summer we don’t have these restrictions and we can go back to doing what we do best and that’s giving the residents a robust and fun recreation program.”

According to officials, the summer beach season was the best the borough has seen in recent years.

“The beach season went fantastic. It was admitted-ly a slight inconvenience for people not having daily beach badges, but in a way it was a blessing, because by only selling season badges online, it was able to help us crowd control our small river beaches,” Mr. Pannucci said.

“Our lifeguards, and we talked to our lifeguards throughout the summer, had minimal issues with so-cial distancing and people not behaving appropriately because of COVID-19. We were able to monitor our river beaches and they re-ally did not get overcrowd-ed because the lifeguards were trained well, they knew what to look for, we kept the crowds at a minimum by seasonal beaches, which we sold more than we ever be-fore.

“Overall it went very well and next summer we are looking forward to another great beach season. We are going to put new sand down next summer as well, we do that every three to four years, but the lifeguards did a fantastic job, the residents were receptive and accom-modating and gracious with the COVID-19 restrictions we had to put in place and [we] thank our residents for understanding that this was just not the same summer as years before.”

The municipality’s local parks enjoyed increased us-age from residents of all ages

as well throughout the sum-mer.

“Mayor and council striked a balance at the be-ginning of this pandemic which turned out to be sort of the model that the rest of the state adopted,” Mr. Pan-nucci said.

“Gov. [Phil] Murphy had shut down all state and county parks but individual parks were the local munic-ipality’s decision whether to keep them open or not. The only thing that was man-datory was the closing of playground equipment so we closed our playground equipment but decided that people still needed a place for recreation.

“Being stuck in quaran-tine without a place to rec-reate and stretch your legs got to be very damaging, so Point Pleasant Borough was very balanced in our ap-proach. We shut down our playground equipment, but we kept our parks open for passive recreation, so that worked out very well.”

Along with their upbeat review of 2020, both offi-cials said they are looking forward to the 2021 summer season.

“We have online more programs coming up so we are going to really … contin-ue to increase productivity and give back to our resi-dents the best that we can do,” Mayor Sabosik said.

“We are looking forward to a very different 2021, but things went very well,” Mr. Pannucci said. “Mayor and council worked very hard in crafting policies … nobody has ever had to think about before until this year, and the public was very gracious and understanding about those new policies.”


COURTESY OF SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS SCHOOL

SLHES WELCOMES RETURNING STUDENTSStudents were welcomed on the first day by signs from Yippee Yard Cards and balloons from Maison De Balloons.

“Mayor and council worked very hard in crafting policies …

nobody has ever had to think about before until this year, and the public was very

gracious.” FRANK PANNUCCI JR., Borough

Administrator





TO ALL OUR TRACHERS AND

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

‘Concert for a Cause’ wows crowd Outdoor show benefits Spring Lake Community

House Theatrer

BY PATRICK REILLYTHE COAST STAR

SPRING LAKE — Spring Lake residents may have been surprised last Friday night to hear what sounded like a loud Broadway show perfor-mance emanating from Mad-ison Avenue and throughout the borough’s typically quiet streets.

They heard correctly, as hundreds gathered at tables outside of Spring Lake Com-munity House Theatre for a benefit concert to support

the financially-struggling performance venue, which had to cancel most of its pro-ductions after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. Even the annual holiday sea-son production of “Scrooge” in December has been tenta-tively canceled.

The lost months have left a revenue shortfall of about $250,000 in its 2020 budget.

Friday’s sold-out bene-fit, dubbed “Concert for a Cause,” featured perfor-mances of fan-favorite show tunes from renowned plays such as “Young Franken-stein” and “The Legend of Sweeney Todd.” “

In total, the event raised roughly $24,500 for the the-ater.

Community House Di-rector Pat Barry thanked all who showed their support by attending the concert, and also thanked the night’s performers, all of whom are volunteers.

“Thank you all for your support. I want to thank the gang who’s here tonight performing,” Ms. Barry said. “I don’t know if you realize this, but all of our performers are volunteers. We have spectacular shows with spectacular talent, and they’re volunteering tonight and they're wonderful. Many of them have been perform-ing here since they were five or six years old and they stayed.

“Thank you so much for being here, and please con-tinue to support the commu-nity house.”

Theater participant Bri-anne Kain, one of those members of the Spring Lake Theatre community in at-tendance, said she grew up with the theater.

“I performed here for 14 years, so this theater has a very special place in my heart. And I think more than ever we need to come to-gether in some way during the pandemic and I think the arts have that ability to bring us together,” she said. “Any way to give back to a cause I think is super important because it brings people

together and creates great memories.”

Ms. Kain said that while the theater is struggling it was nice to see a live perfor-mance again.

“It’s so nice to see some-thing live again. You can’t re-ally go to much live today so it’s really a refreshing feeling with the ambience and all the people. It’s just some-thing we haven’t really seen in so long,” she said.

Also showing her support on Friday night was Kaitlyn Hunt, another performing member of the Spring Lake Theatre.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of the arts, and the arts are really struggling right now and this is an amazing

building, an amazing com-munity who do amazing things,” she said. “I’ll never take live music for granted again.”

Total monies raised as a result of the concert had not yet been fully counted by press time.

To learn more about the Spring Lake Community House or to donate to the Community House Theatre, visit https://www.springla-ketheatre.com

Patrick Reilly can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 110.

BOE presents update on Wall schools’ Sept. 16 reopeningCentral Elementary

expected to be ready after needed repairs

BY BRIGID MCCARTHYTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — The Wall Township Public School district remains on track to reopen its doors next week after deciding in late Au-gust to delay its opening from Sept. 8 to Wednesday, Sept. 16. Officials say repairs of flood damage at Central Elementary School are pro-gressing and it is expected to open on time.

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Wall Township Board of

Education held a town-hall-style meeting to answer questions from parents and teachers alike regard-ing their schools’ openings. The meeting covered topics ranging from district-lev-el reopening concerns to teacher and student comfort in the classroom.

Nearly 250 viewers joined the three-and-a-half hour webinar, with a few repre-sentative speakers posing their questions to a panel of administrators led by Super-intendent Tracy R. Hander-han and moderated by Board President Ralph Addonizio. They were joined by eight other board members.

The actual Wall Township reopening plan remains rela-

tively unchanged; the virtual meeting was mostly spent discussing clarifications to reopening and playing out hypothetical situations for both virtual and in-person settings.

Ms. Handerhan did, how-ever, explain one amend-ment she plans to make on the document regarding al-lowed and prohibited facial coverings, which consists of a new ban on gaiter masks.

This rule, alongside the upheld bandana ban, follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention that says the most effective facial coverings are everyday masks with loops to go around one’s ears, cre-ating a snug fit to the face.

“We will be modifying our district reopening plan… The guidance changes, so we’re being flexible with it,” Ms. Handerhan said. “So right now, ear loops.”

During the board of edu-cation meeting on Aug. 25, Ms. Handerhan cited the causes of the aforemen-tioned opening delay as “staff and student accommo-dations, changing in staffing assignments, staffing of the K-5 virtual school, personnel leave requests and opera-tional logistics.” On Tuesday the board faced questions regarding the training and permanence of those new virtual instructors.

Ms. Handerhan verified the district’s careful and on-going interview process and the future instructors’ cer-tifications, explaining also how she and the board plan to revisit these hires on Nov. 6 to make sure there are enough students still choos-ing the virtual route at the turn of the marking period to warrant the hired teach-ers.

“We decided because of the uncertainty of the pub-lic health climate that Nov. 6, right around the close of the marking period, if need-ed, we will revisit,” Ms. Han-derhan said. “The possibility exists that we’ll lose half of the all-virtual students to go into in-person instruction… We’re looking at every as-pect of this plan as a phas-ing plan, and this is another piece of that.”

The board also clari-fied protocols for symptom tracking during morning check-ins, practices they hope will ensure safe learn-ing on physical campus set-tings.

The district plans to use the Ruvna app, which allows parents to track their child’s symptoms for risks before they even arrive at school, thereby allowing admin-istrators to give access to students who complete the questionnaire to satisfaction.

One hour before a stu-dent’s scheduled school ar-rival time, parents will get reminders in fifteen minute increments to complete the screening. Recognizing the busyness of mornings before school, the board of educa-tion hopes that the app will ease the check-in process for both parents and teachers each morning.

In addition to starting discussions about air fil-tration and classrooms in an era of social distancing, parents also raised concerns about equal education be-tween in-person and virtual learners. Ms. Handerhan re-sponded to their concerns, assuring them that the dis-trict was doing its best to strike a balance.

“We’re one education-al family. Whether you’re learning in the online envi-ronment or whether you’re coming to your in-person program, we want your ed-ucation to be equitable,” she said. “We’ve been working very hard to accomplish just that.”

At the Aug. 25 board meet-ing, Ms. Handerhan gave an uncertain but hopeful up-date on Central Elementa-ry School’s reconstruction progress after a burst water pipe caused flooding that damaged hallways and class-rooms.

On Sept. 4, she sent a let-ter to parents with a positive update on the recovery proj-ect, writing that the work done on the school was “pro-gressing at a fast pace” and that she anticipates “Central School will be ready to wel-come students on Sept. 16.” On Tuesday night, she and the board once again con-firmed positive progress.

Brian Smyth, the board’s business administrator, re-layed to those in attendance how the project was chug-ging through the weekend, with rooms and corridors undergoing necessary tile replacement, wall repaint-ing, wallboard repair and more, depending on the se-verity damage caused to the area in question.

The school stairwell and its air conditioning systems still await repair but renova-tions continue and are pro-jected to finish up on time. Barring any unforeseen cir-cumstances, Mr. Smyth says, Central Elementary will be ready to reopen next week alongside all other schools in the district.


Regina Ippolito performs “Anything Can Happen” from “Mary Poppins” during the Spring Lake Community Theatre benefit concert.


Claude Schmincke and Tyler Cicardo perform “Together Again” from “Young Frankenstein” during the Sept. 4 benefit performance in support of the Spring Lake Community House and Theatre.

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“We’re one educational family.

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Point Boro Chamber of Commerce cancels 2020 Halloween Parade

But ‘Shop, Dine and Re-discover Point

Pleasant’ continues


POINT PLEASANT — The an-nual Halloween Parade pre-sented by the Point Pleasant Chamber of Commerce has been canceled for this year amid the coronavirus pan-demic.

“Unfortunately having large outdoor events while conducting social distanc-ing is not going to be in our cards this year, so unfortu-nately we are not going to be able to host the Halloween Parade, but we look forward to doing it in 2021,” Execu-tive Director Eileen McCabe told The Ocean Star.

“The parade attracts about 5,000 people each year up and down Bridge Avenue. It is a lot of people to coordi-nate and we as a Chamber of Commerce wanted to make sure we are doing the responsible thing with not gathering people in large crowds where we can’t con-trol six-feet proper distanc-ing or ensure that everybody would be wearing a mask. The board of directors in their September meeting — we tried to hold out as long as we could — decided at this point it is just best to postpone the parade until 2021.

“It is kind of disappointing because we look forward to it every year but it is just not

something we are interested in gathering all those people together,” she said.

Earlier this year, the chamber also canceled its annual Summerfest in the Park event, which typically draws upward of 15,000 at-tendees to Community Park every June to enjoy market vendors, food vendors, chil-dren’s rides, live music and more.

While two of the cham-ber’s largest events of this year have been canceled, the fall might bring some festivities that community members and business own-ers may enjoy, such as the annual Point Autumn Soup Cook Off and the annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Market in the Park, which as of Wednesday have not yet been postponed or canceled, according to officials.

“As a chamber, we run such nice events and we take great pride in the fact that we have done them for so long … so we’re not going to cancel anything quickly or lightly,” Ms. McCabe said.

“We are going to wait and make sure we are making the right decision because we know that everybody looks forward to all of our events, as do we. If we have to cancel an event, it is done because we really thought out the process and what we believe in to be the right choice.”

Earlier this summer, the borough and the chamber teamed up to launch a grand reopening campaign pro-moting local businesses and

encouraging community members and visitors alike to “Make it a Point to Shop, Dine and Re-Discover Point Pleasant.”

“Residents are very happy to support the local business community. A lot of resi-dents in town have their fa-vorite coffee shop, pizzeria, restaurants,” Ms. McCabe said.

“When restaurants were opening, there were lines out the doors, reservations for dinner and doing a lot of takeout, so you can see the energy of people to make it a point to shop and dine local is definitely in the air, and that was seen not only with our restaurants, but our retail stores, including our local pharmacies, our local hardware stores.

“People have definitely been supporting our local businesses and coming to-gether as one and doing their part to really own their town and protect their neighbor-hood and wanting success for everybody and not too much of a negative impact from the pandemic.”

Point Pleasant Borough has even welcomed some new businesses to the neigh-borhood throughout the pandemic.

“The businesses are very active and some new busi-nesses even developed in town. We’ve seen new hair salons coming in, new per-sonal service businesses coming in, as well as a new ice cream place ... so that is a positive sign of the times

to come here in Point Pleas-ant,” Ms. McCabe said.

“We have been really ad-vocating for our business-es with our legislators on a county and state level, and we have seen nothing but positive support. They are realizing the backbone of ev-ery community is the local business scene that employs a lot of people of all ages. It is a great social connection for people to have that abili-ty to go into a place of busi-ness and be recognized and known.

“It makes you feel good about living here and shop-ping here and being part of the community. We have been letting them know about the financial services that are available, services for their employees if they had to have any layoffs. We have been researching bene-fits and grants for the busi-nesses and sharing that with them all these months and will continue to until we are out of the woods on this.

“We’re here to support the business community and be an anchor for them to turn to when they need us. We have been keeping our local business community vibrant and creating a great vibe so people want to come here and spend money and res-idents in town understand that their contributions to the businesses are so im-portant.”


Brick schools open with most students inside classrooms

District put hybrid cohort model in effect for start of school on Sept. 8

BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE OCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — The Brick Township Public School District’s two student cohorts attended their first day of class on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, as the township’s school system began its new hybrid learning model last week.

Approximately 75 percent of the district’s more than 8,000 students are participating in the hybrid model, which offers in-person instruction to alternating A and B cohorts four days a week, and remote learning for both cohorts on Fridays. The remainder of the student popu-lation is receiving remote instruction full-time.

“We’re in a hybrid mode … so part of the students in the hybrid mode came in yesterday, the other half came today. Of course, we have our virtual students as well,” Susan McNamara, the district’s director of planning, re-search and evaluation said Wednesday.

“Overall, I think [Superintendent of Schools Thomas] Farrell, as well as the entire administrative team, feels as if the opening went well, and we’re very appreciative of our staff, our students and certainly our parent commu-nity, for being supportive and flexible and really grateful for all of their efforts to get us to this point.”

Scott Yunker can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 23.

COURTESY OF SANDY WITKOWSKI

AWARDING SEAWEEDERSThe Seaweeders Garden Club met Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the Garden Patch in Bay Head to present awards for this past year’s service by Seaweeders. Susan Tensen and Elaine Conti, award co-chairs, met with Seaweeders for the first time since March while practising social distancing to distribute the awards for 2019-2020.

26th annual Just Us Girls 5K canceled

T-shirt sales to benefit those with

breast cancer

BY HOPE PATTITHE COAST STAR

SEA GIRT — The annual Just Us Girls 5K walk and run that has taken place at the Sea Girt National Guard Training Center for the past 25 years has been canceled due to the coronavirus.

However, the organization will be selling commemo-rative long-sleeve T-shirts during September and Octo-ber. All proceeds of the sale will benefit local men and women suffering from breast cancer.

“We may not be walking this year, but we have not forgotten our friends who are suffering from breast cancer. This year we will continue our efforts by sell-ing the shirts to benefit those in need,” a press release from the organization states.

Just Us Girls is a local nonprofit, all-volunteer orga-nization that provides finan-cial and emotional support to men and women in Mon-mouth and Ocean counties who are coping with breast

cancer, according to its web-site.

All funds raised by the organization are returned to the community through financial awards and schol-arships. Since its inception, Just Us Girls has been able to assist more than 700 women by providing assistance, sup-port and encouragement.

T-shirts, which can be pur-chased via Venmo or check, are available for $25; size XXL shirts are $30.

To purchase a shirt: Venmo money to @kerri-arrington with your name and sizes in the comment section; or send checks with name and sizes to Just Us Girls, PO Box 663, Manasquan, NJ 08736.

T-shirt pick-up will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Manasquan Elks Lodge located at 17 Stockton Lake Boulevard, Manasquan. Extra T-shirts will also be sold that morn-ing.

For more information about Just Us Girls, visit www.justusgirls.net or www.facebook.com/justusgirls-monmouthandocean.

Hope Patti can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 49.

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COURTESY OF MARIA SANTOS

Fifth-grader Seth Santos, 10, has been 3D printing and fulfilling orders for hundreds of ear

guards being delivered for nurses in local hospitals and medical facilities.

Point Beach motel

cited for violating

state virus ordersOwner and manager of Beach Amethyst Motel

are accused of shutting off power to renters

BY TYLER SPRINGSTEEN

THE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The

Ocean County Prosecutor’s

Office has charged the own-

er and the manager of the

Beach Amethyst Motel at 202

Arnold Ave. with four counts

of committing an unlawful

act while under the gover-

nor’s order during a state of

emergency.

The two charged, owner

John Fernicola and manager

Amanda Wood, were cited

for demanding four of their

tenants pay their rent or

leave, Point Pleasant Beach

Police say. The tenants also

reported having power shut

off to their rooms for not

paying their rent on time.

The charges follow an ex-

ecutive order by Gov. Phil

Murphy in March that set a

60-day moratorium on re-

moving renters from their

homes by evictions or fore-

closures. The state may ex-

tend the moratorium.

Point Pleasant Beach Po-

lice responded to the motel

on Saturday, April 11, to in-

vestigate claims of a dispute

between management and

the occupants of several

rooms.After some investiga-

tion, police said, the actions

showed a pattern by manage-

ment and the owner of the

motel, in which power and

OCC test

site stats

released1,500 tested at

the college in first

two weeks

BY PATRICK REILLY

THE OCEAN STAR

OCEAN COUNTY — COVID-19

testing resumed at Ocean

County College in Toms

River on Tuesday after the

loss of a full day to stormy

weather on Monday, but offi-

cials are reducing the sched-

ule from five days a week to

three after reviewing the de-

mand.In its first two weeks of op-

eration at the site, The Ocean

County Health Department

was able to test more than

1,500 county residents by

operating five days a week.

By the end of last week, offi-

cials determined that a Mon-

day, Wednesday and Friday

schedule could meet the de-

mand going forward.

Testing that had been

scheduled for Monday, was

rescheduled to Tuesday on a

one-time basis.

“We are meeting the test-

ing needs of our residents

and will reduce the number

of test days to three at the

college,” Ocean County Pub-

lic Health Coordinator Dan-

iel Regenye said in a state-

ment. “Should the need exist

we will open up to five days

again.“Because of the limited

number of tests we have, it

still remains imperative that

people follow the require-

ments to be tested at the col-

lege,” he said.

“We do not want anyone

to show up at this testing

site without following the

COURTESY OF PFANJ

Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey and long-time

Brick Township High School assistant football coach Dominick

Marino died on Tuesday.

Youngster’s 3D printing aids

local health care workers

Fifth-grader, siblings

and friends produce

ear guards for face

mask comfort

BY KAYLA MARSH

THE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — A local

fifth-grader has mobilized

his siblings and friends

in a 3D printing initiative

to provide a much-need-

ed source of comfort to

health care professionals

on the frontlines of the

coronavirus battle.

Seth Santos, a 10-year-

old student at Nellie

F. Bennett Elementary

School, has been 3D-print-

ing and fulfilling orders for

hundreds of ear guards be-

ing delivered to nurses in

local hospitals and medi-

cal facilities.

The guard is a kind of

buckle that secures face

mask elastic straps in place

behind the head, relieving

strap tension that causes

ear pain and discomfort

when the masks are worn

during long shifts.

“I’ve been researching

3D printers since I was

around 6 or 7 years old,”

Seth told The Ocean Star.

“Seth’s first 3D print-

er came from Santa after

having been on his wish

list for two years,” Car-

los Santos, Seth’s father

said, added. “Since then

he’s saved up all his mon-

ey [from the] Tooth Fairy,

birthday gifts, chores and

sales of 3D printed items

via Facebook, along with

some help from grandpar-

ents, mom and dad. He’s

now up to five printers in

his 3DP lab.”

His mother, Maria San-

tos, said Seth was inspired

to start printing the ear

guards after she showed

him a post of a similar ini-

tiative on social media.

“There was a link on

Facebook of another boy,

I believe he lives in Cana-

da, who was doing this and

how successful it was in

the sense of how much the

demand was for these ear

guards,” she said.

“That boy shared the file

for other kids who have 3D

printers to also bring it to

“He went from one person printing these

to having six together printing so it really

helped and we got all the orders out.”

MARIA SANTOS, Seth’s mom

SEE PRINTING PAGE 4 SEE TEST PAGE 4

SEE MOTEL PAGE 2

Firefighters union leader mourned

Gov. Murpy extends condolences on death of Dominick Marino

BY PATRICK REILLY

THE OCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Domi-

nick Marino, New Jersey’s

firefighters’ union president,

died suddenly at his home on

Tuesday at the age of 61. Mr.

Marino was also a beloved

assistant football coach at

Brick Township High School

for many years.

Mr. Marino spent 25 years

working as a firefighter for

the North Bergen Fire De-

partment and the North

Hudson Regional Fire Res-

cue, retiring from active ser-

vice in 2011. He served many

years as vice president of

the Professional Firefighters

Association of New Jersey

[PFANJ], before becoming its

president in 2008.

“It’s with a heavy heart

that I inform our Brick foot-

ball family of the passing

of our amazing friend and

Coach Don Marino,” BTHS

football head coach Len

Zdanowicz said on Twitter

on Tuesday. “His reach went

far and wide.”

Mr. Marino began coach-

ing at Brick Township High

School in the early 1990s,

according to BTHS Athlet-

ic Director Peter Panuska,

who described the death as a

“huge loss for the Brick foot-

ball community.”

His style of coaching was

heavily influenced by that

of the late Warren Wolf, Mr.

Panuska said, adding that Mr.

Marino could be called one

of Coach Wolf’s “disciples.”

He was a role model for his

players, Mr. Panuska said,

and for decades, as the fresh-

man coach, would be the first

coach most Brick Township

players had.

“Throughout his many

years of coaching for the

Dragons, Don's role on the

coaching staff was an inte-

gral part of the program,” Mr.

Panuska told The Ocean Star

in an email. “He was the first

coach the incoming freshman

would meet when entering

the Brick Dragons' football

program. Don was our head

freshman football coach. His

coaching style was simple:

have his players practice dis-

cipline, understand the Brick

system, challenge their work

ethic, teach respect and val-

ues and be a second father to

his players.”

Mr. Panuska said he re-

members how proud Coach

Wolf was of Mr. Marino, as

far as whipping young play-

ers into shape to play at the

varsity level.

“Every coach on the staff

had all the confidence in the

SEE MOURNED PAGE 2

Boro school board

presents proposed

new budget online

$46M spending plan carries $97 average-home

tax hike; carries $97 average home tax hike

BY KAYLA MARSH

THE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — The own-

er of a home assessed at the

borough average will pay $97

more in school taxes this

year if the 2020-2021 Point

Pleasant School District Bud-

get is adopted.

In lieu of the board of ed-

ucation's April 6 meeting,

when the district’s budget

was to be introduced, the

Point Pleasant School Dis-

trict’s annual video budget

presentation was released in-

stead on the district website

last week. The change comes

as school districts across the

state continue remote learn-

ing amid the coronavirus

pandemic.“I’d like to take a moment

to applaud the efforts of the

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Fifth-grader Seth Santos, 10, has been 3D printing and fulfilling orders for hundreds of ear

guards being delivered for nurses in local hospitals and medical facilities.

The charges follow an ex-

ecutive order by Gov. Phil

Murphy in March that set a

60-day moratorium on re-

moving renters from their

homes by evictions or fore-

closures. The state may ex-

Point Pleasant Beach Po-

lice responded to the motel

on Saturday, April 11, to in-

vestigate claims of a dispute

between management and

the occupants of several

After some investiga-

tion, police said, the actions

showed a pattern by manage-

ment and the owner of the

motel, in which power and

OCC test

Youngster’s 3D printing aids

local health care workers

Fifth-grader, siblings

and friends produce

ear guards for face

mask comfort

BY KAYLA MARSH

THE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT —

fifth-grader has mobilized

his siblings and friends

in a 3D printing initiative

to provide a much-need

ed source of comfort to

health care professionals

on the frontlines of the

coronavirus battle.

Seth Santos, a 10-year-

old student at Nellie

F. Bennett Elementary

School, has been 3D-print

ing and fulfilling orders for

hundreds of ear guards be

ing delivered to nurses in

local hospitals and medi

cal facilities.

PAGE 2

Firefighters union leader mourned

Gov. Murpy extends condolences on death of Dominick Marino

Association of New Jersey

[PFANJ], before becoming its

president in 2008.

“It’s with a heavy heart

that I inform our Brick foot-

ball family of the passing

of our amazing friend and

Coach Don Marino,” BTHS

football head coach Len

Zdanowicz said on Twitter

on Tuesday. “His reach went

far and wide.”

Mr. Marino began coach-

ing at Brick Township High

School in the early 1990s,

according to BTHS Athlet-

ic Director Peter Panuska,

who described the death as a

“huge loss for the Brick foot-

ball community.”

His style of coaching was

heavily influenced by that

of the late Warren Wolf, Mr.

Panuska said, adding that Mr.

Marino could be called one

of Coach Wolf’s “disciples.”

He was a role model for his

players, Mr. Panuska said,

and for decades, as the fresh

man coach, would be the first

coach most Brick Township

players had.

“Throughout his many

years of coaching for the

Dragons, Don's role on the

coaching staff was an inte

gral part of the program,” Mr.

Panuska told The Ocean Star

in an email. “He was the first

coach the incoming freshman

would meet when entering

Boro school board

presents proposed

new budget online

$46M spending plan carries $97 average-home

tax hike; carries $97 average home tax hike

Point Pleasant School Dis-

trict’s annual video budget

presentation was released in-

stead on the district website

last week. The change comes

as school districts across the

state continue remote learn-

ing amid the coronavirus

“I’d like to take a moment

to applaud the efforts of the

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FPR COAST 04-16-20

Funeral homes adapt

to limits on gathering

in the era of COVID-19

Graveside rites restricted to 10 persons or less;

memorial services postponed indefinitely

BY ANTHONY ROSSICS

THE COAST STAR

NEW JERSEY — Funeral

homes throughout the state

of New Jersey are operating

amid the COVID-19 pandem-

ic to the best of their abilities

and are facing profound chal-

lenges.George R. Kelder, CEO

and Executive Director of

the New Jersey State Funer-

al Directors Association said,

“The problem that the pan-

demic has been bringing to

people as they are grieving

the death of someone in their

family, is they’ve been denied

access to the individual in the

hospital, they have not been

able to be beside them as

they are dying or when they

die and funeral homes are

giving individuals the abili-

ty to come into the funeral

home and briefly say their

goodbyes. They see the indi-

vidual, possibly have prayers

or a service with clergy and

then to proceed to the place

of disposition.”

Mr. Kelder, who lives in

Manasquan, said that funeral

homes have been suggesting

to families of the deceased

that they plan public me-

morial gatherings in the fu-

ture,after the state of emer-

gency has been lifted.

Kevin O’Brien, funeral di-

rector of O’Brien Funeral

Home in Wall Township said,

“We are 100 percent commit-

ted to our community. While

the range of services that

funeral homes can currently

offer is limited, our industry

is rooted in helping society

during difficult times. While

the current health crisis is

certainly unprecedented, our

standards and principles re-

main the same.”

Kevin Orender, funeral

director of Orender Family

Home for Funerals, said, “We

are open and continuing to

serve families. However, we

are very cautious about con-

tact. We are trying to con-

duct business over the phone

to limit exposure. We have


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Struggling restaurants feed

health care workers for free

Thirteen eateries

join Operation Feed

the Heroes

BY SCOTT YUNKER

THE COAST STAR

M O N M O U T H C O U N T Y —

Restaurants and eateries

buffeted by the novel coro-

navirus crisis are giving what

they can to health care work-

ers in need of fresh meals,

even as they sustain heavy fi-

nancial losses due to the gov-

ernment-mandated closure

of their dining spaces.

Spring Lake Manor, The

Domesticated Dad in Bel-

mar and The Elbow Room

and Marandola’s in Bradley

Beach are preparing meals

for delivery to an estimated

100 staff members at the Jer-

sey Shore University Med-

ical Center in Neptune on a

weekly basis, as participants

in Operation Feed the He-

roes, a food delivery service

founded and operated by

Ocean Township resident

Martin Mabe.

Mr. Mabe started Opera-

tion Feed the Heroes in late

March, after reading a mes-

sage posted by a friend on

social media.

She “is a nurse who said

that she’s getting nervous to

go home, because she’s so

close to possible contagion

that she doesn’t want her

family exposed [to the coro-

navirus],” Mr. Mabe told The

Coast Star. “She’s staying in

the hospital and getting tired

of cafeteria food.”

As a former first responder

and friend of several restau-

rateurs, Mr. Mabe felt a spe-

cial urge to help hospital

staffers stranded from home

and believed he had the

means to address it. A flurry

of phone calls and requests

on social media resulted in a

group of six to eight restau-

rants that has since grown to

13.“It’s getting a little tiring.

Especially now that we’re

up to two trips a day,” Mr.

Mabe said on March 26, his

ninth day of food delivery.

“It’s kind of like cooking up

food for an engagement of

Distillery helps state

troopers replenish

hand sanitizer stock

Maker of Applejack and brandy produces sanitizer

for delivery via Squan-based trooper association

BY HOPE PATTI

THE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — A distillery

that has shifted part of its

production to making hand

sanitizer donated more than

20 cases to the State Troop-

ers Fraternal Association

last week to ease the supply

shortage.Wayne Blanchard, presi-

dent of the STFA, headquar-

tered in Manasquan, said

the donation from Laird and

Company will be distributed

to state troopers throughout

New Jersey and will “ade-

quately supply all of the State

Police road stations and be-

yond that.”The STFA is holding a per-

sonal protective equipment

[PPE] drive in conjunction

with Health Profession-

als and Allied Employees

[HPAE] and Professional

Firefighters Association of

New Jersey [PFANJ] during

the supply shortage.

“One of our main focus-

es is helping out our first

responders and health care

workers,” said Lisa Laird-

Dunn, vice president and a

ninth generation of Laird and

Company.“When we heard that they

were in need, we felt it was

important to donate some of

our hand sanitizer to them,”

she said.Laird and Company, locat-

ed in Eatontown, is the oldest

distillery in the United States

and it is known for its Apple-

jack and apple brandy.

“We’ve been around for

a long time, so all through-

out history we’ve always an-

swered the call when there is

a need,” Ms. Laird-Dunn said.

She said during the Rev-

olutionary War, her fami-

ly provided Applejack to

troops, and one of her ances-

tors guided George Wash-

ington when he was moving

through the region. During

World War II, the distillery

produced pectin, a food pre-

servative used for war ra-

tions.“We’ve always tried to do

our part and we’re in a cri-

sis again. Obviously, it’s a

“We just try to help our community as much as we can.”

JENNIE YOUNG, The Domesticated Dad, Belmar

SEE FEED PAGE 2

SEE LIMITS PAGE 4

SEE DISTILLERY PAGE 4

Business retools to

provide protectionHatteras Press donates thousands of

protective face shields to doctors, nurses

BY SANNE YOUNG

THE COAST STAR

Amid the coronavirus

pandemic, Hatteras Press

has responded to desperate

entreaties from health care

workers for protective gear

by retooling its operation

from printing to making tens

of thousands of plastic face

shields.As of this week, more than

60,000 have been created,

said Bill Duerr, president of

the company formerly lo-

cated in Wall Township and

now based in Tinton Falls.

“We feel we’re doing re-

ally important work, by put-

ting out face shields that can

protect someone’s life,” said

Mr. Duerr, a Wall Township

resident who grew up in

Manasquan.

The company even re-

ceived a shoutout from Gov.

Phil Murphy, who on April 7

tweeted:“@_Hatteras, in Tinton

Falls, created 7,000 protec-

tive face shields for health

care providers and first re-

sponders. Owner Bill Duerr

COURTESY OF HATTERAS PRESS

Nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical Center show appreciation

for face shields donated by Hatteras Press.

SEE HELP PAGE 3

COURTESY OF CHERYL LYNCH

FEEDING THE FRONTLINE

Emergency department staffers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune receive lunch from Dune Donuts in Spring

Lake, as part of the Feed the Frontline Jersey Shore initiative organized by Cheryl Lynch, of Spring Lake, and Lillian Walsh, of Sea

Girt. Story page 27

CALL YOUR SALES REP TODAY 732-223-0076

Monday Night



Wine, Wine, W Beer, Growler Fills. 732-898-6860.


Hardwood

Sanding, refinishing, installation and

repairs. 732-223-6372, 732-272-2552.

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Riverside Cafe


Out & Pick Up. 732-245-4234.

Funeral homes adapt

to limits on gathering

in the era of COVID-19

Graveside rites restricted to 10 persons or less;

Mr. Kelder, who lives in

Manasquan, said that funeral

homes have been suggesting

to families of the deceased

that they plan public me-

morial gatherings in the fu-

ture,after the state of emer-

gency has been lifted.

Kevin O’Brien, funeral di-

rector of O’Brien Funeral

Home in Wall Township said,

“We are 100 percent commit-

ted to our community. While

the range of services that

funeral homes can currently

offer is limited, our industry

is rooted in helping society

during difficult times. While

the current health crisis is

certainly unprecedented, our

standards and principles re-

Kevin Orender, funeral

director of Orender Family

Home for Funerals, said, “We

are open and continuing to

serve families. However, we

are very cautious about con-

tact. We are trying to con-

duct business over the phone

to limit exposure. We have

BRIELLE y LAKE COMO y MANASQUAN y SEA GIRT y SPRING LAKE y SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS y WALL

$1.00

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

Struggling restaurants feed

health care workers for free

Thirteen eateries

join Operation Feed

the Heroes

BY SCOTT YUNKER

THE COAST STAR

M O N M O U T H C O U N T Y —

Restaurants and eateries

buffeted by the novel coro-

navirus crisis are giving what

they can to health care work-

ers in need of fresh meals,

even as they sustain heavy fi-

nancial losses due to the gov-

ernment-mandated closure

of their dining spaces.

Spring Lake Manor, The

Domesticated Dad in Bel-

mar and The Elbow Room

and Marandola’s in Bradley

Beach are preparing meals

for delivery to an estimated

100 staff members at the Jer-

sey Shore University Med-

ical Center in Neptune on a

weekly basis, as participants

in Operation Feed the He-

roes, a food delivery service

founded and operated by

Ocean Township resident

Martin Mabe.

Mr. Mabe started Opera-

tion Feed the Heroes in late

March, after reading a mes-

sage posted by a friend on

social media.

She “is a nurse who said

that she’s getting nervous to

go home, because she’s so

close to possible contagion

that she doesn’t want her

family exposed [to the coro-

navirus],” Mr. Mabe told The

Coast Star. “She’s staying in

the hospital and getting tired

of cafeteria food.”

As a former first responder

and friend of several restau-

rateurs, Mr. Mabe felt a spe-

cial urge to help hospital

staffers stranded from home

and believed he had the

means to address it. A flurry

of phone calls and requests

on social media resulted in a

group of six to eight restau-

rants that has since grown to

13.“It’s getting a little tiring.

Especially now that we’re

up to two trips a day,” Mr.

Mabe said on March 26, his

ninth day of food delivery.

“It’s kind of like cooking up

food for an engagement of

Distillery helps state

troopers replenish

hand sanitizer stock

Maker of Applejack and brandy produces sanitizer

for delivery via Squan-based trooper association

Dunn, vice president and a

ninth generation of Laird and

Company.“When we heard that they

were in need, we felt it was

important to donate some of

our hand sanitizer to them,”

she said.Laird and Company, locat-

ed in Eatontown, is the oldest

distillery in the United States

and it is known for its Apple-

jack and apple brandy.

“We’ve been around for

a long time, so all through-

out history we’ve always an-

swered the call when there is

a need,” Ms. Laird-Dunn said.

She said during the Rev-

olutionary War, her fami-

ly provided Applejack to

troops, and one of her ances-

tors guided George Wash-

ington when he was moving

through the region. During

World War II, the distillery

produced pectin, a food pre-

servative used for war ra-

tions.“We’ve always tried to do

our part and we’re in a cri-

sis again. Obviously, it’s a

“We just try to help our community as much as we can.”

JENNIE YOUNG, The Domesticated Dad, Belmar

SEE FEED PAGE 2

LIMITS PAGE 4

SEE DISTILLERY PAGE 4

Business retools to

provide protectionHatteras Press donates thousands of

protective face shields to doctors, nurses

BY SANNE YOUNG

THE COAST STAR

Amid the coronavirus

pandemic, Hatteras Press

has responded to desperate

entreaties from health care

workers for protective gear

by retooling its operation

from printing to making tens

of thousands of plastic face

shields.As of this week, more than

60,000 have been created,

said Bill Duerr, president of

the company formerly lo-

cated in Wall Township and

now based in Tinton Falls.

“We feel we’re doing re-

ally important work, by put-

ting out face shields that can

protect someone’s life,” said

Mr. Duerr, a Wall Township

resident who grew up in

Manasquan.

The company even re-

ceived a shoutout from Gov.

Phil Murphy, who on April 7

tweeted:“@_Hatteras, in Tinton

Falls, created 7,000 protec-

tive face shields for health

care providers and first re-

sponders. Owner Bill Duerr

COURTESY OF HATTERAS PRESS

Nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical Center show appreciation

for face shields donated by Hatteras Press.

SEE HELP PAGE 3

COURTESY OF CHERYL LYNCH

FEEDING THE FRONTLINE

Emergency department staffers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune receive lunch from Dune Donuts in Spring

Lake, as part of the Feed the Frontline Jersey Shore initiative organized by Cheryl Lynch, of Spring Lake, and Lillian Walsh, of Sea

Girt. Story page 27

AVON y BELMAR y BRADLEY BEACH y BRIELLE y LAKE COMO y MANASQUAN y SEA GIRT y SPRING LAKE y SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS y WALLMONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

®

Monday Night SpecialEdition


DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE OCEAN STAR

FOUR-WHEELED BIRTHDAY PARTY

On his 10th birthday April 21, Brian Linton, of Point Pleasant, along with Angela Ravaioli, waved to family and friends who drove

by his home in a motorcade to congratulate him with cards, balloons and festive banners.

Belmar announces

parking crackdown

Non-resident parking

restricted as borough

seeks to curb crowds

BY MICHAEL NUNES

THE COAST STAR

BELMAR — The borough has

closed off public parking on

several streets in the south-

ern position of Belmar in

an effort to discourage large

crowds from assembling at

the borough’s beachfront.

On Friday, April 24, the

borough announced that 16th

Avenue South to North Bou-

levard including B Street,

Snyder Avenue, A Street,

Surf Avenue, 17th, 18th, 19th

and 20th avenues will be

parking for Belmar residents

only.An emergency order,

Belmar Borough Emergen-

cy Order No. 2020-01, was

signed by Mayor Mark Wal-

sifer on April 21 giving the

borough the ability to close

off on street parking to vis-

itors. The order will stay in

place until the state’s state of

emergency is rescinded.

During the borough coun-

cil meeting on April 21, May-

or Walsifer said that visitors

are still coming to the bor-

ough’s oceanfront on sunny

days, and it has gotten to

the point where the borough

needs to consider ways to

“discourage people from

driving through town.”

“We know we have a lot of

people coming into town on

nice days and want to take a

walk in our town when they

should be staying in their

own town,” the mayor said.

The borough is experiencing

an “influx,” he said, but oth-

er towns on the Jersey Shore

were having a similar issue.

“What we decided to do

was, as needed, take different

parts of our town to start do-

ing limited [closurers],” he

said. “If we deem that peo-

ple are coming into differ-

ent sections of town, say the

south section of town which

we see there is a problem

there, we are going to make

it resident only parking.”

Some problems areas dis-

cussed were at the southern

area of the borough, near the

border with Lake Como and

Spring Lake, and near Sylvan

Lake. On Thursday the borough

will look into creating signs

to inform visitors of the

change, the mayor added.

Since the coronavirus pan-

demic started, the borough

has already closed off the

boardwalk and parking spac-

SEE BELMAR PAGE 3

Fox News anchor

broadcasts from

her shore homeDana Perino of

Bay Head

BY KAYLA MARSH

THE OCEAN STAR

For many individuals

across the nation, the past

few weeks of working from

home has included hours

in front of laptops wearing

those favorite pair of sweats

or the most comfortable pa-

jama bottoms in the drawer.

But for Fox News anchor

Dana Perino, it has been

business as usual, just with

work being conducted from

the comfort of her shore

home.Since March, when the

coronavirus pandemic

prompted social distancing

measures across the coun-

try, Ms. Perino has been an-

choring her 2 p.m. news pro-

gram “The Daily Briefing,”

and co-hosting her 5 p.m.

roundtable discussion pro-

gram “The Five,” remotely

from her home in Bay Head,

where she is residing with

her husband, Peter McMa-

hon, and their Hungarian

vizsla dog, Jasper.

As the anchor of “The Dai-

ly Briefing,” Ms. Perino takes

on the major issues facing

Americans and explores

them from all angles, accord-

ing to the Fox News website.

During “The Five,” Ms. Peri-

no is part of a roundtable en-

semble of Fox News Channel

personalities who discuss

and debate the biggest news

stories, controversies and is-

sues of the day.

“We are in the fifth week

of broadcasting from our

house here in Bay Head. We

have an apartment we rent

in New York City, but we

come down on weekends or

whenever we can all year,

not just in the summertime.

We really love it here and

we have made some good

friends who are year-round

residents,” Ms. Perino said.

“We also use the opportu-

nity to reset and recharge

whenever we come here.”

A DAILY ROUTINE

For Ms. Perino, it has been

business as usual, except in-

stead of broadcasting from

New York City, she goes live

from the comfort of a guest

bedroom that features a 90-

inch screen with multiple

backdrops to help bring the

professional look viewers

know and expect.

“I would say my sched-

ule ... it hasn’t changed that

much except for that I don't

ever leave the house. I still

usually wake up around 5:45

and I start the mad dash of

trying to read as much as I

possibly can,” she said.

“I always take a break from

8 to 9 [a.m.] to do some exer-

cise and because it has been

quite chilly this past month, I

have ridden my Peloton [ex-

ercise bike] in the mornings

to get some blood flowing

and calories burned.

SEE ANCHOR PAGE 3

Governor sets road map

to reopening economy

Also renews his

call for federal

assistance

BY MICHAEL NUNES

THE COAST STAR

TRENTON — In his Monday

briefing, New Jersey Gov.

Phil Murphy set out six

principles to be followed

in order to begin reopening

the state and restoring its

economy. The first four principles

are: a sustained reduction

in new virus cases and hos-

pitalizations, a doubling of

diagnostic testing, institu-

tion of a contact tracing

program and the creation

of safe places for those who

have the virus.

The fifth principle is the

creation of a “Governor’s

Restart and Recovery Com-

mission” and the creation of

a plan for ramping up eco-

nomic activity, based on the

degree of disease transmis-

sion risk.The sixth principle is an

inventory of personal pro-

tective equipment for health

institutions and creation of

a plan to handle the next

pandemic.

“Our priority is to use sci-

ence, data, and facts to put

New Jersey on the road to

recovery. In order to restore

economic health, we must

first promote public health,”

Gov. Murphy said. “These

key principles and metrics

are critical for giving New

Jerseyans confidence that

we will reopen our state

with our public health pro-

tocols firmly in place and

our health care system pre-

pared. Restarting New Jer-

sey’s economy and return-

ing people to work will be

done methodically, strategi-

cally, and responsibly.”

Stating that "public health

equals economic health,”

the governor declared his

eagerness to see the eco-

nomic life of New Jersey

returning from weeks of in-

activity. "I want nothing more than

to see every main street up

and down the state filled

with shoppers and diners

once again,” Gov. Murphy

said. “I want our construc-

tion sites roaring with ac-

tivities once again, I want

to see the shore humming

throughout the summer. We

will move as quickly as we

can as safely as we must."

New coronavirus cas-

es continue to climb, with

2,146 new cases reported

Monday, bringing the state

total to 111,188. Deaths have

SEE ECONOMY PAGE 3

COURTESY OF COVID19.NJ.GOV

Governor Phil Murphy today announced his vision for “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health

Through Public Health” which included these six principles as outlined in this infographic from

covid19.nj.gov



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H.W. Mountz students return to schoolFever checks, masks, half days now normal

for students

BY PATRICK REILLYTHE COAST STAR

SPRING LAKE — H.W. Mountz students and staff final-ly were able to return last Tuesday to the hallways and classrooms they vacated seven months ago, putting a carefully drawn reopening plan into action.

Arriving students received a quick temperature check before they entered the school, wearing face cover-ings and taking their social-ly-distanced seats in front of teachers, who were also wearing face masks. They spent a half day in the build-ing before being dismissed at 12:40 p.m.

Superintendent Stephen LaValva said that the whole school community was en-thusiastic about the fi rst day and he expected things to be running smoothly once everyone became familiar with the new processes ne-cessitated by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s going to be a process to get where we need to be but it does feel really good to know that the kids are com-ing back,” he said. “Every-body’s excited for the kids returning,” Mr. LaValva told The Coast Star on Tuesday.

The school administration and school board had spent hours over the summer months developing a plan for the students to return to H.W. Mountz.

In addition to the half-day schedule and mask require-ment, significant changes were made to the building,

including HVAC upgrades, removal of carpeting and reassignment of homeroom classrooms from their previ-ous locations.

“The faculty has been very patient with the admin-istration because we basical-ly had to reinvent everything we do,” Mr. LaValva said. “In

three months we’ve had to restructure our whole day. So we’ve had to make a lot of physical modifi cations to building.”

The homeroom changes were needed to accommo-date a “remarkable” number of new students attending Mountz this year. There are

41 new students, from 22 families.

“We have a total of 41 stu-dents who are brand-new to Mountz and that includes students in pre-K but also grades K-8 which is an ex-traordinarily high number of new students for us in a small district ... That’s a re-markable number of new families, and we welcome all of them,” Mr. LaValva said.

Orientation sessions were held on Tuesday for those new families, as well as for incoming pre-K and kin-dergarten students. There was also an orientation at the school for about 10 stu-dents who have opted for remote-learning option and have been issued chrome-books to use at home.

Mr. LaValva said that he and his staff believe that they are prepared for anything.

“I’m very confi dent we’ll be successful,” he said. “We have a veteran faculty … used to rolling with the punches associated with the general opening of the school year, which is always a little bit challenging. But especially with 41 new students and a whole new program in place, it’s presenting an opportuni-ty for us to really experience something diff erent. I think people are going to rise to the occasion better than we could even imagine.”

The next Spring Lake Board of Education Meet-ing is on Monday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m., which Mr. LaVal-va hopes can be conducted in-person.

Patrick Reilly can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 110.

In-person, on-site learning returns to Beach schools

Strict criteria to keep children and staff safe

BY TYLER SPRINGSTEEN THE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Last Tuesday marked the first day of in-person in-struction in Point Pleasant Beach schools since the start of the COVID-19 pan-demic.

"We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we are very happy with how the year has start-ed," said Superintendent William Smith. "Students, staff and families took our efforts to reopen schools seriously, and they are working together to make it successful."

The district set in place many precautions to try and keep those in the build-ing safe from the spread of COVID-19.

The year begins with new rules to combat the spread of the virus, includ-ing block scheduling and various entry and dismiss-al times to limit the num-ber of people in the build-ing at once. Along with new Wednesday virtual days that give the school a chance to more thoroughly clean the school, students, staff and administrators are screened and must wear masks to protect everyone in the school.

"Students are doing a great job wearing masks and adapting to new proce-dures," said Mr. Smith.

The school had an op-tion for students to attend school virtually to give families a choice in return-ing to school with others; around 80 students dis-trict-wide chose this op-tion.

The remainder of the students will follow strict policies to keep themselves and those around them safe.

Mr. Smith said even with the changes, he is glad to see everyone working to-gether.

"We have changed our schedules, our pedagogical practices, and how we use our technology, so it will take some time to grow ac-customed to the new rou-tine, but it is apparent that everyone is willing to do their part," said the super-intendent

Mr. Smith said one of the most important parts of the management of students is the responsibility of the community.

"I really want to em-phasize that we have in-corporated health and safety practices into our operations and daily rou-tines, but it is critical that parents complement our eff orts with ongoing rein-forcement of the impor-tance of social distancing and why handwashing is so important," he said.

"We also really need the community to support our eff orts by maintaining vig-ilance outside of school hours," Mr. Smith add-ed. "Parents can encour-age social distancing and deter large gatherings of students. And it is worth repeating, parents should keep their children home when they are feeling ill or showing symptoms consis-tent with COVID-19."

According to the super-intendent, from what he sees, students are glad to be learning in-person rath-er than the virtual half of a year they experienced in the spring.

"It is readily apparent that students are happy to be back among their friends and to a routine schedule of learning activ-ities," said Mr. Smith. "I am hopeful that we can sustain their enthusiasm for a long stretch of time."

With conditions con-stantly changing, the dis-trict hopes it can keep the school year going with pre-cautions and rules set to keep attendees safe.

Tyler Springsteen can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 114.

Rosary Altar Society hosts 2020 fall mum sale in Bay Head

Sales runs Saturday afternoon and

Sunday morning

BY KAYLA MARSH THE OCEAN STAR

BAY HEAD — The Sacred Heart Church Rosary Altar Society is preparing to host its annual fall mum sale this month.

Parishioners and commu-nity members may choose from a varied selection of colorful potted mums, as well as bushel baskets with a mum, millet and fall fl owers, when the sale takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 20 from 8 a.m. to noon on the grass off the parking lot at the church, 751 Main Ave.

“We actually had people that were asking about it and if we were going to have it,” President Kathy Pellerito said.

“People look forward to coming and buying fl owers from us and we’re hoping we were going to have it this year, so we discussed

it and the pastor okayed it. We have decided to scale it back and we’re all going to have masks on and following proper practices.

“It is a little hard to know what to expect [this year] … but we’re at least hoping to sell out like we usually do.”

According to Ms. Pellerito, the mums are sold each fall in an eff ort to raise money for many charitable causes including a scholarship, do-nations to local charities and support of the parish.

“We have our same fi nan-cial obligations to meet that we would have any other year. so we have a schol-arship that we do and it is usually for a nursing student returning to college at Geor-gian Court College,” she said.

“We also support Seeds of Service [in Brick]. We have been helping them out throughout this whole [coro-navirus] pandemic because they had a huge increase in people seeking assistance from them as far as food went. We sent notice to all the Rosarians and they have been very generous donat-

ing some food and helping them out with that.”

While meetings and activ-ities of the Rosary Altar So-ciety are currently canceled amid the coronavirus pan-demic, the society typically met on the third Tuesday in the months of April, May, June, September, October, November and December, with the recited at 7:10 p.m. in church, followed by Mass at 7:30 p.m. A monthly meet-ing follows in Msgr. Casey Hall, with coff ee served.

All women are invited to become members. Along with annual dues, fund-raisers and raffles are held throughout the year, such as the annual rummage sale in October, to help pay for

the altar breads and other charitable donations. The society also takes care of the altar cloths and priests’ vest-ments.

“We have suspended all of our rosary meetings and ac-tivities ... we’re hoping to be able to start up normal again next April,” Ms. Pellerito said. “It is very hard on the ladies. A lot of them are old-er and some don’t have fam-ily in the area but we try to stay in touch with each oth-er.

“We hope people come out and shop local and shop safe. I know a lot of the same people always come every year and they look forward to it, so we’re excited.

“A lot of people in the summer were home and did spend more time in their yards and did spend more time in their garden and a lot of people planted vegeta-bles and things, so hopeful-ly it carries over to the fall, which I am sure it will.”


Lavallette Elementary opens with virtual and in-person classroomsBY SCOTT YUNKERTHE OCEAN STAR

LAVALLETTE — With corona-virus-related safety proto-cols in place, quality of ed-ucation will be top of mind for the new school year, Su-perintendent Peter Morris told the Lavallette school board at its meeting last Tuesday.

“There’s a big piece for us, now. The big piece is the academic piece, whether it’s virtual or whether it’s in school,” he told board mem-bers. “We’ve done the health and safety things … now

we’ve got to get to teaching kids.”

Lavallette Elementary’s first day of classes took place last Thursday. One hundred and forty-eight stu-dents were slated to attend in person, according to in-formation provided by Mr. Morris and Business Admin-istrator Patricia Christopher on Tuesday. An additional 10 students have opted to receive full-time remote in-struction.

Should a change between online and in-person learn-ing be necessary, the tran-sition should be seamless, according to Mr. Morris,

who has stressed COVID-19 contingencies in past board meetings: “We could be im-pacted on day two with a case that happens in Point Pleasant Beach High School, because of the brother of a child in your kid’s sec-ond-grade class,” he said in August.

With that possibility in mind, faculty and staff will spend the fi rst days of school ensuring students are equipped and familiarized with school-provided com-puters.

“Our agenda, right away, is to give the kids technology,” Mr. Morris said, snapping

his fi ngers. “So if we go right away into virtual [instruc-tion], they’ll already have a platform that they know.”

In response to questions from board members, Mr. Morris also outlined La-vallette Elementary’s new lunch program. This fall, caf-eteria staff will prepare and deliver bagged lunches to students in their respective classrooms, where students will remove their masks and eat behind collapsible bar-riers erected on their desk-tops. On Tuesday, Mr. Mor-ris predicted the change will cause lunch sales to dimin-ish. However, lunch sales are

typically low at Lavallette Elementary, according to Ms. Christopher.

Mr. Morris also discussed the school’s policy in regard to students returning from family vacations. Per state mandates and guidelines, Lavallette Elementary stu-dents returning from travel must self-isolate and attend 14 days of remote instruc-tion, or receive and submit a negative result from a novel coronavirus test, according to Mr. Morris and Ms. Chris-topher. The superintendent and school board members tabled discussion of poten-tial penalties for families

failing to report travel activ-ities for a later date.

In the meantime, Mr. Mor-ris will facilitate the business of education at Lavallette El-ementary.

“I want my focus to be on the teachers teaching,” he said Tuesday. “I want to be out and about, making sure teaching is going on.”

Scott Yunker can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 23.


H.W. Mountz students put on their masks before walking into their fi rst day of school on Wednesday morning.

“People look forward to coming and buying fl owers from us and

were hoping we were going to have it this

year.” KATHY PELLERITO, President

Rosary Altar Society

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September is declared Hunger Action MonthAvon-By-The-Sea

announces event to support Fulfill food bank

BY ANTHONY ROSSICSTHE COAST STAR

AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The borough commissioners have approved a resolu-tion declaring September as Hunger Action Month in Avon-By-The-Sea.

Mayor Edward Bonanno said, “Hunger and poverty issues are a grave concern in New Jersey. This is an is-sue for people in our area, as well as throughout the state and country. In our area, because of COVID-19, but unfortunately people have problems and need these services that the great work of the Foodbank of Mon-mouth and Ocean Counties provides.”

He continued, “Problems are just a lot more severe

with COVID. A lot of people have lost their jobs or are getting paid a lot less if they still have their jobs in some cases. The food bank has re-ally been stressed in provid-ing for the needs of people in our area of Monmouth and Ocean counties.”

Along with passing the resolution, the borough has announced an event that will occur, currently planned for Saturday, Sept. 26 that will benefit Fulfill. The de-tails are still currently being worked out by the borough and a final announcement will come soon.

“For us to be able to help people who have had a re-ally tough time during this COVID crisis is very import-ant,” said Mayor Bonanno.

The resolution was passed unanimously.

More than 215,000 individ-uals rely on food from food banks since the beginning of the pandemic. Unem-ployment is currently at the

highest level it has ever been in the history of the state and the state poverty level for a family of four is $25,465 with 9.5 percent of families living below that level.

The resolution passed by the borough supports the efforts of Fulfill, which was formerly known as The Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties to address the needs of people in the local area.

Since March 13, 2020, Ful-fill has provided 1,986,909 meals including 16,000 more meals per day than the year

before — 903,984 of those meals were provided to Monmouth County resi-dents.

According to Fulfill, due to the pandemic, one in ev-ery six people in Monmouth and Ocean counties received emergency food from Fulfill and their network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other commu-nity organizations.

Including the event being held in Avon-By-The-Sea, Fulfill will be hosting nu-merous events throughout the month of September to

bring awareness and atten-tion to encourage involve-ment in efforts to end hun-ger in the local community.

BEACH LOCKERSThe borough would like to

remind residents and beach-goers that all beach lockers must be cleaned out by Sun-day, Sept. 20, which will be the last day beaches will be open for the summer season.

Anything left in the lock-ers after that date will be deemed abandoned and will be disposed of by the bor-ough.

NEXT MEETINGThe next Borough of

Avon-By-The-Sea Commis-sioners meeting will take place virtually on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

The meeting will include the second reading and pub-lic hearing for Ordinance 17-2020 that will adopt a re-development plan for Field Street and Snyder Lane. The plan would include Block 3,

lots 1, 2 ,3, 4, 5.01 and 5.02; Block 4.01, lots 1, 2 and 3; Block 4.02, lots 1, 2.01 and lots 2.03 through 2.15, Field Street and Snyder Lane.

Local law allows munici-palities to determine wheth-er certain parcels of land within their area are in need of redevelopment.

The borough, through the firm T&M Associates, had previously prepared a plan entitled “North End Rede-velopment Plan,” which will see improvements made to the aforementioned block and lots of land.

The information for join-ing the meeting will be list-ed on the borough’s website at: https://www.avonbythe-seanj.com/ — a phone num-ber and a pin number will be placed on the website home page.

Anthony Rossics can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 22.

Chef Lou’s Army to host Main Street Manasquan block party fundraiser

Sept. 17 benefit to help families during 2020

holiday season

BY HOPE PATTITHE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — Chef Lou’s Army will host a fundraiser next week to support the organization’s mission of supplying meals to essen-tial and frontline workers, first responders and fami-lies in need.

The “safe in the streets” block party featuring a va-riety of food, music and prizes is set for Thursday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. on Main Street in Manasquan.

“It’s been a long six months. There’s over a mil-lion people out of work still and the holidays are going to be tough,” said Chef Lou Smith, of Blend restaurant on Main. “So what we’ve done is created a little par-ty. We’ve got a bunch of door prizes and a bunch of people who want to sup-port.”

Tickets can be reserved at https://cheflousarmy.org/ or purchased at the door. Ticket prices are as follows: $75 for one ticket and one prize entry; $100 for one ticket and five prize entries; $150 for two tick-ets and two prize entries; or $200 for two tickets and 10 prize entries. Previous donors will receive a dis-count.

The event will feature unlimited food from ven-dors including, but not lim-ited to, Qua, WindMill and Ohana Grill, as well as fall menu samples from Blend on Main and passed hors d’oeuvres.

Door prizes include $500 worth of A5 Wagyu beef, a $250 gift certificate to Tarte.com, a full spa day at Raz-berri’s Salon, restaurant gift certificates, a cruiser bike and more. Attendees will also receive exclusive “army” gear.

Proceeds of the event will benefit Chef Lou’s Army, an organization es-tablished by Mr. Smith as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Smith said he’s hop-ing to raise money to make the holiday season “a little less challenging” for fami-lies in need.

Mr. Smith realized a need in the community during the pandemic and formal-ized his “army,” consisting of partner chefs and restau-rants throughout the state, to provide ready-to-eat, free and nutritious meals.

Chef Lou’s Army also “aims to support the front-line support staff and those impacted by tragedy,” and assist “the underemployed food industry workers with ‘back to work’ opportuni-ties from food prep to op-erational assistance to field delivery of meals,” accord-ing to the organization’s website.

“This was just another opportunity to help out at a really tough time during COVID,” Mr. Smith said. “We’ve served over 50,000 meals in our efforts, which is great, and a lot of peo-ple have said we’ve made a lot of difference in a really tough time.”

Hope Patti can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 49.

Grant to further services, programs for elderly in Point BoroPoint Boro to get iPads, equipment to support

social distancing


POINT PLEASANT — The Bor-ough of Point Pleasant has secured grant monies to help provide additional ser-vices for the community’s senior population.

At the Aug. 24 meeting of the borough council, the governing body accepted a grant in the amount of $8,139 from the Ocean Area Plan Grant “for services provided to the elderly.”

“Mayor [Robert] Sabosik and the borough council have once again secured additional grant monies to

go towards recreation pro-grams, specifically those programs geared towards our senior citizen communi-ty,” Borough Administrator Frank Pannucci Jr. told The Ocean Star.

“The mayor and coun-cil have been working very hard securing grant money over the years ranging from road projects, sidewalks, clean communities and rec-reation programming.”

Last year, the borough re-ceived an increase in grant funding from the Ocean County Office of Senior Ser-vices, allowing it to expand services and programs for the community’s senior pop-ulation.

Previous grant funding from the Ocean County Of-fice of Senior Services has

allowed the municipality to fund additional days of services and programs for the Point Pleasant Senior Beehive, as well as staff for those days.

Point Pleasant Senior Bee-hive programs, held at The Church of St. Martha on Herbertsville Road, include a host of activities includ-ing knitting and ceramics classes, games, card groups, Mahjong, art and other so-cial programs. Prior to hav-ing been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic, pro-grams were held three days a week at the church.

“Our senior programs are run through our Senior Bee-hive. Even though we had to close our Senior Beehive down due to COVID-19 this year, we didn’t stop planning

for the future and making sure we had programs for when it is safe to welcome our seniors back,” Mayor Sa-bosik said.

“Councilman [William] Borowsky, who chairs the [council’s] Recreation Com-mittee, along with our Rec-reation Department, have done an outstanding job obtaining various grants throughout the year includ-ing this one and I thank them for their efforts. This money will allow us to increase pro-gramming and create new and innovative programs for our seniors to enjoy.”

Mr. Pannucci said: “These funds will be used for a vari-ety of reasons to further our programming, from buying new equipment to promote social distancing when we

are able to resume senior center programming,” he said, such as new tables, sanitizing stations and iP-ads, which I am very excited about.”

“Our Recreation Depart-ment has been working very hard coming up with new ways to engage our com-munity. When the Beehive reopens, they will begin

courses teaching senior citi-zens how to use iPads, on a weekly basis.

“This will help our senior residents learn how to use iPads and other technology so they can stay connected at home to the world if there ever is another quarantine, for example. Even for those that have tablets and smart phones at home, these pro-grams will help them be-come more adept and sav-vy using their devices and hopefully teach them some new and useful things.”


“Problems are just a lot more severe with COVID. A lot of people have lost their jobs or

are getting paid a lot less if they still have their jobs in some cases. The foodbank has really been stressed in providing for the needs of

people in our area of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.”

EDWARD BONANNO, Mayor of Avon-By-The-Sea

“We didn’t stop planning for the

future and making sure we had programs

for when it is safe to welcome our senior’s back.”

ROBERT SABOSIK, Mayor Borough of Point Pleasant

Team Shamrock gets a move onZumba event

supports Tunnel to Towers Foundation

BY BRIGID MCCARTHYTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — The rain date for Saturday’s Team Shamrock fundraiser was set for Sunday, and some concerns about inclem-ent weather lingered even on Friday. But the outdoor Zumba event luckily began as planned on a cool, sunny, almost-autumn day.

“We got a lot of good peo-ple looking down on us right now,” said event organizer, Team Shamrock founder and Spring Lake Heights resident Kathy Robertson Cunningham, looking up at a clear sky before lowering her gaze to the crowd of dancers supporting her cause.

Ms. Cunningham started Team Shamrock to honor the memory of her brother, Don Robertson Jr., who died in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. By raising money for Tun-nel for Towers, a foundation that financially aids Gold Star families, families of de-ceased first responders and severely injured veterans, she and Team Shamrock aim to “turn that tragedy into a tribute, do good, make a difference,” as she said to the crowd in her opening speech.

This is Ms. Cunning-ham’s eighth year of Team Shamrock, but her 13th year fundraising for Tunnel for Towers. Through her efforts, the team has raised over a million dollars toward smart homes and mortgage pay-ments for these soldiers and their loved ones.

“We need to make sure that nobody forgets what happened that day,” Ms. Cunningham said. “We need to take that tragedy of

an awful day like 9/11, and not dwell on it but turn it into something positive and hopeful and good.”

Ms. Cunningham, a fit-ness instructor at the Atlan-tic Club, decided to create change through a medium she knows well. This year’s Zumba event took place out-side at the Wall Municipal Basketball Courts, where a crowd numbering more than 100 was led by Zumba instructors Amanda O’Neill, Tara Romano, Jackie Sha-heed and Gina Velazquez.

DJ Frankie Perez played music, and off-court activ-ities included shamrock face-painting, raffles, and refreshments. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Ms. Cunningham and the rest of Team Shamrock

usually fundraise through the summer, but due to COVID-19 safety regula-tions, this is the first com-munity event they’ve had in months.

“People needed to get out; they needed a reason to dance; they needed a reason to smile and have some fun,” Ms. Cunningham explained of her desire to hold the event after months of inac-tivity.

Though Ms. Cunningham encouraged mask usage in her opening speech, most participants went mask-less on the basketball court. Still, dancers observed so-cial distancing for the most part and Karen Goble of Bri-elle, a member of Ms. Cun-ningham’s team, said that she trusted the judgement

of the nearby police when analyzing the safety of the event. Her coworker Ginny Valente, a Wall resident and another one of Ms. Cunning-ham’s right-hand women, added that they did their best to accommodate vary-ing levels of comfort.

“Everyone takes their own precautions. We have peo-ple in the back with masks. We’ve tried to accommodate everyone,” Ms. Valente said.

Jaime Zazzara, a high school teacher and author based in Florida but current-ly residing in Toms River, attended the Zumba event for two reasons: to support instructor Tara Romano, a friend of hers since grade school, and to aid the cause at hand, a cause that she holds close to her heart. Her upcoming book, titled “Free-dom Isn’t Free,” will “give back to veterans, to first re-sponders, and tell their sto-ries.”

“It was a sad day yester-day [Sept. 11]. But I think it’s important that we honor and we share the stories of those that were lost, and teach kids the history of what hap-pened,” Ms. Zazzara said. “I teach a high school class… they have no concept of what really happened.

Ms. Cunningham reflect-ed that there are many ways to keep one’s memory alive. She spoke of her brother’s children:“living legacies” of him. She spoke of easy conversation, of telling sto-ries to family members. But through Team Shamrock, she hopes that her brother’s memory and the bigger nar-rative he plays into reaches a wider audience.

“Monmouth County lost 170 souls from 9/11… every-body here knows somebody that was lost. And that’s why we want to continue to keep their names alive,” Ms. Cun-ningham said.

TYLER SPRINGSTEEN THE COAST STAR

Kathy Cunningham, who organized the Zumba fundraiser, poses with Brayden Morgan, 9, who opened the event by singing the national anthem

https://www.avonbythe-seanj.com/




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Monday Night Special Edition - cdn.starnewsgroup.com · school had spent months planning for the open-ing on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Classrooms were refitted with plexiglass shields and