Barnegat Board honors student Upstanders and 31 Seal of Biliteracy recipients; student leaders outline mentorship and courtyard plans

At a meeting of the Barnegat Township Board of Education, trustees presented Upstander awards to district students and recognized 31 juniors and seniors who earned the Seal of Biliteracy, while student government leaders outlined plans for a peer-mentorship program and a repurposed high‑school courtyard.

The board’s district supervisor of guidance, Ms. Camerata, described the Upstander program as "a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate students districtwide who demonstrate the specific Bengal pride trait." The board presented plaques and gift certificates for recipients, sponsored by Gary Brown of Patriot Financial and Vinnie’s (gift cards), and named individual honorees including Jeremiah Smith, Jesus Luna Vargas, Aaliyah Solmenko, Madeline McCormick, Bella Bean, Lena Kopechek and Isaac Navaros.

Student representative Daniel Hoffman told the board the student advisory committee has been building a peer‑to‑peer mentorship program designed to create smaller communities of support and to identify students in need of ongoing mentorship. "Our goal this year has been to address residual culture and climate issues that the high school faces," Hoffman said, describing the mentorship build‑out and saying the group is also pursuing grants and donations to repurpose an unused secondary courtyard at Barnegat High School into an agricultural green space.

The board also recognized the district’s Seal of Biliteracy recipients. District staff reported that 13 seniors and 18 juniors — 31 students in total — met requirements in reading, writing, listening and speaking in Spanish, Portuguese and French as assessed by "Apple testing," and were honored at the meeting. The superintendent noted this is the district’s seventh consecutive year participating in the Seal of Biliteracy program.

Hoffman also reported on student philanthropic and extracurricular activities: the student government plans fundraisers supporting the Ava’s Voice Foundation; it has begun creating a Barnagat High School Alumni Association; and he highlighted that roughly 400 of the district’s about 1,000 high‑school students participated in the school’s Rumble in the Jungle event this year.

No formal board action was taken on the student government’s proposals; Hoffman said the next steps for the courtyard project include securing grants and donations.