Board honors student and retiring staff and highlights expansion of band and chorus

The Brielle School District Board of Education honored a student achievement and several long-serving staff members at its Jan. 15 meeting and heard updates on arts and extracurricular programming.

An administrator recognized Marine Whiting for winning first prize in the Monmouth County Law Day poster contest; she attended an awards event at the Monmouth County Courthouse. The student declined to speak at the meeting but was applauded by the audience.

The board also recognized three retirees: Mr. De Benadetto, who was described as the school's media center teacher and a coach and who retires after 24 years of service; Mrs. Adrien Mahan, the district social worker with 21 years of service; and Miss Dolan, a physical education and health teacher retiring after 29 years. Board members and administrators praised each for their dedication and contributions to the school community.

On programming, the curriculum committee reported that the district will integrate band and chorus into the school day for grades 6–8; the committee reported current enrollments of 44 students in band and 31 in chorus. The committee also reviewed multi-year NJSLA data and behavioral-referral trends related to a prior consolidation of fourth- and fifth-grade groupings and found no glaring academic concerns; some cohort adjustments are planned for next year.

The recognitions and program updates were presented as part of the meeting's consent and committee reports; no formal votes were required to recognize the retirees or the student's award.