OLDB
ALL AROUND
VOL 1, NO 6
OB RIDGE OLD BRIDGE
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Pursuing Progress
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Mayor's office of Economic Development
A Publication for the community of Old Bridge
LEADERSHIP OB STAR QUARTERBACK TRANSFERS DAY TO SUNSHINE STATE By Matt Agosta Q u ar terb ack Ar tur Sit kowski announced his departure from OBHS via his Twitter account l ast mont h . He t r ans fe r re d to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy is a premier sports recruiting school, most notably producing current and former NFL players such as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Heath Miller, Chad Pennington, Benjamin Watson, and Julius Jones. Sitkowski has been on IMG’s radar for the past few months and now plans to play out the rest of his high school career in the Sunshine State until ultimately committing to a college. Leaving his hometown and a school district filled with friends and longtime teammates was tough for the quarterback, who considered this
Photo of Students of St. Thomas On Friday February 3rd, St. Thomas the Apostle School (STA) presented their 2nd annual Leadership Day which was a wonderful closing to Catholic Schools week. There were over 500 people in attendance, including students, faculty, parents and guests. Among the special guests in attendance were Senator Sam Thompson, Owen Henry, Mayor of Old Bridge, Donna Kanowitz the Assistant Superintendent of Schools of the Diocese of Metuchen and Police Officer Pat D’Onofrio. STA is a licensed Leader in Me School, the first Catholic school in the state of New Jersey implementing the Leader in Me program. This program encourages stuContinued on page 17
Photo of Artur Sitkowski
as the “hardest decision” in his life. “I will always be an Old Bridge kid and never forget where I came from,” said Sitkowski, who has offers from a wide range of top Division I schools, including Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Miami, Rutgers, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Penn State, Pitt, Louisville, Ohio State, Iowa, Duke, Ole Miss, Temple, Indiana, Boston College, Michigan State, NC State and Syracuse. They all offered the 6’ 4”, 215-pound quarterback a scholarship and a spot on their rosters. “I want to thank Old Bridge High School’s administration, teachers, and staff for an unforgettable three years,” said Sitkowski. “Thank you Coach (Anthony) Lanzafama and your staff for Continued on page 22
CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION IN OB
Photo of Roshni Gandhi
Old Bridge administrators, local politicians, teachers, parents, and students voiced their concerns against a proposed charter school to be located in the township. The proposed school, the Albert Einstein EnergySmart Charter School, calls for a K-5 facility, opening in September with 160 students. The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school would expand yearly. By the 2020-21 school year, the proposal calls for grade levels K-5 with 360 students. While charter schools are created to help struggling students in towns that may not offer many different
programs, according to Superintendent of Schools David Cittadino, Old Bridge already provides a proper learning environment for all students. “Old Bridge is not a community that has a need for a charter school,” said Cittadino. “Now more than ever our schools are thriving. This is only an attempt by an outside entity to try to duplicate our services and successes on backs of the taxpayers of Old Bridge who would foot the bill and the educators and students who already did the work.” The proposal will cost the district $1.6 million in the first year and by 2020-2021 $3.6 million. Continued on page 22
CALVARY CHAPEL MOVIE SCREENING MARCH 10TH see page 12 MARCH 2017
@a GLANCE INSIDE
ST. AMBROSE TOURING TUESDAYS SEE PAGE 3 COOPER TRICKY TRAY SEE PAGE 10 AMBOY BANK HONORED BY FIRE DEPT SEE PAGE 13 SNOW DAY PHOTOS SEE PAGE 13 ST. AMBROSE BINGO SEE PAGE 23
MORE!
Mayors Message pg3 Think Old Bridge pg4 Old Bridge Library pg6 Senior Scene pg10 Living Stones pg12 In Memoriam pg14 School Knights pg22 Coupons pg23