CALENDAR & UPCOMING EVENTS:
• November 27
Early Dismissal for Staff and Students
• November 28-29
Thanksgiving Break
• December 4
Board of Education Work Session
• December 13
Toys for Tots
• December 18
Board of Education Meeting
JROTC Program Founder Retiring
Master Sgt. Sherlock Grant, fondly known as “MSG,” and who co-founded the JROTC program at Central Regional in 2012, will retire effective January 1.
“CRSD means everything,” he said. “It’s been a joy working here.”
The sergeant served in the Army from 1977-2001 working in personnel and military intelligence. He began his career in Fort Bragg (now known as Fort Liberty) and served in Virginia, Maryland, Germany, England, Korea, and Pittsburgh. “I loved them all,” Grant said of his assignments. “I never had a bad assignment. I did enjoy Europe and got to travel.”
Central Regional
#WE R CR
Staffulty of the Month
Then when he retired from the military, he became a military science teacher at Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark where he was named Teacher of the Year during the 2011-12 school year. He later learned that the Central Regional School District was looking to start a military science program, and he interviewed for the job and was hired along with Lt. Colonel Michael Tier to start the new program. “I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
Grant started teaching in middle school but has taught mostly high school for the past five years. “Ninety percent of our kids go on to college,” he said, adding that about 8-10 % enroll in the military. “They come through the program, and they get scholarships to college. Some kids go to Westpoint or West Virginia and take the Senior ROTC program.”
The JROTC program includes drills and marching, and the students participate in many competitions, Grant said. The male and female students also do physical fitness, community service and financial literacy. They wear uniforms every Wednesday. The JROTC program is funded jointly by the school district and the U.S. government.
“I immensely enjoy teaching the students, expanding their young minds and watching them grow to super adults,” Grant said. “I watch them, and they think they know everything and then they come back and say, ‘wow, I did not know anything at all.’”
He particularly likes it when the students graduate and succeed, and then come back to visit and talk to current students. Grant received the “Golden Apple” Award Teacher of the Year at CRHS during the 2017-18 school year and was recognized with the JROTC Camp
Adventure Distinguished Educator of the Year Award in 2019. He also established and maintained an awardwinning VEX Robotics program from 2022-the present.
As for his retirement, Grant says he has “mixed feelings.”
“I relish my students and think I made a difference in their lives,” he said. “After 23 years of teaching military science, I feel like I have 1,000 grandkids-none of them are mine, but some come back, and it made me feel like I actually did something.”
For the past 12-13 years, the sergeant has commuted from his home in East Orange to work at Central Regional in Bayville. After his retirement, Grant hopes to travel with his wife Denise and spend more time with his grandchildren. He has three daughters, a stepson who is in the military, and three grandchildren.
Grant, who received numerous awards from the Army, has a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Trinity Southern University and a Bachelor of Science in Work Force Education from Southern Illinois University.
CRMS Student Teaches ASL Lesson
CRMS 7th grader, Kacper, spoke to Mrs. Lozada’s ASL classes about his journey as a deaf child. Kacper was born deaf and has been using hearing devices. He recently got his latest set of Cochlear Implants and explained all about them and how they help him. He was a natural in front of the students! He walked around and showed them all his Cochlears. The students prepared questions to ask him and he graciously answered all of them. The more we know, the more inclusive the world can become!
CRSD Grade Band and Choruses Perform for Veterans
The Central Regional Eighth Grade Band and High School Chorus performed for the veterans and senior citizens of the Sonata Bay community earlier this month on Veterans Day.
Berkeley Township Mayor John Bacchione, NJ Sen Carmen Amato (D-9), Bekelery Township Councilman Jim Byrnes as well as retired Manchester Township Schools Superintendent Dave Trethaway, who also served as a former superintendent at Central Regional, thanked veterans for their service and recognized veterans while the band played several marches. The officials also read a list of deceased veterans while JJ Matuszewski played taps.
Central Regional Athletics
Breakout Season for Golden Eagles
Central Regional Football had a breakout year as B-South Co-Champs finishing 8-2. The Golden Eagles were picked 5th in the division, and they played with a chip on their shoulder all season long.
With 8 wins, the 2024 team accomplished the most single season wins for the sixth time in school history since starting in 1957. The team also made the Group 4 State quarterfinals for the first time
since 2021. Central picked up huge rivalry wins over Lacey, a cross-town rival, and a much-needed win against Southern to bring home the "Emmert/ Boyd Trophy" back to Bayville where it belongs. The team's resilience and the ability to overcome adversity has resurrected our program.
The team’s head coach, Jarrett Pidgeon, was also voted B South Coach of the Year. Congratulations!
Varsity Cheerleaders Support Unified Football Team
The Central Regional Cheerleaders jumped and cheered for the district’s Unified Football Team at their game on Nov. 15. Thanks for showing your school spirit!
For all things athletics, remember to subscribe to Channel 21 on YouTube!
Soccer Champions
The Central Regional Middle School Boys and Girls Soccer teams each won their respective divisions this past fall. The boys finished the season with an overall record of 9-1-3 with key wins over Lacey, TRIE, and TRIS to secure the championship. The team defeated TRIN on the
final day of the season to ensure the title. The Girls Middle School Soccer team tied with TRIE to share the divisional title. The team also secured the tie with a win over TRIn 6-0. The team finished with an 8-4-1 record.
Central Regional Girls Soccer lost a heartbreaker in the N.J.S.I.A.A South Jersey Group 4 Sectional championship game. The team was looking to become only the second program in school history to be back-to-back sectional champions. The team, which was defeated by Eastern 2-2 (4-3 in shootouts), finished with a 17-4-1 record this fall and will return with many starters from this past season's team. On its way to the championship game, the team defeated Vineland 1-0, Williamstown 2-1, and Kingsway 2-1.
High School Staffulty of the Month: Sherri Holland
Q: What is your current position at Central Regional?
A: I am a social studies teacher at the high school (USII and Law and Society).
Q: How long have you worked in the district, and have you worked in other roles?
A: I have worked at Central Regional for 17 years.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Central Regional?
A: I have the best job in the world! I get to talk about things I am passionate about to wonderful students all day long.
Q: What is the most challenging thing about your position?
A: The most challenging but exciting thing about teaching is that every class is completely different from one another.
Q: Can you share something fun about yourself?
A: Even in the year 2024, I do not have any social media accounts.
Middle School Staffulty of the Month: Lisa Brocklebank
Q: What is your current position at Central Regional?
A: I am a paraprofessional.
Q: How long have you worked in the district, and have you worked in other roles?
A: I have been a para for 19 years in the same classroom.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Central Regional?
A: I enjoy helping the children and working with my colleagues to make Central a better place.
Q: What is the most challenging thing about your position?
A: One of the most difficult things about my role is being able to provide support for each individual student. It requires a lot of patience and flexibility to find the appropriate approaches and interventions to fit the needs of each child.
Q: Can you share something fun about yourself?
A: I love to camp with my husband and two children. I also have a horse and spend my free time at the barn taking care of the six horses there.
