The JACKSON Times Vol. 22 - No. 18
In This Week’s Edition
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Unified High School Band Wins First State Championship
Hello November BREAKING NEWS @
Photos courtesy Jackson Schools Members of the Jackson Township High School Marching Band celebrate that they have won their first New Jersey State Championship title.
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By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – When a marching band takes the field, they are playing a variety of instruments. Horns blare and drums pound, but it all comes together into a cohesive song and performance. Similarly, two schools’ bands came together to win their first New Jersey State Championship. Due to financial reasons, Jackson Memorial and Jackson Liberty high schools merged into the Jackson Township High School, and this is the unified school’s first year. The merging of the schools was historic, and so is this first win, said Band Director Scott Katona, who noted the entire band couldn’t be more excited. He told The Jackson Times that this was the “the band’s first state title we are bringing home to the newly formed Jackson Township High School. Along with the title we also won special awards for Best Music, Best Percussion and Best Color Guard.”
The Jackson Township Marching Band has gone undefeated this season and ended the year on October 25 earning the official title of Group 4 Open (Band - See Page 4)
A banner and trophy are displayed following the Jackson Township High School Band’s win of their first state title.
12th District Assembly Seats On The Ballot By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – The 12th District New Jersey Assembly race features four candidates vying for two seats on the November 4 ballot. Incumbent Republican candidates Alex Sauickie and Robert Clifton are facing a challenge by Democrat candidates Freshta Taeb and Kyler Dineen. The Jackson Times spoke with Taeb and Sauickie for the first of two articles. This article was planned to be Clifton and Dineen’s responses, but Dineen did not respond to questions in time.
(Ballot - See Page 4 )
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Student Behavioral Issues Examined
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – During a recent Board of Education meeting, administrators discussed behavioral problems of township high school students and why this necessitated a pause of the school’s Common Lunch period. The Jackson Times posed several questions to the school district following that meeting, asking about the incidents of fighting and the protocols in place when such incidents occur. A response came after the deadline of last week’s edition. Allison Erwin, who serves as the Coordinator of Communications and Technology for the district responded, “for security reasons, we do not provide specific details regarding the number or assignments of our security personnel or School Resource Officers. We can, however, assure you that our coverage and supervision are appropriate for the size and needs of our student body.” “As was stated during the board meeting by the Superintendent, (Nicole Pormilli) this is not a supervision issue. It is an issue of a climate that was emerging that had the potential to be unsafe and we needed to pause it in order to address the concerns and create a better experience for all students,” Erwin added. Erwin explained the decision to pause the common lunch period “was not made solely in response to student incidents. The broader concern centered on the overall culture and climate that had begun to emerge during (Student Behavioral - See Page 7)
Ciattarelli, Sherrill: How They Will Fight High Electric Bills
Clifton is 56 years old, married to Tracy Clifton and has two children, RJ (23) and Jack (19). He lives in Matawan and is currently employed as the director of government affairs for Comcast Cable. Clifton served as mayor of Matawan from 1996 to 2005, County Freeholder from 2005 to 2012 (Freeholder Director in 2011), 12th District Assemblyman since 2012 and Assistant Minority Leader since 2024. The Jackson Times asked him what issue he felt
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By Chris Lundy JERSEY SHORE – The cost of electricity increased by 40 percent as demand spiked in the region. This is an issue that affects everyone, so our reporter reached out to gubernatorial candidates - Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill - in separate phone interviews to discuss their plans to address the cost of electricity. This is the second of three articles. The first article was about school funding, published last week. The final article is an open forum for the candidates to discuss what’s important to them. (Electric Bills - See Page 11)
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