The third annual Beach Bash sponsored by the Sandy Hook Foundation will be held at Beach E on Saturday, Sept. 9. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 10.
The annual Beach Bash event will begin at noon, with music starting at 1 p.m. and performances by 10-String, Guns for Hire and the Carl Gentry Band.
Early bird tickets are available now with prices going up on Sept. 3.
In addition to music, a Beer and Wine Garden is presented by Red Horse of Rumson, and food trucks by Maui Bowl Acai, Mystic Lobster Roll and Sabrett Cart. There will also be a limited quantity of both styles and sizes of Beach Bass tee shirts available for sale.
Individuals must provide proof of ticket purchase upon entry either on a mobile device or a printed receipt. Children under 5 are free.
Ticket purchasers will have a hand stamp required for re-entry. Access to Beach E is through the main, or middle chute only. In the event of weather cancellation on both dates, ticket cost donations will be redirected as a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation, whose mission is to preserve and protect Sandy Hook’s natural and cultural resources.
Access to the Beer Garden will require proof of ID which must be presented at the entrance to the beverage area. A separate wristband will be issued. Parking will be at Lot E until full, with handicap spaces available, then directed to Lot D, followed by Lot C.
Beach Bash Ticket holders are welcome to bring their own picnic, however, no alcoholic beverages may be brought into the park or consumed on the beach. Guests and their belongings are subject to search upon entry or re-entry. Baby strollers, beach chairs, blankets, towels and umbrellas are allowed. Fun, fantastic live music, and dancing are allowed and encouraged!
For further information and ticket sales, email info@sandyhooknj.org
Want to see another great event in the area? Click HERE
Regarded as New Jersey’s premier Maritime Museum, the elegant several storied building has the finest collection of china and other artifacts from the Titanic, brought up by some of Highlands own divers.
With a collection of artifacts from a number of New Jersey sea wreck sites as well as numerous other maritime memorabilia. Started by Deb Whitcraft and Bob Yates, the collection started when Whitcraft started collecting information and items pertaining to the state’s maritime history. She opened the doors to the public in 2007, built with private funds.
Located on Long Beach Island, the Museum is a registered non-profit entity and deed restricted to remain that forever. It operates entirely on donations and is staffed by volunteers.
The Highlands trip on Friday, Sept 8 is $45 per person, including both entry and transportation.
For further information, visit @historicalHighlands, or call 732-500-6823 for further information.
The Atlantic Highlands, Raritan and Keyport Yacht Club members took the top awards in the Non-Spinnaker and Spinnaker divisions of the annual MS Race sponsored by the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club as a major fund-raising event for 180 Turning Lives Around.
The 19th annual MS Race, for woman sailors only, was held Aug 19, for the benefit of the non-profit New Jersey organization dedicated to protecting victims of domestic abuse and to help them rebuild their lives.
This year’s theme was ‘Women Wind Warriors’ and the sailors in Sandy Hook Bay proved themselves to be not only Woman Wind Warriors but determined, dedicated competitors in an event that hones sailing skills and builds self-confidence on the water.
There were 13 racers from the New Jersey Bayshore area including Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club members, in two classes, Traditional Non-Spinnaker and Spinnaker divisions.
Placing first in the Traditional Non-Spinnaker competition was Saint of Circumstance under Diane Kropfl from the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club, sailing her Tartan 3700. Second place went to Laura Dunn Grodewald in Eduam, C&C MK V from the Raritan Club. Sue Mulholland, in a Sabre S34, the Celtic Star, placed third representing Keyport Yacht Club.
Atlantic Highlands club racers took both first and second places in the Spinnaker Division, with A Better Hair Day under Elaine Haher placing first, and Aviator with Karen Harris second. The ladies sailed a J24 and J109 in the competition.
Before the race, Elaine Haher, past AHYC Commodore, seasoned J/24 race captain and now four-time winner of the Ms. Race, shared instructive racing tips at the race morning Captain’s meeting, along with details of the Pursuit Race start times, race courses, marks, tides and weather conditions.
On the water, the Ms. Race teams, each with their own start time for the race, did last minute maneuvering with Brian Gillen officiating the race on Hawk Moon.
The officiating crew got the race off to a good start on time for the 7.0 nautical miles course around the Bay. Friends, families and guests gathered on spectator boats to monitor the race’s progress, shoot photos and cheer on the racers.
Ted Gassman on Dog House was the Press Boat, and Rear and Past Commodore Jack Flannery hosted Allison Scaduto, Ocean is Female Platinum sponsor, on Lucky Girl.
Rick Kolber, 180 board member and also a Platinum Sponsor, was on the water on his Brig two-masted sailboat hosting guests watching and photographing the event.
The day started with westerly winds at 12 to 14 knots gusting to 17 beneath a sunny sky, making a fine day for racing.
Following a good start, the Women Wind Warriors steadily made their way around the course with a record 13 sailboats!
When it was over, it was exuberant captains and crew who made their way to the clubhouse in the Municipal Yacht Harbor for the Awards Ceremony and party, featuring music by DJ Bill Sabanski, a Silent Auction, a Chance Auction, and a 50/50. The captains and crews, along with families and friends enjoyed light appetizers and desserts, along with a Ms. Race themed cake.
Presentations were officiated by Ms. Race Co-chairs Emily Smith and Diane Kropfl and Race Committee Co-chair Karen Harris, joined by 180 Special Events Community Engagement Coordinator Caitlin Tamayo to present the Ms. Race trophies. Guests also expressed appreciation to Yacht Club Vice Commodore Joe Patsco for recognizing this remarkable club racing event and its support for 180.
The early evening event also featured a fundraiser with generous donations from sponsors and club members. A Better Hair Day won Vote for Your Favorite Sailboat with the most donations.
Members, guests and sailors all agreed in addition to the successful day for the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club and its guests, it was a day that added substantially to the funds the Yacht Club has raised this year for 180.
Sponsors and donors generously donated more than $20,000 for this year’s event to date, with time still open to accept donations on behalf of the MS Race.
In its 19 years of supporting 180 Turning Lives Around, the MS Race has raised and donated more than q quarter of a million dollars to the non-profit organization.
Sponsors included OisF The Ocean is Female as a Platinum Event Sponsor for the fourth year in a row. Other Platinum level sponsors this year include Stillwell-Hansen and Carol Stillwell, 180 Board Members, Rick Kolber, 180 Board Member, and longtime supporters Aleen and Stephen Colitz and Marion Bartholomew, another appreciated longtime supporter.
Premium and event sponsors included Club members Janice Miller and Frank Gaudio, the Fortiers and Atlantic Highlands Sailing Education Program, the Sciortino Family, Laura and Sam Oncea, Marion Atwater and Don Smith and returning sponsors, Lockwood Boat Works..
Other sponsors this year are Peapack Private Wealth Management and new sponsors Wendy Crowther Law Office, Leonardo Jewelers, HFA Certified Public Accountants and Martin-Ottaway.
The Club also expressed thanks to the Lusty Lobster and Chiafullo’s in Highlands for their appetizers
All donors are acknowledged along with the complete roster of sponsors in the Ms. Race Sponsor Guide available at the yacht club and online at 2023 Ms. Race Sponsor Guide.
Clubs and guests praised the MS Race organizing committee who created this year’s successful Ms. Race Event, Jean Evertsen, Elaine Haher, Karen Harris, Janice Miller, LuAnn Rathemacher, Barbara Nevius, Marion Bartholomew, Bill Sabanski, and Linda Goldberg along with 180 members, Caitlin Tamayo, Randi Zamkotowicz and Amanda Finn.
“We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to all the club members who once again donated so very generously to this year’s Ms. Race, “said the co-chairs. “In the hectic days leading up to the race, we may have missed some folks who contributed. If so, please let us know so we can ensure your donation is accounted for and we can recognize you appropriately.”
Photographers for this year’s Ms. Race and Awards Ceremony included Rob Kneller, Jeff Smith and Ivy Dash. . Visit the MS Race at ahyc.net for articles and photos and view photos from the photography staff.
“Thanks to all, this is more than a sailboat race, it is about confidence and self-reliance,. “said cochairs Kropfl and Smith Those wishing to donate to 180 Turning Lives Round can visit.
Competitors in the 19th annual MS Race were Jen Begley, Stephanie Biles, Paula DelCoro, Laura Dunn Grodewald, Diane Kropfl, with helmsman Barbara Nevius, Nitzan Levy, Sue Mulholland, Laura Oncea, Terry Sculac and Kathy Puschaver and Katelyn Waters in the traditional non-spinnaker cruising competition, and Elaine Haher, Karen Harris and Kim Sinatra in the Spinnaker competition
Deadline for registering for the Sept. 26 school election in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands is Tuesday, Sept. 5, 21 days before the special election.
Voting places for the special election, which will be held from noon until 8 p.m., are the Charles Hesse Building for all voters in Atlantic Highlands, and the Highlands Fire House and VFW Post Home for the four districts in Highlands.
Persons wishing to receive absentee ballots for the special election can contact the Monmouth County Board of Elections at 732-431-7790.
The special election was called by the boards of Education for Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Henry Hudson Regional schools.
A yes vote would approve the three boards to combine into one single board and a K-12 school district to replace the current K-6 districts in each town and the 7-12 district of Henry Hudson.
A no vote would keep the three districts the same way they have been for the past approximate 50 years, since Henry Hudson was first opened as a regional school district.
Both boroughs have to approve the question on the ballot in order for it to be approved and enacted in time to be in effect for the 2024 school year.
All three districts share a superintendent of schools, which would not change regardless of the regionalization question.
The Sept. 26 Special election does not include Sea Bright in the formation of a new regional school district, although it was recommended by the two studies conducted both by the school boards and the three boroughs.
The governing bodies of all three towns, and the boards of education of Highlands, Atlantic highlands and Henry Hudson all had unanimously voted to submit that question to the state Commissioner of Education. She has yet to act on that petition.
Should Highlands and Atlantic highlands approve the regionalization question on Sept. 26, and want to include Sea Bright in the new K-12 regional district, that would require another election in all three towns and approval by all three towns in order to enact that some time in the future.
Regionalization of the three schools in the two towns of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands under the question on the Sept. 26 ballot would have both towns sharing equally in the cost of students in the program based on equalized valuation and not student enrollment, regardless of which borough has more students attending.
Currently, Atlantic Highlands has more students in the district than Highlands.
Deadlines for the Sept. 26 election include: September 19 for publication of challenge and complaint procedures for the election, as well as the deadline to apply for a Mail-In Ballot by mail;
September 20 deadline for mailing Sample Ballots for the election;
September 22 deadline for application to receive Mail-In Ballots by electronic means;
September 25 by 3:00 p.m. the deadline for In-Person Mail-In Ballot Applications as well as publication of challenge and complaint procedures for the election;
and 8 p.m. on Sept. 26, the final time and date for voting in person in the special election.
For further information on the election, call the Monmouth County Board of Elections at 732-431-7790 or contact ClerkofElections@co.monmouth.nj.us.
While state taxes fund the special election, municipalities bear the cost of any additional work hours for the borough clerks or staff, including additional hours for voter registration,
It will be a fun, interesting and historic meeting this Thursday evening, Aug. 24, when the Highlands Historical Society offers a variety of local and national history, along with refreshments and interaction among members in presenting a play.
The evening will give local residents an opportunity learn more about the Historical Society and become members of the group that is highlighting so many facets of local history.
At 6:30 p.m., local Historian Walter Guenther will be in front of the Farmacie, the gift shop and café at the corner of Bay Avenue and Miller St.
Guenther will give a history not only of that building, once Bedle’s Drug Store, but also the activity and former businesses on the other three corners of that intersection in the center of town.
Following Guenther’s presentation, guests are invited inside the Farmacie where another historian, Joann Olszewski, who is also Council president on the local governing body, has written a play about Joshua Huddy, the Revolutionary era patriot who was hung at what is now Huddy Park in the Waterwitch section of the borough.
Olszewski has done extensive research on Huddy in her efforts to have the place where he was hanged named a state and national historic site.
A former educator in Teaneck, Olszewski has compiled some of the research she has completed to offer the presentation by Society members about Huddy’s life. Guenther will be portraying George Washington in the event, and several other society embers will have leading roles in Huddy’s life story.
Refreshments will follow and all are invited to attend.
“This is one of several events the Historical Society is planning as summer ends and an active fall season begins,” said Society president Sheila Weinstock. “The Society has a group of active members who are eager to preserve the history of the borough as we move forward into the 21st century. We welcome new members to see everything that is happening.”
The event, which will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. will include lemon curd, tea sandwiches and fruit and sweets for dessert along with tea sandwiches and Victorian accents. Guests are invited to come in formal dress for the occasion.
Presented as a fund raising event, the proceeds for the event will benefit both historical societies.
“What better way to mark the 130th Anniversary of the Strauss Mansion than to have an event like this,” said Atlantic Highlands Society president Lynne Petillo. . “The Cottage” as it was known back in the day, was built to host grand summer parties. Our two societies are pleased to invite you to a Victorian Tea Party with three courses, scones, assorted sandwiches and freshly baked sweets and fresh fruit.”
In addition several choices of tea will be offered, and there will be both entertainment and door prizes. Guests are encouraged to wear vintage clothing.
Tickets will be $30 each. Payment can be made through Paypal, or for Venmo, making make payment to @historicalhighlands. Checks can also be sent, payable to Historical Society of Highlands to PO Box 13, Highlands, NJ 07732
A high school dropout who reported had been in minor trouble several times as a teenager, Fred William Zabitosky not only loved the discipline of Army life but received the Medal of Honor for standing up for and saving his fellow Green Berets.
Born in October, 1942, Zabitosky was the son of Cora and Fred Theodore Zabitosky who lived on Perry Street in Trenton. His father, a barber operated his shop on Broad Street.
The family moved to Ewing Township around 1955 and rented a home on Oak Lane while his father operated his shop at 520 Ewing Road.
Not recognized as a good student and having encountered police and some time in reform school for petty theft, and a frequent runaway from his home environment, the 17-yeear old dropped out of school and joined the Army after his junior year. The family, which included four siblings moved once again this time to Ortley Beach.
Discipline and regulations of army life suited the young man who completed his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, the first time he had ever been out of the Garden State.
He went on to excel as a senior enlisted man in the newly formed Army Special Services, the Green Berets before serving his third tour in Vietnam.
Zabitosky was assigned to Military Assistance Command Vietnam’s Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), Operations Project 35, the ‘Shining Brass’ code-named ‘Prairie Fire.’ The mission of his group was to conduct secret operations into Laos and Cambodia, an operation that had been ongoing for two years.
His specific mission was to infiltrate across the Laotian and Cambodian borders to monitor the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Made the leader of Spike Team Maine, comprised of three Americans and nine indigenous troops, the team operated in unconventional warfare mode, wearing either North Vietnamese clothes or generic military fatigues without any identification and carrying Russian AK-47 rifles or Swedish K-sub-machine guns.
His Medal of Honor citation tells the story in accurate and brief detail, but Zabitosky took over leadership in his first combat assignment and led his team from their helicopters through bamboo thickets where they encountered the North Vietnam enemy, and were suddenly engaged in battle.
Suffering a broken shoulder, ribs and back himself, Zabitosky managed to rescue the co-pilot of the helicopter along with another pilot as well. He was later hospitalized for six weeks before going back continuing serving in the active duty army.
The Medal of Honor recipient was present in March 1969 to receive the Medal of Honor for the 1967 mission from President Ricard M Nixon at the White House. In accepting the Medal, the soldier said that while he was the one wearing it, it was earned by the team members and all the Special Forces enlisted men who served on special projects.
Zabitosky remained 30 years in military service, married and had a son Edward who predeceased him. He retired in 1989 as a sergeant major and continued to serve the military working for the Veterans Administration at Fort Bragg and remaining active in efforts to recover MIA/POWs.
Zabitosky died of cancer Jan. 8, 1996 as a Master Sergeant at the age of 53, cancer most likely caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his time in the jungles of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
His wife Carrie Mae died in 2007. He is buried in Lumbee Memorial Gardens, Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina. The main thoroughfare at the Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, home of the Green Berets, is named in his honor.
His Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sfc. Zabitosky, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as an assistant team leader of a nine-man Special Forces long-range reconnaissance patrol.
Sfc. Zabitosky’s patrol was operating deep within enemy controlled territory in Laos when they were attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army unit.
Sfc. Zabitosky rallied his team members, deployed them into defensive positions, and, exposing himself to concentrated enemy automatic weapons fire, directed their return fire.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sfc. Zabitosky ordered his patrol to move to a landing zone for helicopter extraction while he covered their withdrawal with rifle fire and grenades.
Rejoining the patrol under increasing enemy pressure, he positioned each man in a tight perimeter defense and continually moved from man to man, encouraging them and controlling their defensive fire.
Mainly due to his example, the outnumbered patrol maintained its precarious position until the arrival of tactical air support and a helicopter extraction team.
As the rescue helicopters arrived, the determined North Vietnamese pressed their attack.
Sfc. Zabitosky repeatedly exposed himself to their fire to adjust suppressive helicopter-gunship fire around the landing zone.
After boarding one of the rescue helicopters, he positioned himself in the door delivering fire on the enemy as the ship took off. The helicopter was engulfed in a hail of bullets and Sfc. Zabitosky was thrown from the craft as it spun out of control and crashed.
Recovering consciousness, he ignored his extremely painful injuries and moved to the flaming wreckage. Heedless of the danger of exploding ordnance and fuel, he pulled the severely wounded pilot from the searing blaze and made repeated attempts to rescue his patrol members but was driven back by the intense heat. Despite his serious burns and crushed ribs, he carried and dragged the unconscious pilot through a curtain of enemy fire to within 10 feet of a hovering rescue helicopter before collapsing.
Sfc. Zabitosky’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
For more New Jersey Medal of Honor Recipients, click HERE
The 28th President of the United States was the eighth President born in Virginia, and his birthplace in Staunton is a testimony to his family, as well as to his second wife who worked hard to ensure his home would be a fitting memorial to him.
Born in Staunton, Virginia in 1856, Wilson was the son of Scots-Irish parents, the third of four children and a second generation American. His paternal grandfather published an anti-slavery newspaper, and his maternal grandfather was a minister.
The family only lived in Staunton a short time after Wilson was born, moving to Georgia before he was two, and where he spent his early years. Wilson’s father was also an ordained a Presbyterian minister and assigned to serve in Staunton, the family lived at the Manse, the house of the Staunton First Presbyterian Church.
The city of Staunton pays homage to their native son, with a fascinating museum that is both beautiful, meaningful, and haunting. The house in which he was born is immediately adjacent to the Wilson library and tours concentrate both on his background as well as his Presidency and family life, with little said about his years as Governor of New Jersey.
The family were staunch supporters of the Confederacy during the Civil War, with Wilson and John Tyler, another Virginian, the only two Presidents who were citizens of the Confederate States of America.
The President attended college in North Carolina before transferring to Princeton University, which then was known as the College of New Jersey. There he earned degrees in political philosophy and history, was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and was managing editor of the student newspaper along with other leadership roles he played at Princeton.
After Princeton, he went on to the University of Virginia to study law and was president of the Debating Society. He also studied for his doctorate at Johns Hopkins in Maryland aiming to be a professor rather than an attorney. He later was President of Princeton University before becoming Governor of New Jersey.
Wilson married Ellen Axson, the daughter of a minister and the couple had four children. Ellen was a gifted artist, and The Manse has some of her works on display. Thoughtful and brilliant as he, she learned German so she could assist him in translation when he was studying German-language political science for research on one of his many projects.
The Manse has Wilson’s academic and political life clearly documented in photos, explanations and talks by friendly and knowledgeable docents who lead tours through the two floors of the Manse as well as the surrounding yard. It was while he was president of Princeton University that he was asked to run for the state’s governor, with political leaders drawn more by his intelligence and position against child labor, and for both women’s suffrage and improving sanitary conditions in factories. He supported limiting women being employed in occupations that would be injurious to their health.
The Manse goes into detail about Wilson’s Presidential years, from his vetoing the Volstead Act which was the law for Prohibition, (although Congress overrode his veto to put the 18th amendment into place) through his Fourteen Points speech, leadership during the War, and the Paris Peace Conference that ended the war.
During World War I when he was president, Wilson had sheep graze on the lawns of the White House, preferring that in cut spending and to take men from defending their country in order to keep the grounds clean and mowed.
Today, it is a wooly sheep that stands on the steps leading to the basement of the Library and the most startling exhibit of any in the Wilson Manse and Library. The sheep, looking warm and cuddly, carries a sign telling children to ask their parents before they can descend the stairs because of the horrific scene in the exhibit displayed there.
Trenches in World War I.
While the upstairs of the Manse and library highlight so much of Wilson’ intelligence, charm, love of family and furnishings from his time, it is the realistic construction of the trenches American soldiers built in France during the war that is haunting and stays with you long after you have left the museum. Vivid photos, quotes and explanations tell how American soldiers dug ten feet underground to make their own trenches, covering the top with hay, and standing in their depths for protection while they met the enemy and saved France. It is haunting, realistic, horrific, and makes one wonder why Wilson’s League of Nations plan, which may have saved the world from World War II, was not approved.
Wilson’s wife Ellen died the year after he took office as President, and the following year he married Edith Bolling Galt, a wealthy widow also from Virginia, and a descendant of Pocahontas. It was she who reportedly ran the government when Wilson suffered a stroke, refusing to admit his illness and disabilities which would enable the vice president to take charge.
Wilson was President for two terms, after which the couple settled in Washington. It was she who came back to the Manse in Staunton and was instrumental in preserving it and keeping alive Wilson’s connection with his birth place.
Wilson, the second president after Theodore Roosevelt to be a Nobel laureate, died three years after leaving the Presidency, his wife, Edith, lived until 1961 and is buried next to him. At Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president to be buried within the District of Columbia.
Staunton, Virginia can be proud of the memories they keep of the President and their native son.
No putter is needed for the Nine Holes, Three Clubs and Wacky Putters Annual event when wacky putters will be provided!
Registration begins at 2pm followed by a 3pm shotgun start. The Chamber also invites attendees to join them for dinner, drinks and prizes at 5:30pm.
Event registration fees include greens fees, cart and post-round networking, dinner and prizes. EMACC member fees are $125 per golfer and non- member fees are $145 per golfer.
The event is limited to 44 golfers so early registration is important since this event will sell out.
Sponsorships are available and many include golfers and contest tickets along with pre-event company recognition and event signage. Goofy Gift Bags and Get Crazy With It! fun will round out the event. Visit EMACC Golf Outing for more information.
The Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1928 has supported our business and community for almost 100 years. EMACC plays an essential role in the health of the business community regionally and statewide. Proudly serving Eatontown, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson, Sea Bright, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls. All are welcome! Call for more information (732) 741-0055 or send us an email info@emacc.org for membership details.
The nine Highlands Police Explorers who attend the 2023 New Jersey Law Enforcement Youth Academy this year walked off with seven awards at the annual six-day residential police academy event this department’s local Explorers have been attending since its inception in 2014.
The Highlands Post with nine explorers attending, was one of the largest represented police department posts from around the state.
Also participating in the annual week-long activity were Explorer Posts in Middletown, Marlboro, Manalapan, Bayonne, Elizabeth, Essex County, Fair Lawn, and Jackson for a total of 106 participants in the program.
Led by Highlands Police Officers Connor McGrath, Ptl. Alexander Braswell, Ptl. Kevin Connor and Ptl. Nicole Curley, the Highlands Explorers have traditionally made the week long academy available to any Explorer in the post expressing an interest in attending.
The Academy costs $450 per attendee and advisor and post members stage an annual raffle to cover the full cost of the program including field trips, uniforms, equipment and the academy’s five day training.
This year’s academy was hosted at St. Elizabeth University in Florham Park.
Organized and run by active and retired law enforcement officers from around the State, the academy is definitely not a summer camp.
Programs follow the aim of academy staff and advisors who attend with their explorers to make the youth academy as real as possible compared to professional police academies. This includes wake up calls at 5:00AM for physical training conducted by PT instructors, instruction in Drill and Ceremony from Drill instructors, and classroom and practical training from law enforcement professionals throughout the week.
Explorers are graded on physical and academic performances and awards are given to the best explorers during the graduation ceremony on the final night of the academy.
Highlands Explorers attending the Academy this year were Chief Michael Del Duca, Explorer John Norman, Sgt. Ubaldo Garcia, Explorer Jake Curry, Sgt. Alanna Koerner, Explorer Jeter Woods, Explorer Simon Salazar, Explorer Jack Dale and Explorer Sean O’Connor
During the awards ceremony, O’Connor and Norman took first place for Narcotics Investigation, O’Connor and Norman took third place for Search and Seizure, and Curry took third place for Hostage Negotiation during Phase 2 of the program.
During the Phase 3 portion, Koerner took second place for report writing, DelDuca second and Koerner took third place in Domestic Violence Investigation and Ubaldo Garcia and DeLuca took third in burglary in Progress.
The awards phases are two of the four sections the Explorers undergo during their academic week. The first phase is classroom and practical training which serve as an introduction to law enforcement for younger or newer explorers. Phase 4 includes interview skills, police applications and resume building.
At the end of the week, explorers also have the opportunity to sit with a panel of police chiefs for a formal interview during which they are questioned and vetted as though they were actual police applicants.
During Phase 2, the second year for explorers, there is classroom training and graded hands-on scenarios.
The third year, Phase 3, is known as the “fun phase” when explorers are given duty belts with a rubber gun, training handcuffs, and a radio. They then serve as the campus police for the week.
The college campus is broken into zones and the explorers are assigned partners for patrols.
A Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Dispatcher sends the explorers from call to call and provides them with realistic information pertaining to calls and scenarios the academy students have to handle as though they are actual law enforcement officers. Advisors work together to be the actors in these scenarios and keep track of explorers’ progress throughout the week as they are respond to each call.
The Police Academy is only one of numerous programs the Highlands Explorers participate in because of the active participation with the department’s advisory officers who volunteer their time to work with the explorers.
Current police officers on the local department who participated in the Academy program as teens include Braswell, Connor and Robert Alvator, all who attended as Highlands Police Explorers.
“We consider our program to be successful in helping explorers enter the field of law enforcement if that is the path they chose,” said Braswell, who could speak from personal experience. “We do not push the career on our explorers in any way, but rather have a goal to help them grow into successful young men and women, giving them life skills needed to pursue anything they decide is right for them.”
Braswell, McGrath and Connor and Carley all agree the program instills discipline, accountability, self-reliance and teamwork, all aids so they can excel in their respective career paths.
There is proof of what these advisors say. Included among graduates of the police academy program for Highlands Explorers now involved in public safety are Det. Travis Morgan, Atlantic Highlands Police Department, Ranger Arthur J. Weimer, U.S. National Park Service, Ranger, Sgt.Salvator Albanese , NJ National Guard and a Sergeant on the Middletown Police Department, Highlands Sgt. Kevin O’Donnell, Burlington Vermont Detective Martin Maloney, Elyse Parker , NYC Office Of Chief Medical Examiner, Medical Examiner, Ptl. Matthew Golembieski, Monmouth Beach Police Department, Ptl Alvator, Braswell and Connor, Highlands Police Department, Fire Crew Chief for the Texas Conservation Corps Noah Garber, Ptl. Aiden Carey, Middletown Township Police Department and Robert Cavanagh, now serving in the United Stated Air Force.
