Knowing most of the students at Henry Hudson High School, having been involved with them in various sports activities and other endeavors since they were youngsters and committed to the well being of all are the primary reasons why Rich Colangelo is seeking a term on the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education in the November election.
Colangelo is running for the single one-year term open for an Atlantic Highlands resident this November, and is vying with two candidates, Chelsea Witkowski and Allison Jacobs for the position. Voters can select one of these three for the one-year term, along with one of two candidates for the one two-year term on the board.
Atlantic Highlands voters can also select two candidates for the two three-year terms to be decided this year. For the full term, it appears, since there were only two residents who applied for those positions, that incumbent board president Cory Wingerter and Claire Kozic will be elected, giving Atlantic Highlands four members on the nine-member board. with Highlands electing the remaining five to serve for terms of one to three years.
Colangelo said he wants to continue to contribute to the growth and development of all students, and feels the best way is by serving on the board. He was unsuccessful in one previous try several years ago.
Growing up in the Bayshore, Colangelo, who is married and has two sons, both students at Henry Hudson Regional, chose to make the borough his permanent home more than 20 years ago.
The candidate went to Rutgerfs University before starting his career in the mortgage industry 23 years ago. He is currently with Gateway First Bank in Red Bank. He also serves as the borough’s Code Enforcement Official and is a former member and chairman of the local Planning Board.
He also served as trustee of Kappa Sigma Fraternity (Gamma Upsilon) at Rutgers, is a past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 6552, and former recreation soccer director and cub scout leader for Troop 22 in the borough.
Currently, Colangelo remains active and enthusiastic about a number of sports and recreation programs I the borough offers for children and teens; notably, he is Recreation Basketball Director, Sandy Hook Little League Vice president and Board Member, Atlantic Highlands Recreation Committee Member, and Clinician for the Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. course for youth athletic coaches. Despite his long hours in volunteering in these areas, he is proudest of his “most enjoyable endeavor, serving as a youth coach for various sports.”
Retention of students through high school classes appears to be the largest problem at Henry Hudson, Colangelo said. The most recent enrollment comparison with other Monmouth County schools shows Henry Hudson is the smallest by approximately 80 students compared to nearby school districts and significantly smaller than most high schools in the County by roughly 280 students.
“More students would provide more opportunities for activities, sports, and the general experience of students through exposure to more students,” the candidate explained.
Noting school population is down because of parental choices of one of the Monmouth County Vocational schools, or Magnet schools, he said “I would never fault any parent for sending their child to those schools if they have that opportunity. However, we also lose many kids to parochial and private schools, plus some students attend other districts on a paid basis rather than attending HHRS. This has been a persistent problem for decades”.
He feels there are several ways to correct the situation, primarily by further exploring the problems. Citing a few ways to address this, he thinks first is to further explore the opportunity to bring Sea Bright into the fold, while still advocating for a fair deal for all participants in a three-school district. He believes there is a pathway by which each of the three boroughs would benefit and at the same time provide each student with additional opportunities.
This, he said, would require negotiation, adding “negotiations are always contentious in the process. Hopefully, a beneficial solution can be found where all three municipalities can see benefits, while bringing more students to HHRS.”
At the same time, the district should continue its ongoing process of making Henry Hudson Regional a school where all families want to send their children, thereby losing fewer to outside or private schools, something he feels the schools and administration have been doing well. “Continuing that effort is important, so all parents think Hudson schools are are The Place To Be, and the children are proud to be Admirals, Tigers and Ospreys. “
He estimated an addition of even 40 more children could mean more AP classes, the ability to field full sports teams (like JV programs) and allow the theater and arts programs to further their offerings with larger ensembles and productions.
” We can still maintain that small school feeling while providing more opportunities for the students, “he said.
Still so, currently each of the three schools elicit tremendous pride in the community from the families whose children attend. He noted how proud the students are to be called Tigers, Ospreys or Admirals, and terms both the current educational and extracurricular programs “excellent” when considering the small school size.
Colangelo has attended meetings of both the high school and local school boards of education occasionally, generally to find out information or make requests for youth athletic programs and has always found both administration and boards over the years to be responsive and cooperative.
However, he has also noted that board members are not very vocal at meetings, and while he feels confident they contribute in committee meetings he is interested in the process of committee discussions and opinions, and would look for a process where information would be more easily available to the public , excepting, of course, meetings that require executive sessions because of personal or litigation.
No one likes a 4-hour meeting.,” he said, but “I have never been a fan of the opening statement stating matters have been settled prior to a meeting, reasons given as to why most votes seem to be unanimous.” That wording is not used in other Board or Commission’s Sunshine Statements in either borough, he said, “and I believe there are members of the public who are sincerely interested in how decisions are made, on other than non-disclosure matters. “
Asked for additional statements or information, Colangelo said “Anchor Down”, “Go Tigers”, and “Fly High Ospreys”
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Rich Colangelo
