Once again the team of students from Freehold Township High School emerged as the winner of the Monmouth County Consumer Bowl held March 16 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan.
Students from high schools in Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Howell, Keansburg, Manalapan, Marlboro, Matawan, and Neptune competed in a game show-style competition by answering consumer-related questions in a multiple choice and openended format. The scores in the preliminary rounds were very close, but in the final round the Freehold Township team defeated the Neptune team.
The Freehold Township team will move on to the regional competition to be held on April 1 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters.
Members of the Freehold Township High School team were captain Frank DeRose, Brandon Egan, Jackie Myers, Nicole Mularz and Megan Reed. They were led by business education teacher Lydia Wagner, a longtime supporter, advocate and moderator of the school’s Consumer Bowl.
The winner of the regional competition will go on to compete in the 2009 New Jersey State Consumer Bowl scheduled for May at the State House in Trenton.
The New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl was established in 1997 to help students learn about consumer issues that will benefit them throughout their lives, according to a press release from Monmouth County.
In addition to the students from Freehold Township High School, the students from the Freehold Regional High School District who participated in the Monmouth County Consumer Bowl were:
• Colts Neck High School: Jessica Canose, Courtney Joline, Dana Besmanoff, Elaina Montagnino and Rebecca McKenzie. The teacher was Vince Tesi.
• Manalapan High School: Max Schlesinger, Kevin Dolan, Eric Berman, Gregory Zaharioudakis and Kyle McBride. The teacher was Susan Arnone.
• Marlboro High School: Dan Wertman, Mike Plietz, Matt Blum, Nicole Sullivan and David Rinder. The teacher was Lee Travisano.
• Howell High School: Brandon Cerretani, Gabriella Stephen, Jack McCabe, Megan Batson and Eric Esolda. The teacher was Janis Schwartz.

