A team of students from Freehold Township High School won the 2018 Monmouth County Consumer Bowl, a game show-style competition for teams of high school students, on Feb. 5 at the Monmouth County Fire Academy, Howell.
Students from eight high schools answered consumer-related questions in a multiple choice and open-ended format to test their knowledge of consumer issues, such as Internet fraud and buying and leasing automobiles, according to a press release from the county.
In the final round, students from Freehold High School, Freehold Borough, and Freehold Township High School faced off and in the end the Freehold Township team was victorious and won the 2018 Consumer Bowl.
Team members are Michael Galanaugh (captain), Raiyan Hossain, Amit Bachani, Karim Lakhani and Christopher Galiano. The students’ adviser is Dan Cooper.
In all, students from Colts Neck High School, Freehold High School, Freehold Township High School, Howell High School, Manalapan High School, Marlboro High School, Raritan High School and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School participated in the competition.
“All of our participating young adults gained some knowledge about what it takes to help them be smarter consumers and possibly future consumer advocates,” said Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the county’s Division of Consumer Affairs.
“It is also a great way to promote the county’s Consumer Affairs office, which enforces consumer laws and helps people who suspect they might be victims of unscrupulous business practices,” Burry said.
The Freehold Township team will move on to the regional competition on April 12 at the Monmouth County Fire Academy. The winner of the regional competition will go on to compete in the 2018 New Jersey State Consumer Bowl scheduled for May in Trenton, according to the press release.
The New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl is a program of the state Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Consumer Affairs. It was established in 1997 to help students learn about consumer issues that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Consumer Affairs is a law enforcement agency, created and funded by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders. It protects against consumer fraud and dishonest business practices by enforcing the state Consumer Fraud Act and many other regulations, according to the press release.