MTPS Holiday Concerts Spread Cheer Throughout the District
Winter band and chorus concerts were in full swing this past week, spreading holiday cheer across the district. Thorne Middle School's band concert was especially significant, serving as the final winter showcase for longtime band director, Jeff Canter, who recently announced his retirement.

Thank you to Mr. Canter for so many years of wonderful music direction, and best of luck in all of your future endeavors.

Watch the full performance below.
MTPS Game Designers Invite the Community to Play Along
The holiday season is one of cheer, goodwill toward your neighbor and philanthropy. Thompson Middle School student Joseph Velardi did his part to spread those ideas in our Middletown community by launching a charitable campaign to support a pair of local non-profit organizations in the Raine Foundation and the Hope for Children Foundation.

The eighth grade student tapped into his network of friends and family to support this cause by donating gift cards to various eateries and stores. He even launched a pickup soccer game in which participants were asked to donate a gift card.

Velardi's collected donations totaled approximately $300.

Thank you to Joseph for embodying the true sprit of the season.
Ocean Avenue Schools' Mobile
Munchies a Truckload of Positivity
Ocean Avenue Elementary School is celebrating the hard work and dedication of its staff with a monthly recognition initiative featuring the Mobile Munchies Food Truck.

Developed by Ocean Avenue's Specialized Behavior Support Strategy staff, Child Study Team members and social work interns, the Mobile Munchies Food Truck travels the halls once a month to distribute assorted snacks and drinks to educators and support staff as a token of appreciation for their efforts.
Thorne's Johnson Wins National All-Star Football Championship
Congratulations to Thorne Middle School eighth grade student, Josh Johnson, who earlier this month won a national football championship in Florida with his 12U American Youth Football All-Star Team.

In October, Johnson was selected to represent the New Jersey chapter of the American Youth Football league, as well as his Middletown Eagles teammates in this national championship event.

Johnson and his all-star team made history with their victory, as this was the inaugural 12U all-star national championship event.
River Plaza Elementary Celebrates its 99th Birthday
A countdown to the century-mark began at River Plaza Elementary School earlier this month, as the school community celebrated its 99th birthday in December. Construction of the campus was completed in the fall of 1922, and was dedicated on Dec. 9 of that year. The original construction was a two-room schoolhouse with a shared basement area for lunch and indoor recreation activities. The cost of the development project was $35,000.

Despite its December dedication, the inaugural student body had to wait until Jan. of 1923 to begin classes due to a delay in the shipment of desks and additional furniture. Once the delivery was made, River Plaza received students from the immediate surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the Fairview Gardens and Fair View sections of Middletown.
Student Holiday Cards Making Season Brighter at Home and Abroad
High School North Applied Art and Design Students in Ms. Kuzmin's class, and New Monmouth Elementary School students in Ms. DellaValle's second grade classroom have made the season a little brighter by designing holiday greeting cards. Greeting cards from the second grade students will travel overseas to help bring cheer to United States servicemen and women stationed away from home over the holidays. Thank you to our MTPS students for their beautiful designs!
Middle School Esports Teams Soaring
Congratulations to our MTPS Middle School Esports for an outstanding Rocket League Championship season. The Thorne Lions (Orange), the Bayshore Dolphins (Y) and the Thompson Lions placed first, second and third in the Shore Conference standings.

We can't wait to see our teams continue their great play in the future!

Please visit the Garden State Esports League website for more information on this scholastic gaming competition.
Live Like De Memorial Scholarship Programs Aids Harmony Families
Earlier this week, Harmony Elementary School was visited by members of the Live Like De Memorial Scholarship Fund, who made a donation to help support school community families during the holidays.

The Middletown-based organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is dedicated to supporting local families and deserving students with donations and scholarship awards in the name of Deana Bottone Rose. Deanna was a Middletown resident and High School North alumna who succumbed to a an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2017.

MTPS extends its sincere thanks to the Live Like De Memorial Scholarship Fund for the incredible work this group does inside and outside of our school community. Learn more about the organization by visiting the Live Like De website.
HS North Student Honored with
Dwight D. Eisenhower Award
Earlier this week, Nicholas Palmadesso of High School North was honored by receiving with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award. Sponsored by the USMA Field Force and The West Point Society of New Jersey, the award recognizes select, outstanding high school juniors from across the state who have demonstrated exceptional performance in academics, athletics, community service, leadership and moral character, in addition to promoting the values of national service as exemplified by the 34th President of the United States. Congratulations to Nicholas on this well-deserved honor!
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