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The Asbury Park School District recognized over a dozen individuals and organizations for helping to forward its mission of Building a Brighter Future for its students through an inaugural Hard Hat Award ceremony at Tuesday’s Board of Education Meeting.

The symbolic white hard hat represents a vision based on Superintendent Lamont Repollet’s vision to Restore, Retool and Restore the district’s curricula and programs in order to give its students the ability to be college and career ready.

“Tonight we honor a group of elected officials, local nonprofit organizations, civic leaders, local churches, and business leaders,” Superintendent Lamont Repollet said. “These individuals and their organizations, during the first two years of this Educational Renaissance, have demonstrated their commitment to our students and to their community.”

The recipients [shown in gallery photographs] include the Asbury Park City Council, Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jackie Pappas, Charity Kings Darryl Hammary, iStar’s Senior Vice President of Land and Development Brian Cheripka, Second Baptist Church’s Deacon Daniel Harris, Salt School’s David Bowd, Words Bookstore’s Jan Sparrow, First Constitution Bank’s Sandra Sutton, The Asbury’s Brian Holland, Sportz Farm’s Teko Hammary, St. Stephens AME Church’s Rev Johnson and his wife, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, Monmouth County Division of Workforce Development and Monmouth County YMCA.

“Each year we will present individuals and organization a Hard Had, which is our symbol of Building a Brighter Future,” Repollet said. “This took two years in the making – the first year we assessed not only our school district but our community.”

Repollet said individuals and organizations were asked: “What can you do for our students; are you committed to these kids; and if you are then we can work together. I can honestly each individual and organization on this list has served in a capacity for our kids and, more importantly, were dedicated and committed to our students.”

Many on the list, like Words Bookstore, iStar and The Asbury hotel, and First Constitution Bank provided internship opportunities for the district students through its Career and College Readiness program. This summer 60 Asbury Park High School students have received work opportunities, most of them throughout the city.

Repollet commended Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce Director Jackie Pappas for being one of the first to dedicate her work to the district students by introducing the new school district administrators to existing businesses and groups that could help further the Hard Hat Nation mission. He also commended iStar’s Brian Cheripka for facilitating not just summer job opportunities but year round openings. And, Word’s Bookstore’s Jan Sparrow and First Constitution Bank were recognized for being two of the first local businesses to give students an internship opportunity.

[photos courtesy of Asbury Park School District]

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