Earth Day Program Teaches The Many Ways To Go Green

Howell Resident Inducted Into NJ Boxing Hall Of Fame

By Stephanie Faughnan

HOWELL – Alfred C. Sauer Park came alive with activity as area residents embraced the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day.

The event featured an assortment of vendors who promoted environmental sustainability and offered information on a variety of topics. As a bonus, participants in the

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How Does News Of School Shootings A ect Students’ Mental Health ?

By Andrey Nalbantov

OCEAN COUNTY – Nashville, TN.

Denver, CO. East Lansing, MI. Chicago, IL. St. Louis, MI. Uvalde, Texas. What do all of those places have in common?

There has been a school shooting in each.

From the start of the year, 19 school shooting-related incidents have occurred . The tragic reality is not just that school shootings happen, but it also impacts the mental health of every student, teacher, and staff member – even if they are indirectly affected. While thankfully none of the schools here in Ocean County have yet found themselves on that list , students attending our schools also can feel as if they were directly in the crossfi re

“We are seeing that our students in New Jersey are having reactions as if they are experiencing the shootings,” said Maureen Brogan, Traumatic Loss Coalition Program Manager at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. Brogan used the tragically life-changing event of the attacks on September (Health - See Page 3)

By Alyssa Riccardi

HOWELL – Joe Botti

of Howell has been voted into the NJ Boxing Hall of Fame’s class of 2023.

Botti, 57, is recognized for training 34 NJ Golden Glove Champions and over 100 junior champions.

He was born in Jersey City and boxed as an amateur from 1977 to 1986. In 1989, he started training fighters in Hudson County and opened the Union City Boxing Club.

On top of the Golden Gloves and junior champions, Botti’s amateur teams won seven first place team trophies in the state. They’ve defeated much larger teams from Paterson, Newark, Jersey City and Trenton.

In 1993, Botti was honored as “Trainer of the Year” by the NJ Golden Gloves after he lead 12 Golden Glove champions in a span of two years. He also was selected as head trainer of multiple NJ national teams.

Throughout his career, Botti has managed and trained dozens of professional fighters including Jason “Monstrou” Escalera who fought for the USBA title in 2012. His fighters have fought all over the world and on every

(Boxing - See Page 9)

Health:

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11, 2001 as an example of how a person does not have to be immediately involved in order to have a mental reaction.

But what negative effects are directly derived from those mental reactions?

Terri Dawe, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Assistant Clinical Director at Calm and Sense Therapy, considers the most disturbing effects of school shootings are feelings of ongoing danger that spread through schools. She states that the climate and sense of community in schools have been profoundly damaged.

“Where children once found schools to be a safe haven, they are now ‘unsafe’ often leading to hypervigilance, anxiety, depression, and vicarious trauma responses,” she said.

The power of media also plays an important role here as well. The constant exposure to media and detailed coverage of the shootings can be a trigger to the mental health-harming symptoms mentioned by Dawe.

For students like Brianna, a senior from Toms River High School South, while unsurprising to her, the news of another school shooting leave her angry and overwhelmed.

That media exposure, according to Brogan, is also adding a sense of hopelessness to the anxiety of students that further contributes to them losing their sense of control.

In order to combat that, Dawe shares the idea of parents and teachers encouraging “news breaks” to their kids and students.

“It is important to limit the time spent watching TV or staying connected online because constant exposure may heighten their anxiety and fears,” she said.

In addition to the constant media exposure, here in Ocean County, multiple schools have been subject to a number of fake active shooter treats. High School South was one of them. Those threats have led to lockdowns, evacuations, and missing school days, all negatively impacting Brianna and her fellow classmates.

“I always feel an overwhelming sense of dread and anxiety,” said Brianna, commenting on the recent active shooter threats on social media.

Brianna, who had grown angry and exhausted over the topic of school shootings, found that educating others on the severity of the topic of active shooters has helped her cope, even though she fi nds it hard to stay strong when there is not much done about the number of school shootings.

When it is too late, and the exposure has done damage to the mental health of the student, it is time to start asking the question: What should that person do in order to receive help?

According to Brogan, once a student reaches that point they should start asking themselves who are the people that they can go to and ask for some support? For her, asking for help when a person is in need is a sign of bravery.

“Asking for help is actually a strength and not a weakness,” said Brogan. “By sending the message that even the strongest people, the smartest people also need help at some point of their lives… we want to send this message of help-seeking behavior.”

She also states that adults should also be reaching out and willing to offer support to children and adolescents that need help.

Often their parents are the closest adults in their lives, but unfortunately , some parents don’t fi nd the value in mental health. In that case, Dawe suggests that students should turn to their school counselors to ask for help, or even a trusted coach or mentor for support.

Parents should be mindful when addressing concerns about their children’s safety, she said. Parents should not downplay the fears of their kids because that might lead to a shutdown of communication.

“It is not appropriate to tell the child that they will never experience a school shooting because we do not know that,” she said. “At the same time, we want to help them to feel safe enough so that they do not become fearful of going to school.”

Schools can and should be able to offer support for students, she said.

“Schools need to provide psychoeducation on the vicarious impact school shootings have on the mental health of its student body,” said Dawe. “De-stigmatize mental health by validating (that) having fear/anxiety are natural responses to traumatic events even if (they are) not directly involved.”

For Brianna, ready access to mental health resources in schools for students and their families and the fi nancial support needed to obtain those resources would be the best course of action that schools can take.

Constant exposure to school shootings can potentially lead to dangerous tendencies. According to Brogan, instead of developing depression and anxiety, some students will just become numb.

She said that with some of the school shooters, the theme of disconnectedness is present. Whenever people might not have a sense of belonging and they feel like they have been marginalized, that’s when they might have a desire for revenge or notoriety.

They might think: “If no one is paying attention to me then I will make sure that everyone is paying attention to me,” Brogan said.

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Earth Day celebration also had the chance to take advantage of the spring opening of the Farmer’s Market.

Lisa Doud, Chair of the Environmental Commission, coordinated the distribution of approximately 250 free tree seedlings made available as part of the New Jersey Forest Service’s Tree Recovery Campaign.

Residents had the opportunity to select from a variety of trees and receive instructions on how to store, care for, and plant them.

Doud explained that the state fi rst began handing out tree seedlings after Hurricane Sandy and other destruction caused by several new invasive insects. The program is now in its ninth year and is a joint effort between Howell, NJ Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program, NJ Forest Service Nursery, New Jersey Soil

Conservation Districts, Arbor Day Foundation, FedEx, Texpo Energy and Tomorrow Energy.

The topic of trees appeared almost serendipitous when DPW Director Paul Novello coincidentally found himself in the area of the seedling distribution. Without hesitation, Novello directed attention to a recently planted tree on the grounds of the park.

“That’s our new Christmas tree,” said Novello. “The other one was destroyed and broke off high above the ground. I called Joe Clark (Township Manager) and told him I was broken-hearted. He arranged for replacement with a Norway Spruce, which is much heartier than our other tree.”

Manoj Jain, a Master Gardener of Monmouth County, provided valuable guidance regarding the composting to turn food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil. Jain suggested that Monmouth County residents should take advantage of an Earth Machine Backyard Compost Bin available for just $35.

Jain said the machines have a retail value of $200 and will help facilitate the composting process. Howell residents have a choice of three locations to pick one up, with the nearest at Freehold DPW’s office on Jackson Mills Road. Interested parties should call 732 294-2161 to check availability before showing up in person.

At least 50 individuals headed out to clean up streets, all part of a regular cycle throughout the municipality. Residents were also encouraged to play their part in creating a sustainable future by embracing eco-friendly practices in their daily lives.

“One of the things I’m concentrating on now is eliminating single use plastics,” said Bridget Kosinski, Howell Recycling Coordinator. “We have reusable sandwich bags for example that can even go in the freezer.”

Two representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were excited to share information about electric vehicle initiatives. Jana Opperman was able to give a fi rsthand testimonial supporting the idea of green energy – beginning with an economic revelation.

“I bought an electric Hyundai Kona in 2020,” shared Opperman. “There was no tax upon the sale, and I had to do an application to the BPU. Now dealers do the work for the $4,000 rebate.”

Opperman said that electric vehicles continue to attract more buyers, and it’s not just because of their reduced emissions. They’re also less expensive to operate and have lower maintenance costs.

One of the highlights of Howell’s Earth Day celebration was a moving presentation by Elaine Taylor, owner of the Shangri La Farm. She warned about the danger of pesticides and herbicide residues in non-organic foods.

“Being good stewards of the land is so important while we are on this planet,” Taylor said. “Please do your best to take care of it and yourself.”

National Day Of Prayer FUN & GAMES

HOWELL – National Day of Prayer is May 4. Local churches are partnering with Howell Township for a prayer meeting at Howell Township Municipal Building (4567 Highway 9 North, Howell) at 7 p.m.