Category Archives: News

A Red-Carpet Farewell for Beloved custodian

By Evan Hofsess

Over the last 12 years, we have had a really special person at BBES: Mr. Sam Bullock.  A veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army National Guard for seven years, Mr. Bullock was the head custodian at BBES since 2008, coming to us from Deal School. He worked hard to keep the school clean and repaired while making a lot of friends along the way. These friends were a big mix of students and staff. I always saw him greeting everyone as he walked past in the hallway in school and also out of school. 

Sadly, December 23 was Mr. Bullock’s last day as he is heading into retirement at the age of 70. Custodian Phil Henderson will take over his position. Everyone at BBES will miss Mr. Bullock, but he will be remembered and loved!

I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Bullock before he left.

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Coronavirus Empties School

By Henry DiZefalo

Photo by Jared Jimenez Ramos

This spring break, my family was supposed to go to Disney World. Instead, the highlight of my spring break was that my dad made chocolate chip cookies. 

As of this writing, we have been social-distancing for seven weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a new respiratory virus that has spread across the globe, infecting millions of people. Schools and businesses have been closed, and residents ordered to stay home. When we do go out, we are supposed to wear masks and stay six feet apart. 

We learned on Monday that we will not be returning to school at all this year by order of Governor Phil Murphy. Read more

Mrs. Ferwerda Crosses the Line (The Finish Line)

By Aubrey Maher, staff writer

There were six miles left in the race when the first drop of rain fell. Then another and another, but Julie Ferwerda thought of her kids and just kept pushing. 

Mrs. Ferwerda, the speech teacher at Bradley Beach Elementary School, completed the Atlantic City Marathon on Sunday, October 20 in two hours and 10 minutes. Mrs. Ferwerda, who was then 37, reached the finish line of the 26.2-mile race with her four children, her husband, and her mom cheering her on.   

 “I feel really proud that I could complete it and believe in myself that I can mentally and physically push through my boundaries and fears,” Mrs. Ferwerda said. 

The hardest part was trying to figure out when and how to do it with four young kids, she explained. Her daughter, Mackenzie, is 8. Her son Abram is 6, and her twin sons, William and Jude, are 4. “I was able to train three times a week at 5 a.m. Most of my runs started in the dark before the kids woke up!”  Read more

2020 Election: The Tea

By Sherlyn Osorio, news editor

With less than a year to go before the next presidential election, a lot of candidates are working hard to become the new face of America and capture the attention, money, and votes of the American public. Here at Bradley Beach Elementary School, students are curious about what exactly is going on with the race.

 “There are a lot of new people, especially that dude with the really long name. I really like him,” said Henry Lleyva, an eighth-grader. 

Henry was talking about Pete Buttigieg ( pronounced boot-edge-edge). He is running to become the Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election. Whoever wins the Democratic party nomination (during a series of primary elections between February and June) will have the opportunity to run against President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term. (More about that later).

According to a recent Quinnipiac University Poll, the four current frontrunners are former vice president Joe  Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Bernie Sanders. (A poll is a survey of a sample of people who answer questions, sometimes over the telephone.) Read more

Bradley Beach Porch Fest Will Celebrate Music, Photography, Food, and Community

Porch Fest - Flyer (1)

Bradley Beach — Visitors are invited to peruse the porches and stoops of beautiful Bradley Beach at the first annual Porch Fest, a townwide celebration to be held on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be food, live music, photography, storytelling, poetry, and other surprises on 16 featured porches throughout the .63-square-mile beach town. Jump on at any porch and pick up a map of the exhibitions.

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Plastic Bag Ban Helps Marine Life

By Claire Cooperman

You stand on the boardwalk facing the beach. The sky is gray, and the wind from the storm blows strong, though the rain stopped hours before. In your hand, you hold a garbage bag and gloves as you prepare yourself for the hours of picking up garbage ahead of you. Plastic cups, bottles, bags, straws, and other single-use items litter the beach. Single-use plastic bags float in the air. All of this garbage will eventually make its way into the ocean, harming the sea life that lives there. You know you will do anything to prevent that from happening. If only one little bit of action could be taken. You walk onto the beach, ready to make the environment safer, healthier, and cleaner. Read more

Fortnite: Is it Changing the World for Better or Worse?

By Luke Bardinas

Imagine the Hunger Games. Now imagine the Hunger Games as a video game. Fortnite is a free battle royale video game released on September 26, 2017. It also has a second game mode where you save the world from a zombie invasion. Some could argue that  Fortnite is hurting kids because they would rather play Fortnite than go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather or spend time in person with others. Other people may argue the exact opposite, that Fortnite could help kids be more social and can help them with planning and collaboration with other people. Read more

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