East Brunswick Spring Sports Roundup | April 6 to April 11, 2026

April 12, 2026

Spring sports are officially rolling in East Brunswick, and this past week gave fans a little bit of everything. There were dominant wins, tough losses, statement performances, and plenty of athletes who stepped up in big moments. From golf teams continuing to pile up victories, to boys tennis putting together another strong stretch, to softball and girls lacrosse delivering some exciting results, East Brunswick athletes stayed busy all week long. There is already plenty of fight, talent, and momentum showing across the board, and this week made one thing clear: the Bears are going to give people a lot to talk about this spring.

⛳ Girls Golf stays red hot

East Brunswick girls golf kept its strong start going with a pair of impressive dual-meet wins. The Bears opened the week by beating Old Bridge, 168 to 184, behind a first-place 39 from Dasha Patel, while Tasneem Basrai shot a 41 and Erin Choi added a 42. East Brunswick followed that up with another convincing win over Metuchen, 178 to 261, as Basrai took first with a 38 and Isabella Loufek finished second with a 46. On Thursday, the Bears rolled again, defeating South Brunswick, 163 to 224. Basrai once again led the way with a 39, while Loufek and Choi each carded 41s and Dasha Patel came in at 42. East Brunswick also competed in the Red Devil Invitational on Friday and finished eighth as a team with a 358, with Basrai leading the Bears by shooting an 83 to tie for 20th overall.

⛳ Boys Golf keeps piling up wins

It was another huge week for East Brunswick boys golf, which continued its unbeaten run with three more victories. The Bears took down Metuchen, 155 to 188, as Carlo Salardino, Hsieh Fong-Yang, and Shreyas Batra all tied for first with 38s, while Matt Mikulka added a 41. East Brunswick then beat South Brunswick, 135 to 153, in one of its strongest performances of the week. Hsieh Fong-Yang fired a match-best 32, Batra followed with a 33, and both Salardino and Hsieh Fong-Hou shot 35. The Bears closed out the week with another win, topping Edison, 153 to 181, as Fong-Yang again led the way with a 34, followed by Fong-Hou at 39 and both Salardino and Aiden Lee at 40.

🎾 Boys Tennis puts together another strong stretch

East Brunswick boys tennis had a very good week and showed plenty of depth along the way. The Bears blanked Monroe, 5 to 0, with Neil Lund, Vyan Mahesh, and Timur Savin all winning in singles play, while the doubles teams of Ashwin Deodhar and Saksham Bhardwaj, plus Viaan Muckra and Ketan Deodhar, also earned straight-set wins. East Brunswick followed that with a 4 to 1 win over Edison Magnet. Kaito Woodridge dropped a tough match at first singles, but the Bears took the other four flights. Ishaan Makim and Ashwin Deodhar won in singles, and both doubles teams handled business. The Bears finished the week with a competitive 3 to 2 loss to a strong Chatham team, but not before Woodridge and Makim picked up wins in first and second singles. Even in defeat, East Brunswick showed it can battle with quality competition.

🥍 Girls Lacrosse battles through a busy week

East Brunswick girls lacrosse had a packed week with some highs and some tough matchups. The Bears fell to Monroe, 7 to 4, despite all four East Brunswick goals coming from Erika Riggio, who once again showed her scoring touch. They bounced back in a big way on Thursday with a 12 to 3 win over North Brunswick. Riggio led the attack with five goals, while Gianna Stavola scored twice and Sienna Mitchell, Ashlee McGowan, and Veronica Slavinsky all made strong contributions. Maria Bumbaca finished with five saves in the win. On Saturday, East Brunswick faced a tough Peddie squad and dropped a 14 to 9 decision. Riggio had another huge day with four goals, while Veronica Slavinsky and Gianna Stavola each added two. Even with the loss, the Bears showed they can keep producing offense against strong opponents.

🥍 Boys Lacrosse keeps fighting

It was a challenging week for East Brunswick boys lacrosse, but there were still some big individual efforts. The Bears dropped an 18 to 10 game against Johnson on Monday. A.J. Pepe scored three goals, Foster Dohn had three goals and an assist, Mathieu Silveira also scored three times, and Rhys Vega added a goal and an assist. Later in the week, East Brunswick fell to South Brunswick, 15 to 9, but Foster Dohn once again stood out with four goals and three assists in a seven-point performance. Brian Simpson scored three goals in that one, while Rhys Vega and Mathieu Silveira also found the net. Nicholas Marsicano made 16 saves against South Brunswick, giving the Bears a strong effort in goal even in a difficult matchup.

🏐 Boys Volleyball splits the week before a tough Saturday test

East Brunswick boys volleyball had one of the busiest weeks of any Bears team. The Bears opened with a loss to Old Bridge in straight sets, but Logan Allen had seven kills and Connor Wong handed out 10 assists. On Wednesday, East Brunswick bounced back with a straight-set win over Watchung Hills. Allen led the way with eight kills, Dylan Schon added four kills and two aces, Yuvraj Singla had a strong all-around effort, and Wong delivered 18 assists. The Bears stayed rolling on Thursday with another straight-set win, this time over South Brunswick. Schon led the offense with six kills, Allen added five, Daniel Nam chipped in four, and Wong again ran the attack with 16 assists. On Saturday, East Brunswick pushed Hunterdon Central but fell in four sets. Allen and Nam each had eight kills, Schon finished with seven kills and seven blocks, and Carlos Torres had 24 assists. Even in the loss, there were plenty of strong performances to build on.

🥎 Softball shows plenty of fight

East Brunswick softball had a week full of action and proved it can put runs on the board. The Bears opened with a 5 to 1 win over Bayonne behind another excellent outing from Christina Lee, who struck out nine and allowed just three hits while also going 2-for-4 at the plate. Eva Munoz and Maria Rampolla each drove in a run, and East Brunswick totaled 11 hits in the victory.

The Bears then dropped a 10 to 5 game to St. Thomas Aquinas, despite collecting 10 hits. Rampolla had a huge day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Christina Lee, Eva Munoz, and Rachel Gerould also drove in runs.

East Brunswick later fell in a 7 to 5 slugfest against South Plainfield. Christina Lee scored three runs, Isabella Warrington went 3-for-4, and Rampolla drove in three more runs in another productive offensive showing.

The Bears closed the week on a high note with a 5 to 2 win over Old Bridge. Lee earned the win in the circle and also scored twice, while Warrington drove in two runs, Rampolla added another RBI, and East Brunswick pounded out 13 hits in the victory. It was the kind of balanced performance that can give a team real momentum moving forward.

⚾ Baseball delivers a big shutout win

East Brunswick baseball had a mixed week, but the headline performance was a dominant 9 to 0 shutout of St. Thomas Aquinas. Jordan Rudolph was outstanding on the mound, striking out 12 while allowing just two hits over seven innings. At the plate, Julian Satterthwaite had the biggest swing of the day, going 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. Joe Spinello also scored twice, and the Bears took advantage of five St. Thomas Aquinas errors in a strong all-around win.

The Bears later dropped a 14 to 4 game to St. Joseph and then came up just short in a 3 to 2 loss in the rematch. In that second game, Javier Casacuberta had two of East Brunswick’s three hits and drove in a run, while Ilan Pony struck out six over five innings. East Brunswick did not get the result it wanted, but it stayed within striking distance the whole way.

The week ahead feeling

This was one of those spring weeks that showed just how much is happening across East Brunswick athletics. The golf programs continue to look tremendous, boys tennis keeps stacking wins, softball keeps showing offensive punch, girls lacrosse picked up an important victory, and boys volleyball answered adversity with a pair of strong wins. There were some tough losses in the mix too, but there was no shortage of effort, standout performances, or reasons for East Brunswick families to keep paying attention.

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When a Budget Becomes a Message: Inside the April 9 East Brunswick BOE Meeting

April 11, 2026

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east brunswick boe april 9 2026 boe meeting

The room was full. Not just full—packed. And when that filled up, people stood in the hallway. Dozens of them. Some waited hours and never even got to speak.

This all unfolded during the “For the Good of the Cause” portion of the meeting—the part where the public gets to speak.

That alone tells you what kind of night this was.

The East Brunswick Education Association had called people out to support the district’s custodians, and the community showed up in force. Red shirts, standing room only, and a clear message: this decision matters.

Because this isn’t just about a budget gap. It’s about who takes the hit.

“Budgets Are Moral Documents”

One speaker summed up the entire night in a single line: “Budgets are moral documents.”

That’s what this comes down to. You can talk about numbers, state aid, and deficits—and those are real—but eventually every budget becomes a statement of priorities. What you keep tells people what you value. What you cut tells people what you don’t.

And on this night, the conversation centered around one potential cut: outsourcing custodians.

Dana Zimbicki: “This Is Not Just a Budget Decision”

If there was one voice that carried through the room, it was Dana Zimbicki, president of the East Brunswick Education Association. And she didn’t come up there to politely disagree.

She came up there angry—and she said it.

She started by calling out the moment itself. Not the budget. Not the numbers. The process.

People had been standing in the hallway for over two hours. Parents, staff, community members—waiting to be heard, many of them never getting the chance. And her point was simple: if this many people show up, you don’t squeeze them into a room that can’t hold them.

But that was just the beginning.

Once she got into the substance, her message sharpened fast. This wasn’t just about custodians. This was about how decisions are being made—and who is being asked to absorb the impact of them.

She challenged the idea that privatization is some kind of practical solution. Not emotionally—factually.

She pointed to other districts dealing with the same state aid issues. Districts that didn’t make this choice. Districts that found other ways to manage the pressure without removing people who are embedded in their schools.

Then she broke down what privatization actually means in the real world—not on paper.

Short-term savings that don’t last. Contracts that increase over time. Less control over your own buildings. More turnover. Less accountability.

And then she brought it back to the people.

She talked about what she had been hearing in the days leading up to the meeting—about custodians potentially being pushed out, about people being told not to worry because they could “retire,” about the idea that they might be picked up by private companies but without the same stability or benefits.

And that’s where her tone shifted from frustrated to direct:

“These are real people doing essential work.”

She made it clear that this isn’t a replaceable function. These are not “seconds.” These are not interchangeable roles. These are people who know the buildings, know the students, and are part of the daily rhythm of the schools.

Then she pointed to something that hung in the room a little heavier than everything else.

If this district is trying to “preserve what it has”—a phrase that had been used earlier in the meeting—how does removing people who have been part of that system for decades fit into that goal?

Because you can’t say you’re preserving something while actively removing the people who helped build it.

That was her message.

And whether you agreed with it or not, it was impossible to ignore.

A Third Grader Might Have Said It Best

Before any of the adults got up, a student spoke. Actually, a whole class did.

A third-grade class wrote a letter about their custodian, Mr. Oscar. No politics, no strategy—just what they see every day.

They talked about how he helps when there’s a problem, how he knows them, how he jokes with them, how he shows up. They called him kind. They said he smiles. They said they would miss him if he was gone.

That’s the part you can’t quantify. But it’s also the part that defines a school.

What Custodians Actually Do (According to the People Who Work With Them)

One of the biggest themes of the night was this: people kept pushing back on the idea that custodians are just cleaning staff.

Teachers, staff, and even former students described something very different.

They talked about custodians being the first ones in the building and the last ones to leave. They talked about them responding immediately when something breaks, when a classroom becomes unsafe, or when something just isn’t right.

They talked about experience—knowing the building, knowing the systems, knowing the people. That kind of knowledge doesn’t transfer to a rotating outside crew.

One teacher put it plainly: once that level of awareness is gone, you don’t get it back.

Another described them as the eyes and ears of the school—people who catch problems before they become bigger ones.

And multiple speakers pointed to something already happening in the district: issues with privatized night custodial work—missed tasks, communication problems, and inconsistent performance.

That wasn’t theory. That was experience.

The Word That Kept Coming Up: “Community”

Nobody coordinated this, but the same idea kept coming up over and over again.

Community.

Custodians said it. Teachers said it. Students said it.

One custodian said, “I’m not just a custodian. I’m part of this community.”

And that’s really the tension here. Because outsourcing doesn’t just replace workers—it replaces people who are embedded in the day-to-day life of these schools with people who aren’t.

You lose familiarity. You lose relationships. You lose accountability that comes from actually being part of the place you’re working in.

It Wasn’t Just Custodians

While the custodial issue dominated the night, it wasn’t the only concern.

Residents also spoke about the proposed expansion of the Frost School parking lot. Concerns ranged from environmental impact and drainage issues to safety risks and the loss of green space that the community actively uses.

Others spoke about rising taxes and frustration with transparency around the budget.

And then there was another recurring theme: people understand there is a budget problem—but they’re questioning how the solutions are being chosen.

The Board’s Position

The board did respond, and the message was clear: nothing has been finalized.

They explained that they are required by law to notify the union before outsourcing is even considered and that the current phase is about “impact bargaining,” where the union has the opportunity to propose alternatives to close the budget gap.

They also emphasized the scale of the problem: a multi-million-dollar shortfall even after a significant tax increase.

In other words, they’re saying this isn’t about preference—it’s about necessity.

But that doesn’t mean the community sees it that way.

What This Night Actually Showed

This wasn’t a typical meeting.

This was a community drawing a line.

Not necessarily saying “ignore the budget,” but saying, “be very careful what you choose to cut.”

Because once you remove people who have been part of these schools for decades, you’re not just making a financial decision.

You’re changing the culture of the district.

And as one speaker made clear, that’s not something you can easily reverse.

We queued up the For The Good Of The Cause Portion, click play!

East Brunswick Sports Roundup | March 30 – April 4, 2026

April 5, 2026

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East Brunswick Sports Roundup March 30 – April 4, 2026

Spring sports are officially in full swing, and East Brunswick teams are already showing what this season is going to be about. It was a packed week for the Bears, and if you’ve been following along, you know one thing for sure… they’re competing. Big wins, tough matchups, breakout performances, and moments that show exactly what this spring season is building toward. From dominant sweeps to gritty battles, East Brunswick gave fans plenty to be excited about.

🎾 Boys Tennis

vs. Edison | March 31
East Brunswick opened the season with a statement — a 5-0 sweep over Edison. The Bears controlled every match from start to finish. Neil Lund, Kaito Woodridge, and Timur Savin all picked up straight-set wins in singles, while both doubles teams handled business to complete the shutout.

🏐 Boys Volleyball

vs. Colonia | March 31
This was a battle. After dropping the first set, East Brunswick fought back to win 2-1, including a tight 26-24 finish. Logan Allen led with 12 kills, Connor Wong had 28 assists and 3 aces, and Yazan Daoud added 7 kills. Dylan Schon and Yuvraj Singla both made key contributions in a strong team win.

vs. St. Joseph (Met.) | April 2
The Bears ran into a tough opponent and fell in straight sets. Yazan Daoud led the way with 5 kills, while Connor Wong added 13 assists. A learning matchup against one of the stronger teams on the schedule.

⚾ Baseball

vs. Monroe | April 2
East Brunswick fell 5-2, but there were bright spots. Jordan Rudolph launched a home run, while Sean Gillis drove in a run. Joshua Hines struck out 6 on the mound.

vs. Monroe | March 31
In a high-scoring game, the Bears battled but came up short 10-7. Joe Coello led with 3 RBI, and Julian Satterthwaite had 2 hits. The offense showed life, putting pressure on Monroe throughout.

vs. St. Thomas Aquinas | April 4
Big response from the Bears with a 3-2 win. Tyler Zeichner drove in a run, and the pitching staff locked things down late to secure the victory.

🥍 Boys Lacrosse

vs. Shore | March 30
A tough matchup for East Brunswick, falling 15-3 against a strong Shore team.

vs. Red Bank Regional | April 4
The Bears dropped another tough one, 16-5. Despite the score, this is a group still finding its rhythm early in the season against solid competition.

🥍 Girls Lacrosse

vs. Steinert | March 31
East Brunswick fell 8-6, but Erika Riggio had a standout performance with 3 goals and 2 assists. Sienna Mitchell added 2 goals in a competitive game that stayed close throughout.

🥎 Softball

vs. Johnson | March 30
East Brunswick was shut out 11-0 in the opener against a strong Johnson team.

vs. Sayreville | April 2
The Bears scored early but couldn’t keep up in a 13-3 loss. Maria Rampolla drove in 2 runs, and Makenna Gay added a hit and a run.

vs. Carteret | April 4
This one flipped the script in a big way — 10-0 win for East Brunswick. Christina Lee dominated in the circle with 10 strikeouts, while Isabella Warrington led the offense with 3 hits and 2 RBI.

vs. Bard | April 4
Absolute offensive explosion — 17-0 win. Makenna Gay had 5 RBI and a home run, while the Bears racked up 16 hits in a dominant performance.

💬 Final Take

This is what you want to see early in the season.
Teams finding their identity.
Players stepping up.
Wins building momentum.

And across the board, East Brunswick is competing.

What We Found About the Frost School Project

April 3, 2026

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A Letter That Caught People Off Guard

This started with a message we received from a resident in the Frost School area.

They shared a letter delivered to nearby homes outlining a proposed project at Frost. According to them, several neighbors they spoke with had no idea this was happening. Some have children in the school and said they hadn’t heard anything about it either.

We’re not here to take a position on the project itself. This is simply about awareness and making sure people have access to information.

We’re sharing this based on information sent to us and publicly available records.

While capital projects and operating budgets are handled differently, they are still funded through taxpayer dollars over time. According to Board of Education records from October 2025, this project is listed as being funded through capital reserve/outlay, meaning existing funds rather than new debt.

Looking Back at Board of Education Records

After receiving the letter, we wanted to see what was publicly available.

We went back through roughly six months of Board of Education records, including:

Regular board meeting agendas and minutes
Work session meetings
Facilities-related items and discussions

We searched using multiple terms, including ‘Frost,’ and reviewed both agendas and supporting documents tied to those meetings.

What Showed Up and What Didn’t

In that process, we did find a brief reference from October to a “Frost Elementary parking lot expansion.”

That reference appears in records from October 2025, during the prior administration under then-Superintendent Victor Valeski and Business Administrator Bernardo “Bernie” Giuliana.

Beyond that, we did not find anything that clearly outlined the full scope described in the letter or anything that stood out as a detailed public discussion in recent meetings.

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t discussed at some point. It could have been included under a broader facilities item or presented in a way that wasn’t easy to identify in the records.

But based on what we reviewed, it wasn’t clearly laid out or easy to track.

What Residents Can Do

If you live in the area or have a connection to Frost School, it may be worth:

Reviewing available plans
Attending upcoming Board of Education meetings
Asking questions and getting clarity

The more informed the community is, the better those conversations tend to be.

If additional information becomes available or if this was discussed more clearly elsewhere, we’ll update accordingly.

Click here to view the documents and see what’s been publicly posted:
https://www.eastbrunswick.org/Search?searchPhrase=frost%20schoool%20revised&pageNumber=1&perPage=10&departmentId=-1

Why Basketball Brings Kids Together Like No Other Sport

April 1, 2026

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The Night the Lights Came On

The other night I was driving past a park in Manalapan, a place I’ve been to plenty of times before. Years ago, I used to ride my moped there from Monroe in the 80s to play, and more than 30 years later, I found myself driving a group of five or so kids from East Brunswick there just so they could play basketball at night.

That alone should say something.

The first night after daylight savings time when the clocks move forward and it stays lighter later. They turned the lights on for the season.

And the place was packed. Kids everywhere. Games going. People watching. Energy all over the courts.

I ended up taking a quick stroll, just thinking about it, and honestly, it was a little frustrating.

Because we have kids here in East Brunswick who would show up to something like that every single night if it existed.

And right now, it doesn’t.

Below is an image of the Manalapan Recreation Center Expansion – These are newer courts, and not too far away in the same park, there are six other courts under lights.

The One Sport Everyone Still Plays

There’s something different about basketball, and you see it the second you walk by a park.

Even kids who don’t play on a team still play basketball.

You don’t see that with most other sports. If a kid doesn’t play organized baseball, they’re usually not just showing up to a field to play baseball. Same with hockey, lacrosse, or soccer. Those sports tend to stay within teams, leagues, and scheduled practices.

Basketball doesn’t work like that.

Kids who play on teams show up. Kids who don’t play at all show up. Kids who are just learning show up. Kids who are really good show up. It all mixes together, and somehow it works.

That’s what makes it different.

A Real Experience From Right Here in Town

Back around 2016 to 2019, I used to run workouts for local kids, mostly in the 5th and 6th grades. It was open to anyone who wanted to come. Some days we’d get five kids. Other days it would turn into twenty. The common thread was always the same. The kids wanted to be there. They wanted to play, improve, and be around each other.

The biggest challenge wasn’t getting participation. It was finding space.

East Brunswick does have basketball courts, but they’re spread out across neighborhoods. You’ll typically find one court here and one court there. That sounds fine until you actually try to use them with a group. You show up and the court is already taken, or half the court is taken, and now you’re trying to figure out what to do next.

Moving a group of kids to another park without knowing if that court is open becomes a gamble, and after a while, it makes it harder to keep things going.

What Other Towns Do Differently

If you go to places like New Brunswick or Manalapan, you’ll notice something right away. They don’t just have courts. They have multiple courts in one location.

That changes everything.

Now you’ve got multiple games going at once. Kids rotating in and out. People watching, talking, hanging out. It becomes more than just a place to play. It becomes a place where the community naturally comes together.

There’s no schedule. No signup. No structure needed. It just works.

Heavenly Farms Shows What We Value

To be fair, East Brunswick has invested heavily in recreation, and Heavenly Farms is a great example of that. It has turf fields, lighted fields, and dedicated space for football, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball. It’s clearly built around organized sports, where everything is scheduled, structured, and controlled through teams and programs, and it does that really well.

And I’ll be the first to say, I don’t understand all the nuances that go into planning and building something like that.

But it also highlights something important.

For everything we’ve built, there isn’t a central area with multiple basketball courts where kids can just show up and play at the same time. We have courts, but not in a way that allows the game to grow the way it naturally does.

Why Basketball Is Different

Basketball doesn’t require much. You don’t need expensive equipment. You don’t need a full field. You don’t need to coordinate with a team.

That’s what makes it one of the most accessible sports there is. It’s also what makes it one of the most powerful when it comes to bringing people together. When there’s a place to play, kids from all different backgrounds show up and figure it out together.

That doesn’t happen the same way in other sports.

The Opportunity in Front of Us

This isn’t about saying East Brunswick doesn’t have places to play. It does. But there’s a difference between having courts and having the kind of setup that allows something bigger to happen.

Right now, a kid can head to a court and there’s a real chance it’s already full. After enough of those experiences, they stop going, not because they don’t want to play, but because it’s not easy to play.

That’s something we can fix.

Creating a space with multiple courts in one location isn’t just about basketball. It’s about creating a place where kids can go without planning, where games form on their own, and where the community builds itself.

Because when basketball has the space to exist the way it’s meant to, it brings people together in a way very few things can.

And that’s something worth thinking about.

Unapologetically Her: Meet Riya and Snigdha

March 31, 2026

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A New Voice Coming Out of East Brunswick

Riya and Snigdha are not waiting for permission to speak. They are already doing it.

As students at East Brunswick High School, they launched Unapologetically Her with a clear goal in mind. They wanted a space where real conversations could happen without hesitation. No filtering. No overthinking. Just honest discussions about what they see, what they experience, and what they believe needs to be talked about more.

With the support of Eyes On EB helping them produce and get their podcast out to the community, Riya and Snigdha are not just talking among themselves. They are building something people can actually hear, follow, and engage with.

What makes this stand out is simple. They are not doing this for attention. They are doing it because they feel like these conversations should already be happening.

Starting Conversations That Actually Matter

Riya and Snigdha are willing to go into topics that most people either avoid or don’t fully think through.

They’ve already tackled conversations around period stigma, barriers in education, and the challenges women face when entering fields like STEM—but that’s just a starting point for where this is going.

What makes their approach different is how they handle it. Riya often brings in broader perspective and context, while Snigdha grounds the conversation in what they see locally and personally. It creates a balance that makes the discussion feel both real and relatable.

They are not trying to give perfect answers. They are asking better questions. Why do these issues still exist? Where do they start? And why aren’t more people talking about them in a real way?

More Than Just a Podcast

This is bigger than just recording conversations.

Riya and Snigdha are building something that reflects a larger idea—access, awareness, and encouragement. Whether it’s education, confidence, or opportunity, the goal is to open doors that might feel closed to others.

There is a level of awareness in what they are doing that feels ahead of their age. They understand that pointing out problems is easy. Creating space for people to actually think about them is harder.

That is what they are trying to do.

A Perspective That Feels Real

One of the biggest strengths of Unapologetically Her is perspective.

Riya and Snigdha are not speaking as experts looking back. They are speaking as students living through these situations right now. That makes the conversations more direct, more honest, and more relevant to people their age.

They also push on something that goes beyond any one topic—the way people think. The way opinions are formed. The way social media influences decisions without people even realizing it.

Instead of just accepting that, they challenge it. They question it. And they encourage others to do the same.

This Is Just the Beginning

What Riya and Snigdha have put out so far is only a glimpse of where this can go.

Unapologetically Her is not built around one issue or one theme. It is built around a mindset. A willingness to speak openly, to question things, and to keep pushing conversations forward.

And if this is where they are starting, it is worth paying attention to where they take it next.

A Room for This: A Quiet, Powerful Community Experience Comes to East Brunswick Public Library

March 29, 2026

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There’s something different taking shape inside the East Brunswick Public Library.

A Room for This is a community feelings gallery built from already submitted pieces—where there was no pressure to explain, no expectation to impress, and no right or wrong way to participate. It’s about giving people a place to express what they’re carrying through art, words, color, or whatever came naturally.

A Gallery Built by the Community

And here’s where it quietly becomes something special.

Between contributions from the East Brunswick school district—led in part by Michelle DeGrosa, who has been instrumental in bringing this to life inside the schools—and with the support of Superintendent Dr. Mamman, who jumped on board without hesitation and embraced the vision from the start—and students connected through Councilwoman Dana Winston’s work with Farmgirl Studios LLC, along with her sensory art classes through Project MAC serving the disabled community, this gallery is shaping up to feature over 70 pieces of artwork.

That’s 70+ individual expressions of real feelings—unfiltered, unexplained, and deeply human.

More Than a Gallery: A Space to Participate

This isn’t just something you walk through.

It’s something you can step into.

Tables will be set up, giving anyone the opportunity to sit down and create something of their own—whether that takes two minutes or twenty.

Local organizations will also be present, including U2L Studio, Hope & Healing Journeys, Dyslexia Wellness, and Diana’s Dream, helping to expand the experience beyond the walls of the gallery and into the broader community.

And for those who just want to observe, reflect, or take a quiet moment… that space exists too.

No pressure. No expectations.

Thoughtful Voices Behind the Experience

A lot of care has gone into shaping this event.

Melisa Hozik played a key role in organizing the event, guiding the process, and ensuring everything came together in a way that truly serves the community.

You’ll also find voices like Vicky Laszlo, LCSW, LCADC, who was a big part of helping bring this entire experience together. A therapist with over 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of hours spent helping people navigate anxiety, trauma, and emotional healing, her work centers around understanding feelings—not avoiding them—and creating space for people to process what they’ve been carrying.

And adding another layer to the experience, Claire Cabrera will offer yoga as part of the event, giving attendees a chance to connect not just emotionally but physically as well.

A Voice You’ll Hear That Day

Among those who will be speaking is Michael Cantor. Find out how someone who grew up shy and timid with low self-esteem and then found out in his 40s he was autistic was able to succeed 25+ years as a financial planner in a people-oriented career.

When and Where

A Room for This will take place on April 19 from 12 PM to 2 PM at the East Brunswick Public Library.

Come As You Are

This isn’t a contest.
This isn’t a class.
This isn’t something you have to “prepare” for.

It’s simply a space.

A space where a community comes together—not to explain itself—but to feel, reflect, and maybe, for a moment, feel a little less alone.

If something’s been sitting with you…

This might be a place to sit with it.

East Brunswick Bears Weekly Sports Roundup | March 23–27, 2026

March 28, 2026

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East Brunswick Bears Weekly Sports Roundup March 23–27, 2026

The wins are starting to stack up for East Brunswick, and this week brought plenty to cheer about. The boys golf team stayed unbeaten with three straight victories, and the girls lacrosse team opened its season by battling through a tight one goal win. From clutch scoring to top finishes on the course, East Brunswick athletes gave Bears fans a lot to be proud of.

Boys Golf

East Brunswick 156, South Plainfield 192
Monday, March 23 at Tamarack Golf Course

East Brunswick opened the week with a dominant showing against South Plainfield, winning by 36 strokes.

Hsieh Fong-Yang took first place overall with a terrific 35. Shreyas Batra added a 39, while Carlo Salardino and Hsieh Fong-Hou each came in with a 41 as the Bears controlled the match from the top of the leaderboard down.

Top East Brunswick scores:
Hsieh Fong-Yang, 35
Shreyas Batra, 39
Carlo Salardino, 41
Hsieh Fong-Hou, 41

East Brunswick 188, St. Joseph (Metuchen) 195
Wednesday, March 25 at Metuchen Country Club

The Bears kept rolling with another win, this time grinding out a seven stroke victory over St. Joseph.

Carlo Salardino and Shreyas Batra each shot 46 to lead East Brunswick, while Hsieh Fong-Hou carded a 47 and Jonathan Blivaiss added a 49. St. Joseph had the individual medalist, but East Brunswick’s depth once again made the difference.

Top East Brunswick scores:
Carlo Salardino, 46
Shreyas Batra, 46
Hsieh Fong-Hou, 47
Jonathan Blivaiss, 49

East Brunswick 150, South Brunswick 162
Thursday, March 26 at Tamarack Golf Course

East Brunswick turned in its best team score of the week on Thursday, taking down South Brunswick by 12 strokes.

Hsieh Fong-Yang led the way again with a 36. Hsieh Fong-Hou followed with a 37, Carlo Salardino shot 38, and Aiden Lee came through with a 39. The Bears placed four golfers in the top six and continued to show just how balanced this lineup can be.

Top East Brunswick scores:
Hsieh Fong-Yang, 36
Hsieh Fong-Hou, 37
Carlo Salardino, 38
Aiden Lee, 39

Girls Lacrosse

East Brunswick 10, Sayreville 9
Thursday, March 26

The East Brunswick girls lacrosse team opened its season with a nail biter and came away with a big one goal victory over Sayreville.

Erika Riggio and Ava McVicar each scored four goals to lead the Bears offense. Sienna Mitchell added a goal and an assist, while Ashlee McGowan and Julia Rose each contributed an assist. Maria Bumbaca made five saves in goal as East Brunswick held on for the season opening win.

Sayreville was led by Samantha Marley, who scored six goals, but the Bears did enough offensively and came up with the stops they needed late.

East Brunswick leaders:
Erika Riggio, 4 goals
Ava McVicar, 4 goals
Sienna Mitchell, 1 goal, 1 assist
Ashlee McGowan, 1 assist
Julia Rose, 1 assist
Maria Bumbaca, 5 saves

Looking at the week

It was a strong few days for the Bears. Boys golf stayed unbeaten with three more wins and continued to show depth across the lineup, while girls lacrosse started its season in the win column with a gritty performance. East Brunswick keeps building momentum, and this was another week that showed the kind of fight and consistency that can make for a fun spring season.

What the Data Shows About School Staffing in East Brunswick and Nearby Districts

March 5, 2026

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Across New Jersey and around the country, school districts have been adjusting their staffing levels in response to changing student needs, operational demands, and shifting enrollment patterns. A national workforce data tool known as WANDA, developed by the Edunomics Lab, provides a clearer picture of how staffing has changed over time in individual districts.

Looking at the data between the 2018–2019 and 2024–2025 school years reveals some interesting trends across Central New Jersey, including in the East Brunswick Township School District and several neighboring districts.

While each community is unique, the numbers show that many districts in the region have increased staffing levels during a period when enrollment has remained flat or declined slightly.

East Brunswick’s Staffing Changes

According to the WANDA data tool, the East Brunswick school district increased its total number of full-time equivalent employees by 69 positions between the 2018–2019 and 2024–2025 school years. This represents about a 5 percent increase, bringing the district’s staffing from approximately 1,540 employees to about 1,610.

During the same period, student enrollment in the district declined slightly by 97 students, a decrease of about 1 percent.

Breaking down the staffing changes shows where those increases occurred:

Teachers: +37
Paraprofessionals: -2
Non-teaching certified staff (such as nurses or specialists): +2
District administration and central office: -15
Transportation, food service, custodial, and facilities: +48

One notable detail in the data is that district-level administrative staffing actually declined over this period, while the largest growth occurred in operations roles such as transportation, facilities, and food services.

How Nearby Districts Compare

East Brunswick is not alone in experiencing staffing changes during this period. Several nearby districts show similar patterns over the same timeframe.

In the South Brunswick School District, staffing increased by 148 employees, a 12 percent increase, while enrollment declined by 930 students, or about 11 percent.

The Old Bridge Township Public Schools took a different approach. That district reduced staffing by 39 employees, or about 3 percent, while enrollment declined by 415 students during the same period.

In the East Windsor Regional School District, staffing increased by 101 employees (about 12 percent) while enrollment declined slightly by 94 students.

The North Brunswick Township Schools also saw staffing growth, adding 108 employees (about 11 percent) while enrollment declined modestly by 57 students.

Meanwhile, the Sayreville Public Schools added 104 employees, about an 11 percent increase, while student enrollment actually grew by 178 students over the same period.

A Regional Pattern

When looking at the six districts together, several trends become clear.

Most districts in the region increased staffing levels between 2019 and today. At the same time, enrollment declined in four of the six districts examined, remained nearly flat in one, and increased in one.

Another interesting pattern is that staffing growth is not primarily occurring in central administration. In many districts, increases appear in areas such as:

classroom teachers
transportation services
custodial and facilities staff
food services
student support roles

These operational and support positions often expand as districts respond to new service needs, changing student programs, building maintenance demands, or transportation requirements.

Questions Worth Discussing

Data like this raises important questions for communities throughout the region.

What factors are driving staffing increases in some districts even as enrollment shifts? Are districts expanding student services, responding to operational demands, or adjusting staffing to meet new educational or regulatory requirements?

And how should communities evaluate these changes as they plan future budgets and educational priorities?

The WANDA workforce tool offers a helpful starting point for examining these trends. For residents interested in understanding how school staffing has evolved in their communities, the data provides a clearer look at how districts are allocating their workforce over time.

Why East Brunswick Doesn’t Know Its Own State Aid Yet

March 3, 2026

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At the February 19 Board of Education meeting, the district’s first budget presentation of the season wasn’t about cuts.

It was about math.

And more importantly, it was about why East Brunswick often cannot predict its own state aid — even weeks before it must adopt a tentative budget.

Here’s what residents need to understand.

1. The District Is Required to Build a Budget Before It Knows Its State Aid

The Governor’s budget address determines state aid numbers.

State aid is released 48 hours after that address.

As of the February 19 meeting, the Governor’s address had not yet happened. It could be delayed into March.

East Brunswick is scheduled to adopt its tentative budget on March 19.

That means the district may be legally required to present a budget before it fully knows how much state aid it will receive.

That is not a local decision. That is how the state calendar works.

2. State Aid Is Driven by a Formula — But Not a Predictable One

State aid is calculated using:

• Enrollment numbers
• Special education counts
• Low-income student counts
• Equalized property valuation
• Income data
• Statewide funding limits
• “Factors” that are not publicly explained

Those last factors matter.

Small percentage changes in these formula multipliers can translate into tens of millions of dollars in expected “local fair share” contributions.

Even if East Brunswick’s enrollment is relatively stable, the formula inputs shift every year.

And when property values and income levels rise — as they have — the state’s expectation of what East Brunswick should be able to fund locally also rises.

That often means less state aid.

3. The Local Fair Share Is Increasing Faster Than the 2% Tax Cap

The state calculates something called “Local Fair Share.”

This is the amount the state believes the town can afford to contribute to its schools.

That number has accelerated significantly in recent years, largely due to:

• Rising equalized property values
• Rising income data

However, the district is capped at raising its tax levy by 2% annually, unless it qualifies for limited adjustments.

So here is the tension:

The state expects East Brunswick to fund more locally.
But the district cannot legally increase taxes beyond 2% without special conditions.

Meanwhile, inflation, health care costs, utilities, and transportation costs have all risen well beyond 2%.

That mismatch is structural.

4. Special Education Costs Are Rising — And They Are Mandated

Another major driver discussed was out-of-district special education placements.

Since October alone, placements increased by 11 students.

Out-of-district tuition often averages tens of thousands of dollars per student. Transportation for those placements can also cost tens of thousands per route.

These services are not optional.

They are federally and state mandated under special education law.

If a student requires a placement, the district must provide it.

That creates cost volatility that cannot be predicted with precision.

5. “Why Don’t They Just Raise More Revenue?”

This question comes up often.

The district already uses:

• Activity and club fees
• Tuition for certain programs
• Enterprise transfers
• Interest income
• Available grant opportunities

Some ideas, like bus advertising, were explored. While such programs once generated meaningful revenue in some districts, current market returns are minimal.

Grant funding is often tied to socioeconomic thresholds. As a relatively higher-income district, East Brunswick does not qualify for many of the grants available to other municipalities.

Unlike a private household, a school district cannot simply “get a second job.”

Public school revenue sources are heavily regulated.

6. Health Insurance Is a Double-Pressure Point

The district is self-insured.

Recent law changes reduced employee contribution levels while health care costs continue to rise.

That means:

• Costs are increasing
• Contributions are decreasing

The savings originally projected under state reform laws have not materialized in a way that reduces the district’s overall burden.

The Bigger Picture

None of this was presented as alarmist.

It was presented as foundational.

The key takeaway is this:

East Brunswick’s budget challenges are not the result of one single decision or one single year.

They are the result of:

• A 2% tax levy cap
• Rising state expectations of local contribution
• Inflation beyond 2%
• Volatile state aid formulas
• Mandated special education costs

This is structural math.

The tentative budget in March is the starting point, not the final version.

Understanding the mechanics behind the numbers helps residents evaluate future discussions more clearly — and with less assumption.

Eyes on EB will continue to follow the process as state aid figures are released and the budget evolves.

Because context matters.