Verona's Forest Avenue students discuss New Jersey history
Fourth-graders at Forest Avenue Elementary School only existed for a miniscule portion of New Jersey history, but they used some modern techniques to catch up on what was missed.
The students used technology to research different topics about the state, with six participants discussing their findings in front of a recent Verona Board of Education meeting.
Forest Avenue Principal Jeffrey Monacelli explained that the kids used several preselected Internet sites to learn about either a place, event or legend of the Garden State, and then filled out a questionnaire that they converted into a presentation. The assignment helped the students cultivate their web and typing skills, Monacelli continued.
The first of the students in attendance, Jackie Loudon, impersonated the Jersey Devil for her demonstration. Decked out in jet-black wings, protruding horns, a wild mane of hair and a horse's face for a mask, Loudon took her seat next to Superintendent of Schools Steve Forte and divulged the tale of the local cryptid.
As the legend states, the Jersey Devil came to be after Mother Leeds proclaimed that her 13th child would be the devil, which allegedly transpired shortly after the baby's birth, Loudon recounted. Though claims of sightings have persisted over the decades, no definitive proof of the Jersey Devil has ever been found, Loudon continued.
Emily Bosco followed up her classmate with a talk about High Point State Park in Montague Township. On a clear day, a hiker can see through New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania at the precipice of the monument constructed there, which carries a resemblance to a similar structure at Bunker Hill, according to Bosco. The student described the location as "definitely a place you want to visit."
Next up was Ryan McMahon, who went over the finer points of a dinosaur known as the hadrosaurus. The official dinosaur of New Jersey, the ancient being lived in swamps near current-day Atlantic City and became famous as the first almost-complete skeleton found by paleontologists, McMahon stated.
Lucy the Elephant, a six-story statue in Margate City, inspired Sydney Theilmeier's presentation. The "wooden beast" weighs 90 tons and has garnered a fan base dedicated to keeping Lucy standing, Theilmeier stated.
Emily Vallone enlightened the audience on the cranberry bogs of Ocean County. The cranberries are harvested in October and the local variety helped spawn the Ocean Spray company, Vallone said.
Finally, Josiah Neal tackled the topic of Atlantic City. The area used to be heavily wooded, but after the boardwalks were constructed to stave off the sand, a tourist appeal began to grow, Neal said.
The Forest Avenue representatives were the third Verona school to visit the Board of Education in recent weeks.