At the December 16 Elizabeth Board of Education meeting at the Dunn Sports Center, the Board held a moment of silence to start the meeting for the passing of warehouse storekeeper Nobel Jose Leon and former Terence C. Reilly Middle School Principal Cecelia Cosgrove, for which a resolution was presented by the Board recognizing the lifetime of service she had given to the Elizabeth Public Schools community.

The Board recognized the North 2, Group 4 State Champion Elizabeth High School (EHS) Varsity Boys Soccer Team and the 2021 NJMBDA Class AAA State Champion EHS Marching Band, which also performed their award-winning fall program “What We Love” at the meeting. A video was shown capturing the boys soccer team’s championship season highlights.

Following the moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance and Pledge of Ethics were led by two members of the boys soccer team, sophomore defender Santiago Fernandez and freshman defender Raider Ruiz Marcos, respectively. The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by junior mellophone section marching band member Joshua Pagan.

Each boys soccer player and marching band member was presented a certificate from the Board and a citation from the New Jersey State Assembly, courtesy of NJ State Senator Joseph Cryan.

Senior boys soccer midfielder Mathew Giraldo was recognized individually for his outstanding career, which culminated in being named Union County Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-State by NJ.com

Following the recognitions of the soccer team and marching band, Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer presented a video recognizing Board President Jerry Jacobs for his outstanding service as president during 2021. Mr. Jacobs gave remarks detailing important work that the Board and district were able to accomplish during 2021, highlighted by the return of students and team members to in-person learning after an 18-month absence, and thanked the district’s team members, families, and the entire community for their support.