Shrewsbury Borough School Eighth Grade
Students Celebrate Graduation
28 JULY 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LORI DRAZ
Congratulations to the Shrewsbury
Borough School (SBS)
class of 2021 who joined together
in the school gymnasium
on June 7 for the annual Awards
Ceremony. Still dealing with the
effects of the pandemic restrictions,
only the eighth grade graduates
and their teachers attended
the ceremony. This also marked
the second year SBS worked with
livestream both the Honors Assembly
on Monday and the eighth
grade graduation on Tuesday.
This allowed parents, family and
friends to share these important events, no matter where they were.
were grateful to host the students and their families for this in-person ceremony.
The graduation was a welcomed relief after a long school year of
uncertainty and loss for the community, and everyone was optimistic that
life for the SBS school community can return to normal next September.
During the event, SBS presented
the school's most prestigious
awards, the Robert Rue Campbell
Memorial Award and the Richard
S. Lees Young Humanitarian
Award, given to the most exemplary
graduates. Mayor Erik Anderson
opened the ceremony with
some thoughtful and emotional
remarks. Other honored guests
included Peter Meyer, president
of the Shrewsbury Hose Company
No. 1, and Jessica Groom,
vice president of the Shrewsbury
Board of Education, who presented
the awards for the top six
scholars. GeeGee Blair, vice president of the Shrewsbury First Aid Squad,
was also on hand to present the Tom and Betty Clark Memorial Award for
Health Studies. Following SBS tradition, Donald Sweeney, president of
the Shrewsbury Board of Education, and Superintendent Brent A. MacConnell
proudly presented the diplomas to the class of 2021.
T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center Partners with
Monmouth Medical Center
BY LORI DRAZ
The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center announced its partnership with
Monmouth Medical Center, a part of Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas
Health, as the exclusive sponsor of The Parker Family Legacy Room.
This permanent exhibit honors the history of a family of prominent Red
Bank Black doctors, who served their community for more than 80 years.
This exhibit will be housed upstairs and will be a showcase of these
medical professionals and educators, highlighted by visual art motifs,
mixed-media, artifacts and testimonials celebrating their legacy.
Every day, people ride up and down Drs. James Parker Blvd, unaware
of the important roles that the Drs. Parker Family played. In 1955,
-
mouth Medical. His father, Dr. James W. Parker Sr., was not allowed access
to area hospitals for his patients. The family is also the namesake of
the Parker Family Health Center, which offers quality healthcare to Monmouth
County residents who do not have health insurance.
The Parker Family Legacy Room will be formally dedicated as a
multi-functional space for lectures, book signings, community forums
and other presentations.
“The T. Thomas Fortune Culture Center has a fantastic track record
of providing research and education on the historical contributions of
Black Americans,” said Monmouth Medical Center CEO Eric Carney. “I am
so honored to partner with them to bring the public this exhibit which
will tell the story of the Parker family and how they shaped the landscape
of medicine in Monmouth County and the state of New Jersey. Cultural
education and awareness is foundational to delivering our promise to our
community. Quite simply, the more we understand the lived experience
of our community, the more effective we will be at promoting and supporting
health. This exhibit is only the beginning of our partnership. I
hope it contributes to important conversations about race and equitable
access to health care.”
Gilda Rogers, co-chair of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, said,
“This partnership salutes the legacy of the Drs. Parker Family and recognizes
the work that must be done to close the equity gap in healthcare for
Black Americans.”
/TheJournalNJ.com