A Night With The Pride Of Lacey

Scholarship Night is a way for the community members to support seniors in the community by contributing to their ongoing education, and a way for parents and seniors to honor the hardworking, driven students that deserve recognition.

Over 130 seniors received scholarships at Lacey Township High School's annual Scholarship Night.

Scholarship donations are also a way for community members to honor the memory of loved and lost family and friends. Through scholarship funds in memory of the deceased, their spirit lives on in the students who will prosper through the contribution.

Lauren Dean,a Lacey Township senior, not only presented an award on behalf of her brother, Jimmy Dean’s memory, but she also received eight scholarship gifts herself. 

Jimmy and his father were in a fatal car accident six years prior. The Jimmy Dean Memorial Scholarship Fund donates $500 each year to help a student with their educational goals. The scholarship is always given to someone who shares similar qualities to Jimmy.

“Jimmy was a football player and wrestler at Lacey High School,” said Lauren Dean. “We like to give out a scholarship in his name every year to keep his memory going.”

Like her late brother, Lauren Dean is a high achiever at Lacey Township High School. With grants from organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, Lacey Soccer Club, the Booster Club, and the Lanoka Harbor EMS, Dean plans to attend Seton Hall University next year to study Special Education.

“I am really excited about getting all of these honors tonight,” said Dean, “They will be very helpful with my schooling.”

It takes hard work and many contributions to the school and the community in order to earn a scholarship award. Thomas Murray received the Matthew Blum Memorial Scholarship for his dedication to the football team, concert choir, drama club, and class council. 

The presenter read a letter from Matthew Blum’s parents saying, “We are sure that Matthew is proud to know that he can help you achieve your goals in some small way.”

Murray will be attending Kean University next year, with the help of the $500 grant from the Blum family.

There were small contributions given to help with textbooks and extra college expenses, and there were considerable scholarships given by organizations such as the ROTC and the Rotary Club. 

The ROTC presented a full scholarship towards four years of college tuition, school supplies, and textbook expenses. The scholarship was worth over $95,000 in total, and was presented to the student who completed full ROTC training. 

“This scholarship is a culmination of preparation for many years,” said the ROTC presenter. “Shawn [Deslauries] not only trained hard to earn his ROTC foundation, but he also maintained an outstanding GPA and SAT scores.”

The Rotary Club presented $10,000 to Lindsey Rouland, and $15,000 in scholarship money to another five students.

The Old Guard of Forked River also presented scholarships to Kelsey Devery and Giana DeMicco. 

“Just a little bit of advice from an old man – work hard and do your best and you can look back with pride,” the presenter said.

The attached .pdf contains a list of scholarship recipients.