[00:00:11]
I'M AT LARGE COMMISSIONER PAT SEABOLD, AND IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BEGIN THIS SPECIAL PRESENTATION HONORING VERY TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE GREAT TOWN OF LIVINGSTON.
AND BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, I NEED TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE LIVED IN LIVINGSTON SINCE 1962.
I HAVE TWO CHILDREN GRADUATED FROM LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL, AND I HAVE THREE GRANDCHILDREN WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL.
AND YOUR CURRENT SUPERINTENDENT, DOCTOR MATTHEW BLOCK IS A FORMER STUDENT OF MINE BECAUSE I TAUGHT AT WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOR 30 YEARS, AND I CHOSE WEST ORANGE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANNA BE AT LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL WHERE MY KIDS WERE AND TEACH WHERE THEY WERE.
AND SO WAS YOUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT MA? UM, MARK STERN.
MARK STERN WAS ALSO A STUDENT OF MINE.
SO OF COURSE, THAT EXPLAINS TO YOU WHY I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT LIVINGSTON.
SO WE ARE HONORING THE LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM, STATE CHAMPIONS TODAY FOR 2024.
SO AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZING, RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR COACH.
SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING TO THE PODIUM, THE LIVING HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM, AND COACH WILLIAM ECLO.
COME BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO SET A FEW WORDS.
WHAT I DIDN'T MENTION WAS THAT I HAVE A GRANDSON WHO LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND PLAYS CHAD, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT HE GOES TO AND HAS ACHIEVED MANY HONORS PLAYING CHESS.
COMMISSIONERS GI SPONSOR THIS ACCOMMODATION WITH ME.
SO COMMISSIONER GILL, IF YOU WOULD JOIN US.
I I'M GOING TO SHARE A FEW DETAILS ABOUT THE TEAM AND OUR HARD WORK AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
THIS PAST MARCH, THE LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM WON THE STATE TITLE AT THE NEW JERSEY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SCOTCH PLAINS WITH A SECOND VARSITY TEAM TAKING FOUR AND A JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM TAKING SECOND.
THEN IN APRIL, THE TEAM WENT ON TO PLAY SECOND IN THE NATIONAL K THROUGH 12 HIGH SCHOOL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND WITH FIVE MEDALS PER INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS.
THIS IS THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
THE LIVINGSTON CHESS TEAM WON THE NEW JERSEY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THE TEAM GREW SIGNIFICANTLY IN 2024 AND WAS ABLE TO DOUBLE THEIR ENTRANCE FROM 2023 WITH TWO TEAMS IN BOTH THE VARSITY AND JUNIOR VARSITY SECTIONS.
THE TEAM IS LED BY COACH WILLIAM PLO SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER IN THE LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL MATH DEPARTMENT, AND 2020 LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
ALTHOUGH LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL HAS HAD A CHESS CLUB SINCE 2015, A COMPETITIVE CHESS TEAM DID NOT EXIST.
THE 2020 SECOND, 2020 THIRD SEASON.
AND A HANDFUL OF CURRENT TEAM MEMBERS WHO PETITIONED THE LIVINGSTON BOARD OF EDUCATION AS INCOMING FRESHMEN TO SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN OFFICIAL TEAM.
THE CHESS TEAM NOW HAS PLAYERS IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS AND CONTINUES TO GROW EACH YEAR.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD A FEW REMARKS?
[00:05:01]
THANK YOU.THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SIEBOLD.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, ALLOWING ME TO BE PART OF THIS PRESENTATION WITH YOU.
UM, COMMISSIONER, UM, SIEBOLD IS THE DEAN OF OUR BOARD, UM, AND IS A TRAILBLAZER IN HER OWN RIGHT.
UM, AND SHE NOT ONLY REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE COUNTY, BUT SHE ALWAYS MAKES SURE LIVINGSTON IS WELL REPRESENTED.
UH, I AM, I AM NOT A LIVINGSTON LA LANCER.
I'M A MONTCLAIR MOUNT, SO DON'T
BUT, UM, UH, I JUST WANTED TO BE HERE TO SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, UM, UH, IN NOT ONLY AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL.
YOU HAVE, UM, REPRESENTED, UH, YOUR TOWNSHIP, THIS COUNTY, UM, WITH DISTINCTION.
UH, AND YOU HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED.
I SEE A LOT OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FAR AND WIDE BY LOTS OF DIFFERENT FOLKS.
AND, AND YOU DESERVE TO BE FOR THE TON, TON OF EFFORT AND ENERGY THAT YOU PUT IN FOR THE PARENTS THAT ARE HERE.
YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT THAT YOU GIVE.
ALSO, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM.
AS, AS COMMISSIONER, AS COMMISSIONER SIEBEL SAID, SHE WAS A TEACHER.
AND I KNOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NEAR AND DEAR, UH, TO HER HEART.
AND FINALLY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT PARTICULARLY, UM, YOUNG PEOPLE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT
AND TO OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES AS WE COME OUT OF A, A PANDEMIC AND WHAT THAT MEANT TO, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR OWN EDUCATION AND THE CHALLENGES THAT IT PRESENTED, UH, AS, AS ADULTS AND AS YOUR LEADERS, UM, WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING, THE RESILIENCE THAT YOU'RE SHOWING, UH, EACH AND EVERY DAY.
UH, SO WE ARE, WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU
YOU KNOW, WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU NOT ONLY FOR WHAT YOU ACHIEVED HERE, UM, UM, UH, WITH THE CHESS, UH, TOURNAMENT AND ITS DISTINCTION, BUT ALSO FOR THE LEADERSHIP THAT YOU'RE GONNA BRING IN ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE, AS YOU KNOW, AS, AS YOU CONTINUE ON, UH, BEYOND JUST WHAT YOU HAVE DONE HERE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
ALL THE BEST, AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SIEBEL FOR A FEW MINUTES.
THE LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM HAS GROWN RAPIDLY AND ACHIEVED GREAT THINGS.
THANKS TO THE DEDICATION OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONGRATULATES THE TEAM ON THEIR SECOND STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN AND SECOND PLACE IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
I AM PROUD TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS COMMENDATION, COACH PLO.
WILL YOU PLEASE SAY A FEW WORDS AND TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOUR PLAYERS? UH, WOW, THANK YOU.
UM, I JUST, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS.
THEY ARE THE BEST KIDS IN THE SCHOOL.
UM, UH, ASIDE FROM CHESS, UH, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY THE BEST CHESS PLAYERS IN THE SCHOOL,
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, UH, IT'S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR US TO GET THIS PROGRAM, UM, UP AND RUNNING AND WE'VE REALLY BUILT UP SOMETHING GREAT HERE.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, OUR SECOND STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN A ROW, UH, WE HAVE NO SENIORS.
SO HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WE CAN GO FORWARD AGAIN.
UM, AND IT WAS ACTUALLY A CLOSE FINISH AT NATIONALS COMING IN SECOND.
SO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR.
AND, UM, I JUST, AS I ALWAYS SAY, LIKE IT'S ABOUT THEM, NOT ME.
SO, UH, JUST CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY.
AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT AND ARE WATCHING ONLINE TODAY TO SUPPORT THE LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM.
ONE THING THAT WASN'T MENTIONED WAS ALL THE PARENTS WHO SUPPORT THEIR KIDS SO THEY CAN PLAY CHESS AND BE IN THESE TOURNAMENTS.
THIS, THIS CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATIONS, RECIPIENTS AND THEIR GUESTS.
PLEASE STAY IN THE CHAMBERS BRIEFLY TO TAKE GROUP PHOTOS.
AND THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CONFERENCE MEETING WILL BEGIN SHORTLY.
SO I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU WERE ALL ABLE TO BE HERE, AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GREAT WIN.
AND I LOVE READING ABOUT YOU IN THE WEST ESSEX TRIVIA.
AND I SEE THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONS, CARLOS PO HAS JOINED US.
SO I'LL BE JEALOUS OF LIVINGSTON.
CARLOS, I'M ALWAYS JEALOUS OF LIVINGTON OF PAT SEABOLD BECAUSE SHE IS THE LONGEST TENURED AND MOST SUCCESSFUL OF THE COMMISSIONER SINGER SON CARLOS PALMS IS FROM BLOOMFIELD AND THAT'S A GREAT TOWN.
[00:10:01]
IT.OKAY, WE ALL HAVE TO STAY FOR A PHOTO MOVE.