Freehold Township Wins County Competition, Moves On To Regionals

Photo courtesy Monmouth County

FREEHOLD – Freehold Township High School was recently crowned the winner of the 2018 Monmouth County Consumer Bowl, moving on to the regional competition to be held at the Monmouth County Fire Academy on April 12.

The Monmouth County Consumer Bowl is a game-show type competition for high school students, where they answer consumer-related questions on relevant topics such as internet fraud or leasing a car, according to a Monmouth County Government press release. The questions are both multiple choice and open-ended.

The event was held at the Monmouth County Fire Academy on Feb. 5, where students from Colts Neck High School, Freehold High School, Freehold Township High School, Howell High School, Manalapan High School, Marlboro High School, Raritan High School and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School all came together to test their knowledge.

As the competition progressed, Freehold High School and Freehold Township High School were the last two standing for the “Battle of Freehold,” according to the release. Despite great efforts, Freehold HS lost to newly crowned victors, Michael Galanaugh, Raiyan Hossain, Amit Bachani, Karim Lakhani and Christopher Galiano of Freehold Township HS.

“I am extremely proud of the members of the FTHS Consumer Bowl team and their first place finish,” said FTHS Principal Elizabeth Higley. “Consumer Bowl has been a strong academic fixture at FTHS winning many state titles. I look forward to seeing our team compete at the Regionals and wish them nothing but the best.”

The ultimate winner of the regional competition will move on to compete the state level competition, the 2018 New Jersey State Consumer Bowl, expected to take place in May.

“All of our participating young adults gained some knowledge about what it takes to help them be smarter consumers and possibly future consumer advocates,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the County’s Division of Consumer Affairs, in the release. “It is also a great way to promote the County’s Consumer Affairs office, which enforces consumer laws and helps people who suspect they might be victims of unscrupulous business practices.”

The New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl is just one of the programs developed by the state Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Consumer Affairs. Established in 1997, the competition helps students learn about consumer issues.