TOMS RIVER – High School South students came to the rescue fixing a broken pipe – for the second time in two years.
There’s still snow on the ground, and most people are trying to forget the nasty ice that blanketed the shore, causing dangerous conditions for days. One common problem with sustained freezing temperatures is that the water in pipes expands when it turns to ice, causing significant damage.
Such was the case in the High School South cafeteria. Students in the SPEAR-IT (South’s Pre-Vocational Educational Alternatives Resource Institute) program were able to respond because this is what they were training for, Assistant Principal Christopher Peck said.
Instructor Timothy O’Leary oversaw the work as kids cut away the damaged pipe, sized and fitted a replacement section, and crimped it together, school officials said.
This brought to mind a similar situation from January of 2025, when a pipe broke due to freezing temperatures.
At the time, O’Leary was quoted as saying “The kids jumped at the opportunity to apply what they have learned into a real-life fix.”
SPEAR-IT is made possible with a partnership between the district and the United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
