Contest open to H.S. seniors with opinions

Seniors in high school might already express opinions on Facebook or Twitter, but if they express an opinion in a letter to Gov. Chris Christie, telling him what he should do to improve education in New Jersey, they could win as much as $1,000.

Dr. Ron Rotem, a Toms River dentist, together with Monmouth Academy of Howell, is sponsoring a contest for high school seniors in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The winner will receive $1,000. The first runner-up will receive $500, and Rotem will award $100 to the next five runners-up.

Eligible public school or private school high school seniors should send all letters, postmarked by March 22, to Dr. Ron Rotem, 355 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, NJ 08755.

Because Monmouth Academy is cosponsoring the contest, students from that school are not eligible to enter the contest.

The letter itself should be addressed to Christie and include the student’s full name, full address, telephone number, and high school. The winners will be selected based on the clarity of ideas and originality.

The contest will provide the opportunity for students to take the lead in expressing their ideas about education and tell the governor what they would do about education in the state if they were in his position.

All of the winners will be invited to Rotem’s office to meet the other winners and share their ideas. Rotem said he intends to send the winning letters to Christie.

For more information, call 732-341- 8500.