APP- Good or Bad for FB?

[admin]

Center celebrates decade of community service
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/28/07
BY NICK PETRUNCIO
FREEHOLD BUREAU

FREEHOLD — The Court Street School Education Community Center is celebrating 10 years of offering educational and recreational programs to borough residents.

In its past, the building at Court and Rhea streets has gone by at least two other names. It was called the Freehold Colored School, and served only black children, from the time of its construction in 1921 to when the state Constitution desegregated schools in 1948. Afterward, the building was called the Court Street School, and it remained a borough elementary school until 1974.

"It's a shameful part of our past that the building represents, and it's also the story of a remarkable rejuvenation," said borough historian Kevin Coyne.

Programs offered at the center include model sailboat building, public speaking and musical jam sessions in which local professional musicians talk to young aspiring ones about different genres of music. The students are invited to bring instruments.

There also is poetry and rap, and college professors donate their time and teach leadership and other subjects to youth. Recently, a model car club started meeting there.

"We really try to service the community," said Lillie Hendry, president of the board of trustees.

Coyne said Hendry spearheaded a drive to save the building.

"It's a fine building. It's not like it's a wooden shack," Coyne said.

One of the rooms was restored to what it looked like in the 1940s.

"It's like walking back in time," he said. "They saved a really important part of our history."

Andrea McPherson, the board's vice president, discovered the center a few years ago during Black History Month, when Hendry encouraged her to help out.

"It gives you a place and an opportunity to come up with programs to provide community service," said McPherson, whose children participate in programs at the center.

After the building closed as a school in the 1970s, Monmouth County used it as a juvenile probation station. Then, it served as the George I. Reed Community Center for many years until it closed in the late 1980s because of lack of funding, according to the center's Web site.

Reed was a beloved principal of the school when it was segregated.

"He was a person who instilled in the black students in Freehold pride in the African American culture," Coyne said.

Court Street School Education Community Center Inc. was formed in April 1990 as a nonprofit organization to develop the building as an education center and to preserve it as an African American historic landmark, according to its Web site.

The center received more than $800,000 in grants from the New Jersey Historic Trust and the Monmouth Board of Freeholders to restore the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1995 and began providing various programs two years later.

The center relies on volunteers, donations, fundraisers and program fees to function.

McPherson said the center will provide help to people who might not be able to afford the fees.

"We don't want to turn anyone away," she said.

Those interested in volunteering or donating may call McPherson at [phone] or write to the Court Street School; Box 534; Freehold, N.J. 07728.

Nick Petruncio: [phone] or [e-mail]

[admin]

I am sure that you are scratching your head at the title of this thread. The article is a good one, about an important, yet ugly, history as well as a promising future in our town. To see this old building rehabilitated is great. To see it used as a positive enhancement to our town is great.

So, what is the problem. This article was on the back page of the county section of the APP. Now, what if this was an ugly story, you know, about the law suit, or some group causing trouble, bashing our town? Yep, front page!

I know that some good things do wind up on the front page , but all too often the bad stuff is what we see. Maybe it is the nature of the beast when talking about media. That is a part of the problem we face in showing a more positive image of our town.

I have long believed that the APP is not good for our image. Intentional or not, the pattern of highlighting the bad things seems to be the norm for that paper. Could I be over sensitive? Maybe. But that is why I prefer the News Transcript when it comes to Freehold news. There appears to be much more balance.

Just my opinion.

[Marc LeVine]

The Press has heard our many cries for a regular beat reporter and has finally given us one. Not a casual contributor, as we've had in the past, but rather someone that shows up to all of our meetings, including the town's committee meetings.

Nick P. is a very nice young fellow and he and are are BOTH proud Syracuse University TV/Radio alumni. So, we have a few good things in common. Not that I expect to gain any breaks from Nick on that point. It's just nice to enjoy some shared experiences with others. Maybe he'll come to me first to get a scoop. And, we can hum "Down the Field," together!

Nick needs to be taught about the "real" Freehold Borough from the inside out. Obviously, he was sent here to cover stories that relate to what Mayor Wilson always calls "the issue of our day." After all, the editors of the APP have heard little else from our town over the past three or four years.

Active residents of Freehold Borough must take Nick aside and bombard him with many other "goings on," here, that will prove interesting to his readers. Or, at least, we must demonstrate, to him, the good will of our residents, including with regard to the tough times we are currently facing. Be positive, always!

An article about PEOPLE as being a positive forum that involves all FB residents in the civic matters of the town could prove very interesting in trying to igniting similar involvement in many other local towns. PEOPLE should serve as an example to others. Apathy is rampant all over and it's one of PEOPLE's goals to end it in our own town.

There is much to talk about, in Freehold Borough, that does not necessarily involve the topic of illegal immigration. Nick needs to be brought up to speed on the great little town he is charged with covering.

Marc

[andrewd]

Brian,

In response to your query...there is no right answer. The media in general is a double edged sword (I was trying to come up with a more witty comparison, but I am too tired).

On the one hand, the media, and not just the APP, but probably 95% of the newspapers and other media outlets, accentuate the negative. Those are the stories with "juice" as they say in the biz. Unfortunately, as a society, we don't want to see the good things going on, we want to hear about the bad things, and the media just fuels that fire.

On the other hand, I have never seen a better tool (if you can convince them to be on your side) in raising awareness and "leading the charge" so to speak, than the media. I have always believed that the only way to get most politicians to do something, is to get a piece in the media that shows they're not doing something...that's the only time they seem to react, when their image is at stake.

So, while there is always the bad...look at it this way...at least the article made it past the editors chopping block.

Andrew DeFonzo

[admin]

Andrew, You are absolutely right. But, Myself and others have provided the APP with some excellent and thorough information for stories that never got printed. One would think something is going on at that paper.

Without further details, I just believe the APP is one sided and not good for our town.

On another related topic, I am well aware of issues the APP has highlighted, and been in close contact with APP targets. Again, the paper is very one sided and does not show the whole picture. Not even close. There is too much they leave out. I have seen this first hand and it undermines their credibility in my eyes.