News

In honor of Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Day which was on 4/2, the CMS staff dressed in blue to support the “Light it up Blue” campaign. Students watched a brief video on a young person with Autism sharing her experiences and what she would like others to know about Autism. The take-home message was that Autism looks and feels different for everyone, and it’s important not to judge or categorize individuals with Autism but to understand their strengths and needs.

Interested in learning more about Collier School? Attend our Open House on May 3 from 9:00AM - 11:00AM!

Come hear all about the programs and therapeutic supports offered at Collier Middle School, Collier High School, and the Collier Transition Program and receive a tour of our campus from one of our current students and see our school in action!

RSVP to Nikki at nlerro@collieryouthservices.org or call 732-946-4771 x249.

Collier High School Environmental Science Students participated in Biodiversity and Climate Change video teleconference on March 29th. Collier students listened to Dr. Rebecca Shaw, World Wildlife Fund’s Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist, who explained the state of biodiversity around the planet and discussed what this means for climate change, the environment and human health. Dr. Shaw is a brilliant thought leader who has been researching and leading interdisciplinary approaches to conservation and climate change for more than 30 years.

Students even had an opportunity to ask scientists questions in real time. What an opportunity and privilege for Collier students to be engaged in this critical conversation and more importantly the work and commitment to help heal our planet.

Today our Middle Schoolers participated in an Earth Day Clean Up! They did an amazing job walking throughout our campus, picking up garbage, tires(?!), and so much more! Thank you, Collier Middle School, for making our campus cleaner. We all appreciate it, especially the animals and bugs who call our woods home!

The Kiwanis Club of Point Pleasant hosted a Valentine's Night Out for the youth at the Collier Group Home. Cheryl Kasper, LCSW, volunteered her time to engage the youth in an activity surrounding Chakras. The youth then reflected on what Chakra spoke to them and channeled that into their artwork. They then enjoyed dinner and dessert prepared by Kiwanis member Patty Camme of the She Shed. Afterward, the youth had fun playing the saran wrap ball game, where they won prizes! The Kiwanis Club of Point Pleasant gifted the youth a gift bag filled with self-care items such as lip balm, color street nails, and a laptop plug-in aromatherapy diffuser!

The youth had such a great time, and the Kiwanis Club was so happy to provide them with a fun night out!

Yesterday, students in Ms. Librizzi's class met and asked questions to scientists studying penguins in Antarctica! They learned how looking sea birds can tell you a lot about climate change, the pros and cons of being in Antarctica, what it is like handling penguins, and so much more! Thank you to the scientists and researchers who took the time to answer our questions and gave us a more extensive glimpse into their amazing work.

Ms. Librizzi and Collier High School were selected as one of three schools to participate in this pilot program run by Rutgers University and the National Science Foundation.

Today, the book club had a special visitor from author Ryan Roberts. He gave an excellent talk to our book club, and they engaged in a Q&A and each book club member received a signed copy of his book. This is our next book club read! The kids were so great and engaged! Thank you to the staff who let the book club kids attend, and thank you, especially to Matt Amato, who helped me connect with Ryan. Please support Ryan, a local author, and purchase his book Nimrod!