3 rumson students awarded top scholarships to christian brothers

LINCROFT, NJ - These young Rumson scholars were recently awarded one of the top scholarships to Monmouth County’s Christian Brothers Academy (CBA). Holy Cross School's Thomas Feeney,

Forrestdale School's Joseph French and Rumson Country Day School's Keegan O'Conner were named 2021 Christian Brothers Academy Presidential Scholars, an honor presented to 27

high-achieving eighth graders who both scored exceptionally high on the academy’s entrance exam and displayed an outstanding middle school record. The Presidential Scholarships are part of

CBA’s Scholarship Initiative, aimed at facilitating highly qualified students to attend the school regardless of financial background. CBA awards $1.9 million in scholarship and financial

aid each year to current students. “Our Presidential Scholarships give us the opportunity to recognize those students who have achieved academic success in middle school and excelled on the

entrance exam,” said President Brother Frank Byrne. “I congratulate these young men on earning a scholarship and we look forward to having many of them as members of the Class of 2025.” The

scholarship winners represented 20 different schools in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and one school from New York. While the Lincroft-based academy could not hold a typical scholarship award

ceremony in light of the ongoing pandemic, Byrne sent a personalized video congratulations to each of the young scholars. It was the school’s first president, Brother Andrew O’Gara, who made

it his mission to make the academy affordable for qualified students. One of the three Presidential Scholarships bears O’Gara’s name, with a second scholarship honoring St. John Baptist de

La Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. A third scholarship, the Founders’ Scholarship, is in memory of the three laymen founders of the Academy: John Henderson,

Peter Fleming, and Dr. George Sheehan. Here are all 27 recipients: * Henry Alston – Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft * Brady Ballou – St. Peter School, Point Pleasant Beach * Phillip Bodenski –

St. Catharine School, Spring Lake * Connor Burke – Cedar Drive Middle School, Colts Neck * Thomas Feeney – Holy Cross School, Rumson * Joseph French – Forrestdale School, Rumson * Justin

Fuerbacher – Thompson Middle School, Middletown * Brandon Grossman – St. Catharine School, Spring Lake * Finian Healey – Brielle Elementary School, Brielle * Aiden Holt – Wall Intermediate

School, Wall * Brian Hughes – St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft * Nathaniea Huzar – Manalapan Englishtown Middle School, Manalapan * Jon Leidersdorf – Ranney School, Tinton Falls * Henry

Lepri – Salk School of Science, New York * Gavin Neville – Bay Head Elementary School, Bay Head * Keegan O’Conner – Rumson Country Day School, Rumson * Jack O’Connor – Eisenhower Middle

School, Freehold * Dylan Passo – Thompson Middle School, Middletown * Zachary Penley – St. Benedict School, Holmdel * Shreyan Ragudaran – Marlboro Memorial Middle School, Marlboro * Daniel

Russo – St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft * Ryan Schmitt – St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft * Thomas Schneider – St. Dominic School, Brick * Joseph Seib – St. Rose School, Belmar * Ryan

Shibles – St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft * Corey Taylor – Markham Place School, Little Silver * Steven Yurcisin – St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft