Mission:

Memorial School will provide a safe, nurturing educational environment for all students. With the collaboration of the parents, teachers, community members, and students, every child will have the opportunity to succeed and develop into a creative and productive member of our society. Our fundamental philosophy is that learning is a life long process through which we develop responsibility and accountability for ourselves and our actions. The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards shall be the framework of the instructional program as well as the District's Professional Development Plan.

History:

Union Beach has recently undergone extensive beach front restoration which offers a fantastic view of the New York skyline. Union Beach got its start in 1676, when the area was purchased from the Leni Lenape Indians by a Richard Hartshorne. By the Revolutionary War, the area was divided into farms, including that of George Poole, who, together with his 15-year-old son Richard, joined the Monmouth County militia, which fought on the colonial side. Poole Avenue, a major thoroughfare, is named for the family.

The arrival in the 1890's of the Central Railroad of New Jersey gave the community a boost, leading to the sale and subdivision of nearly all of the large farms. The 100-acre Poole farm became the Union Subdivision starting in 1908. The borough of Union Beach was formed in 1925 when it split off from Middletown Township. According to a local historian, William H. Burket, the Great Depression of 1929 all but sank Union Beach as it was developing. Then hurricanes tore up its beachfront in 1938, 1942 and again in 1960, further depressing the borough.

In the early 1950's, when the Garden State Parkway was built, the Atlantic coast to the south became more accessible robbing the Raritan Bay of whatever luster it still retained as a resort area. The downward spiral continued as pollution and over fishing all but destroyed local fisheries, and the Jersey Central Railroad ended its passenger service to Union Beach in 1966. The winterization of Union Beach's low-cost tiny bungalows locked the community into low- and lower-middle-income housing.

In the early 1980's, the state government started investing in the redevelopment of the Bayshore ¡ª the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bay areas. The state contributed three-fourths of the financing for the new Union Beach bulkhead, widened traffic-choked Route 36 from two to four lanes and forced local industries to drastically reduce the effluents they released into the bay. In addition, sewage flowing into the Raritan Bay was eliminated by the Bayshore Municipal Sewage Authority, which serves eight municipalities and built its treatment plant in Union Beach. Monmouth County converted the garbage-strewn unused Jersey Central Railroad track bed into the Henry Hudson Trail, a nine-mile-long bicycle path that runs from Aberdeen southward through Union Beach to Atlantic Highlands.

As of the 2000 census there were 6,649 people, 2,143 households, and 1,722 families residing in the borough. There were 2,143 households out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them; the average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.44. In the borough the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The first school still stands at South West corner of Florence Avenue and Seventh Street. It is now a dwelling. One of four schools in Raritan Township, it was known as School No. 50. In 1915, Florence Avenue School was built. Cottage Park School was built on Morningside Avenue in 1919. It was destroyed by fire in 1957. In 1958, Memorial School was built with 4 later additions in 1962, 1963, 1973 and 2005. In 2005 a 19,500 sq. foot addition was added that housed a modern Media Center, four classrooms, two science labs, four bathrooms, a nurse's suite, a Commons area and totally reconfigured administrative and special service offices. In another part of the school during this time frame certain classrooms were converted to a computer lab, special ed. classrooms and a faculty room. Three new energy efficient boilers replaced the outdated 1957 heating locomotives and the gymnasium is now air-conditioned. The Board of Education and the Superintendent are committed to continuously improving the physical plant as well as the curriculum to meet the needs of the students of Union Beach.