> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://john-mangini.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Watchung Hills graduated the Class of 2026 at Tozier Field, and a Warren graduate is headed to Annapolis - URL: https://john-mangini.ghost.io/whrhs-graduation-2026/ - Published: 2026-06-17T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T17:10:03.000Z - Description: Commencement was Tuesday morning, June 16, on the Warren campus. Congressman Kean's staff honored Warren graduate Rebecca Lubeck, bound for the Naval Academy, with a flag flown at the Capitol. - Author: John Mangini - Tags: Warren 07059, Schools, whrhs, graduation, students The short answer Watchung Hills Regional High School held its Class of 2026 commencement on Tuesday morning, June 16, 2026, at Tozier Field on the Warren campus, with a traffic advisory for motorists around the school and a live stream provided. At the Township Committee meeting two days later, Mayor Shaun Fine reported attending and announced that Congressman Thomas Kean Jr.'s staff visited the Municipal Complex on June 18 to honor Warren graduate Rebecca Lubeck, whom the Congressman endorsed and who will attend the United States Naval Academy. She was presented with a flag that had flown at the United States Capitol. ## Commencement The ceremony ran Tuesday morning, June 16, at Tozier Field. A traffic advisory went out for motorists around the school, and the district provided a live stream for families who could not attend in person. Watchung Hills Regional High School is at 108 Stirling Road in Warren Township. Its three constituent member municipalities are Warren Township, Watchung Borough and Long Hill Township. Green Brook Township sends its high school students on tuition and is not a member. Superintendent is Elizabeth Jewett, Ph.D. What I could not verify The number of graduates, the valedictorian and salutatorian, the speakers, and the total scholarship dollars awarded are not in any public record I could reach. Those are the details a graduation story usually leads with, and I would rather say plainly that I could not confirm them than approximate. If the district publishes them, this post is worth updating. ## The Naval Academy appointment Update, June 18: Mayor Fine announced at that night's Township Committee meeting that Congressman Thomas Kean Jr.'s staff visited the Municipal Complex that day to honor Warren graduate Rebecca Lubeck. The Congressman endorsed her nomination, and she will attend the United States Naval Academy. She was presented with a flag that had flown at the United States Capitol. A service academy appointment runs through a congressional nomination, which is why a member of Congress is involved and why the recognition happens locally rather than at the school. ## The volunteers who covered it The Volunteer Warren Rescue Squad provided standby coverage for both graduation and Project Graduation. Deputy Mayor Vanessa Kian reported that the squad's coverage of the Warren Expo, graduation and Project Graduation saved the township more than $10,000 in service costs. That figure is worth sitting with. Three events, one volunteer squad, and a five figure line the township did not have to carry. ## Other student recognitions this spring **The Congressional Art Competition.** Representative Thomas Kean Jr. announced on May 11, 2026 that Kaylie Gao of Warren won first place in the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for the Seventh District with Allegiance, an acrylic painting. The work will hang in the United States Capitol for one year. Gao attends The Pingry School, not Watchung Hills, which is worth noting since Warren students attend a range of schools. Two runners up were named. Vivien Xu of Westfield, a Westfield High School student, for Our Worker. And Mia Li of Warren, a Newark Academy student, for American Spirit. Both pieces will rotate through Kean's New Jersey and Washington offices. That is two of the three top finishers in the district living in Warren. At the June 18 Township Committee meeting Committeeman Daniel Croson introduced State Senator Jon Bramnick and Kaylie Gao, and Bramnick presented her with a proclamation. **Archery.** Committeeman Lance Blick presented the Angelo L. Tomaso Archery Club with certificates of achievement for participation in the national competition in Kentucky, congratulating coach Douglas Clark. Angelo L. Tomaso is one of Warren's K-8 schools. **Capstone projects.** Blick also reported serving as a judge for the 5th Grade Capstone Projects at Central School. ## The enrollment question the K-8 district is now answering Separate from graduation, one line in the June 18 minutes carries real consequence for Warren families with younger children. Deputy Mayor Kian reported that after what she described as a thoughtful, data driven process, the Strategy for Growth Ad-Hoc Committee's final recommendation to the Warren Township Board of Education is the Intermediate Model. The committee had been evaluating solutions to rising elementary school enrollment. Details were posted on the Warren Township Board of Education website. The important caveat on the Intermediate Model The recommendation is on the record. What it actually entails is not. I could not verify what grade configuration the Intermediate Model uses, what it would cost, what enrollment figures drove the recommendation, or whether the Board has voted on it. Those are the four questions that matter to a parent, and none of them are answered by the minutes. This is a recommendation from an ad hoc committee to a board, which is an early stage in a long process. For context on the enrollment pressure, the district's tentative 2026-2027 budget advertised estimated October 15, 2026 enrollment of 1,734 on roll students, against 1,692 the prior year. That is 42 more students, and the budget claimed an enrollment adjustment above 2 percent of $797,352 under state school funding law. Rising elementary enrollment in a built out township with new inclusionary housing districts adopted this spring is a question that is going to keep coming back. Sources 1. Township of Warren, Township Committee Regular Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2026\. [https://www.warrennj.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/\_06182026-983](https://www.warrennj.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/%5F06182026-983?ref=john-mangini.ghost.io) 2. Office of Congressman Thomas Kean Jr., Kean Announces Winners of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition, May 11, 2026\. [https://kean.house.gov/media/press-releases/kean-announces-winners-2026-congressional-art-competition](https://kean.house.gov/media/press-releases/kean-announces-winners-2026-congressional-art-competition?ref=john-mangini.ghost.io) 3. TAPinto, Warren Traffic Alert, Watchung Hills Graduation Live Stream and Traffic Alerts. [https://www.tapinto.net/towns/north-plainfield-slash-green-brook-slash-watchung/sections/community-announcements/articles/warren-traffic-alert-watchung-hills-graduation-live-stream-traffic-alerts](https://www.tapinto.net/towns/north-plainfield-slash-green-brook-slash-watchung/sections/community-announcements/articles/warren-traffic-alert-watchung-hills-graduation-live-stream-traffic-alerts?ref=john-mangini.ghost.io) John Mangini Broker / Owner, NextHome Premier Warren Township resident and full time broker. Warren 07059 is written from live Garden State MLS data, township records and primary sources. Every figure is traceable to a source listed above. [102 Town Center Drive, Warren, NJ 07059](https://johnmangini.com/?ref=john-mangini.ghost.io) | 732.236.1087 | [john@nexthomepremier.com](mailto:john@nexthomepremier.com)