Howell High School Team Competes in Monmouth County Consumer Bowl

How often can a gas station adjust its prices? What advantage does a rent-to-own purchase offer a consumer? Student teams from 10 area high schools had to tackle such questions about consumer affair issues in the fourth annual Monmouth County Consumer Bowl. The event, sponsored by Monmouth County Consumer Affairs, was held at the Monmouth County Fire Academy in Howell on Tuesday.

The participating schools drew from students in their business classes to form teams, according to Susan Arnone, a Manalapan High School teacher and Consumer Bowl team advisor.

“The enthusiasm is like nothing you’ve ever seen. What they’re learning are things they actually use in life,” said Adam Falk, a teacher and advisor to the Freehold Township High School group. The Patriots came into the bowl as county winners two years running; the team came won the state title in 2009 and the regional title in 2010.

Jackie Myers, a Freehold Township senior and the captain of her school’s Consumer Bowl team, said she enjoyed the competition as well as learning about consumer rights.

“You don’t realize how many rights you have as a consumer. What we learn (while studying for the Consumer Bowl) are rights everyone should know about,” she said.

Myers noted that she’s been able to apply the knowledge she’s gained from participating in the Consumer Bowl in her own life.

“When even I get a gift certificate, I check to see if it has an expiration date, and if it does, I fight it,” Myers said. “You learn how to defend your rights.”

In addition to Howell, Freehold Township and Manalapan, the competing schools included Freehold, Keansburg, Manasquan, Marlboro, Neptune Township, Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney in Holmdel.

The teams were divided into three groups for the competition and asked multiple choice and open-ended questions about consumer concerns. Freehold Township, Keansburg and Neptune Township won their respective rounds and advanced to a run-off in which Freehold Township took first place. The winning team members included Myers, senior Nicole Haas, junior Casey Moore, freshman Samantha Fitzgerald and sophomore David Domke.

“All of our participating young adults gained some knowledge about what it takes to help them be smarter consumers and possibly future consumer advocates,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, the Board of Chosen Freeholders liaison to Monmouth County Consumer Affairs and a judge in Tuesday’s competition.

Freehold Township will advance to a regional tournament for Central Jersey at the Monmouth County Fire Academy on Wednesday, April 13. If they are victorious in the regional competition, the will move up to a state tournament scheduled to take place in May at the State House in Trenton.