Chatham High School Teen Task Force Seniors Recognized

CHATHAM, NJ — Three seniors from Chatham High School were thanked during the last Chatham Borough Council meeting for their involvement with the Teen Task Force of the Madison-Chatham Coalition.

The Mayor and Council told Dennis Moynihan, Casey O’Reilly and Ben Goldfield on Monday how grateful they were for them stepping up to volunteer their time; and wished them the best in their futures beyond high school.

The three teens were given a round of applause at the virtual meeting. Each student will receive a copy of the proclamation that was read and presented about their dedication.

All three are from Chatham High School Class of 2021.

Watch the video below of the presentation:

The task force helps fellow students on a “peer-to-peer” basis, with the stresses teen can face, which during the pandemic was layered with extra stressors. The task force’s aim was to help fellow classmates with ways to cope, without turning to smoking, vaping or underage drinking.

The teens have been involved with the task force during all of their high school years, with Coalition Director Allison Bardon, speaking on behalf of the group.

“It’s been such a privilege to serve as co-advisors for these guys for the past four years,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have recruited such amazing charter members of the teen task force.”

Bardon said the trio created videos, hosted podcasts and appeared at Fishawack and other events, to speak on behalf of the task force.

“This was certainly a life experience I’ll never forget,” said Moynihan.

“It’s really been an honor to serve with these people and I’m going to remember it for the rest of my life,” O’Reilly added.

“It’s been a great experience doing this through high school and I want to thank Dennis and Casey for doing it with me,” said Goldfield.

The Madison Chatham Coalition was created in 2015 as a community organization to teach the Madison and Chatham communities about the risks of teenage alcohol and marijuana use. Visit their website for more information.

Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.