Mr. Ray Ostrowski, a Physical Education teacher at SBHS, has been heavily involved in the military for almost 29 years. His passion and dedication to serving this country have led him overseas to Israel, where he is currently deployed for the entire 2025-26 school year. Posters around the school put up by the SBHS activities department called for the school’s support in donations that would support Mr. Ostrowski’s troop.
The posters asked for necessary items such as toothbrushes and body wash. Granted, the process to mail these goods across the world is harder than it seems. Since the goods are traveling to a military base, many precautions must be taken to ensure that the packages are safe. Mrs. Harlee Olsen, the activities coordinator at SBHS, explained that the activities department “had to take all of the donations that we got. We had to separate everything out and then we had to fill out customs forms for every single item that’s in the box and calculate roughly how much everything costs.”
Ostrowski’s story in the National Guard started in 1997 when he was just 18. He stated, “I was initially approached by an assistant wrestling coach…who was in the NJ Army National Guard…and he thought I would be a good fit.” Initially, Mr. Ostrowski joined because it would help him attend college, which was one of his major goals at the time. However, his interest in the guard eventually increased, and caused him to re-enlist four times since. Mr. Ostrowski feels patriotically connected to his job, and in his view, “the service has become part of [him].”
Mr. Ostrowski served for around 11 years in the NJ Army National Guard, then moved to the Army Reserves, where he currently serves. He currently resides in the US Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) near the Gaza border. At the CMCC, representatives and partners from 40 different countries gather to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is speculated that the center will also assist the new multi-country humanitarian aid force soon.
Ms. Mindy Verderami, SBHS gymnastic coach and PE teacher, has known Mr Ostrowski for around 15 years and is one of his closest friends at the school. “The three of us are very close, family, almost,” she stated, referring to Mr. Edwards, another gym teacher, Mr. Ostrowski, and herself. Even while he is thousands of miles away, the three of them keep in touch often, through WhatsApp. While Mr. Ostrowski is not currently on the front lines, he “is helping the military there on an engineering perspective,” Mrs. Verderami recalled from their conversations.
At SBHS, we honor and respect our veterans and enlisted soldiers for everything they do for our country. Mr. Ray Ostrowski, we thank you for all you do for the nation, and look forward to welcoming you to the school whenever you require a happy, energetic haven.
