Top stories of 2025 in Washington Township

As we come to the end of 2025 and look forward to the new year, here’s a look back at Washington Township’s top stories.

‘Once in a lifetime’

With a full moon lighting the way on a cold and brisk Dec. 4, more than 1,000 people cheered on the Washington Township High School football team during the Parade of Champions.

The school’s marching band and cheerleaders led the way through Washington Lake Park, followed by the Minutemen players and their coaches holding their Group 5 New Jersey Championship trophy as the crowd roared.

“Winning the championship is the most exciting moment in my 24 years as athletic director and also in the history of our school,” Kevin Murphy said. “This is an amazing senior class, a special group of young men. They have been playing together since youth football.”

Along with 4,000 other fans, Murphy traveled to Met Life stadium in North Jersey on Nov. 28 to watch the Minutemen defeat Passaic Tech, 31-12, for the state title. He thanked everyone who helped set up the parade just six days after the big victory.

Coach Mike Schatzman said winning the state title was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience and praised his players and coaches, as well as the fans. He became head coach in 2018 and inherited a 2-8 team. Now the Minutemen are Group 5 champions after finishing the season with a perfect 14-0 record.

Back on the job

School Superintendent Eric Hibbs was back on the job on Aug. 4 after a Gloucester County Superior Court judge overturned his paid leave suspension.

In a one-page order issued from Woodbury on July 31, Judge Benjamin C. Tesley stated that the township board of education violated the Open Public Meetings Act at its March 18 meeting and voided the Doctrine of Necessity, a legal term for the board’s suspension.

Tesley’s order was in response to a lawsuit filed by a resident, Randy Ford, against the board in relation to Hibbs’ suspension. The superintendent was not part of the lawsuit filing in March.

Hibbs had filed his own lawsuit – a 62-page whistleblower complaint against the board and President Julie Kozempel – on May 28. As superintendent since May 2023, Hibbs’ alleged he was “unlawfully placed on administrative leave … after he raised objections to the (board’s) conduct that he believed to be both unlawful and unethical” and was “subjected to blatant retaliation” in violation of New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act.

The board has not revealed why Hibbs was placed on leave, and moves by some board members to reinstate him since his suspension were either denied or did not move forward.

‘Surrounded by love’

Dodging occasional raindrops before basking in the sun, thousands of people, hundreds of runners and lots of children supported a new cause at Washington Lake Park on May 31.

Lauren Hart kicked off the festivities during the first annual Gaudreau Family 5K Run/Walk and Family Day with the national anthem. At 8 a.m. a full slate of runners took off in a competitive, chip-timed 5K, followed by a non-competitive, chip-timed race and 1-mile fun run for children on winding park pathways.

The event included music, games, dance performances, face painting and yoga, all for the cause to build an adaptive playground for students at the Archbishop Damiano School in Westville.

“The turnout is great,” said Deborah Vasaturo, one of 18 committee members who organized the event to honor the memory of brothers John and Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by an alleged drunk driver last summer. “I would like to thank all the sponsors and volunteers.

“We are so grateful for the wonderful community support we received.”

“From the very beginning, our friends and family who organized this 5K have overwhelmed us with their love and dedication,” noted John and Matthew’s mother, Jane. “While we always knew how extraordinary John and Matty were, witnessing thousands of people come together to honor them has been amazing.

“From the moment we arrived on Saturday, we felt surrounded by love,” she added. “This outpouring of support has brought our family comfort, and we will carry this gratitude with us always.”

Her husband Guy coached his sons on ice hockey teams at Hollydell Ice Arena in the township and at Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City. In August, golfers arrived early for the inaugural Gaudreau Family Scholarship Golf Outing at Ron Jaworski’s Running Deer Golf Club in Pittsgrove.

‘Surreal’ recognition

Within a year, Douglas Ford literally went from an ICU bed to earning Forbes magazine’s 30-under-30 recognition for launching Chromie Health, an AI startup that addresses the critical nursing-shortage crisis with innovative scheduling solutions.

“This is not just Forbes’ 30-under-30 recognition win for myself, my co-founder and the team behind Chromie, but also really a win for Washington Township,” said Ford, the first person in the township to get the recognition. “I’m so proud of the community and of New Jersey, South Jersey.

“Without the community,” he added, “I never would have gotten the care I deserved and also just this recognition, because it’s not just a win for us, but really for the entire community, which I’m so proud to share with everybody.”

Ford is a 2014 graduate of the township high school. He was home visiting family during the holiday season in 2023 when he became sick. The experience provided him a first-hand look at the nursing labor-shortage crisis, and that’s when the wheels started churning for Chromie Health, created with co-founder Scott Tisoskey.

The Forbes’ 30-under-30 recognition for 2025 is icing on the top of Ford’s work at Chromie Health, where he is also CEO. Since its launch, the startup has more than $2.1 million in funding, achieved a 28% growth rate and has been deployed in 120 nursing teams around the world.

“To be recognized following the likes of Malala Yousafzai (a Pakistani activist), Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook, now Meta) and (singer) Rihanna,” Ford said, “is surreal.”