Absegami High's Band Director Wins Governor's Award

Congratulations to Absegami High School's Director of Bands Patrick O'Keefe on his selection for the 43rd annual New Jersey Governor's Award in Arts Education for Leadership in Music Education.

This is a big deal, and it's well deserved!

Mr. O'Keefe, a former Lite Teacher of the Month, has been a teacher in Galloway since 2009, teaching music at Smithville School prior to his role as the band director for the Absegami Braves.

The New Jersey Governor’s Awards promote the arts by honoring students and educational leaders who have achieved national and state recognition in their fields

The award will be presented in a ceremony at the College of New Jersey on June 2nd.

O'Keefs is a busy music man

He serves on the executive board of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, where he was president from 2019 to 2021.

He also works as an applied lessons instructor for Stockton University and his students recently were involved in executing the annual Galloway Arts Festival in Smithville.

Mr. O’Keefe will receive his award alongside other leaders and students in the areas of creative writing, speech, dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

I got to know Patrick when he was nominated as Lite Teacher of the Month back in 2014 as a music teacher and band director at Smithville Elementary.

After meeting him, you got a sense of the dedication and passion he brings to his job, teaching and overseeing his students as they learned their instruments and what it takes to play in a school band.

Absegami High School is lucky to have such a talented music educator.