About Michael Falgares

Highly dedicated, innovative, and education-driven, Michael Falgares is the Director of Technology, Marketing, and Communications at St. Rose High School. He has an extensive background in teaching, business management, and technology and is ardent about providing quality education to all students while setting a high academic bar that other schools can become inspired by.

Born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey, later moving to West Long Branch in 2016, Michael has always had a passion for becoming a teacher. He spent most of his adolescence working towards that aspiration.  While still in high school, Michael began working towards his college degree at Ocean Country College in 1998. Throughout this journey, he began building his resume, working for Toms River Regional Schools, starting out as a cafeteria aide, and working his way up to become a special education paraprofessional working with students that had behavior disabilities.

In 1999, Michael transferred to Georgian Court University to pursue his BA in Special Education with a dual certification in Regular Education K-5. Then in 2001, Michael had the opportunity to purchase Little Rascals Early Learning Academy in Brick Township. Over the next seven years, he worked implementing creative operational alterations and new technologies that resulted in an enrollment increase of over 50%. Simultaneously, Michael graduated from college and began living out his goals as a classroom teacher.

After completing his student teaching in 2001, Michael took a position as a special education in-class support kindergarten teacher in Brick Township. Then in 2003, he began teaching first grade in Howell Township at Newbury School. For the next five years there, Michael taught first grade, fifth grade, special education in-class support, and supported the resource room. He also started the Newbury News, which is a live morning program broadcasted throughout the school, and started an elementary drama program, where he co-directed both Annie and Grease Junior. In addition, as access to technology increased at Howell, Michael was able to pioneer the integration of technology to advance teaching and learning. With all of his accomplishments and motivation to better the school as a whole, Michael was nominated as Disney Teacher of the Year and was highlighted locally in the Asbury Park Press.

In 2008, he decided to make a significant transition. Michael sold the childcare facility and left the classroom to start a new business concept called Gamin’ Ride and Earn N’ Burn.

Gamin’ Ride is an entertainment company that focused primarily on children’s birthday parties with a 38’ mobile video game theater that traveled to homes, schools, and businesses allowing guests to play games in a 4D environment.  Earn N’ Burn leveraged a new technology that made it possible for up to 150 students to play the popular video game Dance-Dance Revolution. Michael created and produced a fundraiser to promote the importance of fitness and exercise while helping students raise money for their school.

In 2010, after building the company into a model that could be duplicated, Michael began franchising the concept across the country. Over the next three years, he had built over twenty locations, from the Canada border in upstate New York to as far south as the Mexico border in Mission, Texas. Then in 2013, Michael sold the company to one of the master franchisees and decided to go back to education.  But instead of teaching, he wanted to have a more substantial impact, becoming a Technology Integration Specialist in Freehold Township Schools. Here he oversaw the development of technology resources that would support existing and newly developed curricula, guided the collaboration with teachers regarding the integration of technology in the classroom, provided instruction for students, and hosted on-going professional development for the staff. With his background and advanced skillsets in technology, education, and business, Michael was appointed the Director of Technology, Marketing, and Communications at St. Rose High School in Belmar, New Jersey in 2016, and has been in this role ever since.

Michael is fueled by passion and has a profound ability to take a vision and execute it successfully through sound strategy and development. He intuitively sees hidden threads of opportunity in organizations, fosters them into a coherent whole, and drives educational and team prosperity. With his evident ability to make big-picture decisions and his experiences on all levels of education, it can solidify your confidence that he is the perfect candidate to help navigate the West Long Branch Board of Education through the pivotal challenges ahead.

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