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The St. Elizabeth softball team took the field this spring with a new head coach, their fourth different coach in four years.

But this new hire was far from typical for an up-and-coming program.

Coach Michael Rubright has a decades-long career in youth sports that includes being a high school and college official in field hockey and swimming. As far as coaching high school softball goes, this season marks his first in nearly three decades.

"I've never felt that I know all of the answers," Rubright said. "Everything I've ever learned, I've taken from someone else that did it better than I did. So when a player comes to me with something they learned from another coach, that's me learning from them just like they're learning from me with something else."

Rubright began his teaching career at Roxbury, teaching social studies in 1989. He was the swimming and softball coach there until 1996, when he moved on to become an administrator at Sayreville. Over the next 29 years, Rubright held administrative positions in North Warren, Hopatcong, Boonton and Ramsey before becoming principal op Woodglen School in Lebanon Township in 2003.

"Being an administrator for as long as I was, coaching in high school was not really an option," he said.

Rubright, 59, retired as principal last July and was searching for his next career path. When he found an opportunity to teach history, economics and religion at St. Elizabeth, he also took over as the school's field hockey coach.

"I wasn't ready to stop working," Rubright said. "After a lot of prayer and asking God where he wanted to put me, this is where he brought me."

Rubright filled the teaching position of the previous softball coach and as the season got closer, there was no replacement coming. So Rubright got the opportunity to coach at the high school level again.

"I'm old school and I'm going to coach old school," Rubright said. "I've always had good relationships with my players and put players first. I hate to lose, but my players always mattered more than winning. I can't tell you my win-loss record but I could probably tell you every player I've ever coached and I still keep in touch with some of them to this day."

Rubright said that one of his biggest challenges has been coaching such a young team. St. Elizabeth's softball team includes six freshmen, which he says it is the most freshmen he has coached since his first softball job as the freshman coach at Mount Olive in the late 1980s.

St. Elizabeth softball has not seen much success historically. A seven-win season last spring was the program's highest win total in the last 15 seasons. One thing Rubright hopes to bring to the team is consistency as the position has seen numerous changes in recent years.

"We're going to play the game the right way," Rubright said. "We're going to play good defense and run the bases well. We're going to put the bat on the ball. If you do that over time, you're going to be a program where success comes."

In their season opener against Boonton on April 1, the Panthers trailed 3-0 early before tying the game 3-3 through five innings. Boonton then scored seven unanswered runs in the top of the sixth to take the game, 10-3.

"The sixth inning was my fault," Rubright said. "My pitcher was losing gas and I left her in one inning too long. I have two pitchers that are good and I'm not used to having more than one of those. Had I switched pitchers earlier and knew how long I can push personnel, that game is probably different. I took away a young team given their inexperience and the history of the team probably should have folded and they kept fighting."

With an enrollment just over 170 students, St. Elizabeth is one of New Jersey's smallest schools and many of the athletes play three sports throughout the academic year. Rubright sees the small school as an unknown gem hidden in Morristown.

"Our school isn't really known for its athletic prowess, but we have some special kids that can do some special things," Rubright said. "I have seen so much support from parents, which I don't take for granted. We also have administrators who care about the kids, which always mattered so much to me when I was in that position. There's something special about this place."

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ELIZABETH, NJ - 111 high school students across the state of New Jersey graduated from the Governor’s STEM Scholars, a year-long program of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. Among them were four from Elizabeth.

Maira Nadeem, a senior at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Isabella Cortes, a junior at Union County Magnet High School

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Gabriel Arias, a junior at Union County Magnet High School

Aaron Vivanco, a junior at the Academy for Information Technology

The Governor’s STEM Scholars program offers students a 360° view of New Jersey’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) economy through research, site visits, and conferences. Each Scholar also participated in a community-based research project, led by a college-level team leader. Projects tackled real-world challenges with innovative, research-based solutions.

Throughout the year, Scholars attended four conferences focused on STEM in government, academia, and industry. Events were held at Rutgers School of Engineering, Montclair State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Kean University. Scholars also participated in virtual sessions with STEM professionals from Kenvue and Stockton University, and visited industry partners including Bristol Myers Squibb.

“This year’s Scholars represent the best of what New Jersey has to offer,” said Alise Roderer, Director of the Governor’s STEM Scholars. “From lab tours to research and policy briefings, these students are building lifelong connections to the state’s STEM economy and becoming New Jersey’s next generation of innovators.”

Interested in owning/operating TAPinto Elizabeth? For more information, visit starttap.net or click here to set up a time with TAPinto Founder and CEO Michael Shapiro. You can also email mshapiro@tapinto.net.

Search intensifies for missing NJ woman

It’s been more than a month since anyone has seen 48-year-old Janaina Freire Gonçalves, a personal trainer and waitress from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her son has flown in from Brazil to help in the search as family members grow increasingly concerned. Gonçalves was last seen March 9 training a client, and later with her husband at her apartment building—but has not been seen leaving. FOX 5's Teresa Priolo has the story.

The Brief

NEW YORK - A 48-year-old woman from Elizabeth, New Jersey, has been missing since mid-March, according to her family, who say they are growing increasingly desperate for answers.

"The last time I spoke with my mom was at the beginning of March," Eduardo said. "She told me she was super happy because she was going to Brazil — her first time in three years."

Her son, Eduardo Luis Gonsalves Moreda, says it’s unlike her to go silent for this long.

In hopes of finding his mother, Eduardo flew from Brazil to the U.S. and has been working with Montana Global Care, a community organization helping to support the family during the search.

Who is Janaina Freddy Gonsalves

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What we know:

Janaina Freddy Gonsalves, a personal trainer and waitress known in both Elizabeth and Newark, has not been seen or heard from in more than a month.

Her son says she moved to Elizabeth three years ago and married a U.S. citizen shortly afterward.

"She was usually in constant contact," he said. "This just doesn’t make sense."

When was Janaina last seen?

Janaina was last seen publicly on March 9, training a client. According to her family, she was also spotted the next day with her husband at their apartment building, Sing La Vista Apartments. They believe she never left the building after that.

"She was seen going in," Eduardo said, "but never coming out."

What they're saying:

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation.

Officials have declined to answer whether Janaina’s husband is a person of interest or where the case currently stands, saying only that the investigation is ongoing.

"I want her to know she has a son who loves her very much," Eduardo said.

The family continues to push for answers and urges anyone with information about Janaina’s whereabouts to come forward.

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