Farnoosh's Commencement Speech, a Brookdale Park Surprise & Montclair's $4 Million Market

With 36 hours' notice, Farnoosh was asked to deliver the commencement address at Montclair High School — and we play you the full speech. We also debrief all the "this is so Montclair" moments from graduation day, debut our new Saturdays in the Park series with a remarkable chance encounter at Brookdale Park, and catch up on spiking real estate prices, a school principal shuffle, a stolen car on Bloomfield Ave, new e-bike rules, and everything happening this Fourth of July.In this episode:Principal Freeman called Farnoosh 36 hours before graduation and asked her to give the commencement speech — her first thought was that she was in troubleFarnoosh's full address to the Class of 2026: the theme was "don't hang up on yourself," drawing on her own stories of nearly leaving Penn State, being told to change her name to Tina, and getting laid off ...twice.Graduation day chaos: a two-line debacle at the amphitheater, a photographer form emailed at 4:26 p.m. for a 6 p.m. ceremony, a wave of graduating seniors smoking cigars, and a mystery bus ride to an adventure park in Williamsburg that ran until 4 a.m. — Project Graduation turns 46 this yearNew series: Saturdays in the Park — Mike kicks it off at Brookdale Park (formerly a golf course) and has a chance encounter with a veteran named Michael Jackson who is walking the park as part of his rehabilitation after six strokes, and who it turns out may have been aboard the USS Kennedy the same day Mike toured it as a kidMike rode the elevator at the MC Hotel with members of the German national team, corrected one player on the difference between New York and New Jersey, and his stepdad Barry sent them off with an Auf Wiedersehen — Germany lost the next dayNext week: what the hell is going on with the lack of World Cup marketing in downtown Montclair? Local business owners are frustrated, and we start digging into who's responsible and whether the town missed a once-in-a-generation opportunityThe median sale price for Montclair homes hit $1.4 million this spring — up 40% from a year ago — with at least one home going $1 million over asking; to buy the median home and keep housing at 30% of income, you need to earn over $350,000 a yearMaria Francisco, beloved principal of Renaissance at Rand Middle School, is moving to a district-level role on special assignment as the school closes and the district navigates a nearly $20 million deficit — the community has questionsAn Uber Eats driver parked on Bloomfield Ave on Juneteenth, ran inside to grab an order, and came back to find his 2022 Toyota Corolla gone — keys were in the cup holder; the car was recovered in Newark the next dayNew NJ e-bike rules are now in effect: registration with the MVC is required, riders must be 15+, helmets are mandatory, and motorized bikes now need insuranceFourth of July in Montclair: parade at 11 a.m., town picnic at Edgemont Park at 1 p.m., Fam Fest at Montclair Brewery from 2–10 p.m., and fireworks in Bloomfield and Millburn — full guide at MontclairPod.comResources & LinksFarnoosh's book: A Healthy State of PanicFourth of July Guide — MontclairPod.comNJ MVC E-Bike RegistrationCar stolen in Montclair while driver picked up Uber Eats order — PatchRenaissance principal lands new district role as Montclair school faces closure — Montclair LocalQuestions or tips? [email protected] usWatch the show: YouTube ChannelJoin our weekly newsletterFollow us on Instagram @themontclairpodFollow us on NewsBreak Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.