You could make a case that “reality-based” entertainment dates back to the Roman gladiators, but the pending mayoral campaign of Levi Johnston steps over the line.

Building a reality TV show around Johnston’s nascent foray into politics isn’t the second coming of Robert Drew, whose groundbreaking documentary of the 1960 Wisconsin presidential primary introduced this form of political cinema verite.  Of course, Drew’s motivation was to add to the historical record.  Johnston and his producer Scott Stone just want money.

Reuters says that Hollywood’s reaction so far to the idea is “lukewarm,” but for all the wrong reasons.

“I’m just incredibly uninterested,” said one network’s executive in charge of unscripted programing. “We’ve seen him naked. We’ve heard him bash the Palins. What more is there that we need to know? He’s a cute kid but not the most interesting person to watch.”

We should all be uninterested, simply because Johnston has shown absolutely no evidence that he is qualified to run any town, regardless of size or geography, even if he manages to hire Jimmy Kimmel to manage his campaign.    The idea that Hollywood producers can chose any community, airdrop someone “telegenic,” and disrupt a local electoral process to increase TV ratings is a bit horrifying.  It also makes a mockery of the thousands of volunteers in towns across the country who take community service seriously.

The current incumbent mayor in Wasilla, Alaska, a Viet Nam war veteran and a practicing attorney roughly old enough to be Levi’s grandfather, hasn’t decided if he will seek re-election in 2011, but he does have some common sense advice for his potential challenger.

“I think it would be wise for him to get a high school diploma and keep his clothes on,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

I first watched football on a 19-inch black and white Zenith, the same set that broadcast Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.   The CBS affiliate faithfully broadcast the New York Giants games every Sunday, and I would watch Fran Tarkenton scramble for his life when I wasn’t watching Jim Plunkett scrambling for his life on the NBC affiliate.

I learned over time that the practice of adjusting the “rabbit ears” sometimes required zen-like qualities of patience and perseverance.  Be one with the antenna, and be ready to assume odd standing positions simply because they magically kept the TV signal from turning to “snow.”   These moments of intimacy sadly disappeared once cable arrived.

It may be difficult to explain the difference in eras to a generation weaned on Madden Football video games or wide screen HD TV.  So, I guess I wasn’t too surprised to read a New York Times report that the New York Giants spent $100 million on video technology at their new Meadowlands Stadium, including four massive video screens, 2,200 televisions, and new smart phone apps supported by 500 wireless antennas.  The Giants hired a former TV production executive to run the whole thing.

In other words, the Giants have now created the greatest living room of all time for watching a football game.  And you don’t even need a remote control clicker.

One summer while I was in college, I worked as a janitor in a local elementary school.  Spending eight hours a day scrubbing desks and scraping off dried bubble gum offered vivid evidence that a school district stays busy even during the hazy days of summer.

Summer is a time for taking stock, anticipating challenges, and setting goals to ensure our school district continues to provide one of the best public educational systems in the country.   It’s a time when the Board of Education and the school administration collectively sweat out the details about the coming school year, in part because we turned down the air conditioning to save on costs.

I guess we can afford a little humor, but sadly not much else.  Every indication suggests that next year’s budget will require all of us to consider difficult choices, and so setting goals is particularly important right now.  School districts have an obligation to make sure that everyone in their communities knows where they stand and why.

Over the last few months, many people have framed the discussion about public education in New Jersey around dollars and cents, but shouldn’t we also consider the issue of dollars and sense?  Here’s what I mean.

During a recent Monmouth County School Boards Association workshop on educational leadership during difficult times, the main speaker, Dr. Gerald Woehr, offered a provocative point—public education should not be viewed as an expense, but as an investment.

Dr. Woehr’s comment raises an interesting challenge.  The burden of proof falls on the Board of Education to demonstrate we are indeed spending taxpayer money wisely.  We recognize that the resources of the district are limited, but we also believe a commitment to excellence represents a better value than an acceptance of mediocrity.

Good schools mean we are preparing our children to succeed in a competitive world.  Good schools mean we can recruit the best educators available to ensure a continuum of excellence across generations of students. And good schools mean higher property values, because they attract people who want to live here and are willing to pay top dollar to do so.

As a new school board member you find your idealism confronted by reality on a regular basis, and I admire the veterans on the board who retain enthusiasm and confidence in the face of multiple challenges—from budget cuts to staff reductions to changes in administration.   That’s why goals are so important; they provide focus when distractions abound.

As a board, we approve two sets of goals.  Our first set of goals, the district goals, guides our administration, establishes priorities, and offers the community something tangible to judge.  We established five district goals last year, and will probably end up with the same number this year, too. These goals will align closely with our mission statement—a 63-word paragraph that sums up our commitment to excellence.

The mission of the Holmdel Township Public Schools is to provide a comprehensive and caring educational environment that will develop the potential of every student into achievement.  In partnership with our community, the School District will support all of our student’s efforts to meet and exceed the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, and to become responsible and resourceful citizens and life-long learners.

I think special attention should be given to the phrase “in partnership with our community.”  We’re not saying in partnership with the parents of the Holmdel, but with all residents, because building and sustaining a superior school district is a ‘team sport.’ Good school districts work hard to get as many active participants as possible.

Our second set of goals guides the actions and aspirations of the Board itself.  While they reaffirm our commitment to the district’s goals, they also continually challenge us to consider ways to improve the way we govern—by keeping the lines of communications open, by striving to consider diverse opinions, and by encouraging everyone in the community to become involved.

We expect both sets of goals to be posted on our Holmdel District web site by the time the new school year begins in September.

One of the fascinating aspects of the recent World Cup tournament was how so many teams worked so hard with so much coordination just to score one goal.   And usually that one goal was the margin of victory.   Our goals will require a lot of work, too, and while we won’t have vuvuzela horns to urge us on, we will have the benefit of a solid corps of dedicated volunteers and community activists who want us to score, too.

Have you considered making a commitment to the school district a personal goal for you in 2010-11?  It is certainly easy to do so.  Come to a school board meeting or participate in an event sponsored by a parent-teacher organization.   Talk to your children’s teachers and volunteer in the classroom.  Support the many athletic or artistic activities sponsored by our schools. A good first step is to subscribe to “E-Alert” for our informative series of email alerts through the district web site, which will keep you up-to-date with what’s happening throughout the year.

In the meantime, here’s a goal for everyone to embrace—have a wonderful and safe summer!

The debut of Mad Men’s latest season makes one nostalgic for old ads.  I had completely forgotten that Sugar Pops embraced an early western theme, but then again, it was the primary sponsor of the radio show, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock, when the cereal debuted in 1951.

Back in 1972, when this commercial ran on TV, Sugar Pops and every other sugar laced cereal was unceremoniously banned from the Sockol household by my mother in response to my truly frightening dental bill.  It seems that our pediatric dentist, Dr. Casper, detected more than a half a dozen cavities, and that meant the end of Sugar Pops, Sugar Smacks, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charms.   She didn’t even let us finish off the boxes left in our house.

After that, the closest we got to sugar cereals was Raisin Bran.

The other day, while shopping at a local supermarket, my son pulled out a box of Corn Pops, the new PC name of this villainous cereal.  Imagine my surprise when I glanced at the new packaging and saw that it now touts itself as a good source of fiber (at least 10 percent of your daily requirement.)

The advertising was so audacious that I broke down and bought a box.  What the heck.  I have dental insurance now.