Looking back on what has happened in New Jersey in 2013, one will see heart-breaking fires, an important governor’s race, minimum wages rising and teachers validating learning.

On September 12, 2013 Seaside Heights Boardwalk went up in flames; the fire started by newly renovated Fun Town Pier in the ice cream shop, Kohrs. Just a year earlier, Super Storm Sandy destroyed the boardwalk, where the fire took place. It was restored just prior to the fire.

On November 5, Governor Chris Christie was elected for a second term in the NJ gubernatorial race against Barbara Buono. This sets Christie up for a possible bid as the Republican candidate for the Presidency.

The unemployment rate in New Jersey ranged from 8.4% to 9.6% in 2013. That is a lot of people just in New Jersey that are searching for a job. In November, voters elected to raise minimum wage in New Jersey from $7.25 to $8.25 in January of 2014. This made New Jersey the 20^th state to raise the minimum wage higher than the national minimum wage.

Another major change which the state underwent was the teacher evaluation requirements set forth by the Christie Administration. According to AchieveNJ, teachers will now have to prove their students are learning through student growth objectives. Students in classrooms across New Jersey started the school year off with pre-tests and will end their course work with post-test.

It should be interesting to see what’s in-store for New Jersey in 2014.