A 'classy' proposal for OBHS teachers
Pair gets engaged amid roar of students in h.s. gym
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
When special education history teacher Jessica Sastoque got ready to go to work at Old Bridge High School last Thursday, she dressed to get popped in the face with pies, not to have the question popped.

JEFF GRANIT staff Old Bridge High School teachers Daniel Dimino and Jessica Sastoque give each other a kiss after Dimino surprised Sastoque with a marriage proposal during a break from last week's "Battle of the Classes" activities.

Nevertheless, and much to Sastoque's surprise, her boyfriend Dan Dimino, a physical education teacher at the school, did just that during a "Battle of the Classes" event in the school gym.

"When Jess and I met, she was always telling me how she wanted to be proposed to in Madison Square Garden, with everyone watching her," said Dimino, of Monroe. "I knew I couldn't do that, but I was walking through the gym one day, and I thought of this."

A couple of months ago, Dimino set his romantic plan into motion. The love-struck groom-to-be went as far as arranging for a teachers' activity during the "Battle of the Classes," so that Sastoque, an Old Bridge resident, would be there for his proposal.

"If the principal [James Hickey], the vice principal [Vincent Sasso] and [student activities coordinator] Rose Meade weren't involved, there's no way this could have happened," Dimino said.

Sastoque's co-workers told her to wear something she would not mind getting dirty, as the teacher's participation in "Battle of the Classes" would involve being hit with pies, or slimed, she said. Of course, it was all just part of the ploy to get Sastoque into position for the big moment.

"Actually, when I was leaving for work, my sister, who was in on it, said, 'That's what you're wearing to work?'" Sastoque said. "Now looking back, I wish I was wearing something nicer, but it was all worth it."

Dimino covered all bases, evenmanaging to slip both of their parents into the gym at the last minute, without Sastoque noticing.

Amidst the hubbub of the day's activities, Dimino walked out onto the gym floor, clad in a suit, with a smile on his face.

"As soon as he came out in the suit, I was like, OK, that's when it sort of clicked in my head," Sastoque said.

Sastoque was overcome with tears as she watched her future husband approach. Many of the juniors and seniors in the gym seemed to know what was coming, too, as they cheered wildly from the sidelines.

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mr. Dimino. I teach in the Phys. Ed. Department, and I'm in love withMs. Sastoque from the History Department," Dimino said.

Dimino spoke further of his love for Sastoque, then took to one knee to ask for her hand in marriage.

"It was great, because he had the whole phys. ed. staff dressed in white, and when he went down on one knee, they all went down on one knee," Sastoque said.

Sastoque was visibly overcome by the grand gesture.

"Of course," she said, though only Dimino could hear her above the roar that overtook the packed gym.

At that, the lovebirds fell into each other's arms, and Dimino scooped up his wife-to-be and spun her around in an embrace.

Though Dimino said he had some initial nervousness about sharing the moment with throngs of teenagers, the apprehension subsided as soon as he heard their cheers. As for the proposal itself, Dimino was confident.

"We're in love, so I knew she was going to say yes," he said.

The couple has been together for two and a half years, after meeting through Sastoque's best friend. Both relatively new teachers in the district, Dimino has worked at the high school for a year and a half, while Sastoque started in January.

Sastoque graduated from Old Bridge High School in 2003.

"That's what made it so special," Sastoque said.

Thanks to modern technology and a handy Web site called You Tube, even faroff family and friends can relive the moment with the newly engaged pair. While it is difficult in the You Tube video to make out much of what Dimino is saying over the din of the crowd, the sentiments are clear.

The couple has yet to set a date for the wedding, but Sastoque said they are planning it for about a year and a half from now. Dimino said they plan to live in Old Bridge, where they will eventually have children and send them through the school district where they work.

"We love it there," Dimino said.