NJ students: Edison Intermediate School students mark Day of the Dead

Carolyn Sampson, MyCentralJersey.com
·13 min read

It was a celebration of family and remembrance at Edison Intermediate School in Westfield on Monday, Nov. 1, as students in grades 6-8 and their world language teachers marked Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, creating a Hallway of Memories with colorful and meaningful displays.

Edison Intermediate School students celebrated Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead on Monday, Nov. 1.
Edison Intermediate School students celebrated Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead on Monday, Nov. 1.

The Day of the Dead, which largely originated in Mexico but is celebrated throughout Latin America and elsewhere, honors deceased loved ones with festivals and lively celebrations. At Edison, student-created displays, or ofrendas, blended the traditions of the holiday with traditions of their own to honor a family member who has died. Some students celebrated the life of a pet or a well-known person as well.

Seventh and eighth graders visited the ofrendas with clipboards and pens in hand.

The students “reflected on the elements and information of the ofrendas and then wrote what they like, feel, understand,” said Edison Spanish teacher Mercedes Poyntz, who organized the event with fellow Spanish teacher Tara McMahon. “The students went back to class and shared their reflections.”

Edison Intermediate School celebrated The Day of the Dead on Monday, Nov. 1.
Edison Intermediate School celebrated The Day of the Dead on Monday, Nov. 1.

Students also created authentic artifacts in art classes to adorn the Hallway of Memories.

Also:

Eager to help other children during the pandemic, Franklin second grader Sophia Parekh established an organization called Sophia's Book Stand, which uses donations to help provide books to underprivileged families and classrooms. To date, she has given out 2,300 books. “I am making sure that all children have books to read and will love reading forever,” Sophia said during a segment that aired on the Drew Barrymore Show. Sophia appeared as a guest on the show on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in recognition of her charitable efforts.

Kenilworth Public Schools

For Kenilworth Public Schools, commemorating Veterans Day is an active duty.

Students created thank-you cards and presented them to veterans at Harding Elementary School. Dozens of flags were placed around school grounds to honor service members in time for Veterans Day.

Kenilworth Superintendent of Schools Kyle Arlington speaks at a community Veterans Day event with Commander of VFW Post 2230 Robert E. Jeans Sr. (left) and Kenilworth Veterans Center president Jerry Dobbins.
Kenilworth Superintendent of Schools Kyle Arlington speaks at a community Veterans Day event with Commander of VFW Post 2230 Robert E. Jeans Sr. (left) and Kenilworth Veterans Center president Jerry Dobbins.

And Superintendent of Schools Kyle Arlington was among the speakers at the Kenilworth Veterans Center’s holiday program on Thursday, Nov. 11.

“We welcome any opportunity for our students to work with veterans,” Arlington said. “Young people can learn great lessons from their example of service and selflessness.”

Kenilworth students meet with local veterans at Harding Elementary School after presenting them with thank-you cards.
Kenilworth students meet with local veterans at Harding Elementary School after presenting them with thank-you cards.

Around 100 people attended the Veterans Center event, which was cosponsored by VFW Post 2230 and American Legion Post 470. The turnout was higher than usual, said Robert E. Jeans Sr., commander of Post 2230.

Jeans led the VFW presentation, and American Legion Post 470 1st Vice Commander Ed Sudnick and Kenilworth Veterans Center President Jerry Dobbins also spoke.

Community leaders, including Mayor Linda Karlovitch and Police Chief Fred Soos, joined Arlington in making remarks.

“Kenilworth Public Schools is proud of our veterans. And we are proud of the way our students honor veterans,” Arlington said.

Arlington mentioned a recent example of student support for Kenilworth veterans. Last year, students in the Practical Arts class at David Brearley Middle-High School designed a nonprofit clothing line called Be Nice Co. to benefit local charities. The students and their teacher decided to give the first round of proceeds to the Kenilworth VFW.

Kenilworth Public Schools will continue to contribute to veterans in the community, Arlington said.

“Veterans embody the community spirit that is so important here in our small town.”

READ: The good things students are doing in Central Jersey and beyond

READ: Education news from around the region

READ: College Connection: Advice from local expert columnist

Middlesex College

The Middlesex College Dental Hygiene program recently hosted 18 children from the Acelero Head Start program. The kids, age 3 to 5, received a dental checkup and were taught the proper way to brush their teeth by dental students. Francis Mensah of Sayreville works on a young child’s teeth.
The Middlesex College Dental Hygiene program recently hosted 18 children from the Acelero Head Start program. The kids, age 3 to 5, received a dental checkup and were taught the proper way to brush their teeth by dental students. Francis Mensah of Sayreville works on a young child’s teeth.

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The Middlesex College Veterans and Servicemembers Association, the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, Democracy House, and the college’s Student Life Office collected items from the college community over the month of November to be donated to the Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park, in Edison. Donations included 10 boxes of sunglasses, socks, shampoo and conditioner, snacks and other items. (Left to right) Anvay Patel of South Brunswick, Kathleen Sabo of Sayreville, Jennifer Bejarano-Huertas of Fords and Jakai Evans of Edison.

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC)

The RVCC Chorale will present its annual holiday concert on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. The in-person event will be held in the Welpe Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College’s Branchburg campus. Masks are required in all RVCC facilities.

The program will feature Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How brightly shines the Morning Star), as well as music by Terre Roche and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The concert will include an audience singalong of traditional carols, as well as instrumental performances by students in the college’s Chamber Music course.

Directed by Dr. John Sichel, RVCC Associate Professor of Music, the RVCC Chorale is composed of students, former students and members of the community. The holiday concert’s performers include Peyton Diamond, Janine Grigonis, Victoria Mango and Katie Strong, sopranos; Ruth Dilley, Holly Ellerbusch, Jennifer Kapoian, Mrudula Murari, Rose Rizzi and Jane Sausanavage, altos; Felipe Primero Guzman and Brandon Schuetz, tenors; and basses Frank Bason and John Manganelli. The RVCC Chorale will be accompanied by Dr. Anna Keiserman.

RVCC alumna Laura Johnson will perform as soprano soloist in the Bach Cantata. The program will also feature flutists Eugenia Cline and Susan Graham.

General admission tickets cost $12 per person, $8 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the door on the night of the concert or in advance from the Theatre Box Office, 908-725-3420. The box office is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Also: Raritan Valley Community College has won the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge's 2020 Best Action Plan Award for the New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge — Community College.

The college also was honored in the New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge for the Highest Voter Registration for two-year colleges and the Highest Voter Turnout and the Most Improved Voter Turnout for two-year colleges. The voting participation was based on the 2020 election. The college had a 62% voting rate, which was an increase of 16.6% from 2016. RVCC’s voting successes earned the college a Silver Seal (60-70% student voter turnout) from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

The Voting Challenges awards were presented at the State Voting Challenges Awards Ceremony, held virtually on Tuesday, Nov. 9. During the event, RVCC was recognized for its efforts in civic engagement in all the categories by NJ Secretary of State Tahesha Way.

The New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge is a nonpartisan competition among NJ higher education institutions, focusing on their commitment to increasing student voter participation and engagement on campuses across the state.

“Working to increase students’ awareness of the political process, especially voter registration and voting, is the main goal of RVCC’s action plan. Educating our student voters to make informed decisions when they vote is critical to the functioning of our democracy,” said Lori Moog, RVCC’s director of Service Learning and Community Outreach. “Through the continued work by the administration, student organizations, and the Service Learning Program, the College is able to foster an environment that supports student civic activism and democratic engagement on campus and in the community,” Moog said.

RVCC’s voting initiatives are part of a Student Government Association (SGA) civic campaign, “RVotes Matter,” focusing on voter registration, voter education, and voter participation. While students were schooling from home during the pandemic, SGA held several online programs and campaigns to increase civic engagement. This included “Puppies & Politics,” a weekly conversation about political issues that encouraged students to share their pets with viewers, as well as a social media campaign featuring students dropping their mail-in ballots in ballot boxes. The RVotes Matter Campaign was chaired by Gerardo Carcamo of Branchburg, who graduated from RVCC in May with a degree in General Business. He is now pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at Rutgers University.

RVCC’s ALL IN Challenge Action Plan formalizes the college’s commitment to:

  • Helping students develop civic literacy, as well as self-awareness as citizens

  • Promoting service activities for college students to become democratically engaged in political processes

  • Enhancing dialogues about issues affecting students, the community, and the world

  • Providing opportunities for students to effect positive change in their communities through knowledge, advocacy, and action

This is not the first time RVCC has been recognized for student voter engagement. A recent report from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE), creators of the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, or NSLVE, also highlighted RVCC’s student voting increase of 16.6 percent from 2016 to 2020.

In addition, Raritan Valley Community College was included in Washington Monthly’s 2021 Best Colleges for Student Voting Honor Roll. RVCC was one of eight community colleges that made the list out of 205 colleges nationally.

The New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge is part of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that works in partnership with numerous local and national nonpartisan organizations in the Student Learn Students Vote coalition, which has more than 400 members. Awards are based on campuses' National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) reports generated by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Ranked by WalletHub.com, Intelligent.com and Niche.com as the #1 community college in NJ, Raritan Valley Community College has been serving as an academic and cultural center for Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for more than 50 years. The college has been nationally recognized for its service to the community, environmental stewardship, and commitment to diversity. It is home to a planetarium, Science Education Institute, and an Honors College for high achieving students.

The college offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, small business assistance through the Small Business Development Center, and professional development courses.

Also: The Raritan Valley Community College women’s volleyball team had a stellar season, finishing with a rank of #9 in the country in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX. The 9th-place finish is the highest ranking in the program's history.

RVCC women's volleyball team ranked ninth in the U.S. Olivia Sims looks to earn a point for RVCC off a set from Izabele Bar.
RVCC women's volleyball team ranked ninth in the U.S. Olivia Sims looks to earn a point for RVCC off a set from Izabele Bar.

The Lions secured their place in the NJCAA DIII National Championship Tournament after winning both the Region XIX Championship and the North Atlantic District A Championship. The NJCAA DIII National Championship Tournament was held Thursday, Nov. 11, through Saturday, Nov. 13, in Rochester, Minnesota. Since no tournament was held last year, this marked back-to-back trips to the national competition for the team, which finished in 10th place in 2019.

RVCC lost its first-round game in the national competition, 3-1, against Finger Lakes Community College. The loss meant that the team could only finish the tournament with a ranking as high as #9 if it were to win its last two games. The Lions then beat Rockland Community College, 3-1, to advance to the 9th-place game against Brookhaven College. Although the Lions lost the first two sets by large margins, they came back to beat Brookhaven in five sets with a final score of 3-2.

Expressing his pride in the team, RVCC Coach Phil Herro said, “We constantly talk about growth and becoming better than we were the day before, and this team has grown so much. This team fights and competes with the best of them. That last game against Brookhaven really says a lot about the character of these girls and their will to win."

RVCC freshman Kaili Fitzpatrick was one of just 12 players named to the All-Tournament Team for her tremendous performance in the games.

"We have a wonderful group of young women here and I am more than proud to be their coach. This group is very talented and I am honored and lucky to be around such inspirational, fun, hard-working, positive athletes every day,” said Herro.

The Lions finished the season with an overall record of 24-6 and a 17-1 record in regular season Region XIX play. The team also captured its fourth straight Garden State Athletic Conference Championship and second Region XIX Title in a row. Fitzpatrick became the program's first Region XIX Player of the Year, while fellow freshmen Olivia Sims and Izabela Bar were recognized as First and Second Team All-Region selections, respectively.

Raritan Valley Community College is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XIX and the Garden State Athletic Conference. RVCC has been represented at the state and national levels in many sports, enabling students to compete for athletic scholarships at four-year colleges and universities. RVCC currently offers eight athletic programs that participate in NJCAA DII or NJCAA DIII levels.

Scholarship NJCAA DII programs include men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and softball. Non-scholarship NJCAA DIII programs include men’s and women’s soccer, golf, and women's volleyball.

For additional information about RVCC Athletics, visit www.rvccathletics.com.

Thomas Edison Energy Smart Charter School

Thomas Edison Energy Smart Charter School's 8th graders, led by their science teacher, Ms. Suarez, were tasked with creating their very own water wheels that were able to run on their own for a short period of time. This project allowed for students to combine their knowledge from the different units on renewable resources, potential and kinetic energy, and types of simple machines (wheel and axle). The challenges presented to the 8th graders was to have some type of bottle and tubing to input water without students expending energy to continuously pour the water. Here you can see their creativity come to play with the structures of the water wheels.

Also: Mrs. Dutton's Kindergarten students had a lot of fun making Oobleck as they are continuing to learn about solid, liquid and gas in science class. They had so much fun. They especially loved touching it, too.

Mrs. Dutton's kindergarten students at Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School had fun making Oobleck as they continuing to learn about solid, liquid and gas in science class.
Mrs. Dutton's kindergarten students at Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School had fun making Oobleck as they continuing to learn about solid, liquid and gas in science class.

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it is neither a liquid nor a solid. It may appear to be a solid or a liquid at times, but it behaves differently from a typical solid or liquid. Making oobleck is an excellent science project for demonstrating how pressure may alter the properties of certain materials. It Is similar to how temperature affects water's qualities. Water freezes when it is exposed to cold or freezing conditions. Warm temperatures, on the other hand, melt ice and turn it into a liquid.

Union Catholic Regional High School

Several members of the Union Catholic Forensics Team delivered impressive performances to lead the squad to a fourth-place finish at a Newark Catholic Forensic League Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 13.c

Union Catholic Regional High School students placed fourth at the Newark Catholic Forensic League tournament.
Union Catholic Regional High School students placed fourth at the Newark Catholic Forensic League tournament.

The Vikings received a first-place finish from Gabriella Mouris in Original Oratory, Casey Arias was second in Original Oratory, and Michael Mahaffey was fourth in Original Oratory.

In Declamation, Katharine Walto placed third, and Nicole Ciuba finished fourth. The team of Kevin Caffrey and Adrianna Chelak placed fifth in Duo Interpretation, and in Public Forum Debate, the duo of Courney Lucius and Allison Julve placed fifth.

Union Catholic Regional High School students Forensics Team placed fourth at the Forensic League tournament.
Union Catholic Regional High School students Forensics Team placed fourth at the Forensic League tournament.

"This last tournament was amazing,'' said UC Forensics Coach Dr. Edward Sagendorf. "Our students had the opportunity to perform in person (albeit on their laptops) and bond with their teammates. I am looking forward to seeing this team soar this year!''

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Union Catholic boys and girls cross-country teams and their supporters, who had every reason to be loud and proud because the Vikings had just pulled off a rare and stunning sweep of the State Non-Public A Championships. Union Catholic is the first program to win both the boys and girls Non-Public A titles in 36 years. Paul VI is the last program to pull it off back in 1985.

Union County College

Union County College congratulates Mary M. Zimmermann, chair of the college’s Board of Governors, for being elected chair of the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC). The NJCCC provides statewide leadership for the advancement of NJ's 18 community colleges.

Mary M. Zimmermann, of Summit, chair of Union County College’s Board of Governors, has been elected chair of the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges.
Mary M. Zimmermann, of Summit, chair of Union County College’s Board of Governors, has been elected chair of the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges.

Zimmermann, of Summit, is an 2001 alumna of Union County College and an advocate for the needs of Union students. She has served as a member of the college’s Board of Trustees for more than a decade. She is also a member and prior chair of the college’s Foundation Board. Prior to being elected as chair of the NJCCC, she served as vice chair and is the Union County College Board liaison to the NJCCC. On a national level, Zimmermann previously served on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and regularly represents the college at ACCT events.

Zimmermann is a self-described professional volunteer. In recognition of this, in 2019, she received the Women of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Union County Commission on the Status of Women, sponsored by the Union County Board of County Commissioners through the Union County Office on Women. Zimmermann is an active member of SAGE Eldercare’s “Meals on Wheels” program and the “Loaves and Fishes” Food Pantry at St. Teresa of Avila Church. She volunteers with the Summit Affordable Housing Corporation and served for 16 years as one of five commissioners for the Summit Housing Authority, which deals with affordable housing for low-income residents of Summit. She also finds time to assist the United Way of Summit.

“Union County College is proud of Mrs. Zimmermann’s election as Chair of the NJCCC. She is an exemplary member of our Boards and an outstanding community leader who has dedicated many years of service to the NJCCC,” said Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor M. Richel. “There is no one more deserving of this leadership role. Her commitment to and passion for Union’s students is unmatched. She is an asset to our Boards, and we are fortunate to have her represent Union at the state level.”

Student and School news appears on Saturdays. Email: cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com

Carolyn Sampson is Executive Office Assistant for the Courier News, The Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com, and handles the weekly Student News page.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ students: Edison Intermediate School students mark Day of the Dead