NJ students: Pontoriero named winner of Garibaldi award
The Silvio Laccetti Foundation has announced Francesco Pontoriero of Warren as a winner of its Garibaldi award. Winners are chosen from among 14 North Jersey high schools whose students excel in Italian studies and who have advanced the Italian American legacy in their schools or communities. Pontoriero is a junior honors student at The Delbarton School in Morristown.
For years, he has been active in school and community theater groups and currently has the lead in Delbarton's version of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," which is set in Messina, Italy.
His essay was an exposition of Italian traditions and family values interwoven within themes of personal identity and contributions to American values. It has been published in several Italian American publications
Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District
Ten Bridgewater-Raritan High School students received notification they are semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship competition. The students are: Angelo Chen, Annie N. Chen, Andy Cheng, Judy Y. Gao, Piya H. Khakharia, Elise S. Shan, Krish Singla, Niti Sinha, Venkat Subramanian, and Jeffrey Wen.
Mother Seton Regional High School
Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark invites fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls and their parents/guardians to come for an afternoon of conversation and tours. The school’s Fall Open House is from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23. There they can meet teachers and current students to learn about what a Catholic school education for girls can do: academic excellence, personal growth, confidence, and service to others. Register at www.motherseton.org.
Seventh and eighth grade girls are also welcome to be a Student for a Day. This program will be offered on Thursdays: Oct. 13, 27 and Nov. 3 and 10. Register at www.motherseton.org.
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New Jersey Department of Agriculture
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher recently presented Three Bridges Elementary School in Hunterdon County with the “Best in New Jersey Farm to School Award” during a visit to the school’s outdoor classroom. The presentation took place during the celebration of the 12th annual Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week, which was held Monday, Sept. 26, through Friday, Sept. 30.
“Three Bridges Elementary School’s wide array of Farm to School activities makes it an exemplary selection for this prestigious award,” Fisher said. “Their incredible outdoor garden, commitment to sourcing local produce from local farms, highlighting harvest of the month in the school cafeteria, and using an indoor vertical growing system, are all key components of a high-quality Farm to School program.”
Acting Principal Anthony Tumolo, third grade teacher Filomena Hengst, and Physical Education teacher Ed Dubroski, who each lead the outdoor garden project, were on hand to accept the award and share their successes with students at the outdoor classroom.
“The Farm to School Program has provided an avenue for us to introduce many of the delicious fresh fruits and vegetables grown right here in the Garden State,” Dubroski said. “That students are able to participate in growing food, and then have it become part of a school meal, can have a lasting impact on them making healthy dietary choices for the rest of their lives.”
Three Bridges Elementary’s farm to school activities include daily participation in Farm to School Week, menu offerings from local farms, harvest of the month featured in the cafeteria, taste tests with food from the school garden, an outdoor garden with raised beds, a curriculum tied to the garden such as “Planting a Pizza,” indoor herbs grown in AeroGrow, sending flyers home to parents, and presenting to the school board about the importance of nutrition and local foods.
NJ schools that entered the farm to school recognition program for the current school year were required to show evidence of working with farmers and the community to ensure students have access to healthful Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables in their school cafeterias and classrooms. School gardens are an integral part of farm to school activities and provide hands-on education for students to connect to the state’s agricultural history and learn healthy, lifelong eating habits.
Joining Three Bridges Elementary as farm to school recognition program schools are:
• Broad Street School in Bridgeton• Carlstadt School District• Linden School District• Linden High School• Mahwah School District
Schools will receive Jersey Fresh Farm to School promotional materials kits including a Jersey Fresh Farm to School banner, aprons, taste test stickers, Jersey Tastes posters and seasonality charts.
Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week was designated as the last week of each September by a law signed in 2010. During this week, the NJ Department of Agriculture showcases schools that connect with NJ farmers to purchase local produce for school meals to increase student consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Farm to school activities can include, but are not exclusive to:
• Nutrition education, including taste tests with produce purchased from local farms• Harvest meals serving locally sourced products from NJ farms• Farm to School curricular tie-ins that connect the cafeteria to the classroom or school garden• Visits to or from local farms that teach students how food is grown• School garden education that ties directly into what is already being taught in the classroom
The influence of the farm to school program has led to almost 500 schools purchasing local. More than 300 of the districts buying local have implemented cafeteria programs using Harvest of the Month promotional material to highlight the nutritional value of local items, and nearly 200 districts use a curriculum that ties cafeteria meals to healthful eating education and/or field trips to farms.
To learn more, visit www.farmtoschool.nj.gov.
Piscataway Township Schools
A Piscataway middle school principal is being honored by the Plainfield-area chapter of the NAACP for his hard work and dedicated service to the community.
William Gonzalez, principal of Quibbletown Middle School, will be recognized as an Esteemed Honoree at the chapter’s Freedom Fund Awards Dinner Dance on Friday, Oct. 14 at the Spain Inn in Piscataway.
“I am greatly humbled to be recognized with this award,” Gonzalez said. “It means a lot to be honored by an organization I so greatly admire, and I look forward to continuing to work together to help our young people thrive.”
Gonzalez has long collaborated with Chapter President Sharon Robinson-Briggs to recognize and give opportunities to Quibbletown students. The Plainfield-area NAACP has brought programs and guest speakers to Quibbletown and recognized students at their Overachiever Awards based on essays they wrote.
“Because of these past events where we’ve worked together, we know each other pretty well,” Gonzalez said. “I have always believed that my duty was to provide, create, and foster opportunities for all our children. I understand the difficulties, obstacles, and trials our young people go through.”
Superintendent Dr. Frank Ranelli said Piscataway is lucky to have Gonzalez.
“Mr. Gonzalez is a dedicated and caring educator who always puts the needs of students first,” he said. “Forging these types of community relationships helps to underscore the lessons our students learn in the classroom about diversity and inclusion. Congratulations to Mr. Gonzalez for this wonderful recognition, and thank you to the Plainfield-area NAACP for enriching the lives of our students.”
Gonzalez has spent most of his 26-year career in education working in Piscataway. He started out as a psychology and history teacher and worked as a senior class advisor and coach of various sports at Piscataway High School. He was the first dean of students at PHS before becoming principal at Quibbletown in 2015.
“The Quibbletown community admires and supports the great work of Plainfield-area National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,” Gonzalez said. “This wonderful relationship has provided a spectacular forum to recognize and celebrate our Quibbletown scholars for their outstanding achievements.
“Our aim has been to provide our students an opportunity to be a part of the grand organization and cause, Gonzalez said.”
Raritan Valley Community College
Learn about all Raritan Valley Community College has to offer at a Fall Open House, Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the college’s Branchburg campus.
During the event, which is designed for prospective students of all ages and their families, participants may tour the campus, apply for free, and hear more about:
• Academic programs designed to transfer to four-year colleges
• Career programs that can prepare students for a job in a year or less
• Earning credits for life and work experience
• Special support services to help make a successful transition to college
• Applying for Financial Aid and options for paying for college
• Free tuition for those who qualify through the New Jersey Community College Opportunity Grant Program
To register for the Fall Open House, visit www.forms.office.com/r/Sd66gkVrdr. For additional information, contact Admissions at 908-526-1200 (select option 2) or admissions@raritanval.edu.
Also: This upcoming election season, Raritan Valley Community College students will be serving democracy and making a valuable contribution to society by volunteering as poll workers as part of their academic coursework through the college’s Service Learning program. The program enables students to use community service as part of their academic coursework and to receive credit for the experience.
The RVCC poll worker project is a timely response to supporting the November elections, as state and local officials have reported significant shortfalls in the number of available poll workers. RVCC students are stepping up and filling the need, especially with a shortage of older workers who may be hesitant to volunteer at the polls because of COVID-19 concerns.
Additionally, the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Elections in the Department of State, has announced that an institution of higher education may award academic credit to an enrolled student who serves as a poll worker during an election held in the state. In response, the college’s nationally recognized Service Learning program was able to engage students in the poll worker project from many different disciplines, including history, macroeconomics, sociology, anthropology, science, and English. The project also has received strong support from RVCC faculty members, as well as Somerset and Hunterdon County Board of Election staff.
Poll workers serve a vital part of every election, as they are trained to aid voters on Election Day, guide them through the voting process, and answer questions. For many RVCC students, this will be their first chance to vote in an election, and the project offers a nonpartisan way to keep more polling sites open in November. To date, more than 40 students have applied for the project.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Ten Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School students have been named Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, recognized the students for earning this distinction: Benjamin E. Abrams, Hasan Ali, Riley Bhatia, Rushil Damania, Gabreilla M. Damens, Emmet Feeney, Tessa M. Going, Matthew T. Nervi, Dylan K. Patel and Emma Schramm.
High school juniors entered the National Merit Scholarship program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their academic excellence.
Although these students will not continue in the 2023 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered this year's competition.
“We are proud to call these students part of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood community,” said Dr. Joan Mast, superintendent. “They have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success, and I’m confident they will represent our community in the best way possible now and in their future college and career endeavors.”
Thomas Edison State University
Thomas Edison State University (TESU) in Trenton celebrated 50 years of innovation and transforming students’ lives at its 50th Annual Commencement, on Saturday, Oct. 1, at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton.
This year the university was honored to have Elizabeth "Bette" Ewing, from the Class of 1973, who was the first graduate to cross the stage at the inaugural Commencement on Friday, June 15, 1973. Ewing addressed the graduates, saying, “As an adult student with a small child to care for, I was fortunate to find Thomas Edison ― a school that had just been established and created to serve adults. This school that began 50 years ago still offers everything it did when I was a student ― flexibility, access and hope. My degree gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams of becoming a teacher…a meaningful career that I will cherish forever. This is a big day for all of you…I hope all of you will continue to chase your dreams, continue learning and support others along the way.”
The TESU’s Class of 2022 included 2,098 graduates and approximately 450 attended the ceremony. The graduates came from 37 U.S. states including California and Wyoming and from as far away as Chili, St. Lucia and United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, president of TESU, acknowledged the hard work of the graduates, saying, “Your alma mater is named after someone who refused to quit. How fitting is that? Thomas Edison’s spirit of innovation and dogged pursuit of success is at the forefront of our University’s mission and in our actions every day. Some people may say I’m biased, but the proof is sitting in this arena, right in front of me. We have rocked it for 50 years and we have only just begun.”
Student speaker Erin Rybicki, Esq., of West Wildwood, gave the response for graduates. Rybicki, who is a 2022 recipient of a Doctor of Business Administration degree, told the Class of 2022, “Every graduate in this room set big goals and overcame the challenges presented on the way to meet their goals. In traveling the path towards your goal of graduation, you became stronger, more resilient and better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.”
During the ceremony, the university recognized NJ State Sen. Shirley K. Turner with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Thomas Edison State University has awarded approximately 71,998 degrees to more than 64,923 graduates since it began providing distinctive undergraduate and graduate education for self-directed adults through flexible, collegiate learning and assessment opportunities in 1972.
Westfield Public Schools
The Westfield Marching Blue Devils kicked off their competitive season with first place honors at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association contest on Saturday, Sept. 24. The band placed first in class AAAA winning music and overall effect. They also were awarded Best Overall Music and Overall Effect for the entire event as well as being named the Grand Champion of the night for receiving the highest score regardless of class. This year's band is under the leadership of drum majors Jessica Strauss and Sarah Lincoln and they will compete next on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional held at the University of Delaware.
Also: Westfield High School (WHS) received the Group 4 ShopRite Cup for the 2021-2022 school year at a ceremony held on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Gary Kehler Stadium. The recognition is awarded annually at the end of the school year to the top athletic programs in NJ in each of four public school groups and two non-public school groups. This is the second-ever ShopRite Cup win for Westfield High School since 2010.
Taking home state championships for the 2021-2022 season were WHS Girls Soccer, Boys Winter Track and Field, Girls Swimming, and Girls Basketball. Placing second in the NJSIAA state tournament were Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Bowling, Boys Swimming, Boys Golf, Boys Cross Country, and Boys Winter Track Relays. Two teams placed third and fourth in the state tournament ― Boys Ice Hockey and Boys Spring Track and Field.
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: Pontoriero named winner of Garibaldi award
