NJ students: Sixty-one SCVTHS students receive competition medals
Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) in Bridgewater students recently competed against other career and technical education students from around the state, in both virtual and in-person events, as part of the 2022 New Jersey SkillsUSA Championships. Out of the 107 students from SCVTHS who competed, 61 received medals including 20 gold. The gold medal state winners are now eligible to test their skills in Atlanta, Georgia, at the upcoming SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in June. During the National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), more than 6,000 career and technical education students will showcase their talents and compete in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations. The test competencies are set by the industry.
The list of SCVTHS students who received medals is as follows:
Gold:
Career Pathways: Health Sciences: Aishwarya Dodda of Branchburg, Mallika Shankar and Srinidhi Ganeshan of Hillsborough
Carpentry: Will Rogus of Branchburg
Criminal Justice: James Marvits of Hillsborough
Health Knowledge Bowl: Jiya Mody of Martinsville, Sharan Krishnan of Hillsborough, Avantika Malla of Branchburg, and Anushka Dasari of Princeton
Industrial Motor Control: Brian Opdyke of Neshanic Station
Medical Math: Daisy Dong of North Plainfield
Quiz Bowl: Rima Amin and Aarsha Shah of Bridgewater, James Saba of Somerset, Alexander Zheng of Bridgewater, and Evelyn Chuo of Clinton
Quiz Bowl Alternates: Arnav Khanna and Rohil Singh of Hillsborough
Safety Display: Pallavi Routray of Hillsborough
Silver:
Automotive Refinishing Technology: Lena Reilly of Martinsville
Automotive Service Technology: Neel James of Bridgewater
Chapter Business Procedure: Sasha Kapur of Bridgewater, Manu Datta of Hillsborough, Gagan Voonna of Somerset; Janvi Patel, Maggie Chen, and Laksh Patel, all of Hillsborough
Collision Repair Technology: Luke Donnadio of Hillsborough
Diesel Equipment Technology: Wyatt Hamilton of South Bound Brook
Health Knowledge Bowl: Emily Guillen-Gonzalez of Somerville, Jude Bergman of Hillsborough; Liliana Swierad and Saranya Polavarapu of Bridgewater
Medical Math: Anshu Cherukumilli of Belle Mead
Related Technical Math: Vaishvik Vidavalapati of Somerset
Safety Display: Zoe Sandela of Belle Mead
Technology Display: Kavya Shah of Hillsborough and Vaanya Salwan of Bridgewater
Bronze:
Commercial Baking: Eleanor Cunningham of Skillman
Custom Automotive Painting: Joshua Morris and Karima El Attar of Manville
Entrepreneurship: Aarush Kumar of Hillsborough, Milan Patel of Franklin Park, Grace Chen of Hillsborough and Fiona Shanahan of Warren
First Aid/CPR: Halee Dani of Hillsborough
Health Occupations Professional Portfolio: Brenna Payne of Hillsborough
Medical Math: Vir Trivedi of Hillsborough
Medical Terminology: Isha Gangavaram of Watchung
Mobile Robotics Technology: Sanav Sathish of Hillsborough and Nathaniel Conti of Gladstone
Plumbing: Devon McPartland of Hillsborough
Prepared Speech: Andie Zou of Somerset
Restaurant Service: Mackenzie Monto of Manville
Safety Display: Diego Catalan of Basking Ridge
Team Works: Tyler Lozier of Manville, Vincent Puleio of Belle Mead, Shawn McPartland of Millstone and Noah Cianfaro of Branchburg
Welding Sculpture: Brandon Cornwell-Blais of Branchburg
*Please note, not all students are listed because of privacy issues.
Also: Earlier this month, Sangeetha Punnam, a Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) Academy for Health and Medical Sciences senior from Bridgewater, was one of 20 college students in the country to be named to the All-USA Academic Team. Punnam was eligible for the recognition as she also attends Raritan Valley Community College classes as part of the Academy for Health and Medical Sciences program.
Punnam was selected to be part of the All-USA Academic Team for her academic excellence, leadership qualities, and service beyond the classroom to benefit society. As a selected member of the All-USA Academic Team, Punnam will be recognized at the annual President’s Breakfast held during the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) convention in May. Additionally, Punnam will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a commemorative medallion. The All-USA Academic Team program is sponsored by Cengage with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa.
"I am honored to have been named a member of the 2022 All-USA Academic Team, which will help support my future education,” said Punnam. “It was truly inspiring to meet the other recipients and learn about their work. Thank you to Cengage, the Coca-Cola Scholar Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa, and the American Association of Community Colleges for making this award possible!"
Applebee's Above and 'BEE'yond teacher essay contest
Doherty-owned NJ Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bars has announced this year’s winners of their 6th Annual Above and “BEE”yond Teacher Essay Contest, which recognizes top teachers — as nominated by their students — by rewarding them with a sponsorship check and end-of-year class party. Students submitted their essays in person at their local Doherty-owned Applebee’s restaurant explaining why their teacher deserves to be Teacher of the Year.
Applebee’s will award each winning teacher a $500 sponsorship check they can use toward the classroom for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Applebee’s will also host a special end-of-year party for the entire class.
The winning teacher Carolyn Vicari of Sampson G. Smith Middle School in Franklin Township was nominated by Oprah Oteri, a student at Sampson G. Smith Middle School, at Applebee’s in Hillsborough.
Mount Saint Mary Academy
Ruth Anne Munroe, director of Campus Ministry and Student Council Moderator at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, said the Mercy Girl Effect Award has been presented to the academy’s 2021-2022 Student Council Executive Board.
“Each year, the five-member board is challenged with a Mercy Girl Effect project that raises awareness about ethical issues that affect the human rights and dignity of people around the world,” said Munroe. “The focus for this academic year was to look at Water: that most basic of human rights. Not only is water used for drinking, but for cleaning, cooking, personal hygiene, and sanitation.”
She said, “Once the board became aware of this project during their Mercy Girl Effect Global Leadership Conference in June 2021, they immediately got to work to map out what they were going to do to raise awareness among their school community. During the Mercy Girl Effect action campaign, the students were invited to explore how girls have become the Water Carriers for their families, which often involves missing school or being targeted by gangs as they make the journey to the well, which can be several miles away.”
“The board members also organized fundraising activities to make it possible to build wells in communities without access to water,” said Munroe. “Their hard work this year is going a long way to making a difference to young girls and families in the world. We are so proud of them and our school community for their achievements!”
Arianna Salerno, Student Council Executive Board communications director, said, “I have had the pleasure of watching the board’s progress in raising funds for the Mercy Girl Effect project. We have worked tirelessly to raise as much money as we could — hosting a fall dance, teacher auction, powder puff game, and many more. Not only did we reach our goal, but we surpassed it.”
“All year long, I felt extremely satisfied with our efforts because I knew our actions would help to improve the quality of life of those in need,” she said. “When the board was recognized with this special award by Sister Deidre, we knew that our work did not go unnoticed. Receiving an award like this is extremely special. S. Deidre has been a wonderful role model to us, so to have her recognize us in this manner feels extremely humbling.”
“I leave my work on this project not only with information about worldwide water insecurity but also with a sense of pride regarding the tenacity the board and I have obtained throughout this process,” said Salemo.
Also: Mount Saint Mary Academy junior, Olivia Encarnacion, will attend the Notre Dame Leadership Seminar program for 10 days in July on the Notre Dame campus. Among thousands of applicants, Encarnacion was one of approximately 120 students selected to participate in the leadership program.
This competitive program is geared for academically talented students who demonstrate impressive leadership qualities within their communities. Encarnacion will be eligible to receive one transferrable college credit upon completion of the program. Tuition, housing, and meals for attendees are paid for by the university.
“I am glad I have the opportunity to be a part of this program and I am very eager to get a taste of college life while meeting new people from all over the country and the globe,” said Encarnacion, who will be able to further explore her interest in and passion for social justice.
“Notre Dame offers three different topics of focus for each student,” she said. “I was lucky to be accepted into my top choice — Global issues, Violence, and Peace in the Modern Age. I hope to take the lessons I learn in the program and carry them into my own life as I continue to discover my career path.”
“I am confident that this program will offer me a deeper dive into my current passion and discover even more,” said Encarnacion, a Plainfield resident. “I know that by strengthening my academics, community service, and my spirituality, I will learn valuable lessons that will prepare me for my future. I also hope that by attending, I will gain valuable lessons that I will be able to transfer to my leadership at the Mount as head of the Students of Color Affinity Group and the Society of Women Engineers along with my other involvement at school.”
Also: Gabriella “Ella” Vivona of Chatham has qualified for the National Gymnastics Championships which will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, this June. This is the second consecutive year that she has been selected for this honor.
“I am very excited for this because I will be able to compete with in harder routines while being with my team,” said Vivona, a sophomore at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung. “Being a high-level athlete and competing nationally teaches me good social skills by working with, talking to, and supporting others around me.”
At 3-years-old, Vivona pursued her interest in gymnastics, and joined a team at Indigo Gymnastics Center in New Providence when she was 8.
“Both my grandpas were very athletic when they were younger, and they love hearing about and watching my competitions,” she said. “As they have gotten older, I noticed just how happy it makes them to hear about my training and competitions. It was just recently that I promised myself I will be competing for my grandparents and not just as a ‘hobby.’”
A competitor for four years, Vivona was recently able to participate in competitions at a higher level around the country. For the past three years, she has been a state and regional champion on trampoline and double mini (trampoline). Aside from the friendships she has formed with fellow gymnasts around the states, she has met World Champions such as BJ Mensah, Ruben Padilla and Kaden Brown.
“In March, I went to Daytona Beach, Florida, with my team to the Winter Classic Competition where athletes from around the country competed. I am happy and proud to say that I placed in the Top 10 out of 40 people on double mini,” said Vivona.
“Being a gymnast requires a lot of training and commitment. I train 14.5 hours every week, each practice being from 5 to 8:30 pm. I leave my house at 4 and do not get home until 9/9:15 p.m.,” she said. “Being able to balance schoolwork and gymnastics has definitely been hard for me, but because I grew up in the sport, I have become used to it. The block schedule at the Mount has made my life easier because it allows me to spread out my work and get all of it done on time.”
At Mount Saint Mary Academy, Vivona is a member of the Art Club and Math League.
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ)
Young people are using their artistic talents to encourage their peers to live a healthy substance-free lifestyle as part of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s (PDFNJ) Design a Fourth Grade Folder contest. Nearly 3,000 fourth grade students from all 21 counties in NJ entered the contest, but only 33 earned recognition at the program’s virtual award ceremony held on Tuesday, May 3.
Jean Angulo of St. Joseph School in Carteret, Quinn Gillespie and Somya Kaul of James McDivitt Elementary School in Old Bridge were selected as finalists in the competition. The virtual awards ceremony honored each of the finalists, allowing them to showcase their work in a video presentation.
All 33 fourth grade student finalists will receive medals for their creative peer-to-peer substance use prevention artwork with the theme “Fun Things to Do Instead of Drugs.” The winning artwork will be featuring on 40,000 fourth grade folders to be distributed this fall.
“All of the students are peer leaders and should be commended their artistic talent and sharing these important messages that showcase what it means to live a healthy drug-free lifestyle,” said Angelo Valente, executive director of PDFNJ.
“It is never too early to begin the conversation and educate today’s youth about substance use and prevention efforts,” Valente said. “The Fourth Grade Folder Contest is just one example of how to engage students and encourage them to make smart decisions throughout their lives.”
To view the fourth grade folder contest presentation, visit https://drugfreenj.org/2022online/.
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
Raritan Valley Community College
Seven students from Raritan Valley Community College’s Honors College presented their independent Capstone Course projects during a symposium, held Wednesday, May 4, at the college’s Branchburg campus. The RVCC Honors College students and their projects included:
Aleena Akram presented on “ENHANCED MED: Healthcare Revolutionized”
Christopher Bimble presented on “Breathing and Mindfulness in Sport”
Jessica DeSanto and Morgan Kania presented on “Genetics of Breast Cancer”
Henry Freligh presented on “Handmade Clarinet & Saxophone Reeds”
Tiana Mayfield presented on “WHICH PATCH IS HEALTHIER? Assessing the Ecological Health of Two Sides of the Six Mile Run Trail in Somerset, NJ”
Selma Mehmedagic presented on “The Negative Representation of Muslims in Media”
The Capstone Course is designed to guide sophomore Honors College students from all disciplines through the stages of researching and writing a major research paper or project, or developing an artistic pursuit. The students are mentored by faculty members and present their work at the end of the semester.
Launched in 2011, RVCC’s Honors College serves highly qualified high school graduates who are entering college for the first time. Honors College students benefit from being in small classes with similarly academically motivated students. Students in the program are taught by a select group of faculty. The Honors College features a cohort-based program with smaller, seminar-style courses that have an interdisciplinary focus and afford students the opportunity to develop a close working relationship with their professors.
To learn more about RVCC’s honors college, attend an Honors College Information Session, Wednesday, May 18, at 6 p.m. The program will be held in the college’s event center. To register for the session, visit www.raritanval.edu/visit. For additional information about the honors college, visit www.raritanval.edu/honors or email honors@raritanval.edu.
Union County College
In a time when equity is paramount, Union County College and Montclair State University have announced a partnership to provide access to a high-quality and convenient four-year education to students. Beginning in Fall 2022, students may pursue their baccalaureate degree with Montclair State University on Union County College’s Scotch Plains Campus.
Union’s Scotch Plains Campus is home to the University Center, a destination campus with several four-year university partners where they will offer specific degree programs that support employment opportunities for the college's graduates. Montclair State University is slated offer bachelor’s degrees in Business, Communication, and Computer Science, as well as graduate degrees in Business and Educational Leadership. Montclair State University will grant priority registration to Union graduates.
“We are happy to partner with Montclair State University to provide additional opportunities for our students. Now, Union County College graduates will be able to conveniently and affordably pursue their bachelor’s degree with Montclair right here in Union County, at the University Center on our Scotch Plains Campus. Helping our students achieve their dreams is our top priority,” said Union’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.
The college has completed significant renovations for the Scotch Plains Campus. This includes additional state of the art technology-enhanced classrooms, lecture hall, seminar and conference rooms, science laboratories, faculty and administrative offices, and new study spaces for students.
“We are excited that this partnership not only strengthens our relationship with Union County College, but represents a major step forward in meeting the needs of students who seek an affordable and accessible college education,” said Montclair President Jonathan Koppell. “Offering options that complement our traditional model of in-person, on-campus learning needs to be part of Montclair’s future and the future of higher education.”
Montclair joins Kean University and Saint Peter’s University as partners with the college at the Scotch Plains University Center. Presently, Kean offers three baccalaureate programs including Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Supply Chain Management. Saint Peter’s will offer baccalaureate programs in Biology and Health Sciences. Future partnerships with additional institutions and programs are pending.
Westfield Public Schools
Speaking about “the disease of addiction,” Stephen Hill recently shared the real-life story of his decade-long struggle with substance abuse and his journey to recovery.
Founder of Speak Sobriety, Hill travels nationwide to talk to students and other audiences about substance abuse prevention and mental health awareness. At the eighth grade assemblies at Edison and Roosevelt Intermediate Schools on Wednesday, April 20, Hill urged the students to make smart choices and effect positive change.
“Your actions affect others,” he told the students. “While you may not develop a problem, your actions may have an effect on someone who does.”
That evening, Hill held a parent presentation at Edison at which he and his father shared lessons they learned as a family from Hill’s battle with drug and alcohol addiction which began when he was a freshman and popular student-athlete in high school. The nationally-known speaker — who is an author and attorney as well — held smaller breakout sessions with eighth graders the next day to answer questions and further reflect on the importance of his message.
“Drugs turned me into someone I’m not,” said Hill who has remained sober for just over nine years. “If I can help one person avoid the mistakes I made, it’s worth it.”
Hill’s presentations were co-sponsored by the Westfield Municipal Alliance, Albert Anthony Kayal Foundation, and the Matthew Thomas Toriello Memorial Fund.
Also: Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann recently visited Westfield High School to share his harrowing story of surviving Nazi medical experimentation, brutal winters, starvation, and other severe deprivations while imprisoned during World War II in the Mogilev-Podolsky labor camp in what is now present-day Ukraine.
Born on December 21, 1939 in Czernovitz, Bukovina, part of the then-Austro-Hungarian Empire belonging to Romania, Steigmann and his parents were confined in Mogilev-Podolsky from 1941-1944 before the labor camp was liberated by Russia’s Red Army. Too young to be assigned work, Steigmann was subjected to medical experimentation by the Nazi regime. While he says he has no recollection of those early years and learned of this Nazi atrocity from his parents, he still suffers pain caused by the experiments. He later received monetary compensation from a German program, pointing to two paragraphs in the letter that accompanied the settlement as “invaluable to him.”
“Based on the information and evidence you provided, your eligibility has been established as a victim of medical experiments,” Steigmann quotes the letter on www.samispeaks.com. “Fully aware that no amount of money can compensate you for the severe injustices that you suffered, we do hope that you will regard this payment as a symbolic acknowledgement of those injustices.”
Steigmann held two separate assemblies at WHS on Wednesday, April 20, first speaking with ninth and 10th graders, then 11th and 12th graders. He was invited by the WHS Jewish Cultural and Development Club, in partnership with Kean University’s Holocaust Resource Center.
More than 35 of Steigmann’s family members were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. During the assemblies, he spoke of his years as both victim and survivor, as he continues to share his story hoping to educate all people to be upstanders. As he tells his listeners, "I am not what happened to me, I am what I chose to be.”
“We are so grateful to Mr. Steigmann for sharing his powerful story as we continue our work to encourage upstanders in our schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Raymond González. “His stated life philosophy of “positive thinking, positive words, positive attitude, positive actions, positive experiences' is inspiring, especially in light of all that he has faced in his life.”
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Also: The gymnasium at Washington Elementary School was recently transformed into a colorful Multicultural Festival, as students and their families made a trip around the globe to learn about the traditions of the many countries represented.
“There were 21 countries with wonderful crafts, food, and lessons in language and geography — all with good humor, joy, and creativity,” said Nicole Ozturan and Aparna Suresh who, with the help of many other Washington parents, organized the event on Saturday, April 23. “This was our first annual event but hopefully it will become a tradition. We distributed 150 ‘passports’ and the kids and their families toured the world.”
In planning the well-attended festival, families were invited to celebrate multiculturalism and build a foundation of belonging and acceptance, with anyone with a love of a particular country/culture encouraged to host a table. Countries represented at the festival included Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Israel, Ireland, South Korea, China, Greece, India, Ecuador, Afghanistan, Italy, England, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and many others.
“It was a great example of the diversity and sense of community that exist in Westfield schools,” Ozturan said
Washington principal Dr. Andrew Perry agreed, saying, “The exhibits, native dress, music, craft projects, and giveaways that were ready for the students, along with getting your ‘passport’ stamped, were all very exciting.”
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: Sixty-one SCVTHS students receive competition medals
