Immaculata Senior and Township Resident Nominated To U.S. Air Force Academy
Immaculata Senior Nominated To U.S. Air Force Academy
Signs Letter Of Acceptance, Will Play College Baseball In Academy Prep Program
Timothy Maciag, a Montgomery resident and graduating senior at Immaculata High School, has signed a letter of acceptance of his appointment to the United States Air Force Academy Falcon Prep program. After successfully completing the program, Maciag will enter the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, in the Class of 2013.
Maciag received Nominations to the Air Force Academy from both U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and U.S. Congressman Michael Ferguson (R-NJ).
He also had to pass rigorous academic, physical fitness, medical, and vision tests, in order to earn the coveted “Pilot-Qualified” status required for appointment to one of only 100 Air Force Academy Falcon Scholar slots nationwide.
“It’s always been my dream to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy”, Maciag said. “I’m really excited about being an academy prep cadet and playing college baseball at New Mexico next year, then on to Air Force Academy and one day becoming an officer and pilot”.
Immaculata Asst. Principal & Athletic Director Pierce Frauenheim said “Tim is a true Scholar-Athlete, a uniquely well-rounded young man. Five varsity letters at Immaculata in Baseball and Swimming – yet he somehow also found time for wind ensemble, student council, marching band, chess, campus ministry, coaching Special Olympics swimmers, and becoming an Eagle Scout. Tim is a outstanding young leader; we know he will serve his country with fortitude, loyalty, integrity, and honor.”
A two-year letterman on Immaculata’s Varsity Baseball and American Legion Baseball teams, Maciag will play outfield next year for the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos, an NJCAA Junior College Division 1 team. Maciag has twice been selected to New Jersey State teams, batting .667 for the NJ-18s team in the 2007 MLB Mid-Atlantic “RBI” Tournament, and batting .636 as leadoff hitter for the NJ-16s team in the 2006 Colt NorthEast Regionals. He hit .692 to win the 2006 Summer Lou Gehrig League Batting Championship.
Maciag’s Falcon Foundation Scholarship will fund a full year in the 700-member Corps of Cadets at New Mexico Military Institute. He will spend 2008-09 studying at the military junior college in Roswell, N.M., together with about 90 Academy Prep cadets from Air Force Academy, Annapolis, Coast Guard Academy and West Point, all preparing to enter their respective service academies in June 2009. After Air Force Academy graduation and pilot training, Maciag will serve at least ten years as an Air Force officer.
Tim Maciag is a lifelong resident of Montgomery Township, with his parents Ted and Jane Maciag and his sister Susie. Tim is an Eagle Scout in Montgomery Troop 850.
STUART COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEART TO GRADUATE CLASS OF 2008
Princeton, N.J. (May 28, 2007) -Forty members of the Class of 2008 will receive their diplomas from Headmistress Frances de la Chapelle, RSCJ and Jaye Hewitt Semrod, Chair of the Board of Trustees, at a commencement ceremony held Saturday, June 7 on the campus of Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.
The commencement address will be delivered by Kwame AnthonyAppiah, the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Dr. Appiah, author of several books on political philosophy, received his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Cambridge University. He was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves as chair of the American Council of Learned Societies.
Senior Class President Nicole Huber of Kendall Park will give the welcome address; Jacqueline Yost of Belle Mead will be the senior class speaker; Dominique Rice of Trenton will lead the seniors in the traditional ceremony of the turning of their school rings.
The achievements of the Class of 2008 have been remarkable. The listing of academic awards includes two National Merit Scholarship Finalists, five National Merit Commended Scholars, a National Achievement Scholarship Finalist, four Edward Bloustein Distinguished Scholars, one AP Scholar with Distinction, three AP Scholars with Honor and five AP Scholars. Stuart’s Class of 2008 has secured admission to the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities; with an astonishing 22 percent accepting offers to attend Ivy League institutions. For a complete listing, visit http://www.stuartschool.org/academics/college07.asp
Stuart Teacher Receives National Recognition
Stuart Teacher Receives National Recognition
Princeton, N.J. (May 23, 2008) - Madelaine Shellaby, Upper School art teacher at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, has been selected from a national pool of applicants to attend one of 27 summer study opportunities supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Endowment is a federal agency that supports seminars and institutes at colleges and universities so teachers may study during the summer with experts in the humanities disciplines. Shellaby will receive a $3,000 stipend to cover her travel, study and living expenses.
Shellaby will travel to Worcester, Mass., to participate in a seminar held at College of the Holy Cross. The four-week program, entitled “Literatures, Religions and Arts of the Himalayan Region,” will be held under the direction of Professor Todd Lewis of Holy Cross and Professor Leonard van der Kuijp of Harvard University.
The Endowment is offering 27 seminars and institutes this summer which will cover topics such as the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Petrarch; Latin, Spanish and Arabic literature; Himalayan and Mesoamerican cultures; the music of Mozart and Bach; American history through song; Thomas Jefferson and Winston Churchill; the United States Constitution and government; the abolitionist movement; the American Great Plains; the industrial revolution; and the Holocaust.
Shellaby, along with the approximately 500 teachers who participate in these summer studies, will teach more than 50,000 American students the following academic year.
State Designates Montgomery Township School District as a “High Performing School District”
State Designates Montgomery Township School District as a “High Performing School District”
New Jersey State’s Department of Education has designated Montgomery Township School District as a “High Performing School District” based on its placement on the QSAC Performance Continuum.
To earn this designation MTSD satisfied at least 80% of the weighted indicators in each of five areas in the QSAC review process, earning 96% in Personnel; 95% in Fiscal Management; 91% in Operations; 89% in Governance and 81% in Instruction and Program.
Dr. Samuel Stewart, Interim Superintendent, said: “We approached the NJ QSAC self-monitoring process as an opportunity to look closely at our school district’s instructional and management practices. While this self-examination found that we do many things very well, we were also candid about areas where we thought we could improve, using this as a goal-setting opportunity rather than as an easy accumulation of points. Our 81% in Instruction and Program reflects a strong instructional program with a self-identified need to more effectively integrate curriculum across the content areas. The “science of learning” is demonstrating that the most effective learning takes place when science, math, language, etc., are taught together.”
New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJ QSAC) is a new and rigorous evaluation process mandated by the state in which schools evaluated themselves in a number of key areas and then were reviewed by independent auditors. NJQSAC’s primary purpose was to measure and improve school district performance in meeting State standards. It was also designed to promote a high level of performance, replacing the old monitoring system, integrating many of the requirements of existing code and statute, and promoting best practices.
New Playground a Reality at OHS
New Playground a Reality at OHS
The Orchard Hill Elementary School (OHES) PTA is proud to announce that West Playground has been replaced with new equipment and much more including a large multi-faceted climbing and sliding structure and three Funhoops basketball structures. This section completes the total renovation of the playground structures at Orchard Hill Elementary School, a process that began only three years ago.
“OHES is grateful to the OHES PTA for its drive and determination to supply our children with a new and safer playground. Without their efforts, and the support of our many parents, the new playground would not be a reality today,” according to Tom Barclay, principal of OHES.
Originally the Montgomery Township Board of Education budgeted $6,000 for necessary safety upgrades and refurbishment of the old playground. The OHES PTA requested that the $6,000 be re-directed to purchase new equipment instead. The rest of the $42,000 price tag was paid for by the OHES PTA.
This project has been a multi-year vision and effort by several of the last OHES PTAs with a majority of the monies allocated from the 06/07 PTA fundraising efforts. “This project would still be a vision if not for the generosity of our school parents who have contributed to many of our fundraisers and the numerous hours put in by our volunteers,” said Adrienne Jakubowski, OHES PTA Outdoor Education and Renovation Committee Chairperson.
The Outdoor Education and Renovation committee focus has been to give the children a better outdoor environment for their physical activity and foster positive socialization outside the classroom. According to Michele Russo, OHES PTA president, “This playground is one of many improvements the PTA has implemented to enhance our children’s lives and make their school year a more enjoyable experience.”
MHS Marks Memorial Day – MHS Alumni Veteran Memorialized
Skillman, NJ; Throughout the school day on Thursday, May 22nd, Montgomery High School TV is airing “Freedom is Not Free,” on its internal closed circuit TV. Developed by MHS teacher and media specialist Jeff Brooks, the piece is designed to remind students that wars are fought by people like themselves. Along with the copy (see below), music and graphics will be displayed including various historical war shots, Arlington Cemetery funerals and a picture of Ashley Henderson Huff. Lt. Ashley Henderson Huff, a graduate of Montgomery High School class of 2000, was killed in active duty in Iraq on September 19, 2006. Lt. Henderson Huff left behind a husband of 13 months and her mother and father.
Text of “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE ”
Freedom is not free. For every freedom we cherish as American citizens, there are thousands of soldiers who laid down their lives to defend those rights. On Monday we honor those fallen soldiers with Memorial Day. For many, Memorial Day is a day for barbeques and family get-togethers celebrating an unofficial beginning of summer. We tend to lose focus of the true meaning of the holiday. Since the Civil War, a day of remembrance has been put aside by America to pay tribute to all soldiers lost in active duty in all military actions.
Since December of 2002, 99 soldiers hailing from NJ have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Somerset county losing three of those heroes. Montgomery High School lost one of our own to the current war in Iraq on September 19, 2006. Lt. Ashley Henderson Huff, a graduate of the class of 2000 was killed in active duty. She was training Iraqi military police, when attacked by a suicide bomber. Lt. Henderson Huff left behind a husband of 13 months and her mother and father as too many soldiers do. Ashley Henderson is remembered by many teachers here at MHS.
Whether you support or are against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, one thing cannot be argued; a life lost in defense of America needs to be honored. Please join me in a moment of silence remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom.
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Newsweek Mag response to Dr. Stewart's letter
This past Monday, Newsweek Magazine published an article listing the top High Schools in the Nation.
Last February we issued a Press Release that I had signed the attached letter “Saying No to Newsweek.” This letter was initiated by Superintendents in Westchester County. I signed the letter because I think ranking high schools based on a single measure is simplistic, misleading, and wrong. In addition to signing the letter, I did not provide the data to Newsweek. Click here to view the letter: http://www.mtsd.k12.nj.us/montgomerytsd/lib/montgomerytsd/Newsweek%20Letter.pdf
The Superintendent in Tenafly also refused to give the data to Newsweek and the Bergen Record wrote an editorial in support of his decision. Click here to view the editorial: http://www.mtsd.k12.nj.us/montgomerytsd/lib/montgomerytsd/Tenafly%20Response.pdf
2007-2008 MHS Honor Roll
Grade 9 Principal’s Honor Roll
Jenna Abbot, Jayne Lynn Arnold, Barry Arons, Olivia Austin, Kevin Bielawski, Kevin Brune, Wenyu Cao, Catherine Cardozo, Karen Chen, Steven Chen, Eun Sik Cho, Cindy Chung, Richard Dong, Alyssa Egstrand, Kunal Garg, Lillian Guo, Meghna Gupta, Patrick Huang, Jaclyn Kaslovsky, Anna Koplik, Richard Kovac, Clare Larson, Andrew Li, Ginny Li, Derway Lin, Katie Lumsden, Audrey Malhotra, Amanda Man, Arnab Mukherji, Kathryn Pelech, Emma Pliskin, Jessica Prati, Jennifer Rosenberg, Margalit Schindler, James Sha, Eileen Shao, Tejas Shekhar, Julia Shen, Brandon Smith, Pratyusha Srikakulam, Justine Steinberger, Katherine Strair, Lily Wang, Morgan Warner, Philip Wong, Rachel Woo, Lu Yin, Baker (Jerry) Zhang, Richard Zhang, David Zhao
Grade 10 Principal’s Honor Roll
Sonali Ahuja, Danielle Baginsky, Kelsey Ballinger, Robert Cai, Elizabeth Camuti, Margaret Carr, Nicole Corazza, Gregory Cui, Alicja Cygan, Lauren DeLucia, Christopher Fisher, Christina Germak, Ashley Gottfried, John Hakanson, Amory Hare, Alexander Hsia, Amanda Isidro, Kelsey Jacobson, Matthew Jerzewski, Nicole Lee, Julie Manock, Brian Matejek, Adwiteeya Misra, Rebecca Moeller, Caryn Moyer, Casey Niper, Paulien Nuyts, Teresa Olah, Danielle Rosenberg, Carlee Rosenthal, James Shen, Katherine Specht, Kevin Sun, Camille Tastenhoye, Jane Wang, Kathryn (Katie) Winge, Rosemary Wright, Andrew Wu, Yan Wu, Mengqi (Merry) Xiao, Conway Yao, Taylor Zahn
Grade 11 Principal’s Honor Roll
Stephanie Arons, Catherine D'Amelio, Chelsea Holinko, Christopher Kauzmann, Scott Keller, Parth Kothari, Brendan Lynch, Vanessa Mah, Mihailo Miljanic, Alexander Ross, Andrew Singley, Kelsey Sum, Michael Wasyl
Grade 12 Principal’s Honor Roll
Rohan Aletty, Swetha Andiappan, David Angelatos, Elizabeth Arnold, Kristen Bendinelli, Hope Bertelsen, Chelsea Bohrer, Rachel Burns, Leon Chang, Alexander Colarusso, Micaela Collins, Elora Daniele, Brittany Diamantoni, Brittney DiMeglio, Stephanie DiRocco, Kristen Erickson, Carolyn Fox, Brian Friel, Margaret Hare, Patricia Harris, Kimberly Heil, Amanda Herrmann, Sharon Hsu, Kaitlin Jacob, Manav Khurana, Katelyn Klinck, Daniel Krisiloff, Wei-Heng (Anne) Ku, Carolyn Lazarus, Meghan Leddy, Kaitlin Lehmann, Kevin Lynch, Alexandre Massonneau, Hillary Molloy, Joshua Moreno, Dina Nassar, Daniel Nuzzaci, Ryan Oskin, Sophie Parvez, Claudia Pazlopez, Andrea Pitio, Andrew Pottorf, Melissa Reville, Zoe Shaheen, Jessica Shegoski, Rebecca Smith, Adenike Sonaike, Kelsie Testa, Katherine (Katie) Weinschenk, Pooja Yerramilli, Kellan Zheng
Grade 9 Honor Roll
Kristina Alikhachkina, Elizabeth Andreassen, Emily Arnold, Oset Babur, Jon-Michael Beckelman, John Bendinelli, Samantha Bernstein, Sourav Bhattacharjee, Nicholas Bradley, Keith Brassil, Morgan Bregenzer, Jacob Burns, Daniel Cai, Alison Caliguire, Sarah Caputo, Ryan Carmon, Elizabeth Cassar, Jesse Chan, Wesan Chang, Allen Chen, Amy Chen, Andrew Chen, Chih-Han (Lucy) Chen, Kody Chen, Christina Cheng, Abhinav Chevula, Bongkyeug Cho, Leo Choi, Yelean Choy, Mara Cige, Megan Corlis, Stephanie DiMeglio, Jessica DiRocco, Emily Dolin, Marissa Douglas, Alexandra Drake, Tyler Drbal, Michael Du, Alexander Faller, Timothy Foley, Brittany Foxx, Joseph Franze, Ching-Sheng Gan, Colin Geary, Rachel Gebhart, Raphael Glazov, Julia Goldman, Julia Gopstein, Abby Gray, Conor Gray, Petra Gucunski, Shashwat Gulati, Patrick Guma, Saawan Gupta, Elizabeth Haderer, Katharine Hamilton, Mohammad Haq, Mac Harris, Sandeep Hazarika, Austin Heath, Joshua Herl, Minghe Hu, Richard Hu, James Huang, Katherine Jablecki, Ryan Jahnke, Rikhabh Jain, Dana Janovsky, Leigh Janovsky, David Jeon, Aileen Jiang, Anna Jolly, Jason Kalvin, Sue Kang, Alex Kass, Daniel Kaufmann, Kristen Kelly, Soo Young Kim, Eric Kopelson, Anthony Kowalczyk, Emily Koyen, Siddhant Kulkarni, Taisu Kumar, Eunice Kwak, Katheryn Larkin, Christina Lazarus, Seung Joon Lee, Tiffany Lee, Christine Lewis, Kevin Li, Mengyao (Jessica) Li, Charles Liu, Marvin Liu, Michelle Liu, Roland Lu, Yang Lu, Sean Lynch, Megan Marbach, Kaitlyn McGrew, Evan McIntyre, William McKechnie, Robert McKenna, Ian Mendler, Patricia Meola, Matthew Mignon, Erica Jane Milan, Samantha Miller, Waseem Mohiuddin, Gregory Monn, Daniel Moses, Bridget Murray, Pallavi Mynampati, Daniel Mynick, Phalgun Narla, Erin Norris, Kristen O'Neill, Connor Oltmans, Rebecca Palmer, Courtney Parks, Timothy Parsons, Nathan Penney, Nicholas Perrette, Teresa Pesenti, Brandon Petchock, Michael Prosinski, Penelope Quinton, Elise Reed, Douglas Ruhlman, Ashley Sabinsky, Tabitha Sabky, Dale Salton, Olivia Santangelo, Akila Sarathy, Vivek Satyasi, Christopher Schultes, Albert Sehringer, Veronica Sepesi, Sarah Seto, Juhi Shah, Niyeti Shah, Rishabh Shah, Barak Shnaidman, Kaila Sommi, Stephen Sozio, Michael (Mike) Stanley, Lindsy Steinberger, Kristina Stockburger, Priyanka Surapaneni, Megan Tarca, Imad Taylor, Colin Teeter, Luke Terregrossa, John Tetnowski, Anju Thomas, Jeffrey Tidona, Patrizia Louise Tolentino, Juliana (Julie) Troisi, Chelsea Turiano, Apolinar Vasquez, Jennifer (Jeny) Vieth, Joseph Warren, Robert Weisblatt, Connie Wen, Leanne White, Justin Wiegmann, Matthew Wiltse, Sophia Yang, Avery Youmans, Anna Young, Andy Zhang, Teresa Zhong
Grade 10 Honor Roll
Selen Altiok, Sandeep Ambrose, Julia Arnold, Allison Bacon, Mohamed El Hedi Bahri, Stephen Baptiste, Jennifer Barron, Christian Benz, Catherine Best, Nikita Bhargava, Kelly Birmingham, Tyler Blakemore, Kirstin Blatterfein, Mihaela Bojneag, Brian Bona, Robert Booth, Katelyn Brady, Miranda Bull, Daniel Cafiero, Adam Caldwell, Christopher Caliguire, Rohit Chaki, Yuxiao Chen, Gayathri Chenimineni, Brandon Cheslock, Matthew Chinn, Lawrence Chow, Taylor Colaiacovo, Michael Colangelo, Ellen Connacher, John Connolly, Morgan Conroy, John Couch, Terence Darcy, Abhinav Das, Emily Davis, Dylan Dineen, Trevor Dineen, Brian Dougherty, Ian Douglas, Jamie Eckhardt, Kristina Elkington, John (Alex) Fagard, Vincent Favetta, Danielle Ferullo, John Foley, Alexander Gaillard, Alyssa Gartenberg, Dhairyasheel Ghosalkar, Alexandra Giannini, Daniel Giordano, Nithya Gnanarajah, Christine Godinez, Arismita Guha Ray, J. Stewart Hallman, Elizabeth Halpin, Asia Haren, Megan Harless, Joseph Heebner, Scott Heil, Ross Hemmel, Kristofor Hendrickson, Carly Hering, Anne Herman, Rachel Hoff, Nicholas Holdreith, Emily Homan, Shirlyn Hong, Kristopher Hopkins, Ke Huang, Marisa Iati, Dale Johnson, Tapan Kar, John Kazan, Skylar Kelly, Carl Keri, Rebecca Kilkenny, Sun-Jong Kim, Kayla Kirschner, Rachel Kolb, Priscilla Kuo, Sarah Ladyman, Michael Lan, Allison Larcombe, Michael Leddy, Rachel Lee, Xue Ling (Celine) Lee, Matthew Lekh, Cameron Levis, Valerie Li, Alanna Liao, Kevin Lisanti, James Loupos, Rebecca Lui, Lan Luo, Kendra Lyons, Ian Mac Pherson, Ravi Mahadevan, Sean Marinelli, Rachel Martin, Ryan Maurer, Jeffrey Mayer, Anna McCall, Alison McFadden, Kevin Meier, Jeffrey Mertz, Lindsey Milich, Ivana Miljanic, Lilian Min, James Minnis, Jina Moon, Amanda Moreno, Jennifer Morgenstern, Taylor Mulligan, Mridula Murali, Petra Nanney, Amuthan Narthana, Emily Nemeth, Taylor Neveling, Carter Oakley, Andrew Orlowicz, Pooja Parikh, Kalyan Paruchuri, Cassandra Passarella, Abigail Pereira, Ana Peterhans, Deanna Petrelis, Michael Piazza, Ankith Polavarapu, Paul Popescu, Kellen Porter, Jillian Prentice, Joshua Prevost, Lisa Qian, Vennessa Quansah, Anjali Ramaswamy, Talia Ramo, Kirsten Rarich, Shannon Reagan, Steven Reiman, Laura Resnick, Amanda Ribeiro, Sean Ridder, Robert Robinson, Lindsey Rosenthal, Jacob Rubin, Chelsea Ryan, Divya Saboo, Ranjit Sankar, William Sasiela, Garrett Schwarte, Danielle Sciotto, Deepika Seethamraju, Nathan Seto, Daniel Sgammato, Sarah Sheldon, Ambika Singh, Julianne Smith, Young Sun Song, Julie Sprotzer, Cassie Stevens, Vineet Surapaneni, Lela Swartz, Amber Sweeton, Sowmya Takkellapati, Dennis Tom, Andrew Treble, Mark Treichler, Amanda Triplett, Theodore VanLiew, Sarah VanPeenen, Rebecca Varghese, Lauren Villaverde, Emily Wang, Nicholas Warner, Ryan Warrier, Carolyn Weinschenk, Kyle Wernicki, Michael Woitach, Kelsey Wojtowicz, Eric Wyluda, Peter Xiao, Roy Xiao, Fei (James) Xue, Esther Yoon, Chelsea Zahn, Alan Zhao, Diane Zhou, Cooper Zhu, Jodi Zimmerman
Grade 11 Honor Roll
Robert Aguh, Daanish Ahmad, Alexandra Andreassen, Christian Aurup, Eric Ayache, Eric Bachrach, William Bacon, Caroline Boger, Alyssa Braun, Emily Brooke, Jordan Brown, Renee Brzyski, Alyssa Bull, Lauren Burton, Samantha Chalek, Yangmin(Mimi) Chen, Robert Chick, Deivanai Chidambaram, Alexander Chien, David Choi, Christopher Chrzan, Joshua Cige, Diana Cirullo, Elizabeth Coffey, Laura Coletti, Gwendolyn Comollo, Michael D'Aguillo, Xia (Michelle) Dai, Mallory Davis, Julia DeMarco, Yevgeniy (Gene) Demo, Apurva Desai, Kathryn Diamantoni, Sofia DiPersia, Lindsay Domino, Benjamin Dunham, Emily Eckardt, David Engels, Alexander Epp, Sean Michael Fago, Kelly Fennimore, Jessica Field, Chelsea Ford, Gabriel Frangakis, Brittany Frankel, Ching-Wei Gan, James Gaskill, Sal Ghodbane, Danielle Gleason, Matthew Goetze, Emily Gong, Aaron Gopal, Ilana Guma, Michael Haderer, Dane Hagemann, Andrew Han, Nora Heck, Carrie Heckel, Evan Hewel, Victoria Hinkson, Matthew Howard, Christine Yehne Huh, Kaitlyn Huston, Ekaterina Itzeva, Lindsay Jacob, Alexis Jacobson, Kyle Jennings, Matthew Kalan, Shriya Kaneriya, Renae Kaslovsky, Jason Kass, Sandhya Katepalli, Kristin Kaufmann, Allegra Kettelkamp, Do Young Kim, Melissa Kobylarz, Dejia Kong, Rohit Kumar, Kedar Kurpad, Valentina Kuzman, Courtney LaRue, Michael Leach, Anna Levin, Christine Li, Albert Liang, Michael Liang, Owen Likely, Kelly Lisanti, Catherine Liu, Jason Liu, Hannah Lo, Nicole Logothetis, Justin Lozano, Courtney Luthman, Elizabeth Makwinski, Ally Mancino, Tyler Manna, Lindsay Martin, Jessica Mastroserio, Jena Mayer, Alexandra Mazzeo, Megan McFadden, Allison McGrew, Katherine (Katie) Meola, Cynthia Moffitt, Christina Moll, Kathryn Moore, Erin Moretti, Wesley Murphy, Samuel Navin, Kenneth Ng, Laura Noisten, Devin O'Connor, Patrick O'Donnell, Caroline Osse, Hannah Pace, Yifang Pan, Brianna Panasewicz, Steven Papsin, Siddharth Parikh, Lily Payvandi, Allison Pedinoff, Wilson Pei, Xavier Pereira, Nicole Perro, Erin Perrotti, Emily Pramer, Joseph Prati, Jonathan Prosinski, Lindsay Pugliese, Anita Pushparajah, Neha Rao, Tracy Ren, William Robbins, Annabelle Royer, Russell Salvatore, Stephanie Sandifer, Alexander Santangelo, David Schreiber, Aman Shahi, James Shovlin, Sarah Siegel, Jennifer Silagyi, Alexa Simon, Laura Smulian, Dominick Solazzo, Christopher Sparno, Ethan Spielholz, Micol Spinazzi, Emily Stall, Natalie Stanley, Jake Stewart, Margaret Strair, Kendra Straley, Ellen Taraschi, Joseph Testa, Emily Thompson, Alexander Thornton-Clark, Lauren Treene, Hannah Tripp, Stephanie Uva, Shubh Varma, Marcia Voigt, Damaskene Vokolos, Katharine Volz, Ellen Wallo, Stephanie Wang, Lisa Warren, Lauren Wederich, Alex Wei, Taylor Wilmot, Elizabeth (Liz) Wolcott, Connie Wu, Gabriela Wyatt, Kun Yan Xie, Hao (Ben) Xin, Monica Yang, Amy Zhang, Victoria Zhang, Yibin Zhang, Wenhan Zhu, Jordon Zielinski, Marcell Zimanyi
Grade 12 Honor Roll
Michael Adams, Kimberly Addis, Joseph Artuso, Elias Ayrey, Jason Baik, Jonathan Bartolomei, Naveen Basavanhally, Melissa Beer, Aparna Beeram, Christopher Bellizzi, Emily Berrue, Sarah Berrue, Urna Biswas, Debra Bona, Praba Boominathan, Stephanie Boyer, Peter Boyle, Samantha Brach, Kelley Bregenzer, Michael Burnet, James Caruso, Brian Chan, Michelle Chen, Stephanie Chen, Daniel Choi, Soolean Choy, Jennifer Crisp, Nathaniel DeLucia, Christopher DeMarco, Cameron DeVany, Andrew Disdier, Kevin Dougherty, Jana Douglas, Andrew Drbal, Christopher Durik, Gregory Elgort, Sabrina Elkington, Justine Findra, Matthew Fiorillo, Sarah Foley, Luke Fowlie, Kristina Fridman, Christopher Garcia, Corey Gerstenfeld, John Ghazi, Maria Gobel, Andrea Goldman, Erika Goldstein, Stephanie Goncalves, Ryan Goodfriend, Andrianna Guo, Robyn Haake, Jennifer Hamlett, Kathleen Haugen, Ian Healey, Rachel Holt, Nicole Houghton, Kevin Hover, Michael Hsu, David Jablonowski, Timothy Jackson, Trisha Jhunjhnuwala, Gary Kang, Kristin Kantor, Victoria Kantor, Eric Karlik, Abraham Khan, Ahmer Khan, Michael Kibalo, Casey Kilkenny, Adam Kirschner, Arielle Knapp, Matthew Kovacs, Alex Kristopovich, Alex Laney, Kevin Laskey, Andrew Lee, Kelsey Lee, Seaver Li, Sharon Li, Patrick Liu, Michelle Lu, Brandon Lum, Andrew Mahle, Zandra Man, Emily Mankowski, Samantha Margulies, Robert Matejek, Melissa Maurer, Carly Mayer, Lauren McClintic, Kelli McHugh, Brianna Meisenbacher, Brianna Miller, Cherie Mok, Nicole Molesphini, Emily Moses, Meaghan Motherway, Tyler Mulford, Aamani Mynampati, Meghan Nahass, Vincent Ng, Michael Oake, Melica Pang, Sarah Pangia, Michael Papsin, Gregory Parks, Amanda Paul, Catherine Paul, Vitaly Pekelis, James Pelech, Kathryn Pettit, David Piech, Wendy Quansah, Carla Ramos, Anoosha Reddy, Hannah Ringheim, Jay Salasko, Robert Santarpia, Devon Saunders, David Schafer, David Schryver, Risa Shen, Daniel Shieh, Vida Shirazi, Erin Simon, Allison Slattery, Marissa Smith, Elizabeth Smulian, Elizabeth Snedeker, Arielle Starkman, Jeffrey Stirling, Marissa Talvy, Kristin Teager, Franzesca Loui Tolentino, Michelle Tong, Patricia Tow, Aylin Tumer, Michael Tuosto, Furkan Unal, Alex Varghese, Camille Vazquez-Reyes, Christopher Walczyszyn, Robertson Wang, Susan Weidman-Keneagy, Cory Weingart, Gregory (Greg) Weitzner, Brian Wiseman, Matthew Wolansky, Alexandra (Ali) Wong, Carey Youmans, Hugues Yver, Kevin Zhu
White Level
Courtney Raw, Ben Lee, Andrea Ferentchak, Michael Zazzu, Sahat Madhugiri, Elvin Ip, Sudha Petluri, Christina Harnack, Ryan Benitz, Kyle Petchcock, Will Davis-Joels, Fiona Paladino, Elizabeth Dippold,
Corina Cappabianca, Michael Kichura, Kauri Sievers
Summer Science Program for HS Students
Two-week classes in Physics, Chemistry & Biology are for students entering 9th – 12th grade who plan to take advanced science courses in the fall. Students enrolling in their first course as well as those who have taken a previous course and desire a structured review are welcome. Classes will be held Mon – Fri, Aug 18 – 29 from 7:30 am – 12:30 pm at MHS Science Labs.
For additional info or questions please contact MHS Science Supervisor Jason Sullivan at jsullivan@mtsd.k12.nj.us.
Classes are offered through Montgomery Recreation 609-466-3023.
Humane Education at Rock Brook School
Humane Education at Rock Brook School
Students at Rock Brook School are participating in a program designed to teach children to be comfortable and safe around companion animals. The Partners in Empathy Training (PET) Humane Education Program, run by SAVE, Princeton's Animal Shelter, visits local schools on a weekly basis to help children learn kind and caring ways of interacting with animals. SAVE volunteer Ann Marie Krahel brings a dog or cat to Rock Brook each week, and the students are enjoying and learning a lot from these visits. For more information about SAVE, go to www.save-animals.org.
Rock Brook School, located in Skillman, is a leader in educating multiply handicapped children, ages 5-14, with language learning disorders, autism, hearing impairment, and/or developmental disabilities. Children from many school districts across central New Jersey have benefited from Rock Brook's enriched program and skilled staff. Rock Brook honors each child's differences and works to maximize their potential so that they may lead happy and fulfilling lives.
For more information about Rock Brook, please call 908-431-9500 or visit their website at www.rock-brook.org.
Superintendent's Corner
By Samuel B. Stewart, EdD
Interim Superintendent
This is my last letter to you as Interim Superintendent. In many ways, working with the Montgomery Township School District has been a wonderful culmination to my career.
Since my early days as a teacher, I have been motivated by the hope and promise that education transforms and expands opportunities for children. In my view, teaching has always been a moral vocation with the purpose of “building lives.” This idea was mostly a dream in my youth. Research evidence supporting particular approaches to teaching was sparse. The general consensus was that while some teachers were natural teachers, others could learn, but some would not - and that was life!
The situation is different today. A robust field of knowledge now supports ways for structuring the curriculum, organizing lessons, and improving teaching methods. Scholars in England have evidence that teaching according to the guidelines called “Assessment FOR Learning” results in substantial gains over conventional methods. These studies suggest that consistent and pervasive use of these guidelines in the United States would result in students improving their International Test in Mathematics’ results from the middle to the top five of the forty-one participating countries. Research on the Responsive Classroom approach shows similar gains in classroom climate, feelings of belonging, and achievement.
These two major initiatives, now underway in our schools, have tremendous power for long-term impact on our students’ educational experience. Assessment for Learning will deepen the quality of our students’ learning and our teachers’ capacity to give and receive constructive feedback. The Responsive Classroom will ensure that every student is recognized as an individual and contributing member of the community. These powerful educational tools are addressing the situation of our “shadow” kids, the students in the middle who might get lost in this high performing school district.
While the Strategic Planning process is not yet complete, great clarity was gained at the “Conversation with the Community” on providing young people additional educational opportunities required to succeed in the 21st century. Future work will provide definition around two themes: building confident and competent learners; and creating welcoming and engaging schools.
I have been privileged to work here with extraordinary teachers, administrators, PTA leaders, and Board of Education members. Their dedication and deep caring for our mission has made this one of the top districts in the state. I also want to thank our students and their parents for their support. When I am asked what I have learned as an educator, I answer: a good lesson is a lesson that motivates our children to learn – and to want to learn more.
Segolene Yver, MMS Student, Receives Prestigious “Wallenberg Honoree Award”
Montgomery Middle School 8th grader Segolene Yver received the “Wallenberg Honoree Award” given to students in nine affiliated New Jersey counties who exemplify in word and action the courage and compassion of Raoul Wallenberg. A wealthy Swedish diplomat of the Lutheran faith, Wallenberg is credited with rescuing 100,000 Jews from certain death in World War II. Wallenberg disappeared during the war and his selfless humanitarian efforts certainly cost him his life.
Segolene was one of eight middle school students to receive the prestigious award. The Wallenberg Honors Program recognizes students from Morris, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Passaic, Sussex, Hudson, and Union Counties who act with courage and compassion in their service to others, in the performance of an act of heroism or bravery, or in promoting understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and peace in their school or community.
“Segolene Yver is ray of sunshine to peers and teachers alike. With a perfectionist’s drive to succeed and a competitive spirit, she devotes herself 100% to every task that is presented and will not stop until her goals are attained. Not surprisingly, she accepts nothing less from those around her. This student is a both a demanding coach and an enthusiastic cheerleader for her classmates as she willingly shares her understandings and unconditional praise for their own positive efforts and accomplishments. In addition to contributing to and making a difference in the classroom, Segolene is committed to educating others about the benefits of fitness and sports for all individuals, including those with disabilities.
As a participant in the local Special Olympics, she trains and competes in basketball, swimming, soccer, and track. She is a compassionate volunteer junior-coach for the younger participants in several sports and, learning from her own positive experiences, she has become the self-appointed middle school recruiter and spokeswoman for the Special Olympics.
She has prepared and given informal and formal presentations on the history, philosophy, social and health benefits derived from the organization and its programs,” said Amy Mintz, Segolene’s teacher.
The program’s sponsor, the Wallenberg Foundation of New Jersey, described this year’s honorees: “In 2008, as the world continues to confront violence and genocide, the ravages of nature and incidents of man-made destruction, the Wallenberg Foundation is pleased to honor young people of courage, purpose and selflessness. It is these leaders of tomorrow the world will need to see a future of peace and harmony for all mankind.
Among those finalists we honor this year are students who teach others about autism, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, domestic violence, world hunger, and genocide awareness.
Young mean and women who promote tolerance, acceptance and peace.
Young ladies and men who consistently stand tall, in the world of adolescent peer pressure, on behalf of the bullied or taunted and some have withstood the taunts of peers and have worked to help educate those who do the taunting. Some are differently abled, yet show us the way; others work with those who are mentally or physically challenged to help them through their day. These young people remind us all that if we have the courage to assist and defend those among us whose need is greater than ours we stand tall as a nation. We learn from them that it is not strength that is the truest measure of greatness, but compassion and concern for those with whom we share the world – and they are the hope of our tomorrows.”
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment and we are very proud of Segolene. She is a wonderful and responsible member of our Middle School community,” said William Robbins, Principal, Montgomery Upper Middle School.
The Wallenberg Honors Program is based on the ideals of Raoul Wallenberg, and is sponsored by the Wallenberg Foundation of New Jersey, Inc. and administered by the Superintendent’s Office of Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School and the Offices of Madison Junior School, High Point Regional High School and Montgomery Middle School.
Grade V Students Earn Rising Sun Award at Princeton Junior School
Receiving the Rising Sun Award from Independence National Historic Park was the highlight of Princeton Junior School’s Grade V’s trip to historic Philadelphia. This award is given “in recognition of superior knowledge of American history and outstanding conduct.” This is the third time in five years that Mrs. Boruch’s fifth grade class won this award.
The Princeton Junior School is an independent school offering the highest standard of education for children in Pre-school through Grade V. The School is situated on six acres near the intersection of the Route 206 and Fackler Road in Lawrenceville. The site, near a branch of the Shipetauken Creek, includes meadows, woods and wetlands.
For additional information on the School, please contact Deborah Agnew, Director of Admissions, 609-924-8126
State Designates Montgomery Township School District as a “High Performing School District”
New Jersey State’s Department of Education has designated Montgomery Township School District as a “High Performing School District” based on its placement on the QSAC Performance Continuum.
To earn this designation MTSD satisfied at least 80% of the weighted indicators in each of five areas in the QSAC review process, earning 96% in Personnel; 95% in Fiscal Management; 91% in Operations; 89% in Governance and 81% in Instruction and Program.
Dr. Samuel Stewart, Interim Superintendent, said: “We approached the NJ QSAC self-monitoring process as an opportunity to look closely at our school district’s instructional and management practices. While this self-examination found that we do many things very well, we were also candid about areas where we thought we could improve, using this as a goal-setting opportunity rather than as an easy accumulation of points. Our 81% in Instruction and Program reflects a strong instructional program with a self-identified need to more effectively integrate curriculum across the content areas. The “science of learning” is demonstrating that the most effective learning takes place when science, math, language, etc., are taught together.”
New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJ QSAC) is a new and rigorous evaluation process mandated by the state in which schools evaluated themselves in a number of key areas and then were reviewed by independent auditors. NJQSAC’s primary purpose was to measure and improve school district performance in meeting State standards. It was also designed to promote a high level of performance, replacing the old monitoring system, integrating many of the requirements of existing code and statute, and promoting best practices.
2007/2008 National Art Honor Society Inductees
Mohamed Bahri Renee Brzyski, Elizabeth Camuti, Carrie Heckel, Christine Li, Kristi Lin, Nikki Perro, Lisa Qian, Shannon Reagan, Young-Sun Song, Sayla Tenenbaum, Catie Warcola.
Congratulations!
Pennington School Middle School Graduates 40
PENNINGTON, N.J.—June 6—The Pennington School held graduation ceremonies last evening for its Middle School at the Pennington Presbyterian Church. Forty students were graduated. Head of Middle School Todd D. Paige offered remarks and announced award-winners in all three grades of the Middle School, and Head of School Stephanie G. Townsend and faculty advisors joined him in presenting the diplomas.
Morgan L. Davis of Washington Crossing, Pa., was valedictorian, judged first in scholarship for the eighth grade; she also won the award for excellence in eighth-grade French and eighth-grade art and drama. Salutatorian Myung Jin Ko of Seoul, Korea, was honored for excellence in eighth-grade mathematics and science, as well.
Other eighth-grade speakers offering reflections were Colin Van Sickle and Eric Andresen, both of Princeton; Andresen was also presented the eighth-grade citizenship award. Awards for being first in scholarship went for the seventh grade to Ji Yoon Chung of Seoul, Korea, and for the sixth grade to Galen Ogg of West Windsor.
Among the other awards presented were citizenship awards to seventh-grader Connor Donovan of Yardley, Pa., and sixth-grader Charles Sproul of Pennington. Jennifer Paszamant of Skillman received the award for most improved student in the eighth grade; it went to Caroline Kuster of Belle Mead for Grade Seven and Gregory Gravalis of Hopewell Township for Grade Six. The Middle School Instrumental Ensemble, Chorus, and Bell Choir all performed.
Members of The Pennington School Class of 2012, who have just marked their graduation from middle school, are listed on the following page by state or country and hometown.
The Pennington School Class of 2012
NEW JERSEY
Allentown: Brian C. Roof
Ewing Township: Thomas T. Littwin
Frenchtown: Jarred A. Goeckeler
Hamilton Township: Jazmin N. Brooks
Hopewell: Steven K. Tydings
Hopewell Township: Matthew P. Barbuscio, Jessica L. Gravalis
Lambertville: Alexander S. Kline
Lawrenceville: Christopher P. Caputo, Andrew J. Fosina, Emily M. Seymour,
Jon A. Yoskin
Pennington: Jeffrey D. Cowhey, Sarah M. Croghan, Alexander W. Gericke,
Stevenson A. Hawkey, Tyler J. Osterman, Alyssa M. Torrens, Diana E. Wilkinson
Princeton: Eric T. Andresen, Jeffrey M. Batt, Maria Vittoria Fronda, Devin J. Markison,
Colin F. Van Sickle
Princeton Junction: Daniel R. Provine
Ringoes: Taylor A. Russo
Skillman: Jennifer E. Paszamant
Stockton: Sydney B. Smith
Titusville: Kevin L. Smolar
PENNSYLVANIA
Huntingdon Valley: Gabriella L. Pulley
Newtown: William L. McComb, Evan L. Vile
Washington Crossing: Morgan L. Davis
Yardley: Mary E. Clancy
KOREA
Daejeon: Sungbeen Bae
Seoul: Myung Jin Ko, Sung Hun Park, Nari Shin, Jin Woo Song
TAIWAN
Ping Tung: Szu-Chieh Wu
Pennington School Graduates 91 seniors
PENNINGTON, N.J.—June—In Commencement exercises for the Class of 2008 on Saturday, May 31, The Pennington School graduated 91 seniors. The students represent four states and five countries outside the United States. Marly R. Faherty of Pennington and Robert E. Clayton of Flemington were valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. Head of School Stephanie G. Townsend granted the diplomas, and Michael D. Winkler, retiring chair of the history department, gave the Commencement address.
At Commencement, Faherty, as valedictorian, was presented the Head of School’s Award for Scholarship. She also received individual Pennington School awards for excellence in English, Advanced Placement French V, Advanced Placement economics, and distinctive service in drama. She will attend Barnard College and was recognized as an Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar.
As salutatorian, Clayton was presented the Assistant Head of School’s Award for Scholarship. He was presented a Pennington School award for excellence in Advanced Placement Physics and was also named an Edward J. Bloustein Scholar. He will attend Princeton University.
Jae Hyeok Heo of Seoul, Korea, and Margaret Elizabeth Reinganum of Princeton were presented the Head of School’s Award to the Best All-Around Student, the first time in the award’s history that there has been a tie.
One faculty prize was announced during Commencement. Gayle W. Bruno, a teacher of Middle School English who joined the faculty in 1992, was given the Henry and Selma Otte Distinguished Teacher Award. Bruno, a resident of Newtown, Pa., is a graduate of Trenton State College. In addition to English, she has taught geography and communication skills; she has also served as an academic advisor, a grade leader, and the costume coordinator for dramatic and musical productions.
Commencement speaker Winkler joined the Pennington faculty in 1970 and has been chair of the history department since 1980. For the last 35 years, he has also coached the School’s golf team. He is a former borough councilman and two-term mayor of Pennington Borough, as well.
Members of Pennington’s Class of 2008 will be attending the following colleges:
Allegheny College; American University (2); Amherst College; The University of Arizona; University of the Arts; Asbury College; Barnard College; Bentley College; Boston College; Boston University; Bryn Mawr College; Bucknell University; Bucks County Community College; The College of New Jersey (2); College of the Holy Cross; The College of William and Mary; Curry College (2); Denison University (3); Drew University (2); Drexel University (2); Elon University; Emory University (2); Fairfield University (2); Five Towns College; Franklin and Marshall College; The George Washington University (3); Georgetown University; Gettysburg College; Greensboro College; University of Hartford; High Point University; University of Illinois at Chicago; Ithaca College; James Madison University (3); La Salle University; Lafayette College; Loyola College in Maryland; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; McDaniel College (2); University of Miami; Moravian College; Muhlenberg College; New York University; University of Notre Dame; Pace University, New York City; Pennsylvania State University (2); Philadelphia University; University of Pittsburgh; Princeton University (2); Providence College; Purdue University; Ramapo College of New Jersey; University of Redlands (2); Rider University; University of Rhode Island (2); Rochester Institute of Technology (2); Rowan University; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; St. Lawrence University (2); Seton Hall University; University of Southern California; Suffolk University; Syracuse University; The University of Tampa; Temple University; Towson University; United States Naval Academy; University of Washington; Wheaton College; and Wheelock College.
Members of The Pennington School Class of 2008 are listed below by country or state and hometown:
GEORGIA
Alpharetta: Omar O. D. Francis
ILLINOIS
Wheaton: Chi-Hsun (James) Sun
NEW JERSEY
Bedminster: Remy Dell’Ermo
Belle Mead: Alexander W. Helms
Cranbury: S. Bailey Veghte
East Windsor: Rachel M. Filo
Ewing Township: Colleen R. Barringer, Brandon S. Hullings, Erika A. Rieth
Flemington: Robert Evan Clayton, Ian W. Kozar
Hamilton Township: James Lauer, David G. Maliakel
Hopewell: Nicholas G. Farr, Denis A. Zinoviev
Lambertville: Brendan A. Maurice, Bridget G. McEliece
Lawrenceville: Elizabeth C. Batchelor, Daniel J. Cellars, Thomas J. Livecchi, John E. Luke
III, Alexandra N. Pyne, Logan C. Tennant
Linwood: Eric O. Zeltner
Lumberton: Michael Rizzo
Manalapan: Evander Duck III
Oldwick: Matthew L. Biedron
Pennington: Jesse B. Bushnell, Madeline W. Cox, Rachel E. Dell, Ariel T. Dixon, Julie W.
Ellison, Marly R. Faherty, Ronald J. Rick III, Lyndsay B. Rossi
Princeton: Brian P. Allenby, Gregory G. Busillo, Kelly L. Langone, Jesse R. Lieberman,
Sophia Moreno-Paz, Alexander H. Popiel, Margaret E. Reinganum, Maxwell C. Richards,
Grecia N. Rivera-Pacheco, Jennifer B. Stratton
Ringoes: Charles E. Buxton, Gary M. Nehrbass, Melissa A. Palmieri
Roebling: Kira L. Kliment
Skillman (Montgomery Township): Michael W. Lang
South Amboy: Nana Young
Titusville: Keith T. Smolar
Trenton: Chantel J. Lavender
Warren: Melanie A. Sluyter
Weehawkin: Laura J. Shinn
West Windsor: Danielle M. Brocker, Meghan A. Kyle
(continued on next page)
PENNSYLVANIA
Bensalem: Trevor M. A. Walker
Doylestown: Caroline L. Paulus
Langhorne: Gabriella Y. Jackson
New Hope: Kelsey J. Brooks, David R. Calaiaro, Keinan J. Meginniss
Newtown: Gregory I. Benoff, Kate N. Eingorn, Rachel M. Haag, Lauren A. Hayes, Conor D.
Kane, Danielle O. Lewis
Malvern: Laura L. Carrington
Philadelphia: Jason L. Harder, Joseph R. Veltri
Washington Crossing: Brendan M. Murphy
Wrightstown: Wesley D. Keating
Yardley: Lindsay B. Connors, James C. Gravener, Andrew B. Hanks, Brittany E. Kunkel,
Casey A. Ramirez, Katherine E. Suyo
CHINA
Kowloon, Hong Kong: Kelvin Siu Keung Ng
Shanghai: Yen-Hsi Chen, WenBin Gong
KENYA
Nairobi: Oluwasegun A. Adesina
KOREA
Seoul: Bum Jin Cho, Jae Hyeok Heo, Sung Jun Park, Jung Ju Rue
NIGERIA
Lagos: Jamaimah Mae T. Omictin
TAIWAN
Taipei: Po-Han Chen, Chieh-Han Wu
MHS TEACHER TO BE AN HONORED GUEST OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
MHS TEACHER TO BE AN HONORED GUEST OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
Skillman, NJ-- This June, Christine D’Amore will depart for Tokyo as a participant in the Japan
Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program. Ms. D’Amore, from Montgomery High School,
was selected from a national pool of over 1,700 applicants by a panel of educators to earn this honor.
This program allows distinguished primary and secondary school educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations.Ms. D’Amore will be among 160 educators visiting Japan in June. They will begin their visit in Tokyo with a practical orientation on Japanese life and culture and meetings with Japanese government officials and educators. They then will travel in groups of 16 to selected host cities where they will have direct contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and secondary schools as well as a teachers college. They will also visit cultural sites and local industries in addition to a brief homestay with a Japanese family.
The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund, based in Tokyo, oversees all aspects of the Teacher Program. The program is sponsored by the Government of Japan and was launched in 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. government Fulbright Program, which has enabled more than 6,000 Japanese citizens to study in the U.S. on Fulbright fellowships for graduate education and research. The Institute of International Education acts as the agency for the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund to coordinate the recruitment and pre-departure activities of the Teacher Program in the United States.
Up to 320 educators from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be invited to visit Japan in June and October of 2008 (160 in each group). To date, more than 6000 primary and secondary school educators have visited Japan through the JFMF Teacher Program. Upon their return, program participants share what they have learned about Japan with their students and communities through a variety of outreach projects.
For more information about the JFMF Teacher Program, please refer to http://www.fulbrightmemorialfund.jp or contact 1-888-527-2636 (1-888-Japan-FMF) or jfmf@iie.org.
MHS Teachers Take Science Education Program To Iowa
Midwestern Educators Trained to Teach Pharmaceutical R&D Process
Four Montgomery High School teachers who helped develop a course on the pharmaceutical R&D process are traveling to Iowa this week to train teachers from 20 school districts in that state to teach the course.
The New Jersey teachers just finished teaching the 11-lesson curriculum to their biology and chemistry students at Montgomery High School. Now they will serve as master teachers, showing Midwestern educators how to teach the process of making medicines.
Science Supervisor Jason Sullivan of Hopewell Borough and teachers Craig Buszka of Plainsboro, David English of Lambertville and Paul Spinelli of Monroe got involved with the RxeSEARCH program three years ago, when Bristol-Myers Squibb invited them and other educators in the region to partner in an initiative designed to improve science education.
The program they developed, in collaboration with the N.J. Department of Education and the National Science Resources Center, a science education center of excellence affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences, teaches how medicines are made. The curriculum is designed to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills in high school students as well as to improve science and technology education.
“Working teachers almost never have the opportunity to develop cutting edge curriculum and then to teach it in their classrooms, much less to serve as master teachers training other teachers,” said Sullivan, a chemistry teacher. “This has been a tremendous opportunity for us. We consider the experience the best kind of professional development.”
The teachers leave today for Fort Dodge, IA, where they will lead a three-day institute modeled after sessions held in New Jersey the last two summers. Those Summer Institutes, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Bristol-Myers Squibb, trained teachers from 19 districts in five states to teach “RxeSEARCH: An Educational Journey.”
“This program offers an interdisciplinary approach, integrating chemistry and biology with mathematics, language arts and the social sciences,” said Dr. Anders Hedberg, director of corporate philanthropy at Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Not only does the program promote workforce development, it offers a deeper understanding of the processes and challenges of making medicines.”
New Jersey partnering school districts in the RxeSEARCH initiative include Hopewell Valley, Princeton, West Windsor-Plainsboro, Newark, New Brunswick and Montgomery. Other pharmaceutical companies involved in the program are GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Schering Plough, and Wyeth, along with the HealthCare Institute of NJ.
“The Montgomery School District has taken a leadership role in this educational initiative because we believe it is important to address education needs in innovative ways, even if we help develop new approaches ourselves,” said newly appointed Montgomery School District superintendent, Earl Kim. “At least one parent in x percent of our students’ families is employed in the pharmaceutical sector. We look at the RxeSEARCH program as cutting edge workforce development program.”
Montgomery News Awards 3 Scholarships
The Montgomery News is pleased to announce that we have given three scholarships to graduating Montgomery High School Seniors.
The recipients are Arun Siva, Meera Jagannathan, and Melissa Reville.
Arun has been our sports writer for several years. Each month he has been responsible for finding out who the outstanding athletes have been in each of the teams, and how those teams have performed. This has been a difficult job, as at times, the coaches have not been as forthcoming as one would hope. Nevertheless, he has been meeting our deadlines as well as his many responsibilities as a graduating senior.
Melissa Reville and Meera Jagannathan have together been the editors for Perspectives, which for many of our readers, has been a window into the world at the high school. Again, they both met our deadlines while meeting an unbelievably heavy load of school work and extracurricular activities.
Meera will attend Rutgers to study linguistics and economics. Meanwhile she is a five-year member of the girl scouts, and was this yea's editor of Pawprint. She also worked as a research assistant at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, editorial assistant at Rutgers, and for the Department of Agriculture at Cook College. Additionally, she interned at the Rutgers Focus, and freelanced for publications such as the Princeton Packet.
Mellisa will be attending Bently College this coming fall. She is interested in ballet, and practices at the Princton ballet twice weekly. She plays violin and piano, and has been a member of the MHS Orchestra through her junior year. She helps record and edit audio books for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Additionally, she has been a member of Pawprint and wrote for the Currier News.
Local HS Grads and Where They Are Going in Fall
Congratulations 2008 Graduates!
Montgomery High School
Abdel Rahman Abouhaib, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Michael Adams, Moravian College; Kimberly Addis, Brigham Young U., Idaho; Daniel Aguilar, Montclair State U.; Rohan Aletty, Carnegie Mellon U.; Mario Allen, Vincennes U.; Stephanie Allen, Cosmetology School; Joseph John Alvaro, Rutgers U.; Swetha Andiappan, Pratt Institute; David Angelatos, Loyola College in Maryland; Nicholas Angrisani, Kean U.; Jaime Antonio-Bravo, Mercer County Community College; Elizabeth Arnold, University of Maryland, College Park; Joseph Artuso, Columbia U.; Elias Ayrey, Binghamton U.; Jason Baik, Northwestern U.; Amoha Bajaj, Rutgers U.; Tara Balsamo, Raritan Valley Community College; Alex Balthaser, Boston U.; Megan Barrett, Marymount Manhattan College; Jonathan Bartolomei, Northeastern U.; Naveen Basavanhally, Rutgers U.; Eric Beddini-Monaghan, University of Maine; Melissa Beer, Rutgers U.; Aparna Beeram, Drexel U.; Christopher Bellizzi, Syracuse U.; Kristen Bendinelli, Ursinus College; Emily Berrue, University of Delaware; Sarah Berrue, University of Delaware; Hope Bertelsen, Marymount Manhattan College; Urna Biswas, Carnegie Mellon U.; Emily Blitzer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Ryan Boccher, Rutgers U.; Chelsea Bohrer, New York U.; Jacob Bohrer, Rochester Institute of Technology; Debra Bona, Purchase College; Praba Boominathan, College of New Jersey; Stephanie Boyer, Coastal Carolina U.; Peter J Boyle, Lawrence U.; Samantha Brach, College of New Jersey; Kelley Bregenzer, University of Delaware; Erin Brendel, College of New Jersey; Jared Brenner, George Washington U.; Michael Stanton Briggs, Michigan State U.; John Briody, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Anna Lindsey Broderick, Northeastern U.; Nicholas Bucci, Monmouth U.; Danica Buck, University of Delaware; Andrew Budis, Delaware Valley College; Michael Burnet, University of Denver; Rachel Burns, Johns Hopkins U.; James Caruso, Cabrini College; Brad Castronovo, Boston U.; Christopher Cender, American U.; Brian Kin Chan, Northeastern U.; Leon Chang, Columbia U.; Eric Chen, Rutgers U.; Michelle Chen, Bryn Mawr College; Stephanie Chen, Carnegie Mellon U.; Baladan Cho, Indiana U. at Bloomington; Daniel Yong-Oh Choi, Yale U.; Yae Seul (Jane) Choi, Lehigh U.; Soolean Choy, University of Notre Dame; Isaiah Chytraus, Employment; Adam Claybrook, Ohio State U.; Kevin Coffey, Raritan Valley Community College; Samantha Coghan, University of Rhode Island; Alexander Colarusso, Loyola College in Maryland; Brittany Colligen, Skidmore College; Micaela Collins, College of the Holy Cross; Matthew Colombero, Alvernia College; Samantha Conforti, Susquehanna U.; Sarah Conover, Widener U.; Carl Conroy, Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Christina Covello, Emmanuel College; Jennifer Crisp, Villanova U.; Ryan Cristelli, Stony Brook U.; Meghan Cummins, Becker College; Elora Daniele, Wellesley College; Alexander Daniels, Denison U.; Matthew J Daniels, American U.; Nathaniel DeLucia, Duke U.; Christopher DeMarco, Villanova U.; Elysa Desa, University of Delaware; Michael DeSantis, Cabrini College; Cameron DeVany, University of Connecticut; Katherine Devine, Saint Joseph’s U.; Neal Dharmadhikari, Case Western Reserve U.; Brittany Diamantoni, Michigan State U.; Brittney Christine DiMeglio, Pennsylvania State, University Park; Vincent DiMeglio, The Culinary Institute of America; Stephanie DiRocco, Montclair State U.; Andrew Disdier, Muhlenberg College; Kevin Dougherty, Quinnipiac U.; Jana Douglas, Harvard U.; Emily Drake, University of Rhode Island; Andrew Thomas Drbal, Elon U.; Christopher Durik, Colgate U.; Stavros Economopoulos, Mercer County Community College; Gregory Elgort, United States Military Academy; Sabrina Leigh Elkington, Monmouth U.; Kristen Erickson, Rochester Institute of Technology; Albert Faleski, West Virginia U.; Madeline Farina, Fashion Institute of Technology; Ramit Farwaha, Rutgers U., Newark; Sean Faust, Cabrini College; Matthew Favetta, Wagner College; Matthew Fedun, Rhode Island College; Steven Fenner, New York Institute of Technology; Aakil Fernandes, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Justine Findra, Northeastern U.; Amy Finley, Mercer County Community College; Matthew Fiorillo, Carnegie Mellon U.; Sarah Foley, Georgetown U.; Luke Fowlie, Dartmouth College; Carolyn Fox, Rutgers U.; Kristina Fridman, American U.; Brian Friel, Villanova U.; Brian Gansfuss, Universal Technical Institute; Christopher Garcia, Monmouth U.; Corey Gerstenfeld, The Juilliard School; John Ghazi, University of Notre Dame; Jonathan Gillespie, Delaware Valley College; Ashley Girt, Florida Gulf Coast U.; Brian Michael Glass, Rutgers U.; Yevgeniya Gluzberg, Rutgers U.; Shreyans Gokhru, Rutgers U.; Andrea Goldman, Bucknell U.; Erika Raquel Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh; Stephanie Goncalves, Fordham U.; Ryan Goodfriend, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; Evan Gray, Northeastern U.; Sara Gunton, University of South Carolina; Andrianna Guo, Rutgers U.; Robyn Haake, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Robert M Hackett, Elon U.; Kristen Hagemann, Middlesex County College; Conor Halpin, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Jennifer Hamlett, Skidmore College; Margaret Hare, Muhlenberg College; Bradley Harris, Arizona State U.; Patricia Harris, Pennsylvania State, University Park; Samuel Hartman, Mercer County Community College; Kathleen Haugen, Roanoke College; Ian Healey, James Madison U.; Kimberly Heil, Boston College; Zareen Helaly, Drexel U.; Amanda Herrmann, Brown U.; Joshua Hidalgo, William Paterson University of New Jersey; Joseph Hilton, Cabrini College; Rachel Holt, Northeastern U.; Nicole Houghton, Carnegie Mellon U.; Kevin Hover, Rutgers U.; Michael Hsu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Sharon Hsu, Rutgers U.; Daniel Hudak, Undecided; Yeh Ter (Jonathan) Huh, Rutgers U.; Ricardo Idrovo, Mercer County Community College; David Jablonowski, University of Miami; Timothy Jackson, Moravian College; Kaitlin Jacob, The Catholic University of America; Meera Jagannathan, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Salvatore Jahn-Errante, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; Norman James, University of Alabama; Alexis Jenkins, Wheaton College; Trisha Jhunjhnuwala, Rutgers U.; Katie Elisha Johnson, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania; Kimberly Johnson, Ursinus College; Gary Kang, Indiana University at Bloomington; Kristin Kantor, College of New Jersey; Victoria Kantor, College of New Jersey; Eric Karlik, Jacksonville U.; Matthew Kelly, Brigham Young U.; Abraham Khan, Bucknell U.; Ahmer K Khan, Rutgers U.; Manav Khurana, University of Maryland, College Park; Michael Peter Kibalo, Washington College; Casey Kilkenny, Rutgers U.; Adam Kirschner, Northeastern U.; Katelyn Klinck, College of New Jersey; Arielle Knapp, Syracuse U.; Charles Kohn, Franklin and Marshall U.; Scott Konkowski, Rutgers U.; Stephen Koplik, Ithaca College; Matthew J Kovacs, Roanoke College; Quentin Kreilmann, University of Connecticut; Inna Kreydin, Rutgers U.; Daniel Krisiloff, Lehigh U.; Alex Kristopovich, Rowan U.; Wei-Heng (Ann) Anne Ku, The Juilliard School; Maggie (Yeawon) Kwak, New York U.; Alex Laney, West Virginia U.; Matthew Lapinski, Northeastern U.; Kevin Connor Laskey, Princeton U.; Carolyn Lazarus, Millersville U.; Meghan Katherine Leddy, Harvard U.; Andrew Lee, Rutgers U.; Clara Lee, College of New Jersey; Kelsey P. Lee, New York U.; Trevor Leedy, Raritan Valley Community College; Kaitlin Lehmann, Wagner College; Jason Leifer, Raritan Valley Community College; Seaver T Li, University of Maryland, College Park; Sharon Li, Pennsylvania State, University Park; Christopher Lin, Rutgers U.; Timothy Lin, Stony Brook U.; Catherine Liu, Quinnipiac U.; Patrick Liu, Rutgers U.; Michelle Y Lu, University of Pennsylvania; Brandon Lum, Carnegie Mellon U.; Kevin Luke Lynch, Providence College; Andrew Mackie, The American International University in London; Akhilesh Maddali, Rutgers U.; Samyukta Mahendra, Drexel U.; Andrew Mahle, Denison U.; Edwin Maida, Central Connecticut State U.; Sudeep Mallipattu, Pace U., New York City; Zandra Man, New York U.; Emily Mankowski, Quinnipiac U.; Samantha Margulies, University of Pennsylvania; Christine Martinez, Mercer County Community College; Alexandre Massonneau, Cornell U.; Robert Matejek, Princeton U.; Melissa Lynn Maurer, Central Michigan U.; Carly A Mayer, University of Connecticut; Robert Mazey, Brookdale Community College; Margaret McClaskey, Raritan Valley Community College; Lauren McClintic, College of the Holy Cross; Matthew McCoy, Stonehill College; Kelli McHugh, University of Pittsburgh; Philip McKean, United States Navy; Trevor McLaughlin, La Salle U.; Brianna Meisenbacher, Butler U.; Sophie Mesters, Temple U.; Brianna Miller, Fairfield U.; Cherie Mok, New York U.; Nicole Marie Molesphini, James Madison U.; Hillary Rita Molloy, Dickinson College; Kyle Moore, Montserrat College of Art; Joshua Moreno, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Michelle Morgenstern, Hofstra U.; Emily Moses, University of Michigan; Meaghan Motherway, Loyola College of Maryland; Chelsea Moubarak, Syracuse U.; Tyler Mulford, Villanova U.; Abigail Mycek, Parsons School of Design, Paris; Aamani Mynampati, University of Pennsylvania; Meghan Nahass, Carnegie Mellon U.; Saskia Kyra Naidu, Fashion Institute of Technology; Shreyas Nampalli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Dina Nassar, University of Michigan; Vincent T. Ng, Johns Hopkins U.; Jessica Nicolella, Johnson & Wales U.; Kathryn Nieves, Raritan Valley Community College; Marcelino Noyola, Mercer County Community College; Daniel Nuzzaci, Lehigh U.; Bridget O'Brien, Boston College; Darby O'Brien, University of Hartford; Brynn O'Sullivan, University of Pittsburgh; Brittney Oake, Washington and Jefferson College; Michael Oake, Drexel U.; Gabrielle Ocleppo, College of Mount Saint Vincent; Dylan Ogden, Pennsylvania State, University Park; Lauren Orcinolo, Raritan Valley Community College; Caroline Osinski, Marist College; Ryan Oskin, Pratt Institute; Jayram Pai, Rutgers U.; Connor Paladino, University of Notre Dame; Melica Pang, Rutgers U.; Sarah Pangia, Dickinson College; Michael Papsin, Pennsylvania State, University Park; Paolo Parayno, Middlesex County Community College; Gregory Parks, University of Delaware; Arpana Paruchuri, College of New Jersey; Sophie Parvez, College of New Jersey; Michael Pascale, Roger Williams U.; Amanda Paul, William Paterson University of New Jersey; Catherine Paul, William Paterson University of New Jersey; Claudia Pazlopez, Cornell U.; Vitaly Pekelis, Rutgers U.; James Pelech, Monmouth U.; Steven Perone, Wesley College; Kathryn Pettit, Miami University, Oxford; Colin Philip, Felician College; David Piech, Duke U.; Andrea Pitio, Colgate U.; Brittany Ponsoda, Saint Joseph’s U.; Alex Popko, Case Western Reserve U.; Christina Jean Potter, Johnson & Wales U.; Andrew Pottorf, Gordon College; Wendy Quansah, Seton Hall U.; Andrew Rabinowitz, College of Charleston; Fia Ramo, American U.; Carla Ramos, Montclair State U.; Mairead Reardon, Manhattan College; Anoosha V. Reddy, Dartmouth College; Michael Repollet, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania; Melissa Reville, Bentley College; Stephen Reynolds, Lafayette College; Whitney Rhoda, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jacqueline L Riman, Lynchburg College; Hannah Ringheim, George Washington U.; Caitlin E Rogers, University of Delaware; Jason Rossi, Undecided; Sara Rubin, New York U.; Kevin Ryan, High Point U.; Jay Salasko, Roanoke College; Christopher Santangelo, Mercer County Community College; Robert Santarpia, Rutgers U.; Alex Abrantes Santos, Rutgers U.; Lauren Santye, Cabrini College; Devon Saunders, Pennsylvania State, University Park; David Michael Schafer, Elizabethtown College; Alyson Schimpf, Elizabethtown College; Steven Schreck, Rutgers U.; David Schryver, Elon U.; Aurora Seither, Undecided; Zoe Shaheen, James Madison U.; Jessica Shegoski, Muhlenberg College; Risa Shen, Carnegie Mellon U.; Jacqueline Michelle Sherman, Arcadia U.; Timothy Shi, New York U.; Daniel Shieh, Rutgers U.; Vida Shirazi, Rutgers U.; Kauri Sievers, Pratt Institute; Brandon Simmons, Keystone College; Erin Simon, West Chester University of Pennsylvania; Navneet Singh, Rutgers U.; Rebecca Singleton-Baldrey, Fairleigh Dickinson U.; Prerna Sinha, College of New Jersey; Arun Siva, University of Arizona; Allison Slattery, American U.; Casey Smith, Raritan Valley Community College; Marissa Smith, Montclair State U.; Rebecca Smith, University of Dayton; Scott Smith, Drexel U.; Elizabeth Smulian, Emory U.; Elizabeth Snedeker, Albright College; Daniel Snyder, Muhlenberg College; Jeffrey Soffer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Jeffrey Sohmer, Undecided; Steven Solomine, Rowan U.; Megan Soltis, Seton Hall U.; Adenike Sonaike, Howard U.; Ryan Song, Rowan U.; Alison Specht, Juniata College; Abigail Spohn, Syracuse U.; Arielle Starkman, University of Delaware; Lauren Stefanski, University of Georgia; Brian D Stirling, Washington and Lee U.; Jeffrey Stirling, Washington and Lee U.; Kiliaen Strong, Northeastern U.; Ambika Subramanyam, Rutgers U.; Matthew Taggart, Rutgers U.; Marissa Talvy, James Madison U.; Kevin Michael Tarca, Quinnipiac U.; Kristin Teager, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Kelsie Testa, Syracuse U.; Matthew Tholis, Rowan U.; Ashley Thomas, St. John’s U.; Franzesca Loui Tolentino, Rutgers U.; Michelle Tong, Rutgers U.; Edward Toth, Centenary College; Patricia Tow, Marist College; Rachael Traub, Rutgers U.; Erinn Triplett, University of Delaware; Aylin Tumer, Cornell U.; Michael Tuosto, Quinnipiac U.; Furkan Unal, University of Maryland, College Park; David VanDoren, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Alex Varghese, Rutgers U.; Camille Vazquez-Reyes, University of Delaware; Christine Viggiano, University of Delaware; Danielle Violette, James Madison U.; Kelsie Wadsworth, Utah State U.; Christopher Walczyszyn, Tufts U.; Robert M Walsh, University of Connecticut; Robertson Wang, New York U.; Ryan Wanke, Syracuse U.; Catherine Warcola, Rutgers U.; Matthew L Wash, Villanova U.; Kevin Watson, College of the Holy Cross; Susan Weidman-Keneagy, Saint Joseph’s U.; Kristina Weimer, Butler U.; Cory Weingart, Delaware Valley College; Jessica Weingart, Keystone College; Katherine (Katie) Weinschenk, Miami University, Oxford; Gregory (Greg) Weitzner, Boston U.; Colin Welch, Quinnipiac U.; Lisa Welch, Southern Utah U.; Stephen (Steve) Wernicki, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U.; Brian M Wiseman, Case Western Reserve U.; Matthew Wolansky, Rutgers U.; Alexandra (Ali) Wong, Northwestern U.; Melissa Ashley Woo, Vanderbilt U.; Stephany Worsthorn, Cabrini College; Huaqing Xia, Indiana University at Bloomington; Christopher Yang, New York U.; Heather Yarson, Sacred Heart U.; Pooja Yerramilli, Yale U.; Carey Youmans, Colgate U.; Hugues Yver, McGill U.; Andrea Zahorsky, Quinnipiac U.; Matthew Zak, Millersville U.; Yan Zhang, University of California at Los Angeles; Kellan Zheng, Northwestern U.; Kevin Zhu, Rutgers U.
Immaculata
Timothy Maciag, U.S. Air Force Prep School
Stuart Country Day
Allyson E. Koyen, Sarah Rich, Hannah H. Sheldon, Nancy L. Williams, Jacqueline Yost
The Pennington School
Alexander W. Helms, Michael W. Lang
2008 MHS Scholarship Awards
Montgomery High School
2008 United Scholarship Awards
-Contributors-
Rotary Club of Montgomery/Rocky Hill Scholarships
Kimberly Heil, Amanda Herrmann, Joshua Hidalgo, Kathryn Pettit, Andrew Pottorf
Anoosha Reddy, Casey Smith, Katherine Weinschenk, Carey Youmans.
Montgomery High School PTSA Scholarships
Jason Baik, Hope Bertelsen, Peter Boyle, Rachel Burns, Soolean Choy, Micaela Collins, Sarah Foley, Luke Fowlie, Carolyn Fox, Christopher Garcia, John Ghazi, Andrea Goldman, Trisha Jhunjhnuwala, Manav Khurana, Kevin Laskey, Sharon Li, Trevor McLaughlin, Meaghan Motherway, Tyler Mulford, Aamani Mynampati, Dina Nassar, Connor Paladino, David Piech, Hannah Ringheim, Devon Saunders, Jessica Shegoski, Megan Soltis, Adenike Sonaike, Elizabeth Smulian, Yan Zhang
Montgomery Township Education Association Scholarships
Joshua Hidalgo, Casey Kilkenny, Connor Paladino, Devon Saunders, Elizabeth Snedeker, David Van Doren, Catherine Warcola
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Scholarships
Claudia Pazlopez, Andrew Pottorf
Montgomery H.S. Student Council Scholarships
Michele Lu, Trevor McLaughlin, Meghan Nahass, David Piech, Yan Zhang
Dr. Amy L. Lutz Family & Friends Scholarship
Daniel Choi
ConvaTec Scholarships
Leon Chang, Pooja Yerramilli
Montgomery Travelers Soccer Club Scholarships
Meghan Nahass, Michael Papsin
The Rieur Family Scholarships
Amy Finley, Sarah Foley
Montgomery P.B.A. #355 Scholarship
Emily Mankowski, Wendy Ekua Quansah
Andy Malek Memorial Scholarship
Rachel Burns
Montgomery Elementary School Faculty Memorial Scholarship
Joshua Hidalgo
The Friends of Mary Jacobs Library
Jared Brenner
Princeton Elks Lodge #2129 B.P.O.E. Scholarship
Christopher Bellizzi, Carey Youmans
The Montgomery Woman's Club Scholarship
Carey Youmans
Ethel R. Baker Scholarship
Timothy Shi
The Montgomery News Scholarship
Meera Jagannathan, Melissa Reville, Arun Siva
Montgomery/Rocky Hill Youth Services Scholarship
Christopher Bellizzi, Andrea Goldman
SEPTA
Brittany Diamantoni, Ashley Thomas
The Carrier Clinic Scholarships
Brittney DiMeglio, Timothy Shi
Montgomery Township Boy Scout Troop #46 Scholarship
Gregory Elgort
Association of Principals & Supervisors Scholarship
Casey Kilkenny
Montgomery Alumni Association
Ryan Goodfriend, Rachel Holt
Montgomery-Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance Scholarships
Soolean Choy, Samantha Margulies
The Rawson Group
Rohan Aletty
Princeton Radiology Scholarship
Amanda Herrmann
Tiger's Tale Scholarship
Anoosha Reddy, David Xia
Princeton Day School Class of 2008
Athletes, Artists, National Merit Scholars Distinguish PDS Grads
The Princeton Day School Class of 2008 is distinguished by the many talents and accomplishments of its members, including students who have excelled as National Merit Scholars, athletes and artists.
This year, more than 25 percent of~PDS seniors were honored for~outstanding achievement by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., including National Merit Scholarship recipients, Erin Burns of Princeton and Lauren Berk of Belle Mead. Other Class of 2008 members from the Montgomery area include Caitlin Wollack of Belle Mead; Isaac Geltzer, David Janhofer, Steward Johnson, Aditya Kulkarni and Tammy Lam of Skillman; and Gregory Francfort, Jenna Glass, C.J. Martino and Ariel Ruvinsky of Hillsborough.
Nine graduates will be continuing their sports careers in college, including four playing at the most competitive Division I level. And 10 graduates will pursue the arts at prestigious institutes including Bard, Tisch, and Syracuse. Other PDS graduates will be pursuing animal husbandry, Egyptology/archeology, pre-med studies, engineering and business.
"This class proves what we always say about Princeton Day School - we are a community of multi-talented students who defy labels," said Head of Upper School Carlton Tucker. "We take great pride in their multiple accomplishments and look forward to their future success."
Stuart School Graduation 2008
STUART COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL OF THE SACRED HEART GRADUATES CLASS OF 2008
Princeton, N.J. (June 10, 2008) -Forty members of the Class of 2008 received their diplomas from Headmistress Frances de la Chapelle, RSCJ and Jaye Hewitt Semrod, Chair of the Board of Trustees, at a commencement ceremony held Saturday, June 7 on the campus of Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.
The commencement address was delivered by Kwame AnthonyAppiah, the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Dr. Appiah, author of several books on political philosophy, received his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Cambridge University. He was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves as chair of the American Council of Learned Societies.
In his remarks, Dr. Appiah reminded the graduates that they have been endowed with the gift of privilege. "You have been to one of the best schools, in one of the most prosperous communities, in the richest and most powerful country in the history of the world," he said.
Dr. Appiah described two women of privilege who led remarkable lives.
The first, Isobel Swithenbank, began her adult life as a debutant to the court of King George V. She was very active in political circles and in her later years, established a school for educating the disabled. The second, Enid Margaret Cripps, was an heiress who married a West African law student.
All her life, she was active in work that supported the disadvantaged. "She lived by the same idea as Isabel Swithenbank; that much is required of those to whom much had been given," said Dr.
Appiah.
When both women died, their funerals were attended by heads of state as well as ordinary men and women who honored the good works performed by each. "How do I know these women?" asked Dr. Appiah. "I was at both those funerals." He revealed that Swithenbank was his grandmother and Cripps was his mother.
"I have had much good fortune in my life and I am grateful every day for the life I have been given," said Dr. Appiah. "If I can't live up to my mother and my grandmother, I can at least try to live in a way that would make them proud." Dr. Appiah then challenged the graduates to lives their lives so that others may say the same.
Senior Class President Nicole A. Huber of Kendall Park gave the welcome address; Jacqueline Yost of Belle Mead was the senior class speaker; Dominique P. Rice of Trenton led the seniors in the traditional ceremony of the turning of their school rings.
Five members of the class were selected for Senior Awards:
Clare Wiles of Princeton is the recipient of the 2008 Janet Stuart Scholar Award. This award is presented to a student who has demonstrated a deep respect for intellectual values and a love of learning. Wiles, who will attend Yale University was selected for this award because she is willing to take intellectual risks and has a contagious enthusiasm for learning.
Nicole A. Huber is the recipient of the Margherita Condell Award. This award, named in honor of a 20-year Stuart educator, was presented to Huber who is recognized as a woman of faith, who has demonstrated a personal and active faith in God, a social awareness that impels to action by her sensitivity to the needs of others, and for her service to school and community. She will attend Loyola College in Maryland.
Katherine C. Baker of Princeton Junction is the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award. This award is presented to the student who has displayed the community spirit that is essential to teamwork. Baker has supported the athletic program at Stuart with leadership and enthusiasm, has demonstrated mastery of athletic skills and has the ability to work as a team member. Baker, who will attend Princeton University, has also been able to balance her academic responsibilities with participation in athletics.
Elizabeth Kitts of Yardley, Pa., is the recipient of the Alumnae Award.
Kitts, who will attend James Madison University, was selected for this award because she has been instrumental in the building of community at Stuart and has contributed to the evolving tradition of Sacred Heart education.
Ann E. Crawford-Roberts of Perkasie, Pa., is the recipient of the Faculty Award. She was selected for this award as she has displayed generosity and spirit in all areas of school life. Crawford-Roberts, who will attend Brown University, has shown concern and respect for the members of the entire school community and has shared her knowledge, grace and gifts with others.
The achievements of the Class of 2008 have been remarkable. The listing of academic awards includes two National Merit Scholarship Finalists, five National Merit Commended Scholars, a National Achievement Scholarship Finalist, four Edward Bloustein Distinguished Scholars, one AP Scholar with Distinction, three AP Scholars with Honor and five AP Scholars. Stuart's Class of 2008 has secured admission to the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities; with an astonishing 22 percent accepting offers to attend Ivy League institutions. For a complete listing, visit http://www.stuartschool.org/home/college08.asp
Stuart's Class of 2008
Kathleen G. Alexandridis, Princeton, N.J.
Katherine C. Baker, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Elizabeth Borah, Princeton, N.J.
Jennifer Carlino, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Cecelia Anne Carlowicz, Kendall Park, N.J.
Victoria Churchwell, Dayton, N.J.
Comfort Clinton, Princeton, N.J.
Ann Crawford-Roberts, Perkasie, Pa.
Ruth Dennehy, Cream Ridge, N.J.
Yassamine Ebadat, Princeton, N.J.
Celine Elefson, Princeton, N.J.
Laura S. Engshuber, Princeton, N.J.
Alaina N. Gaines, Hamilton Square, N.J.
Chayna Hardy-Taylor, Trenton, N.J.
Jenae A. Harrington, Hamilton, N.J.
Heather R. Honstein, Princeton, N.J.
Nicole Huber, Kendall Park, N.J.
Amatoga Jeramie, Lawrenceville, N.J.
Carys Johnson, Princeton, N.J.
Glynnis E. Kearney, Princeton, N.J.
Elizabeth Murphy Kitts, Yardley, Pa.
Allyson E. Koyen, Belle Mead, N.J.
Nithya Rachel Mathews, Princeton, N.J.
Sharee Maxwell, Trenton, N.J.
Cara Meindl, Hamilton, N.J.
Raines Plambeck, Princeton, N.J.
Carlotta Rice, Princeton, N.J.
Dominique P. Rice, Trenton, N.J.
Sarah Rich, Skillman, N.J.
Sonali Sanyal, East Windsor, N.J.
Kelsey A. Semrod, Princeton N.J.
Amanda M.E. Sharp, Ewing N.J.
Hannah H. Sheldon, Skillman, N.J.
Anais Vaillant, Princeton N.J.
Leila Van Nieuwenhuyse, Princeton, N.J.
Kristin Velit, Ewing, N.J.
Ariana M. Vera, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Clare Wiles, Princeton N.J.
Nancy L. Williams, Skillman, N.J.
Jacqueline Yost, Belle Mead, N.J.
Belle Mead Resident Makes Dean's List at Connecticut College
NEW LONDON, Conn. (Grassroots Newswire) July 2, 2008 - Julia M. Helms, of Belle Mead (08502), a member of the 2011 class at Connecticut College, has been named to the dean's list for the 2008 spring semester.
Helms achieved Dean's Honors, a recognition for students who have earned a grade point average of at least 3.3.
Among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 41 states, the District of Columbia and 71 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 86-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu# # #
STUDENTS DISCOVER TICKET TO THE FUTURE
Montgomery High School recognized with top honors at FBLA national conference
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL), the largest and oldest student business organization, holds their National Leadership Conference at Marriott Marquis, June 26-29. Conference participants from around the country, and the world, were in attendance for this amazing conference and the FBLA-PBL Institute for Leaders.
Tapan Kar and Alex Santos from Montgomery High School in Skillman received national recognition at the FBLA Awards of Excellence on June 29. Tapan and Alex competed on a team in Banking and Financial Systems and brought home fifth place. This event provides recognition for FBLA members who demonstrate an understanding of and skill in the general operations of the various components of the financial service sector.
In addition, Stephanie Chen competed in Economics and brought home seventh place. This event provides recognition for FBLA members who can identify, understand, and apply economic principles to contemporary social, political, and ecological problems.
"I am so proud of these students for their dedication, hard-work, and professionalism exhibited throughout the conferences and numerous competitive events," said Ms. Cohen, FBLA Adviser.
These awards were part of a comprehensive competitve events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL. Individuals, state teams, and local chapters were encouraged to compete in any of the over 50 different events representing a wide range of activities and the business and leadership development focus of FBLA-PBL. The winners of these highly competitive and prestigious awards were selected from among FBLA-PBL's membership of 250,000 students and advisers and represent some of the best and brightest of today's youth.
FBLA is a nonprofit education association with a quarter million members and advisers in 12,000 chartered middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.
STUART COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL SENIOR ATTENDS NJ GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Princeton, N.J. (July 24, 2008) - Stuart senior, Abigail Borah joined a group of 48 gifted high school students from throughout the state for a two week-long intensive study of the environment at New Jersey’s Governor’s School on the Environment. The selected students learned about their potential impact on the social, economic, political, and natural environment, and also considered the larger goal of working to meet the environmental challenges in New Jersey and across the nation.
Borah, a resident of Belle Mead, is an outstanding student at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, an independent, kindergarten-12th grade, all girls’ school in Princeton. Borah’s many academic successes at Stuart and her interest in creating positive environmental change led to the invitation to participate in this year’s Governor’s School on the Environment, held at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona, July 6-19.
Students at the Governor’s School-all rising seniors in New Jersey high schools-are selected from a diverse applicant pool. Participants must have at least a B average in academic courses and rank in at least the 90th percentile on all aptitude and achievement tests. The students must also demonstrate giftedness and an intellectual ability suited for the rigorous academic setting of the program.
The two-week residential program includes intensive daily courses on such topics as pollution and public health, Pinelands ecology and policy, alternate energy sources, and biodiversity. The courses maintain a primary focus on these issues within the context of New Jersey, while also considering national and global implications.
Additionally, Borah and her fellow scholars spent three days on Sedge Island, a protected natural environment in Barnegat Bay.
At an environmental learning center on the island, Borah and her peers had no electricity or running water. Borah found it to be an “important experience to be without amenities and surrounded by nature.” She observed that when one is truly outside and part of the natural world, one learns to “appreciate nature and learns how to protect it.”
Borah and the scholars at the 2008 Governor’s School on the Environment return to their schools and local communities with greater insights for future environmental considerations in New Jersey.
Borah’s own study group relied on journal writing to capture the essence of their experience, and what Borah says she focused most on was “talking about going back to nature,” and reminding society of the bounty of the natural world around us.
American Boychoir School Announces New President
July 7, 2008 (Princeton, NJ) Chester W. Douglass, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The American Boychoir School announced the appointment of a new president of the American Boychoir School, Mr. Robert Rund effective July 1, 2008. In his announcement, Mr. Douglass said, “We are fortunate to have Robert Rund serve as the new President of The American Boychoir. Mr. Rund has a wealth of administrative and business experience in both the arts and education fields.
Recently, Robert Rund served as the School Administrator at the Waldorf School of Princeton, where he was responsible for enrollment, fundraising, finance and operations for a school of over 200 students and 20 faculty. Prior to that, Mr. Rund was the Arts Department Chair and Director of Cultural Events at the Peddie School in Hightstown, where he oversaw all curricular and extra-curricular offerings in the arts, managing all finances, facilities, staff and programs in the arts department. In 2007, Mr. Rund was awarded the Finn W. Caspersen Chair for outstanding contribution to the School. While at Peddie, Mr. Rund founded and directed the highly successful non-profit, Community Arts Partnership at the Peddie School (CAPPS), which offers a variety of programs in the visual and performing arts to the surrounding community.
In addition to his work in independent schools, Mr. Rund has extensive experience in the international performing arts industry. As an artist and booking manager for the prestigious IMG Artists, Ltd. in New York his work primarily focused on guest orchestral appearances by soloists, conductors and ensembles on the impressive IMG roster. For many years Mr. Rund served as Associate Publisher of the venerable Musical America Publishing, which has been the leading source of information in the performing arts for over 100 years.
Mr. Rund earned a Bachelors of Music degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Goucher College. In 2004, Rund was one of 50 international arts leaders to be awarded a fellowship to participate in the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders in the Arts, a joint initiative by the Stanford Graduate School of Business and National Arts Strategies.
Robert Rund succeeds interim President, Dr. Charles G. Bickford. Dr. Bickford served as President for 18 months allowing a strategic search for the new President. Dr. Bickford had been the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Humanities Council for nineteen years and his tenure at The American Boychoir School focused on building strategic financial management as well as annual fund and advocacy programs for the school.
Founded in 1937, The American Boychoir is the United States’ premier concert boys’ choir and one of the finest boychoirs in the world. For seventy years it has been dazzling audiences worldwide with its unique blend of musical sophistication, effervescent spirit and ensemble virtuosity. In addition to maintaining an active national and international touring schedule, The American Boychoir performs and records regularly with world-class artists and ensembles including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, opera superstar Jessye Norman, pop diva Beyoncé, Bobby McFerrin and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Comprised of boys in grades four through eight, and representing 24 states in the U.S., as well as Switzerland, France, Taiwan and Korea, The American Boychoir offers a unique and rigorous musical and academic curriculum, and fellowship for young people. Founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1937, the Choir has been located in Princeton, New Jersey since 1950.
Lower Middle School Hosts "Kids On The Move"
The Montgomery Health Department, in collaboration with the Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse and Montgomery Lower Middle School, is sponsoring Kids On The Move, a six week walking program that encourages the student body - and their family members - to add "steps" to their daily routine as an easy way to increase physical activity. The fifth and sixth grades will compete with each other to see which grade can walk further along the Oregon Trail.
Kids On The Move is not a structured after school activity or club. It is an "at home" program that encourages students to increase their physical activity by adding extra walking to their day and/or accompanying family members on their recreational walks or with chores that involve walking, such as food shopping, walking the dog, or doing yard work.
Kids On The Move will begin on Monday, October 6 and finish on November 16. While participation is voluntary, all students who register will receive a Kids On The Move t-shirt, Walking Log and Resource Kit. Parents can enroll their Lower Middle School students by sending an e-mail to kidsonthemove@twp.montgomery.nj.us or by returning a registration form to the nurse's office or the Montgomery Health Department by Wednesday, October 1. Weekly walking records will be tabulated and posted on a wall map of the Oregon Trail in the Lower Middle School.
Promoting a healthy weight involves the entire family! Childhood (and adult) overweight is usually caused by eating too much and exercising too little. Children can't change their exercise and eating habits by themselves, so creating new family habits around healthy eating and increased physical activity can help a child lose weight and can also improve the health of other members of the family.
Overweight and obesity is a growing global concern. Within the last thirty years, the percentage of overweight youth in the United States has doubled for ages 6-11 and tripled for ages 12-19, and 15 percent of children ages 6-19 are obese. New Jersey is not exempt: a sampling of sixth grade youth by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services and Department of Education fought that 18 percent of the students were overweight, and 20 percent were obese.
Obesity places young people at risk for life-long health problems including high blood pressure and cholesterol, early heart disease, stroke, asthma, depression, and diabetes. In addition, a young person's health is associated with his/her academic performance. Since childhood patterns of nutrition and physical activity are key factors in obesity prevention, early intervention is critical.
For more information about Kids On The Move, call the Health Department at (908) 359-8211 or by e-mail at kidsonthemove@twp.montgomery.nj.us.
Back to school drive for the Food Pantry
The Montgomery Township Food Pantry is getting ready for the Back-To-School season by
holding a collection for new school supplies for Montgomery families using the Food Pantry.
Items needed (new items please) include:
• Pencils—#2 Black
• Pencils— Colored
• Pens—Blue, Black, Red
• Crayons—16 or 24 pack
• Index Cards—3x5 ruled or 4x6 ruled
• Single Subject Composition Notebooks
• Single Subject Spiral Notebooks
• Glue Sticks
• Scotch Tape
• Post-it Notes
• Pencil Sharpeners
• Pocket Folders—2 pockets, plastic, 3 hole-punched
• 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch 3-Ring Binders
Drop Off: August 11th—August 28th
Items can be dropped off during business hours in the labeled bins.
Montgomery Food Pantry bins will be located at:
• Lobby of the Montgomery Recreation Department (M-F: 8:30am to 6pm)
• Lobby of the Montgomery Municipal Building (M-F: 8:30am to 4:30pm)
The Montgomery Township Food Pantry is located at 356 Skillman Road in the Otto Kaufmann
Center. Food Pantry: 609-466-1054
Denise Crowley is the Community Resource Manager.
Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive summer program
100 Students From Around the Globe Perform Together
With Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive
100 students from around the globe concluded a 5-week ballet intensive with a performance at
Stuart Country Day School
Students from Bolivia, France, Italy, and 18 different US states converged in Princeton, NJ for 5 weeks of intensive ballet study at American Repertory Ballet’s Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive. 100 students danced from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday with esteemed teachers from the tri-state area. Friday, July 25th, the program culminated in a public performance at the Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.
The five-week Summer Intensive program focused on training in ballet. Classes were also given in Body Mechanics, Nutrition, Theatre Dance, and Contemporary Dance. Teachers for the program included Mary Barton, staff member at ARB’s Princeton Ballet School and former dancer with Washington Ballet, Oldenburg Staat Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and American Repertory Ballet; Douglas Martin, staff
S.O.S. September – Focusing on the Child Before Us
“Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.”
Henry Ford
Most of us find humor in Ford’s remark. We don’t think for a moment that he really espoused this. Ford Motors grew because it not only offered basic transportation but adapted to the diverse needs and desires of its customers. How is it, then, that we can expect the same of our schools: that every student arrives at the schoolhouse door like a machined length of cold steel and leaves like a Model T with attendant Ford-like sameness?
Is it possible, instead, to have schools that tailor educational programming around the diverse social, scholastic and developmental needs of individual children? The aim of the Montgomery Schools is just that: to identify and cultivate the diverse and sometimes latent talents of every child. We start by knowing and valuing every child, by attuning adults to the child’s wishes and dreams, and by guiding the child’s development into a caring, confident and competent student.
A challenge that we face, however, in this age of standards-based accountability is to distinguish between progress indicators and judgments about the ability and potential of a child at any given point in time (e.g., particular grade-level). Educational standards are great tools to the extent that they give us mileposts to mark our journey with our students. It is unfortunate, however, when these same helpful standards are used in a more pernicious way: to designate children as somehow inadequate because they have not mastered a body of knowledge or manner of thought by the end of a particular grade-level. Our purpose as educators is not to “sort and screen” children but to use every tool at our disposal (including “tests”) to help them to become more self-aware and to set and achieve their life’s goals.
It is worse still when our children unwittingly internalize test scores and grades to gauge their personal worth. They don’t realize that our “numbers” don’t correlate with things that matter like worker productivity, human potential and citizenship. Our responsibility is to ensure that our crudely constructed numbers (i.e., grades, standardized test scores, and the like) define neither our perceptions of the child nor the child’s perception of himself.
In Montgomery, we have the good fortune to be able to go beyond the narrow set of skills and talents captured in test scores. Specifically, our aim is to complement cognitive measures with a set of non-cognitive measures in order to give feedback to students on skills that we believe to be critical to success in the 21st century.
As one Montgomery principal exhorts, “Let’s focus on ‘the child before us’ and give him what he needs to grow.” Gone are the days in which we must accept that there is one “color” of education that suits every child. On behalf of the Montgomery Board of Education, it’s my pleasure to welcome you back to school!
2008 MHS Marching Band Preview
The MHS marching band is a relatively new to the high school; it began in 2003 under the direction of band director Mr. Adam Warshafsky, associate director Mr. Kawika Kahalehoe, and color guard director Mrs. JL Johnson. In those six years and with their guidance the band has doubled to over one hundred members.
The marching band has received numerous awards during competition including, best music, best marching, best color guard, and best overall effect and multiple superior ratings. This year’s musical selection is a showcase of songs by composer George Gershwin, including Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess.
“It is very exciting because it is music that the audience will actually recognize,” says director Mr. Warshafsky. According to him, some fans have had a hard time connecting with the musical preferences previously performed by the band. But this year’s show is expected to be a real crowd pleaser.
Even after only a few days of practicing, the band is shaping up for their best season yet. According to Mr. Warshafsky the band is meeting his standards already after only after two official practices. “If they continue this way, they should be more than ready come their first performance on September 12th.” He also said that one of the reasons for this success is the strong group of new freshmen members and the assistance of the band’s officers. He states that the freshmen have great work ethic and are very enthusiastic about being a part of the team. “The officers have been a great help in motivating the members and keeping everyone focused,” Mr. Warshafsky affirmed. This year’s band is lead by Drum Major JT Gaskill, who is hoping to lead the band to a fantastic season.
It is no surprise that the directors have high hopes for this years marching band. “My biggest expectation is that they do a great show at this year’s first game,” Mr. Warshafsky said, “and hopefully continue to improve progressively to near perfection by the end of the season.” Not only do they believe that this could indeed be the bands best season thus far, but because the band is such a closely knit group, they will form friendships that will last far beyond the practice field.
Montgomery Schools Provide Hands-On Experience for Princeton Student Teachers
Montgomery School District is helping train future educators through participation in the Princeton University Program in Teacher Preparation.
“We are different from other programs,” said John Webb, Director of the Princeton University Program in Teacher Preparation. “We’re lean on coursework and heavy on practice.” He stressed the importance of practice to prepare students to be effective teachers. “Otherwise, things become theoretical – in the realm of imagination,” said Webb.
An integral part of the Princeton University program is for students to be in the classroom for their Introductory Practicum and Practice Teaching sessions. Princeton works closely with Montgomery and other neighboring school districts to provide that hands-on experience.
“Access enables us to prepare students according to the Princeton paradigm,” said Webb. “Students say being in schools is the most valuable part of the program.” The Program in Teacher Preparation has about 65 students currently enrolled with ten to twelve Princeton students in local district schools during the school year.
In addition to providing access to the classrooms, Montgomery School District staff members are involved in the program as cooperating teachers, instructors, supervisors and mentors. Erin Peacock, Director of Science for Montgomery Township is the Science Content specialist for the Program in Teacher Preparation. Christine Burton, Director of Mathematics at Montgomery is the Mathematics Content specialist and John Anagbo, High School English Supervisor of Montgomery is the English Content specialist.
“The Montgomery staff is extraordinary.” added Webb. “It is a very special opportunity for students to learn from the best in the business in area schools. We feel fortunate to work with them.”
Before beginning their coursework, the Princeton students participate in an Introductory Practicum that includes a six-hour observation of a teacher in an area school and follow-up meetings to discuss the observed lesson. The Montgomery supervisors connect the Princeton students with host teachers in Montgomery for the Practicum and work closely with them throughout the observation.
This aspect of the program is important for students according Webb because it makes them “think concretely about themselves as teachers.” While the Princeton students benefit from being in the Montgomery classroom, the local district staff benefits too.
“We gain so much from the experience,” said Erin Peacock. “It helps me to hone my skills to coach and mentor these student teachers.”
program staff and by teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators from area schools including Montgomery.
The program culminates with a Practice Teaching segment, where student teachers have the opportunity to bring theories and ideas into practice in an actual classroom. The students are paired with cooperating teachers in Montgomery and other area schools. Over the course of the semester the student teacher gradually assumes the teaching responsibilities for the cooperating teacher’s classes.
The supervisors from Montgomery work closely with both the cooperating teacher and student teacher during the entire practice teaching period.
“They provide wise counsel,” said Webb. John Anagbo sees the exchanging of ideas and dialogue as an added benefit to Montgomery School District’s participation in the Princeton program. “We have a connection to a premiere university to improve teaching and learning of students,” said Anagbo. “We improve our own practice and bring the ideas back to our own teachers.”
Earl Kim, the new Superintendent of Montgomery School District is a graduate of the Princeton Program in Teacher Preparation. He commented on the involvement of Montgomery staff, “The greatest value of the program is that you have to be current when you work with student teachers. This is built-in, self- directed staff development.”
During the course of the program Princeton students produce a Professional Portfolio, which must be successfully defended to a panel before the student’s application for certification is submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education. The cooperating teacher and instructional specialists from the local schools sit on the panel and serve an important role in determining if the students are worthy.
"These students are constantly bombarded with the question, ‘Why are you wasting your Princeton education on teaching?’” said Webb. “These are kids who have absolutely made a commitment to teaching, often at a large personal sacrifice. They are special people who are bright and dedicated.”
The Montgomery staff has been impressed with the quality and dedication of the students in the Princeton program. “We have the opportunity to hire these students, said Christine Burton. “They know the district and having the chance to get them to stay locally is another important aspect of the program.”
MHS Band Notes
Just about the only thing that makes the end of summertime worth it...yes, you guessed it -- Marching Band season is here. And in case you were wondering what all those sweet sounds were coming from the direction of Rt. 601, it's none other than the tunes of George Gershwin, as the Band prepares its 2008 Show for all of Montgomery to see and hear.
Since you've asked, we want you to know that the first football game under the Friday night lights at the awesome Cougar Stadium is a home game, and those in the know really do know that it is the place to be. See you in the stands (come early to hear our very own Marching Band play the regal sounds if the Star Spangled Banner).
Game time 7 pm, Friday, September 12. Cheer on the Mighty Montgomery Cougars to a winning season!
We'll keep you posted as to the upcoming Fall Band Festivals, at which our shows have received consistent highest ratings and special awards, and we expect this yea r to be no different. March on, Montgomery Musicians!
An Educational Journey at MHS
While most students were relaxing during those final summer days before school starts, a handful of teachers from around the country spent four days in the middle of August studying a new curriculum at Montgomery High School.
40 teachers from seven states have been working with representatives from Bristol Myers Squib, Pharma, Johnson and Johnson, Glaxco Smith Kline, Schering Plough and Novartis in a program called Research and Educational Journey.
They are developing a way to teach students in their home high schools the process by which pharmaceutical companies develop pharmaceutical products. This 11-lesson program begins with the seemingly simple idea of defining a decease, targeting and researching it, developing a product to treat or cure it, and then the long process of determining whether it works or not.
In it’s third year, the program works with what they call master teachers. Anders Hedberg, from BMS, said, “it develops critical thinking skills and how to use those skills in real life. This is how science is used in the real world. This is work force readiness.”
Mr. Hedberg said, ”For the past 15 years, Montgomery High School played a leadership role in teaching science and high technology. Developing pharmaceutical products is up to the industry. Teaching that is up to the teachers.”
Taught in part by MHS teachers Craig Buszka, Paul Spinelli, the visiting teachers from as far away as Iowa got a real-world demonstration during their first session. Using a fictitious illness, which he named “High School Syndrome (HSS),” Mr. Buszka showed in a very graphic way how deceases are transmitted. He placed a number of plastic water glasses out, each containing a colorless liquid and an eyedropper. One of those glasses also contained a chemical marker, a stand-in for HSS.
All of the teachers then broke for an informal talk session, during which they were instructed to “exchange fluids” if they chose to. After some discussion, for instance, a teacher might drop 2 cc’s of clear liquid from his cup into the cup held by another teacher, who may or may not reciprocate. During the five minute session, the teachers would mill around and meet with others, some of them “exchanging fluids,” and some not.
At the end of the session, Mr. Buszka then put a single drop of a test reagent into each cup. If the fluid in the cup turned red, then the subject was considered “infected” with HSS. Eight cups turned red.
Other sessions included topics such as “Targets and Magic Bullets,” “Pre-Clinical Development,” “Investigational New Drug Application Process,” and “Marketing: Where Business and Science Overlap.”
One visitor who was visibly impressed was NJ State Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy, who said that programs like this are needed to address “the issue of preparing students for life in the 21st century.”
Montgomery Township Summer Enrichment 2008
On July 7, 2008, more than two hundred eager, young students arrived to the main lobby of the Montgomery Lower Middle School for the first day of the Montgomery Township Summer Enrichment program. MTSE, established in the summer of 2006, extends learning in the classroom into the summer for the four weeks of July. The program offers educational classes with a fun twist; the active and exciting nature of the classes makes learning appealing for the students. The energy throughout the hallways was constantly recognizable as the students observed a new cooking technique or tallied survey results to formulate an analytical conclusion.
Meredith Quick, a Montgomery High School English teacher, directed the MTSE program for her first time this summer. She felt that “running the Summer Enrichment program for Montgomery Township this summer was a great experience” and that “it was exciting seeing the students every day and meeting the wonderful parents and guardians who brought their children to the program.” Alongside Quick were two co-coordinators, Jenn Rangnow and Adam Wright. The three worked cohesively before the program in order to ensure that all classes were equipped to run successfully, during the program in order to maintain the safety and the happiness of both students and staff, and after the program in order to prepare for next summer. Quick commented that “the MTSE staff is already prepping for next summer and implementing many of the suggestions made by teachers and parents for next year’s program.”
The 2008 MTSE program offered a variety of courses this summer, in topics ranging from science to music to cooking to technology. All classes are taught by Montgomery teaching staff with the exception of most science classes, which are contracted out to the Mad Science company. Each class offered a unique skill set for the students to le