Student news: Middlesex Co. Vo-Tech students have special summer internships

• The Internships around the county allowed students with a disability to begin exploring work-based learning activities
• Highland Park School District awarded sustainable Jersey for Schools certification
• John P. Stevens High School STAR events winners
• Wardlaw-Hartridge students learn global lessons in service learning trip to Guatemala and Belize

Twenty-three students with disabilities from the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools have received a taste of the world of work this summer through paid internships in partnership with the state Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services.

The students worked at such job sites as the Raritan Bay YMCA and Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, E.A.R.T.H. Center in South Brunswick, and the YMCAs of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy.

Dr. Tracey Maccia, MCVTS director of Special Education, said the goal was “to provide real-life work experiences where students can apply their academic and technical skills and develop employability skills.”

Maccia and Janice Fishbein, manager of the Middlesex County office of the Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services, organized the program.

The students, who worked 10 hours a week for six weeks, learned “to follow instructions of a supervisor, speak respectfully to a supervisor and respond appropriately to a supervisor’s criticism,” Maccia said. Some of the students were provided with job coaches by the state agency to assist with their transition to paid employment.

“Internships are a great way for a student with a disability to begin exploring work-based learning activities such as career awareness, career exploration, and career planning,” Maccia said.

“I enjoyed the teamwork and being able to work with my friends from school,” said a student who interned at the E.A.R.T.H. Center, operated by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County to provide youth and adults instruction on environmentally sound horticultural practices, as well as nutrition and health education.  “I learned to mulch a tree and how to put a rain barrel together.”

MCVTS will continue the collaboration with the state division throughout the school year and into the summer of 2017 through the Pre-Employment Transition Services (PETS) program, Maccia said.

The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools provide special education and related services to approximately 35 percent of its students.

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Belmont University

Madeline Smith of Somerset was named to the summer dean's list at Bermont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Student must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Binghamton University

The following Central Jersey residents at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, received their degrees this spring:

Cranford: Rina Haleva, bachelor's degree in psychology

East Brunswick: Pamela Blatkiewicz, bachelor's degree in psychology; nursing traditional; Jared Gatto, bachelor's degree in cell and molecular biology; Victoria Hann, bachelor's degree in psychology; Omer Hillel, bachelor's degree in biological sciences; Brian Kleiner, bachelor's degree in cinema; Michelle Korshunovk, bachelor's degree in biological sciences; Andrew Vespoli, bachelor's degree in accounting

Edison: Liban Ahmad, bachelor's degree in accounting; Peter Kleszics, bachelor's degree in history; Kathy Lo, bachelor's degree in accounting

Metuchen: Michael Schwartz, bachelor's degree in business administration

Monmouth Junction:Jordan Mesibov, bachelor's degree in English

Piscataway: Yoonjae Lee, bachelor's degree in economics; Allison Moy, bachelor's degree in environ. studies individual

South River: Ian Rosengarten, bachelor's degree in biological sciences

The following students at Binghamton University were named to the spring dean's list: Rina Haleva, Adam Solomon of Cranford,  Danielle Belpedio, Pamela Blatkiewicz, Jason Flatt, Joseph Grekoski, Dannielle Lebovitch, Sarah Safeer, Jason Shindler of East Brunswick,  Peter Kleszics,  Aaron Penzel of Edison, Mariamma Abraham, Jared Cohen of Monmouth Jct.,  Veronica Acevedo of Somerset,  Ian Rosengarten of South River,  Alex Carros of Spotswood. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Clemson University

The following Central Jersey residents at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, received their degrees this spring: Megan Elizabeth Byrnes of Cranford, bachelor's degree in marketing; Frank G. Pietropollo of Old Bridge, master's degree in biological sciences.

Coastal Carolina University

The following Central Jersey residents at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, received their degrees this spring:

Laura Biggs of South Plainfield, bachelor's degree in business administration

Keri Condon of Old Bridge, bachelor's degree in business administration

Gianmickele Petraroia of Rahway, bachelor's degree

Columbia College

Jordan Lee Cohen of Edison graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a bachelor's degree of in comedy writing and performance, magna cum laude.

Edison: John P. Stevens High School

From July 1 to July 8, more than 8,500 Family Career and Community Leaders of America members attended the 2016 FCCLA National Leadership Conference in San Diego, California. Among these attendees were more than 180 New Jersey FCCLA delegates. Members had the opportunity to grow as leaders, network with members from around the country, listen to inspiring motivational speakers and discover their voices!

The Conference theme, Empower Me-power challenged 59 John P. Stevens High School students to discover their power by participating in competitive events, workshops, and general sessions. The JP Stevens FCCLA members performed well in their STAR Events, bringing home 19 gold medal projects and four silver medal projects. The  participants included: Sara Ajani, Nila Arvindan, Bharathi Balaji,   Anjali D’Amiano, Vedika Dayal, Shreyoshi Ghosh, Maria Guevara-Carpio, Lisa Furtado,  Zahara Ghandi, Anna Huang, Arnav Jain, Rhea Jhamb, Saachi Joshi, Rishab Kasarla, Osheen Kaul, Maliha Khan,  Ashwin Konkimalla, Shinijini Kotian, Simran Kumar, Jennifer Lazarowitz, Meldon Mendonca, Sanjna Namasivayam, Ria Parikh, Bansari Patel, Kush Patel, Meera Patel, Prachi Patel, Shivam Patel, Swara Patel, Supratim Paul, Dimple Pujara, Michelle Qu, Mikhayla Sabo, Alisha Shah, Mitali Shah, Reeya Shah, Saanchi Shah, Aditi Singh, Saumya Singh, Trinity Tang-Sinad,  Suhav Toteja, Alex Wang, Nicole White, Jazmyn Williams, and Mindy Yip.

Jennine Abramsky was ranked second overall for the vintage inspired suit she constructed and Nikita Patil was also honored with a second overall placement in Fashion Design.  Each of these students received a scholarship to the Art Institutes. Junior category participants included: Nirali Doshi, Sarah Fidai, Austin John, Aurelia Li, Edmund Li, Shivani Pujara, Julia Qu, and Adrian Wang for an outstanding participation in Parliamentary Procedure. They were recognized as the third place team overall.

This year the Knowledge Bowl Team, that included Sara Ajani, Sanjna Namasivayam, Nikita Patil, Michelle Qu, and AlexWang, placed second in the nation.

Two JP Stevens’ seniors, Rohit Iyer and Stephanie Zhang, served as national officers for the 2015-16 school year.  Throughout the conference these members were front and center on stage and served as the vice president of finance and the vice president of competitive events, respectively. Next year, Iyer will be a freshman at the University of Michigan and Zhang will be attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. They both have another year with FCCLA as Iyer is a member of the National Board of Directors and Zhang holds a seat on the Competitive Events Advisory Team.

While the JP Stevens members were busy preparing for their STAR events, Shyamala Subramanian, a junior, was preparing for the National FCCLA election process. She ran for national office and was elected to serve as the vice president of competitive events for the 2016-17 school year, following n Zhang’s footsteps. Subramanian is a knowledgeable 5-foot dynamo that will bring her talents and enthusiasm to the national arena, according to a school news release.

FCCLA is known as the Ultimate Leadership Experience and JP Stevens junior and the NJ FCCLA VP of National Programs, Devanshi Shah, was appointed to serve on the National Nominating Committee. Shah was right in the middle of the election process and represented the North Atlantic Region. When her duties on this committee came to an end, Shah took the reins as the NJ FCCLA lead for voting delegates. This group helped elect the 10 national officers and addressed the three proposed bylaw amendments.

Harvard University

Randy M. Tarnowski II of Edison graduated from Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a graduate from the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, studied at Florida State University, completed a semester at Oxford University, Oxford, England, and earned a Fullbright Scholarship to all three universities. Tarnowski has a master's degree in international administration. Tarnowski, who was offered a position as executive assistant for Fullbright in South Korea, currently is lecturing in Malaysia, Mongolia and South Korea.

Highland Park School District

Sustainable Jersey for Schools awarded all four Highland Park schools with Bronze Certification recognizing the district’s commitment to being an environment-conscious school district that has met the rigorous requirements to achieve certification.

To become Jersey certified, Highland Park Schools submitted documentation to show it had completed a balance of the required sustainability actions, meeting a minimum of 150 action points. In addition, each certified school had to create a “green team” and select at least two out of 11 priority action options. Action options included community education and outreach and student education about sustainability in Grades K-12.

“It is a huge honor to be recognized for our commitment to environmental protection and sustainability," Superintendent Dr. Scott Taylor said. "Our board has implemented policies, and our school faculty and leadership have put procedures in place that have led to such amazing practices as a school travel plan for walking and biking, a staff wellness program, and efforts to buy renewable energy.”

Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for public schools in New Jersey. Launched in October 2014, Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a program of Sustainable Jersey, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward schools as they pursue sustainability programs. The process is one hundred percent voluntary and each school can choose whether it wants to get certified and the actions it wants to do in order to achieve enough points to get certified.

Sustainable Jersey for Schools is underwritten by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) Clean Energy Program and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). Small Grants for Sustainable Jersey for Schools are underwritten by the PSEG Foundation, New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and the New Jersey Department of Health. The Founding Sponsors are South Jersey Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas and NJM Insurance Group. The program supporters are the Foundation for Educational Administration and the Bayer Foundation.

Program partners include: New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO), New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), New Jersey Parent Teacher Association (NJPTA), New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), New Jersey School Buildings and Grounds Association (NJSBGA) and The Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey.

Kean University

Keri Anacker of Monroe Township received a master's degree in educational psychology, with distinction from Kean University in Union.

Nichols College

Courtland James of Piscataway graduated from Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, with a master's degree this spring.

North Brunswick Township High School

“My Hero Works at School”  was a recent essay contest sponsored by NJEA and Trenton Thunder. Nilay Sharma wrote an award-winning essay about one of North Brunswick Township High School's teachers, Thomas Strouse.

In the essay Sharma about Strouse’s many admirable qualities which set him apart from many other teachers. He talked about Strouse’s rare qualities —his sense of humor, his gregarious personality and his popularity among the students. He said that Strouse has redefined the meaning of teachers and educators, and wrote: “His dedication and passion for students and unsurpassed teaching potential make him a great asset to the North Brunswick community. He spreads wisdom through his students and takes on bold challenges whenever he can.“

Sanjana Ramanathan, starting grade 11 this year, participated in the Teen Leadership program this summer conducted at Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, New York.

Ally Abad was accepted and awarded a scholarship to attend SEA (Sea Education Association) high school program for marine biology. She was one of 27 students from around the world to participate in an intense course in oceanography. They not only studied marine biology but also the history of man's relationship with the ocean. They studied whaling, pirates, and the new environmental challenges that people face today. Abad finished the course with honors and earned a scholarship to attended one of the school's college semesters at sea once she is in college. She will be able to spend a semester sailing in places like the Mediterranean or the South Pacific doing marine research for college credit.

Nick Farah, who is an incoming freshman, attended the Envision Junior National Young Leaders Alumni Conference in Boston. Farah was invited to participate in the fifth grade and has participated every summer since then. The program aims to develop leadership skills by highlighting leadership in history and “turns academic potential into real-world leadership action.” In January, he will be attending the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit in Wahsington, D.C., and witness the inauguration of the next president. 

Seventy-five rising high school seniors from Middlesex County attended the 71st session of American Legion Jersey Boys State (ALJBS). 
The college level seminar, sponsored by the American Legion Department of New Jersey, is an action-oriented approach for teaching civics and government at the local, county and stat3e level, according to a statement prepared by the ALJBS organization.  The students who participated from North Brunswick Township High School were Lance Bean, Aiden Lewis, Dairath Majumdar, Andrew Popow, and Sahil Shah.

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child

In collaboration with the global Engineering for Kids program, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit is beginning a free new Saturday morning engineering program for pre-schoolers throughout the month of October.

To create the next generation of engineers, the Junior Aerospace Engineering program will be innovative and fun, and will introduce our youngest engineers to fundamental concepts of aircraft and spacecraft design, according to a news release. Through open and focused exploration, students will explore and construct airplanes, rockets, helicopters and more. These classes will inspire children to build on their natural curiosity by teaching engineering concepts through hands-on activities.

The Junior Aerospace Engineering classes are open to the public and geared toward children 3 to 4 years. The program will run for four consecutive Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on the 11-acre campus of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child: Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29

Children are encouraged to attend the entire four-week program, but may also attend classes on a weekly basis. Visit www.oakknoll.org/aerospace to register.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The following Central Jersey residents at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, received their degrees this spring:

Arun Chockalingam of Monmouth Junction, bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering

Gregory DiGuido of Matawan, bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Nicole Patel of Princeton, bachelor's degree in biology

Valentina Pietrzak of Clark, bachelor's degree in chemical engineering

Davif Shieh of Edison, bachelor's degree in biology

Jonathan Silvestri of Edison, bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Brittany Walker of Old Bridge, bachelor's degree in computer and systems engineering

Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine

Keith Anacker of Monroe Township participated in the accepted students' White Coat Ceremony of Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford on Aug. 31.

The State University of New York/Oswego

SUNY Oswego has awarded a merit scholarship and destination Oswego scholarship to Megan O'Brien of Kendall Park. The award recognizes past academic achievement and potential for success.

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School

Six students and two chaperones from The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison embraced a new culture, language and way of life during a two-week service learning trip to Guatemala and Belize in July.

“These trips very much reflect our mission of global learning,” said Head of School Andrew Webster, who accompanied 16 students on the school’s first service learning trip to Peru in 2012. Wardlaw-Hartridge has worked in tandem with the World Leadership School on all of its service learning trips abroad, two in Peru and two in Guatemala and Belize.

Chaperones Andrea Barnett of Morganville and Elizabeth Martin of South Plainfield were impressed with how the students adapted to the culture and made the most of this unique opportunity.

“This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” Martin said. “I lived in the jungle, held a tarantula (and enjoyed it), swam through a cave, stayed with a family I never met for a week and got to see beautiful Central America with a wonderful group of kids.” 

“This was a very successful trip,” Barnett added. “We were all interested to go because we wanted to travel and see more parts of the world and we wanted to do some good. We had our fears and we had to step out of our comfort zones.”

Wardlaw-Hartridge students AJ Massaro of South Plainfield, Kallie Schildge of Westfield, Amanda Jenkins of Iselin, Jack Sartor of Green Brook, Sanjna Patel of Edison and Learta Bajqinovci of Roselle Park learned more about the world, themselves and each other during the two-week trip.

“My trip to Belize and Guatemala was eye-opening and absolutely amazing. All the amazing places we visited and the sights we saw were nothing compared the experience we had in the homestay. Staying with people you can barely communicate with was hard at first, but it got easier. Even if we didn't understand each other a lot of the time, I can still call them my family. When we left, many people were crying, both W-H students and Las Viñas residents, and that really touched all of our hearts,” Patel said. 

The students’ main work project consisted of breaking up a concrete basketball court, which is used more for soccer, that had been invaded by the roots of the huge Ceiba tree. The students and chaperones worked with local men and youthful volunteers to break concrete, sort and move stones and haul sand and gravel. They later hand mixed the concrete and poured it over the stones. 

The students also painted four signs which were displayed at the school: Education is Power, Keep Our World Clean by Throwing Out The Trash, Wash Your Hands and Play Together. They engaged and entertained the children in the village with games and dances.

The students took advantage of more bonding and leadership opportunities during their time in Belize. They stayed at the Tropical Education Center, which is part of the Belize Zoo. They were amazed by the animals, the trees and the insects. There were beautiful landscapes, physical challenges and unfamiliar elements encountered during many of their adventures. The exploration of the Actun Tinichil Muknal Cave pushed many to their limits, but the experience was amazing.

“I hope that our stories and photos will interest many more students to want to go next year,” Martin said. “I highly recommend it!”

Thomas Edison State University

Thomas Edison State University in Trenton is one of eight institutions of higher education that has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a site for an experimental federal pilot program aimed at promoting, expanding and measuring college access, affordability and student outcomes.

The Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships (EQUIP) program is designed to allow students, particularly low-income students, to access federal student aid for the first time to enroll in programs offered by non-traditional training providers, in partnership with colleges and universities. The Education Department unveiled the program today.

“We are honored to serve a site of the EQUIP program and work to expand access to higher education programs and support an outcomes-based quality assurance process that focuses on student learning,” said Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State University, the only New Jersey institution selected for the program.

The university is partnering with Study.com and Quality Matters as a site for the EQUIP program, which will evaluate the effectiveness of granting title IV student aid flexibility to partnerships between innovative post-secondary institutions and non-traditional providers.

The experimental program leverages the previously established relationship between the university and Study.com, which currently offers more than 60 courses that can be accepted as credit at the university and applied to its undergraduate degree programs.

EQUIP falls under the DOE’s Experimental Sites Initiative, which allows the Education Department to provide statutory and regulatory flexibility for post-secondary institutions. Through the program, the Education Department seeks to learn about new alternative credit models and their costs and educational and employment outcomes for students, as well as explore new methods to measure quality.

“I’m thrilled that students will soon have access to these innovative programs, developed in partnership with colleges and new providers, with the help of federal financial aid,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell. “As these innovative programs continue to develop, it will be increasingly important to understand what an outcomes-based quality assurance system looks like for such programs. I am encouraged to see that these colleges, providers, and quality assurance entities have stepped forward to provide models for doing so.”

Union County Vocational Technical Schools 

University of Albany

The following Central Jersey residents at the University of Albany in Albany, New York, received their degrees this spring: Justin Berger of Kendall Park, degree in psychology, magna cum laude; Aderinsola Ajala of Piscataway, degree in sociology.

University of Dallas

Andrew Gochuico of Edison was named to spring honor roll at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.0-3.49.

University of New Hampshire

The following Central Jersey residents at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, were named to the spring dean's list; highest honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0, and tudents with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors: Brian Simpson of South Plainfield, honors; Dorothy Long of Cranbury, highest honors; Kathryn Wembacher of Plainsboro, highest honors; Victoria Bandera of East Brunswick, highest honors; Caroline Reckelhoff of Kendall Park, highest honors; Jaime Bowman of Somerset, honors.

Youth Enrichment Program (YES)

Student and school news appears Fridays. Email:hntmetro@mycentraljersey.com