High Bridge Elementary School students walk and run for new Daily Mile program
Hunterdon Healthcare donated 200 pedometers to help support High Bridge Elementary School’s new program, Daily Mile, which aims to encourage physical movement breaks for all students to help improve concentration and increase blood flow.
Earlier this fall, school administrators collected base-line data regarding student behaviors from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to observe out of seat behavior, fidgeting in seat behavior and number of times the students need redirection from the teacher during that time, according to a news release.
During the month of October, the school implemented the Daily Mile routine in which all the students goes outside from 10:10 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. each day to walk or run for the 15-minute period.
Students are using the pedometers to measure their steps and see how far they can travel as compared to going to the moon or maybe another country. They are using their counted steps in math class for problem-solving learning, in writing class to share social experiences and have a friendly competition among peers.
After a month of collecting data and measuring steps, the school will compare results to the baseline information collected to see if behaviors have been reduced.
“It is great to get kids active at any age and help them to adopt healthy behaviors while they are young. We are pleased we could support this program for the High Bridge Elementary School students,” said Tamra Campanella, administrative director, Hunterdon Health and Wellness Centers, in a statement.
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DeSales University
Angela P. McDowell of Glen Gardner was named to the summer dean's list at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.25.
Dunellen: Faber School
Students at Faber School in Dunellen participated in and were recognized for their poster entries in the borough's “Harvestfest,” sponsored by the Dunellen Downtown Management Organization (DDMO) The following students won: honorable mention: Hudson Smith and Sofia Minaya, third place: Anthony Klastava, second place: Haley Latham, and the first-place winner was: Christa Ruiz.
This competition was open to all students who reside in Dunellen. The students head to create a poster based on a theme and use their own original ideas. According to Vice Principal, Brendan Tennant, “we appreciate the DDMO is a huge supporter of all residents of Dunellen, we are thrilled to promote their work and that we had several winners in their contests. We look forward to continuing working with the DDMO in the future.”
James Madison University
Nicole Denise Debski of Bridgewater was named to the summer president's list at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.9.
Kean University
Three Kean computer science students are studying the brains of high schoolers to determine the best way to teach cybersecurity awareness.
Using Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology, seniors Manuel Condado and Kingberli Capellan, both of Perth Amboy, and Isabel Morais of Union will record the brain activity of high school students as they answer questions such as, “Do you think you are safe on the web?” and, “What are the risks associated with using public Wi-Fi?”
“We noticed that big-tech companies like Facebook and Instagram were being hacked, so we targeted the demographics of high school students because they need to learn cybersecurity awareness,” Condado said in a news release.
The ninth- and 10th-graders participating through Kean’s Project Adelante, a pre-college program for Latino high school students, will wear special noninvasive headgear as they respond to the confidential questions about internet use, cyber threats and personal practices. Information is transmitted to a computer, where their brain activity is then categorized.
“There are a lot of interesting things that go along with using BCI,” Morais said. “When the user is categorized as stressed or focused, we can see that, and we can figure out how we can use that information to help them better understand the concepts being taught.”
The students received a $10,500 grant from the Computing Research Association Collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates (CRA-CREU) program to conduct the research. They are working with Patricia Morreale, executive director of the Kean University School of Computer Science.
“We have always taught students about stranger danger, but we are going to see a lot more cybersecurity awareness in the curriculum,” Morreale said. “We want them to know how easy it is to be phished, hacked or be vulnerable. By having lessons that they are interested in, we hope to increase the overall cybersecurity awareness of young students.”
The students will collect data over 10 weeks this semester and start analyzing the data in the Spring 2019 semester.
“I think this research is a great start for grad school because I want to go into the field of cybersecurity,” said Capellan, who is applying now for master’s programs in computer science.
They will publish and share their findings at conferences and Kean’s Research Days.
Kent Place School
Isabella Racioppi of Morristown and Michaela Markels of Summit, seniors at Kent Place School in Summit, have been named National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars. The students became eligible for this recognition by scoring in the top 2.5 percent among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT® test takers in the region.
In addition, seniors Tarika Bansal and Sasha Khidekel of Short Hills, Sofia Kwon of West Orange, Nicole Leffler of Basking Ridge, Michaela Markels of Summit, Isabella Racioppi of Morristown, and Jillian Sher of Summit were named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit® Scholarship Program. Commended Students place among the top five percent of the more than 1.5 million students in the competition.
Approximately 1.5 million high school juniors entered the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which screened the program entrants based on their test scores.
Also, 98 Kent Place students from the Classes of 2018 and 2019 were honored by the College Board in recognition of their demonstrated college-level achievement on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations taken last spring.
Tarika Bansal , Neha Bhardwaj, Sanjana Boyapalli, Julia Chandonnet, Josephine Daab, Charlotte Hagerty, Sophie Huttner, Emma Kelley, Sofia Kwon, Atinuke Lardner, Ruth Laurence, Nicole Leffler, Alex McMullen, Mary Elizabeth Mullett, Elizabeth Owen, Emily Pellicano, Jacqueline Pothier, Megan Traudt, and Olivia Zeiner-Morrish, received the honor of AP Scholar with Distinction, granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Eleanor Alix, Sarah Bonnet, Kaira Brown, Rose Chrin, Rebecca Del Rio, Anna DeLuca, Madelyn Denenberg, Piper Eccles, Emma Fischer, Yean Heo, Madison Hobbs,Toni Ann Iuzzolino, Disha Karale, Aynsley Kaufman, Adya Khosla, Alexa Kolakoski, Veda Kumar, Jaida Larkin, Lucy Lynch, Michaela Markels, Sarah McDowell, Laura Mills, Hannah O’Loughlin, Isabella Racioppi, Sofia Scotto, Jillian Sher, Catherine Torres, Emma Verpoucke, Gabrielle Vicens, Katherine Vieser, and Mary Woodall, received the distinction AP Scholar with Honor. AP Scholar with Honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
Hannah Abere, Gabrielle Alpert, Katherine Barrasso, Caroline Benou, India Berry, Donna Bolourchi, Anjolie Charlot, Andra Constanin, Filipa Costa, Jayla Creekmur, Erin Cronin, Charlotte Crutchlow, Elyse DiCesare, Erin DuCharme, Kelcie Engles, Chloe Esposito, Sophia Fanelle, Sofia Faris, Gillian Gogliormella, Deanna Hanchuk, Emily Hanson, Grace Hillabrant, Anna Hogarth, Ethia Hu, Stewart Hughes, Keerthi Jayaraman, Aneela Kanhai, Sasha Khidekel, Lauren Lindner, Caroline Lubow, Colleen McAloon, Aidan McGuire, Alexis McNair, Olivia O’Sullivan, Isla Okkinga, Nikki Patel, Natalie Ramseur, Katherine Rebhun, Grace Reddington, Sophia Rich, Kathryn Robinson, Megan Sanford, Kailee Saunders, Sophia Sinins, Keertana Talla, Amber White, Marianna Ziegler, and Madeleine Zietsman, were named AP Scholars. The award of AP Scholar is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) on three or more AP Exams.
Mount Saint Mary Academy
This past summer, Fernanda Lazarte had the opportunity to take part in an internship at the largest hospital in Lima, Peru.
“I was in the gastroenterology department combined with the emergency unit at Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza,” said Lazarte, a Bridgewater resident and a senior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung. “My internship began in late June and lasted until the middle of July. The internship was combined with one of the best medical universities in Peru: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.”
“A typical day consisted of shadowing doctors in the morning from 7 until around 11 am, doing consults and then either viewing procedures such as colonoscopies and endoscopies, going to the emergency unit to observe surgeries, or going to the university to take classes,” she said.
She spent more than 70 hours at the hospital during the three weeks of herinternship.
"This internship has made me aware of the differences in the health systems between the United States and a third world country, Peru,” Lazarte said. “I am and will forever be grateful for having this opportunity because this medical internship has been the decision I have ever made and has confirmed my love for helping others and for medicine.”
ALSO: Senior Kathrina Durante recently shared her experience as a “Senior Summer Scholar” with her peers.
Durante attended the Georgetown Medical Institute, a week-long academic program at the Georgetown School of Medicine this summer from June 24 to 30. The opportunity provided a glimpse into the challenging medical school curriculum as well as a chance to work in the Gross Anatomy lab and use patient simulators.
The week included a 12-hour daily schedule as well as nine lectures, four labs and student activities after class. Lecture topics included neuroanatomy, emergency medicine and cardiovascular physiology. She applied these experiences while working on patient case studies.
The Gross Anatomy Lab used cadavers to show different regions of the body and the labs were performed using suturing techniques and rat dissection. The program also utilized the O’Neill Simulation Center to simulate intubation, bloodwork, and treating an MVC victim.
Durante, who also had the opportunity to visit the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center, said, “The Medical Institute at Georgetown University gave me the opportunity of gaining insight into the dedication and range of knowledge that is needed to pursue a career in medicine.”
“Although my day was packed for 12 hours, I enjoyed all of the lectures and labs, especially the Gross Anatomy Lab,” added Durante, a resident of Washington, N.J. “It was truly remarkable to see about 300 individuals who all have the same passion for healthcare.”
ALSO: Senior Faith Zamora attended The Wharton Sports Business Academy (WSBA), a four-week pre-college program held on University of Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia campus, from June 24 to July 21.
According to Zamora, a resident of Warren, the program served as a condensed, un-credited introductory course to sports business as taught by The Wharton School and explored the multiple facets of the discipline including media, marketing, governance and policy, law, and management, among others.
“I became interested in governance and policy and law throughout my stay at Wharton,” she said. “I found the possibility of determining/changing rules of games, negotiating the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and players’ association, and just generally working for a sports league to be extremely exciting and interesting.”
“Although the sports industry is an attractive billion-dollar industry, women have yet to make a substantial breakthrough into the field,” she added. “The gender breakup of WSBA being 79 boys to 17 girls to total 96 people was indicative of the actual participation of women in sports business. To become better represented in the sports industry as either an athlete or casual fan, diversity in management of sports leagues is essential.”
Zamora concluded, “This program, along with introducing me to new people, college life and gender inequity, gave me inspiration for the next part of my life in a sense of direction, which is an incredible feeling. Overall, I was proud to represent young women in such an underrepresented field and though I was nervous at first, I felt like the program made a huge impact on my life.”
New Jersey Poster and Video Contest
The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health, has launched the seventh annual Protect Me With 3+ poster and video contest.
The contest challenges New Jersey youth in middle and high school to raise awareness about the importance of adolescent immunizations: tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) and flu vaccines. Last year, the contest received more than 400 total entries from students across New Jersey.
“The Protect Me With 3+ contest is unique because of its ability to educate students about the importance of adolescent immunizations in a creative and collaborative way,” said Dr. Tina Tan, State Epidemiologist and Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health. “We encourage all New Jersey youth to participate in order to raise vaccination awareness in their cities and schools.”
Middle school and high school students can participate in the contest by submitting a hand-drawn poster or an original computer-generated poster that integrate key facts about one of the adolescent vaccines listed above. High school students have the additional option to submit a video up to 30 seconds long in the place of a poster. The submission deadline is Jan. 27, 2019. Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in the video and poster categories, and the winning entries will be showcased during various statewide immunization awareness activities.
Additionally, students who submit entries by Jan. 1, 2019 will be entered into random drawings to win prizes courtesy of Protect Me With 3+ event sponsors. For more information, visit http://www.protectmewith3.com/sponsors.
The top five finalists in each of the three categories will be posted on http://www.protectmewith3.com for public voting in March. The winners will then be announced and honored at an awards ceremony in April.
New Jersey teachers are encouraged to make the Protect Me With 3+ contest a class project. As an added incentive, prizes will be awarded to the classrooms with the most eligible submissions in each of the three categories. Visit http://www.protectmewith3.com/schools/.
“The Partnership is proud to sponsor the Protect Me With 3+ contest in a joint effort with the Department of Health to raise awareness for immunizations among preteens and teenagers,” Ilise Zimmerman, president and CEO of the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey said. “The medical importance of adolescent vaccinations should be a top priority for all parents and educators. We hope that teachers will participate by making the Protect Me With 3+ contest a class project!”
Information regarding eligibility, video and poster submission guidelines, and contest rules can be found at http://www.protectmewith3.com.
Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School
Nicole Gaeta, a sophomore in the cosmetology program has been selected as the Student of the Month for October at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School in Bridgewater.
SCVTHS Spanish Instructor Guillermo Reina nominated Gaeta for the Student of the Month award because, “Nicole is just an amazing student. She has this proactive behavior and does much more than what is expected of her.” Reina went on to add, “I am very impressed by her organizational and study skills demonstrated by the quality and system she uses in note taking for every lesson.”
This is not the Hillsborough resident’s first recognition for academic excellence as she previously earned a place on the Principal’s honor roll and was named a stellar student in cosmetology. In addition to her academic awards, The Arts Council of Princeton published her painting entitled “The Bronze Bell” in their annual spring anthology aMuse.
Outside of SCVTHS, Gaeta plans to begin an apprenticeship at Gaetano’s Hair Salon in Raritan in June of 2019. In her free time, Nicole enjoys spending time with family, visiting New York City, frequenting museums, attending plays and vacationing in Florida.
After graduating SCVTHS, she plans on attending Raritan Valley Community College, continuing to learn about hair design, earning a Master of Business Administration degree and opening her own salon.
Thomas Edison State University
Thomas Edison State University had plenty of cause for celebration during its 46th Annual Commencement, on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton.
During the ceremony, the university inaugurated its fourth president, Merodie A. Hancock, and recognized 10 new graduates of its inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program.
New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ 12th District), Class of 85, served as keynote speaker. “I am thrilled that this is my alma mater. Today, is both a commencement and the inauguration of President Merodie Hancock,” said Coleman, who is also the daughter of John S. Watson after whom the university’s John S. Watson School of Public Service and The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy are named. “There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Hancock represents the kind of energy, compassion, understanding, experience, leadership and readiness to take this university to its next level.”
The university’s class of 2018 included 2,464 graduates, 424 of whom attended the ceremony with 5,406 of their family members and guests. The graduates who attended came from 36 U.S. states, including California and Hawaii as well as Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“I am honored to serve as Thomas Edison State University’s fourth president,” said Hancock. “In particular I would like to express my appreciation for two gentleman who have individually and collectively accomplished so much in the world of nontraditional education: Dr. James Hall, founding president emeritus of SUNY Empire State College and Dr. George Pruitt, president emeritus of Thomas Edison State University. Most importantly, I want to acknowledge our graduates. This joint inauguration and graduation ceremony is most fittingly a ‘commencement.’ Today marks a wonderful new beginning. For some of you that beginning may be showing yourself and family members that a university degree is indeed achievable. For others, you may be using your undergraduate or graduate degrees to progress your professional, civic or personal lives. Regardless of your goals, this commencement, this new beginning, is opening doors of opportunity to a future you can’t even yet imagine. Opening doors and creating opportunities are the reasons I’m so excited to be the university’s fourth president.”
Pruitt served as the institution’s president for 35 years prior to Hancock assuming the role.
In honor of Hancock’s inauguration, the university’s Board of Trustees approved a $500 tuition scholarship voucher for all graduates. Recipients will have the option of using the voucher to continue their education or pass it along to someone they feel will benefit from the opportunity to attend the university.
The university has awarded approximately 61,750 degrees to more than 56,230 graduates since it began providing flexible, high-quality, collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults in 1972.
Timothy Christian School
Timothy Christian School will host an open house on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the school at 2008 Ethel Road in Piscataway. Visit http://www.timothychristian.org or call 732-985-0300, ext. 110, to register.
According to a news release, Timothy Christian School is committed to providing the finest Christ-centered education from Pre-K through 12th grade. The school seeks to challenge students through rigorous academics in a diverse and loving community to develop a world-view based on God’s word. They strive to meet the learning needs of all of its students through a rich curriculum and diverse teaching techniques.
In addition to fine arts, STEM and robotics programs, athletics is a rich tradition at Timothy, which offers nine sports and 23 teams in middle and high school. Athletics is also offered to the elementary students through Junior Tigers Program. The school is a ember of the NJSIAA and the Greater Middlesex Conference.
Warren Township Schools
All Warren Township Schools celebrated a “Week of Respect” from Monday, Oct.1, through Friday, Oct. 5.
Throughout the “Week of Respect,” each school counselor made visits to every classroom to communicate the importance of a bully-free environment and the significance of being respectful to one another. To further enhance the sentiment of the “Week of Respect,” each counselor planned daily activities for students to participate in.
The week was full of special days where students were invited to represent the particular theme through their clothing. Some examples:
- Tied Together by Respect, all students were invited to wear a scarf or necktie.
- Red, White, and Blue Day, all students were invited to wear red, white, and blue to show unity in following anti-bullying rules.
- Mismatched Clothing Day, all students were invited to wear mismatched clothing to demonstrate individual uniqueness.
- Wear a hat Day, to put a cap on bullying.
- We know our future is bright, all students were invited to wear bright colors!
- Be You Day, students wore clothing that represented where their family is from and they were reminded to always be proud of who they are!
Each student participated in lessons, activities and presentations throughout the week, some examples of those activities included:
- Woodland students are constructing a Kindness Tree. Each student will be recognized for acts of kindness and respect by adding a leaf to the tree with their name on it. The goal is to see how many kindness leaves can be added to the school wide kindness tree throughout the month of October.
- Middle School students viewed a Character Education presentation during their Guide period on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The goal of the presentation was to shift attitudes regarding bullying and empower students to stand up to bullying behavior.
- Angelo L Tomaso students received morning announcements on the importance of respect as well as motivational music upon arrival each morning to encourage R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
- Mt. Horeb students participated in Super Hero Day to understand the true meaning of a HERO, Helping Everyone Respect Others!
- Central students visited the Respect Station during recess each day to participate in many different activities to promote kindness and respect. A dice game called Roll and Respond about Respect as well as arts and crafts were enjoyed by many students.
Westfield Elementary School
It was a morning of fitness and fellowship across the district as more than 2,500 elementary students and their families celebrated Walk to School Day in Westfield on Oct. 3.
Organized by the Westfield Parent Teacher Council and the BRAKES Group (Bikers, Runners, and Kids are Entitled to Safety), the event is modeled after International Walk to School Day, a global effort involving communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day.
In Westfield, students in grades 1-5 skipped, hopped, and walked to their school. Some received special escorts after entering and winning a raffle for the chance to walk with a police officer, principal, school mascot, or other local dignitary.
Jefferson fourth-grader Pedro Puchkarew Do Nascimento was greeted at his front door by Mayor Shelley Brindle who escorted him to school, while second grader Kobi Rodrigues won the chance to be accompanied by Jefferson principal Susie Hung.
At Tamaques, mascot Tammi the Tiger joined in the fun, and at Wilson, third-grader Andrew Roofener was the winner of “Walk to School with a Firefighter,” escorted by Battalion Chief Robert Sawicki. Each of the sxi elementary schools had banners for students to sign and “I Walked” stickers provided by Weichert Realtors.
BRAKES is an organization that works to promote safe walking and biking routes for Westfield pedestrians of all ages.
ALSO: Students and staff in the Westfield Public Schools recently observed the Week of Respect.
In each of the district’s 10 schools, the emphasis was on the meaning of respect and the different ways students and staff show it. For example, Franklin School previewed the week with a colorful assembly focusing on the Six Pillars of Character and "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" by Sean Covey. Each student donned a tee shirt (in red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple, depending on grade level) with one of the six pillars written on the back – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.
Kindergartners in Joellen Surace's class listened to "Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness For Kids" by Carol McCloud. The book's central theme focuses on an invisible bucket we all carry and the chances we are given to fill someone else's bucket with kindness and respect. The youngsters filled the kindergarten bucket with kind thoughts "so that we all feel safe and respected," Surace said. They wrapped up the lesson singing and dancing to "Try a Little Kindness" from Sesame Street.
Tamaques 2nd graders explored empathy with the use of a shoebox, a pencil and some crayons. "Empathy means you put yourself in someone else's shoes," said school counselor Marybeth Herits. "You really try to understand how they are feeling." Using different colors for different emotions, the students illustrated how a hypothetical child who is struggling with math might be feeling.
Intermediate students at Edison and Roosevelt were treated to a powerful presentation as Dr. Paul Wichansky, who was born with cerebral palsy and hearing loss, talked about the transformative nature of kindness and the importance of positivity.
“Respect is something we practice daily in Westfield Public Schools. So we called this week the “Week of Extra Respect,” says Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan. “I am thankful that we have so many caring teachers, administrators and other staff who model respectful behavior every day and who routinely incorporate lessons focusing on empathy, responsibility, fairness, and other characteristics that enforce the district’s mission ‘to educate all students to reach their highest potential as productive, well-balanced and responsible citizens who respect individual differences and diversity in an every changing world.’”
Student and School news appears of Fridays. Email:cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com