Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Fund awards $55,000 to students in eight towns
Twenty-one students from area high schools received a total of $55,000 in scholarships from the Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Fund at a dinner conducted June 12 at the Spain Inn, Piscataway. The scholarships are financed by a bequest from Adele DeLeeuw, longtime Plainfield resident, author of 75 books, journalist and arts activist.
The Plainfield-North Plainfield Rotary club administers the Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Fund and is one of five local Rotary clubs that provide scholarships from the fund to students in their communities who pursue a course of study in poetry, art, journalism, writing or engineering. This year’s awards bring the fund’s 23-year total distribution to more than $1.3 million.
Three college students who received the scholarship for four consecutive years were honored as Adele DeLeeuw Senior Scholars. Recipients were Melody Njoku from North Plainfield High School, Roland Crystal of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and Shweta Modi from Edison High School.
Scholarship recipients from the graduating class of 2018 included Julia Amiano and Sierra Heuvelman of Watchung Hills Regional High School, Madison Goldberg and Ryan Lopez of Scotch-Plains Fanwood High School and Clifford Stueck of the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison.
The Scholarship Fund also provided continuing scholarships to college students from North Plainfield High School; Kenar Myers from Plainfield High School; Nolan Berry, Tyler Curtis, Scott Riccardi and Nicholas Ruzicka from South Plainfield High School; Anthony Raphael, Joshua Schmidt and Christopher Silva from Watchung Hills Regional High School; Kenyela Horn and Alexa-Jada Nelson from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and Tyler Crown and Nithya Narayanan from Union County Magnet High School.
Applications for the 2019 Adele DeLeeuw Scholarships will be available in January from public and private area high school guidance offices in Plainfield, North Plainfield, South Plainfield, Warren, Watchung, Edison, Scotch Plains and Fanwood. For further information, call Johanna Salvemini, Scholarship Administrator, at 908- 755-8098.
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LOOK and READ: Graduation coverage of the Class of 2018
Georgia Institute of Technology
The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees on May 5 from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia:
Leonid Velikoselskiy of Bedminster, master's degree in computer science
Patrick Omeara of Berkeley Heights, master's degree in mechanical engineering
Ronnie Jones of Bridgewater, master's degree in computer science
Juliet Benjamin of Branchburg, bachelor's degree in computer science
Phillip Thompson of Piscataway, master's degree in human-computer interaction
Nikhil Kapadia of Basking Ridge, bachelor's degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering
Aaron Weber of Lambertville, bachelor's degree in architecture
William Wright of Princeton, bachelor's degree in business administration
Abhijit Ravindran of Princeton, bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering
Niandong Xu of Princeton, bachelor's degree in computer science
Gonzaga University
Madeleine Glancey of Princeton was named to the spring president's list at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.85 to 4.0.
Middlesex: Von E. Mauger Middle School
New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT has announced it will launch a forensic science bachelor's degree program — a unique program designed for undergraduate students interested in the expanding fields of forensic science and crime scene investigation.
The 120-credit degree will represent New Jersey’s only undergraduate forensic science degree, and the first baccalaureate degree program in the New York metropolitan region designed from the outset to achieve approval by the main accrediting body in college-level forensic science academics, the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC).
The program — offered through NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts’ Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences — will feature a blend of forensic fieldwork opportunities, as well as advanced study of analytical methods, evidence and procedural law, and laboratory procedures used by forensic scientists in crime and investigative laboratories at the state and federal levels.
The announcement of NJIT’s forensic science program has received early endorsements from some of New Jersey's top law enforcement officials and leaders within the state’s forensic science communities.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics has predicted that employment opportunities for forensic science professionals will grow 17 percent from 2016 through 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Students will also be able to focus their study in the field through two options within the Forensic Science program: a Forensic Biochemistry Option (120 credit hours) and a Forensic Chemistry Option (120 credit hours). Each option contains advanced coursework in analytical chemistry in addition to further specialized courses in either biochemistry or chemistry.
The program’s academic credentials will also serve graduates pursuing careers in fields such as environmental and pharmaceutical industries, biotechnology, chemistry, homeland security, and regulatory agencies. Graduates may also apply their degree to pursue graduate degrees in STEM, medicine, dentistry or law.
Learn more about the program at https://csla.njit.edu/sites/csla/files/NJIT_Forensics_Science.pdf.
Readington Township School District
Readington Middle School has announced the recipients of the school’s 2017-2018 winter and spring Levendis Award, presented to athletes who demonstrate leadership, sportsmanship, hustle, commitment, spirit, positive attitude, and service to their sport. The award is named for the school’s first athletic director.
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Roger Williams University
The following Central Jersey residents were named to the spring dean's list at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island: Daniella Alva of Piscataway, Elizabeth Bard of Watchung, Gregory Decker of Basking Ridge, Rachel Gliniecki of Bloomsbury, Jacob Grant of Flemington, Phoebe Hare of Princeton, Samuel Huey of Frenchtown, Caroline Keane of Scotch Plains, Kristen Lepore of Berkeley Heights, Alyssa Murray of Green Brook, Samantha Painter of Whitehouse Station, Collin Smith of Warren. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.4
Rotary Club of Hillsborough
Rotary Club of Plainfield-North Plainfield
The Rotary Club of the Plainfields recently presented scholarship awards to twenty-three graduating seniors from the class of 2018 at North Plainfield High School and at Plainfield High School.
The Rotary club awarded $8,185 in scholarships to graduating seniors at North Plainfield High School, $14,250 to seniors at Plainfield High School. The club also awarded another $20,625 through the Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Fund to past graduates of the high schools in Plainfield, North Plainfield and South Plainfield.
The local club sponsors its own F. S. Mathewson Rotary Scholarship, awarding a total of $5,000 to students at North Plainfield High School. “Four scholarships were awarded in memory of Matty Mathewson, the first member of our club to serve as District Governor,” said club president Roberta Smith. ”We honor Matty’s memory through our community service activities, including these scholarship awards to assist students as they continue their education. Candidates for this award must demonstrate a mix of academic achievement; financial need; community service; school service, and must be a member of the North Plainfield High School Interact Club, the youth service club of Rotary.”
The Mathewson Rotary Scholarships were presented to Gissel Martinez, Paula Yanez, Aisha Shazam, and Fiona Chen.
The club also awards scholarships on behalf of the Plainfield Foundation, a community-based non-profit that awards funding to benefit local community groups. This year, the Rotarians awarded $3,185 from the Leo Albert Friese Scholarship Fund to North Plainfield High student Fiona Chen. The Friese Scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors who will pursue a major course of study in science.
Recipients of the $8,250 in PHS Alumni Scholarship awards were Tyshana Campbell, Jonathan Friere, Kelly Coca, Bryant Yancha-Pazmino, Gretel Rodriguez, Kamea Roberts, Shannon Roberts, Tahira Fleming, Kayla Avalosi, Stefany Cardona, Desteny Borrayes-Escobar, Kate Borrayes-Escobar, Wendy Guzman, and Saira Mazariegos.
The J. Wilbur Tovell Scholarship Fund was established as a bequest from Plainfield resident and alumnus of Plainfield High School J. Wilbur Tovell (1893-1974). His bequest stipulates that scholarship candidates must be male students only, with academic achievement and participation in school activities.
Recipients of the $14,250 in J. Wilbur Tovell Scholarships this year were Jaylen Ross, Jerry Chen, Quaran Sherrod, Bryant Yancha-Pazmino, Pedro Monroy, Kashawn Morris, Jonathan Friere.
Finally, the Rotary Club also administers the Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Fund. This fund was established in 1988 by a $1 million bequest in the will of the late Plainfield author Adele DeLeeuw. The Club works with four other Rotary clubs in the area to see that the annual income from the bequest is awarded to students who pursue a course of study in poetry, art, journalism, writing, or engineering. "We have awarded a total of $1,261,500 over the twenty-three years that the Rotary Club has administered the program," said Michael Townley, chairman of the Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Committee.
The DeLeeuw Scholarship awards for Plainfield, North Plainfield, and South Plainfield students totaling $20,625 were presented at a special dinner on June 12 at the Spain Inn. Recipients from each community were Kenar Meyers of Plainfield; Brenda Okereke and Melody Njoku of North Plainfield; and Scott Riccardi, Nolan Berry, Tyler Curtis, and Nicholas Ruzicka of South Plainfield.
The other four Rotary clubs awarded an additional $34,375 to students from their communities.
The Rotary Club’s Plainfield Scholarship Committee was chaired by Tom Reedy, assisted by Roberta Smith, Victoria Griswold, and Rev. Joyce Scheyer. The North Plainfield Scholarship Committee was chaired by Janice Allen who was assisted by Fred Saide. The Adele DeLeeuw Scholarship Committee was co-chaired by Michael Townley and Shannon Jefferys.
Contact Michael Townley, club secretary, at PNProtary@gmail.com for additional information about the Rotary Club and its activities or to inquire about membership, or visit https://www.rotarypnp.org or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RotaryPNP.
Rotary Club of Westfield
Philip Salerno, president of the Rotary Club of Westfield, convened the 97-year-old service organization’s annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony Luncheon on June 12 at the Westfield Area Y announcing that 18 college-bound Westfield students, would be the recipients of scholarships totaling $98,000.
Representing The Westfield Foundation, which manages the investments of several of the named funds comprised of donations and bequests by Rotarians, their families and friends, were trustees and Rotarians Barbara Frantz, and Ray Kostyak. Donald Maxwell, son of the late Donald (Bob) Maxwell, a member of the club for 68 years with perfect attendance, and his daughter, Kate, were also in attendance. Rotarian William Bonsall honored the late Harry Sturcke, also a Rotarian for 68 years, commenting on his outstanding generosity and legacy.
Candidates for scholarships must be residents of the town who are graduating seniors enrolled in accredited high schools. Criteria for consideration, according to Peer, are based on academic achievement, service to the community and financial need. He commented, “The committee members are congratulated on their diligence. The applications and supporting detail are carefully reviewed and every candidate who meets the criteria receives a personal interview.”
Two Charles & Florence Wallace Scholarships, totaling $15,000 each for four years to Shea Elliot, University of Chicago and Clair Hunter, The College of New Jersey.
Health Sciences Scholarship in Memory of Linda Reed, $8,000, to Julia Vricella-Stokes, Villanova University.
Two Robert M. & Winifred M. Reed Law/Government Service Scholarships, $5,000 each, to Julia Robb, University of Vermont and Julia Schiano, Michigan State University.
Charles & Florence Wallace Scholarship, $5,000, to Caroline Stockwell, University of Rochester.
Three scholarships in memory of Harry Sturcke, $5,000 each, to Julian Mazzola, The New School, Ophelia Murray, West Virginia University and Haley MyKytka, Syracuse University.
Chester A. Gerdes Scholarship, $4,000, to Noah Ensslin, Stevens Institute of Technology.
Georgianna Pollack Scholarship, $4,000, to Matthew Doyle, Fordham University.
Bob Maxwell Scholarship, $2,000, to Tyler Wright, Clemson University.
Six Rotary Club Scholarships went to James Cerria, $4,000 for Purdue University; Daniel Scalia, $4,000 for Rutgers University; Steven Warren $4,000 for Washington & Lee University; Rollins Terry, $3,000 for the University of Virginia; Joseph Ensslin, $3,000 for the University of Pittsburgh, and Gabriela Ryan, $2,000 for the University of North Carolina.
Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School
Two seniors from the Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School’s (SCVTHS) TOPS (Technical Occupational Preparation for Success) program received 2018 Carol Levasseur Memorial Scholarships at an awards ceremony on the school’s campus in Bridgewater. The TOPS program at SCVTHS is a nationally recognized alternative education program, which provides academic, vocational and counselling services to Somerset County high school students.
The two winners of this year’s scholarship are Dustin Alfrey of Fords and Anthony Quinones of Bound Brook. The students were chosen for the award because of their dedication to the arts and their commitment to continue their studies to pursue a professional career.
Alfrey, a cosmetology student, intends to channel his passion for painting toward his goal of eventually becoming an entrepreneur in the cosmetology industry. “My participation in the arts has given me an expanded vision of myself and helped me to realize the amount of possibilities that are open to me,” said Alfrey, who plans to continue his education at Middlesex Community College in the fall, where he plans to study color theory, design and business administration.
Quinones, a graphic communications student, intends to continue expressing himself through his drawing and creative writing, especially poetry. He plans to enter Raritan Valley Community College in the fall and eventually would like to teach literature. “Writing poetry has helped me become more in touch with the world and with myself," he said. "I would like to hopefully have the honor of helping someone else find that connection as well."
The Carol Levasseur Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 by SCVTHS employee Sharleen Leahey in memory of her partner, a landscape painter who lived and worked in Somerville. Since 2012 the scholarship has been given to a total of 11 students. The funds for the award were donated by Fulton Bank of New Jersey in addition to individual donors who attended an annual fundraiser. This year’s two winners were each awarded $400.
For more information on the TOPS Program at SCVTHS, contact Chris Lemongelli at 908- 526-8900, ext. 7123.
ALSO: The National Spanish Examinations (NSE) presented by The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese are a “motivational contest to recognize student achievement in the study of Spanish and to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish.”
The examinations are a standardized assessment tool for students in grades 6-12 and given by approximately 4,000 teachers throughout the United States to measure students’ proficiency of Spanish as a second language.
This year, the 2018 National Spanish Examinations have provided the following results for SCVTHS students:
Oro medal winners scoring at or above the 95th percentile: Melissa Lam of Bound Brook; Douglas Sullivan of Raritan; Rayhanah Ahmed of Bound Brook; Alexander Chen of Warren; Sanya Ravoori, Isha Shah, Michelle Wilfred of Hillsborough; Elizabeth Gershater of Bridgewater; Ruhyak Gupta of Flemington; Mukta Patwari of Bridgewater; Nikhil Patel of Franklin Park.
Plata medal winners scoring from the 85th through the 94th percentiles: Gabrielle Ku of Warren; Varun Punnam of Bridgewater; Mark Saba of Somerset; Shree Amin of Hillsborough; Norbert Malik of Bound Brook; Krishna Mody of Martinsville; Mitisha Panda of Belle Mead; Shivani Patel, Mayaank Pillai of Hillsborough; Naimisha Vidavalapati of Somerset; Vinitha Vivek of Hillsborough; Gabriel Meyer of Califon; Abiram Gangavaram of Watchung; Mae Kinst of Hillsborough; Mona Marhaba of Bridgewater; Milan Patel of Hillsborough; Ritu Peddinti, Aromal Suresh of Bridgewater; Brian Gollop of Bound Brook; Matthew Natividad of Somerset.
Bronce medal winners scoring from the 75th through the 84th percentiles: Nicole Gaeta of Hillsborough, Ananya Putta, Harrinee Senthilkumar of Bridgewater, Jamie Moni, Dhyan Patel of Hillsborough, Mira Amin of Bridgewater, Nidhi Banker of Branchburg; Adarsh Mavathaveedu of Flemington; Evan Sapirman of Hillsborough; Jack Scala of Califon; Farouk Marhaba of Bridgewater; Ayush Shah of Raritan; Siddharth Shankar of Hillsborough.
Honorífica students scoring at or above the 50th percentile (national average) through the 74th percentile: Vrishank Mechineni of Franklin Park; Natasha Mody of Martinsville; Yousuf Qari of Somerset; Sharon Samuel of Hillsborough; Sophia Starzynski of Manville; Seejal Padhi of Bridgewater; Rayaan Azmi of Hillsborough; Dhruv Gupta of Warren; Mahima Gurushankar of Bridgewater; Veda Kota of Hillsborough; William Littwin of Bridgewater; Michelle Masiello of Hillsborough; Sonia Purohit of Branchburg; Anna Ramos of Warren; Evelyn Sullivan of Raritan; Tawe Tawe of Hillsborough; Darshan Shah of Hillsborough.
Springfield College
The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees from Springfield College in Massachusetts: Meagan Robichaud of Ringoes, bachelor's degree in health science pre-physical therapy; Morgan Martucci of Flemington, bachelor's degree in movement and sport studies
Syracuse University
Erika R. Lipinski of Hillsborough was named to the spring dean's list at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.
The State University New York/ at New Paltz
The following Central Jersey residents were named to the spring dean's list at SUNY: Kaitlyn Buchanan of Fanwood, Jamie Liu of Glen Gardner, Nicole Martingano of Berkeley Heights, Peter Palmeir of Branchburg and Kailey Rocker of Far Hills. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.3
Thomas Edison State University
Marie Owens-Suarez of Piscataway, received a bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton. Owens-Suarez is a medical practice administrator at the Orthopedic and Spine Center of New Jersey in Warren.
Tufts University
The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees on May 20 from Tufts University in Massachusetts:
Basking Ridge: Daniel Van Nest , bachelor's degree in mathematics, cum laude; John McGowan, bachelor's degree in physics, magna cum laude; Charles Wollmuth, bachelor's degree in biology, magna cum laude; Jonathan Wong, bachelor's degree in biology; Mattison Barickman, bachelor's degree in geological sciences, cum Laude
Belle Mead: Iqra Asghar, bachelor's degree in international relations, magna cum laude
Branchburg: Duncan Kimmel , bachelor's degree in biology, summa cum laude
Bridgewater: Vincent Pace, bachelor's degree in economics
Far Hills: Ellexa Thomas, bachelor's degree in economics
Flemington: Samuel Little, bachelor's degree in international relations; Catherine Gao, bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, cum laude
Lebanon: Kensey Olsen, bachelor's degree in physics
Montgomery: Justin Will, bachelor's degree in quantitative economics, summa cum laude
Scotch Plains: Alexa Paiva, bachelor's degree in community health, magna cum laude; Christian Zazzali, bachelor's degree in economics
Warren: Natalie Gilbert, bachelor's degree in computer science, summa cum laude; Arushi Agarwal, bachelor's degree in biology
Westfield: Kevin Galasso, bachelor's degree in quantitative economics; Jake Kaplan, bachelor's degree in economics, magna cum laude; Emma Phillips, bachelor's degree in political science
Whitehouse Station: Emily Van Doren, bachelor's degree in biochemistry, summa cum laude
ALSO: The following were named to the spring dean's list: Luke Allocco of Kenilworth, Rebecca Ames of Scotch Plains, Sophia Balsamo, Amanda Bank of Princeton, Mattison Barickman of Basking Ridge, Jack Barral of Bernardsville, Owen Bartok of Westfield, Allison Bernstein of Warren, Jeffrey Blitt of New Providence, Rachel Breslau of Basking Ridge, Lawrence Chan of New Providence, Joshua Clarkson of Somerville, Sahil Deo of Green Brook, Liam Finnegan of Asbury, Catherine Gao of Flemington, Natalie Gilbert of Warren, Jordan Hindes of Westfield, Evan Hirschman of Princeton, Daniel Hutt of Scotch Plains, Panru Jing of Belle Mead, Matthew Johnson of Bridgewater, Honor Kalkin of Far Hills, Amy Kaplan of Westfield, Matthew Kim, Aditi Kocherlakota of Princeton, Allison Lam, Jessie Lan of Bridgewater, Nora Li of Berkeley Heights, Ryan Mcdonald of Annandale, John McGowan, Devon McKeon of Basking Ridge, Gillian O'Connor of Belle Mead, Madeleine Oliver of Basking Ridge, Alexa Paiva of Scotch Plains, Emma Pannullo of Bedminster, Nived Parikh of Princeton, Caroline Passalacqua of Stockton, Brianna Pastro of Berkeley Heights, Emma Phillips of Westfield, Alexander Ratzan, Trevor Russo of Princeton, Garrett Samuelson of Basking Ridge, Trina Sanyal of Bridgewater, Scott Saravay of New Providence, McKenzie Schuyler of Green Brook, Rohan Shaiva of Somerville, Sarah Shnayder of Milltown, Nathaniel Silberman of High Bridge, Holt Spalding of Princeton, Ellexa Thomas of Far Hills, Ethan Tu of Warren, Emily Van Doren of Whitehouse Station, Nicola Van Manen of Princeton, Daniel Van Nest of Basking Ridge, Juliana Wagner of Scotch Plains, Charles Wollmuth, Jonathan Wong of Basking Ridge, Frank Yandrisevits of Princeton, Christian Zazzali of Scotch Plains. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.4.
University of Albany
The following Central Jersey residents were named to the spring dean's list at the University of Albany: Derek Balbierz of Somerset, Donna Conrad of Hillsborough, Erik Dluhy of Branchburg, Andrea Leitner of Scotch Plains. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.
University of Delaware
The following Central Jersey residents at the University of Delaware were named to the spring dean's list:
Annandale: Emily Fornaro; Basking Ridge: Matthew Bates, Emma Broos, Lauren Campo, Jeffrey Cappola, Katherine Chassie, Danielle Conti, Abigail Edge, Elena Errico, Michela Gatto, Sarah Kaplan, Michele Lakos, Jillian Lardiere, Dylan Lettie, Kaitlin Malloy, Brynn McMahon, Anna O'Brien, Nicholas Sandomeno, Morgan Tobia; Bedminster: Scott Harvey, Evan Underhill; Belle Mead: Sean Bates, Amanda Bolt, Alexis Garhart, Sarah Kulick, Angela Pace, Gabrielle Patrizio, Meaghan Pellizzari; Berkeley Heights: Jackalyn Boland, Kyle Midlige, Christine Pacheco, Amy Tullo, Julianna Zomper; Bernardsville: Sydney Rudin, Lindsey Zeikel; Bloomsburg: Stephanie Clampitt; Branchburg: Carleigh Antico, Emily Helm, Christina Kolatac, Tyler Leeds, Gabriela Taddesse; Bridgewater: Ian Anderson, Cameron Arcurio, Kathryn Bearnarth, Dene Bugianesi, Kathryn Cornet, Kelsey Coulter, Melissa Fernandez, Jaclyn Gaffney, Melissa Gutheil, Michael Kolen, Andrew Lehberger, Samantha Lerner, John Longordo, Emily Mentuck, Shannon Murphy, Leah Posella, Matthew Resnick, Isabella Russo, Marlayna Salvesen, Jeannette Vivanco, Samantha Wizemann; Califon: Alyssa Bonavito, Meredith Folsom; Clinton: Sarah Blumenfeld, Kelly Dineen, Scott Jackle, Lauren Kreutel, Keana Prisk, Richard Rejmentowski; Fanwood: Madeleine Bebout, Samuel Bebout, Rachel Butler, Haley De Maria, Owen Martin, Paige Vanbuskirk; Far Hills: Cassidy Dixon; Flemington: Chandler Amato, Elias Antelman, Cody Burjan, Emily Colalillo, Quinn Hickey, Samantha Hoffman, Grant Knappe, Dario Lecusay, Thomas McLellan, Madison Mirra, Amanda Marie Placzankis, Baylee Ryan, Analisa Vizzoni, Katherine Wheeler; Franklin Park: Brendan Benson; Frenchtown: Shannon Callery, Isabel Navarro, Alexander Nugent, Alexa Vargas; Gladstone: Christopher Paciej, Paige Paladini; Glen Gardner: Fawn Bartok, Alessandra Crane, John Singleton, Sarah Tyms; Green Brook: EJ Carron, Shannon Connors, Brianna Martins, Geena Rocchietti, David Schulman; High Bridge: Rachel Silberman; Hillsborough: Brianna Ames, Madison Becker, Eric Brandwein, Madison D'Amico, Alison DeCasperis, Courtney Defeo, Rebecca DelCore, Michael Engelhardt, Alyssa Fodera, Samara Friedman, Annie Gawroniak, Christian Gerry, Nicole Girardi, Justin Havel, Caroline Hu, Michael Irwin, Jenna Landesman, Daniel Leddy, Kathleen Lumia, Gillian Manning, Marisa Mazuera, Hannah McCray, Shannon McNaul, Paul Michinard, Christina Occhi, Austin Schimmel, Pierce Shein, Elaina Volpe; Lambertville: Rebecca Dennison, Evan MacGregor, Cori McClelland, Erica Murphy; Lebanon: Katie Hanily, Amanda Hendricks; Martinsville: Paige Hobby, Julia Korbo, Angelica Santelli; Middlesex: Melissa Brower; Milford: Kristen Brokaw, Helena Habib, Zachary LaDuca, Sheila Mandato, Kirsten Torrey, Megan Wagner; Milltown: Tori Palfey; Mountainside: Jack Hall, Taylor Hendrzak; New Providence: Erin Fay, Jacquelyn Keating, Jordan Langs, Kristen Potter, Nancy Sienkiewicz, Peregrine Spiegel; North Plainfield: Kaitlyn Carreras, Hasani Eason; Piscataway: Samantha DeLucia, Brandon Evers; Pittstown: Danielle Geoffroy, Amanda Obiedzinski, Kaitlyn Paulmeno, David Yudin; Princeton: Emma Campisi, Carly Conway, Sophia DiLeo, Darin Howell, Julianna Marabello, Tara McKenna; Raritan: Jenna Naples; Ringoes: Connor Barbella-Roesler, Stephen Brown, Devany Burke, Meghan LaMotta, Ryan McNulty, Marisa Probst; Scotch Plains: Caroline Babis, Paige Crandall, Matthew Fox, Madison Maisel, Vasilios Makris, Alyson McGrath, Ryan Peterson, John Quigley, Chelsea Tavares, Connor Walsh, Kelsey Werkheiser, Natalie Zimmermann; Skillman: Adam Cige, Kelsey Craven, Kyle Dudek, Nada Hazzaa, Matthew Heebner, Hope Vlacich, Brian Walker; Somerset: Connor DeVoe, Jailyn Frazier, Brittany Georges, Navya Jagarlamudi; Somerville: Melissa Giraldo; South Plainfield: Maggie Quintanilla; Stockton: Megan Fisher, Leah McVey, Danielle Viola; Warren: Sarie Berman, Marissa Butrico, Frank Colantuono, Dominique D'Angelo, Lucas Distefano, Jessica Gittleman, Ashley Levin, Haley Levine, Margot Novek, Jenna Schwartz, Carl Valentino; Westfield: Olivia Aurigemma, Nicholas Barroqueiro, Chloe Beauchamp, Matthew Beauchamp, Katherine Brown, Elizabeth Brown-Cordero, Kevin Campanello, Max Carle, Isabelle Cohen, Kayleigh Denner, Gianna Devito, Nicole Devitt , Christina Di Bella, Victoria Guerriero, Andrew Harting-Smith, Ansh Jhaveri, Jacob Klofta, Olivia Luzzi, Michael Maguire, Erin Malley, Shannon Malley, Jaclyn O'Connor, Sarah Russo, Matthew Schiff, Aaron Tavasi, Eric Varakian, Allison Worms; Whitehouse Station: Cheyenne Smith, Sarah Warkentin, Barbara Chrobot, Emily Glauber, Jacquelyn Pierre, Christina Rolchigo, Nicole Sadlon, Stephanie Scalera, Rebecca Schiff, Alexander Wargo, Katelyn Wyman. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.33.
University of Hartford
The following Central Jersey residents at the University of Hartford were named to the spring dean's list: Victoria Abucewicz of Asbury, Rachel Goldman of Bedminster, Jennifer Vislocky, Thomas Abusada of Berkeley Heights, Stephanie Cardenas of Bernardsville, Karlee Clark, Debbie Vergara of Branchburg, Abena Adutwum of Bridgewater, Kyle Conti, Taylor Noll of Clinton, Nia Washington of Flemington, Stacy Muema of Hillsborough, Sara Kohut of Somerset, John Ray of Warren, Emma Lorenzo of Westfield, James Coleman of Whitehouse Station.
University of Pennsylvania
Brandon A. Santhumayor of Piscataway was named to the spring dean's list at the University of Pennsylvania.
University of Scranton
The following Central Jersey residents graduated from its undergraduate honors program, which is one of the Jesuit university's programs of excellence: Catherine O. Bruno of Westfield, bachelor's degree in international studies and French and francophone studies, cum laude; Robert A. Staubach of Flemington, bachelor's degree in chemistry, magna cum laude.
Westfield Public Schools
A half court-sized map of Europe traveled between Edison and Roosevelt Intermediate Schools in Westfield in May and early June as part of a more student-centered approach to geography.
In a geo-scavenger hunt, of sorts, students used latitude and longitude to find an assigned location on the National Geographic Giant Map, set up in the schools’ gymnasiums. Once at the location on the map, the students found an envelope with instructions on how to proceed with their lesson on European History.
“You will be assigned a number that corresponds with coordinates on the map,” said Roosevelt social studies teacher Mariefrances Pugliese as she instructed her students on June 6. “You’re trying to find out what happened in this place we studied. What was the major impact?”
District K-12 Social Studies Supervisor Andrea Brennan said her department worked with building principals and parent-teacher-student organizations at both intermediate schools to purchase a Giant Map of Europe.
“During department meetings and the district in-service day, social studies teachers worked in grade level teams to develop meaningful activities that connected to the curriculum for their students using the Giant Map,” Brennan added. “This is our first year with this activity so I’m sure there will be lots of lessons to learn as I debrief the department. Early feedback is that the kids loved it.”
ALSO: Another example of student-centered, hands-on learning in Westfield Public Schools occurred when seventh-graders recently enjoyed the Makerspace at Roosevelt. "This Makerspace challenges students to apply 21st century skills related to robotics, circuits, building/engineering, computer programming and artistic design," said RIS librarian/media specialist Megan Lynn. "Our Makerspace motto is 'Create. Collaborate. Innovate.'"
Wheaton College
The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees in May from Wheaton College in Illinois: Julia Alison of Lebanon, bachelor's degree in communication, cum laude; Sarah Nicole McDevitt of Annandale, bachelor's degree in business economics and a minor in Spanish, magna cum laude; James Alan Schetelich of Scotch Plains, bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in biblical and theological studies, summa cum laude.
Widener University
The following Central Jersey residents received their degrees on May 19 from Widener University in Pennsylvania: Caroline Black of Princeton, master's degree in social work; Sara Edwards of Bloomsbury, master's degree in human sexuality studies; Anna LaPlaca of Princeton, bachelor's degree in nursing; Parita Patel of Belle Mead, bachelor's degree in nursing; Julia Venturelli of Bridgewater, bachelor's degree in political science.
Student and School news appears on Fridays. Email:cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com