Student news: Newly minted alumni return to Wardlaw-Hartridge to talk about college

• Six graduates from the Class of 2016 at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School returned to the school in Edison
• Bridgewater-Raritan High School advances in International debate competition
• Tewksbury Township Kindergarten registration is happening in January
• Timothy Christian School's Kindergarten preview day is set

Six graduates from the Class of 2016 at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison participated in a panel discussion and answered questions about the college process and their transition from high school on Young Alumni College Day on Jan. 4. The discussion was moderated by Susan Swenson, director of college counseling.

This year's panel included Charlotte Sweeney of Cranford, Skidmore College, Brendan O’Brien of Sayreville, Dickinson College, BrookeSutton of Westfield, High Point University, Sonali Shah of Edison, Vassar College, Cecily D’Amore of Scotch Plains, George Washington University and Astitva Soni of Edison, Rice University. Topics included time management, scheduling college classes, feeling secure and comfortable in a college environment, different class sizes and dorm life.

All of the alumni panelists agreed that their high school prepared them well for college, especially in the areas of time management, writing and public speaking. According to a school news release, Wardlaw-Hartridge students are required to juggle challenging academic workloads with athletics and multiple extracurricular activities, a routine which serves as strong preparation for college.

Bridgewater-Raritan High School

Students from Bridgewater-Raritan High School have advanced to the “Top 32” round of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF).

Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the forum is the first and only debate competition that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

By advancing, the students remain eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City on May 6, 2017, according to a news release.

“These students have excelled at the IPPF’s unique test of research, analytical, writing and advocacy skills,” said William A. Brewer III, chairman and founder of the Brewer Foundation. “They now advance to the Round of 32 – the next written round of the competition and a step closer to the IPPF Finals.”

This year, hundreds of teams submitted qualifying round essays affirming or negating the 2016-17 IPPF topic, “Resolved: The obligation to provide safe haven for refugees should outweigh a government’s right to control its borders.” Those essays were reviewed by a committee, which determined the “Round of 64” teams based on the overall quality of each 2,800-word essay.

In November, the “Round of 64” teams then began a single-elimination, written debate competition. Each team was assigned a position (affirmative or negative) and then volleyed papers back and forth with another team via email. A panel of judges reviewed the essays and selected the winning teams. In that round, Bridgewater-Raritan High School advanced over Hamilton High School from Arizona.

The “Top 32” round begins immediately. Bridgewater-Raritan High School will compete in a written debate against The British School of Bahrain from Hamala, Kingdom of Bahrain. The top 32 teams include 26 U.S.teams from 17 U.S. states. There are six international teams from schools in China, Czech Republic, Kingdom of Bahrain, Nepal, Slovakia and Taiwan.

The winning teams will be announced on Feb. 13, and will proceed to the “Sweet 16” round. On March 23, the “Elite 8” teams will be announced. Those teams will travel to New York City on an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City. The finals will take place on May 6 at the Harold Pratt House.

Thefinals give students the opportunity to participate in oral debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in debate, business, law and politics. The winning team will take home the “Brewer Cup” and a $10,000 grand prize.

The “Top 32” teams: Beijing ENREACH, Beijing, China, Rato Bangala School, Lalitpur, Nepal, Hathaway Brown School (1), Shaker Heights, Ohio, Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park, Florida, The British School of Bahrain, Hamala, Kingdom of Bahrain, Bridgewater-Raritan HighSchool, Bridgewater, New Jersey, The Davidson Academy of Reno, Reno, Nevada, Woodward Academy, College Park, Georgia, Solon High School, Solon, Ohio, Team Czech Republic, Říčany u Prahy, Czech Republic, duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, St. Louis, Missouri, Unionville High School, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, La Cañada High School, La Cañada, California, Millburn High School, Millburn, New Jersey, Jasper High School, Plano, Texas, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, Colorado, Plano West Senior High School, Plano, Texas, Annapolis High School, Annapolis, Maryland, Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville, Texas, North Allegheny Senior High School, Wexford, Pennsylvania, Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California, Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, Taipei American School, Taipei, Taiwan, Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, California, Bilingvalne gymnazium Milana Hodzu, Sucany, Slovakia, Plano Senior High School, Plano, Texas, East Mountain High School, Sandia Park, New Mexico, Westfield Academy, West Hartford, Connecticut, John Handley High School, Winchester, Virginia, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana

The IPPF was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation (formerly Bickel & Brewer Foundation), and is now jointly administered with New York University. The program is available to all high schools around the world – public and private – for free. The Brewer Foundation is a private, non-profit organization funded by companies, individuals and the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. Visit www.ippfdebate.com, www.facebook.com/ippfdebate, or on Twitter at @IPPF1.

READ: The good things students are doing in Central Jersey and beyond

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Bucknell University

The following Central Jersey residents at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, were named to the fall dean's list: Trevor Adriaanse, Jessica Ahn of Warren, Katharine Alden of Princeton, Kimberly Banks of Califon, Madeline Boone of Warren, John Braniff of Far Hills,Noah Bream of Bedminster, Connor Cairoli of Lebanon, Lauren Caldas of Watchung, Kathryn Chesebrough of Skillman, Nicole Cirra of Basking Ridge, Tobias Cozzolino of Annandale, Madeline Davidian of Skillman, Kristen Davis, Matthew Davis of Dunellen, Caroline DeWitt of Basking Ridge, Charles Duryee of Whitehouse Station, Molly Farrell of Basking Ridge, Maggie Fischer and Emily Gagis of  Bernardsville, Annie Girton of Asbury, Sophie Giuliani of Fanwood, Jamie Goetchius of Gladstone, Dani Goldberg of Lambertville, Camryn Goldstein of Warren, Lauren Gross of Hillsborough, Erin Hahn of Watchung, Lucy Herring of Princeton, Catherine Higgins of Watchung, Krysta Holman of Princeton, Jack Horan of Far Hills, Adam Inbar of Princeton, Victoria Karakis of Scotch Plains, Hannah Klim of Lambertville, David Klipstein of Califon, Brian Lapham of Scotch Plains, Michelle Lin of Princeton, Olivia Loggia of Westfield, Morgan Machado of Berkeley Heights, Alexandra Mascali of Skillman, Morgan McAlister of Westfield, Brendan McGil of Lebanon, Austin Mendez of Warren, Amber Mironov of Pittstown, Lena Miskulin of New Providence, Kelsey O'Donnell of Berkeley Heights, Nicholas Palmer of New Providence, Jake Papa of Califon, Autumn Patterson of Westfield, Mukta Phatak of Berkeley Heights, Christina Pierson of Flemington, Christina Reddi of Bernardsville, Gregory Ruda of Bridgewater, Lynette Santhakumar of Warren, Alexander Schraer of Basking Ridge, Alexandra Schwetje of  Westfield, Kathryn Sidlowski of Warren, Jenna Slusar of Annandale, Thomas Smith of Lebanon, Peter Stoddard of Princeton, Emily Tevebaugh of Lebanon, John Turner of Skillman, Kelly Vasel of Westfield, Matthew Vira of High Bridge, Ian Vogel of Flemington, Andrew Wheeler of Scotch Plains, Sophia Yan of Basking Ridge. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Centenary Stage Company

Centenary Stage Company (CSC) continues its tradition of nurturing young artists by offering the TYRO Acting Program this spring. The spring session runs Feb. 15 through April 26 and will meet on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the college in Hacketttstown.

As part of the company’s mission to introduce and develop arts in education with the community, the TYRO Acting Program is designed specifically for young thespians ages 8 to 10 years of age, according to a news release. Using structured theater activities which focus on expression, confidence building and fun, young thespians will learn acting games and demonstrate improvisations inspired by popular fairy and folk tales. Tuition for the spring session is $150 per student and the deadline for registration is Feb. 1.

The TYRO Program is led by Maria Brodeur, the CSC education director. Brodeur is a professional actress and arts educator with experience in children’s theatre who holds a bachelor's degree in theater and education from Rutgers University.

TYRO, along with the Young Performers Workshop program, represents the educational arm of the Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theatre in residence at Centenary University under the leadership of Artistic Director, Carl Wallnau.  For more information, contact 908-979-0900 or visit centenarystageco.org.

The 2016 - 17 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Premier Season Sponsor Heath Village Retirement Community, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Medical Center, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), The Holiday Inn of Budd Lake, and Fulton Bank of New Jersey, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.

Champlain College

The following Central Jersey residents at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, were named to the fall dean's list: Jamie Abar of Scotch Plains, Caroline Garretson of Somerville, Christopher Romeo of Pittstown, Alex Sabatell of North Plainfield. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Columbia College

Danielle C. Ball of Hillsborough was named to the fall dean's list at Columbia College in Columbia,Missouri. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5.

Dean College

The following Central Jersey residents at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, were named to the fall dean's list: Jacob Resnick of Flemington, William Harrison of Princeton, Kyeronn Cole of Plainfield, Mathew Tazbin of Westfield.

Elmira College

The following Central Jersey residents at Elmira College in Elimar, New York, were named to the fall dean's list: Campbell Grade of Somerville, Rachel Katzenberger of High Bridge, Sarah McCaffrey of Lambertville, Amanda Miller of Hampton. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher.

Flemington-Raritan School District

Flemington-Raritan School District encourages community members and businesses to come together and participate in The Great Kindness Challenge, running from Jan. 23 to 27.

According to a district news release, the Great Kindness Challenge is a positive, proactive bullying prevention initiative, designed to reach millions of students during the last full week of January every year.

In the Flemington-Raritan district, some activities to help support a safe and caring school environment include:

• Having students and families donate items needed by Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
• Decorating lunch bags for Meals on Wheels
• Making and sending cards of hope, strength, and courage to those living with cancer through Joan’s Monarch Wishes
• Participating in a Kindness Spirit Week, and participating in Kindness Stations completing kindness activities throughout the week
• Taking home Kindness Bingo to complete with parents.

In order to create a consistent, positive message throughout the school and community, the Flemington-Raritan School District will announce The Great Kindness Challenge Proclamation at the Jan. 23 Board of Education meeting held at J. P. Case Middle School at 7 p.m.

The Great Kindness Challenge was created by Kids for Peace to provide schools a tool for creating a positive school environment. In 2016, more than five million students united and inspired some250 million acts of kindness nationwide, according to a news release from the organization. The great Kindness Challenge is sponsored by Dignity Health, Peaceable Kingdom, Little Pickle Press, ViaSat, SDGE, Emma Lesko Children’s Author, The Code Crew, Nordson, Leo Buscaglia Foundation, and ExaMobile. For more information, visit www.greatkindnesschallenge.org.

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

The following Central Jersey residents at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania were named to the fall dean's list: Madison Laurel Beer of Skillman, Courtney Leigh Bennett of Hillsborough, Morganne K. Bennett of Hillsborough, Robert Anthony Bondura of Branchburg, Anne Caroline Bonnefoi of Basking Ridge, Dustin Thomas Ciano of Hillsborough, Olivia P. DiMeglio of Skillman, Brianna Rose Graziano of Berkeley Heights, Kevin W. Kaminski of Branchburg, Shannon McCray of Hillsborough, Caroline T. Merrill of Raritan, Sara Lizabeth Nicotra of Manville, Alyssa Rose Smorra of Bound Brook, Ashley Stokes of Dunellen. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.60.

Lasell College

The following Central Jersey residents at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts, were named to the fall dean's list: Kerry Mosier of Mountainside, Shannon Motz of Whitehouse Station, Skylar Diamond of Raritan. Students must achieve a grade-point aveage of 3.5.

League Foundation LGBT Scholarship

The 2017 LEAGUE Foundation LGBT Scholarship Program is now open for high school senior student applicants online at http://www.leaguefoundation.org/apply/. The application deadline for scholarships is midnight on April 30. 

Currently the LEAGUE Foundation has four awards for consideration and each student application is automatically reviewed for each. 
The Laurel Hester Memorial Scholarship (one award annually); The Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship (one award annually);
The Stonewall Empowerment Scholarship (one award annually, new scholarship for 2017); and The LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship (typically nine awards annually, new number of awards started in 2016 and continuing in 2017).

For questions regarding the application process, visit www.leaguefoundation.org.

Mount Saint Mary Academy

Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung invites fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade girls to explore the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) movement on Saturday, Feb 4, through two activities.

Mount Saint Mary Academy teachers will lend their expertise to students as they design their own Valentine’s Day cards using Paper Circuits, according to a news release. They will also learn the basics of TinkerCad and design their own snowman. The file containing the finished snowman project will be available to each participant to print on their own.

Students may choose to attend the morning or afternoon session at 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. A snack will be provided during each session and each student will receive a certificate of completion as well as a special gift at the end of the session.

Engineering students from Mount Saint Mary Academy will serve as facilitators of the groups, which will include a maximum of four students each.

The cost of the program is $20 per student. Participants must register for STEAM Day by visitingwww.mountsaintmary.organd clicking on the STEAM Saturday button on the homepage or visiting STEAM Day under “Admissions.”

North Brunswick Township High School wants to reconnect with alumni

North Brunswick Township High School is looking for ways to reconnect with our alumni for future events and opportunities. Alumni can access the registry from the NBTHS website, nbths.nbtschools.org/, under the Guidance Department, or by visiting http://tiny.cc/NBTHSAlumni.

Plainfield: Barack Obama Green Charter High School

Frontiers International Plainfield Area Club recognized the city's public schools’ students, staff and members of the community at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 41st Annual Memorial Breakfast on Jan. 16. Farja Muhammad-Huggins, a student at the Barack Obama Green Charter High School was one of five 2017 scholarship recipients. For other honorees, click here.

Sewing Club

Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools

On Jan. 20, the Gifted & Talented Honors Theater Arts Program at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School in Bridgewater will conduct its annual Theater Arts Day for students in grades 8 through 11.

Prospective students are invited to participate in the acting and vocal music classes of their choice beginning at 9:20 a.m. Students also will have the opportunity to meet with SCVTHS faculty and current students as they engage in a morning of classes. In addition, parents will also have an opportunity to learn more about the school's program and ask questions. The day will culminate in a performance by current SCVTHS Theater Arts students at 10:45 a.m.

Students interested in participating in Theater Arts Day are required to RSVP to Paul O’Connor at poconnor@scvts.netor 908-526- 8900 ext.7168.

The Phillips' Mill Community Association Youth Art Exhibition

The Phillips’ Mill Community Association is hosting its 4th Youth Art Exhibition beginning Jan. 22.

In its first year, nine schools participated. Last year, the number of participating schools was up to 14 and this year the number of school participating has climbed to 19. These schools are in Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania as well as Mercer and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey and  include public and private schools.

“We are excited to see the number of schools electing to participate in the show grow each year. This year’s show will exhibit works by approximately 150 student artists. The exhibition is free for the schools and the artists, no commission on sales is charged and there is no admission fee. There is no other show like this in the area," said Kathy Schroeher, co-chair of the 2017 show.

The Youth Art Exhibition was conceived when Phillips’ Mill decided to build on the success of its adult Art Exhibition, now in its 88th year. As the adult show seeks participation from artist living within a 25-mile radius of the Mill, the Youth Art Show solicits participation from the art departments of high schools located within a 25-mile radius of the mill.

Participating schools in Pennsylvania include: Central Bucks, East Buckingham; Central Bucks West, Doylestown; Council Rock High School North, Newtown; Council Rock High School South, Newtown; The George School, Newtown;  Holy Ghost Prep, Bensalem; Neshaminy High School, Langhorne;  New Hope-Solebury High School, New Hope; Solebury School, New Hope; and Upper Dublin High School, Upper Dublin.

Participating school in New Jersey include Ewing High School, Hillsborough High School, Hopewell Valley High School, The Hun School in Princeton, Hunterdon Central High School in Raritan Township,  The Pennington School, Princeton Day School, Stuart Country Day School, in Princeton, and West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School, Plainsboro.

This year, the Art Department at each school has been asked to select six two-dimensional pieces and two three- dimensional pieces works for the exhibition.  The exhibited art will include painting, watercolor, collage, pastel, graphite, digital art, photography, ceramics and sculpture.  Cash prizes will be determined by this year’s juror Pat Martin. Last year, more than $1,000 was awarded to winning students.

Juror Pat Martin received her bachelor's degree in art from California State University, Los Angeles. She has taught at schools in New Hope, Stockton and Doylestown as well as Bucks and Mercer Counties Community Colleges. She has had many solo exhibitions and participated in more than 60 group exhibitions.

The Youth Art Exhibition will be open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. on the following weekends: Jan. 22, 28 and 29 and Feb. 4, 5, 11 and 12. The exhibition is conducted at the Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, 2 miles north of New Hope, Pennsylvania. For additional information call 215-862-0582 or visit www.phillipsmill.org.

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School

Middle School students at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison took their turn as teachers on the final day of school before Winter Break. The student teachers covered subjects including How to Wrap a Gift, Sketching, Basketball, Do-it-Yourself Slime, Descriptive Writing, Dance, Basketball, Logic Games and Puzzles, Dreidel Games, Board Games, Polish, Soccer, Pokemon Basics, Juggling, Chess, Volleyball and Emoji Party, according to a news release. 

The Middle School student body selected from the course offerings and participated in two class sessions. The program gave many students an opportunity to share their passions and expertise with their peers.

Timothy Christian School

Timothy Christian School will host a Kindergarten For A Day on Jan. 25 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the school at 2008 Ethel Road in Piscataway. Register at https://timothychristian.formstack.com/forms/tcskforaday, or visit www.timothychristian.org or call 732-985-0300, ext. 613, to register.

Timothy Christian School works to provide a Christ-centered education from Pre-K through 12th grade. According to a news release, the school challenges students academically by providing a rigorous program aimed to increase academic knowledge and develop a world-view based on God’s word. This includes a rich curriculum and diverse teaching techniques. The Timothy Learning Center uses the NILD program to assist children with specific learning differences.

Athletics is a rich tradition at Timothy, which offers nine 9 sports and 23 teams to middle and high school. Athletics is also offered to elementary students through the Junior Tigers Program. The school is a member of the NJSIAA and the Greater Middlesex Conference.

Tewksbury Elementary School

Tewksbury Elementary School at 109 Fairmount Road East in Tewksbury is accepting registrations for Kindergarten for the 2017-2018 school year.  Students must be five years old by Oct.1, 2017. For registration information, contact the main office at 908-832-2594, ext. 2001, or emailecallahan@tewksburyschools.org.

University of the Cumberlands

The following Central Jersey resident at the University of the Cumberlands in Willliamsburg, Kentucky, received degree on Dec. 2: Subba Reddy Tanipartiof Piscataway, master's degree.

University of New Haven

The following Central Jersey residents at the Univesity of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut, were named to the fall dean's list: Taylor L Hoyda of Hillsborough, Abdullah Hussain Z. Almalkiof Princeton, Catherine Cinque, Sarah Jean Todoroff of Branchburg, Tina Marie Padavano of Flemington, Brianna E. Hill of Milford, Gabriella Irene Ferragamo of Mountainside, Javon Denzel Rodd of Piscataway, Kayla Helen Giordanella, Angela Rastelli of Scotch Plains, Lindsay Elizabeth Celentano, Matthew Connor Lind of South Plainfield, Tara L. Dombrowski, Megan Christine Maloney of Warren, Kristen A.Toth of Westfield, Robert George Ruiz of Whitehouse Station. Students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.50.

U.S. Department of Transportation Designates Northeastern University and Rutgers University as Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers

Northeastern University and Rutgers University have been selected as two of 18 institutions across the country to lead research on the major transportation challenges that the nation will face over the next three decades, according to a Jan. 9 announcement.

Northeastern University and Rutgers University were designated as Beyond Traffic Innovation Center and were announced on the same day that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released the final report, Beyond Traffic 2045. The report is the culmination of a two-year analysis of the transportation challenges presented by trends including population growth, increased freight shipping, and the movement of people into concentrated megaregions.

“In the next 30 years, our country will have 70 million more people competing for the use of our roads, transit and rail networks, and airports, and we are going to have to make some big choices about how we fund and prioritize transportation,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a news release. “The Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers will bring together researchers, students, and thought leaders to develop the ideas we need to keep Americans moving and build a transportation system that works for everyone.”

Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers are non-profit institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations which will promote study and thought leadership around the challenges raised in the Beyond Traffic report. Centers will convene leaders and other key decision-makers in each of the megaregions around the United States, as well as in rural communities, to discuss these challenges and coordinate related research, curriculum, outreach, and other activities.

As part of the research for the Beyond Traffic 2045 report, USDOT officials conducted a public forum with local leaders and stakeholders in Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14, 2015 to understand the major issues that were facing people across the Northeastern megaregion. The new report notes that the major cities of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., and their respective metropolitan areas are home to the majority of the megaregion’s estimated 52 million residents.

The full list of Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers and more information about Beyond Traffic 2045, including the full report, is available at: www.transportation.gov/beyondtraffic.

Westfield Public Schools: Tamaques School

Second-graders in Monica Gundrum’s class at Tamaques School in Westfield recently contributed 102 sets of new pajamas to the Union County Chapter of the “Pajama Program.” The recipients of the pajamas are those in shelters, foster homes, hospitals, the Department of Permanency (DYFS), and Head Start programs.

”I think this is a great community project for the children to participate in and a way in which they can understand that others are less fortunate,” said Gundrum, who organized the drive in 2014 with similar positive response from her students. According to Gundrum, the "Pajama Program" began in New York City in 2001 and has spread throughout the country. 

York College of Pennsylvania

The following Central Jersey residents at York College of Pennsylvania were named to the fall dean's list: Carly Barbettaof Whitehouse Station, Aileen Calleiroof Hampton, Gina Cillo of Ringoes, Jennifer Getz of Flemington, Tyler Josbenoof Hillsborough,Julia Oostdykof Asbury, Melissa Rechter of Belle Mead, Jacob Whittle of Asbury, Jonathan Zehnbauer of Glen Gardner. Student must achieve a grade-point average of 3.50.

Student and School news appears Fridays. Email:cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com