A Revolutionary Fourth in Philly
Nicholas Wuensch of West Windsor will be part of the Philadelphia Independence Day parade on Sunday, July 4. The parade and festival in America’s birthplace kicks off at 6 p.m. from 20th and Arch Streets, travels down 20th Street to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway where it will turn left onto the Parkway, and finish at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The event will be televised live on Channel 6 (ABC) beginning at 7 p.m. Wuensch, 13, is a member of the Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks, comprised of boys and men from middle school up to adults.
Wuensch is the only boy from West Windsor in the group. He has played the flute at Grover Middle School for two years and studies privately with Wendy Zoffer of Plainsboro. His band teachers at school are Glenn Kaufmann and Bob James Fultz.
Bob Peterson, an orchestra teacher at Grover school, realizing the group now had a male flute player, told Wuensch about the Old Barracks ensemble. Only open to boys and men, it is authentic to the fife and drum corps that existed during the American Revolution.
The debut of the fifers and drummers took place earlier this year at the annual Capital Ball gala. The organizers and trainers are Stephen Hudak, percussionist for the Trenton Symphony Orchestra, and Andrew J. Wierzbowski, a woodwind specialist. J.J. Newberry, an adult fifer, authentically tailored the uniforms to be replicas of those worn by the musicians of the second New Jersey Regiment, four of whose eight companies were raised in the Trenton Barracks during December, 1775.
In both the British and Continental armies, each company had one fifer and one drummer to play short tunes to run the entire soldier’s day. The beatings and tunes including reveille, firing, marching, loading weapons, and cease firing. They were also known for playing popular songs for entertainment purposes. Their uniforms were the reverse color combinations of the soldiers.
Born in Trenton, Wuensch has lived in West Windsor since he was 18 months old. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 40 where he is a second class scout. His mother, Joyce, is a violin player with the Delaware Valley Philharmonic and is the principal chair of the second violin with Westminster Community Orchestra. His sister, Leah, a former violin player, is a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University. His father, Nicholas, does not play a musical instrument.
This summer, Wuensch will attend Boy Scout camp and take classes at Mercer County Technical School. In September he will be in eighth grade at Grover Middle School.
Two Eagles Soar
Christopher Clark and Michael Perl received their Eagle Scout Awards this month. The highest award in Boy Scouting, it is reached only by two percent of scouts. Clark’s ceremony was held on Sunday, June 13, and Perl’s was on Friday, June 18. Both West Windsor residents are members of Troop 40 of the Boy Scouts of America.
Clark, a senior at High School North, will attend the University of Maryland. Captain of the High School’s Boys Cross Country team, he earned a varsity letter in each of his four years. He also ran winter and spring track, lettering in each. Community service hours include involvement with Cherry Tree Club and Habitat for Humanity. He received the St Timothy Award from the Diocese of Trenton in recognition of his dedication to the parish community of St. David the King.
The grandson of the late Joseph M. Dantone, Clark’s Eagle Scout project is dedicated to his memory. He constructed a sitting bench and planters at the entrance of St. David the King Church with the help of the community and members of Troop 40. He is the son of Debra and Charles Clark. His brothers, Colin and Ian, are also members of Troop 40.
Perl, 15, is a freshman at High School South. He is the youngest member of Troop 40 to receive the Eagle Scout Award. He began scouting in first grade, moved his way up quickly, and joined Troop 40 when he was in the fifth grade. With almost 40 merit badges earned, he has trained at Philmont, New Mexico, and has held many leadership positions.
Most people who benefit from his project will never know about it. He built and installed 30 bluebird boxes at Mercer Oaks Golf Course to help prevent West Nile Virus – bluebirds eat mosquitoes. His project involved 51 volunteers using 231 hours of time.
A musician, singer, and actor, Perl is in the lighting club, band, marching band, and the Mercer Junior Rowing Club. His acting career highlights include roles on national television, “”Third Watch””; in the independent film, the Terrapin; and Tiny Tim in McCarter’s “”A Christmas Carol”” for two years. He has sung in the chorus with the now defunct Opera Festival of New Jersey and many community theater productions in the area.
He is the son of Barry and Susan Perl. His sister, Stephanie, a junior at High School South, was awarded her Girl Scout Gold Award earlier this month.
In School
National Latin Awards
David Koppstein, a senior at High School South, received a gold medal on the National Latin Exam for four years in a row. He received the highest prize, an Oxford Classical Dictionary, from the American Classical League. He also placed summa cum laude in level four.
Other High School South students receiving gold medals were Brett Frankel and James Yan, both juniors, for achieving summa cum laude in level three. In level three, Mainak Dasgupta and Andrew Watrous were cum laude and Hanif Yazdi was magna cum laude.
In level two, Sumegha Koppolu, Michael Hart, and Andrew Barone, cum laude. Radwa Hamid, Mintae Kim, Aisha Khan, Gregory Steiner, and Eric Sorkin, were magna cum laude. Cosmo Kwok, Amanda Bowers, and Eliza Varner received silver medals for maxima cum laude.
In level one, Miranda Helck, Amit Sinha, Allison Trevorrow, and Karl Wheeler were cum laude. Brendan Fuller, Jose Calves, Audrey Varner, Julianne Herts, Nikhil Jha, Kiron Roy, and Catherine Boucher were magna cum laude. Pierson Tu, Prachee Kulkarni, Jayesth Kapoor, Pragna Prahalahad, and Zachary Rose received silver medals are maxima cum laude.
From High School North, the level three awards went to Ligja Squing and Arielle DiGiacomo were cum laude. SiYi Wang and Michael Pisano were maxima cum laude.
In level two, Shika Patel and Aaron Ennis were cum laude. Julian Lang and Madeline Morrison were magna cum laude.
In level one, Claire Shiao, Sweekruth Shankar, Kunal Sethi, and Padmini Nallapaneni were cum laude. Elizabeth Tang, Pooja Panigrahi, Katherine Fu, Joshua Chen, Sonia Voleti, Tiffany Jin, and Andrew Lavadera, were magna cum laude. Julia Xu, Jessica Jeng, and Stephen Neubeck were maxima cum laude.
Math Leaders
Eight Community Middle School students placed in first place nationally in the Continental Math League. Jill Ni, Nicholas Kosar, David Goldfinger, Libbie Kohn, Richard Hsu, K Li, Peter Maa, and Priya Marathe also received medals for their perfect score of 30. The school received first place in the grades 6, 7, and 8 categories.
In the New Jersey Mathematics League, five students in grade 7 tied for first place in the state with perfect scores. They are Christopher Bergman, Amy Breden, Nicholas Kosar, Joshua Sung, and Jason Steinberg. Top scorers in grade 6 were Daesun Yim, who placed second overall with 39 points, and Shir Aharon, Jonathan Liou, and Anant Gharpire, who each received 38 points and placed 12th overall. Community also took a first place honor for grade 7 students; second place for grade 6 students, and sixth place for grade 8 students. The Math League advisor at the school is Joanne Crain.
Young Naturalists
Kiron Roy, a ninth grade student at High School South is a finalist in the Young Naturalist Awards program sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History for her essay, “”The Invasion of a Forest.”” There were also 12 semi-finalists, all from ninth grade honors biology classes at High School South taught by Meenakshi Bhattacharya and Kate Heavers.
Of the more than 1,”100 applicants from across the country, over 450 of them were written by ninth grade students. Each student constructed their own experiment in the field of biology or explored the natural world in topics ranging from the effects of alcohol on plants to the dangers of alien species in a forest. Their scientific narrative essay also expressed their data, research, and observations.
Semi-finalists from High School South include:
Elizabeth Moon, “”Watch Where You’re Walking;”” Allison Trevorrow, “”Natural Pollution Monitors: A Look into Lichens vs. Sulfur Dioxide;”” Sameep Chandrani, “”Creating an Autumn Spectacle in Your Backyard;”” and Connie Fan, “”Exploring the Factors that Lead to Plants Groupings.””
Also, Vidhi Dalal, “”Fragrant Essences in Nature;”” Warren Cai, “”Conditions of Mushroom Growth;”” Rebecca Sgouros, “”Pond Life: Discovering Our Unseen Neighbors;”” Smitha Krishna, “”Plant Growth: Spontaneous or Not?””
Also, Pierson Te, “”Meals of Hungry Grasshoppers;”” Sofia Ismailov, “”Isopropyl Alcohol: A Dangerous Environmental Pollutant;”” Arshabh Sarda, “”Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Central New Jersey; and Ying-Ying Tran, “”The Ride to Church.””
Judges from the museum’s scientific, educational, and editorial staff evaluated the essays based on originality; the ability to conduct research, evaluation and analysis; interpreting findings, and clarity in written and visual presentation.
Daisy Hager of West Windsor graduated from the Waldorf School of Princeton. She will attend High Mowing Waldorf High School in New Hampshire.
Scholarship Awarded
Tyara Thomas, a senior at High School South, has received a full scholarship to attend Douglass College at Rutgers University in the fall. She also received the Irene Merynda Award for diligence and perseverance against adversity in the pursuit of excellence.
Lions Award
Adam Schuit, an eighth grade student at Community Middle School, received the middle school award for outstanding achievement from the West Windsor Lions Club. Assistant secretary of the Lions, David Mostello, presented the award to Schuit based on his community service through Boy Scouts, with the Special Olympics softball team, and academics for the 2003-’04 school year.
Graduates
Kathleen Murphy and Illeana Ojeda, both of West Windsor, graduated from Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart on Saturday, June 12. Murphy, who will attend St Joseph’s University in the fall, received her diploma from her grandfather, Henry Murphy, former member of Stuart’s Board of Trustees. Ojeda, who received an award for academic excellence, a Red Ribbon certificate, a departmental award in Latin, and a National Achievement Scholarship, will attend Harvard University in the fall.
History Angles
Village School students identified by the Exceptionality Initiative presented a program, “”History from All Angles”” at the Plainsboro Public Library on Thursday, June 10. This was a culmination of working with photographer Jessica Stearns, director of Plainsboro Library Jinny Baeckler, the language arts specialist at Village School, and the gifted and talented specialist Jennifer Stahl. (The News, February 6, 2004).
The students researched topics including the impact on and history of the area. They photographed their subject with a Kodak Advantix camera provided for them. Their best photograph was matted and displayed alongside the aerial photos taken by former Plainsboro resident Jessica Stearns.
The students include:
Neil Bedi, “”Hotel/Restaurant Management: Doral Forrestal;”” Peter Hopper, “”Volunteer Fire Company;”” Jennifer Ibanez, “”Pesticides;”” Samantha Jen, “”Infrastructure and Road Improvements in Plainsboro;”” and Jihoon Lee, “”Suburban Development in Plainsboro.””
Also, Harrison Liew, “”Bussing and School Bus Safety;”” Brian Litchfield, “”Teenage Driving;”” David Meni, “”History of West Windsor and Plainsboro Schools;”” Vijay Narayn , “”Wicoff School;”” and Daniel Ng, “”American Re-Insurance.””
Also, Joshua Rose, “”Baseball;”” Ming-Ming Tran, “”Orchid BioSciences;”” Nomin Ujiyediin, “”History of Plainsboro;”” Deepti Venkatraman, “”Bristol-Myers Squibb; and Benjamin Zhu, “”Chinese Acupuncture and Tuinea Massage.””
Literary Award
Joshua Charnin-Acker of West Windsor received honorable mention for his entry in the High School Journalism Contest sponsored by the Professional Writers Alliance of Mercer County. A freshman at Peddie School, his article about student reaction to the first case of mad cow disease is called “”Mad Cow: Can You Trust PFS?””
Math Talent
Patrick Li and Jason H. Steinberg received first place awards for seventh and eighth grade math in the Johns Hopkins University Talent Search 2004. Both in seventh grade, Li is a student at Grover Middle School, and Steinberg is at Community Middle School. Kevin Gu, also a seventh grade student at Grover, earned second place in seventh and eighth grade math and verbal combined. Daniel Xia, a sixth grade student at Grover, received first place in the fifth and sixth grade math category.
The ceremony was held at Rider University on June 12. The program identifies top students in grades two through eight and provides programs, services, and resources to help them make the most of their special academic abilities. The students were invited to participate based on scores at the 97th percentile or higher on school standardized tests.
College
Honors
Bucknell University: Dean’s list students include Karen Chen, Eric G. Doby, Allison C. Robl, and Kaoru Yamamoto, all of West Windsor.
Rutgers University: Cherise Krug of West Windsor, dean’s list. Double major in philosophy and English.
Graduations
Dickinson College: Kate Elizabeth O’Shaughnessy of West Windsor received a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish, magna cum laude. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she was also named to the dean’s list for the school year.
Villanova University School of Law: Mary Ann Kenny Pidgeon received a master of laws in taxation. A member of Pidgeon & Pidgeon, she concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and real estate. A graduate of University of Pittsburgh, she received her juris doctor from the Rutgers University School of Law in Newark. Prior to entering private practice, she was deputy attorney general in the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and an assistant city solicitor for the City of Pittsburgh.
Around Town
Off to Helsinki
Lauren Yokomizo of West Windsor, above, leaves Wednesday, June 30, to study in Finland for the summer. She will live with a volunteer host family and attend high school through the Finland-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange, a program funded by the government of Finland. She is one of 12 recipients of the scholarship opportunity through Youth for Understanding.
Lauren competed nationally for the chance to live as a typical Finnish teenager for the summer. The 12 scholars will attend a brief orientation in Washington, D. C. to introduce them to the Finnish language and culture. They will also meet with their state senators, be briefed at the Finnish Embassy, and attend a reception with the ambassador at his residence. She is a junior at High School South.
For information about the program visit www.yfu-usa.org.
Friends of Animals
Sarah Shapiro, 10, and Hayley Stocker, who will be 10 in July, have volunteered at SAVE by playing with the cats to help them adjust to people. They have also collected funds, food, and medication to help the shelter. Both West Windsor residents are fourth grade students at Millstone River School. They raised $230 by making and distributing flyers about SAVE and putting a donation jar in their school.
Helping animals is Sarah’s passion,”” says her mother Barbara Hoffman. “”She has been saving all year since she first learned about SAVE’s capital campaign to raise $5 million for a new facility. Sarah raised some of the money by soliciting family and friends, and contributing her allowance, birthday, and Chanukah money.””
To make a donation, send checks to SAVE, 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton 08540.
Bike Rodeo
Over 50 children and their parents attended the recent bike rodeo at Town Center School. Plainsboro Township Police coordinated safety checks, registration, an obstacle course, and safety gifts for the attendees. Chris Scrivens of Jay’s Cycles of Princeton provided free safety checks and adjustments. Free helmets were donated by the Princeton Corridor Rotary. Close to 30 bicycles were registered with the police. The schoolchildren received a bag with bike safety flashing lights and a Frisbie from the school’s PTA.
Real Estate
Donna Kramer of West Windsor was named Rookie of the Year by the statewide Gloria Nilson Real Estate network. Kramer entered real estate in 2003 after a long career designing, marketing, and selling children’s fashion. She achieved more than $4.7 million in sales in 17 transactions during 2003 from the Princeton Junction office of Gloria Nilson GMAC Real Estate.
Ila Attarwala of West Windsor was awarded membership in the RE/MAX of New Jersey’s President’s Club at a recent awards ceremony in Atlantic City. She is with RE/MAX of Greater Princeton.
Teamwork
Cynthia Yoder of West Windsor and Savanna Jackson of Plainsboro collaborated on a mini-documentary about Yoder’s memoir, “”Crazy Quilt: Pieces of a Mennonite Life.”” Jackson, a producer of Vox Artis for Patriot Cable in Princeton, filmed an interview about the writing and publishing the book. The show includes footage that Yoder took while living in Pennsylvania and collecting stories from her grandparents. The program aired on the Patriot channel in Princeton the week of June 14.
AARP
Edward O’Mara of West Windsor, president of the Village Grande Civic Association, recently joined members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) at a press conference outside the State House in Trenton about Governor McGreevey’s property tax relief and reform plan. New Jersey AARP has endorsed McGreevey’s Fair and Immediate Relief plan, which will provide relief to seniors and middle class taxpayers.
NJ After 3
Larry Downes of West Windsor was named vice-chairman of the board of directors of NJ After 3, a partnership formed to strengthen the existing quality of after-school programs for all New Jersey children. Downes, CEO of NJ Resources Corporation, is instrumental with the plans to expand high-quality after school opportunities for children throughout the state of New Jersey with immediate plans to create new programs to serve close to 20,”000 kids.
World Leadership
Christie Dougherty, a student at Millstone River Upper Elementary School, has been accepted into a People to People World Leadership Forum meeting in Washington, D.C. in November to study leadership and explore prominent monuments and institutions. She was nominated and accepted for the honor based on scholastic merit, civic involvement, and leadership potential. During her week in the nation’s capital, she will earn high school credit.
The student ambassador program was founded based on the visions of President Dwight D. Eisenhower for fostering world citizenship when he founded People to People in 1956.
New Officer
Janet Mercer of Plainsboro was recently elected chaplain of the Princeton Elks. A vice president at American Re-Insurance, she has served on the Elks’ Handicapped Children Committee.
