How do You Get Anywhere From Here?
A love of roller coasters and lizards has fostered Roman Soiko’s fascination with geography. Soiko, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Community Middle School, was the New Jersey state representative to the 2004 National Geographic Bee this week, competing against 54 other state finalists culled from nearly 5 million students in the fifth to eighth grade.
Soiko participated in the preliminary rounds, held in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 25, advancing just short of the final round of 10 contestants, held Wednesday, May 26, and televised on the National Geographic Channel, moderated by Alex Trebek, host of “”Jeopardy!”” Andrew Wojtanik from Kansas won the top prize, a $25,”000 scholarship.
Alla Soiko, Roman’s mother and a real estate agent with Rich Abrams/Century 21 in Plainsboro, says her son, who is named after his paternal great-grandfather, has been fascinated with roller coasters since the family moved here from their native Moscow in 1994. “”Almost every holiday weekend we go somewhere, mostly to a different amusement park,”” she says, adding that her son has probably been on 70 different roller coasters. They have travelled to almost every major amusement park along the East coast, from Cedar Point in Ohio – the number one amusement park for roller coasters in this country and home to the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the U.S. – to DisneyWorld in Florida.
The Soikos moved to the States when Alla accepted a job with the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand in Philadelphia. (The Soikos are divorced, and Roman’s father lives in Philadelphia.) Alla and Roman moved to Canal Pointe in 1999 and have lived in Ravens Crest in Plainsboro since 2001.
Alla Soiko says another fascination that has contributed to her son’s love of geography is lizards. Roman, who reads encyclopedias for pleasure, knows where different lizards live around the world. “”We’ve had three or four lizards,”” she says, “”but they only live for about a year.””
In a phone interview prior to the bee, the young Soiko said he studied four hours a day to prepare for the competition. “”I’m studying encyclopedias and looking at back issues of National Geographic and on the Internet. I call up random countries and look at their economic situation, places, cities, and current news.”” If he could go anywhere in the world, Soiko says it would be Malta, between Italy and Tunisia and the Mediterranean Sea, because “”it has lots of castles.””
His geographical knowledge is self-taught. “”I don’t know anything about geography,”” says his mother. “”Nobody in my family does. And it’s not really covered in school.”” From the age of six, Soiko would play with maps and do puzzles with the different states. “”He likes to organize the (geographical) information he reads,”” says his mother. “”He’ll put things in order, like alphabetizing the African countries. He knows all the states in any order you can think of, alphabetical, smallest to largest, by capitals, industry, or population. He knows all the highways in the U.S. When he was in fifth or sixth grade, I took him on a company trip and my colleagues started asking geography questions and he beat everyone. He already knew everything.””
In January, Community Middle School held its annual preparation test for the geography bee, and Soiko won the best in the school. After completing a written test for the state, he advanced to the state finals, held at Rutgers University on May 2. Among the 10 finalists, he won with the following question: Which landlocked African country shares the wealth of the Copper Belt with the democratic republic of the Congo? Answer: Zambia.
Soiko, who also likes NASCAR and James Bond, can think of two good career paths that would take advantage of his geography knowledge. “”You could be a professor – or a travel agent.”” Clearly, he’s got the travel bug. His ideal summer vacation would be to visit the Maldives. Have no idea where that is? Soiko’s got the answer. “”It’s an archipelago in the Indian Ocean with wonderful scenery.””
In the Schools
Lynn Sara McGuigan, a senior at High School North and Mita Sharma, valedictorian of High School South, Class of 2004, are the first two high school seniors to receive the new Joseph M. Dantone Scholarship. They were each presented with a $1,”000 check at a dinner held at the Village Grande on Tuesday, May 25. It followed the inaugural golf tournament for the scholarship held at Cream Ridge Golf Course.
Dantone, born in Brooklyn, New York, lived in West Windsor during the last four years of his life. He was president of the Village Grande Civic Association, and an avid golfer. He died of a heart attack at age 75 in September, 2003.
Matt Laermer earned a second place prize in an essay contest commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ruling. He is a senior at High School South. At a ceremony at Rutgers University, he will receive the award and meet Governor James McGreevey and Julian Bond, chair of the NAACP.
Shreya Durvasula, a junior at High School South, will receive the 2004 Hubert M. Alyea Award on Saturday, May 29 for outstanding student achievement in the study of science, the award was instituted by Princeton University’s chemistry department and the Princeton chapter of the American Chemical Society. Nominated for the award by the high school’s science department, the National Honor Society member will receive a plaque along with a cash prize.
Taktin Oey, a senior at High School North, was honored at the annual Star-Ledger Scholars dinner earlier this month. The scholars were nominated by their schools and then selected from a pool of close to 200 by a committee appointed by the State Department of Education.
Karen Black, media specialist at Community Middle School, will serve as project director for a collection of books from the American Library Association. The school received the “”We the People Bookshelf”” 2004 award for encouraging students to explore the theme of courage in books. The hardcover books include “”National Velvet,”” “”Fahrenheit 451,”” “”Ivanhoe, “”and “”Little Women.””
Julie Johnson, a third grade teacher at Wicoff School, is helping her students learn about government and how it works. After going online to get information about Plainsboro Township, the class explored biographies of Mayor Peter Cantu and the town council members. Michael Weaver, a town councilman married to a teacher at Wicoff, visited the class. Students then visited the municipal building including the tax collector’s offices, personnel, the health department, and the planning board office. They learned that when people call 911, the information goes to a screen at the dispatch center. In other plans for the government unit, Mayor Cantu, Congressman Rush Holt, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, and Middlesex County Freeholder David Crabiel will visit the students.
Eileen Beam and Audry Courtney-Quinn were event coordinators for Village School’s annual fundraiser for St. Jude’s Hospital. Over 150 students completed math problems, obtained sponsors, and collected over $11,”000 this year. Village School’s total collection for St. Jude’s is now over $50,”000.
Top winners honored with a portable CD player included Jullian Zummo, Hannah Katy, Teresa George, Taylor Jaeger, Meagan Traughber, Adrian Fernandez, and Catharine Wong. Jaeger was the school’s top fundraiser. Teachers of the top classes were Dana Kercheval, Vanessa Clax, and Joanne Glover.
The Arts: On Stage
Corey Hess, Ian Simon, and Taylor Koslo, all of West Windsor, have been studying acting with McCarter Theater’s First Stage Company since October. On May 15 and 16, they were able to show off their new acting and stage crafts in the Third Annual First Stage Festival.
Hess, age 9, was in Company II, which studied Shakespeare and performed “”Twelfth Night.”” He played the role of the Duke Reginald of Illyria. He is a student at Community Middle School.
Simon, 14, was in Company III, which studied teen social issues and present-day themes. He appeared in “”Promenade,”” playing the part of Squirrel in the play written by Josh Adell exploring a universal theme about the last days of high school. He is a Grover Middle School student.
Koslo, 12, a student at the Chapin School, was in Company IV, which studied heroes and villains. She appeared as Princess Puffer in “”The Mystery of Edwin Drood.””
Rachel Miller, also of West Windsor, was the stage manager for the four-show festival. A graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 2000, she graduated from Drew University in 2003. A stage management intern with McCarter since August, she also worked on the theater’s main stage shows “”Anna in the Tropics,”” “”Wintertime,”” and “”Christmas Carol,”” in addition to being the stage manager for the education department’s touring show, “”The Tempest – A Puppet Play.””
Tim Brownell, a Bergen County native, heads the program of five teachers. “”We approach acting from the character’s wants and intentions, the obstacles she encounters, and how they relate to the other characters, “”says Brownell.
The program, with close to 60 students, features four different companies based on age, from grades 4 to 10. There are also less
intensive acting classes held by the semester. For information and online registration visit www.mccarter.org and click on “”Education”” or call Brownell at 609-258-8289.
Music
Elizabeth Johnston of West Windsor placed second in the annual voice competition held by the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). A senior at High School North, she studies voice with Timothy Urban and piano with Rita Reston, both at the Westminster Conservatory. She has previously studied oboe with Melissa Bohl, also at Westminster.
Matthew Slayton of West Windsor is headed to the national PTA’s Reflections competition with his musical composition, “”Finding the Strength Within.”” He has already won the Mercer County competition, placed first in the state, and received the Award of Excellence for musical composition in the Reflections competitions for the third consecutive year.
Daniel Billek and Nikki Abramowitz of West Windsor were among the winners of the annual composition contest at the New School for Music Study of Kingston. They recently performed at the school’s 44th spring recital series.
The Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra String Quartet performed for high tea at Drumthwacket to honor members of the Freedom House Foundation and its “”Family Afterward Program.”” Janice Chou, a sophomore at High School North, and Jason Hwang, a senior a High School North are members of the quartet. Chou plays the violin and Hwang plays the cello. They performed selections from Mozart, Beethoven, Bellini, and Tchaikovsky.
In College
University of Arizona: Noel Torralba graduated with a bachelor of arts in communication. He was a graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 2000.
College of New Jersey: Gabriel Alonso received “”Outstanding First-Year Student”” award. A graduate of High School South, Class of 2003, he was president of his freshman class and will be president of the sophomore class in the fall.
New York University: Laura Olson, West Windsor, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in dramatic literature with a minor in creative writing.
Rutgers College: Matthew Carter, Plainsboro, an honor student, was accepted into Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key International Honor Society. He is a graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 2000.
St. Lawrence University: Laura Dix, West Windsor, received the Outstanding Beginning Student Prize in Swahili.
Washington University: Kristi Nigh, West Windsor, dean’s list.
Washington and Lee University School of Law: Michael Pidgeon, Plainsboro, juris doctorate. In 2001, he received two bachelor of arts degrees from the school.
Around Town
Girl Scout Troop 677 made snuggle pillows for the children at Angel’s Wings, an organization that provides emergency temporary care for children. The troop leader is Louisa Ho. See photo above for participants.
Three new members were installed in the West Windsor Lions Club by Lions District 16B Governor Earl Groendyke. New members are Bal K. Kalra, Ashok N. Sharma, and Horeya Hatab, on April 21. At the same meeting, guest Robert Loretan, West Windsor-Plainsboro school superintendent, and assistant superintendent Larry Shanok gave an in-depth presentation on the state of the school district. For more information about the program call 609-497-2100, ext. 329.
Mariana Bontcheva received an English as a Second Language Annual Scholars’ Award from YWCA Princeton. A native of Bulgaria where she was a lawyer and chief legal advisor to the mayor of her hometown, she came with her husband to the United States four years ago – with no English language skills. In just four years, she has progressed to the most advanced English level the YWCA offers. She also volunteers in the ESL office there.
Members of the Plainsboro P.B.A. Local 319 collected over $2,”700 worth of nonperishable food for the Plainsboro Township Welfare Department. Police officers Jason Mariono, Adam Wurpel, and Michael Kelly distributed requests for food donations at area schools and supermarkets. Participants include Town Center, Wicoff, Millstone River, and Community Middle schools; Superfresh, and the Asian Market.
Hadassah of Village Grande at Bear Creek collected health and beauty items for Womanspace, a Lawrenceville agency that supports victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. Members Ellen Meyer and Arlene Gold delivered the boxes to Ellen Yeargle, director of counseling and support services at the facility.
Business
William V. Griffin of Plainsboro was nominated to the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture by Governor James E. McGreevey.
Dianne Brake of West Windsor was nominated to serve on the Mercer County College Board of Trustees by Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. President of the Regional Planning Partnership, Brake has been a leading advocate for smart growth and sound planning for close to 20 years. She is a member of numerous planning, housing, and historic preservation groups. She has a bachelor’s degree from Hollins College and a master’s degree in planning and social design from the California Institute for the Arts.
Janice Hutchison of West Windsor was recently honored by Gloria Nilson GMAC Real Estate with the Community Services Award. She is a real estate agent with the Princeton Junction office. Hutchinson has coordinated two coat drives, a diaper drive, a toy collection, and is active in community service through St. Paul Roman Catholic Church.
She has received past awards from her alma mater, Notre Dame High School, and from Rider University as a student.
“”Many times, people make donations to organizations, and those donations don’t necessarily benefit families in their neighborhood,”” she says. “”I like to make sure these programs enable residents to help their neighbors.””
Engagement
Jennifer Lynn Anson and Jonathan Brooks Rice are planning a July 2005 wedding. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam B. Anson III of West Windsor. A graduate of the Chapin School and Notre Dame High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in human ecology from Cook College of Rutgers University. In the fall she begins work on a master’s degree in counseling at Linden State College. She is employed at St. Johnsbury Academy, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, as a guidance counselor.
The prospective bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Rice of Francestown, New Hampshire. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he is pursuing a master’s degree there. He is employed at St. Johnsbury Academy as a history teacher.
Births
The University Medical Center at Princeton has announced the following births:
Sons were born to Plainsboro residents Junhua Jiang and Haitao Hu, May 6; Ramya Krishnan and Premkumar Thangarajan, May 10; and Yuki and Shigeto Ihara, May 17.
A daughter was born to Plainsboro residents Clara and James T. Collins III, May 12.
Daughters were born to West Windsor residents Heather Buchanan and Peter Stewart, May 7; and Gabrielle and Douglas Mayer, May 8.
Deaths
Mildred (Everett) Taylor Eski, 84, died at the home of her son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Kay Taylor in Florida on May 4.
Born in Princeton Junction, Millie was the second youngest of five brothers and four sisters and reminisced frequently of the joys of growing up on a potato farm in rural New Jersey. She raised her family in Langhorne, PA, living there for 31 years. In 1976, she moved to Pinellas Park, FL. She moved to Merritt Island in 2002.
She survived three husbands, Leroy B. Taylor, Mac McDonald and John Eski.
She is survived by her two sons, John William Taylor of Florence and Lee Bradford Taylor of Merritt Island, FL; grandchildren Sherry Toro of Cherry Hill, John W. Taylor Jr. of Florence, Matthew Taylor of Naples, FL, and Erin Schuman, Joel Taylor and Sean Taylor, all of Fort Wayne, IN. She had five great-grandchildren all living in Indiana. Her siblings surviving her are brother and sister-in-law Harold and Marion Everett of Hightstown; sister Beulah Zowe of Nazareth, PA; sister-in-law Esther Everett of West Windsor; and brother-in-law Douglas Doolittle of Trenton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jaquon Gullette, 27, of Ravens Crest Drive, Plainsboro, died in a car crash on Dey Road on May 8, while driving a car owned by his employer, Texas Road Pharmacy, in Plainsboro.
Survivors include his mother in Rahway and his girlfriend, Michelle, in Plainsboro. According to Sgt. Frank Dilley of the Cranbury Police, there was a large vigil held the following week at the scene of the accident.
Thomas R. O’Kane III of West Windsor died May 10 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.
Born and raised in Princeton, he graduated from Villanova University in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After two years of graduate study in industrial psychology at Rutgers University, he began working in the Personnel Department with the then Port of New York Authority (now Port Authority of New York and New Jersey).
In close to 34 years with the Port Authority, he held a wide variety of increasingly diverse professional and managerial positions in human resources prior to his appointment as deputy director of Human Resources for the 9,”000-member government agency. He was cited during his career for his performance in the establishment of human resources policies and programs. He was known for the work he performed in carrying out a nationwide recruitment program for hundreds of engineers and technical staff to plan, develop, and operate the Port Authority’s numerous transportation and international trade facilities, including the New York/New Jersey interstate tunnels and bridges, the major metropolitan airports, seaports, and the World Trade Center. He was instrumental in the executive development program in creating and managing as a way of ensuring a viable succession plan for key leadership roles in future years.
He was a member of the Princeton Jaycees and served as its secretary, in which capacity he also worked with the State Jaycee organization on the Jaycee Football Classic held at Palmer Stadium each year with funds raised from the game allocated to local charities.
He served as a member of the International Personnel Management Association (IPMA) for many years at the local, regional, and national levels and served on the executive committee of the Eastern Region for six years. He was elected president of the Eastern Region of the IPMA for the 1987-’88 term representing about 5,”000 public human resource professionals and was responsible for communicating with them on a wide range of issues, policies, and programs. In 1988 he was recipient of the Presidents’ Award for his leadership contributions to IPMA and to the human resources profession.
Passionate about tennis, he excelled as a club player in local leagues and tournaments in West Windsor and in Mercer County both as a singles and doubles player until health issues interfered with his mobility.
Survivors include his high school sweetheart and wife of more than 50 years, Joan Pietrinferno O’Kane; his daughter Elizabeth A. O’Kane; his son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Karen O’Kane of Robbinsville; and his two grandchildren, Mollie Loren and Kyle Thomas O’Kane. Family survivors also include his sisters and brothers-in-law, Joan and J. Brewer Moore of Portsmouth, Virginia, and Kathleen and Brad of Burlington; and a brother and sister-in-law, Dennis O’Kane and Wilma Lingle of Rochester, Minnesota.
Contributions may be made to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 11 Forest Street, New Canaan, Connecticut 06840.
George Henry Bruestle, 43, of Liberty Hill, South Carolina, died in an automobile accident on May 16 near his home. Raised in West Windsor, he graduated from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School in 1978. He attended West Virginia University and received a bachelor of science degree in management science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia in 1987. He received a master’s in business administration from Kent State University, Ohio in 1993. He was materials manager for Cooper Tools in Lexington, South Carolina.
Growing up, he was active in the Little League and Boy Scouts. A member of several bands in school, he played the piano and trumpet. He was a member of Benevolent Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) He was an active member of and was baptized into the Liberty Street Church of Christ, Hamilton. He found his last church home at Beaver Creek Baptist Church in Heath Springs, South Carolina.
Survivors include his parents, Glenn and Mercy Bruestle of West Windsor; his fiancee, Ann Williams of South Carolina; his brothers and sisters-in-law, John and Cary Bruestle, Pennington, and Frank and Betty Bruestle, West Lawn, Pennsylvania; and five nieces and nephews, Stephen, Thomas, and Anna Bruestle of Pennington, and Corio and Gabrielle Bruestle of West Lawn, Pennsylvania.
Services were held at Beaver Creek Church, Point Pleasant Church of Christ, and Liberty Street Church. He was buried in the Lone Oak Cemetery, Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
A trust fund is being established for care of his three cats.
Edna Mae Updike, 94, of Lawrenceville died May 16 at the University Medical Center of Princeton. Born in Penns Neck on her family farm, she lived in the area all of her life.
She attended Rider College and worked as a teller for Princeton Bank and Trust. Later she married Ralph B. Hunt and after his death Sewell D. Updike, assisting them in the business of running the farm. After the death of her husbands, she worked for 14 years for the catalog department of the Firestone Library at Princeton University, retiring in 1975.
She was a member of the Lawrenceville Grange 170, Pomona Grange, New Jersey State, and National Grange. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, where she taught Sunday school.
Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Dora U. and Steve Bowers of Lawrenceville; and two sons and daughters-in-law, George B. and Judith Hunt of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Norman R. and Kathleen Hunt of Front Royal, Virginia; six grandchildren, Ralph, Errol, and Cherie Hunt, Tara Johnson and her husband Troy, Douglas Hunt and his wife Jennifer, and Scott Bowers; and one great-granddaughter, Teagan Grace Johnson.
Contributions may be made to the Memorial Fund at the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, 154 South Mill Road, West Windsor 08550, or the American Heart Association, 2550 Route 1, North Brunswick 08902.
Anne M. Butler, 73, of Colonia, died on May 13. Survivors include her daughter Joanne Pagan of Plainsboro.
Joshua R. McCain of Plainsboro died May 13. Survivors include his parents, Sandra L. and Curtis. Donations may be made to Child Life Institute at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, New Brunswick.
Dominic M. Ridolfino, 78, of Trenton died May 17 at Capital Health Systems Fuld. Survivors include his brother and sister in law, Bernard and Frances Ridolfino of West Windsor. Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 3076 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville 08648.
Elizabeth R. Burger, 81, of Princeton died May 19 at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. Survivors include a nephew William, his wife Eileen Shields and their children, Adrienne, Patrick, and Vanessa, all of West Windsor.
Louise Jeffers Hagenbuch, 97, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, died May 22 at Forest Park Health Center, Carlisle. She was the daughter of Henry W. Jeffers, of Plainsboro’s celebrated Walker Gordon Dairy Farm, and Anna Adams Jeffers.
She was a graduate of the George School in Newtown, PA, and then attended the Scudder School, New York City. She worked at the Walker Gordon Laboratory Company in Plainsboro, where she met and married Dr. John B. Hagenbuch, veterinarian for the Gordon Laboratory.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Kimberly Hagenbuch; daughter and son-in-law, Jean and Harold Kretzing, M.D. of Carlisle; and two daughters-in-law, Dr. Elaine Gallaspy Hagenbuch of Enterprise, Alabama, and Dorothy Batz Hagenbuch of Kingsley, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 29 in the First Presbyterian Church, on the Square of Carlisle, with the Rev. Jon A. Black officiating. Family will receive friends after the service in the church social hall.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 2A North Hanover Street, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013, or to Forest Park Health Center, 700 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013.
William Kowalski of Bayonne died on May 22. Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Daniel J. and Pat Kowalski of Plainsboro.
