West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South 2007 Hall of Honor inductees will be honored at a ceremony and dinner on Saturday, October 27, in Commons I.
The School Service Award is presented to those individuals who have provided extraordinary service to the high school. This year’s inductees are Thomas Ritter and Judith DeVito.
The Alumni Award is presented to someone who has brought honor to themselves, and thereby to their alma mater. This year’s inductees are Kevin Barry and Jennifer Gross.
The Inspiration Award is presented to someone who has shown extraordinary leadership and inspiration to our school. This year’s inductees are JoAnn Bartoletti and Martha (Marti) Palmere.
The Student Achiever Award is presented to alumni who have made a contribution while being a student in high school. This year’s inductees are Carla Royster and Ronald Dilatush.##M:[more]##
Ritter, one of the original teachers at the school in 1973, taught science to grades 7-12 from 1973 to 1988. While he was still teaching physics, Ritter was the department supervisor from 1984 to 2001. While at WW-P, he was published in “The Physics Teacher,” developed and ran the “Science Teachers and Scientists Interaction Project,” and received a state department of education grant to develop a new science curriculum He was also actively involved in the sports programs as a football coach, head track coach, and head winter track coach. Ritter established the track programs at the school and could also be found at the basketball games running the clock.
DeVito, who joined the WW-P staff in 1974, taught mathematics and served as supervisor of the math department along with the computer, business, and art departments in her 22 years at the school. She was instrumental in the implementation of new programs and courses along with the planning of new schools as the district grew. DeVito was actively involved and held leadership positions with the Algebra Task Force, the Mathematics Advisory Committee for the State of New Jersey, and the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey.
Barry, a 1997 graduate, played both varsity baseball and soccer during his high school years. He was captain of the soccer team and All CVC selection during his senior year. In baseball, he was the Mercer County Tournament MVP and pitched a 1-0 shutout in the championship game against Notre Dame. In 2001, he graduated from Rider University and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves organization. In June, 2006, he made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium.
Gross, a 1995 graduate, played varsity soccer and softball and was a member of the diving team. She attended Emory University and graduated with a master of public health with a focus in women’s reproductive health. In 2001 she joined the Peace Corps in Lesotho and worked as a health educator with HIV/AIDS prevention. She continued her work as a qualitative researcher in Atlanta working with the CDC in assessing community based HIV/AIDS programs. In 2003 to 2005, Gross returned to the Peace Corps in Uganda as an HIV/AIDS program officer at a Ugandan hospital and a health advisor for the Uganda Red Cross. She is now a community health planner for the San Mateo County Health Department in California.
Bartoletti was vice principal from 1976 to 1985, and principal from 1985 to 1991. She was selected as the National Distinguished Principal of the Year from New Jersey in 1991. She continues to be a role model as the executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
Palmere, the language arts and social studies supervisor for 10 years, was instrumental in hiring many of the experienced members of both high schools. An adjunct professor at the College of New Jersey, she ran the alternate route teaching program there for 10 years. She was also a consultant to ETS for more than 20 years. Palmere was the leader of many national conferences related to the language arts and verbal testing at various grade levels.
Royster she earned All-State recognition, was named Mercer County player of the year, and was elected captain and MVP of her teams in basketball. She also excelled in track and field, earned MVP and sportsmanship awards, and was named by the Knights of Columbus as the All-Area Athlete of the Year in 1983.
At Morgan State she was captain of her basketball team and was the Division 1 scorer and rebound leader in 1985. The Black University Press named her to the Academic All-American Team in 1988. She is a teacher at High School South and the senior pastor at Blessed Redeemer Ministries in Burlington.
Dilatush was one of the first Pirate athletes to receive national recognition. He was WW-P’s male athlete of the year in 1978, named to the high school All-American team as a punter (he still holds the WW-P record), was chosen second team all county in basketball, and was selected first team all-conference and all-county in baseball. Dilatush, who played baseball at the University of Delaware, is the director of membership of the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame.
—Lynn Miller
Hall of Honor, WW-P High School South, 346 Clarksville Road, West Windsor, 609-716-5050. www.ww-p.org. Ceremony and dinner, $30. Register with Leslie Fisher. Saturday, October 27, 6 p.m.
