#b#A WW-P Grad Takes on the West Coast for LA Times#/b#
S. Mitra Kalita, a 1994 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, is the new managing editor for editorial strategy for the Los Angeles Times. Kalita was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1976, and her family moved to Massapequa in 1978 and to West Windsor in 1988.
Kalita was the first minority editor in chief of “The Targum” the student newspaper at Rutgers. “It was important to me that Targum start to look like the student body,” Kalita said in a press release. “Actually, it’s still an issue in our whole industry, and in higher education as well.”
She graduated from Rutgers University in 1998 and from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 2000. She was a freelance writer for Associated Press between college and graduate school. After Columbia, she was a business reporter at Newsday and then a reporter for the Washington Post. She has also worked for the Wall Street Journal. Kalita has most recently served as executive editor for Quartz, an online business-news site created in 2012 by Atlantic Media.
Her husband, Nitin Mukul, is a visual artist and animator. Their children are Naya, 10, and Riya, 3.
Kalita’s parents, Mohesh and Nirmala, came to the United States in the early 1970s. Her father’s job with Citibank took the family to Puerto Rico from 1985 to 1988. “I was not happy about moving to Puerto Rico but I learned to like it,” she says. “Then I wasn’t thrilled about moving to New Jersey.” (The News, December 5, 2003)
Her father worked for Citibank and her mother worked for the State of New Jersey. Her older brother is Sanjib, and her younger brother is Rajul.
Her book, “Suburban Sahibs” focuses on three immigrant families in central New Jersey for a one year period. “Interwoven are the families’ stories of coming to America and dramatic events that marked the year, from the presidential election of 2000 to the earthquake that rocked Gujarat,” says Kalita. “I care about these families very deeply and was saddened when they lost jobs, loves, and elections. They have become like my own family and we keep in touch often.” (The News, 2003)
“I’m a journalist, not a business development consultant,” Kalita says in a press release, “but one thing I do know is that we need to figure out how to monetize the news and at the same time make sure the projects are editorially driven.”
“Digital happens to be the future of the L.A. Times (and pretty much every other company on the planet), but my conversations with journalists there have really been about ideas and storytelling,” says Kalita.
#b#Musical Notes#/b#
Joseph Hsia, above, an eighth grade student from West Windsor, was the featured violinist in Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Sarasate’s “Zigeunerweisen.” The concert on May 1 concluded the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season.
Hsai began playing the violin at age five. Three years later he won first place in the Westminster Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, which allowed him to perform with the orchestra at Richardson Hall.
He has also won competitions sponsored by the New Jersey Music Teachers Association, the Music Teachers National Association, the American Fine Arts Festival, Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow, and Golden Strings of America. Despite his youth, he has already performed at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, and the Liszt School of Music in Weimar, Germany. He has also soloed with the Ocean City POPS and Sinfonietta Nova Orchestra. He studies with Sheryl Staples, the associate concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic.
#b#Poetry Winner#/b#
Katherine Antos of Plainsboro received third place in the grades 6 to 8 competition for her poem “Almost Spring” in the Sarah Mook Poetry Contest. She is a seventh grade student at Community Middle School.
“This is my seventh year as the final judge of the Sarah Mook Poetry Contest,” says Marie Kane, one of the judges. “Every year I eagerly anticipate reading the poems to gauge how the future of modern poetry is faring. Again, I am not disappointed; the selections confirm that the future of poetry rests in very capable hands. The 10 finalists in all age groups display talent by using surprising and exact diction, by adept handling of contemporary issues, and through original sensory details.”
Kane’s poetry has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, U. S. 1 Worksheets, Wordgathering, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Naugatuck River Review, Small Print Magazine, Adanna Journal, and others. Her chapbook, “Survivors in the Garden,” focuses on her life with Multiple Sclerosis.
Sarah Mook was a third grade student when she died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm in 1995. She began writing poems in kindergarten her family established a fund to continue to inspire young poets. A donation of $476 was made in Sarah’s name to Smile Train, a charity that provides free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries. Winning poems will be published at SarahMookPoetryContest.com.
#b#North Science Olympiad Places 16th in Nation#/b#
High School North’s Science Olympiad Team competed in the Science Olympiad National Tournament and placed 16 out of 60 teams from all over the country. Team members include Charles Dai, Kriti Devasenapathy, Revanth Gumpu, Andrew Hong, Anna Hsu, Brice Huang, Roger Jin, Edison Lee, Matthew Pan, Anoop Patel, Uday Shankar, Christopher Shao, Suntharam Solai, Varun Subbiah, Alina Thokkadan, Ronald Wang , Alexander Xue, Christopher Xue, Jason Yang, Jasen Zhang, Jeremy Zhang, and Raymond Zhang.
Individual medal winners include:
Compound Machines: first place, Christopher Shao and Jeremy Zhang; It’s About Time: second place, Edison Lee and Jeremy Zhang; Green Generation: fourth place, Edison Lee and Ronald Wang; Astronomy: sixth place, Raymond Zhang and Jason Yang; Cell Biology: sixth place, Alina Thokkadam and Roger Jin; Hydrogeology: third place, Charles Dai and Christopher Xue; and Game On: sixth place, Uday Shankar and Alexander Xue.
The HSN coaches are Jim Looney, Regina Celin, and Holly Crochetiere.
#b#An Evening of Science At High School South#/b#
High School South presents an evening of science on Thursday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m. Students in the forensics class are presenting crime scenes with evidence for those in attendance to analyze to help solve crimes. Students in honors biology will present plant research projects, and students in the human anatomy and physiology class will present the independent research projects.
The event is open to the public. Teachers include Melissa Naud and Kate Heavers.
#b#In College#/b#
The Gambatese family of West Windsor celebrated two graduations in one week. Joey Gambatese graduated magna cum laude, with a bachelor’s in fine art in illustration from Fashion Institute of Technology. Jaedi Gambatese graduated as a double major, in elementary education and history from College of New Jersey. They are the daughters of Mickey DeFranco and Franc Gambatese.
Bucknell University: Brianna Crichton, a graduate of High School North; and Katelyn Kempf, a graduate of High School South, are now members of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
Coastal Carolina University: Corey Baumann of Plainsboro was a featured artist in CCU’s ‘Portfolios’ exhibition. The annual exhibition is a culmination of four years of study and features projects completed during the students’ senior theses in print, animation, branding, and more. Baumann graduated with a bachelor of arts in graphic design.
College of New Jersey: Anne Carenina Balicusto of Plainsboro was elected to Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She is majoring in psychology.
Emerson College: Alison Puzio of West Windsor was inducted into the Gold Key Honor Society. She is majoring in studio TV production.
Lehigh University: Graduates include West Windsor residents Chuxin Liang, bachelor’s in business and economics; Ingrid Simon, bachelor’s in bioengineering; Kathryn Philbin, bachelor’s in business and economics; Kimberly Chiu, bachelor of arts degree; Marc Wiener, bachelor’s in mechanical engineering; Marni Zahorsky, bachelor of arts; and Neha Rachumallu, bachelor’s in business and economics. Ming-Tzo Wei of Plainsboro received a doctor of philosophy.
Mercer County Community College: Graduates from Plainsboro include Bishal Bhatta, Ivette Castano, Jillian Borrow, Mengyi Guo, Kathleen Hernandez, Janell Hill-Bridgett, In-Ae Hwang, Dominique Khoury, Mannuru, Kausalya, Erica Nelson, Mariam Pogosyan, and Peyton Randolph.
Graduates from West Windsor include Amy Brill, Andrew DiOrio, Laura Fischer, Gokulkrishnan Tiruchanur, Jennifer Weitz, Li Zhao, and Xiao Zheng.
Rowan University: Graduates from West Windsor include Christopher J. Bazergui, osteopathic medicine; Brian Youshane Chen, osteopathic medicine; Jonathan Frias, finance; Linda Teresa Gosselin, advertising; Kuljeet K Grewal, biomedical sciences; Mao Yue Arthur Own, music; Sanjev Rajaram, biological science; and Jacob Stefan Wydra, radio, television, and film.
Graduates from Plainsboro include Elizabeth Roy, biomedical sciences; and Mark Alexander VanZevenbergen, radio, television, and film.
University of New Hampshire: Zachary Hundertmark of West Windsor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance.
University of Vermont: Charlotte Wonnell of West Windsor graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the College of Arts & Sciences. Students on the dean’s list include West Windsor residents Samantha Buckley, a first year art education major; Bethany A Harris, a first year psychological science major; and Charlotte Wonnell, a senior anthropology major.
University of Virginia: Daniel Ng of West Windsor graduated with a distinguished double major in anthropology and global development studies. He will study Bangla in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for the second time through the Critical Language Scholars program. It provides fully funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences.
“The CLS award enables me to move one step closer to achieving advanced proficiency in the Bangla language,” Ng said. “Fluency in Bangla will be critical for when I conduct and convey my future research in Bangladesh as an anthropologist.”
#b#James Madison Fellow#/b#
Linda N. Dean, a teacher at High School North, has been selected as a New Jersey James Madison Fellow. James Madison Fellowships support study of American history by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government, and social studies. Named in honor of the fourth president of the United States, the fellowship funds up to $24,000 towards a master’s degree.
There is one honoree from each state, and the fellowships are funded by income from a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States and from additional private gifts, corporate contributions, and foundation grants. Recipients are required to teach American history or social studies in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of fellowship support. The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation’s secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation’s constitutional heritage.
#b#Read to Feed#/b#
Maurice Hawk Elementary School showed its community service spirit with a program called “Read To Feed.” Heifer International, and organization that provides livestock for farms and families around the world who are in need, received $4,441.
Students had reading goals for a week, and families sponsored the reading goals. Once a student reached a reading goal, the family would make a donation to Read To Feed. Teachers included Linda Bugher and Lisa Rizzielo, both first grade teachers.
#b#Birth#/b#
Ed Tseng and Sarah McLoughlin Tseng welcomed their son, Maxwell Aaron Tseng on May 24 at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. Their daughter, Ava Marie, will be two years old in June. Ed was raised in Plainsboro and is a 1991 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. The family lives in Lawrenceville. Grandparents include Vincent and Sarah Tseng of Plainsboro and Scott and Martha McLoughlin of Cranbury.
