#b#Silver Award#/b#
Aditi Nayak, a freshman at High School North, recently earned her Girl Scout Silver Award for her project “Bag the Bags.” A member of Troop 71875, Nayak has been a Girl Scout since first grade. She was presented the award during a ceremony at Community Middle School on May 22.
The goal of Nayak’s project was to call attention to the problems caused by plastic bags and to encourage shoppers to opt for reusable bags. Part of her project included an information stand at the West Windsor Farmers’ Market, where Nayak helped shoppers create reusable bags from T-shirts.
Nayak also worked with West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh on a proclamation advocating for decreased use of plastic shopping bags. As a result, collection bins designed by Nayak have been placed at the municipal building and senior center to allow residents to dispose of plastic bags in an environmentally friendly manner.
#b#Eagle Scout#/b#
Jewish Family & Children’s Service has a West Windsor Eagle Scout to thank for the new picnic tables outside its Alexander Road office. Troop 66 member Kenny Pepper installed the tables, to be used for lunches and outdoor meetings, to meet the requirements for his Eagle Merit Badge.
“We are very happy that Kenny chose JFCS to complete his Eagle project requirement,” said Lara Wallerstein, director of community programs and services. “The staff will get a lot of use out of the tables and are extremely grateful for the hard work that went into building them.”
#b#Scholarship#/b#
Matthew Deslatte, a West Windsor resident and senior at High School South, has been awarded a $16,000 scholarship from the Phillips 66 Dependent Scholarship Program. The awards, based on academic excellence, community service, and financial need, are given to college-bound students whose parents work for Phillips 66 or a subsidiary.
Deslatte’s father, Joseph Malenfant, works for Phillips 66, a Houston-based energy manufacturing and logistics company.
#b#Speech! Speech!#/b#
Julia Weingaertner of West Windsor was recognized for her accomplishments in speech competition with a 2016 Governor’s Award for outstanding achievement in oral interpretation. The award was presented on May 26 at the Trenton War Memorial.
Weingartner, a senior at Stuart Country Day School, has received a total of 54 awards for oral interpretation of literature at national and statewide tournaments. This year is her second time winning a governor’s award.
In addition to serving as co-founder and co-head of the Stuart Speech Team, Weingartner has also been involved in musical productions and environmental causes. She studies piano and voice and has won awards at the Golden Key Music Festival at Carnegie Hall and the Westminster Conservatory Teen Competition. She will attend the University of Edinburgh, where she plans to study history and English literature.
#b#In Business#/b#
Stephen Roldan is the new manager of Santander Bank on Princeton-Hightstown Road. Roldan has worked in banking for more than 12 years and has experience in business banking, mortgages, and retail management.
Roldan writes that his goal “is to continue to grow the West Windsor Santander branch in all ways but most importantly customer satisfaction.”
#b#Science Olympiad#/b#
For the second year in a row High School North qualified for the Science Olympiad National Tournament and again made a strong showing against the top 60 teams in the country.
The squad of 15 members plus 7 alternates took 11th place in the three-day tournament, held May 19 to 21 at the University of Wisconsin’s campus in Menomonie.
Individual team members who earned medals were:
Ronald Wang and Jason Yang, first place in anatomy and physiology.
Jasen Zhang, Roger Jin, and Jason Yang, first place in protein modeling.
Uday Shankar and Ziwei Liang, first place in game on.
And Ronald Wang and Kriti Devasenapathy, second place in invasive species.
Winners in trial events were Raymond Zhang and Charles Dai, second place in remote sensing, and Nick Leung, Kimberly Ding, and Alex Xue, third place in code busters.
The team’s coaches are James Looney — recently selected as teacher of the year by his colleagues at North — Regina Celin, Holly Crochetiere, and Kerry Pross.
The team from Community Middle School also made the trip to the national tournament, led by advisors Lisa Sacca and Kevin Mackenzie. Medal winners were:
Arsh Rupani, third place for bridge and elastic launch glider.
Leo Yao, second place for meteorology and fourth place for wind power.
Sehej Bindra, second place for meteorology.
Timothy Dai, fourth place for picture this.
Shivani Prusty, fourth place for wind power.
Akila Saravanan, third place for bridge.
Devanei Solai, third place for elastic launch glider
Jessica Zeng, fourth place for picture this.
#b#‘Town Eye Doctor’ Marks 25 Years#/b#
When Dr. Paul Neiheiser moved to Plainsboro in 1991, the town wasn’t much more than a few apartments, condos, and neighborhoods. Walker Gordon farm didn’t have homes on it, the library and municipal building were in old renovated houses, and Plainsboro Plaza was a mere three years old. Allied Vision Services had been an original tenant there, a part-time practice with three doctors rotating coverage.
Fresh out of optometry school, Neiheiser took a chance and opened the doors in full time solo practice. Not long after, he decided to purchase the practice and slowly built it up. “My wife, also an optometrist, worked elsewhere so we could earn some money, because things were slow here in the early going. Without her, there’s no way we could have made it.” Now she manages the office, using her expertise in optometry to keep things running smoothly. Their staff has been together a long time. Their friendly and helpful demeanor welcomes you when you walk in.
Twenty-five years later, the office is pleasantly busy — distinctly different from overly busy. “In order to provide quality eyecare, you can’t simply spin people through the office. You need to take the time to do things right,” says Neiheiser. “Remember, you only get one pair of eyes.” He took on an associate, Dr. John Russo, about 15 years ago, to help the practice grow. “John’s been a great addition. He had a lot of experience working at another office and has a loyal following of patients.”
In optometry school, Neiheiser envisioned himself as the town eye doctor, and getting to know his patients over time. “Taking care of someone’s vision is rewarding, but knowing them for 10 or 20 years is really special. I’m so fortunate I get to do what I love.” While he can’t promise he’ll be here 25 more years, he says he still has a ways to go. “Plainsboro has been a wonderful place to both work and raise a family. I’m thankful to be part of this community.”
#b#In College#/b#
Elon University: Samuel Lichtenstein of West Windsor was named to the dean’s list. His parents are Stephen Lichtenstein and Dana Krug.
Williams College: Eric Davis is on the dean’s list. He is a rising senior majoring in economics and history.
Bucknell University: Katelyn Kempf, Donald Koepp, and Catherine Mak, all of West Windsor, were named to the dean’s list.
Lehigh University: Maxwell Weiss, a rising senior studying accounting and finance, is on the dean’s list. He is a West Windsor resident and 2013 graduate of High School South.
Muhlenberg College: Molly Karlin of Plainsboro was named to the dean’s list. Karlin, a graduate of High School North, is a senior majoring in theater with a minor in dance.
