#b#New Pals at Plainsboro Library#/b#
Plainsboro American Language Social club at Plainsboro Public Library is a new program for adults who want to improve their English language abilities and deepen their understanding of U.S. culture. PALS held its first meeting on September 17 at 6:30 p.m.
The weekly ESL club encouraging practicing English and making friends is thanks to a grant from The American Dream Starts at Your Library program of the American Library Association, funded by Dollar General. Joined by library staff members and several volunteers, ESL learners gathered in the library’s Community Room to meet one another and to hear and speak English for an entire evening. “The sole rule is to speak only English here,” says Carol Quick, the director of the library.
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu welcomed the group, noting that PALS provides a unique opportunity for members of Plainsboro’s diverse population to become acquainted. “Anything I can do to assist you, ask me,” he said. “If you have questions about the community, ask me.”
Following the mayor’s welcome, participants broke into groups of two or three. English-language speakers joined them for discussions on a variety of topics and in a variety of accents.
“Not only do ESL adults get a chance to meet and know one another and their American counterparts but PALS is also an occasion for them to hear various English accents,” says Quick. “It is also a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers to learn about other cultures while giving back to the community.”
Activities at future PALS meetings will include icebreakers, word games, reading, watching films together, and practicing conversation. Representatives from organizations in the community will visit the group to discuss citizenship, health issues, emergency services, banking, and other topics. Members of the Plainsboro Fire Department talked to PALS on October 8, during Fire Prevention Week.
“This club is not a class,” says Quick. “It’s a social occasion and an opportunity to learn about the U.S. and one another. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Visit www.lmxac.org/plainsboro or E-mail eslplainsborolibrary@gmail.com for more information about ESL programs at the library.
#b#Gold Award#/b#
Anna Henkel, a senior at High School North, earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. A member of Troop 70216, she taught a series of sewing classes to the students at Rock Brook School, a school in Skillman for students with special needs. Her leaders are Kate Henkel, May Rowland, and Minal Patel; her advisor was Minal Patel; and her mentor was Mary Caterson.
“Through Girl Scouts I have participated in many community service projects,” she says. “I wanted the Rock Brook students to feel the joy I have known through helping others.”
Henkel’s brother attended Rock Brook for 10 years, and she saw how the students at the Rock Brook School are often aided by community volunteers and corporations. “I wanted the students at Rock Brook to not only reap the benefits of the generosity of others, but to learn how to give back to others in return,” she says. “I also wanted the students to learn a life skill that would not be presented to them through the general school curriculum.”
An aspiring fashion designer, Henkel used her fashion expertise to teach the students a new skill (sewing) while also teaching them to give back to the community. She taught the students how to make Christmas ball ornaments by sewing two pieces of fabric together, stuffing it with batting, and tying the fabric with a ribbon so that the ornament could be hung on a tree. She also taught the students to make small pillows by choosing from a wide variety of cloth, sewing the cloth together to create a pillow, and stuffing the pillow with batting.
The students created ornaments and two pillows. They kept one of each for themselves and donated the other. The donated ornaments went to Hamilton Continuing Care Center on Old Trenton Road to be distributed to seniors. The pillows went to St. Peters Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick to be given to children as a gift to make their hospital stay more pleasurable. Henkel also created two posters signed by the students and given to the facilities with the donated items.
Contact Louisa Ho at 609-371-2119 or E-mail girlscoutswwp@verizon.net for information about joining Girl Scouts as a scout or adult volunteer.
#b#Relay For Life#/b#
Relay For Life is an overnight, non-competitive team event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to raise money and awareness of the devastating effects of cancer. The WW-P high schools have been part of that fight for nearly 10 years.
“More than one million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year and the impact of cancer has a rippling effect on families and communities,” says Mary Abitanto, a resident of West Windsor and a parent volunteer for High School North’s cheerleading team. “We know that if we use our community ties to join together to raise funds, that we are doing our part to help fight cancer.”
The North cheerleaders joined forces with High School North’s Relay For Life committee to raise money to help fight cancer at the September 18 football game against Allentown High School. “Leading up to this event we sold T-shirts and procured business donations,” she says. “Mary Beth Kitson, the cheerleading coach and Relay for Life coordinator, said a few words a halftime. It was very moving.”
The ongoing fundraising will culminate in the annual Relay For Life event on May 14 at High School North as well as at the Mercer County Relay For Life event in June at Mercer County Park. Call 732-284-6930 for information.
#b#Heroes#/b#
New Jersey Heroes Foundation awarded Tricia Baker, founder of Attitudes In Reverse based in Plainsboro, its top honor. AIR’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with mental health issues, and to end youth suicide, through education and therapy dogs.
After the death of her son, Kenny, Tricia Baker’s family knew that change needed to happen. Thus, the Coming Up For AIR educational program was born. In five years, Attitudes In Reverse, a 100 percent volunteer driven organization, has educated more than 20,000 students in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.
They teach young people the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and let them know that no one should ever be embarrassed or afraid to seek treatment. Certified therapy dogs visit schools, and students are encouraged to pet the dogs, as petting releases de-stressing brain chemicals. Seeing the healing benefit provided by therapy dogs, Baker launched the AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds program. Baker and a team of trained volunteers find dogs in need of homes and place them as emotional support dogs with people who have mental health challenges.
AIR also has the IN THEIR SHOES traveling exhibit, which comprises 232 pairs of shoes, each pair representing a New Jersey youth who lost hope and ended their life by suicide. Each pair carries a tag with a thought that a young person might be struggling with in silence.
The mission of this exhibit, which is very popular on college campuses and mental health conferences, is two-fold: First, to let people know that there are others who share the same struggles. Second, to increase understanding, empathy, and kindness among those who have no idea how hard life can be living with a mental health disorder. Visit www.attitudesinreverse.org for information.
#b#Magic Award#/b#
Adhit Menon was selected by Magic 98.3FM for a Kids Who Make Magic Award. His story was presented on air on October 2 and he will be honored at an awards banquet on November 20 at Pines Manor in Edison.
A sixth grade student at Community Middle School, Menon created a benefit for earthquake victims in Nepal. He contributed $300 to American Red Cross. (The News, September 25).
#b#In College#/b#
Castleton University: Jack Schilder of Plainsboro was named to the 2015 football team.
Concordia University: Micah Langer, 25, was raised in West Windsor and now lives in Montreal, where he is pursuing a master’s program in French-English translation. He received a bachelor’s degree in classical saxophone from McGill University. This past summer he attended Yiddish Farm in Goshen, New York, where he studied Yiddish in an immersion program. His parents, Mindy and Corey Langer, are long-time members of the Jewish Center in Princeton, where he had attended Hebrew School and celebrated his bar mitzvah.
Hamilton College: Alexandra V. Hendry of Plainsboro is a first year student. She is a graduate of High School North.
#b#Workshop Leader#/b#
Ilene Watrous, a physical therapist from West Windsor, led a workshop on how to treat frozen shoulders at the US Trager Association National Conference. Trager practitioners and instructors from around the world were in attendance at the conference held in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Trager Approach uses touch and movement to increase flexibility, relieve pain, and promote healing. With 35 years of experience as a physical therapist, Watrous uses Trager and other forms of movement re-education to treat individuals with Parkinson Disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord and orthopedic injuries. Visit www.watrouspt.com for information.
