Community Service
A Soldier’s Holiday
Student council members from Community Middle School have combined community service with public service. They raised $110 and, together with Assemblyman Bill Baroni of the 14th district, created a holiday basket for a New Jersey National Guard soldier. With the funds, the students purchased boxed holiday cards, candy, puzzles, telephone cards, books, movies, and toiletries to send to a soldier who will be away from home during the holiday season.
With the Salvation Army, a school-wide fundraiser yielded money for toys, food, and clothing for the less fortunate. Student Council advisors are teachers Samantha Tonela, Stacey Belton, and Allison Friske.
Operation Dear Abby
American Red Cross of Central New Jersey Youth Council with representatives from both High School North and South participated in Operation Dear Abby, a private and secure online resource for individuals to send messages to the military. Close to 20 area students participated by sending holiday greetings and messages of support via e-mail on Thursday, December 2.
Students involved include Abhishek Jaywant, Nijay Patel, and Nishal Patel of High School North, and Shikha Sharma and Neha Khanna of High School South.
“The American Red Cross has had a longstanding tradition of supporting our military,” says Kevin Sullivan, CEO of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. “It’s encouraging to see our next generation of Red Cross volunteers taking the initiative and reaching out to U.S. soldiers stationed overseas. For more information or for volunteer opportunities, visit www.njredcross.org or call 609-951-8550.
Wish Tree
Princeton Area Junior Woman’s Club (PAJWC) held their annual Wish Tree project at the West Windsor Library, MarketFair, Covance, PNC Bank, Peterson’s, William M. Mercer, ITXC Corporation, New York Sports Club, and Scholastic Books. The project, in coordination with the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), provides over 1,”000 gifts for underprivileged children in the area. Girl Scouts from West Windsor and Plainsboro make ornaments containing wishes from children through DYFS and place them on the trees. Customers and employees take an ornament and purchase and wrap the requested gift and return it to the tree. Bohren’s Moving Company donates manpower and a truck to transport the gifts from the various tree locations to DYFS. For information call 609-799-7089.
Close to 300 Girl Scouts from West Windsor and Plainsboro gathered at the Dutch Neck Firehouse in West Windsor and at High School North in Plainsboro to create the tree decorations to place on the project with the PAJC. They also made Christmas ornaments to be given to families affiliated with HomeFront and made holiday cards for senior citizens.
The Junior and Cadette scouts planned and ran activity stations for the Brownie and Daisy Girl Scouts. Troops involved include 194, 206, 207, 216, 217, 599, 600, 619, 629, 665, 676, 677, 700, 871, 891, 1500, 1603, 1606, 1608, 1612, 1613, 1807, 1836, 1885, and 1896. The events were organized primarily by Girl Scout leaders Cheryl Corbett, Wendy Kramer, and Carol Foster.
Party for HomeFront
A group of members from Congregation Beth Chaim organized a party this fall for children from HomeFront. The children arrived by bus and were treated to an afternoon of games including air hockey. Lori Derman of West Windsor was one of the organizers of the event, and the majority of the adults and children who helped with the party were from West Windsor, where the synagogue is based.
Kids for Kids
The West Windsor Grover Middle School chapter of Kids-for-Kids of New Jersey is conducting a drive to collect baby supplies for underprivileged and needy babies in New Jersey. The drive was held in November at Grover Middle School and in December at Maurice Hawk School and Beth Chaim Synagogue. They collected diapers, wipes, toiletries, and clothing for the babies.
Alexandra Olgin, an eighth grade student at Grover Middle School, founded the West Windsor Junior Chapter last year. In October, the group collected over 250 pairs of new pajamas, which were distributed as holiday gifts to underprivileged and needy children at group homes and shelters throughout the state. They also participated in a Thanksgiving luncheon in Ewing and the annual Kids-for-Kids annual walk-a-thon, which raised over $14,”000 last year.
The group participated in the Thanksgiving luncheon again and worked at the Crisis Ministry’s food pantry in Trenton. This year, Olgin enlisted the help of her eighth grade social studies teacher, Frank Cincotta, and expanded the West Windsor chapter, bringing the 10-core group members to close to 35 students at Grover. Cicotta is now the advisor of the group and has worked with the students on conducting the baby supply drive.
As part of her Bat Mitzvah celebration, Olgin conducted a drive of her own. She collected over 80 pairs of brand-new sneakers from her guests and two sneaker companies (Saucony and Mizuno), which were distributed to needy children this summer to wear to school in the fall. Olgin’s first cousin, Dayna Elconin of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was so inspired by the organization that she started a Berkshire Middle School chapter of Kids-for-Kids in Michigan. They recently completed a sports sock drive which yielded over 850 pairs of socks, which were distributed to the St. Vincent’s-Sarah Fishman foster home for children in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Olgin’s sister, Danielle, a sixth grade student at Grover, is a representative for her team. Their younger sister, Sabrina, a third grade student at Hawk Elementary School, is involved in the baby supply drive at her school.
The core members of the West Windsor chapter include Alexandra and Danielle Olgin, Amanda Richards, Brittany Mathes, Annie Scharfstein, Caroline Reiff, Katie Kellner, Julie Elkin, Amy Lazarus, Emma Allen, and Morgan Mitgang. For information about the drive or about Kids-for-Kids, call 609-897-0564.
Musical Notes
Adam Schuit of West Windsor organized the “Troop 40 and Friends Holiday Recital” at Windrows in Plainsboro on December 5. Musicians included Alison Berg, Nichelle Merdes, Manica Pawar, David Lerner, Bhaskar Swaminnathan, Shiva Tejo, Richard Wong, Smita Tejo, Eitan Levine, Lorraine Mukerji, Tommy Provine, Sharif Labban, and Amy Kawabata. Schuit, 14, is a freshman at High School North and a member of Boy Scout Troop 40.
Kierstin Gray has cut a vocal/guitar track for a Time/ Warner broadband commercial. She does a version of the Rolling Stones song “Time (Is on My Side).” Listen for an acoustic version of the song on television in the coming months advertising Time Warner broadband internet.
Andrew Zutty, currently in Kathie Lee Gifford’s new off-Broadway show, “Under the Bridge,” at the Zipper Theatre, performed on the Tony Danza show on Tuesday, December 14. He has also been seen in clips on “The View,” “The Today Show,” and “Good Day Live.” He plays the role of Paul Calcet, one of the homeless children that lives “under the bridge.” Zutty is a seventh grade student at Community Middle School.
The musical is based on the Newbery Medal-winning book, “The Family Under the Bridge” with book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, and music by David Pomeranz. Tickets, which usually cost $55, are available for shows through Thursday, January 30, online at www.playbill.com, for $45. Opening night is Thursday, January 6.
His mother, Jill Zutty, also has a new CD available. “You Turn Me On,” a 20-track album, is available at www.jillzutty.com for $18. It will soon be available at cdbaby.com and towerrecords.com. A portion of the sales will go to the National Foundation of Cancer Research.
In the Schools
Model UN
High School South’s Model UN Club rose to the top when the 24-member team carried off the highest award possible with the “Best Delegation” award at the Model United Nations conference held at Rutgers University, November 18 to 21.
Members include Rimon Abaskharon, Ayman Attar, Preeti Bhattacharji, Vijay Chandar, Mainak Dasgupta, Courtne Edmonds, Fan Feng, Brooke Handy, Andy Hwang, Jay Kapoor, Max Marder, Sarah McKnight, Bharat Mohan, Eitan Paul, George Puica, Jinesh Ramani, Kate Samardick, Lokesh Shah, Naveen Sheshradi, Alina Valero, Andrew Watrous, Hanif Yazdi, and Mike Zhou.
Jay Kapoor received the best delegate award in the Social and Humanitarian committee. Andy Hwang and Kate Samardick received outstanding delegate for the Commission on Science and Technology. Preeti Bhattacharji received distinguished delegate on the security council. Hariff Yazdi received outstanding delegate in the historical 1962 security council. Andrew Watrous was outstanding delegate in the non-governmental organizational corps. The advisors are Danelle Sauern and Brad Borsuk.
First in Chess
Dutch Neck School took the first place school trophy for third grade in the second annual New Jersey K-12 Championship Chess Tournament held on November 21 by the New Jersey Chess Federation. Six students competed in the tournament. Nicolas Trieu is the 2004 New Jersey grade three chess champion and received the individual first place trophy.
Grant for Microscopes
Rick Ellis, computer teacher at Dutch Neck Elementary School, received a grant from the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation to purchase Digital Blue microscopes for his computer laboratory. The digital microscopes, which allow for magnification up to 200 x, are made for elementary school children. Ellis plans to use the microscopes with grades 2 and 3 for class work on “Parts of a Plant” and will work with kindergarten and grade 1 teachers to allow these young students to begin to understand what microscopes can do and how to use the new technology.
“These microscopes are kid-friendly but high tech, allowing students to study slides, create slide shows from their microscopic work, and print pictures from their computers,” says Ellis. “In addition, teachers can use these portable microscopes in classrooms for specific lessons, which allow us to integrate them for many school projects.”
Cognetics Training
Cognetics gold students from Grover Middle School helped facilitate training for New Jersey teachers on behalf of the National Talent Network, the organization which sponsors the state-wide cognetics program for gifted and talented students. Teachers new to the cognetics program participated in a day-long workshop conducted by Joan Ruddiman, PRISM teacher and cognetics coach at Grover. Student participants included Rachel Sartor, Andrea Echiveria, Milika Vinekar, Armanda Richards, Annie Scharfstein, and Debby Brodsky.
Around Town
Cheering in Orlando
West Windsor Plainsboro Wildcats Midget Squad sent their first team to the Pop Warner National Championships. They competed on December 10 in the novice division of the midget small groups and brought home the third place trophy. The WW-P Pop Warner Junior Football Program has been active for 30 years. Registration for the 2005 season begins in February and the season begins in August. Visit www.wwpwildcatsfootball.org for information.
First Novel
With the publication of his first novel, Mario Harpel of West Windsor, above, has perhaps launched his third — and maybe his fourth career. “Treeing,” a tale of two teenage boys and their friendship, was self-published through Trafford Publishing and is available at www.Trafford.com for $18.95.
“The book speaks of the freedom of youth as the central theme,” Harpel says. “We can all appreciate the teenage years as the book features friendships and first loves.” The soul-searching novel explores love, dreams, and disappointments. “I’ve been writing for 12 years because I enjoy it,” he says.
Harpel was born in Palo Alto, California, moved to the East coast when he was very young, and his family settled in the Langhorne and Neshaminy area. Harpel has five sisters and two brothers. His parents still live in Langhorne.
He was on the wrestling team in high school and was a varsity member of the Bucknell Wrestling team in college. He received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Bucknell University in 1988. In January he will be inducted into the Neshaminy High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
A registered professional engineer, Harpel is a senior consultant at Global Risk Consultants based in Clark. He coordinates engineering field visits, projects, and plan review with large accounts including Siemens, Sun Chemical, and Unilever. He also coordinates large construction projects including the Goldman Sachs high-rise projects in Jersey City and New York City.
Also the head wrestling coach at McCorristin High School in Hamilton, in the past Harpel has coached at Princeton, Bensalem, Springboro, Oakwood, and Neshaminy high schools; for the Penndel Wildcats in Langhorne; and at Fieldstone Middle School in Montvale. “Coaching allows me to inspire young adults with a sense of confidence, personal achievement, and self-fulfillment,” he says. “I stress daily commitment to practice, which leads to the ability to persevere through challenges.”
His first novel, “One Touch Portrait,” has not been published. Harpel is also an artist and has close to 140 oil paintings that decorate his home. His one public exhibit was in the Cincinnati area where he lived and worked in the early to mid-1990s. One of his paintings adorns the cover of “Treeing.”
His wife, Mary Ann, teaches fitness and aerobics at Merrill Lynch and at Princeton Wellness. They have two daughters, Olivia, 8, who is a third grade student at Hawk School and is on the West Windsor Recreation soccer team that Harpel coaches, and Carli, 6, a first grader at Hawk who will begin soccer in the spring.
Dancer’s Scholarship
Laura Whitby, 15, received a $5,”000 scholarship from Start Something, an educational youth program created by Target Stores and the Tiger Woods Foundation. An aspiring professional dancer, she is a student at High School South. She studies dance six days a week at Princeton Dance and Theater Studio (PDT) in Plainsboro. Last summer she attended American Ballet Theater in New York City for their six-week summer dance intensive program.
To receive the scholarship, Whitby completed several Start Something activities designed to help her think about her goals, focus on her interests, and develop an action project linked to her ideas. Her action project included interviewing a principal ballerina and performing for friends and family. Whitby appears on Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19, in “Soup to Nuts,” a newly-conceived Nutcracker, presented by PDT at the Peddie School. See story page 23.
