School superintendent Steve Mayer displays one of the Chromebooks to be introduced this year in grades 3 and 5. It is the start of a three-year plan involving Chromebooks.

By Meagan Douches

While notebooks and pencils have always been a part of the school classroom, new technology may be changing the face of traditional teaching. This year, the Robbinsville school district is introducing the one-to-one Chromebook initiative, a new three-year plan to put a Chromebook computer in the hands of every student in grades 3 through 8.

The initiative is set to start off this year as students in grades 3 and 5 are given Chromebooks for in-school use. The goal is to begin next school year by providing devices for students in grades 4 and 6 and finish the following year with devices for grades 7 and 8. All of this is assuming the budget will permit it.

After weighing the options, the district decided to purchase Chromebook devices based on affordability (each computer costs about $230) and usability. A Chromebook is a laptop that uses the Chrome OS operating system and functions through the internet. The device stores most of its data in the virtual cloud rather than on a hard drive which allows users to access their work from any device with internet access.

While there are several different makes and models of Chromebooks, this year students will receive the Acer Chromebook 13, which the district selected based on its sturdiness and durability.

District officials considered purchasing tablets for students, but were swayed by the Chromebooks’ full keyboard and other benefits. While tablet users primarily consume data by browsing the internet, Chromebook users are able to produce their own works using the devices’ apps and keyboard. Superintendant Steven Mayer and members of the school board saw that as a big advantage to student learning.

The district has signed a three-year lease for the Chromebooks which costs $50,000 per year, or $150,000 total. Each year, the district allocates funds for technology and technology refresh, so the Chromebooks are a reallocation of money typically spent on technology. Mayer believes that leasing the Chromebooks is the best option as it allows the schools to be equipped with new devices every three years, therefore keeping technology up-to-date.

The initiative began two years ago when Mayer put together a committee of teachers focusing on better ways to use technology in the classroom. They visited the West Windsor-Plainsboro, Hillsborough and Shore Regional school districts to explore different types of technology usage and determine what would work best for Robbinsville students. The board finally decided that the biggest factor that would benefit student learning would be the use of a digital drive.

“The power in this initiative is really not about the device, it’s about the Google Drive,” Mayer said.

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system made up of Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. Users can share and store files and collaborate with others on a document, spreadsheet or presentation in real time. Mayer believes that instituting this technology will result in positive changes to the student learning process.

“The Drive is creating a more collaborative classroom electronically,” he said. “If a teacher is working on a piece of writing, she can push that out to all the kids through Google Docs and then they can see it and collaborate on edits, revisions and how to make sense of the grammar.”

Mayer also pointed out that Google Drive can help students stay more organized because it lessens the load of papers and worksheets for them to keep track of. This way, their work is always in the drive and they can access it from any computer. This also eliminates the need for students to take Chromebooks home because they can access all of their work on their own computer. As a result, the new Chromebooks will be kept at school in order to avoid damage.

While the initiative will mainly affect students in grades 3 through 8, this year the district is encouraging high school students to bring their own devices—whether it’s a Chromebook, a computer or a tablet—and by 2018 high schoolers will be required to bring their own devices to school. For those who do not have a device to bring, the school will make accommodations, Mayer said.

The goal is for everyone to have a device at their disposal throughout the day, whether it’s used to gather research, create a group project, or develop student writing skills. The Chromebooks are meant to serve as an educational tool much like a graphing calculator or a Smartboard.

“We still want to be sensitive to screen time,” Mayer said. “It’s not that they’re going to be glued to these Chromebooks all day. There’s also a lot of interactive talking work and human contact work that we want them to have as well.”

Ultimately, it will be up to the teacher to ensure that students are still talking and engaging in the classroom. While the Chromebooks might be used for a research assignment, afterwards the teacher might tell the students to put their devices away to focus on another task. Also, teachers will be able to monitor students on their devices through software called Hapara which allows them to view every student’s screen on their own computer.

It seems that teachers will be the ones with the biggest change this year. While they have received training for the Chromebooks and Hapara, they may have to learn to adapt their styles of instruction around the technology. And according to Mayer, these devices have changed the approach that teachers need to take to asking questions in the classroom.

Traditionally, students learned to memorize factual knowledge and would be asked questions like what year a war took place. Today, students can look up a fact like that on their device without a thought which means that educators have to come up with other ways to get them thinking.

“Now we have to ask them to apply the information in a new sort of context,” Mayer said.

Instead, a teacher might ask the students to explain how a developing nuclear deal is similar to a historical treaty they studied.

“Those are applications,” Mayer said. “You can’t find that on the internet, you have to think about it and critically apply your knowledge to it.”

While some teachers in the district find it easier to integrate this style of instruction than others, Mayer believes that using the Chromebooks to push this type of critical thinking will create more engaged and informed citizens. He emphasizes the importance of technology in providing students with the foundations for college and career.

“We need to prepare our kids for the world of work and school,” Mayer said. “An investment in technology and technological literacy as part of what it means to be a global citizen makes sense.”

By Steve Mayer

When we hired Robert DeVita to serve as the Business Administrator for Robbinsville Schools in 2009, the district was in desperate need of innovation, consistency and a sound financial vision to lead us forward. During the years leading up to his employment, the annual audit had an array of perpetually unaddressed findings, our school facilities were consistently overlooked due to “lack of funds” and the roofs of our buildings leaked regularly because there were no resources in place to fix or repair them. Six years later, we enjoy five years of clean audits, roofs that are repaired, energy savings that have paid for necessary facility maintenance and a sound fiscal plan for our future. Thank you Bob DeVita!

Bob DeVita received his MBA from Rider University and served for several years as a Vice President at Merrill Lynch when a change in his career path steered him toward education. In spite of the district’s fiscal challenges and reputation of financial difficulties as well as a tremendous turnover in school business administrators leading up to his employment, Bob made the decision commit to Robbinsville. Since day one, he has served as an integral member of the leadership team, working to ensure that every dollar is allocated wisely and to guarantee a sound financial future for our community. His service has been stellar and is deeply appreciated.

One of the most significant of his many accomplishments was securing the $1-million owed to the district by the State of New Jersey for the funding of the high school. To secure these funds, Bob worked with a consultant to uncover “lost” documents which detailed monies that state officials previously agreed to pay as part of the high school referendum. As our community brought on additional bonding to pay for the recent additions and renovations at Pond and Sharon Schools, it was these recovered funds that helped to smooth the tax impact of the new payments. This year, with the new bonds from the 2012 referendum fully funded, we were actually able to lower the tax rate for our community members. This is a monumental accomplishment that required strategy, long term thinking, and the brains of an outstanding business mind. We are deeply grateful to Bob for his leadership.

There isn’t enough room in this column to detail the myriad ways Bob has helped our district and our community move forward in the past six years. As a result of his efforts, we have significantly increased alternate streams of revenue, thereby lowering the tax burden for residents. As a result of his commitment we have implemented an energy savings programs to address much needed HVAC repairs. As a result of his guidance and vision we have balanced sound budgets year after year, and built strong facility plans into the foreseeable future. Bob is one of the very best in his business.

We will miss him as he returns to the school district where he began his career in education. Bob is not leaving Robbinsville because his work is finished, but because he is eager to accept the challenges of a district that feels like home and is much closer to his own home. While we will miss him, we are grateful for the privilege of working with him. We wish him the very best as he makes this transition.

As we say farewell to one well-respected friend and colleague, we welcome another. Christina Moskal will serve as our next business administrator. Moskal comes to us highly recommended from Springfield Township Public Schools where she currently serves as the BA. As the 2015-16 school year takes shape, we are confident that the transition in the Business Office will be smooth thanks to Bob’s help in ensuring a smooth pass of the baton.

Steve Mayer is superintendent of Robbinsville Schools.

Robbinsville High School’s class of 2017 is set to present “A Night of Illusions” on Saturday, September 12, 2015 in order to raise money for their senior prom, graduation, picnic and other activities throughout the year.

By Laura Pollack

A night of magic is coming to Robbinsville High School.

The school’s class of 2017 is presenting “A Night of Illusions” on Saturday, Sept. 12 in order to raise money for their senior prom, graduation, picnic and other activities throughout the year.

Robbinsville alumnus and magician Matt Schick will perform at the event. Since graduating, Schick has performed in Las Vegas and has landed a few performances on various TV shows, said Jennifer Allessio, one of the co-advisors for the class of 2017.

Allessio said Schick performed at the high school while he was still a student. Allessio said the show sold out and received rave reviews from audience members.

After the success of the first show, people have been asking the event organizers to bring him back to once again showcase his talents in front of his former classmates.

“Everyone is excited to see how he’s grown,” she said.

Due to the popular demand, Allessio said organizers are trying to plan magic shows more frequently, especially given their family-friendly nature. Most of the events that the high school hosts are geared toward teenagers, but the magic show is for all ages. This helps bring in families from outside of Robbinsville, and will ultimately raise even more money for the class of 2017, Allessio said.

“The older people had just as much fun because they enjoyed the magic as well as seeing the excitement on the kids faces,” she said.

John Cassidy, better known as the BalloonFREAK, will also perform at the event. Known for being the world’s fastest balloon artist, Cassidy has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Live with Regis and Kelly and The Today Show. Cassidy isn’t giving away many details about his performance to keep the audience surprised, but in addition to his balloon art, he blends his wit and magic together to create an entertaining performance.

The event starts at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for students and children. Group tickets are available for parties of 15 or more, at $10 per person. To buy tickets, visit tinyurl.com/nightofIllusions.

Washington Crossing Audubon Society is pleased to announce its annual Holden Fund Grant Competition to assist individuals and organizations in advancing environmental education and conservation through initiatives emphasizing, but not limited to three areas: habitat protection and restoration; avian monitoring and conservation; and public awareness and education.

The program also encourages grants addressing conservation concerns related to other threatened taxa or preserving biodiversity, as well as initiatives to reconnect people with the natural world. Funding for this program is possible through a generous bequest from the late Polly Holden. This year, a total of up to $20,000 is available from the fund. Individual grants will be capped at $5,000.

Grant applications will be reviewed by the WCAS Grants Committee, which will provide recommendations to the full WCAS board for approval and announcement of recipients by February 1, 2016. Submissions must be received by November 1, 2015.

Interested individuals and organizations should submit an application that supplies the information outlined below (with supporting material as appropriate) by November 1, 2015 to contact.wcas@gmail.com. Grant money can not be used towards salaries or operating expenses. Recipients of funded grants will be required to submit a report upon project completion.

WCAS Holden Grant Application Outline

Name of Individual/Organization

Contact Information:

Address

Telephone No.

Email

What is the project objective?

What need will the project fill? What is the benefit?

Describe the project. Include how the project will proceed and who is in charge.

What qualifications do you have?

What past experience does the organization have?

How will you evaluate the project?

If the project will continue, how will it be funded?

Provide a timeline and a budget.

The Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County Library is set to host an art exhibit by students of Teresa Prashad throughout the month of September. There will be a meet-the-artists event on Sunday, September 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. at 2751 Brunswick Pike in Lawrence.

Guests will have the opportunity to purchase student artwork to benefit the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ Foundation.

The exhibit is free and open to the public during the library’s open hours.

New Jersey residents who are in their senior year in high school this year and are planning a career in agriculture or science may apply for the New Jersey Agricultural Achievement Award. The deadline for applications is January 2, 2016.

New Jersey residents who are in their senior year in high school this year and are planning a career in agriculture or science may apply for the New Jersey Agricultural Achievement Award. One winner will be selected and awarded a $500 scholarship to honor their achievements.

The New Jersey Agricultural Achievement Award, sponsored by Dr. Amy Butewicz, a former New Jersey Equestrian of the Year, was started because of her desire to give back to the community. This scholarship is meant to assist its recipient in beginning their future in agriculture.

The qualifications for receiving this award include submitting an application, found here jerseyequine.nj.gov/agachievementapplform.pdf, a resume along with an essay answering the question, “How has your involvement within your respective nominating organization helped to shape your future career choice?”

In addition, a contestant is required to be a current, active member of an organization either on the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board and/or represented at the Youth Reception portion of the New Jersey State Agricultural Convention. Each organization on the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board and a participant of the State Agricultural Convention is able to nominate a maximum of two contestants.

The winner of the Agricultural Achievement Award must attend the Annual New Jersey Bred Equine Breeders Award Luncheon to be held on Sunday, January 24, 2016 in Eastampton and will read his or her essay to the attendees.

Please mail application, resume and essay by January 2, 2016 to:

NJDA

Attn: Lynn Mathews

P.O. Box 330

Trenton, New Jersey 08625

If you have any questions, contact Lynn Mathews, (609) 292-2888 or lynn.mathews@ag.state.nj.us.

On Saturday, September 26, 2015, Hamilton High School West is scheduled to host the 41st Annual Hamilton West Cavalcade of Bands marching band competition. The USBands-sanctioned event is set to start at 1 p.m. at 2720 South Clinton Avenue in Hamilton.

The event will feature thirteen of the top competitive marching bands from around the state performing for top honors in music, marching and overall effect.

Tickets are $8, and will benefit Hamilton West’s “The Pride of Mercer County” Hornet Marching Band.

For more information, contact the band office at (609) 631-4168 x3305, or visit HornetBands.org.

On September 13, 2015 the Nottingham Northstar Marching Unit performed the pregame show at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the Phillies v. Cubs game.

On September 13, 2015 the Nottingham Northstar Marching Unit performed the pregame show at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the Phillies v. Cubs game.

The Marching Unit performed the song “Starships” by Nikki Minaj with the Philly Phanatic. The Phanatic was celebrating his new DVD, “The Philly Phanatic One Man Band.” Afterwards, the Marching Unit got to watch the game from centerfield seats to see the Phillies beat the Cubs 2-1.

The Marching Unit is under the direction of Jennifer Klek, Jarret Susswein, Stephanie Venanzi and Matt DiBiase. Drum Majors are Dylan Gurgurich, Abby Oliver and Josh Samolchuk. Color Guard Captains are Robin Clifford, Joely DeMonte and Baylee Gurgurich.

In addition to the performance at Citizens Bank Park, the Northstars will be competing at several local competitions in the USBands circuit. They will also be traveling to Orlando in May to participate in performance workshops and perform in the Main Street Parade at Walt Disney World.

Princeton Junior School has been named an IB World School, making it the only private elementary school in New Jersey to offer the renowned IB Primary Years Program.

As an IB World School, Princeton Junior School joins more than 2,000 schools around the globe that have adopted this approach to elementary education. A recent study found that students in the IB Primary Years Program outperformed non-IB students in mathematical literacy, reading, narrative writing and expository writing.

The International Baccalaureate is a not-for-profit educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The IB’s Primary Years Program is a framework that links traditional academic subjects with conceptual and inquiry-based learning. It emphasizes hands-on activities with international relevance and critical thinking. The program is part of a continuum for middle school, high school and beyond.

According to Silvana Nazzaro Clark, Princeton Junior School’s head of school, it took more than three years to earn authorization and the program has already had a positive impact on Princeton Junior School’s student body.

Located in Lawrenceville, Princeton Junior School (PJS) offers early childhood and primary education for students aged 2 through 11. At PJS, students engage in inquiry-based learning, a guided approach to education that encourages students to ask questions and become independent thinkers. PJS was recently named the most diverse private school in New Jersey by the National Association of Independent School and is the only private elementary IB World School in New Jersey. For more information, visit princetonjuniorschool.org.

Back row, pictured from left: students Eshika Agarwal, Nimesh Rani and Akshith Narahari. Front row, pictured from left: Reetika Agarwal, Art Teacher Teresa Prashad, Rani Manasari, Richa Narahari and Vishal Madisetti.

"Colorful hibiscuses," "Blooming Iris" and "Shadow" all created by art student Eshika Agarwal.

Art students of Teresa Prashad hosted a Meet and Greet event on September 13, 2015 for their exhibit at the Lawrence Library. All sales from the event went to benefit the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ Foundation.

The exhibit will be on view at the Lawrence Library through the month of September 2015. The exhibit is free and open to the public during the library’s standard hours. The artwork is available for sale and all proceeds will go to RCI.

Headmaster William S. Hawkey addresses Convocation at the Pennington School on September 11, 2015.

Senior class officers Audrey Plimpton (left) of Pennington and Morgan Pinado of Carversville, Pa., lead the Pennington School student procession.

The Pennington School officially opened its 178th academic year on September 11, 2015 with Convocation ceremonies held under a tent on the School’s O’Hanlon Green. Headmaster William S. Hawkey welcomed 506 students, comprising residents of seven states and representatives of 21 countries outside the United States. New students entering this year bring 16 spoken languages to the campus.

The School’s combined day and boarding population is made up of approximately 55 percent boys and 45 percent girls, with 404 in the Upper School and 102 in the Middle School. Among the countries represented are Austria, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Nigeria, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

In addition to Hawkey, speakers at Convocation included Peter J. Tucci, Esq., of New Hope, Pa., chair of the board of trustees and a 1979 graduate of the School; Coltrane Stansbury of Edison, a 1992 graduate and member of the Alumni Association board; Blair Thompson of Pennington, the longest-serving current faculty member; senior Morgan Pinado of Carversville, Pa., student government president; and eighth-grader Vincent Colalillo of Delaware Township, N.J.

Dr. Hawkey discussed the School’s core values of humility, virtue, and honor- words that have resonated on the campus since 1921, when then-Headmaster Francis Harvey Green put them on three gateways modeled on those at Caius College, Cambridge University.

The Pennington School, founded in 1838, recently celebrated its 175th anniversary. It is an independent coeducational school for students in grades 6 through 12, in both day and boarding programs. The curriculum is college preparatory, with an emphasis on individual excellence, fostering the development of the whole student through academics, athletics, community service, and the creative and performing arts.

Pictured from left: Saint Raphael School students Ava Santiago and Isabella Petrino participate in the school’s 2015 September 11 ceremony.

On September 11, 2015 following the Opening School Mass, Saint Raphael School students (Preschool through 8th Grade) wearing Red, White and Blue joined faculty, staff and school families for prayer and to remember those who have served and are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Principal, Ann Cwirko lead everyone in prayer. After prayer and a moment of silence, students were asked to place a flag near a monument which is dedicated to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Donations collected at this event will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Program.

Thomas J. Christensen, the William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War and director of the China and the World Program at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is set to present a talk on his new book, “The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power,” Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. at Robertson Hall on the Princeton campus. A book sale and signing will follow the discussion.

Christensen is a leading authority on China and East Asia foreign affairs and international security. From 2006 to 2008, he served as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan and Mongolia.

In his new book, Christensen argues against the notion that China is a rival superpower to the U.S. and that its rise is a threat to U.S. leadership in Asia and beyond. Instead, he describes a new paradigm in revealing the real challenges dissuading China from regional aggression while encouraging the country to contribute to the global order. Drawing on decades of scholarship and experience as a senior diplomat, Christensen offers a new assessment of U.S.-China relations.

This event is co-sponsored with the Wilson School’s China and the World Program.

Princeton Day School has announced three Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists include, from left, Aiden Jones ’16, Devika Kumar ’16 and Nick Chen ’16.

Princeton Day School is proud to announce the following three Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program: Nick Chen ’16 (Monmouth Junction), Aiden Jones ’16 (Princeton) and Devika Kumar ’16 (Branchburg).

These students were among the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists named in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the spring.

Princeton Day School is an independent, coeducational school educating students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Princeton Day School receives the 2015 Overall Winning School Garden of the Year Award at a ceremony on September 21, 2015 . Pictured from left to right are Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, Chair of the PDS Board of Trustees Barbie Griffin Cole ’78, Garden Coordinator Pam Flory, Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler and Head of School Paul J. Stellato.

On September 21, 2015 Princeton Day School was presented with the 2015 Overall Winning New Jersey School Garden of the Year Award. The award presentation, which took place in the Petrella Garden Classroom and surrounding PDS garden, coincided with the fifth annual “Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week.”

The New Jersey School Garden of the Year Award was started in 2012 through a collaboration between Edible Jersey Magazine and the New Jersey Farm to School Network, and is open to any New Jersey PreK-12 school.

This year’s entries, close to 200, were judged by a committee of representatives from the NJ Farm to School Network, NJ Department of Agriculture, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, The NJ Agricultural Society and the NJ Alliance for Environmental Education.

The school was honored to welcome, among others, Beth Feehan, director of New Jersey Farm to School Network; Nancy Painter, publisher of Edible Jersey Magazine; Susan McAleavey from the Eastern Produce Council; and Liz Lempert, Mayor of Princeton. Head of School Paul Stellato and Chair of the Board of Trustees Barbie Griffin Cole ’78 were also at the ceremony, along with Liz Cutler, Sustainability Coordinator and Pam Flory, Garden Coordinator, who applied for the award.

When presenting the award, Feenhan praised the PDS organic garden saying that it represented exactly what this movement—farm to school—is trying to achieve.

The award marks the third impressive accolade the Princeton Day School garden and sustainability program have received, after being awarded both the 2015 New Jersey Green Ribbon Award and 2015 U.S. Department of Education National Green Ribbon Award in the spring.

Attached photo:

Princeton Day School receives the 2015 Overall Winning School Garden of the Year Award, which was started in 2012 through a collaboration between Edible Jersey Magazine and the New Jersey Farm to School Network, and is open to any New Jersey PreK-12 school. Pictured above, from left to right, are Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, Chair of the PDS Board of Trustees Barbie Griffin Cole ’78, Garden Coordinator Pam Flory, Sustainability Coordinator Liz Cutler, and Head of School Paul J. Stellato.

Pictured from left, Pennington’s Mayor Anthony Presichilli, Director of Public Safety William Meytrott, Co-Founders of Cambridge Jim and Deborah Peters, Associate Head of School Melody Maskell and Head of School James Maher at the Cambridge School Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony held on September 10, 2015.

On September 10, 2015, the Cambridge School held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to acknowledge the grand opening of the new Upper School building and its accredited high school program.

Pennington’s Mayor Anthony Persichilli, Director of Public Safety, William Meytrott, Cambridge School administrative staff, teachers, parents and Upper School students watched with anticipation as Deborah and Jim Peters, Co-Founders of Cambridge School, cut the ribbon to unveil the new building. Attendees toured the spacious contemporary style rooms complete with state-of-the-art technology including: 3-D printer, green screen technology and interactive white boards.

This substantial investment in the Upper School is representative of Cambridge School’s Mission Statement and the school’s steadfast determination to serve students diagnosed with learning differences, helping them to thrive. The Upper School will continue to be a small school where teaching, learning, and personal relationships are paramount. The curriculum is specially designed to develop specific academic skills, build a foundation of knowledge on those skills and stimulate intellectual curiosity. The program is rigorous and designed to prepare students for success in college.

For more information call (609) 730-9553 or visit thecambridgeschool.org.

By Laura Pollack

When Thelma Carrera was a Nottingham High School student, she didn’t always see herself becoming a university graduate. She was on track to become the first person in her family to graduate from high school, but she wasn’t sure she could take the next step of going to college—one that many high school students don’t think twice about.

She simply didn’t know how to go about it, and since she hailed from a family of immigrants, her family didn’t have any background or any knowledge of the college process, either.

Carrera’s situation is a common one for immigrant students, or children of immigrants, living in Mercer County. Language barriers, cultural differences and a lack of available information leave many families in the dark when it comes to college, but a program called Futuro is looking to change that.

Futuro is a student-mentorship program run by the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The program was started three years ago and aims to provide students who are immigrants or the children of immigrants in the Trenton or Hamilton Township school districts with the tools they need to get into a college of their choice.

Students receive help at every stage of the college process, including SAT/ACT prep, writing a resume, applying for financial aid and even meeting professionals in their field of interest. The program itself is free, and participants are awarded an educational stipend to go toward tuition, books and other college-related expenses.

While many students apply for the program, only about a dozen are accepted each year to provide the students with the individualized attention that they need, Futuro Program Manager Leslie Rodriguez said.

Carrera applied for the Futuro program after her mom showed her everything they offered. Now, she’s a sophomore dual Spanish and philosophy major at The College of New Jersey.

“I don’t think I’d be at TCNJ if it weren’t for Futuro,” she said. “Futuro was really the program that helped me with the process—and be familiar with it—and motivate me to want to go to college.”

Rodriguez said the program goes beyond helping students simply get into school.

“It’s a comprehensive program,” Rodriguez said. “It’s hitting all aspects of academics now and planning for later—financial planning. It’s a really a holistic program that fills in all the gaps where a lot of our families need assistance.”

In some cases, Rodriguez said parents are not even thinking about sending their children to college because their kids are working, and they can’t afford to lose that income. Even though they would ultimately make more money with a degree, families don’t always see college as a viable option, and then rule it out entirely. Futuro provides education and information for families to better understand the need of getting a degree in higher education.

In other instances, parents want to send their children to college, but don’t have any knowledge of how the process works.

“There’s just a lack of information, especially for parents who don’t speak English,” Rodriguez said. “They’re not getting their information packets in their own language. It’s just putting everyone behind the starting line and possibly not letting them compete.”

No matter the reason, Futuro seeks to help these students find a path to college that works for them.

“Futuro’s goal is to help those who don’t have the resources at home,” Carrera said. “We don’t have these resources at home. We don’t have the people with knowledge—our parents also haven’t gone to college. [Futuro] was very important, and it was a big factor of me being here.”

Deysi Martinez joined Futuro when she was a student at Trenton Central High School. Now, she’s a freshman at TCNJ, but back when she was in high school she wasn’t sure how she’d get into college.

Martinez and her family are originally from Guatemala, and she moved here about four years ago. For her and her family, the college process seemed out of their league.

“My parents and I, we already knew that college was something that I wanted, but I think without the Futuro program we didn’t know what to do to get into college,” Martinez said. “[Futuro] basically guided me through those steps and helped me get through that whole application process, which is really stressful.”

While it’s necessary to make sure students understand and hit every college application deadline, Rodriguez said for students in urban districts building up their confidence so they feel as though they can succeed is just as important.

“These kids are walking into school buildings, with bathrooms that don’t have soap or paper towels or old books that don’t have covers,” she said. “Just from these simple things day-in and day-out these kids are getting signals that they’re not expected to succeed—that they aren’t valuable—and there’s the same messages in the school system, in the media, throughout their community that they’re surrounded by it.”

The Futuro program works to cultivate strong sense of self-confidence in students, which is is important for their advancement.

“Having that drive already in place is really critical for a smooth transition into college, and a long lasting ability to succeed,” Rodriguez said.

For Carrera, Futuro instilled a drive in her to succeed that wasn’t always there before.

“My junior year, my grades weren’t the best, so first of all Futuro really put me in check and said, ‘Look, you want to go to college, you need to focus more on your grades’ so I did,” she said. “They set standards and goals for me to reach, and also I wasn’t really thinking of going to a four-year school.

Prior to joining Futuro, Carrera said she was only thinking of going to community college, but Futuro made her realize the benefits of getting a bachelor’s degree.

In addition to building up students’ confidence, Futuro also works to build up a sense of pride in their community and where they came from.

“We really wanted our students to be involved in the community that’s doing so much for them,” Rodriguez said. “The Latino community in Trenton is growing, and it’s a strong one. We felt it was important to put an emphasis to give back.”

In addition to receiving college aid, students are required to complete a certain number of volunteer activities each year. Students participate in LALDEF community events that seek to assist immigrants, most of whom don’t speak English. The events ensure immigrants have access to health care—ranging from eye and cholesterol exams to general health information—and legal and tax information.

Many of the students’ volunteer projects at LALDEF events involve working as a translator between those working the event and the immigrants to ensure everyone understands the issues at hand.

Rodriguez said one memorable community service event was when students went door-to-door with the Red Cross to install free smoke detectors in immigrant’s homes. The students translated between the resident and the Red Cross worker.

“More often than not, they were saying a lot of those families would have not received the free smoke detectors, or wouldn’t have understood what the groups are trying to offer,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said they are currently in the recruitment process to find students for this year, and they hope to be finished by the end of October.

“I’m definitely telling all my friends, and all the people I know,” Martinez said. “Hispanic people, our parents don’t know what it takes to get to college—it’s big. If it wouldn’t be for Futuro, I wouldn’t be here.”

Lawrence Elementary School music teacher Daniel Beal instructs Nethra Santapur and Rachel Maest. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

Maako Fangajei, Caleb Anderson and Michael Wedeking work with iPads to create a musical score. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

Maia Ionescu sits with several pages of sheet music. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

By Madeleine Maccar

A collaboration between local elementary schools and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra is giving six district students a chance to not only flex their musical composition muscles but also try their hands at something every child wishes for: a few nights of getting to tell the adults what to do.

Thanks to the PSO BRAVO! Program, the Quartweet Project and a few determined teachers, third grade students at Lawrenceville, Ben Franklin, Eldridge Park and Slackwood elementary schools are getting a multidisciplinary learning opportunity outside the classroom that will culminate in original 140-note-or-less scores, brought to to life at the hands of Germany’s Signum Quartet.

Lawrenceville Elementary music teacher Daniel Beal is one of the integral forces behind this unique experience, and he is certain that the students’ debut as musical storytellers will become a memory they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

“I think it’s really going to blow their minds,” Beal said. “Professional, international musicians are going to be playing their music right in front of them and taking commands from them. They’re officially composers who get to coach these musicians.”

While PSO BRAVO! has been uniting professional musicians and students since 1995, PSO executive director Marc Uys said that this is the first time that PSO and Lawrenceville Elementary have worked hand in hand.

According to Beal, the Quartweet Project would have never come to fruition if not for Stephanie Wedeking, whom he credits for facilitating the connection between him and Uys.

Uys was looking for a way to involve the the Signum Quartet, which PSO would be showcasing and, after getting the green light from district Educational Technology and Related Arts supervisor Damian Bariexca, Beal wanted to utilize iPad-based music composition tools.

Their desire to celebrate budding songwriters was the crucial element in connecting the dots, and they ended up having the six students—one picked from each of the other elementary schools and three LES students hand-selected by Beal at the end of the 2014-2015 school year—each write their own quartweet.

Students chosen to write scores were Caleb Anderson, Maako Fangajei, Maia Ionescu, Rachel Maest, Nethra Santapur and Michael Wedeking.

“The basic concept behind a quartweet is the idea that so much of today’s communication is taking place on social media, and to explore that as a forum for writing music,” Uys said. “As a fun way to parallel Twitter, we are asking composers to write pieces for a string quartet that have no more than 140 notes, to parallel the limits on characters on Twitter. There are all kinds of fun things that can be done with that, and it’s not a huge task: One can focus without being overwhelmed by writing a long piece of music.”

A thoroughly 21st-century twist on musical composition, the Twitter-inspired limit on each score is just one of the many modern flourishes punctuating the PSO and Lawrence Township partnership. Part of what piqued Uys’s interest was the challenge of tasking young minds with writing their own songs, as well as the addition of a technological component that would set students to composing music for a first and second violin, a cello and a viola entirely on iPads.

Students are getting quite the technological education, indeed, with their songs being composed and tested on iPads before the notes are committed to a digital score.

The program GarageBand exports the finished song part by part, allowing the final product to be printed as sheet music—or in the students’ cases, emailed to the Signum Quartet in Germany where violist Xandi van Dijk has been transferring each song to a sheet of playable music.

“It’s quite a journey from the iPad screen to the final product,” Beal said.

Beal said that introducing teaching artist Jessica Meyer, a Juilliard trained violist and composer, to the program “brought the project to a whole other level,” in terms of broadening the musical vocabulary, techniques and vision available to the students as storytellers.

“She teaches them to understand the multitude of sounds you can make with a string instrument: You can take a regular melody and transform it in 10 different ways just based on string techniques,” Beal said. “She also is huge into getting kids to improvise and compose through storytelling and imagery, like the ways playing a violin can make something sound exciting, happy, scary, like a windy day or a boat on an ocean. What started out as just writing something that sounds nice became telling a story.”

Beal said that his students took right to the modified assignment, using the musical medium to tell their own stories.

For example, Maest took her inspiration from a family road trip, watching four butterflies—represented by the quartet’s four instruments—from her car window, which are interrupted by car horns and give way to her family’s arrival at their hotel, and Fangajei narrated a car race, pitting the viola and second violin in a race against each other as the other two instruments cheer each one on. He chose to end the song before its race was over, letting the symphonic audience decide who they thought was the winner.

Wedeking, meanwhile, used his composition as a vehicle to honor his love of roller coasters, starting with the suspense of a slowly rising ride represented by ascending notes and ending with the viola’s pizzicato plucking emulating the riders’ departure.

“The detail involved is insane and it totally transformed the process,” Beal said.

Giving students a nontraditional avenue to tell their stories is only one of the project’s benefits. Both Beal and Uys said that the six third-graders have gained everything from a new language in which to express themselves creatively to the confidence befitting their talents—in addition to the unique experience of hearing their works performed by renowned professional musicians.

“Certainly for those six kids, I’m sure they’ll never forget doing this, it’s an opportunity to really feel free and express themselves and have the guidance of some of the top practitioners in the world,” Uys said.

“They got a chance to conceive a real, legitimate piece of music from beginning to end,” Beal said. “Their confidence as creative musicians has really been spurred. I can see the looks on my kids’ faces when they like something. All three of my kids are pretty shy, and I think this is a good example of how music can really bring shy kids out of the woodwork if you provide the right opportunities for them. These kids you didn’t really know had these talents can really do something special.”

Aside from the manifold rewards the Quartweet Project offers in and of itself, both Beal and Uys agree that the undeniable moment of recognition on a child’s face when they discover that their love of music is on par with their knack for creating it has made this just as wildly beneficial of an experience for them as it has for the children they’ve watched blossom over the course of the program.

“I’m in the business of trying to let people have those ‘wow’ moments, when you know that something stuck and you’ve done something wonderful for another human being,” Uys said. “The rewarding thing is facilitating moments like that in young people’s lives because we all can probably trace our own passions back to a single moment in our childhood where we’ve connected to something. For me, being on the other side of those ‘wow’ moments, you also experience that connection, too.”

With the Signum Quartet giving a trio of performances that were scheduled for Sept. 28, Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 featuring songs by some of Lawrence Township’s youngest composers played among some of classical music’s biggest names, Beal is certain that the enormity of the experience will not be lost on the students—especially when their work is played for their classmates.

“I told all six of them recently that these pieces of music they’ve written is just not just going to live on this paper, it’s not just going to be on this iPad, it’s going to be in front of these four musicians,” he said. “We’re going to bring them on stage, there are going to be pictures—I don’t think they’ll ever forget that a string quartet from another country came here to play a piece of music that they wrote.”

By Dana Drake

Thank you to the maintenance and custodial staff for ensuring our schools and grounds were ready for staff and students returning on Sept 3.

Other than a few late buses — which is standard the first few days of school, the 2015-16 school year got off to a great start!

Though the Board of Education had hoped to settle the Lawrence Township Education Association (LTEA) contract prior to the start of the new school year, we remain optimistic after significant progress was made at a recent negotiation session on Sept. 9.

Changes in state laws the past five years have impacted New Jersey labor union contract negotiations at all levels of government — state, counties, municipalities and school boards.

Recent changes include increased contribution amounts to pension and health benefit premiums and a two-percent cap on property tax increases.

This has made an already difficult process more challenging, and as a result over 30 percent of New Jersey communities started the school year amidst teacher contract negotiations.

Additionally, like Lawrence, 8 percent of New Jersey communities are still negotiating contracts that expired in 2014 or earlier.

We understand the continued frustrations experienced by our staff, students, parents and the general public as this process continues, especially as both the Board and LTEA are bound by a confidentiality agreement and not able to provide negotiation specifics at this time.

Meanwhile, the board is committed to keeping public information factual; please know that school employees never “work without a contract.”

Until a new agreement is reached, all of the provisions of the expired agreement remain in effect and teachers continue to receive salaries, health insurance, sick leave, and all other benefits provided in the expired contract. Additionally, LTEA members will be retroactively compensated once a settlement is reached.

On a more positive note, after a few months of negotiations the Board, and Lawrence Township Principal and Supervisors Association (LTPSA ) were able to wrap up contract negations this summer. The July 2015 — June 2018 LTPSA agreement was approved at the July 15 Board meeting.

Meanwhile, the fall sports season is well underway for both the Lawrence Middle and High schools. Be sure to come out and show your support for our talented boys and girls fall sports teams: cheerleading, field hockey, football, soccer, tennis, and cross-country. The Lawrence Cardinal athletic calendar can be found at colonialvalleyconference.org.

Also, don’t forget to mark your calendar — LHS Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 24. Go Cardinals!

School board elections will take place on Nov. 3. On the ballot this year are three candidates running for three, three-year seats; Joyce Scott, and incumbent’s Kevin A. Van Hise and JoAnn L. Groeger.

If you are new to the district, or have not done so already, be sure to sign up to receive the district’s newsletter, “QuickNews.”

By subscribing to this free email service, you will receive important notices and news from LTPS, including emergency or late-breaking information such as school closings or early dismissals. Visit ltps.org and select “QuickNews” under the “Community” heading to sign up.

And speaking of school closings, school will be closed on Oct. 12 – Professional Development Day, and Nov. 5 & 6 – NJEA Convention.

Dana Drake is a member of the Lawrence Township Board of Education.

The students of Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Marching Black and Gold practice their 2015 show, “Heroes and Villains,” on the band’s practice field. The marching band is preparing to host its first-ever USBands competition on October 17, 2015 starting at 3:30 p.m. at the high school.

The Marching Black and Gold, Hopewell Valley Central High School’s award-winning marching band, is preparing to host its first-ever USBands competition on October 17, 2015 at the high school. Including the Marching Black and Gold, twelve bands will participate in the competition, titled “Music in Motion” to be held from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ackerson Field.

The lineup for the competition includes high school bands from the smallest to the largest band classes. In addition to Hopewell, high school marching bands performing that day in will be: Louis E. Dieruff, South Hunterdon Regional, Bordentown, Steinert, Hightstown, Robbinsville, Rahway, Nottingham, Northern Burlington, Phillipsburg and South Brunswick. In addition to competing for first place in their class divisions, the bands will compete for awards in music performance, visual performance, overall effect, color guard and percussion.

Last year, the Marching Black and Gold, a Class IIIA band, won the USBands Yamaha Cup competition held at MetLife Stadium for its performance of “Rise of the Machine.” It also took the show awards for best percussion and best color guard. This year, the band, which comprises 62 students, is currently preparing and presenting its 2015 show, titled “Heroes and Villains” at football games and regional competitions. The band is in its ninth year of performance and competition.

Hosting a competition is an ambitious undertaking, requiring the participation of not only band members, but of band parents, the Music and Theatre Parents Association, and the high school and district administrations. Last year, USBands sponsored nearly 150 events involving 700 bands across the country. Formed in 1988, USBands is a program of Youth Education in the Arts, whose mission is to support the character development of young people through participation in the performing arts.

The community is invited and encouraged to attend the competition. The show will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the performances will conclude with an awards ceremony at approximately 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for students 18 and under and seniors over 65; and children age 4 and under are free.