“Kristen is being escorted across the field this evening by her mom, Mary, and her dad, Tim. She has played field hockey and lacrosse all four years for Del Val. She is also an active part of the Sport and Spirit Club. Outside of sports, Kristen is involved in Best Buddies and Relay for Life. After graduating, Kristen plans on going to college and studying engineering.”

“Theo is being walked across the field this evening by his mother, Donna Mackey. Theo has been involved in football for three years here at Del Val where he plays offensive guard. He has also played lacrosse for four years at Del Val where he played attack. Theo also was involved in helping out with Best Buddies for all four years. Theo plans on attending college after graduation to study business.” “Normally the king and queen enjoy some additional fanfare at a Homecoming dance. Of course that couldn't happen this year. But I was so happy to crown Kristen and Theo before the game. It's one of my favorite moments of the school year.” said Principal Adrienne Olcott. Teacher Jessica Severns coordinated the production. Members of the Homecoming Court included Haleigh Cronce, Amanda Dely, Isabella Gohil, Tyler Holzworth, Patrick Agulis and Tyler Lagun. Del Val's coach Mike Haughey is also having a moment, On Monday, Oct. 26, he said his team played really well, scoring six touchdowns on 24 offensive plays. He described some of the plays as “explosive,” and said “the defense was really tough.” The lopsided score enabled some of the backup players to get some experience, “so it was a fun night,” he said.

East and West Amwell Schools

West Amwell School and East Amwell Township School each won a new garden partially made from recycled oral care waste through this year’s Save Water Challenge, courtesy of global oral care leader Colgate-Palmolive (“Colgate”), regional retailer ShopRite and recycling leader TerraCycle.

 "We look forward to engaging all our Kindergarten through Grade 6 students in this outdoor learning experience and using the new instructional outdoor space,” said West Amwell School Principal David Miller. “West Amwell School has a small and strong school community who's beauty will only be enhanced by this award."

Hunterdon County Vocational School District

Prerna Shankar, a Hunterdon County Vocational School District (HCVSD) student, has been named to the 2020-2021 class of Governor’s STEM Scholars, a statewide STEM education initiative for NJ students in grades 10 through the doctoral level. Shankar is a junior in the district’s four-year Biomedical Sciences Academy (BSA). The STEM Scholars Program is the result of a public-private partnership among the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, the Governor’s Office, the New Jersey Department of Education, the Secretary of Higher Education and private industries to introduce high school and post-secondary STEM leaders to New Jersey’s vast STEM economy. The ultimate goal of the program is to retain this young talent in the state.

This year, 75 students made the cut for the program. Shankar’s selection is an acknowledgement of her commitment to developing a clear pathway to a career in medicine through her academics and extracurricular activities. Shankar, of Clinton, hopes that through the STEM Scholar experience, she will “gain valuable insight into the various facets of the medical field while networking with professionals across the state.” She believes the broad foundation of knowledge from the BSA, combined with her STEM Scholar experience, will provide an advantage as she works to become a medical professional; she currently wants to be a neurosurgeon. “I’ve realized that being successful in the medical field doesn’t just require medical knowledge,” Shankar said. “It requires a broader perspective that includes how public health, governmental regulations and ethics affect practice as a professional, and I’m confident that this program will provide me that crucial perspective.” As a STEM Scholar, Shankar gains access to themed conferences this year that feature accomplished STEM professionals and successful companies, academic institutions and government research organizations. Shankar recently attended her first event virtually, a STEM in Government symposium, which included a familiar face with HCVSD Director of Grant Management, Admissions & Security Tanya Nalesnik, a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, speaking on the panel. "The Hunterdon County Vocational School District is proud to have one of our own academy students selected for this highly competitive program,” said Nalesnik. “Our district’s academies are earning a reputation for excellence, and students like Prerna exemplify that by earning state-level recognition for their passion in STEM fields."

In addition to networking with and gaining insight from professionals as a STEM Scholar, Shankar also will engage in a hands-on learning experience as a member of a student research team. Shankar’s team will focus on designing STEM cell scaffolding that will aid in bone regeneration using chemical visualization software and 3D printing, among other tools. She was matched with her team and topic based on her interests in chemistry and biology, and her future career aspirations. All teams present their research findings at the conclusion of the STEM Scholars Program. “The Biomedical Sciences Academy has played a vital role helping me define and pursue my goals,” Shankar said. “I was unsure of what path I wanted to pursue as a first-year student, but my coursework and the guidance I receive have allowed me to identify a clear path for myself in a field that I am passionate about.” Shankar is a regular participant in the biology, chemistry and math leagues at North Hunterdon High School, which houses HCVSD’s BSA. She also is a gold and silver medalist for the high school’s National Latin Exam. She is president and founder of the BSA’s Brain Bee Club, which is ideal for students interested in neuroscience, and is treasurer of the BSA’s chapter of HOSA, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America. Shankar’s involvement in the BSA has helped connect her with additional learning opportunities, such as the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, which she attended virtually in late June. She also published two DNA sequences on GenBank through her participation in the competitive Rutgers’ WISE Program, also held this past summer.

Linden Public Schools

Linden Public Schools won two awards in the 2020 New Jersey School Communication Awards on Friday, Oct. 16, including a first-place win in the Media Relations — Human Interest category.

The winning story was about the Linden High School broadcasting students keeping their weekly news show on the air even after schools went to virtual learning. Students had to produce and edit videos from home without their regular equipment.

The second award was a third-place win for photography for a photo taken at a ceremony held in February to retire the number of girls basketball legend Tamecka Dixon. The photo showed a smiling Dixon, a former WNBA star, surrounded by members of the 2019-2020 girls basketball team in the Linden High School gym.

Both the story and photo were produced by Gary Miller, the district’s communication coordinator. “Gary Miller has done a phenomenal job capturing and documenting important moments in the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Marnie Hazelton. “It is affirming that Mr. Miller won two New Jersey School Communication Awards. The district is extremely proud of Mr. Miller’s accomplishments.” The awards were given by the New Jersey School Public Relations Association at a virtual ceremony on Friday, Oct. 16. Thirty-seven different school districts entered a total of 75 entries. Entries were judged by 15 professors and communication professionals in nine states. The TNT News story highlighted student perseverance and resilience and was picked up by multiple news outlets, including The Star-Ledger, NJ.com, News 12 News Jersey, LocalSource, The Home News Tribune, and TapInto Linden. Students in the TV/Digital Media class that produces the show, which is co-taught by Miller and Chris Paskewich, were also interviewed for some of the news stories, giving them real-life lessons in news media. “It meant a lot to me that the winning story was the one about the students in our class,” Miller said. “They worked very hard under difficult circumstances, and I told them they should be proud of the fact that people recognized them for that. I think this award only underscores that fact.” Miller and Paskewich were also recognized over the summer in a letter from NJ Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer for their “guidance and support” in helping the students “celebrate themselves and their classmates” during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second year in a row that Linden has been recognized with multiple NJ School Communication Awards. At the 2019 awards ceremony, Miller brought home a second place and two third-place awards, more than any other district in the state.

Public Relations Society of America/NJ Chapter

Rowan University student Camryn Hadley was awarded the 2020 PRSA NJ Future Public Relations Professional of the Year scholarship, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. This annual award recognizes an undergraduate student who demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of public relations and commitment to the profession. Hadley expects to graduate in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations/advertising.

Tasked with creating a hypothetical public relations campaign for a new watermelon-berry cola, Hadley, who lives in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, proposed hiring a Tik Tok influencer, Charli D’Amelio, to appeal to a Gen Z crowd. In the first video, the dancer’s reaction was captured tasting the cola for the first time to increase awareness. The second video was a DIY effort, showcasing the influencer mixing the drink with ice and fresh berries to make a slushie to encourage brand engagement.

Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools

Megan Lam, a freshman in the graphic communications program, has been selected as Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) in Bridgewater's Student of the Month for October 2020. Lam is the daughter of Patrick and Mya Lam of Bound Brook. SCVTHS Spanish Instructor Guillermo Reina nominated Lam for the Student of the Month Award because Lam is “an outstanding student that excels virtually or in the classroom. She has been very committed to succeed in her studies since day one. She is the highest achieving student in the class. Kudos to Megan!” As a freshman, the Student of the Month award is Lam's first high school award. However, last year, Lam served as the vice president of her school’s National Junior Honor Society and was also a member of the National Japanese American Historical Society. Outside of school, Lam enjoys playing tennis, as well as playing games online with her friends. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lam was very active volunteering at a nursing home and other events in her home town. After high school, Lam plans on studying environmental business in college, in hopes of finding a career as a sustainability specialist. “I’m thankful for receiving the Student of the Month award and am looking forward to my time at SCVTHS,” said Lam upon receiving the Student of the Month award. Also: On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools (SCVTS) hosted a meeting between education and law enforcement officials to solidify an agreement formalizing a process for which schools can consult with law enforcement entities. At the meeting, representatives from Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and Bridgewater Police Department were all in attendance. The meeting, held at the school’s Trade Wins restaurant, focused on topics of safety, security, as well as preventative programs and educational initiatives. “Sharing our students' talents over breakfast with our essential members of law enforcement, helped to solidify our ongoing working relationships while providing students with valuable hands-on learning opportunities,” said SCVTS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chrys Harttraft. While hosting the meeting, students in the culinary arts program were able to put their skills to work and served breakfast for the guests.  Attendees were treated to a breakfast of fresh fruit with a vanilla Greek yogurt drizzle, Craisin and orange scones, mini croissants, quiche with ham, cheddar jack, peppers and onions, baked streusel-topped French toast, made-in-house bacon, maple sausage and breakfast potatoes. With a hybrid schedule being utilized, students who were learning remotely were tasked with working on recipes, designing menus and took part in other activities without being physically present. Being the first event since returning to in-person learning, students were “excited to finally learn the service end of interacting with customers,” said Culinary Arts Instructor Keith Johnson. Beyond normal food safety and sanitation requirements, the Trade Wins restaurant was transformed so that social distancing and face-covering protocols were able to be enforced.

Saint Helena School

“Signing your name or scribbling a grocery list may seem a simple, mundane activity. In fact, it is the result of a complex interaction of physical and mental processes involving cooperation among your brain’s cognitive, motor, and emotion areas, down through the brain stem and the spinal cord, and out to your hand," according to the DANA Organization in an article written on Thursday, Oct. 1, by Marc J. Seifer, Ph.D. Maybe that’s why Catholic Schools insist on teaching and using cursive writing. Or, maybe, because requires a certain kind of discipline, possibly it’s just an opportunity to enjoy the actual act of writing.  Whatever the reason, cursive handwriting has been taught in Catholic schools for decades. Anyone who has shared in the experience will appreciate the Zane-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. Saint Helena School in Edison has participated in this national event for more than seven years and is happy to say that has had many winners. This year, Sasha Smyth, an eighth grader, was one of the state winners. Smyth now qualifies to participate, at the national level, where she can compete for the honor of  Grand National Champion. Student and School news appears on Fridays. Email:cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com Carolyn Sampson is Executive Office Assistant for the Courier News, The Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com, and handles the weekly Student News page. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today by clicking 'Subscribe Now' at the top right hand corner of this page.

(Photo: Kate McKee) Late last month, TerraCycle, a private waste management company, announced that the Dryden Central School District will be receiving materials partially made out of recycled oral hygiene products to build a new school garden after the school district finished in second place in the 2020 Colgate & ShopRite Save Water Challenge. The contest ran from July 5 to Sept. 30 and was open to all schools – public, private, colleges and universities – from the following states – New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Entrants were challenged to gather the most “pledges” to save water from their respective communities. The top three schools with the most pledges won a prize of a garden partly made with recycled materials. A total of 40 schools participated in the contest. Dryden was one of seven districts in New York to compete and was the only one to finish in the top three. The district gathered a total of 1,488 pledges to finish in second place. As the second-place finisher, the school district will receive the following – 48 pieces of garden lumber, two picnic tables, one flat bench, one high-back bench and recycling receptacle valued at $10,000. Kate McKee, a teacher at the Dryden Elementary School and a co-advisor of the Green Team, a sustainability club made up of about 25 students across the fourth and fifth grades, said she decided to enter the school district into the contest in hopes of winning a new garden for the elementary school. “I knew that our school garden was seriously hurting,” McKee said. “It’s been a few years until there was a lot of involvement. The raised beds were falling apart and needed to be replaced, and it was something that we wanted to have happen this year or some time.” The news of the district coming in second place was quite a surprise to McKee. “When you look through there are some from New York City, some in Baltimore, all over big, big school districts,” she said. “We are a very small school district compared to that. On the first day, I saw that we were up on the leaderboard and I was like, ‘Wow.’ But then as it went on and we really sustained that and kept that place, it was really exciting; it was something for the school community – the district community – to look forward to.” The Green Team began collaborating with TerraCycle last school year by shipping out waste, such as used applesauce pouches and Little Bites muffin packages, to the company to either recycle or repurpose them. “Last year, our fourth and fifth graders, they were assigned to lunchtime cafeteria duties that they volunteered for and they would actually pick through – with gloves on – and pick out of the garbage things that would typically be trash, but that TerraCycle has the facilities and the ability to recycle and repurpose into other things or create something new out of that,” McKee said. TerraCycle also accepts used art supplies, like dried-up markers or glue sticks. McKee said last school year the team sent out separate shipments of 477 and 1,143 pieces of used art supplies to TerraCycle. The elementary school is expected to receive the gardening materials by February 2021. From there, McKee said she hopes to have the new garden completed by the spring of that year. “I think all of the pieces are going to have to replace what’s there,” she said. “There’s little that’s in good shape right now. … I’m trying to figure out where a good place is to utilize the picnic tables and benches so that the whole school can enjoy them.” She said there are no official plans for how the garden will be utilized among the students at the school. “I’m hopeful that we can have different grade levels become involved in different ways that are possibly connected to their curriculum, and hopefully we can actually grow some food that could be utilized by the school community, too,” she said. “We’ll definitely have to do some planning and connect with some community resources to get set up with that.” She would also like to have members of the Green Team help construct the new garden, but that will depend on the status of the COVID-19 outbreak this coming winter and spring. Presently, though, members of the team are eager to begin preparation. “I do a recess with some fifth graders that are on the Green Team and they are already starting to do some weeding … they are very excited for it,” McKee said.