Morris County School of Technology’s Visual & Performing Arts Students Win Awards

DENVILLE — Morris County School of Technology’s Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) students win awards at various competitions in dance, theater and multimedia.

Serena Brown, a student in the Academy for Visual and Performing Arts Dance received the New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education for Artistic Excellence and Leadership in Dance. This award is given to a high school dance student who expressed superlative academic excellence and creativity in essay, skill in performance and originality in choreography.  This is the eighth consecutive year in a row that a student from this Academy has won.

Students in MCST’s Thespian Troupe were recognized as top finishers in their categories at the NJ Thespian Festival, which had over 700 students from New Jersey presenting work in performance and technical events. The following students were awarded: Brianna Vigorito, Contrasting Monologues; Teax Armijo and Julia Majerscak, Duet Acting; Courtney Bulger and Brianna Vigorito, Duet Acting; Andrew Nussbaum, Musical Theatre Solo; Serena Brown and Julia Majerscak, Duet Musical Theatre; Teax Armijo and Courtney Bulger, Duet Musical Theatre; Emma Nafz, Stage Management; Ethan Hoffman, Helena Pallay, Anna Taggart, and John Valle, Short Film; and Serena Brown, Courtney Bulger, and Julia Majerscak, Group Musical Theatre.

The 2017 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were awarded to Jordan Bernstein and Isabella Machuca, Sound Design/Q-Lab Operator; and Dana DeVries, Andy Jones, Emma Nafz, Ananya Singh, and Phoebe Yung, Stage Management Team.

The VPA Theater Production Department won Montclair State Theater Night 2017 Foxy Awards for Outstanding Costume Design.

Additionally, the following awards were won at the New Jersey Teen Arts Festival. Kaitlyn Gilchrist was a Gold Medal winner for Portrait Photography; Brooke Shanley, Outstanding Solo Performance Gravity” and the Morris County School of Technology won Outstanding Ensemble Performance “Something About Us”.

The Student Award for Artistic Excellence and Leadership in Dance is one of the annual Governor’s Awards in Arts Education, and is sponsored by Dance New Jersey, the official state affiliate of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).

The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of high school musical theatre. The Rising Star Awards- presented by the Investors Foundation is a statewide competition of New Jersey high school musicals modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards.

Theatre Night Awards recognizes excellence in the production of high school and middle school straight plays throughout New Jersey

The New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival is the statewide culminating celebration of the arts dedicated to inspiring New Jersey teen artists, educators, professional artists, and arts advocates from all across the state to unite as one grand and all-inclusive community.

The Morris County Vocational School District provides vocational and enrichment programs that inspire and prepare students to succeed in today’s world and pursue tomorrow’s opportunities. The Academy for Visual & Performing Arts is a four-year full-time public arts high school program offering career preparation in dance and multimedia. Students also receive extensive career training in acting and technical theatre and participate in all the publicity and management roles involved in operating an arts production company. Find out more by clicking here and learn about programs, including high school Career Academies, Share Time Programs, and Adult Education programs.

Interfaith Food Pantry Gets Major Donation From Wegman’

PARSIPPANY — The Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry was the recent recipient of a major food donation made by Wegmans Food Markets which delivered more than 8,700 pounds of food — about half of a trailer-load — to the Pantry’s headquarters in Parsippany, adjacent to Central Park of Morris County.

The donated food is the first of two shipments pledged by Wegmans. A second donation of a similar size is scheduled for delivery to the Pantry in September, which would bring the total donation to the equivalent of a full tractor-trailer load of food.

The donation will supplement the food the Pantry currently distributes to nearly 10,000 Morris County residents. Pantry clients include low-income working families, seniors and those with disabilities living on fixed incomes and many others in need or crisis.

“This is just another example of the great corporate neighbors we have in Morris County, who make themselves integral partners in our community and help those in need while improving our quality of life,” said Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, who is the county governing board’s liaison on human services matters.

The timing of the first donation coincides with the IFP’s need for supplies during the summer when food donations run low, and at the same time, many families request additional items because their children who receive meals at school are now being fed at home.

Interfaith Food Pantry logoThe fall donation would coincide with the IFP’s need to replenish supplies from the high demand seen throughout the summer months.

The donation coincides with the scheduled opening of a new Wegmans store at 34 Sylvan Way, with an expected July 23 opening date.

Since announcing plans to move to Morris County more than two years ago, Wegmans has partnered with the Interfaith Food Pantry, sponsoring several events, such as the IFP’s “Kitchen to Table” program. That program is aimed at providing nutritious and easy-to-prepare meals to elderly and disabled clients served by the Pantry’s home delivery program.

The Interfaith Food Pantry is a non-profit, community-based organization that serves Morris County residents by providing food, education and related resources to Morris County residents during their time of need. The organization distributed over one million pounds of food in 2016. For more information click here.

Register for Fall 2017 at County College of Morris

RANDOLPH — Registration for the Fall 2017 Semester is currently taking place at County College of Morris (CCM). By applying and registering now, students are presented with the best opportunity to enroll in classes that take place on the days and times that best fit their schedules.

At CCM, students are able to select from more than 50 associate degrees and more than 25 certificate programs taught by a faculty specifically focused on teaching. In addition, full-time students who want to go on and earn a bachelor’s degree can save $20,000 or more by starting at CCM.

CCM logoTo get started, review the degree and certificate programs at CCM by clicking here.

To apply to the college, click here  or visit the Admissions office in the Student Community Center on CCM’s Randolph campus, 214 Center Grove Road. For more information, email admiss@ccm.edu or call 973-328-5100.

Delta Dental Golf Classic raises more than $60,000 for Special Olympics

PARSIPPANY — Delta Dental of New Jersey announced that the 27th Annual Delta Dental of New Jersey (DDNJ) Golf Classic raised more than $60,000 for Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ), a nonprofit organization that provides sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This year’s event set a record for funds raised and the annual event has raised a total of more than $1.16 million for SONJ since 1990.

Golfers enjoyed a day of golf

“We are proud of our decades-long commitment to helping Special Olympics New Jersey make dreams come true for so many talented Special Olympic athletes,” said Randy Stodard, Vice President and CMO, DDNJ. “We want to thank all the golfers, sponsors, and volunteers who have enabled these athletes to participate in the individual and team sports that they are passionate about.”

For the second consecutive year, the Golf Classic was held at Ballyowen Golf Club in Hamburg on May 19. Among the golfers in the tournament were three SONJ athletes, including Dane Klewsaat, who provided a deeply personal connection to the event’s mission by teeing off with each group playing the ninth hole and discussing his passion for participating with SONJ to achieve his goals.

“With another successful Delta Dental golf outing, the funds raised will help 2,500 athletes compete at the Summer Games which was held from June 9 to June 11, as well as training and competition events throughout the year,” stated Heather Anderson, President and CEO, Special Olympics New Jersey. “The funds help cover equipment, uniforms, meals and housing costs incurred by Special Olympics New Jersey so that we can continue to provide free competition to our athletes year-round.”

Golfers pose for the camer

Following the round of golf, participants had the opportunity to hear from several SONJ athletes, who spoke about the significant impact SONJ has had on their lives. Funds were raised by sponsors, DDNJ’s employees, golfers, and raffles.

Brown & Brown Benefit Advisors, New Jersey Dental Association, and Summit Medical Group were lead Platinum Sponsors. 8 West Consulting, BLUE449, Greenberg Traurig, and MWWPR were Gold Sponsors.

Summer Camp Programs are more important than you think

MOUNTAIN LAKES —  Summer is here and parents are busy getting out the bicycles and patio furniture, they are also considering the age old question of what to do with the kids when the school year ends. It might well be that the best answer is to enroll them in a summer program. Research consistently finds that children don’t usually keep acquiring new information and skills when they’re not in school, and in many cases, they actually forget some of what they already know.

Most people tend to forget things that aren’t practiced or used regularly. That’s why football skills and the ability to remember how to play tennis fade over time. And while we can certainly relearn both these things, the time it takes prevents us from moving forward. Young children are even more likely to experience a decrease in learning over the summer since many of the skills that they are learning haven’t yet become automatic. This is true not only of academic skills, such as naming letters and counting, but it’s also the case for the softer, social skills that children are learning in their early years.

Learning to play well with others is one of the most important goals of childhood. And although some children seem to learn to do this naturally, many need ongoing opportunities to practice the sharing, interacting and cooperating, sometimes as a leader and sometimes as a follower, that are trademarks of group play. These social skills, which are often learned with the same kind of teacher-guided practice as more academic skills, need to become consistent and automatic when children are young. By the time they are 7 or 8 years old, it is much more difficult for them to learn social skills. Summer camp becomes an important place to continue the social development of young children.

There is another important reason to consider a summer camp for children. They, as well as many adults, generally function best with a consistent, predictable daily routine. They are happiest and feel most secure when things happen routinely.

For many young children, it takes some time to establish a pattern of getting to school, comfortably separating from parents, participating in school routines and then reconnecting with family at dismissal. Once this pattern is established, it is usually best to preserve it rather than change it for a few months before starting it up again in fall. The best way to preserve this pattern?

Summer camp, and the Y has a great one! There are morning rotations (different activities per week), swimming, lunch and recreational time which allows for socialization and making friendships that will last a lifetime.

Camp at Lakeland Hills also offers exciting theme days, special events, sports camp options and so much more. So this year, consider summer camp and by September your kids will be ready for a great school year!

Call (973) 334-2820 or click here for more information.

 

 

United Way of Northern New Jersey Announces New Board Members

MORRIS COUNTY — United Way of Northern New Jersey is pleased to welcome Mark Romanski of Turner Construction and Pete Schlicksup of PricewaterhouseCoopers to its Board of Trustees. 

Both join a team of eighteen community members who share their insights, perspectives and expertise with United Way, helping the organization achieve its mission. 

As vice president and general manager of Turner Construction’s New Jersey office, Romanski manages 160 employees and more than $400 million of project volume. Under his guidance, the group has successfully completed a diverse range of projects and is recognized as a leader in its area of construction. 

Romanski began his 28-year career with the company as a field engineer before advancing through various roles in estimating, cost control, project management and operations. During his time at Turner Construction, Romanski has taken on challenging and specialized projects including health care facilities, lab and research space, aviation facilities, hotels and conference centers, data centers and large corporate fit-outs and renovations. Clients have included BASF, Boston Properties, Memorial Sloan Kettering, NJIT, Normandy, Novartis, Princeton University, UBS and Verizon Wireless. Along with serving as a board member, Romanski is the current chairman and a long-time volunteer of United Way’s Commercial Real Estate Committee. 

Schlicksup is a partner in the Products and Services sector at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he has served the firm’s largest public and private manufacturing and consumer products clients.  With more than 25 years of experience working in both the U.S. and Asia, Schlicksup has expertise in planning and executing complex multinational engagements as well as advising clients on intricate issues including due diligence, acquisitions and business reorganizations, mergers and IT system transformations.

“We are fortunate to have the insight and experience that Mark and Pete bring to our board,” said United Way of Northern New Jersey CEO John Franklin. “Our board members are passionate about serving in their communities and helping all residents achieve their greatest potential.”

Serving Morris, Somerset, Suburban Essex, Sussex and Warren counties, United Way is working to improve lives of struggling residents. According to the United Way ALICE Report, 37 percent of New Jersey households are low- or moderate-income and living paycheck to paycheck.

“We look forward to working with all of our board members as we continue to improve the lives of those throughout our region,” Franklin said.

For more information about United Way of Northern New Jersey click here.

 

 

Dennis Rodriguez made the Spring 2017 Dean’s List at University of Akron

PARSIPPANY — Congratulations to Dennis Rodriguez of Lake Hiawatha, for making The University of Akron’s spring 2017 Dean’s List. Dennis is a graduate of Parsippany High School, Class of 2012.

To be eligible, Rodriguez, majoring in Sport Studies-Coach Education, maintained a semester GPA of 3.500 – 3.999, and was enrolled in twelve or more credit hours. Go Zips!

The University of Akron (UA) is the region’s most influential public research university, contributing to the resurgence of the local economy, providing a highly skilled workforce, and known for an innovative approach to higher education.

With nearly 26,000 students and more than 300 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and law degree programs, UA offers career-focused and experiential learning that defines the polytechnic approach to education.

From polymers and psychology, to engineering and integrated marketing communications, to education and choreography, UA brings together various disciplines in ways that provide students with life-long skills, internships and co-ops, opportunities for academic research, study abroad, on-campus student employment and service projects designed for diverse groups of learners, including full-time, part-time and on-line students, veterans, and adults returning to the classroom.

Danielle Flanagan named to the University of New Hampshire’s Dean’s List

PARSIPPANY — Danielle Flanagan, a 2014 graduate of Parsippany Hills High School, has been named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Hampshire for earning Honors for the spring 2017 semester. Flanagan is majoring in Psychology.

Students named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Hampshire are students who have earned recognition through their superior scholastic performance during a semester enrolled in a full-time course load (12 or more graded credits). Highest honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0. Students with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors.

The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.

To learn more about the opportunities at the University of New Hampshire click here.

Emily Shannon graduates from Stevenson University

Emily Shannon
Emily Shannon

PARSIPPANY — Emily Elizabeth Shannon recently graduated Cum Laude from Stevenson University with a BA in Business Communications. She was a 2013 graduate of Parsippany Hills High School.

Stevenson University is a coeducational, independent institution widely known for its unique synthesis of traditional liberal arts education and exceptional career preparation. The 4,200 students receive an innovative education from the six academic schools- Business and Leadership, Design, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences, and Graduate & Professional Studies. Each student experiences individual attention from faculty members and extensive career preparation gained through real-world training. Two ideal locations just north of Baltimore, Maryland, in Stevenson and Owings Mills, make the University truly unique.

Stevenson University is a coeducational, independent institution widely known for its unique synthesis of traditional liberal arts education and exceptional career preparation. The 4,200 students receive an innovative education from the six academic schools- Business and Leadership, Design, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences, and Graduate and Professional Studies. Each student experiences individual attention from faculty members and extensive career preparation gained through real-world training. Two ideal locations just north of Baltimore, Maryland, in Stevenson and Owings Mills, make the University truly unique.

Four former PHHS students named to Dean’s List at University of Rhode Island

PARSIPPANY — The University of Rhode Island is pleased to announce that more than 5,290 undergraduates have qualified for the Spring 2017 Dean’s List. The students represent nearly all of Rhode Island’s cities and towns, all six New England states, New York and New Jersey, many other states and countries.

The following Parsippany Hills High School graduates were named to the Dean’s List:

Annie Zitelli, Class of 2016

Danielle Nicole Taylor, Class of 2016

Victoria Michelle Bond, Class of 2014

Amanda Nardella, Class of 2014

To be included on the Dean’s List, full-time students must have completed twelve or more credits for letter grades during a semester and achieved at least a 3.30 quality point average. Part-time students qualify with the accumulation of twelve or more credits for letter grades earning at least a 3.30 quality point average.

University of Rhode Island recently named #3 in Best Value College’s list of the 30 Most Beautiful Coastal College Campuses—the ocean is a big part of the history, culture, and everyday life. Combine the unique location with the welcoming community and you’ll find the small, beautiful place you will call home.