NJ students: Bridgewater-Raritan musician selected to All-Eastern Symphony Orchestra

Alex Lu admitted that he was “lazy” as a fifth grade student.

And that, he declared, may be the reason why today he is a highly accomplished player of the double bass for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Symphony Orchestra.

Lu, a senior in high school, this last week of November was selected into the 2023 All-Eastern Symphony Orchestra for Double Bass.

According to Hsiao-Yu Lin Griggs, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Orchestra Director, the All-Eastern ensembles selected the best of the student musicians from 11 states in the Northeast section of the country. The rehearsals and the performances are scheduled for April 13 through 16 in Rochester, New York.

Lu reported that he was a candidate to be selected for All-Eastern since has been selected All-State in both 2021 and 2022.

His recent selection to All-Eastern came just shortly after he was accepted into the All-National Honors Orchestra in October.

So, how did a “lazy” fifth grade student at the Hillside Intermediate School become such an elite double bass performer?

“I was lazy in fifth grade and the double bass was too big to carry to school and the instrument was already there,” he revealed.

But now he and the double bass go quite well together.

“I developed a liking of the sound of the double bass,” Alex said. “It sounds like a male voice.”Alex is hoping that he will be accepted at Brown University where he is planning to major in Biology and minor in Bass.

“I definitely want to play in the orchestra there,” Lu said.

Dr. Laura Bassett, the Supervisor of Arts Education for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, was quite impressed with his All-Eastern recognition.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment,’ Dr. Bassett said. “You (Alex) are recognized as among the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States, which is an incredible testament to your hard work and dedication. We are all so proud of you.”

Lin Griggs praised both his musical skills as well as his leadership and personality qualities.“Alex is the most dedicated and talented student I ever had,” she said. “But he is also so genuine and down to earth. He is helpful to the other students and he is our symphony orchestra class president.”

Mount Saint Mary Academy

Mount Saint Mary Academy seniors Taryn Murphy of Westfield and Mary Claire Schleck of Metuchen led a special thesis workshop for members of the freshman class on the morning of Wednesday, November 30, in the classroom of Dr. Joseph Bonk, Department of English Chairperson. Both Taryn and Mary Claire are members of the National English Honor Society (NEHS) at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung.

Mary Claire noted that students, after reading a prompt, should choose a side and make a strong argument when crafting their thesis statements. Taryn added that they should provide evidence from text to write an effective statement. Taryn mentioned that thesis statements can be based on opinion or fact depending upon the content. For example, if the text is fiction, the statement may include examples from metaphors or symbols, whereas if the text is non-fiction, it is more factual. Dr. Bonk noted that you need to have a "because" for your reasoning when asserting a thesis statement.

During the 2022-2023 academic year, members of the NEHS will offer different workshops throughout the year. Featured topics will include: Observation and Analysis; Word Choice and Syntax; Brainstorming; Topic Sentences; Selecting and Integrating Evidence; Transitions (within and between paragraphs); Intros and Conclusions; Developing Tone and Voice; and Grammar and Punctuation.

Also: Major Antonio C. Nash of the United States Military Academy at West Point and Erica Jeffries Purdo, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, presented Mary Claire Schleck, a senior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, with her Certificate of Appointment to West Point and her Army ROTC scholarship award on Friday, December 2. Surrounded by her parents, school administration, faculty and friends, Claire was recognized and celebrated in the Parlor of the Mount building.

“I am so honored to have received an appointment to the United States Military Academy, as well as an ROTC Scholarship,” said Schleck. “I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to the entire Mount community, especially Sister Lisa, the administration, and all of my teachers for their support and kindness.”

Sister Lisa D. Gambacorto, RSM, Ed.S., Directress of Mount Saint Mary Academy, said, “Thank you for your willingness to serve your country, as we celebrate your appointment to West Point and your ROTC scholarship. I have no doubt you will serve with distinction and courage. No matter what you achieve in your life … you will always be our Mountie. Godspeed.”

“Claire is a tremendous leader, team member, student, and community member. She is equally confident and humble, with a generosity and grace that is respected and admired on the soccer field, on the basketball court, in the classroom, and at her lunch table. Claire is a role model and has influenced many; it is an honor to celebrate her and her future,” shared Elizabeth Roper, Director of College Counseling, Soccer Coach.

Dr. Joseph Bonk, Department of English Chairperson, said, “Claire is mature, honest, composed, can take and give a joke, responds to constructive criticism in a calm and poised manner, and is always modest. The last trait is especially remarkable given her intellect. She is also a leader, as evidenced by her stepping up to co-teach the first National English Honor Society workshop the department hosted last recently.”

Dr. Dorothea Kominos, Science Department Chairperson, added, “In AP Biology, Schleck learned how to analyze the complicated and disparate data that were presented in questions to derive inferences and evidence-based conclusions. She honed her study skills and time-management skills to balance this extremely challenging course with her other course load and commitments. She discussed complex scientific details with me, and we went much further into topics than the prescribed curriculum. For example, she was fascinated by the photosynthesis lab, and discussed specific proteins involved in this process.”

“Claire was one of the few juniors in AP Biology,” concluded Dr. Kominos. “Her two other junior student laboratory partners had transferred to Mount Saint Mary Academy in their junior year. Claire made them feel welcome and guided them throughout the course. They worked under her direction as a team, which was particularly impressive since this was her partners’ initial experience with hands-on science investigations.”

At Mount Saint Mary Academy, Mary Claire is a Vice President of the Student Council Executive Board, a Peer Faciliatory, a member of the National Honors Society, the Spanish Club, and captain of the soccer and basketball teams. Outside of the Mount, she is a Girl Scout.

In the future, Schleck hopes to become an Army officer and do scientific research. She hopes to major in life science in college.

Piscataway Township Schools

In the face of a changing educational landscape and wide variety of challenges, the Piscataway High School Counseling Department continues to excel in helping students clear hurdles on their way to adulthood.

The counselors are finding creative methods and resources to deal with:• The fallout of two years of struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, including learning lossand mental health strain.• The increased academic pressures and complexity involved in the college admissions process,also compounded by COVID.• A societal shift toward renewing the focus on trade schools and careers for non-collegeboundseniors.

“The Piscataway High School Counseling Department does tremendous work in guiding ourstudents through so many difficult areas of life,” said Superintendent Dr. Frank Ranelli. “Fromacademic check-ins, to planning for the future, to personal triumphs and tragedies, to just beinga sounding board for day-to-day issues. I’m very proud of how hard our counselors work tomake sure our students are not going through these struggles alone.”

This busy department is headed by Theresa Edmondson, supervisor of college, career, andpersonal guidance. She oversees a group of 12 counselors who help steer students throughtheir daily academic and scheduling issues while also helping to set a roadmap to the future.

Two teams of five counselors work with students by grade level, following one cohort ofstudents from freshman to senior years so they can get to know the needs and goals of thestudents personally. Another counselor works with students on character education.

The 12th counselor is a new position created for the 2021-22 school year to work exclusively oncareer and college planning. This position helps drive a specific district goal this year of helpingmeet the needs of non-college-bound students.

“We’ve worked with non-college-bound learners before, of course, but it wasn’t such a bigfocus,” Edmondson said. “Now we’re making it more a part of the vocabulary. We’re saying ifyou want to have a career, if you want to go to technical school, it’s exciting.”

Ranelli pushed to create the new position last year, and one of the district’s goals for the 2022-23 school year is to “enhance and expand opportunities for non-college-bound learners.”

“I want to thank the Board of Education for supporting me when I came to them to ask for thisadditional counselor position,” Dr. Ranelli said. “I don’t know of another district in the countyhas a counselor just dedicated to college and career planning. I’m really happy to know that it’smaking such a difference.”

The Counseling Department hosted an event called “What’s Next” on Wednesday, December 7, tofocus specifically on career opportunities for non-college-bound learners. PHS hostrepresentatives of trade schools, constructions unions, and companies who have careers thatdo not require a college degree.

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Raritan Valley Community College

Raritan Valley Community College has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) to create a weeklong summer immersion program focusing on exploring careers in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

The residential 2023 NIIMBL Summer eXperience program, which will serve African-American/Black, Latinx, and Native American college students, is designed to build self-confidence in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education; motivate students to pursue careers in biomanufacturing or the life sciences; and provide networking opportunities with industry professionals.

The residential program will run Saturday, June 10, through Friday, June 16. There is no cost to participate in the program, and room and board are provided. Current college freshmen and sophomores attending two-year or four-year institutions and majoring in STEM subjects are invited to apply. Participants will be housed at a nearby hotel. Accepted participants also will be awarded a $500 stipend.

Through a series of industry tours, networking events, and one-on-one coaching sessions, students will foster a professional mind-set, build confidence in understanding how to navigate corporate culture, and enhance clarity and confidence in defining their career and educational goals. The program will be hosted at RVCC’s Branchburg, New Jersey campus. Transportation will be provided for multiple off-campus experiences.

In addition, Windy Paz-Amor, RVCC’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), will conduct workshops designed to engage and enlighten students about DEI issues.

The mission of the NIIMBL eXperience program is to provide students from diverse backgrounds access to corporate exposure, professional branding, and personal development, empowering them to feel confident and motivated to achieve their academic and professional aspirations. To create a future pipeline of skilled biomanufacturing technicians, increased access and support is required to recruit, motivate, and educate under-represented populations.

RVCC joins Albany College (ACPHS) in New York and BioKansas in the Kansas/Missouri Region as one of only three locations in the country to be funded for the NIMBL eXperience.

The deadline for registration is January 20, at 5 p.m. Those interesting in applying for the program should visit https://niimbl.piestar-rfx.com/opportunities/niimbl/rfp/129.

For additional information about the NIIMBL Summer eXperience program at RVCC, including eligibility criteria, visit www.raritanval.edu/niimblexperience or contact Tamara Jones at tamara.jones@raritanval.edu or Jacki Belin at jacki.belin@raritanval.edu.

This project was developed with an award from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (70NANB21H086).

Also: Sara Heller of Rockaway, Coordinator of Raritan Valley Community College’s Automotive Technology program, was recently honored with a national achievement award as the CCAR/Electude/ASE Instructor of the Year. Heller was among 52 automotive professionals recognized on November 17 at the Fall Board of Governors meeting of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), held at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego, CA. CCAR is the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair.

The ASE annual awards spotlight top scorers on the ASE Certification tests from among the ranks of the approximately quarter million ASE Certified professionals nationwide. Charlie Ayers, president of CCAR; Matt Bishop, business development manager, Electude; Brad Pellman, chair of the ASE board of directors; and Timothy Zilke, ASE president and ceo, presented the award to Heller.

“Sara, who is an instructor/coordinator of automotive technology at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, is one of the outstanding ASE Certified professionals recognized annually by different segments of the automotive service and repair industry. Each of these elite technicians is presented with an industry-specific award recognizing their achievement,” said Timothy Zilke, ASE president and ceo.

Heller, an ASE certified automotive technician who has experience working in the automotive field, is currently in her fourth year at RVCC. She previously served as the instructor/coordinator for Middlesex County College (now known as Middlesex College) and also was an automotive teacher at numerous high schools throughout New York state. Heller received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Queens College and a master’s degree in Special Education from Cappella University. She also holds various licenses and certifications in the automotive field.

“ASE has honored extraordinary industry professionals from across the nation for more than 40 years,” Zilke continued. “This is made possible by the support of our many award sponsors, whose ranks include some of the best-known names in the industry. We are proud to partner with CCAR and Electude to recognize Sara's commitment to excellence in providing the very best in automotive service and repair. This dedication is reflected in the talented professionals we recognize each year and Sara represents the best of the best.”

Thirty-three companies sponsored the individual technician recognition awards in the Auto, Truck, Collision, Parts and Service categories, along with awards for instructors. In addition to looking for top scores on ASE tests, award sponsors examine on-the-job excellence, community service, and other factors when selecting honorees.

Westfield Public Schools

Seven Westfield High School Choir vocalists have been accepted into 2023 All Eastern Chorus ensembles. “Acceptance is primarily based on rankings in our All-State ensembles. All 7 vocalists who applied were accepted,” says WHS Choir Director John Brzozowski. “Since our students scored so high on the State level, it made them more eligible to represent New Jersey at the Eastern level.”

The following WHS Choir singers will perform at the National Association for Music Education (NAFME) Eastern Division Conference in Rochester, New York in April.

All Eastern mixed chorus: Aprameyo Chakravarty, Sophie Havens, Evan Leone, Ryan WilliamsonAll Eastern treble chorus: Sarah LaMonica, Angelina Mora, Lucie Saint-Denis.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater-Raritan student selected to All-Eastern Symphony Orchestra