NJ students: Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School celebrates Zero Emissions Day – My Central Jersey
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Thomas Edison EnegySmart Charter School (TEECS) in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, celebrated Zero Emissions Day. This day was established in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2008 with the idea to give the world a break from fossil fuels and to raise awareness about the harm caused by carbon emissions. This was the perfect kickoff to TEECS’ monthly Green Day celebrations and a reminder to all of us the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. Green Team students made signs to display at morning drop off educating families about the importance of the day.
On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the Environmental Alliance Club (EAC) students spread awareness about the harmful effect of single-use plastic bottles on human health and the Earth. They made signs and displayed them outside during morning drop-off to educate our families.
On Saturday, Oct. 23, TEECS will continue our efforts by participating in a Beach Cleaning Event with Clean Ocean Action. Volunteers from TEECS’ families will meet at the Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch to spend the afternoon picking up trash and plastic to keep the oceans clean from debris.
Clean Ocean Action is a non-profit organization that works to protect the marine water quality in the New York Bight through extensive scientific analysis, public education, and resident activity endeavors as their core duty.
Plainfield High School
Congratulations to Dayana Caluna on winning her first round of the NJSIAA Girls State Singles Tennis Tournament.
Caluna defeated her rival 1-6, 6-1, (10-7) tiebreaker, on Saturday, Oct 2.
Caluna has become the first Lady Cardinal player to ever win a first round match in the State Singles tournament.
In addition, she placed seventh in the Union County Tennis Tournament 1st singles flight on Thursday, Sept. 23. The Plainfield Girl Tennis Team placed ninth out of 18 teams overall.
Protect Me With 3+ Contest
The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health, on Tuesday, Oct. 5, announced the launch of the 10th annual Protect Me With 3+ poster and video contest. The contest challenges NJ youth in middle and high school to raise awareness about the importance of adolescent immunizations including tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) and flu vaccines. Additionally, the contest has expanded to include entries for COVID-19 vaccination awareness.
“Educating students about the benefits of adolescent vaccination, especially COVID-19, can help prevent the spread of serious and potentially deadly diseases,” said Dr. Tina Tan, state epidemiologist and assistant c’ommissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health. “Teachers can incorporate the Protect Me With 3+ contest into their curriculum to help students learn more about vaccines in a fun and creative way.”
Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, middle school and high school students can participate in the contest by submitting a hand-drawn poster or an original computer-generated poster that integrates key facts about one of the adolescent vaccines listed above. High school students also have the option to submit a video up to 30 seconds long instead of a poster.
In addition to accepting posters via mail, the contest is also accepting poster and video submissions electronically at www.protectmewith3.com/submit. If a student is selected as a finalist, they will be provided with a pre-stamped envelope to mail their original poster. The judges will then select the top three winners in each category.
“Now more than ever, it’s important to raise awareness for youth immunization. The Protect Me With 3+ contest provides schools with a collaborative platform to teach students about the vaccines they need to stay healthy while nurturing team building team skills,” said Mariekarl Vilceus-Talty, president and CEO, of the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey. “The contest is also an excellent opportunity for parents to encourage their children’s creativity and instill strong health habits.”
The submission deadline is Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in the video and poster categories, and the winning entries will be showcased during various statewide immunization awareness activities.
Additionally, students who submit entries by Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, will be entered into random drawings to win prizes courtesy of Protect Me With 3+ event sponsors. For more information about Protect Me With 3+ sponsorship opportunities, visit www.protectmewith3.com/sponsors.
The top five finalists in each of the three categories will be posted on www.protectmewith3.com for public voting in March. The winners will then be announced and honored at an awards ceremony in May.
NJ teachers are encouraged to make the Protect Me With 3+ contest a class project. As an added incentive, prizes will be awarded to the classrooms with the most eligible submissions in each of the three categories. For more information on lesson plans and interactive materials for schools, visit www.protectmewith3.com/schools.
Information regarding eligibility, video and poster submission guidelines, and contest rules can be found at www.protectmewith3.com.
Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools
On Wednesday, Sept. 8, Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) began the first day of the 2021-2022 school year, welcoming all students back into the buildings for in-person instruction.
Continuing with, and enhancing upon, the changes from last year, SCVTHS has developed and prioritized cleaning and sanitizing procedures to reduce the spread of contagions. Each day, using EPA registered disinfectants, and EPA protocols, the buildings will be cleaned and disinfected. Plexiglas has been installed in classrooms throughout the school’s campus for improved student and staff safety. Additionally, high-use areas have been identified for extra cleanings. Hand sanitizer has been distributed to each classroom and sanitizer stations have been placed throughout the buildings. Face coverings or masks and adhering to the social distancing guidelines are mandatory for all students and staff.
SCVTHS has updated and installed additional signage throughout the campus to create further awareness of social distancing requirements. “One Way” signs have been placed on the hallway floors and posters have been posted throughout campus. Parents and guardians have been asked to adhere to the Governor’s advisories and attest daily to student temperature and symptom checks.
SCVTHS will continue to implement practices and protocols informed by experts. Practices will be informed by up-to-date information from the Governor’s office, NJ Department of Education, NJ Department of Health, the district’s local health officers, and the district’s medical professionals. The district’s original Restart and Recovery Plan addresses continuity of services by providing staff and students with devices (and WiFi hotspots, when needed) to provide access to instruction when remote instruction is deemed necessary. Staff, including counselors and nurses, have made accommodations so that services can be provided to both virtual and in-person students. Social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, are being addressed through counseling by internal and external mental health clinicians.
Additional details relating to the safety precautions and cleaning procedures taking place at Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools can be found in the 2021-22 SCVTS Safe Reopening Plan, the 2021-2022 Road Forward Plan/School-Related Closure Preparedness Plan, and the Restart & Recovery Plan. These documents can be found on the district’s website at www.scvths.org.
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Union Catholic Regional High School
Union Catholic’s Marcella Oliviero, who lives in Springfield, was recently named the Editor-In-Chief of The Prophet, UC’s student-run on-line magazine. and Adela Rakoski, who lives in Cranford, was named the Assistant Editor.
Union County College
On Wednesday, Sept. 29, Union County College hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a massive renovation of the Roy W. Smith Theater on the Cranford campus. The college’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin welcomed guests and noted how transformative this improved and modernized space will be for students. Present for the ceremony were Union County Commissioners Christopher Hudak, Bette Jane Kowalski, and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor M. Richel, and Union County College Board of Board of Governors Chair Mary M. Zimmermann and Vice Chair Lawrence D. Bashe. After the ceremonial ribbon cutting, theater students entertained attendees with a brief performance in the new space.
The comprehensive renovation of the theater included: complete redesign, new interior finishes and seating, new state of the art lighting upgrades, acoustical improvements, new IT, and audio-visual equipment. The theater now includes maple finish walls and ceiling panels, acoustical wall panels at the rear wall for reverberation control, LED lighting, new retractable theatrical lighting, and allocated ADA seating. The 10-month renovation began in June 2020 and was substantially completed in April 2021.
This project was made possible thanks to the Union County Board of County Commissioners’ approval of the college’s request for funding via the state’s Chapter 12 program.
“Our students deserve a space where they can perform and learn. This new multiuse venue will allow our theater arts majors to practice their craft with pride. The updated and modern space will allow the College to host speakers and events for the benefit of our students to enhance their educational experience,” said Union’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.
For more information about Union County College, including the theater program, visit www.ucc.edu.
Also: From Monday, Sept. 27, through Friday, Oct. 1, a team of students from Union County College was invited to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program (NCAS). Union students were part of a new cohort of only 84 students nationwide chosen for this engineering design competition after a selection process. Other institutions who had students invited to participate in the second NASA Career Simulation included: Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Cypress College, Essex County College, Lone Star College, Norwalk College, and Southwestern College.
During the week, students assumed the role of NASA employees and engaged in authentic learning by building an Autonomous Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robots (A-PUFFERs), which is a rover to explore the moon’s terrain. Before starting their “new jobs” scholars applied for positions on a team and discovered which role they would assume for the week. By working together in their new roles, the students built a device to navigate over the lunar surface and had to develop a plan to communicate their discoveries.
The 11 Union students who participated in the program were Mark Farag, Charles Ibitamuno, Bryan Quintero, and Angel Soto Veras, all of Elizabeth; Jenny Altamirano and Luana Rampelotti, both of Hillside; Thomas Christo of Fanwood; George Stephens of Kenilworth; Ronald Canales of Plainfield; Christopher Solis of Springfield; and Diego Gomez of Union.
“We are so proud of our team of students who were chosen to participate in the NCAS program. The enthusiasm and excitement of the students has caused the entire STEM Division to have a new sense of commitment to our students,” said Union County College Interim Dean of STEM William Dunscombe.
Student and School news appears on Saturdays. 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.