GOODNEWS DecemberJune TheThe EwingEwing PublicPublic SchoolsSchools 20052012 Adopt-a-SurvivorParkway Program Panthers’ Teacher Pink-apalooza of the Year for Recipients Breast Cancer are Honored BeginsDuring the monthat Ewing of October, High the Parkway School School in order to wear jeans with their pink items and Fri- baskets will contain items such as mints, herbal teas, family immersed itself in many activities to raise days in October were renamed ‘Denim Days’. Over fuzzy socks, lotions, puzzle books and felt blankets. awareness Nearly of sixty the yearsdisease since and Allied funds forcestowards liberated its cure. the $750 was collected from ‘Denim Days’ and a staff A chart with grade level donation amounts and pink NaziBreast concentration cancer has touched camps, the the lives now of elderly many Parkwaysurvivors luncheon and a donation will be made to the Susan G. jugs were placed in the front lobby for the students ofPanthers the Holocaust – staff members, are turning parents/guardians to a new generation and Komen Race for the Cure Foundation. to make ‘free will’ donations. How exciting it was toextended preserve family their members testimony alike. about “I am sotheir PINKALI wartime- The students were also able to make donations each morning to see so many students crowd around experiencesCIOUS proud for to future be a partgenerations. of the Parkway Family, to the cause in the form of spare change. Teachers the table to dump their change and to see how much whoHolocaust has shown survivorssupport for are all familiessteadily thatdwindling are af- in informed the students that Parkway School would be their grade level had donated in total. The grand total fected by breast cancer. xoxo Mrs. Voorhees.” donating baskets filled with ‘comfy’ items to local donated was $413.69. number. Many have made it their mission to educate With the help of Mrs. Debra Klevze-Cornelius and cancer treatment centers for patients who are receiv- For the last Friday in October, a ‘Pink-apalooza’ theGirl world Scout thatTroop anti-Semitism # 70633, a pink and and racism black easily banner lead ing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. These was planned. Students and staff alike were dressed in towas murder, hung in and the tocafetorium speak about as a livingthe horrors acknowledge they and- as much pink as possible. That day, Parkway School theirment/memorial families suffered. to women With who the have passing been of diagnosed time, it has abounded in pink shirts, pants, socks, sneakers, hair, becomewith breast urgent cancer. to findNotification a new was generation sent home tofor continue wigs, hats, jackets, jewelry, headbands and even eye- theParkway survivors’ families mission to send and in tellthe namestheir stories of any after women the lashes! To cap off the event, the entire student body survivorsthey wanted can listed no longer on the do mural. so. Hearts were created and staff gathered on the back field to take a picture in and Onlabeled April with 12,each thename Adopt-a-Survivor and attached to the (AAS)mural. the shape of a pink and blue pawprint. programStudents was were introduced encouraged to the to Trentonwear pink area clothing at Ewing Mrs. Mulry added, “Parkway has really rallied every Friday of the month with a different emphasis around Breast Cancer Awareness as a cause in our High School. Six Holocaust survivors were adopted each week. From ‘pink in general’, to head gear and school as it has affected so many in our families. Stu- byfoot twelve wear, toEwing the ultimate High Pink-apaloozasophomores. The(wear adopted as dents and teachers have had a lot of fun while work- survivors—Moshemany pink items as Gimlan,you can) onVera Fridays, Goodkin, pink becameMarion ing hard to make a difference in our community.” Lewin,a third ParkwayRuth Lubitz, School Charles color. Rojer The and staff Jack also Zaifman— respond- So, just as in years past Parkway School not only wereed to theoriginally ‘call for pink’from everyGermany, Friday andCzechoslovakia, wore pink ‘did it up big’ for Breast Cancer Awareness during the items with jeans. Teachers gave monetary donations month of October, they ‘did it up pink’. Poland and Belgium. The recipients of the 2005 Teacher of the Year Awards were honored at a luncheon on April 29th. Jan Fay, 2004 Mercer County The AAS program pairs a survivor with one or Teacher of the Year, was a guest speaker. 1st row (L to R): Joan Zuckerman, Principal Antheil; Sharon Solomon, Lore; Jan Fay, 2004 more students. The students embark on a joint journey Mercer County Teacher of the Year; Inetta Emery, Principal Parkway; Danielle Miller, EHS; Superintendent Ray Broach. 2nd row: Darrell with the survivorAntheil’s through discussions Annual about Spooktacularlife Jackson, Principal FMS; Trunk Donna Andreas, or Antheil; Treat Don Barnett, Was FMS; Betsy aTurgeon, HUGE Parkway; RodneySuccess! Logan, Principal EHS. before, during and after the Holocaust. Participating A special thanks to chairperson, Jen Mazzoni, the PTO mem- students will be able to represent the survivor and andEwing Antheil’s PTO High for supporting Students and volunteering Attend Gorbachev Presentationbers, DJ Chris Whitney Lewis, EHS Freshman tell the survivor’s story with accuracy and feeling in countless hours to make this year’s Spooktacular and the families the years to come. In addition, each student makes suchOn a special April 18, and 2005 memorable Ms. Chiavuzzo, night. Volunteers Mrs. Walker of Perestroika. His policies reopenedwho made churches, trunk a commitment to tell the survivor’s story in a public andfrom 30 Ewing Ewing High High School’s School Keyfreshmen Club joinedjoined the several fes- released political prisoners, andor liftedtreat such bans a on tivities and ran games for families to enjoy as parent success. venue in the year 2045, a hundred years after the Mercer County high school and college students, previously censored books. andvolunteers politicians manned to thehear bake a salepresentation table. given by The 20th anniversary of PerestroikaA special thank was liberation of Auschwitz. The haunted courtyard was a HUGE success this you to Judy Akey The twelve student adopters are Dave Angebranndt, Mikhail Gorbachev at the Sovereign Bank Arena. one of the essential themes of Gorbachev’s Gorbachevyear. Antheil’s was courtyard the last was communist magically leadertransformed of the presentation. The policy’s mainfor organizinggoal was to Tyler Barnes, Annie Cook, Liz Dunham, Emily Everett, into a friendly passageway for younger children and a fifth grade student Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. During his make the Soviet economic system more efficient. Curtis Fornarotto, Vildana Hajric, Devon Jones, haunted passageway for the daring! A special thanks volunteers to pro- term he instituted various policies including his Perestroika involved the transfer of control from Jen Meade, Billy O’Callaghan, Nikyta Sharma and to Christine Perkins, who coordinated with other vide creative face- political policy of Glasnost and economic policy the government to the business owners. This policy Melysa Wilson. continued on page A2 teachers, parents and the Garden Club, in order to cre- painting activities ate and organize Antheil’s authentic haunted court- continued on page A2for the night. Safety Town yard.Have The funds a generatedHappy for the Summer!! haunted house will Due to budget restraintsSecond graders June 30 - July 11 go toward maintaining Antheil’s beautiful courtyard. decoratedNO Summerthe hallways Schoolwith family Programs haunted house For over five years, Antheil’s PTO, staff, students, Trunk or GoodNewstreat hosted more will than resume 40 decorated ve- projects, which were proudly displayed throughout. parents and communityContact: Jeanhave come Conrad together to create hicles on Antheil’s black top. Upon walking outside The proceedswill frombe offeredAntheil’s Spooktacular by the event with the September an amazing Halloween609-538-9800 festival forx1302 Antheil students to the beat of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, families will supportEwing a variety Public of student-related Schools activities. and families to enjoy!for application This year’s Spooktacular fes- thoroughly enjoyedissue ofvisiting the Observereach decorated vehicle Spooktacular was a magical night for Antheil stu- tival, held on October 26th, did not disappoint. to receive a candy treat. A special shout out to all of dents duringand families. the Summer of 2005. The Ewing Public Schools Story of Amanda Todd Shows Complexities of Teens and Technology Michael Nitti, Superintendent As an educator, an occasional presenter on cyber- In her chilling video, Todd acknowledges a pain- ing his free time posting scantily-clad pictures of bullying and internet safety, as well as an adjunct ful reality that has become obvious to far too many teenage girls stolen from their unsecured Facebook professor of school law, I have become far too naïve children, proclaiming: “I can never get that or Instagram pages and moderating lewd conversa- familiar with the many sad stories of young people picture back. It is out there forever.” tions about them on Reddit groups such as ‘Jail- making mistakes as they navigate their increasingly In an attempt to flee from her humiliation, Todd bait’. complex technological world. moves to another school, but discovers a brutal When this got boring, typical troll behavior The tragic suicide of 15-year old Amanda Todd in reality of the internet era; there is no refuge or moves on to collecting and posting surreptitiously Canada sets an unfortunate new low standard with sanctuary for the victim; as the online taunts and taken pictures of unsuspecting women on a forum regard to the dangers, perils and pitfalls of children teasing continued despite her desire to escape. called ‘creepshow’ or creating memes about the trying to live their lives in the modern day fishbowl Todd then compounded her problems by suicide of an unstable fifteen-year old. that is the internet era. Indeed one of the media ac- ‘hooking’ up with a boy who happened to have a Perhaps the time has come for us to stop being counts I encountered had the simple but profound girlfriend. This resulted in a videotaped beating shocked by nasty, virulent, bullying behavior on title: “Did the Internet Kill Amanda Todd?” and a barrage of on-line teasing, taunts and ‘slut- the internet and accept the fact that behavior on Although that may be hyperbole, the reality is shaming’, the misogynistic, almost ritualistic gang the Internet is simply a reflection of a society that that Todd’s case does show the increasing risks for tormenting of a young female for her perceived is losing its grasp on the fundamental concepts of children with regard to technology and the internet, promiscuity or infidelity, while their male privacy, compassion and humanity. as well as the ugly underbelly of human society counterparts are excused or even glorified for It was interesting to see ‘Sesame Street’ become that often manifests itself in predatory and anony- their actions. a political tennis ball during the current presidential mous antagonistic behavior online. In perhaps the most poignant part of her video, campaign because, regardless of your politics, it And, like the sad deaths of Megan Meier and Todd’s sadness and loneliness are palpable, as she can at least be acknowledged that the iconic chil- Phoebe Prince in this country, the suicide of Todd simply scrawls on a sheet of paper “I thought he dren’s show at least tries to establish a foundation again demonstrates that children struggling with really liked me.” of civility and respect in kids. social and emotional issues are at an increased risk As her family and friends did their best to deal And as stories like Amanda Todd’s become of having their ‘real life’ problems exponentially with the unimaginable pain of her suicide, they had tragically more commonplace, Facebook founder worsened by mistakes and missteps online. to deal with mocking comments on tribute pages, Mark Zuckerberg, continues to call for a world that Although Todd’s story has been largely told as derogatory posts on internet forums, and insulting is more ‘interconnected’. What he neglects to add a bullying tale, it began as a twelve-year old girl pictures created and distributed by ‘internet trolls’. is that a more interconnected world makes more being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous and These trolls represent the worst of the internet, money for him and his shareholders, as people are anonymous predatory adult male. Convinced to and most likely, society. They hide behind the peddled as products in a marketing platform thinly flash her breasts during an internet chat, this one cloak of anonymity to spew venom and ugliness, veiled as social networking. moment came back to haunt Todd as the stalker taking some sort of perverse joy in the pain and There is no question that our children are grow- attempts to blackmail her for further favors, then misfortune of others. ing up in world that is faster, more connected, more spitefully disseminates the picture to Todd’s circle The internet troll is perhaps best epitomized by complex, and more progressive than the one we of friends and schoolmates, information readily recently revealed uber-troll Michael Brutsch, a did. However, it is unquestionably a more treacher- available in this ‘interconnected age’. paunchy, middle-aged man who enjoyed spend- ous world, and not necessarily a better one.

Lore School’s Third Graders Leap Into Social Studies Third grade students at Lore School have excit- edly embraced their new Social Studies curriculum. They are now learning about New Jersey and the Lenape Tribe as part of their studies. The year started off with an exciting field trip to Churchville Nature Center on October 15th. While there, students rotated through seven different sta- tions learning about the Lenape culture, customs and way of life. The students enjoyed this informative trip into the past. On October 23rd, Walter Choroszewski (Mr. C.), a New Jersey photographer, lecturer and author, visited Lore School and presented facts about the The Credit Union of New Jersey supplied EHS geography, geology and history, as well as fun trivia Blue Devils footballs and towels to be tossed to the about New Jersey. The students thoroughly enjoyed crowd by the Mighty Monkey Wrenches robot dur- his presentation! ing the October 13th homecoming game. “Providing A Foundation For Life” EHS Open House The Bristol-Myers Squibb Trauma Center at annual visit from representatives of this program. On Thursday, November 15th, over 300 parents and Capital Health Regional Medical Center is offering The students had the opportunity to view an their 7th and 8th grade children from Fisher Middle School gathered at Ewing High School for a very special open a bicycle and helmet safety program called ‘Pedal informative video called ‘I’m Safe on Wheels’ to house. District and school administrators were on hand to Power’ which is geared toward pre-school children enhance their learning needs and understanding of welcome them to the orientation program. The whole eve- ages 3 to 5. On October 23rd, Antheil Elementary safety practices when on bikes, scooters, etc. ning proved to be a very enjoyable and rewarding event. School’s preschool classes received the second The program allowed the students to practice the basic bicycle and helmet safety rules in small groups. They had the opportunity to interact as a group while also having fun and reviewing safety concepts on bicycles. At the end of their program, each child received a free, properly-fitted bicycle helmet. On hand to watch the children get fitted for their helmets were Mr. Michael Nitti, Superintendent of The Ewing Public Schools, and Mrs. Jennifer Posa- Whitner, Principal of Antheil Elementary School. Thank you to Maria Petsos-Prayannis from the Antheil Child Study Team for organizing the event, Some of the highlights included a PowerPoint pre- and to Ms. Nancy Distelcamp at Capital Health sentation focusing on high academic offerings, course Regional Medical Center for teaching our students expectations, the various sports teams opportunities, about bicycle and helmet safety. as well as the available extracurricular clubs and programs. After the formal presentations, parents and students were able to visit the cafeterias to learn about EHS’s Environmental Club to FMS Caravans the clubs and sports programs offered and speak with coaches, advisors and students involved in each sport Build a Garden in the Spring! and program. Tours were provided simultaneously throughout the school by Key Club members and Peer Thanks to the students of Ewing High School’s Leaders. Areas featured included the modern fitness Environmental Club and Mr. Heywood, advisor, the center, a multi-purpose field turf athletic complex, and high school will have a new garden this spring! The state-of-the-art business, art and science laboratories. Environmental Club will recycle chip bags from Ewing The expansive Media Center was also on the tour. High School’s lunch room. They plan to ship the bags to Terracycle and receive a small fee for the club. The money will be used to build a rain garden in the spring at Ewing High School. Watch the website for photos!

The students in Mrs. Riehl’s FMS social studies classes participated in a Pilgrimage of a Lifetime! Grouped as caravans of nomadic Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula, the students ‘traveled’ from city to The District Supervisors for all subject areas were city to learn about the history, geography and culture of available to share subject information through visual Medieval Arabia. The caravans competed for ‘wealth’ displays and textbook samples. The Music Depart- points as they created maps, time-lines and posters. ment featured outstanding musical numbers by the The winning caravans were rewarded with an authentic band, orchestra and chorus. The evening provided parents and students with a Middle Eastern lunch prepared by the teachers. snapshot of the positive culture and support for learn- ing second to none at Ewing High School. Changes to District Calendar Due to Hurricane Sandy Order Ewing Sports Apparel Online Due to Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, the • 2/25 will become a single session day district lost five days of school. We have used our two for students with a half day professional Go to the EHS Athletic built-in emergency days; school was open on Novem- development for staff Schedule page at www. ber 8th and 9th and also will be open on February colonialvalleyconference. • 4/25 will become a single session day 18th (Presidents Day) to make up the five lost days. org and choose Ewing High for students with a half day professional Should we require additional days due to any development for staff School. Simply click on closings this winter, we will adjust the calendar the ‘Shop the Blue Devils in the following manner. Please be prepared for • Spring break days will be removed (and Store’ box with the hooded the changes. We will notify the Ewing School school will be open) beginning with 3/25, sweatshirt on the lower right Community if these changes become necessary. 3/26, 3/27, 3/28. of the page. The Ewing Public Schools

December 2012 Schedule in Ewing Schools Board of Education

Dec 5 TEMPO Ex Bd @ 7:30pm Mrs. Karen A. McKeon, Dr. Ruth Palmer, President Vice President Dec 6 EHS - Financial Aid Night @ 6:30pm Mr. Carl Benedetti, Jr. Ms. Maria Benedetti Dec 6-7 LPA - Holiday Store Mr. Kenneth J. Bradley Mr. Kevin J. Ewell Dec 10 Parkway - 5th Grade Parent Mtg @ 6:30pm Mr. Anthony D. Mack Mrs. Stephanie Staub Parkway - PTA Meeting @ 7pm Mr. Bruce J. White EHS - Ring & Sing @ 7pm Dec 11 FMS - FPA Meeting @ 6:30pm EHS - Ring & Sing Snow Date The Ewing Public Education Channel (FIOS Channel 31 and Comcast Dec 12 Antheil - Vocal Concert @ 9:30am & 7pm Channel 19) displays district and school information as well as airing concerts and awards ceremonies as they are taped. DVDs are available for TEMPO Gen Meeting @ 7:30pm purchase from the videographer by contacting [email protected]. Dec 13 Antheil - PTO @ 6:45pm Family Math Night Gr. 6 & 8 - 6:30-8:30pm @ FMS The Instant Alert system is an important communication tool in The Ewing Public Schools. A link is available on our website under Site Dec 17 BOE Meeting - 8pm @ FMS Shortcuts/School Closings/Instant Alert. Information about managing Dec 18 ESL Parents/Staff @ 6pm notifications/profile settings, categories, updates and logons is posted here. Dec 19 Parkway - Winter Concerts @ 2pm & 6:30pm It is the responsibility of the parent/staff member to manage the profile for receiving alerts. Dec 20 Lore - Vocal Concert @ 7pm If you are receiving alerts and are not a member of the Ewing Schools Dec 21 Single Session K-12 - NO EDP Community, please notify us and we will remove your number from the Lore - Vocal Concert @ 9:30am system (538-9800 X1102 or [email protected]). Dec 24 - Jan 1 Schools Closed - Winter Break Virtual Backpacks, Calendars and Headlines pages on the website are where you will find up-to-the minute information on district-wide events, deadlines, fundraisers and interesting stories about our schools, students and staff. Mercer County and Ewing community events, such as Ewing Please visit our website daily for Recreation information, are posted on the VBP/Community Info page. up-to-the minute information. On the website, school-specific events are posted under the calendar page on each school website. Although the district prints and distributes an annual calendar/handbook, we maintain the web calendars with up-to-the Emergency School Closings minute events. Be sure to check VBP, headlines and calendars daily for important information! An Instant Alert will be sent out and a message will be posted on the district phone system (609-538-9800), the district homepage, Comcast Channel 19 and Verizon Channel 31. Residency Investigation Hotline 538-9800 x8999 Should there be a delayed opening, all students are to report to school 1 hour Anonymous Tip Hotline 538-9800 x1199 and 30 minutes later than normal. Do not drop your child off at school at the usual time as there may not be sufficient staff for supervision. Policies and Regulations: All current policies and regulations for The Ewing Public Schools are available on our website under the Board of Delayed Opening Hours: Early Dismissal Hours: Education/Board Policy/Regulation tab. Documents under review by the Ewing High 9:15am Ewing High 12:15pm Board of Education are also listed. Fisher Middle 9:55am Fisher Middle 12:55pm Elementary 10:30am Elementary 1:40pm For Questions or Information, Please contact: Ewing Twp Recreation Info Superintendent’s Office Design and Layout by Please check the Virtual Backpack link under our website homepage 609-538-9800 ext. 1102 Daniella Crescente headlines for important information pertaining to Ewing Rec E-mail: [email protected] GoodNews is an official publication opportunities and events. Details and registration forms are posted on Website: www.ewing.k12.nj.us of The Ewing Public Schools the Virtual Backpack/Community Information page of the website. ? ©2012 GoodNews