N.B. school board recognizes staff, students

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township Board of Education has recognized several students, faculty members and local businesses for their accomplishments and contributions during its public meetings the past two months.

• Board of Education member Connie Corbin received the New Jersey School Boards Association Certificated Board Member award for accumulating 20 continuing education credits in board member education.

• Justin Agudosi is a finalist from the Middlesex/Somerset County area in the 2009 Wallenberg Honors Program for his community service and service learning projects within school and the community.

• The Linwood Middle School SLICE (Student Leaders Improving Character Education) Club received the United Way Hometown Heroes award for its service learning projects. Adviser Marjorie Spangler was named as a finalist in the United Way Adult Individual Volunteers Hometown Heroes award.

• Under the direction of Rose Maguire, four students at Linwood Middle School placed third in the state in the New Jersey Stock Market Game in the Middle School Division. Victoria Ko, Jenna Gaston, Fazeela Moonalall and Kaylin Stafford invested a simulated $20,000 in the stock market and evaluated the rise and fall of various stocks in order to raise the most revenue.

• Two Academic Challenge teams at Linwood Middle School placed in the Jonas Salk Middle School Academic Challenge in May. Under the direction of Michele Barrett and Tobey Martinez, the students meet once a week as a club to participate in Jeopardy like trivia questions. They also do research in the library to formulate their own questions. Seventh-graders Christopher Wilson, Tisya Mavuram, Sabrina VanVliet, Sai Gundlapalli and Brian Pelszynski placed second. Eighth-graders Ishaan Jain, Sameer Vinayak, Samuel Lee, Mohammed Haji, Sriram Gidugu and Ray Habib placed third.

• The Linwood Middle School You Made a Difference Award was presented to Carol Marks, a teacher at North Brunswick Township High School, who films productions and events at the middle and high schools and around town.

• Judd Elementary School first-grader Bethany Park was the first-place winner in the K-2 division of the Safety Poster Contest through the Transportation Supervisors of New Jersey. She will now go on to the national competition level with her artwork about school bus safety.

• High school swim team members Andrew Rose, Kevin Chibbaro, Matthew Burke and Andrew Newsome were awarded for breaking the school record for the 200- meter freestyle relay and for placing in the All White Division and the 1st Team All Greater Middlesex Conference Team.

• Randy Solomon, adviser of the Transition Program at the high school, presented Cameo Dry Cleaners and head custodians Richard Clarke and David Smith for assisting her students with their job-shadowing project.

• Yamini Katharti of North Brunswick Township High School has been accepted to the New Jersey Governor's School for the Sciences after a thorough and harrowing application process.

• The high school girls swim team was recognized as Greater Middlesex Conference Champions. Gregg Anderson was recognized for being named the Girls Swimming White Division and Greater Middlesex Conference Coach of the Year.

• The high school boys varsity wrestling team had their first winning season since 1991 and was recognized by the Greater Middlesex Conference of Wrestling Coaches with the "Most Improved Program Award."

• The North Brunswick Township High School Robotix Team was recognized for placing second in the New Jersey Regional Competition, being semifinalists in the Florida Regional Competition and receiving the Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology Top Robot Design Award and being named divisional semifinalists in the Atlanta National Competition. The junior varsity team was divisional finalists in the New York Regional Competition and received the Inspiration Award.

• The Television Production Team and adviser Carol Marks from the high school were recognized for assisting the Board of Education with promoting positive communication between the schools and the community.

• The high school's Rock-a-Thon fundraiser raised $10,000 over a 24-hour rocking chair marathon. The American Red Cross received $8,000, the North Brunswick Food Bank received $2,000 and the American Forests organization received $1,000.

• Of 26,000 students who participated in the 2009 AATG National German High School Exam, three students in Hank Schwab's class scored above the 80th percentile: Priscilla Coffie-Owusu scored 83 percent in the Level IV exam; Victoria Borbas scored 88 percent in the Level III exam; and Nicolette Balewitz scored 82 percent in the Level III exam.

• Of over 4,000 students who participated in the 2009 AATG National Italian High School Exam, student Mark Enache from Rosaria Certo's class received Honorable Mention Nationwide in the Level IV B exam.

• Linwood Middle School students Samantha Riemann, Peter Grace and Sabrina VanVliet, under the direction of teacher Jason Sirna, received honorable mention in the 2009 "Letters About Literature" writing competition in which students submitted a personal letter to an author, living or deceased, explaining how the author's work impacted their lives.

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.