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Table of Contents
What’s Inside? 7
A Christmas Essay No, We Haven’t Missed Christmas
14 Sharing Great Giggles Chrissie Cluney Tells Her Life Story
22 Gnocchi With Grandpa Secret Recipes to Warm The Soul
28 Christmas Spirit at School 8 A Teacher’s Awakening in 2003
32 Nina, Pinto & Santa Maria Raising Funds at CCMS
34 WWMS Fundraiser on Jan. 31 Cupcakes & Dances for a Good Cause
36 Musical Mustang Memories With the CHS Band & Madrigals
4 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
44 Sweet Memories of Clifton Robert Vendetti, CHS ‘76
48 Turkey Game Talk Fielding Memories on Thanksgiving
56 Just say Habibi Norman 33 Years of Turkey with the Tahans
72 Shop Clifton First Gift Ideas From Across Town
Events & Briefs 72
81 Winter Mustang Sports Round-up & Preview of the Season
92 Student of the Month Nisha Shah wants to be a Pediatrician
94 Egon Kot at 89 Years Young
e
He does 20 Sit-ups, 35 Push-ups Daily
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Nov. 11 Veterans Parade In Athenia to the Avenue of Flags
Sandy Fundraisers & Memories Pgs. 62-67
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6 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Will We Miss Christmas? Essay by Chris de Vinck
I cannot say that I ever really believed in Christmas, that post-war collaboration between the Coca-Cola Company and the Macy’s department store. There was always something missing: bells perhaps or my grandmother or plum pudding. One December night when I was a boy I tried to follow the moon into the woods. It seemed to be rising up beyond the barbed wire fence. I pulled on my boots and floppy fur hat and stood outside on the rock that seemed to breach the field like a stunned whale. Was it the moon that made her way through the trees, or a light from the distant street, or a coming dream that boys imagine when they wish they could have a sled or new football for Christmas? I remember looking back into the house where I grew up. I saw my father at his chair reading. My mother was arranging her thick, Christmas candle and pine cones on the dining room table. Perhaps my sisters were playing Monopoly on the living room floor. Smoke was surely curling up from the grandfather-tall chimney. Burr! It is cold in the winter night.
My wife and I had our own children. She and I worked hard at creating a Christmas postcard for Karen, Michael and David: candles in the window, the wreath on the front door; stockings bulging with whistles, paper dolls and marzipan. Do I bless my three children on Christmas day? Did I ever bless them? What is marginal in our hopes for a holiday? The edge of an apple pie? A disappointment in the past year? We all do not believe in the intangibles in the same way: love, sorrow, acceptance, justice, but we all seem to like the aroma of a Christmas tree, or the taste of eggnog, or the idea of eggnog at least. I remember one winter night my mother and father and I walked down to the church to see the life-like plaster statues: Mary, Joseph, a donkey and cow. There was a sheep sitting on its tucked legs besides an empty crib, for it wasn’t Christmas yet. What impressed me the most about that visit, though, was my father’s dark coat and how his stride was long and sure in the snow and how I tried to place my shoe prints in his as he walked Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Moments of Grace ahead of me holding my mother’s hand. They didn’t hold hands much, but one Christmas my father built me a medieval castle the size of a suitcase, and my mother hid in my stocking a small, Swedish troll made of wood. His wool hat was red, and he held a flower in his hand. I lived a life of order and home not having understood chaos and a loss of faith. Today I sometimes feel that I have lost what is spontaneous
and childlike. Can you see a 60 year old man chasing after the moon? We easily forget that snowflakes on our tongues are remarkable. What remains with us from our past? The ash of memory? The sound of wind and laughter in the dark night? It is cold in the winter’s night. I have always had a tepid fondness for Christmas, tasting the anticipation of presents and taffy, but I
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also knew, even as a child, time passes. I chose not to cry when I watched the Christmas tree explode into flames after my brother dragged it to the wood’s edge and lit a single, dry branch. I remember how the glow of the fire lit our faces as if we were two ghosts sending back the spirit of Christmas into the woods for another year. We all harbor theories about life, the purpose of our driving to work, the reasons we have children, or the decisions to pull ourselves out of bed. Life is a renewal each day, a remixing of what has passed and what is to become, bracing ourselves like a man made of snow: built up in the cold and returned to the earth in the day’s warmth. This Christmas our daughter is flying in from Portland, Oregon. David is crossing the George Washington Bridge. Our son Michael is driving down from Jersey City. We will make good on our performance at the Christmas table, exchange gifts, drink cinder and ale. The candles are already in the window. Remember when Scrooge woke up filled with exhilaration? “It’s Christmas Day! I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can.” No, we haven’t missed Christmas after all. The Spirits have done it. Perhaps the boy did it as he stepped in his father’s tracks in the snow. Let’s Lasso that moon. Of course we can. Of course we can. It’s Christmas. Burr. Christopher de Vinck is the Language Arts Supervisor at CHS and the author of 13 books.
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From the Editor
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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from the Hawrylko Family! My time at the helm of this magazine continues to be a wonderful run. In 2013, we enter our 18th year of publication and despite the challenging economy, we continue to grow. So on behalf of my family, and our children pictured here, I want to say thank you. Support from readers and advertisers has allowed us to remain an independent and successful small business. Thank you for your trust, and God bless. —Tom Hawrylko 16,000 Magazines
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Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Year Round Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum 6 Weeks to 6 Years Halloween came on Nov. 7 for Students at Clifton Little School but their parade was led by a Passaic County Sheriff’s Officer on Horseback!
12 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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S haring
Giggles By Chrissie Cluney
to do fer out his-
As you can see from the photo above, Chrissie Cluney has been rubbing some pretty famous elbows. While she met country singer Reba McEntire in NYC in Aug., 2009, this Cliftonite connects with a variety of lesser known stars and has a great time at her job at Giggles Childrens Theater. The program is designed to lift the spirits of sick patients at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson. But this 1999 CHS grad shines in her own way too. With a great sense of perspective and a forward looking attitude, Chrissie tells her life story on the following pages. 14 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Chr Birt year McE Clif
I have been a lifelong resident of Clifton and I truly believed in the idea of sharing and caring. This has made me the person I am today. I was born totally healthy on December 15, 1979, but three months later in 1980, I contracted viral encephalitis, a disease that attacked my brainstem. The result? Facial deformity, a speech impediment, blindness in my right eye and some other “personality quirks,” as I call them. At that time, I was the one out of a hundred-thousand infants who could have contracted this disease from a DPT inoculation. I guess I was the lucky one!. After I came home from the hospital, 70 volunteers came into my parent’s home to “pattern” me, which is a type of physical therapy. These family members and friends used their various resources and love and cared enough to assist me with my journey to recovery. Those people and my family helped make me who I am today. If it weren’t for them my life would have been very different because I wasn’t supposed to make it. In fact, the doctor’s diagnosis was that I’d be wheelchair bound and mute—which I am happy to say that I am not.
I attended School 16, then Woodrow Wilson Middle School and went to CHS where I walked the field with the Class of 1999. During my high school years, I always wanted to smile. I looked at my peers and wished that I could smile to show them that I was excited to be around them. My mom Mary Ann, my dad Bill and my sister Erin have always been so supportive. So, my family and I started this part of my journey. We found New York University’s Craniofacial Department and began making molds and taking x-rays. The first surgery would take place the summer after I graduated CHS and before I went off to the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown. The surgery entailed breaking my top and bottom jaws to align my teeth so when I smiled my teeth would line up. After I had the surgery I wasn’t waking up from the anesthesia and the doctors realized that my body was missing an enzyme that metabolizes narcotics. I was given a special medicine to counteract the narcotics and I was told I sat right up. And then I was in for a surprise. The pain was unbearable.
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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I gr Eliz Wh in E ated sem coll toda
C Gig Chi for loca F the ligh been ness wha I year spee idea geti
Sharing While doctors scrambled and worked hard to figure out a way to minimize the pain, the answer was little elastics they put on my top teeth to keep them together with my bottom so my jaws would heal. Looking back on those days, it soon became an easy decision to forgo the other surgery. In fact, I am still certain today that was the best decision I could have made. While at times I get stares or gawks, I have a message for anyone who is curious: instead of just staring, please ask me what happened. While this column explains a lot, I am willing to share my story with anyone who wants to know. I’m not ashamed or anything. My goal has always been to live life to the fullest so college
16 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The Clunney family: mom, Mary Ann, sister, Erin, Chrissie and dad, Bill.
Celebrate the season, enjoy family and friends, but please be safe and healthy...
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Sharing came next. At Saint Elizabeth’s, I studied and received my degree in English with a concentration in writing. I graduated in ’04, and last semester made the Dean’s List. The experience of being at college in a great growing environment and my professors molded me into the person I am today. Since I was a child, I’ve enjoyed writing the most and I found it the best way to communicate. During my younger years, people found it hard to understand me due to my speech Director Marie Caliendo holding Giggles surrounded by children at a recent show. impediment so I eight people in each issue who have been promoted to a would write down the phrase, idea, or sentence. I am new position in their own business, began a new organian energetic person who wants to succeed. Writing lets zation, or whatever they do to better their community. me be specific. And that brings us to my career. My second job is awesome. Currently I have two jobs: the first as a freelance In November of 2007 I learned the true meaning of reporter for DiversityInc, which is a business magazine, caring and sharing when co-founders Frank and Peg located in Princeton. Brady interviewed me to be an Intern with Medical For the past six years, I compile the “People on the Missions for Children at St. Joseph’s Children’s Move” column, where the DiversityInc highlights five to
Celebrate
Clifton!
Our community’s diversity is truly our strength. Celebrate Clifton. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Councilman Steve Hatala 18 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Sharing Hospital in Paterson. I feel like they cared enough to take a chance on me when I was hired so I try to do the best I can for the organization every day. Medical Missions for Children is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping to improve the medical outcomes of underserved sick children here in the US and in over 100 countries worldwide. MMC is located on the campus of St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center. Our greatest program is the Giggles Theater which was originally created only to entertain the youngest patients at St. Joe’s. Today, Marie Caliendo, Executive Director of Giggles since 2010, opens the performances to students at local day care centers, after school programs and home school organizations. Our primary audience, however, is the live audience at St. Joe’s. Giggles allows children who are in the hospital the opportunity to forget about being sick and proves that “laughter is the best medicine.” I feel as if I’m helping to make kids who are ill smile for a while which is the best way that I can show them I care. Want to come to one of our performances? If you get off the elevator and make a left and see a huge bear with a top hat, you’ve found the theater,” I always say to visitors. My responsibilities for the Giggles Children’s Theater revolve around marketing, getting the word out each month about upcoming new performances and managing the rebroadcast shows. Through the internet and the mail (my dad Bill was with the US Postal Service for 30 years) I also manage
mass mailings to tell about our performances. I am responsible for the creation of the monthly show schedule which is distributed through St. Joseph’s and really worldwide. Giggles presentations are delivered via closed circuit television to the bedside of children too ill to come to the theater, and are broadcast via satellite and internet to other children’s hospitals. Giggles live shows are hosted by Marie, the director and my supervisor, and feature the talents of local and regional performers. The Clifton Key Club and various Clifton choirs have performed here. Giggles has also had bands from Wisconsin and performers from as far away as Colombia, when the Children’s Chorus of Bogota sang for the patients. One of the most popular shows is “Hospital Bingo” when Marie and Giggles the Bear play bingo with the pediatric patients over the closed circuit television. When a patient gets five in a row they call the theater using the phone next to their hospital bed and tell Marie that they won. After the 45 minute show is over, Marie then goes to the winner’s hospital room and the patient selects a toy from the large collection generously donated by people, businesses and organizations. Want to get involved? We need the support of the community. We always need toys and monetary donations. If you’d like to learn more about Giggle, we’d be happy to tel lyou more. Call 973-754-4960, go to www.mmissions.org or email mcaliendo@mmissions.org for more info.
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S haring
Making Gnocchi with Grandpa Cheryl Spoerry Gaita Recalls Her Family’s Italian Tradition By Joe Hawrylko
When Christmas season rolls around, Cheryl Spoerry Gaita always recalls one of her favorite memories from childhood: making homemade gnocchi with her cousins and grandpa Jim. “I will always treasure that tradition and remember sitting at the little kids table at the end of the adults table watching the whole family together,” she recalled. However, that tradition slowly started to die out after Grandma Rose passed away in 1999, ending a few years later as the family moved away from New Jersey. But Gaita plans to start it up again soon so that her daughter, Isabella Rose, can pass on the gnocchi recipe to a new generation. “Unfortunately, I’m now living in Georgia, so I’m not surrounded
At Clifton Florist, Bob White, George, Vic, Rose Civico and Joe Willis.
by a huge Italian population,” she laughed. Though she has been living in Georgia since 2004, Gaita was a born and raised Cliftonite. “I grew up and lived on
Some of the cousins in an undated photo. Back row from left is Frank Yuppa, Donna Demarco and Fran Yuppa. Front: Tommy Demarco and Cheryl Spoerry Gaita.
22 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Madeline Ave. until I graduated high school and then we moved to the Athenia section for a few years. My parents then moved over to Cloverdale, right behind Ken Mooney’s Garage,” said the 1987 CHS grad. “They lived there til they moved in 2002 to Georgia and then we moved out of New Jersey in the end of 2004.” Family gatherings were always held at Grandma and Grandpa Civico’s house on Madison Ave. It was there that the Christmas tradition of homemade gnocchi was born. “As far back as I can remember, we always went to my grandparent’s house in Clifton, and then when they moved to Forked River. My grandpa’s recipe makes five pounds of it. My grandfather used to make the dough and he would cut it in their dining room,” she said. “He’d cut and all of the
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Sharing cousins would roll them. And he’d have wax paper on surfaces. We had wax paper on the floor... any available piece of furniture had wax paper on it.” Traditionally, the children in the family helped fill the semolina dumplings.
24 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
“All of the cousins, we were all around the same age pretty much. I was the youngest and they were all two or three years ahead of me,” said Gaita, now 43. In addition to the gnocchi, there was other typical Italian fare on the menu.
“You would have the pasta, the appetizers which were usually the Italian cheeses, the Italian meats, pepers, olives, pickles all that stuff,” she said. Gaita, however, was never a fan of fish. “My grandpa also used to make tripe. I never ate that. I see it in the store now and I still cringe.” In addition to family, there were several friends who showed up to the annual feast, making it a multiple table affair. “We would have some of my grandparents family friends. My uncle Nick Ciarlaghio, who was not really my uncle. He was a Clifton cop. He and his wife would come over,” explained Gaita. “Mary and Jim Sisco came too. He was a cop and he owned The Clif Tavern. My grandfather was an auxiliary cop so those were all his buddies.” “My grandmother worked at and later retired from the Clifton Florist. The owner was a friend of the family,” she continued. “So around the holidays, we’d have all the guys from there over with our big Italian family.” However, eventually family began to move away and the tradition died out. “We would still do it when we had family dinners after my grandparents were gone. My grandpa passed away in 1989,” said Gaita. “We probably had the big dinners up until my aunt and uncle moved out of state in 2003.” Though both her grandparents have both passed away, Gaita did learn the family recipe, which she plans to share with her daugh-
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Sharing ter, Isabella Rose, who is named after Grandma Rose. “When my grandmother passed away, my aunt (Debbie Bendzak) and I were cleaning out some of her stuff and I had asked about the recipe because when she passed I took all of her pots and a lot of her cooking stuff,” recalled Gaita. “She showed me the book and write it down. I went to amazon to look for it and the book itself is a
50 year old Italian cook book, The Talisman.” Gaita, who currently lives in Georgia with her husband, Joseph their daughter, recalled learning to cook with her great grandmother, Catherine Galofaro. “Her and my great grandfather, who I never met, came over from Italy. (Galofaro) and my grandmother used to make everything from scratch: her own bread, her
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Gaita’s daughter, Isabella Rose, poses with Santa in a recent photo.
own cookies, her own pasta... everying,” said Gaita. “I used to go over there when I was younger before I could drive and learn,” she continued. “Now for me, it’s doing things that I grew up with because there’s not many of us left that can do that. My grandfather told me how to make a sauce and in all these years I still haven’t mastered it. My aunt and one cousin have, but I haven’t yet.” While Gaita still aims to perfect that recipe, the higher priority is finally making gnocchi again. “I do want to do it. I just have to figure out how to cut my recipes down because I am not making five pounds of gnocchi by myself,” laughed Gaita. “I have a friend who is a chef who I may have help with that because I really would like to start making with my daughter.” 26 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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T raditions & Memories I FOUND THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Nancy Muddell Recalls a Teachable Moment from 2003 By Joe Hawrylko
Jennifer Vidal after winning the School 8 Student of the Month award in 2003. Nancy Muddell in a recent photo and above, right Jennifer Vidal in a recent photo.
Those close to me, those working with me, those having to live with me know what a difficult school year this has been so far. And with the holidays approaching, I was wondering if I’d really “be in the mood”...if I'd find the Christmas spirit. Last week I did, thanks to a little six-year-old girl’s determination and her captivating smile! You only have to spend one day with her to understand why she has become my star student this year. The one child you know, you hope can succeed, will blossom, if given the help, the time, the attention she needs. The one you know will be the most demanding, but whose success will be the most rewarding. One day with her and you’d know why, as frustrated as I have been, as upset as I have gotten with her, I have not given up, have not turned away, have given my all to figure out a way for her to succeed. Little did I know what she’d be giving me in return. Spend one day and you’ll understand her a little bit more. One moment you'll see her contagious smile turn to a frown, then watch as that smile returns, bigger than ever, after she’s mastered a math page on her own (“I 28 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
used my number line and it didn't give me the wrong answers this time.”) You’ll hear her laugh, then sense the tears in her voice as she struggles with her reading and tells you she’s “not as smart as her sister,” as your heart starts to break. Then listen to her retell a story she’s just heard with greater detail and explanation than even you or I might give. You’ll feel the warmth in her heart pass through to yours as she melts you with that little voice of hers telling you story after story—about life, about everything she knows...and believe me, she knows a great deal! Watch the dramatic side of her unfold as she knows just which buttons to push to make you feel sorry for her. Does she have me wrapped around her finger? Well—maybe just a little bit—when she gives that look--the one of innocence and frustration and sadness all wrapped up into one! She doesn’t miss a trick, and doesn't let you forget anything you've said or promised! She is, by far, one of a kind...thank goodness!!! (smile) You’ll laugh with her as she tells you she’s
r
r
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Traditions & Memories
from Santo Domingo and talks Polish, that she can speak three languages (“Polish-’Como esta,’ French‘Bon jour,’ and ‘that English’ ”)...as she shows you how the Chinese can make themselves disappear and levitate (“I learn that from shows...I have Direct TV you know! I’m Chinese, too”)! You’ll smile with her as she tries to get the class to behave “so Mrs. Muddell can have a good day and doesn't hear our voices in her sleep,” or as she lets the class know that “I’m waiting...I’m waiting” (she has me down to even the exact voice intonation on that and the “Excuse Me” expression I use so frequently...and that’s scary! Could she be turning into me???) You’ll cry with her when she reaches the frustration level...when the self-esteem she needs so badly will not surface...when she finally succeeds and is ready to “burst at the seams” with pride...or when she’s feeling down, sobs, and says “No one taught me how to have the Christmas spirit!” One little girl...all of six years old...running the gamut of emotions every minute of every day. One moment she may be down, but the next she’s raring to go...ready to prove that she can do it...that she can “win”...she can succeed. You know this when she tells you “I can be Student of the Week ‘cause I’m working real hard these days, right?” and she really has (she’s been completing homework every night, bringing all her books and supplies to school every day—a milestone for this child). She has determination...she’s found the motivation in knowing what she wants. She can wrap you around her little finger...win you over with that smile, that frown, those tears. She knows you can never stay mad at her. Just listen to her stories, her emotional cries, her dramatic approachesand facial expressions that are priceless—to all that is happening...and a smile comes to your face. She may stress you out...but it never lasts very long. She has a way...even at your worst moments...of making you smile! Last week I had to select a “Student of the Week” for the mini-assembly. How could I not choose this little girl who has miles to go, but has come so far since September, who has been driven by forces within to 30 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
win this award, and has done a complete turnaround, behavior-wise? The child who has become the self-appointed “assistant teacher in charge of discipline”—and has made headway with some of the other “talkers”... but knows her limits with me, and knows that I am still the teacher in charge (you’d be surprised how well the children respond to her, and how much more soft-spoken she has become). Last week the last name to be called to receive the award from the principal was...you guessed it...this little first grader. As she waited patiently while all the other names were called, she kept sneaking a peek at me—and smiling that smile of hers. I wouldn’t let on...wouldn't smile back…I even tried to look “sad” to throw her off guard...but...I think she knew. I think she felt it in her heart, just as I felt it in mine. She had earned this. This was going to be HER day! When her name was called, that smile grew even wider. She walked proudly to accept her award. I had never seen her happier—and I knew I had made the right decision. She deserved it...she earned it. The applause was for her! Back in the classroom, the smile never left her face for one second. She came up to me shortly after she had gotten the award, hugged me, and said, “I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, Mrs. Muddell. Now I have the Christmas spirit!’” As I fought back the tears, I realized at that very moment we shared something special...I, too, now had the Christmas spirit in my heart...thanks to one very special little girl. May you find the spirit this Holiday season...may it live on in your heart throughout the New Year. Happy Holidays, everyone. Keep smiling! Love, Nancy Editor’s note: This story was originally written by Nancy Muddell in December of 2003 while she was teaching 1st grade at School 8. Jennifer Vidal is now a 9th grader who recently moved to Florida with her family.
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S haring On the Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria Staff and Students at CCMS Pitch in for Charity By Joe Hawrylko
j
Students from Team Dreher who helped in the door decorating contest. Front row, from left: Bryan Kelly, Brandon Sunbury, Joseph Walker, Jacoby Ayala, and Nicholas Iannacone. Back: Kemani Martinez Lewis, Gianna Casillas, Elisa Mills, Dayamaris Cuello-Pena, Tatianna Ayoub, Stefany Serrano, Karen Delgado, and Emily Maliborski.
This holiday season, staff and students at Christopher Columbus Middle School have been spreading around a little bit of joy. For the past decade, the school has held its annual Regift with Love sale, in which students can purchase various items priced $1 to $5 for family and friends. However, these gifts are not offered by some large retailer. Rather, the generous staff at CCMS comes together to donate new or gently used toys, books, kitchen supplies and other items to a general collection. “Hope Foley, a science teacher on my team, she’s the one who started it. The faculty has been very generous here,” said Kim Dreher, a math teacher at CCMS. “People love these gifts, whether it is kitchen items or 32 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
frames or whatever. They can get it for brothers or sisters or parents or whoever. Some of the gifts even come back to teachers, which is pretty funny.” In addition to benefiting the students and their families, this event also benefits a charity every year. “In the past, money donated has been directed to the West Milford Animal Shelter, Mike Tarlavsky’s widow and son, and the John Greco MSU Lacrosse Memorial Scholarship,” explained Dreher. “We just give to whoever needs our help. The last two years it has gone to the Greco Scholarship. We were all very close to John. Last year, his widow, Karen, came down with his parents and they donated items as well.” This year, all proceeds will once again go towards the John Greco MSU Lacrosse Memorial Scholarship.
The teachers of Team Dreher at CCMS, from left: Stephanie Brown, Hope Foley, Justin Swisher, Lisa Poggi and Kim Dreher.
In addition to the Re-gift with Love sale, staff and students at CCMS have been busy spreading joy in other ways. The school’s annual door decorating contest recently wrapped up, and Dreher’s team was declared the winners. As a result, all of the students had earned themselves a pizza party. However, rather than indulge, the youngsters opted to take their winnings and put it towards charity. “It was so close to Election Day, so we let them vote on what to do and 71 percent of them decided to pay it forward,” said Dreher. The money that would have gone
towards the pizza party—roughly $120—will benefit hurricane victims at either St. Peter’s Haven or the Boys & Girls Club Hurricane Relief Fund. “We’re very, very proud of our kids.” CCMS staff will also be donating to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Christopher Columbus, along with other schools in the district, will be participating in dress down day. Staff can wear jeans to work if they pay $5. Typically, this money goes toward the annual Locks of Love event on May 20, which is now in its
eighth year at CCMS. “Instead of giving money and hair this year, we decided hair is plenty,” said Dreher, who also coordinates Locks of Love. “The money I collect from the district will go towards St. Peter’s Haven and the Boys & Girls Club Hurricane Relief Fund. Staten Island and South Jersey have been really hurt by the hurricane and we know al ot of kids lost power, lost food... it’s also timely with Thanksgiving right around the corner.” Students have also been collecting toys, games, clothes and cleaning supplies for those in South Jersey who were impacted by the hurricane. Teacher Stephanie Brown’s brother, Brian Eromenok, serves in the Army National Guard, and has been distributing the items as needed. The school is currently collecting pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, as well as bottle tops for local hospitals. Eighth grader Hazem Atallah is assisting Character Education for this event. For more information about Locks of Love or any of the fundraising efforts at CCMS, send an email to Kim Dreher at kad30506@yahoo.com.
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S haring Cupcakes & Dances for a Cause WWMS Teams Up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation By Joe Hawrylko
From left, Carlos Polanco, President, Cindy Hernandez, Vice President, Mohini Savalia, Secretary, Nasif Basith, Treasurer, Nikki Klingler, Historian, and Rebecca Beres, Student Council Advisor.
Not to be outdone by their counterparts at Christopher Columbus, Woodrow Wilson students will also be doing charity work this holiday season. For the second year in a row, the middle school will be supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation through a nationwide contest to see which school can raise the most money. WWMS turned out to support in a big way: the school raised $15,518.76, good for first in the state and 18th in the nation. This year, Rebecca Beres, the Student Council advisor, wants to see even more money raised. The fundraising starts in the beginning of the school year with monthly bake sales hosted by the Student Council. The effort really begins to pick up in March with the Pennies for Pasta contest, which pits homerooms against one another to see which can raise the most money by the April deadline. “The students had little boxes and went around to family and friends asking for any spare change and they would bring that in every week,” she said. “We had it set up that the homeroom that raises the most money would 34 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
have the Olive Garden come in and give them a catered lunch for them. We also had a big gaming truck come in and the top five homerooms got to use that for three or four hours for the day.” All of WWMS will participate in the Pennies for Pasta competition once again this school year. And to increase the money raised, the school will now be holding a dinner dance at the Venetian in Garfield on Jan. 31 from 6 to 10 pm. “We wanted to find a way to enhance it. A way to keep it up throughout the whole year,” said Beres, who also teaches music and chorus at WWMS. “We always do little things throughout the year, but this year our big thing is the dinner dance fundraiser. We just wanted to have a really nice affair. We wanted to bring it to another level.” Tickets to this adult-only event are $75: $45 for the dinner and a $30 donation. “People will write two checks: one to WWMS and one to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation,” added Beres. The event will run from 6 to 10 pm.
Guests can purchase a table (10 seats) and then be responsible for selling the tickets. “We would like to have about 300 to 400 people participate. There’s going to be a tricky tray as well, so we’re reaching out to Clifton for donations for that,” she said. All proceeds generated will go towards the school’s fundraising effort, which will conclude in April. “I just want to increase it from last year. As for a goal, I would say a goal of $30,000, but I don’t know if that is possible,” said Beres. “But anything above what we did last year is going to be a successs.” To purchase tickets, call the school at 973-470-2350. Don’t forget to vote for Woodrow Wilson in the Clorox Power a Bright Future program. The School is in the running for a grant worth as much as $50,000, which will go towards restoring the central courtyard so that it may be used for a variety of programs and events. You must be 13 years old to vote. Be sure to vote daily through Dec. 12. Text 1601pbf to 95248 or look up Woodrow Wilson Middle School at www.powerabrightfuture.com.
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T raditions & Memories Mustang Memories & Traditions Recalling the Marching Mustangs and the Madrigal Singers By Michael C. Gabriele The Clifton High School Mustang Marching Band and the Madrigal Singers have provided an abundance of colorful, heartfelt memories for me and many others during the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. My son, who graduated from CHS in 2011, was a member of the Mustang Band's percussion section for four years. The annual Thanksgiving Day football game is a highlight of the season. When the game is held at Clifton Stadium, it’s an extra-special event, because that’s an occasion for members of the band's alumni to take the field at halftime to join the current band for a big, multi-generational performance, against the backdrop of autumn colors. Aside from the festivities of the day and the Thanksgiving meal that follows, this game, each year, also marks a bittersweet moment. The reason? It’s the final stadium performance for Mustang Band seniors—an emotional rite of passage, a fond farewell, a time to move on. Parents and fans cheer from the grandstands to say: “Thank you, well done, we’re proud of you!” In the early weeks of December, another vivid Clifton holiday memory is the annual performance of the CHS Madrigal Singers at the Hamilton House Museum. The Hamilton House is adorned with handmade crafts and sparkling decorations. Knowledgeable docents wearing vintage clothing greet visitors and discuss the museum’s history. There’s a delicious aroma of warm cider in the air. The highlight moment of the evening comes when the Madrigals—dressed in their colorful costumes— arrive on the scene and enter the museum’s basement to perform holiday songs, acappella, for an appreciative, standing-room-only audience. Bravo! The best thing about sharing these reflections is that 36 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
they are “living” memories. My son and his classmates no longer are students at CHS, but every year I can enjoy the band and still hear my son perform, knowing that another talented student has taken his place; just as he took the place of a student who graduated before him. The same reassuring succession holds true for the Madrigals. These holiday activities are fixtures of Clifton’s community culture. The seasons change, the pendulum swings, but the Mustang Band keeps on marching and the Madrigal Singers keep on singing. More than memories, these are grand traditions that sustain Clifton’s spirit. Each year they create new memories to savor; provide new refreshment for hearts, minds and souls. As we celebrate the holidays, let’s offer a word of thanks for the many dedicated people who uphold the traditions, faithfully pass the torch and work hard to keep these memories alive for all to enjoy. Let’s always remember to count them among our blessings when we gather with family and friends.
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T raditions & Memories
Center Street Memories
Wonderful Times Growing Up in Botany Village As told by Mary Jane Nagel
Mary Jane Nagel at her 80th birthday with her children Gary, Richard and Nancy.
In our November edition, we mentioned how Colleen Murray and Mary Jane Nagel of the Phenomenal Grandmothers both grew up in Botany Village. Nagel took the time to collect her memories of what Botany Village was like when she was growing up in the late 1930s. It was then that she met Evelyn Stefanic, her best friend during childhood, whom Nagel reconnect with just a few weeks ago in the Phenomenal Grandmothers. “I lived with my parents in a cold- water flat in a six-family tenement at 61 Center St.,” recalled Nagel, who was born in July of 1932. “Our apartment was on the third floor front of my building while Evelyn Stefanic’s family occupied the second floor back of her building which was two doors down the block from mine.” The two first became friends 38 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
when Nagel was seven years old. Evelyn was the eldest child in her family and had a younger brother, Paul, and two younger sisters, Joyce and Maryann. “Our parents did not allow us to play in our apartments – no other kids were allowed to play in their apartments either at that time. Since our apartment buildings did not have any back yards, our first routine place to meet and play was in the driveway of Evelyn’s building,” recalled Nagel. “From this first rendezvous point, we began to go to Little Weasel Brook Park off of Lexington Ave. This playground gave us endless hours of great joy that we spent on the swings and the slide.” Nagel also recalled how she developed a love for music early on in life in Botany Village due to her bedroom windows facing Domyons.
“Domyons was a saloon in the front and a catering hall in the back. For months at a time from early spring through late fall, Domyons would have their front door open and the music would pour out into the night, every night until 3 am,” she recalled. “My parents were so poor that we did not have a radio at that time. The saving grace was that Domyons was directly across the street from my building.” Nagel’s favorite artists were the Andrews Sisters, who where known for The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, and Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree. Nagel also recalled shopping at the candy store as a young child. It was two doors down from Domyons on the corner. When she was older a few years later, Clifton’s first Boys Club opened up on Center St. right in between Domyons and the candy store. “I remember thinking that this was not entirely fair since there was obviously no girls club too,” recalled Nagel. Directly across the street from the candy store on the opposite corner was Basalicka’s butcher shop. “My mother would send me to the butcher shop with Evelyn in tow to buy fresh meat, either pork chops or T bone steak. I particularly enjoyed selecting the half sour pickles from the pickle
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Traditions & Memories barrel to accompany the meat,” she recalled. Meat was a rare treat in her family’s home, only served about twice a week. Most nights, it was German farm food made with homemade dough, along with bread from the nearby Clifton Bakery. “The sentinel landmark on the other end of Center Street was Avery’s Bar and Restaurant Supply right before Dayton Ave. Of course, once you turn the corner off Center Street onto Dayton Ave, you were in Botany Village. Clifton National Bank occupied that corner and right next to it was a tiny fresh dairy store,” recalled Nagel. “Across the street from the dairy store on Dayton Ave was the poultry store that everyone called the chicken market. I truly hated that place. In fact, it made me cry nearly each and every time that I did it. However, the aroma of my mother’s chicken soup simmering on the oil tank stove top was as pleasant as the stink of the chicken store was unpleasant.” John Amendola was the landlord of her family’s apartment, as well as the owner of the nearby grocery store. He was well liked throughout the community. “He would select the best watermelon from his mar-
40 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
ket produce and slice it up, then give it out to the kids in the neighborhood. Every kid always got a slice of watermelon,” recalled Nagel. “It was so refreshing that I feel grateful to this day for that man’s kindness.” Amendola was better known in the community by the name Cheapa. “Before I was born, he had a horse and wagon with which he ran a route to sell his produce and goods through the neighborhood. Because his English was heavily accented with his native Italian, he would slowly drive his horse and wagon through the neighborhood calling out “cheapa, cheapa” meaning cheap, cheap,” she said. “Thus, everyone in the neighborhood called him “Cheapa”. So, while the horse and wagon were gone by my time, the nickname remained.” Crossing over Dayton Ave was the Strand Movie Theatre, where Nagel and Evelyn spent many hours of their youth. “This was my portal to the outside world at large. It would be difficult to calculate the number of hours that I spent in this magical place,” she said. “What
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Traditions & Memories scared me the most was Lon Chaney as Lawrence Talbot/ the Wolfman and Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. However, I always enjoyed Abbot and Costello and was thrilled when these three came together as I could be frightened and laughing simultaneously. Then there was Lana Turner representing the epitome of feminine wile. Of course, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and John Paine captivated my attention.” Nagel and Evelyn spent many hours at these various Botany landmarks until 1945, when her parents purchased a house on Summer St. in Passaic. “Sadly, this caused Evelyn and I to part ways since we were no longer neighbors,” she said. “But, from age seven to age thirteen, Evelyn and I were best friends. Life proceeded as it always does.” Nagel married her husband Steve in 1958, and had three children: Richard, Nancy and Gary. The Nagels raised their family in Clifton and never left. They were married for 48 years until Steve passed away in 2006. “As my children were all adults and I emerged from a crushing grief, I joined the Phenomenal Grandmothers 1036,” said Nagel. “As the fates would have it, it turns out that Colleen lived in my Center St. neighborhood when we were children. However, since we were different ages, we remained unaware of one another’s existence during that time as we moved within separate social circles.” In their discussions about Botany Village and memories, Nagel learned that Murray was best friends with Evelyn’s sister, Joyce.
From left, Colleen Murray, Mary Jane Nagel, Joyce Danelski and Evelyn Sidor.
More than 67 years later, the four had a reunion. “While at a Gilda’s Club charity event, I found myself sitting across the table from Evelyn. Neither of us would have even recognized one another except that mutual friends knew of our respective personal histories and reintroduced us,” she said. Nagel and Evelyn reunited in 2004. “We exchanged phone numbers and got reacquainted along with bringing Colleen and Joyce back into contact,” Nagel continued. “As for Evelyn and I, were are friend once again, eighty years old, and still kicking.”
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Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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T raditions & Memories A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION OF CONFECTION Robert Vendetti Shares his Family’s Recipes in his Cook Book By Robert Vendetti Born into an Italian-American family, Robert Vendetti has seen his fair share of good cooks over the years: Aunt Mary Mastropietro, cousin Sue Hantson, and neighbor Angela ‘Angie’ Cuzzi. But most important of all was his mother, Anna, who used to up family classics in her small kitchen on Brighton Rd. It was these family members that served as the inspiration for Vendetti’s book, From Recollection to Recipe, which can be found on amazon.com But despite authoring a cook book, Vendetti’s only experience as a chef was a short stint working in the cafeteria in college. Cooking was his passion, something he did in his downtime. Professionally, Vendetti worked in IT for 25 years, and also became involved in real estate. However, in 2009, with the downfall in the economy, Vendetti found himself with more free time than normal and started a project to recover lost family recipes. Vendetti’s challenge was creating directions recipes that were simply guided by flavors and key ingredients. His grandparents all learned how to cook using this method, and it was passed on to his mother and ultimately, to him. Though he now lives in South Brunswick, Vendetti still fondly recalls family memories and traditions from Clifton. The following is an excerpt from Vendetti’s book about how his family celebrated Christmas in Clifton.
Christmas has always been a good excuse for us to over-indulge on certain foods, specifically foods only made at Christmas time. This is especially true for baked goodies. They are all over the place. It seems like everyone’s inner baker surfaces around the holidays. No matter how good or bad of a cook they normally are, there is always someone that has no business in the kitchen handing you a cookie at 44 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Above is Anna Vendetti next to her new stove in 1970. It was in this kitchen that Anna cooked the recipes used in her son’s book. At left is Ronald Vendetti, Robert, his aunt Mary Mastropietro and Anna Vendetti in 1966.
Christmas...”Have a cookie. I baked them myself...” “Oh, okay, thanks. Mmm, yummy, oh is that Santa I see over there (here doggie!)...Mmm, delicious. Thank you, again.” Our family was no different, with the exception that we had phenomenal cooks throwing their hats into the ring, all making the same foods. Each outcome was truly delicious, but each individual result had something different about it and we got to taste each version as we visited, or were called on, by our kin folk. This comparison occurred especially, with
N
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Traditions & Memories two of our family holiday standards: Ricotta Rum Cheesecake and Struffoli. There were two other holiday cookies that popped up in our house at Christmas, as well. The first was a sweet, buttery, and chewy date and nut bar cookie, made by Nana, called Chinese Chews. The other was the cookie of all cookies, made by Grandma Victoria. It was an encrusted, chestnut, chocolate, orange-filled, honey-coated cookie called Castagna Dolce (and also the one that started this whole “recipe recovery” nonsense in the first place). Ricotta Rum Cheesecake, Struffoli, Chinese Chews, and Castagna Dolce... These four confections came to be known as our families’ Christmas Collection of Confection (and you can bet that each one comes with a story of its own). As for the family “bake off” competition, Nana and Grandma win by default for the Chinese Chews and Castagna Dolce category. In fact, after Grandma Victoria’s passing in 1963, nobody really attempted to recreate those chestnut cookies until many years later. The Chinese Chews, on the other hand, persevered due to the longevity of Nana, who lived to the age of 94. I will never forget the great Christmases that we had
In addition to family, friends of the Vendetti family were also good cooks whose recipes made their way into the book. In 1955, the Vendetti’s moved to Brighton Ave. next door to the Cuzzi’s, and Anna Vendetti and Angie Cuzzi became good friends. At gatherings, while the children would play together, Angie would make some of her famous pizza. That recipe eventually found its way into From Recollection to Recipe. In 1990, Angie moved to Florida. But just seven years later, Anna and Ronald relocated to the Sunshine State to be near Robert’s Aunt Mary Mastropietro. In 2006, Anna passed away and a few years later, Ronald entered an assisted living complex. Ironically, Angie resided in the same complex. “After all these years, they are still neighbors, even though they do not live in Clifton anymore,” said Vendetti. at home. We’d do most of our shopping at the local stores. The closest we had to online shopping was via catalog, over the phone, or by mail. In Clifton, there was (and still is) a shopping center that was near our home called Styertowne Shopping Center. It was made up of a bank, a pharmacy, a card/gift store, a liquor store, a shoe store, a record store, a “five & dime,” a jewelry store, a bakery, a barber shop, a hairdresser, an ice cream/fountain shop, and a Chinese restaurant, to name a few. An offshoot building housed the Berra-Rizzuto Bowling Lanes, a place I frequented much as a youth. The anchor stores for this shopping center were a supermarket (Grand Union), and a department store called Levy Brothers, which later became the building for the infamous Rowe-Manse Emporium. None of these stores are in existence today. At Christmas, a portion of the Styertowne parking Randall and Robert in 1972. Inset is Robert Vendetti today.
46 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
lot was roped off for selling Christmas greens. Wreaths hung and trees leaned against wooden racks under the glow of a string of bare light bulbs. Every year, Santa's “elf,” dressed as Santa, would stand on the sidewalk and ring the Salvation Army bell. (It had to be an elf, right? I mean, the REAL Santa was sitting on his throne on the top floor of Levy Brothers). I can still hear that bell ringing. To this day, I get a little misty every time I hear my favorite Christmas song, Silver Bells. To me, this old shopping center scene that I described to you is my quintessential memory of “Christmas time in the city.” As a young child, I loved to help my mother pick out and put up the tree (although they enjoyed the tree, my father and brother never really seemed to get deeply involved in the whole tree “process”). In the beginning, our trees were real, lit with those big “screw in” bulbs, and draped with tinsel. It was that old heavy, leaded tinsel, too. (You would not see that around anymore, would you?) Every year, we would remove the tinsel from the tree and save it for the next year in an old Bamberger’s gift box. By the time the 1970s arrived, our tree was artifi-
The Christmas Collection of Confection: Ricotta rum cheesecake, stuffoli, Chinese chews and castagna dolce.
cial, the lights tiny, and the tinsel replaced with cheesy gold garland. So, for my last Christmas living at home, I insisted on having a real tree and one draped with tinsel. I was now out of college and working, so I bought the tree. It was so much more beautiful than our artificial one, but still not like the trees I remembered as a youngster.
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T raditions & Memories THANKSGIVING MEMORIES Clifton Residents Talk Traditions While at the Thanksgiving Game By Joe Hawrylko
CHS Senior Michelle Shackil poses with Marching Mustang Director Bob Morgan. Shackil and other band seniors made the above signs which were on display at the high school.
The Annual Clifton-Passaic Thanksgiving Day Game has a different meaning for all involved. For those that have moved on, it is a day to return home and see old friends. Many generations of families have attended this game to watch the Mustangs and Indians do battle on the gridiron. For some, like Michelle Shackil, this year will mark the last time that she performs on Thanksgiving. The CHS senior has been a Marching Mustang for all four years while at the school with the percussion section. “It’s something you’ve done for four years of your life everyday,” she said. “You got up, went to band, listened to everyone’s commands, stand at attention for hours on end. And you just can’t believe that it is over.” Shackil first joined band in the fifth grade at School 5. She recalled going to the annual Thanksgiving clashes while her brother, Joe, a 2003 CHS grad, was in the Marching Mustangs. 48 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
“It was almost like a family tradition. You hear this reputation of the Marching Mustang band and you’re just glad you got to be a part of it,” she said. Shackil’s sister, Jackie, a junior, is a majorette. “It’s just something that is amazing to be a part of. It’s a close knit family. You make life long friends. Band gives you the chance to talk to people that you would never normally talk to.” The senior said that this year was made more meaningful since it is the last time that director Bob Morgan will guide the Marching Mustangs out for a halftime performance. “He’s amazing. You really can’t get anybody better to teach kids how to be a family,” she said. “He’s warm and loving... yeah, he can be harsh sometimes, but you can’t get anybody better than him. He’s almost like a teddy bear. There really is no one better. There’s just something about him that makes you want to work for
him, to do the best you can for him. You wanted the band to be amazing for him.” But while Shackil and other seniors will be ending their Thanksgiving tradition this year, others, like Bill and Mary Ardiff, have just started a new one. Their eldest daughter, Michelle, is now a freshman at CHS. The couple, along with their younger daughter, Hannah, a fifth grader at School 5, came to watch Michelle play clarinet in the Marching Mustangs. For the Ardiff family, this was their first time attending the annual Thanksgiving clash. “I’m not even a big football fan, but I’ve been learning the game slowly, getting a little bit of interest in it,” laughed Bill. Both he and his wife are natives of Ireland. They came to America in the 1980s separately and married. “Both of our kids were born locally and raised here. We’re still getting used to the education system over here.” Michelle had played since fourth grade after being inspired by Cheryl Bender, her third grade teacher at School 5, whose son, Brian, was in the Marching Mustangs.
Mary and Bill Ardiff attended their first Thanksgiving Day game this year. Their daughter, Michelle, is a freshman in the Marching Mustangs.
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Traditions & Memories “Mrs. Bender, she’s been very helpful,” said Ardiff. At the game, the Ardiffs sat with the Cheryl and her husband, Ken, while Brian visited friends. “She filled us in on the band and how it works,” he continued. “When it came time to go to the high school, we encouraged her to join the Marching Mustangs because we only heard of good things about the band.”
For Stan Lembryk, the CHS girls soccer coach, Thanksgiving has been a longtime tradition and rivalry in his family. Growing up in Clifton, Lembryk attended games as a high schooler. But after marrying his wife, Kim, also a CHS ‘87 alum, he started attending the annual games with the enemy. “Both of my in-laws graduated from Passaic in 1967,” he said.
Norm Tahan is always a familiar face at the Thanksgiving Day Game. Both his daughter and son were visiting friends at the game. Tahan just recently returned from a trip to Peru, and was thankful that the trip gave him perspective on life.
“It’s actually really fun. No matter where they go, home or away, it’s home for somebody. And Passaic’s stadium is really looking beautiful after the renovations.” “Some years, we have more people go depending on what is going on,” Lembryk added. “My mother-in-law, Denise, she was helping Kim with cooking this year around since we were hosting.” As an alumni and teacher, Lembryk said he particularly enjoys coming to the annual clash. “I see players back for the weekend to see people they haven’t seen in a while,” he said. “It’s a great tradition. A lot of schools don’t have it, so it’s unique that Clifton and Passaic both share it.” Each year, the host rotates between Lembryk’s siblings. “In addition to the normal American traditions, there’s always pierogis,” laughed 50 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Lembryk. “It’s a nice blend of kielbasa and pierogi. And there’s always pasta dishes with the Italian side (Kim’s family is Italian) so it makes for an eventful day with lots of eating.” But while Lembryk eagerly anticipates a good family feast, he will have to endure a little ribbing after Clifton lost for the first time in 12 years. “Everyone enjoys a little rivalry. Of course, whoever wins get to brag for that evening at the dinner table and give each other a hard time,” he said. “But the game brings each other together. My inlaws, they reside in Florida for part of the year so they come back to see people they havent seen in a while. It’s a homecoming on both ends.”
CHS girls soccer coach (right) poses with his daughter, Arden, and father-inlaw, Carl Presto. Lembryk is a graduate of the CHS Class of 1987, while Presto is an alumni of PHS ‘67.
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The 2011 Optimist Cup he Passaic Indians snapped a 12 game losing steak on Thanksgiving as they shutout the Mustangs 29-0. Despite the loss, Clifton still retains a 44-36-5 lead in the all time series. The team MVPs are pictured at the top of the page, from left: Moe Shahin (defense), James Sonzogni (offense), Marquise Stephens (offense) and Mark Gardinet (defense). Photos by Joe Hawrylko
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T raditions & Memories TURKEY WITH THE TAHANS Norm Tahan Recalls his Family’s Holiday Traditions By Joe Hawrylko
For the past 33 years, some 80 to 90 members of the Tahan family have gathered at St. Anne’s Church in Woodland Park to celebrate Thanksgiving. At right, some family members begin to prepare the food for the feast.
Norm Tahan is a man who loves tradition. For the past several decades, his Thanksgiving has started off with breakfast with friends Lou Poles and Ken Kurnath before venturing off to catch the Mustangs do battle with the Passaic Indians. “I’ve been in Clifton my whole life, 56 years. I didn’t go to Clifton schools, but I felt I did my 12 years of school with my years as a Board of Education member,” laughed Tahan. “I remember going to the games with my father, Basil (a CHS grad), back in the 60s when they used to play against Garfield. I remember those old games. I remember everyone was so big back then because I was just a little guy. I would make a little telescope out of a cardboard tube so I could see everyone.” “It’s meaningful for me to go 50 years later with my own son, Joe, even though he’s 21 years old,” he continued. “He’s been going with me to games for about 18 years now.” And immediately after the game ends, Tahan and his son go partake in their annual family dinner. 56 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
However, the Tahans don’t do Thanksgiving like other families. With as many as 90 people on the guest list, the Tahans head up to their parish, St. Anne’s Melkite Catholic Church on Riflecamp Rd. in Woodland Park, where they hold their annual feast in the parish hall. “This is the 33rd year we’ve been there. When I was growing up, it was held in one of our aunt’s basement. We out grew that house, went to someone else’s and then we out grew that house too,” he said.
Tahan’s father, Basil, is the one conjured up the idea of the large gathering.. “This was my father’s baby. He always wanted this,” explained Tahan. “When he passed away two years ago, we just wanted to continue these traditions. My uncle got up to talk about it and said we have to keep this up because it is unique. I don’t know how many people have family affairs with this many people.
But we really get along. It’s great.” Since many do not live in the area, a program is published to keep each other abreast on recent family news. “Everyone submits an update on what they’re family is doing recently. This thing’s got to be a quarter inch thick,” said Tahan. “We do a cover for every year as well. This year, there’s two weddings, two child births, an engagement, a first communion and my
Aunt Jo that had died.” “We call it the Dumont Dispatch. Dumont Ave is where my grandparents settled in Clifton and where we went when we were younger,” he recalled. “We would go to church and spent the day there. We played lots of sports. The older guys played careds. Women cooked and entertained. It was good memories.” With such a large family, there is a variety of traditional and ethnic foods. “Being of Syrian or Arabic descent, there’s a lot of grape leaves, hummus, stuff like that,” explained Tahan. “We also have keilbasa, kraut, pierogis because there’s Ukrainian in us too. And there’s some Italian too, so you get stromboli.” “The kids play dodgeball, Nerf football and stuff like that,” he added. “There was only two sprained ankles this year. There’s always some type of injury, but a good time was had by all, that’s for sure.”
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T raditions & Memories MAKING NEW TRADITIONS Merging Cultures, Creating a New Future Together By Tania Jachens Another one of Palka’s favorite New York City holiday activities includes going to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Watching the Rockettes flawlessly high-kick brings back memories for Palka since she auditioned for the Rockettes Dance Experience during the summer before starting college. This intense workshop included a week of training with the Rockettes and learning actual choreography from the show in Radio City. “It’s a very exciting and energetic environment,” Palka reminisced. “It was amazing to take classes on such a world-famous stage.” While she considered becoming a professional dancer, she instead attended Rutgers New Brunswick where she earned a B.A. in Art History and Genetics. Although she isn’t dancing with Santa every night in Radio City, Palka has many reasons to enjoy the Christmas season, especially since her birthday is on Christmas Eve. “When I was born, the hospital put me in a stocking,” Palka said. “Now I use it as a decoration and last year I put my cat in it.” However, there are pros and cons to being born during this time of year. “It’s nice because no one forgets the date, but it can get lost While she trained with the renowned Radio City in all the craziness of the holidays,” Palka said. “When Rockettes six years ago, these days Vanessa Palka is I was little, I often felt gypped out of presents. I was making a different kind of Broadway debut. As the new only allowed to open one on Christmas Eve and had to Guest Experience Manager at the flagship M&M’s wait until Christmas to get all the rest.” Now, her store in Times Square, visitors can find the CHS ’05 Christmas Eve tradition involves attending Mass with graduate dancing in the aisles, handing out samples of her family and her mother excitedly celebrating Palka’s classic sweets and spreading holiday cheer. exact birth time, down to the minute. “The store is completely decked out for Christmas,” Some of her favorite Christmas season memories Palka said. “They put a Santa hat on everything, includinclude her bowling birthday parties held in early ing the employees.” The M&M’s store also organizes December at Van Houten Lanes in Clifton. “I also love contests for the employees, like Crazy Sock Day, to when it snows on Christmas or at any point during the boost morale and encourage teamwork. Since the holiseason,” Palka said, “I used to love go sledding.” She day season is the store’s busiest time of year, the also enjoyed watching old Christmas cartoons about employees also take part in “Showtime” during which Jack Frost and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “I they surprise customers by performing choreographed still watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ every year with my dance routines in the middle of the store. “Now I can sister,” Palka said. say that I danced on Broadway,” Palka said with a This year will also include some new Christmas tradismile. tions. Palka, who is of Polish descent, will be celebrating 58 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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her first Christmas with her Peruvian boyfriend, Luis Bedoya. “I’m excited that we will be celebrating each other’s traditions by getting together with both of our families,” she said. Palka is also looking forward to watching her favorite Christmas shows with Luis and getting him a stocking to hang next to hers. When she and Luis decorate the little Christmas tree in her apartment later this month, Palka will include some of her favorite old-school holiday tunes on the playlist, such as “Same Auld Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg and “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses. They already began a new tradition this year by attending the annual Holiday House Boutique at Lambert Castle, located on Valley Road near the Clifton-Paterson border. “It’s
great because they have different things from what you usually find at the mall,” Palka explained. “I bought a lot of beautiful, unique and homemade presents.” Now with some of her Christmas shopping completed, Palka has time to enjoy spending the holidays with family and friends. With the New Year quickly approaching, she looks forward to getting settled in her new position at the M&M’s store and making a difference within the company. “My hope for 2013 is that everyone who wants to work or needs help, finds the job they’re looking for,” Palka said. In the meantime, be sure to visit her in the Times Square M&M’s store and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see her perform a high-kick worthy of the Rockettes.
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S haring Pancakes for Postage Packing Supplies for Troops Began on November 28 Clifton Care volunteers, who collect, pack and ship supplies to our troops, will be serving breakfast on Dec. 16 from 8 am to noon at a fundraiser at the VFW Post 7165, 491 Valley Rd. Post members have donated their time to cook a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage served with endless pots of tea, coffee or juice. It’s always good chow and the price is right—$10. To purchase tickets in advance, call Dona Crum at 973-881-7295 or email her at DonaCrum@aol.com All proceeds will buy postage so holiday packages can be shipped to troops in Afghanistan. On Nov. 28 at the Senior Barn on the City Hall campus, about 50 volunteers, some of whom are pictured on this page, put together 137 packages for soldiers in the field. “Support from Clifton residents has been over whelming,” said Crum. “The project is a success because of the generosity of Cliftonites, businesses and our volunteers.”
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Collection of supplies is ongoing and may be brought to the bins at City Hall. Clifton Cares organizers suggest that when you go grocery shopping add something to your cart and drop it at City Hall. “Our troops love cup-a-soup, hot chocolate, pepperoni, cookies, candy, beef jerky and flavor packets of ice tea and lemonade,” wrote Chris Lizner. New white socks, foot powder, shampoo and shaving cream are always needed. If you cannot make the breakfast, but would still like to support Clifton Cares, your check, payable to cash or Lizz Gagnon can be sent to: Lizz Gagnon c/o Clifton Tax Assessor’s Office, Clifton City Hall 900 Clifton Ave., Clifton, NJ 07013.
On the pages are photos of volunteers from the Nov. 28 packing event. Below, Clifton Cares organizers include Lizz Gagnon, Dona Crum and Chris Liszner.
Happy Holidays!
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S haring
Helping Out With Sandy
Clifton Residents Collect Food, Funds and Send Goodwill South
Anabela Carrino and Gina Scaduto recently led a team of some 60 Clifton volunteers in packaging goods for state residents in need following the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. But despite sending out more than 500 boxes, it all came down to one teachable moment for Carrino. “I thought this was a good lesson learned for kids and adults,” she said. “This is something that your kids need to be a part of. They need to appreciate the things they have and the things they can lose.” Statewide, Sandy affected millions of residents. The lucky only lost power. The worst hit were down the shore, where many families had 62 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
their entire homes swallowed up by a ferocious storm surge. “I didn’t even lose power. Just a few tree branches,” said Carrino. “It was just like, what storm?” With that in mind, Carrino set out to help those that were less fortunate. She teamed up with her friend, Gina Scaduto, and set up a page on Facebook called Jersey Cares Hurricane Relief, asking for Cliftonites to send in donations to benefit some of the hardest hit areas in the state. Word quickly spread and residents came out to support their neighbors. “We put it on Facebook and the next day there were boxes every-
At the top of the page are some volunteers. Above is Gina Scaduto and Anabela Carrino, who organized Jersey Cares Hurricane Relief.
where. We started collecting items on Nov. 5 and by Nov. 16 we had over 500 boxes of clothing, food, toiletries, blankets, cleaning supplies, diapers, pet supplies and more,” said Carrino.
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Sharing School 14 Principal Dr. Montroni allowed the group to use the facilties, and with the help of school custodians and more than 60 volunteers, Jersey Cares loaded up three trucks at 8 am on Nov. 17, bound for Toms River. “Pat Doremus called me the night before and asked,’What do you need: people or trucks?’ and I just said,’Both!’” laughed Carrino. “It was such an amazing day.” “We want to thank every person who made a donation. Special thanks to School 14 Principal Dr. Montroni for allowing his school to be the collection site, the School 14 custodians that patiently waited for us to finish every night,” she continued. “We also want to think Joe Cupoli, owner of P&A Auto Parts for helping us acquire a truck from Quality Rebuilders to use for transport, the DPW workers, in particular Pat Doremus and his son Pat Jr., Tom Santaromo and my husband Tom Carrino for lending us their muscle to load and unload the trucks. Thank you to the countless volunteers who showed at School 14 every night to help us sort and box the donated supplies. We asked. We received. And we are truly grateful.”
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Memories of Hurricane Sandy By Joe Hawrylko When Hurricane Sandy slammed into New Jersey, the chaos and destruction left many homeless. But in the weeks that followed, The Garden State has slowly started to rebuild. In the aftermath, everyone responded differently. Some, like Anabela Carrino and Gina Scaduto, helped send goods down to South Jersey. Others, like Jim Leeshock used to opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and did some writing. Leeshock, who previously served on the Clifton Board of Education, wrote an essay about some memories from the shore and his thoughts about the destruction he witnessed first hand. Leeshock’s family has owned a two bedroom bungalow in Chadwick Beach since 1969. “The boardwalk... does it hold the same memories for you?” he wrote. “Those first walks at night, the people, the activity, the lights... The kiddie rides, the games, the year you were suddenly old enough and tall enough. The go-karts, the Himalaya ride, the roller coaster...” On Nov. 13, he and his brother were finally allowed to travel to the house to assess the damage and begin the slow process of repairs. “They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but not in this case. My brother and I stood on a line that morning waiting to be checked in so we could board the Toms River school bus that would take us over the Rt. 37 bridge to get to his house,” said Leeshock. “As we went over the lower eastbound side, we saw a house on fire in lower Seaside Park. The A&P at the base of the bridge was plywood boards and a check point to get onto 35 South, which we would use to go north. The surrounding area was sinkholes, debris and demolition. There were piles of debris and 30 yard containers. Machines
An electric worker from Florida Power & Light helped restore power on Main Ave.
were used for sorting scrap metal. Conveyors were used to sort debris. There were piles 30 feet high. Just piles and piles; mountains of debris.” “People, it’s a mess,” he concluded. “If you have a memory, a faint glimmer in your heart. If you remember those days gone by, a summer of Clifton South, do what you can, help if you can to Restore the Shore.” Leeshock wasn’t the only Cliftonite who bore witness to the devastation in South Jersey. Joey Barcellona, owner of Bliss in Clifton, saw his landmark beach bar, Joey Harrison’s, essentially washed away with the storm surge that pounded the Jersey Shore. Back in Clifton, the impact was not as severe but the storm caused wide spread power outages and left the region in a severe fuel shortage. The Post Office is supposed to not be deterred by neither snow nor rain... but no one seemed to account for a lack of gas. Thankfully, Pat Cupillari and Dan Peralta of Pat and Dan’s Texaco on Clifton Ave. stepped in to help. Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Sharing “They filled 59 Post Office trucks and also took about 30 private vehicles for us in a continuous line while he did private customers on the other side,” said Todd Tiasecki, the manager of the Main Ave. Post Office. “They also allowed us to bring eight vehicles from the Garfield Post Office.” Pat and Dan’s, which is one of the Post Office’s filling stations, was inundated with lines stretching several blocks. However, after Tiasecki called in, the At Joey Harrison’s Surf Club.
owners made sure that the Post Office would get much needed fuel. “He agreed to give me a call no matter what time. Approximately 2:30 am on Friday, I got the call and we went when he opened at 7 am. It lasted about 4.5 hours,” recalled Tiasecki. ‘It was just about the time that we deliver social security checks, veteran checks... our biggest concern was medicine. We were just very happy that he could help us.” Another Cliftonite also took the opportunity to do some writing. Rich Lekston, a Vietnam veteran and former Clifton Police Officer, who has taken an interest in poetry in recent years, was inspired to create a two page poem about New Jersey’s battle with Hurricane Sandy. Here is an excerpt from his writing that perhaps best sums up the storm and the aftermath. She may have won the battle But she didn’t win the war We’re right back in the saddle Rebuilding our homes and shores This fight may be over yet Sandy we’ll never forget 66 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Rockin’ for Relief is the theme on Dec. 14 at 7 pm when those rock and rollers from Brookwood (pictured here) and the Downtown Clifton Economic Development Group team up for benefit for the victims of hurricane Sandy. Clifton Rotary Club and Kohler distributors are also sponsors and tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. The event is at the Clifton Moose Lodge, 1268 Main Ave. The ticket price includes pasta, soda, beer, dessert and rock & roll. Proceeds will be going to the American Red Cross. To make a donation or for tickets or more info call Angela Montague at 973-557-3886
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Don’t forget our furry friends this holiday. And Corrado’s Pet Market on Getty Ave. offers everything from pet clothing to foods and snacks.
The Stepper is a 7-speeder which works like a Stairmaster. The difference is it can scoot you around town. Find it (and a helmet!) at The Bike Shop on Van Houten Ave.
Ready to pop the question on Christmas Eve? Then first visit the diamond experts at Corbo Jewelers in the Styertowne Shopping Center.
Historic Botany Village and the adjacent Botany Plaza offer a variety of stores, including a Big Kmart which offers women apparel and other accessories.
How about a basket of car cleaning products? Find them at P&A Auto Parts on Main Ave. or on Van Houten Ave.
68 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Find copies of Super Mario and other classic video games at Digital Press on Piaget Ave.
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Movie tickets from the AMC Theatre in Clifton Commons is a great stocking stuffer.
Dulce Caramelo means sweet caramel and Lori Mocek of Wheels Jewelry & Gifts said when the candle is lit it will remind you of that buttery confection.
Clifton’s favorite fisherman Dan Golabeck always finds specials on fishing gear, tackle and clothing at Meltzers.
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Have the traditional potato and cheese at Homemade Pirogi on Main Ave. You will not be disappointed. Try the Pizzarogi or Brocolli Royale and you’ll be back for more.
The landmark Hot Grill on Lexington Ave. is a must-stop for former Cliftonites visiting the old hometown. They also offer gift cards, a great stocking stuffer.
The Paulison Avenue ShopRite prepares platters to-order to help make your party-planning a little less frantic. Call them now and place your order so you can relax at your next get–together.
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Your check of Your check of $50 or more $25 or more Dine in w/coupon. Cannot be combined w/any other offer. 1 coupon/table. Excludes lunch menu specials.
Dine in w/coupon. Cannot be combined w/any other offer. 1 coupon/table. Excludes lunch menu specials.
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For munchies for yourself or to bring as a gift, Castle of Nuts offers freshly roasted nuts, seeds and deliciously sweet dried fruits on Main Ave. in Downtown Clifton.
Mr. Cupcakes on Van Houten Ave. will make you look like an angel when you arrive with a box of these tasty, cute treats. Dayton Chocolates on Market St. hand dips their chocolates in so many varieties. Stop by their Allwood location and see for yourself. The Lakeview Bakery still offers traditional recipes on classic sweets. Plus their cake designs are unique and customized to make your ideas come to life.
A good bottle of wine can be found starting as low as $10 these days. It’s always a great idea to have a few around. Clifton’s wine masters offer discounts when you purchase 10 or 12 bottle so go and stock up!
Corrado’s fruit baskets are beautiful, healthy and tasty and can be shipped anywhere. So if you have not yet completed your list, give them a call.
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Events & Briefs
Christmas Cabaret Top from left, Geoff Waumans, Penny Surgent, Mark Peterson, Peggy Cioce, Louie Torres, Stephanie Peterson, Lisa Pendola, Victoria Waumans, Lindsay Rodabaugh, Janet Villas, Peter Arts.
The Theater League of Clifton and the Clifton Arts Center have once again partnered to provide cultural entertainment to the City of Clifton. In a joint fundraising event the two will present a Christmas Cabaret, directed by Kirk Woodward with musical direction by Barbara Novak. John Traier is producer and Tara Freifeld is stage manager. Staged within the Clifton Arts Center which has beautiful acoustics, a cast of 11 will present Christmas music accompanied by live piano. Performances will also offer patrons three wines paired with light bites. Performance dates are Dec. 15 at 8 pm and Dec. 16 at 3 pm. The Clifton Arts Center is on the campus of City Hall, at the intersection of Clifton and Van Houten Aves. Tickets are $35. Purchase by phone at 973-928-7668, at www.theaterleagueofclifton.com, or by mail to Theater League of Clifton, PO Box 4072, Clifton, NJ 07012. Make checks payable to Theater League of Clifton. 72 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Jazz Festival and Dinner, presented by Shabazz Productions, will take place on Jan. 19 from 6 pm to midnight. The event will be held at the Church of the Assumption, 35 Orange Ave., Clifton. Featured performers include the Janet Van Kline Ensemble, Nutley High School Jazz Lab, Madame Pat Tandy and NuTaste Jazz Female Ensemble, Bridge Johnson and a Class Act, Charisa Rouse, the Violin Diva Charisa Rouse performs and Jazzy Bear and Friends. at the Martin Luther Advance tickets $35; $40 at the King Jr. concert on door. Call 973-478-4124. Jan. 19 in Clifton.
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The Chopin Singing Society will perform in Passaic on Dec. 16. The 102 year old choirs includes the following members from Clifton: Bill Niejadlik, Sebastian Stopka, Richard Daszczyszak, Stanley Kobylarz and Brent Iskra.
Over its 102 year history, the Passaic-based Chopin Singing Society has had a number of Cliftonites as members. Among the current singers are Bill Niejadlik, Sebastian Stopka, Richard Daszezyszak, Brent Iskra and Stanley Kobylarz. They will be among those performing at the group’s annual Christmas Concert on Dec. 16 at 3 pm in the Polish Peoples’ Home, 1-3 Monroe St., Passaic. Tickets are $25 and includes a hot buffet. The Chopin Singing Society was founded on March 10, 1910 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin’s birth. The group’s first performance was a commemorative for Polish veterans who battled in the 1830 revolt against Russian occupation. Some of the Society’s highlights include achieving the highest score at the international choral competitions of the Polish Singers’ Alliance of America. That earned the group the traveling Cardinal Hlond Trophy, making them the choir to win the award three times, twice in succession. In 1997 and 1998, the Society was featured in the Jimmy Stuff Christmas show
tour, which culminated in a performance at the TajMahal in Atlantic City. The Chopin Singing Society also has numerous recordings: Polskie Koledy (Polish Christmas Carols), Songs of Poland, and its new CD, A Christmas Concert. The chorus is currently under the direction of Anthony Tabish. For info, or tickets to the Christmas Show, call Stanley Kobylarz at 973-478-8268.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old, familiar carols play and wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Councilman Peter C. Eagler
Good Neighbors, Great Rates
Thomas Tobin 973-779-4248
Bill G. Eljouzi 973-478-9500
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Events & Briefs The 34th Annual Weichert Realtors of Clifton Toy Drive will continue through the holiday season. Drop off a new, unwrapped toy at their offices at 791 Passaic Ave. at the Allwood Rd. intersection. Pictured at right are Artie Rubin, Maureen Setteducato and Tony Sanchez. All toys will go to underprivileged children in the area. Call 973-779-1900. Assembly speaker Sheila Y. Oliver and Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin have coordinated their third annual holiday toy and book drive. Last year, children ages 3 to 15 were given more than 300 toys and books. Donations are being accepted through Dec. 17. All gifts should be unwrapped, and will go to benefit numerous charities, including the Clifton Boys & Girls Club. Drop off hours at Giblin’s office, 1333 Broad St., are 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The building is closed from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. For info, call 973-779-3125.
The 19th annual Clifton FMBA 21 Toys for Tots Drive continues until Dec. 14. Drop off new, unwrapped toys at any of Clifton’s six firestations. From left, Gary Tufaro, Tom Lancaster, Bob DeLuca, Mark Ziciak, Mike Marzullo and Ryan Fitzsimmons.
74 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
500 Kicks for St. Jude’s The Clifton Martial Arts Academy raised $1,900 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital with its 2012 Kick-a-thon in Chelsea Park. Every year, CMAA students do 500 kicks in an hour for the annual kick-a-thon. Participants get pledges by collecting 1, 2, or 5 cents per kick and all of the funds go to St. Jude’s for children’s cancer research and treatments. The Oct. 29 event was the fourth year doing it and even in this challenging economy, CMAA raises more and more. “When I was a kid, I participated in events like this and it made an impression on me,” said Jim Meghdir, owner and chief instructor of CMAA on Bloomfield Ave. “These kids will remember days like today and pay it forward in the future as well. We are martial artists on and off the mat and this is our way of giving back to the community. I’m very proud of all the kickers, their families, and those that helped out but couldn’t be at the event.”
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Events & Briefs Stanley Kwolek, co-proprietor with his brother Teddy of Polonia Meat Market on Van Houten Ave., will be presented with a Community Service Heritage Award at the Giblin Association’s Annual Community Service and Charity Breakfast on Dec. 9 at 9:30 am. The event is at the Mayfair Farms, 481 Eagle Rock Ave., West Orange, at 9:30 am. Tickets are $40. For info, call Kevin Frey at 201-859-5605. Born in Poland, Kwolek came to the US at the age of 19, met and married his wife, Stacy, and they have two children, Lucy and Isabelle, and three grandchildren, Tara, Ryan, and Jade. “Stanley came from Poland in search of the “American Dream,” said Assemblyman Tom Giblin, commenting on why Kowlek is receiving the award. “Through hard work and perseverance, he found it on Van Houten Ave.” In 1993, Stanley and his brother established Polonia Meat Market, a landmark not only in Clifton but for the Polish community. In addition to serving quality food, the firm contributes to scholarship programs is actively involved in helping the Patron Polish School in Clifton and is a generous supporter of the NYC Polonia Parade.
A group of 20 grads of the CHS Class of 1960 hold informal reunion dinners every six weeks down the shore. The next one is Dec. 18 at 1 pm at Candlelight Restaurant on Rt. 9 in Pine Beach. Call Joe Venarek at 609-276-9306 or George Kulik at 848-333-8761. The Phenomenal Grandmothers seek the following items for donations: stuffed animals, new bed pillows, baskets, soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, refrigerators and furniture, as well as new items suitable for teens as Christmas gifts. Call Colleen Murray at 973-253-9579. The Clifton Community Band presents its free holiday concert, Snowflakes and Sleigh Rides, on Dec. 8 at 2 pm at the CHS auditorium on Colfax Ave. Founded in 2002 and directed by Robert D. Morgan, the band performs classical, pop, big band and marches. For info, call 973-777-1781 or email cliftonband@optonline.net. The New Jersey State Opera presents An Operatic Christmas Card, a collection of arias and seasonal music on Dec. 9 at 3 pm at the Aprea Theater, 199 Scoles Ave., Clifton. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Jason C. Tramm, the show features soprano Christina Major, bass-baritone Jeremy Galyon, tenor William Davenport and young lyric soprano Veronica Iovan. The New Jersey State Opera Men’s Chorus will also perform. Go to www.njstateopera.org. The Lakeview Civic Association held its Annual Tree Lighting on Nov. 30 on the corner of Lakeview and Merselis Avenues. Families were treated to hot chocolate, a performance by the CHS Madrgials, and photos with Santa. Pictured from left: Ron Bracke, Dawn Kaiser, Mayor James Anzaldi, Steve Christopher, Annamaria Menconi, Bob Nunno, Anthony Santiago, and Matthew Santiago. Photo by Rene Castillo.
76 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Events & Briefs From left, Eugenia Gore Thomas Dzubina and Gloria Marino are among the 19 artists featured in an exhibit at the Clifton Public Library on Piaget Ave. through Dec. 29. Some 37 works of art created by members of the Clifton Association of Artists are on display. Framed and ready for purchase, they are priced between $35 and $450. View it during normal library hours. Call the library at 973-772-5500.
Nina’s Salon on Valley Rd. held a fundraiser to benefit Colin Michael Jones, an infant born with brain injury. Together with friends and family, the shop raised over $1200. Pictured from left, Yota Pontidis, Maria Wiebe, Cookie Diaz, Colin’s dad Bill Jones with owners Nina and Frank Corradino. Passaic County Elks Cerebral Palsy High School was visited by Santa and enjoyed a performance by Holiday Express on Nov. 26 and hosted a Thanksgiving Football Game and Rally on Nov. 21. PCECP offers educational and therapeutic programs for students ranging in age from pre-teen to young adult. To support the programs here, call Director Dr. William Weiss at 973-772-2600.
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Mayor James Anzaldi’s annual Christmas Party is at 5 pm on Dec. 10 at the Valley Regency, 1129 Valley Rd. Tickets are $25. To purchase, call 973-340-8356. Movember is a worldwide movement in which men, known as Mo Bros, start November clean-shaven and then grow a mustache to bring awareness to prostate and testicular cancer. In the United States, prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer after skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Bryan Barker—pictured here— Owen Shannahan and Kyle Black-Smith were among the Mo Bros of Clifton. A Christmas Day feast for seniors will be held on Dec. 25 starting at noon Passaic County Senior Services, Totowa Center at 930 Riverview Dr., Suite 200, Totowa. A full course dinner will be provided, and there will be DJ entertainment, gifts and goodie bags. Transportation will be available. The event is free but you must register by Dec. 14. Call 973-569-4060.
Enjoy some varenyky at the Ukrainian Center Christmas Bazaar on Dec. 16, 240 Hope Ave., Passaic. There will be over 20 vendors offering merchandise, cooks in the European kitchen and a chance to take a photo with St. Nicholas. Call 973-473-3379.
The Hamilton House Museum, 971 Valley Rd., will hold its annual candle light tour on Dec. 7 at 7 pm. The event will feature holiday goods and foods from the Civil War. Entertainment will be provided by the CHS Madrigals. A Civil War General Mike Baran will share war time stories. Admission is $3. For info, call 973-744-5707.
Happy Holidays! from my family to yours... Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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St. Mary High School 64 Chestnut St., Rutherford, NJ 07070 201-933-5220 • www.stmaryhs.org
Open House
Tues. Dec. 11, 7-9pm
Small Personal Catholic Choice “A tradition of preparing college-bound students” Middle State Accredited
• SMHS is a college prep high school with 98% of SMHS graduating classes going on to 4 year universities. • SMHS is a co-educational environment with a 10 to 1 student – teacher ratio, personalized instruction, and extracurricular opportunities. • The Graduates of SMHS have received an average of $3.9 million in scholarships to various colleges and universities. 80 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Hockey • Basketball • Wrestling • Track • Bowling • Swimming
MUSTANG SPORTS
From left is Joe Mecca, Eslinger Cornado, Mark Surgent, John Glass, Chris Di Falco, Mihai Solotchi, Chris Gugliemini and Arly Nunez.
fter going 6-15-1 last season, Clifton has room for improvement. Though he lost two defensemen and his starting goalie to graduation, head coach Tom Danko hopes to see his team progress. The strength for the Mustangs will be on offense, where they will be led by senior Chris Di Falco and sophomore Dennis Ruppe. “Ruppe and Di Falco each had 33 points last year and were tied for the team lead,” said Danko. Each player received second team All County honors. Sophomore Matt Kolodzicyk will also be a top forward. “He’s much improved. I think he’s going to have a breakout year,” said Danko. He will be joined by junior Timmy Finan. Danko also expects sophomore Adam Carlo and Junior Brittnay Meneghin to contribute up front.
A
Seniors Mark Surgent and Steve Shanley will prowl the blueline. “Shanley is a tremendous skill player. He can really handle the puck,” said Danko. Surgent is more of a stay at home defensemen. “He can also play forward if we need him to,” he added. Other key defensemen will be sophomores Justin Bennion and Chris Duffy. “Both will see a lot of playing time this year,” said Danko. In net, Danko will chose between senior John Glass and sophomore Billy Gibson. “Gibson’s the front runner,” he said. “He’s a big goalie with a big frame.” “I think they’re going to be improved,” he said. “It’s going to be a learning process but I think they’ll be ok.”
CHS
Hockey Nov 30 Dec 1 Dec 7 Dec 9 Dec 12 Dec 14 Dec 17 Dec 21 Dec 23 Jan 4 Jan 5 Jan 11 Jan 18 Jan 21 Jan 26 Jan 27 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 11 Feb 13 Feb 15
Demarest 7pm Bayonne 7pm Fair Lawn 7:10pm at Ridgewood 7:30pm at Jefferson Township 8:15pm Hackensack 7:10pm at JFK 3:15pm Passaic Valley 7:10pm at Dumont 5:30pm Ridgewood 9:10pm at Passaic Valley 7pm Paramus Catholic 7:10pm County Tournament TBA at Northern Highlands 5pm at Morris Hills 6:15pm at Hackensack 7:30pm River Dell 7:10pm at Paramus Catholic 6:45pm Governor Livingston 7:10pm at River Dell 4:45pm at Fair Lawn 7:10pm at Bayonne 7pm Big North Championships TBA
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MUSTANG SPORTS Boys Basketball
From left Idrees Mickens, Anthony Mbayed, Javier Moreno, Joe Cupoli, Conrad Jackson, Amir Charrkas.
lifton once again turned in a sub-.500 season, but head coach Mark Gengaro is encouraged that his team has continued to improve its win total in the two years that he has been at the helm. And with lots of young talent in the system, Gengaro believes that the Mustangs are poised to best their 5-15 record from last year. “We have a very strong junior class. There’s six or seven people that we will be using,” he said. “Last year we had more seniors. We will return three seniors this year.” Senior Joe Cupoli, a three year starter, will be the big man in the middle for the Mustangs. Co-Captain senior Javier Moreno, a forward, will also return for the Mustangs. It is his second year as a Varsity starter. “He’s one of the best shooters in the league,” said Gengaro. Senior Amir Charrkas did not start the entire season last year, but could be poised to make an impact this
C
82 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
year either as a starter or coming off of the bench depending on the opponent. “He put up 29 points last year in his first start ever for Varsity,” said Gengaro. Junior Xavier Grant will also return to his starting role as point guard for the Mustangs. “He’s our best all around player without a doubt,” said Gengaro. “He might never come off of the court.” Two other juniors who will see time on Varsity include Elijah Robles at point guard and Milton Cordero at power forward. Their classmate, Malik Mouzonne, will also see time at both guard positions. Junior Tyler Lavin, a small forward, was described by coach as being a diamond in the rough, who could earn starting time later in the season. Steven Mandzerov, a junior, could also end up as a starter due to his size and ability to play all positions on the court.
MUSTANG SPORTS Boys Basketball
CHS Boys
Basketball Dec 14 Dec 18 Dec 20 Dec 22 Jan 3 Jan 4 Jan 5 Jan 8 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan 22 Jan 24 Jan 29 Jan 31 Feb 2 Feb 5 Feb 7 Feb 9 Feb 12 Feb 14
PCTI at JFK Eastside at Passaic Bergen County Tech at DePaul at DePaul Fair Lawn at Wayne Valley Wayne Hills at PCTI at Ridgefield JFK at Eastside Don Bosco at Bergen County Tech Counties First Round Passaic at West Milford at Lincoln Lakeland at Passaic Valley
4pm 7pm 4pm 7pm 4pm 7pm 7pm 4pm 1pm 4pm 4pm 1pm 4pm 7pm 4pm 4pm TBA 4pm 7pm 1pm 7pm 7pm
“He played as a freshman and was injured his sophomore year,” said Gengaro. “He came back real strong. He’s a physical player.” That size will be important for the Mustangs, who will play in one of the tougher divisions in the state. “We’re one of the smaller teams in the league, but we have long arms,” explained Gengaro. However, based on the talent in the junior class and the strong pre-
season, Gengaro believes that Clifton should continue to improve. “When coach Rivera and I took over two years ago, we wanted to bring Clifton basketball back to where it used to be,” he continued. “We’ve increased wins each year. Two wins, five wins... we want to hit eight wins this year. The kids are playing year round. We just came off of the best first practice we’ve ever had.”
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MUSTANG SPORTS Girls Basketball
Back row, from left: Alana Lopez, Annie Duffy, Sara Douglass, Jen Koppers and Jeanette Volkow. Front: Gabby Garcia, Amanda Marakovitz, Sidnee Maldanado and Brittany Morales.
hough Clifton’s record was a mediocre 7-16, Craig Alfano comes into this season with plenty of optimism . The head coach said that his Lady Mustangs had plenty of bright spots last year, and he thinks the team could surprise many if the team continues to gel. “We started off with a near upset over IHA on the road. We took a five point lead into the fourth quarter,” said Alfano, who added that IHA did not have its best player. “We then beat Passaic Tech and then we hit the brunt of our schedule,” the head coach continued. “But we also won in the first round in the county tournament for the first time in nine years. We beat Lakeland. They came in with a 14
T
84 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
game winning streak that we broke.” And while the Lady Mustangs graduated just three seniors, one was Kim Douglass, Clifton’s top scorer and primary ball handler. The responsibility for driving the offense will fall upon the shoulders of some equally capable players. Namely, her siblings: Kelly, a sophomore, and Sara, a junior. “Kelly, she’s going to start at guard but really can play at all positions because of her size,” explained Alfano. “Sara moves really well without the ball and is an excellent passer. That’s a basketball family. She can play all positions as well but she will mostly be small forward.” Another key returner for the
CHS Girls
Basketball Dec 14 Dec 18 Dec 20 Dec 22 Jan 3 Jan 4 Jan 8 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 22 Jan 24 Jan 29 Jan 31 Feb 2 Feb 2 Feb 5 Feb 7 Feb 11 Feb 12 Feb 14 Feb 16
at Passaic JFK at Eastside Passaic at Bergen County Tech DePaul at Fair Lawn Wayne Valley at Wayne Hills PCTI at JFK Eastside at Immaculate Heart Bergen County Tech Counties First Round at Union City at Passaic West Milford Nutley at Lakeland Passaic Valley at Mahwah
4pm 4pm 7pm 1pm 7pm 4pm 7pm 1pm 7pm 4pm 7pm 4pm 7pm 4pm TBA 1pm 7pm 4pm 4pm 7pm 7pm 1pm
MUSTANG SPORTS Girls Basketball Mustangs will be senior co-captain Alana Lopez, who started late in the season for Clifton. “She transfered from St. Mary’s last year, so she had to sit out half of the year,” explained Alfano. “But she was our top rebounder. She’s very aggressive. She’s 5’10. She’ll play power forward and she’s our vocal leader.” The other captain will be Jackie Bergen, the team’s starting shooting guard and one of the better shooters on the team. “Amanda Marakovitz, she’s a 4-5 forward. She’ll probably start again. She is top free throw shooter,” explained Alfano. Jen Koppers will play power foward. “She’s been a big surprise. She’s not afraid to shoot,” said Alfano. “In the Christmas tournament last year she was the all-tournament player.”
Sidnee Maldanado will provide energy off the bench. “She’s a point guard and fits our up tempo offense extremely well,” said Alfano. “She’s extremely athletic.” One surprise this year has been freshman Brittany Morales. “She’s had a very good training camp and a great first week,” said Alfano. “She has impressed us enough that we think she will definitely get some Varsity time this year at point guard.” Alfano said his team’s strength is its speed, and he plans to capitalize on that by utilizing a fast break offense. “We’re probably undersized but we’re a very athletic team,” he said. “A lot of girls play other sports. We have a lot of soccer players and volleyball players. So we do a lot of fundamentals in practice.”
Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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MUSTANG SPORTS Wrestling
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t was another successful year for Dan Geleta and the Mustangs, as Clifton grapplers posted 15 wins with only three losses on record. On top of a successful campaign in 2012, Geleta will also return a number of highly talented wrestlers, which means Clifton should once again be one of the top teams in the county. Junior John DuBois will be the top returning grappler. At 106 pounds in 2012, he collected first team All County and All League honors. DuBois was also named district champion, regional runner up, and finished inside the top 12 in the state at his weight class. He will wrestle at 113 pounds in 2013, and junior Khalil Zawaide will take DuBois’ spot at 106. Freshman Mo Farhan will be the Mustang wrestler at 120 pounds. Juniors Maurice Marsilla and Samm Mustafa will once again return to Varsity, and will wrestle at 126 and 132 pounds. Freshman Patrick DePasque, whose brother, TJ, was the Mustang senior captain last year who also travelled to states, will compete at 138. Senior Eric Ramirez will be wrestling for the Varsity team for the first time this year after earning the spot at
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MUSTANG SPORTS Wrestling
CHS
Wrestling Front from left: Mo Farhan, Jeremy Soto and Maurice Marsilla. Middle: Johnny DuBois, Khalil Zawaide, Patrick DePasque and manager Michelle Shackil. Back: Jimmy Sonzogni, Steven Naideck and Steven Gonzales.
145 pounds. “150 to 182 pounds is the core of our line up,” said Geleta. “All of these guys are district place winners.” Juniors Steven Naideck (152), Jeremy Soto (160), James Sonzongi (179) and senior David Kovalczyk (182) will be counted on to score key points for the Mustangs in 2013. Returning starter Steven Gonzales, a junior, currently has the lead on the 195 pound spot, but has several hungry grapplers awaiting an opportunity behind him. “It’s his weight class to lose
now,” said Geleta. At 220 pounds, the coach will be looking at two wrestlers who saw limited action on Varsity in 2012. Juniors Daniel Czarnecki and Mahmoud Allen are both currently deadlocked for the position. “We also have four or five heavyweights battling it out right now,” said Geleta. “We will have our wrestle off on Dec. 12 to finalize the starting spots. It will be at 6 pm in the lower gym.” “We’re returning eight starters out of 14 weight classes, which is one of the higher numbers in a number of years,” he said. “We’re
Dec 15 Dec 19 Dec 21 Dec 22 Dec 29 Jan 5 Jan 9 Jan 12 Jan 16 Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan 23 Jan 25 Jan 26 Jan 30 Feb 1 Feb 6
Invitational at Passaic Becton at Kearny at Bloomfield at Hackettstown Don Bosco at Union City at PCTI Fair Lawn at West Milford Ridgewood Wayne Valley at West Milford(County Tourny) JFK at Ridgefield St. Peter’s Prep
10am 6pm 6pm 9am 10am 10am 6pm 10am 7pm 6pm 10am 6pm 6pm 10am 7pm 5pm 6pm
returning core wrestlers but we still will miss some quality wrestlers that we lost. but our goals for the team are high. We want to win sections and districts and qualify as many as we can for states.” Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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MUSTANG SPORTS Track
Front from left: Jennie Hornstra, Tiera Elam, Ariel Taylor and Alexa Budhi. Middle: Gabby Gonzaga, Sadia Ahmed, Allison Plishka, Vanessa Antivo, Elizabeth Los and Nicole Buttel. Back: Madeline Lora, Allison Mejia, Jennifer Ocampo and Yuria Yuasa.
or the first time several decades, John Pontes won’t be the head coach of the Clifton indoor track team. Instead, it will be Mike Rogers, who was previously an assistant coach for the Mustangs. “John Pontes stepped down, but he still volunteers his time as an assistant,” said Rogers, whose other assistant is CHS ‘05 grad Liz Post. “He just gives a lot here and helps us.”
F
88 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
He will inherit a Mustang squad that had an average year, with the girls placing second in both the league and county, while the boys placed fifth in the county and fourth in the league. “For the girls, we graduated our top runner on a full scholarship to St. Peter’s, but I think they can still be top three in county and probably second place in the league,” said Rogers. The girls will be led by three perennial All County selections: sen-
CHS
Track Dec 17 Dec 28 Jan 2 Jan 3 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 13 Jan 21 Jan 27 Feb 9 Feb 16 Feb 21 Feb 23 Feb 25
at 168th St. Armory, NY 4:30pm at 168th St. Armory, NY 5pm at Garfield H.S. 6pm at FDU - Rothman Center 4:30pm at FDU NJ Championships 4:30pm at Novice Meet 4pm at 168th St. Armory, NY 5pm at Garfield H.S. 6pm at 168th St. Armory, NY 6pm at Bennett Center, Toms River 9am at Bennett Center, Toms River 9am at Garfield H.S. 6pm at Bennett Center, Toms River 10am at 168th St. Armory, NY 4pm
ior Gabby Gonzaga (distance), Nicole Buttel (jumps, hurdles, pole vault) and Tiera Elam (sprints).
MUSTANG SPORTS Track
Front, from left: Christian Ramirez, Royce DeLeon, Enrique Franco, Angelo Rios and Karol Oldziej. Middle: Mendelssohn Philippe, Roberto Mendoza, Vishal Rana, Edgar Aquilar, Mohammad Shoghorui and Mustafa Abuabeid. Back: Orville Maldonado, Joshua Kantrowitz, Jessie Boria, Jose Araya and David Kantrowitz.
The Mustangs will also get contributions from senior Yuria Yuasa. “We have four solid seniors that have a lot experience and will score a lot of points,” said Rogers. “I think of the surprises this year will be our throwers.” Junior Marla Minnella has the potential to be one of the best in the county. She will be joined by junior Asma Baker and sophomore Verona Ebanks. Other girls include sophomores Sofya Nedelcheva and Olivia Rosenberg (distance), and Cassidy Cardone (relays).
For the boys, Rogers said that the team’s performance last year is not indicative of their potential this season. They will be led by Jessie Boria, a senior distance runner who is annually an All-County selection in all three seasons. “He’s one of the best 800 runners in North Jersey,” said Rogers. Seniors Mike Hardy and Royce DeLeone are two versatile athletes that will compete in multiple events. The Mustangs also feature a strong junior class, which includes
Dwyer Halliburton (400, hurdles), Justin Tanayan (distance), Jeremy Hernandez (distance), Isdael Leo (throws) and Tim Bryant (allaround). The young talent present on the boys roster is why Rogers believes his team will have a turn around. “The boys are going to be much improved from last year. I thin one of the best teams in the county,” he said. “PCTI has dominated the county and league in prior years and I think they have a chance to challenge them.” Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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MUSTANG SPORTS Bowling Front from left: Jose Rosado, Deandre Powell and Dennis Pierson. Middle: Tricia Montague, Nicole Liberti, Amanda Branco, Klaudia Pirog and Michael Puglisi. Rear: Casey Casperino, Paras Mehta, Steven Borthwick and Christian DeGuzman
CHS
Bowling Dec 4 Dec 7 Dec 10 Dec 13 Dec 19 Dec 20 Jan 9 Jan 10 Jan 14 Jan 15 Jan 22 Jan 24 Jan 28 Jan 30
Eastside 4pm at Bergen County Tech 4:15pm JFK 4pm at Immaculate Heart 4pm Northern Valley - Demarest 4pm Passaic 4:15pm West Milford 4:15pm PCTI 4pm Bergen County Tech 4:15pm Eastside 4:15pm Wayne Valley 4pm JFK 4:15pm PCTI 4pm Passaic 4:15pm
I
t was a slightly down year for the Mustangs, with each squad winning its league but failing to do much else besides that. However, the Mustang boys could be poised to be quite well this year, with a number of experienced bowlers returning. “Boys are looking a lot better right now. There’s four senior boys that have been bowling for four years and they look very strong,” said head coach Brian Small. “We only graduated three in total: two girls and one boy.” Leading Clifton will be senior Deandre Powell, who was named to the first team All County and All League squads last season after averaging 186. He will be followed by Harry Litchfield, who has started every year since entering Clifton High School. Litchfield averaged 177 last year while collecting first team All League and second team All County honors for his performance. Dennis Pierson rounds out the key returning seniors 90 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
for the Mustang boys. He was named to the first team All League squad after averaging 161 for the year. The three returning bowlers are expected to guide Clifton in the coming season. While the boys will return several experienced bowlers, the girls might not be quite as good. They will miss the departure of graduate Ashley Brandecker, who was a four year Varsity bowler. Coach Small, now in his 18th year, will rely on two top returning seniors. Amanda Branco collected first team All Lounty and second team All County honors after rolling 133 last year. She was followed closely by Casey Casperino, who averaged 126 in what was her third year on Varsity. “Practices have been going well so far,” explained Coach Small. ‘We should be ready to open up the season next week.”
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MUSTANG SPORTS Swimming Back row, from left: Szymon Kutyla, Bobby Kozielec, Tim Laux and Abdul Solimen. Middle: Lucia Frascolla, Rueben Zeyarra, Sussette Lee and Chrissy Gustafson. Front: Mitch Bartko, Adam Paczkowski, Christian Patti and Bruno Barsallo.
CHS
Swimming Dec 4 Dec 7 Dec 13 Dec 14 Jan 3 Jan 5 Jan 8 Jan 10 Jan 14 Jan 17 Jan 22 Jan 24 Feb 1
fter graduating two seniors from last year’s squad, the girl’s swim team hopes to improve upon its 8-2 record. “We had a strong team and we only graduated two seniors, but I don’t think we’ll be much better,” said head coach Andrea Bobby. “But we’ll definitely hold our own. We can at least hit the same record.” Senior captain Chrissy Gustafson, who was named to the first team All County squad last year, is the team’s best swimmer and will lead the team in the back and butterfly strokes. Fellow senior Lucia Frascolla, who has been on the team for two years, will provide experience in the 100 and 200 free events. Senior Nisha Shah will compete in the back stroke and relays. Ida Manomat, a junior, was named to the second team All-County squad last year and will once again be counted on by Bobby. “She is a really good long distance swimmer and IMer,” said Coach. Sophomore Tayana Castro is one of the team’s fastest swimmers and will be used in relays. Juniors Katherine
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PCTI New Milford DePaul at Passaic at Wayne Hills County Meet Paramus Fair Lawn Teaneck Old Tappan at Wayne Valley Hackensack at Ridgewood
3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 6:15pm 3pm TBA 3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm TBA 3:30pm TBA
Fraczek and Elissa McMahon will compete in breast stroke. Freshman Stephanie Bienkiewicz will also contribute this year. “She’s a good veteran swimmer. She’s swam before,” said Bobby. “She can step in and compete in any event.” While the girls are expected to have another successful season, the boys will aim to improve upon their 2-8 mark from last season. “We had a few close meets last year. But we only lost one or two seniors so it is mostly the same team,” explained Bobby. Szymon Kutyla, a senior, will be the top swimmer. He will be joined by captain Christian Patti (all events) and fellow senior Adam Paczkowski (back stroke). Junior Sam Williams is the most experienced on the team, having swam with the Seahawks. Other swimmers include juniors include Dave Korty (all events) and Michael Kommer (long distance), and sophomore Dan Herrera (sprints). “All of the other guys are new or haven’t mastered an event yet,” said Bobby. “But we will use all of them.” Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Student of the Month
HELPING OTHERS IN NEED Hospital Volunteer Nisha Shah wants to be a Pediatrician
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By Joe Hawrylko Becoming a pediatrician is Nisha Shah’s goal in life. And although that is many years away, the CHS Student of the Month is still finding ways to help others in need despite having a very busy schedule as a senior. As a sophomore, Shah joined the Clifton High Key Club, a junior service organization which assists the local Rotary Club in various events in the area. She helped give out coloring books and crayons for the Sunshine Foundation, which assists children with seriously and terminally ill children. Most recently, Shah has participated in the Rotary and Key Clubs’ annual food and coat drives, and helped out in a drive to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. “I also volunteer for American Red Cross,” she continued. “When I started, I wasn’t 18, so I was only allowed to do relief stuff. But I’ve also worked blood drives with over 200 people.” For the past three years, Shah has also volunteered at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit. “I usually just do paperwork or deliver samples,” she said. Shah also works as an unpaid intern for a local dentist, Dr. Patel. “One time I was there for a code black (cardiac arrest) but it turned out to be a false alarm. I’ve been there every Sunday for three years.” As a sophomore, Shah also participated in a charity fashion show. 92 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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“It benefited Project Lady Bug, which helps children. It was Dina Manzo (of Real Housewives of New Jersey),” she explained. “I was at Once Upon a Skirt in the Promenade Shops and they had something about it. So I auditioned and I got a call back about it. We had two or three practices for it and then went to Gypsy Lounge in Pompton Plains.” At school, Shah is involved in a variety of clubs and sports. She is a four year member of the Asian Club, and currently serves as President. The Asian Club recently celebrated Garba on Nov. 16, and will hold an annual show in the spring to
showcase various ethnic dances. “The school has hosted this Indian dance (Garba) for the past 10 years. We do it in the upper gym each year. There’s a live band, food and henna tattoos. Typically, it is an eight day celebration in honor of the return of a goddess in Indian,” explained Shah. “In America, this celebration is held over three weeks to accommodate for difference work schedules, since in India, the country is effectively shut down for the duration of the event.” As a sophomore, Shah joined the Academic Decathlon Club. “However, I never actually com-
pete because of swimming,” added Shah. A four year swimmer, Shah participates in the 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay and on occasion, the 200 free. “I used to take lessons at the Boys & Girls Club. I started there when I was five. I used to swim with the swim team but I was never actually on the Seahawks. I quit from sixth to eighth grade, but I decided I wanted to do it again in high school,” she recalled. “I also was a lifeguard and swim instructor. I worked there sophomore and junior year, but quit to focus on the SATs.” Her marks on the standardized test, in addition to her 93 gpa, have allowed Shah to apply to several quality schools: Princeton, Villanova, Rutgers, Boston University, George Washington University, NYU and TCNJ. “Columbia is my reach,” Shah added. However, despite wanting to become a pediatrician, she plans on studying psychology and political science as an undergrad. “I’ve always been interested in psychology,” Shah explained. “And political science, I know you use that for law. If I ever change my mind about becoming a doctor, that’s what I would like to do.”
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Life Stories
Going on 90, Egon Kot is Still Focused on Work and Life By Carol Leonard While most all of his contemporaries have long since retired or passed on, 89- year-old Egon Kot is still going strong, working long hours at his optical and hearing aide business at 453 Clifton Ave. Still sharp as a tack and proud of the more than 60 years he has logged in his profession, Kot describes himself as a “perfectionist” who believes that quality and precision are the keys to his success. The German immigrant came to the United States with his family at the age of 13 on July 4, 1936 to escape the wrath of the Nazi invasion. Fifty years later, he was interviewed by renowned TV news anchor Dan Rather for a nationally broadcast special on immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. Kot’s family settled in Paterson, where his father Sam worked as a baker and his mother Lilly stayed at home to care for him and his younger sister Ida. After graduating from Eastside High School, Kot went on to Egon Kot today and below he and Shirley with the family.
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attend the School of Optics at Brooklyn College, where he trained to become an optician. The outbreak of World War II interrupted the start of his career, as Kot was drafted into the military, like most other young men his age at the time, and served threeand-a-half years in the Army. He was able to escape direct combat duty because he could speak three other languages, German, Polish and French. “My father was born in Poland, so I knew a little Polish while growing up,” he said. “I also took French in school in Germany and I learned more of the language from people on the boat coming over.” Among his duties, Kot taught German to the officers. “Luckily, I came through it without a scratch,” he said of his military experience. “I don’t like war. It’s not nice to kill people. Old men make wars and young men have to fight them.” Kot began dating his wife Shirley after returning from the service. The two had known each other in high school, but had not been romantically involved then. They were married in 1947 and settled back in Paterson, where they raised two children, Jeffrey and Ellen. They later built a home in Pompton Plains. Before starting his own business, Kot worked as an optician in Newark and New York and later with an ear, nose and throat/ophthalmology specialist in Passaic. While in the latter position, he decided to take some courses in audiology at what was then Paterson State College (now William Paterson University). “That’s how I got into the hearing aide business,” he said. Among his credentials, Kot is a Fellow of the National Board of Opticianry. He also holds numerous other certifications in hearing and optical instrumentation, which he proudly displays and points to high up on
Egon Kot with his late wife of 64 years, Shirley, who passed away a year and a half ago.
a shelf in his outer office. In 1964, Kot bought an office building on the corner of Lexington Ave. and Monroe St. in Passaic and opened his own optical and hearing aide shop. His son later joined him in the business after earning a doctoral degree as an audiologist. Shirley handled the clerical work and enjoyed interacting with the customers. “She spoke a little Spanish, so that also helped,” Kot said. In 1990, Kot sold the building in Passaic and moved his business to its current location near the corner of Clifton Ave. and Third St. Many of his customers have been with him for decades. Some followed him to Clifton when he moved from Passaic. “There are a lot of old-timers who’ve been coming to me for years,” he said. Among his oldest long time customers are two sisters, ages 105 and 107. He says that part of the reason that his business continues to thrive is the fact that
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Life Stories At left, an ad from when Kot opened his store in 1966 in a bustling downtown Passaic.
he keeps his prices very reasonable. Kot used to fit a lot of children for glasses, but he doesn’t get very many kids in the store any more. “Once in a while we get a young person, but not very often,” he said. “You know, they all like to go shop at the mall. But they don’t always get the best quality lenses and fitting there.” Father and son pretty much divide up the work in the business, with the elder Kot handling the optical end of the shop and Dr. Jeff dispensing hearing aides as well as offering hearing testing and other audiology services. “We each do our own thing,” Kot said of himself and his son. Almost a year-and-a-half ago, Shirley, his beloved wife of 64 years, passed away following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. The loss has taken its toll on Kot, who still finds it difficult to reminisce about their years togeth96 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
er. “We really miss her,” he simply stated. In fact, it was a very tough year for Kot. Three months after losing his wife, his sister passed away, and shortly after that he lost his sisterin-law. “Coming to work helps you cope,” he said. “You have to get your mind on other things.” He recently sold the home in Pompton Plains that he shared with his wife for 40 years. After she died, he moved into an apartment on Hazel St. “It’s more convenient for me,” he said. Kot still drives every day, including taking a weekly trip into New York to visit his daughter. He enjoys spending time with his family, which also includes three grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. “Thankfully, they all had a good education and are very successful,” he proudly boasted. Kot still stands tall and straight on his six-foot frame, although he
says that he used to be three inches taller. A fitness advocate all his life, he’s probably in better shape than many men 20 or 30 years younger. Every morning he does 15-20 situps and 35 push-ups, followed by a 20 minute workout on a stationary bike. “I used to be able to do them on one hand,” he said of the pushups. “You have to get your blood moving.” When his wife was alive, the two would get up at six every morning and walk two miles together. “We joined a walking group that met on Saturdays and during the winters we would walk inside at Willowbrook Mall,” he said. Kot gets annoyed when his customers say they can’t wait to retire at 65. “Then they come in here and say they have to get home to watch some TV show,” he said. “Not me, I want to stay active. I can’t sit around looking at the four walls and watching TV.” While Kot has managed to stay basically healthy all his life, he recently had a medical scare that sent him to the hospital and required him to have two stents put in to open blocked arteries and a cardiac ablation procedure for a heart rhythm problem. But the setback hasn’t slowed him down one bit. As soon as the doctors said it was okay, he was right back at his shop. Asked how much longer he intends to work, Kot chuckled and said, “oh, I don’t know, maybe 40 or 50 years. As long as I can get up in the morning.”
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Cliftonites came out on Nov. 11 to salute those who served our nation in our annual Veterans Parade. Staged on Van Houten Ave. the parade, led by the Marching Mustangs, stepped off at 2 pm from Huron Ave. The event concluded at Clifton City Hall to mark the 10th anniversary of the Avenue of Flags. Photos by Ken Peterson
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Birthdays & Celebrations - December 2012
Christina Kedl celebrates on Dec. 13. Katerina Blanos, daughter of John & Natile & sister of Kristina, turns one on Christmas day. Anthony Monetti returns from USAF boot camp in Dec. Van Houten Ave. gemologist Gregory Lacki celebrates his 56th on Dec. 5. Jonathan Vivas completed Army Boot Camp on Dec. 7.
Birthdays & Celebrations
Send dates & names...tomhawrylko@optonline.net Marc Fazio ......................12/1 Ann W. Kissel...................12/1 Corinne Miskowsky ...........12/1 Mannan Amin ..................12/2 Mike Gerardi ...................12/2 Lauren Lawler ...................12/2 Bryan Nolasco .................12/2 Allison Ahdieh ..................12/3 Patrick Lotorto...................12/3 Bridget Rice......................12/3 Sharon Tichacek ...............12/3 Phyllis Galambos ..............12/4 Timothy Gumann...............12/4 Michael Kester..................12/4
Dave Sternbach ................12/4 Michael Vinciguerra ..........12/4 Rosemary Kuruc................12/5 Gregory Lacki...................12/5 Laura Mikolajczyk .............12/5 Michael Ressetar...............12/5 Pat Collucci ......................12/6 Debbie Gorny ..................12/6 Marilyn Gossinger ............12/6 Noel Coronel ...................12/7 Margaret Kungl ................12/7 Mark Mecca.....................12/7 Robert Raichel ..................12/8 Chris Sadowski.................12/8
Paul DeVita ......................12/8 Noelani Coronel ...............12/9 Jamie Osmak....................12/9 Daniel Fonesca Ramos.......12/9 Mark Surgent ...................12/9 Andrew Tichacek ..............12/9 Tyler Roger Vandenberghe .12/9 Madison Riley DeVita ........12/9 Michael McEnerney ........12/10 Bob Snelson ...................12/10 Joey Cofone ...................12/11 Kathleen M. Marshall ......12/11 Diane Meyer ..................12/11 Joseph Rutigliano ............12/11 Andy Kent ......................12/13 Danny La Gala ...............12/13 Ray Capilli .....................12/14 Clifton Red Hawks 13u won the 2012 Cerbo Fall Baseball League Division #2 Championship with a 14-0 record. Bottom from left: Michael Lesler, John Kruse, Michael Algieri, Daniel McLaughlin and Michael Hogan. Standing from left Coach Edgar Ruiz, Ethan Ruiz, Matthew Goehrig, Coach Michael Lesler, Trevor Rokosny, Michael McLaughlin, Nicholas Napolitano, Coach Rob Algieri and Anthony Delgado
104 December 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Mary Kate Kuruc.............12/14 Michael Murolo ..............12/14 Basil Worhach ................12/14 Steven Crawford .............12/15 Marie Visicaro ................12/15 David Brock....................12/16 Michael Hrina.................12/16 Hannah Grace Kulesa .....12/17 Jacqueline Gencarrelli .....12/18 Anne Gerardi .................12/18 Samantha Bassford..........12/19 Nick Link....................... 12/19 Jayen Montague .............12/19 Jessie Ducos ...................12/20 Amy Marino ...................12/21 Michelle McEnerney ........12/22 Suman Pinto ...................12/22 Joey Cristantiello .............12/24 Soumya Gunapathy.........12/24 Luba Rembis ...................12/24 Ryan John Hariton ...........12/25 Eric Soltis .......................12/25 Thomas Montague...........12/26 Venessa Collucci .............12/27 Melissa Cordes ...............12/27 James Mazza .................12/29 Steven Bivaletz................12/30 Hunter Conklin................12/30 Tom Melfi .......................12/30 Courtney Pinter ...............12/31
Our club swimming pool & party room is available to groups and families
25 Kids / $225 For info, call Aquatics Dept. 973-773-2697 ext. 31 Boys & Girls Club of Clifton Clifton Merchant • December 2012
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Mustang Memories Joe Menegus hasn’t stepped foot on the gridiron in nearly 70 years, but he can’t help but get nostalgic once the turkey is served on Thanksgiving. This year, Passaic broke its 12 game losing streak against Clifton by defeating the Mustangs 29-0. Back when Menegus was patrolling the gridiron as an end for the Maroon and Gray, Clifton was the one that couldn’t seem to beat Passaic. That all changed in 1943, Menegus’ senior year, when Clifton finally defeated the Indians 12-6, their first victory against their rivals in 10 years.
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8,000 watched the contest at Passaic School Stadium, which ended with Clifton fans ripping down the goal posts. Head coach Vic Dragon and the team presented Menegus with the game ball, signed by the entire squad. For years, he kept the pigskin, even though most of the names have been long gone from the leather. Two years ago he moved and gave the ball to John Filippone and Harry Murtha for the Clifton C Club. “It represented a turn around of Clifton football,” wrote Menegus. “We went from perennial losers to big time winners under Coach Joe Greco.”
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