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Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Tables of Contents
What’s Inside? 18 Teacher of the Month John Silva, keeping kids physically fit
24 The Invisible Wound Chief Giardina’s brush with death
34
34 Hi, I Have Cancer John Nelson battles Chordoma
44 The Middle Class Infiltrator John Alexander on opiate addiction
49
49 2012 Police Unity Tour Help Clifton PBA 36 get to Washington
53 Training & Commerce at PCCC Training in Emerging Careers
53 Rosangela Tumminia At 26, beating
Thyroid Cancer Page 10
4 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
60 Home Improvers Spring is here...get started!
72 Clifton Milestones 50 years of priesthood for Father Weber
76 Clifton Mystery
76
Who is Joseph Bellanca?
78 Arts & Other Events Music, Arts & More
88 Student of the Month CHS senior Rachel Ventrella
90 Clifton Family Super Bowl Party Photos from the Boys & Girls Club
96 Birthdays & Celebrations
96
Which of your neighbors is celebrating? Correction: In Assembly Speaker Oliver's ad on page 33 of the February magazine, the photo of the Clifton Police Honor Guard was selected by the publisher, and does not imply an endorsement or relationship between the Clifton Police Department, Clifton PBA 36 and the Assembly Speaker. We regret any confusion caused by this.
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Editor & Publisher Tom Hawrylko Business Manager Cheryl Hawrylko Graphic Designer Ken Peterson Staff Writer Joe Hawrylko Contributing Writers Irene Jarosewich, Carol Leonard, Rich DeLotto, Don Lotz, Jack DeVries
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Help a Friend?
Cliftonites & Charity Lori Ann LoGioco Zayatz asks Clifton to Help an Old Friend Six year old Joseph DelliSanti was diagnosed with Acute Lympoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in February 2012, and family friends from Clifton have stepped in to help out. Lori Ann LoGioco Zayatz and her friend, Jennifer Winfield DelliSanti, grew up in Clifton together and graduated from CHS in 1991. DelliSanti left Clifton in college to pursue a career in nuclear medicine, and later married Ron DelliSanti in 2003 and moved to South Carolina, where they now reside. Their son, Joseph, was born in October 2005, began to feel ill around January 2012. After being misdiagnosed with an infection that wouldn’t go away, Jennifer demanded a full-body scan for her son, which revealed ALL. Joseph was admitted to Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital in Greenville, SC, and will be on a three year treatment plan to cure his disease. His parents have taken up temporary residence in a nearby hotel, and are in the process of finding a new home closer to the hospital. Neither parent has worked full time since the diagnosis. Thankfully, Jennifer’s friends from Clifton and others have stepped up to the plate and helped. 6 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
From left is Jennifer Winfield DelliSanti, Lori Ann LoGioco Zayatz, her son James Jenn’s son, Joe. At right is Joe.
Chelle Geden (formerly Michelle Smolinsky) another CHS 1991 grad who also resides in South Carolina, set up a charity donation website to help raise money to pay for Joseph’s medical expenses, which can be found online at www.wepay.com/donations/medical-expenses-for-josephdellisanti. Lori Ann LoGioco Zayatz has been helping publicize the charity, and is also organizing a motorcycle run and fundraiser for later this year.
“Jennifer and I have been lifelong friends, having first met in Grove Hill Nursery School and going all through school together,” said Zayatz. “I would love to be able to help her and her family in whatever way possible, especially being an Oncology RN myself.”
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Moments of Grace
The Triumph of a Modern Hero By Dr. Christopher de Vinck In the late summer of 1991, my wife and I spent two days at Beach Haven, New Jersey with three other couples. We had planned this weekend with our friends for three months. Our three children stayed with my parents; the cat was provided for. I was tired, disappointed about the weak response to my new book, and overwhelmed with the beginning of a new teaching year. For the first time in my fifteen years of teaching, I did not want to be in the classroom. To spend two days at the seashore seemed to be a good idea. When we arrived, the first thing I did was to watch the ocean waves crash against the sand, then Joe, Greg, Tom and I, like four little boys, ran on the beach and then dove into the curling water. Our wives set up the chairs and umbrellas. I had never been in the ocean before. I was startled by the taste of salt, though it was to be expected. What I didn’t expect was the size of the waves. “You have to dive under them at just the right angle and time,” Tom warned as we bobbled up and down with the tide. 8 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Whoosh! It was as though a staircase lid had crashed down against me, a wet, heavy suitcase lid, for I was quickly in darkness, being tossed around. After a strange rippling motion passed over my body, I was finally able to stand up. “I liked that!” I called out. For the next hour, we four men dove into the waves, jumped over the white foam, talked about our lives, our sons and daughters, our wives, and we floated on our backs like content sea otters wrapped in warm kelp. I didn’t know that two hours inland, Carly was dying. I remember the first time I met Carly. Two years earlier a student popped into my classroom just to introduce her. Ever since, Carly made it a part of her routine to stop in every now and then to say hi. If she missed me, she would write a small note saying hello, signing it with her name and a smiley face. I taped these notes on the wall. During those years I realized that Carly made it a point to visit many, many teachers, and the principal, and her friends in and out of school.
To say that she was a child of light would trivialize the true character of this extraordinary young woman. I say she was extraordinary because of her intellect (she was accepted at Holy Cross College in their premed program). I say she was extraordinary because of her beauty, her athletic ability, her sense of goodness and fun and seriousness and friendship. But the way she dealt with the cancer that was discovered in her seventeen-year-old legs and lungs equals the triumph of any historic or modern hero. As Carly began to lose her hair because of the medical treatments, she would come to school with a pink bow tied neatly around the very last strands. Can you imagine the courage it took Carly to stand before her bedroom mirror alone in the morning and watch the daily changes in her body? Can you imagine the courage it took to reach across her dresser, take the comb in her hand, slowly collect the thin bits of hair that were left, and tie that ribbon into a delicate bow? “I didn’t want to come to school with a wig,” she said one afternoon. “I just want to be me, Carly, like always.” As the year progressed, Carly was more and more unable to attend school. She had surgery on her leg. She began to use crutches, but on the days that she was in school, she always smiled, teased you, and came up with the right answers in class. Carly was Carly, like always. I hadn’t seer her for a number of weeks. I was in my literary class. We were reading Othello when, at one point, the door swung open and Carly walked in. She said hello to everyone with her usual smile, then she stood beside me and placed a picture on my desk.
It was a glossy photograph. To the left was one of my former students in his West Point dress uniform. To the right was another cadet in his crisp uniform. Standing between these two handsome young men stood Carly. She wore a long camel-colored winter coat. She had a yellow blouse buttoned at her beck. Her long hair framed her face with exquisite simplicity and grace. “Wasn’t my hair beautiful, Mr. de Vinck?” Carly said as I looked up from the photograph. On Sunday morning in Beach Haven, two friends in our group decided to wake up early and watch the sun rise. Everyone else was invited, but we others chose to sleep in. At the breakfast table, Linda and Greg said, “Chris, we almost came to wake you up. As we were waiting for the sun, five or six dolphins leaped up into the air, just about in the same soot where you guys were swimming yesterday!” On Sunday, September 8, 1991, my young friend Carly died at home in her room in the presence of her family who loved her, and the dolphins leaped above the waves at Beach Haven, New Jersey. This essay was excerpted from Dr. Christopher de Vinck’s 1994 book Songs of Innocence and Experience. Chris is the Language Arts Supervisor at CHS and the author of 13 books, his best known work is The Power of the Powerless a frank reflection on the struggles and joys of loving his severely disabled brother. To order his most recent work, Moments of Grace, call 1-800-218-1903 or look for it in bookstores or online.
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles
My Scar By Joe Hawrylko
10 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
At just under four inches in length, it starts at the front of her neck and gently curves around to the right. Raised and darker than the skin surrounding it, the scar is easily noticeable—and that’s just how Rosangela Tumminia wants it to be. To her, the mark on her neck represents strength; a memory of a darker time in April of 2011 when Tumminia was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage three thyroid cancer at the age of 26. Now, after a year of treatment, the scar serves as not only as a daily reminder of her own struggle with cancer, but as a tool to bring awareness to a disease that more affects more than 50,000 a year in the United States alone. Tumminia’s tale began in her doctor’s office in Marsala, Sicily on Feb. 28, 2011. “I was worried about rapid weight Rose and her father Natale in Milan, Italy in 2011. loss and hair loss, way more than since 1996 prior to moving back to Marsala in February you’d lose normally,” she recalled. “While explaining 2010. my complaints, the doctor was looking at my neck and “I had done some research of the vast thyroid disorsuddenly stopped me from talking and asked me to ders there are,” she recalled. “I had no idea what to swallow.” expect, no idea that my outcome was going to be thyThe physician noticed a lump on her thyroid— roid cancer. There’s no one with thyroid cancer or thyknown as a goiter—on the right side of Tumminia’s roid disease in my family. That’s the last thing you’d neck, roughly the size of a half dollar coin. get checked for.” “Right away, they rushed me for an ultrasound “When I got the diagnosis in Milan, there were very immediately after that appointment, along with blood thorough about the thyroid, surgery and treatment,” work,” she added. That was followed up by a fine neeTumminia said. “Trying to remember at the time, I was dle biopsy, in which a doctor uses a tool to extract a so out of it. It was just a shock. All you hear is just, sample from the mass on the neck. After a painful blah, blah, blah... Cancer! Blah blah blah.” experience the first time, two more (and less painful) The plan was for a total thyroidectomy—the complete ones were administered, one in Marsala and then one at removal of the thyroid, an organ which is vital in regua specialist in Milan in mainland Italy, before lating hormone levels. Tumminia’s doctors also deterTumminia was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in April. mined that she would need to have at least 20 lymphn“I was scared obviously, because of the diagnosis, odes on the right side of her neck removed to mitigate but more because I was so far away from family and the further spread of the cancer. However, when the friends,” said Tumminia. The Cliftonite was born and operation took place in Milan in May, doctors found that raised in Palermo, Sicily and had been living in Clifton her cancer had spread far more than expected. Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles with it. It’s weird... well, not weird, but uncomfort“There was supposed to be 20 lymphnodes taken able,” she explained. “But the scar, I was scared at out, but they were checking as I was opened up and it first when they told me the length of the scar... But now came out to be about 40 lymphnodes,” said Tumminia. I’m completely comfortThere are more than 200 able. It reminds me lymphnodes in the neck every day of what I went alone, and each was inspectthrough and how strong I ed by doctors during the really am. I didn’t think eight hour surgery. I could have gone To gain entry into the through it.” neck area, doctors had to Within a few weeks of move and pin back her masbeing discharged, toid muscle, which left Tumminia slowly began Tumminia unable to lift her to warm up to the scar right arm at all. After that she now embraces. spending a week in the hos“I had a scarf on my pital, she continued onto the neck for a while,” she next phase of her recovery. said. “My neck was “I found out over here, actually really white for a they throw you out after two while because I’d always days. At two days, I was have a scarf of spf50 on still sick and having fevers. because the sun is really “But after that, I felt fine. I strong in Sicily.” just had muscle weakness, Far more stressful but besides that I was fine, were the physical therapy especially compared to According to the American Cancer Society, there appointments, which other patients,” recalled will be approximately 56,460 new cases of thyroid took place for one hour Tumminia. “They were cancer (43,210 in women, and 13,250 in men) in the every day for about two nauseous, throwing up and I US this year. Of that figure, about 1,780 deaths are months. was eating everything given expected to succumb to the disease. Common “There was one exerto me. One lady couldn’t symptoms include cough, difficulty swallowing, cise I couldn’t do and I eat because she had swollen enlargement of the thyroid (goiter), hoarseness, just had a breakdown,” glands. We had to rinse out neck swelling or a lump on the thyroid or neck. she recalled. “I was our mouths with concentratAbout 80 percent of patients are under the age of expecting to get well ed lemon juice. In the sup64 at diagnosis. The number of patients diagnosed sooner than I had, and I port group, there were peohas risen each year, mostly due to enhancements in just had a breakdown ple who lost their voice for a detection practices. Generally, the disease is very treatable. Early detection (by stage 2) for papillary, when I wasn’t getting month or more.” there. But with the supBut although she physi- follicular and medullary thyroid cancers carry a five port of the therapists, I cally felt fine, emotionally, year survival rate of nearly 100 percent. Anaplastic realized I could do it. Tumminia was struggling to thyroid cancer survival rates are around 7 percent. Within a week or so, I was adapt to her thinning hair Regular neck examinations for lumps save lives. finally able to and began and the four inch scar across Treatment typically involves the complete removal of the thyroid, followed by radiation (either by to really see changes. It her neck. beam or radioactive iodine by mouth). Patients “The hair, I just tried to be made me appreciate my must take hormone pills for the rest of their lives. positive. I knew it was a situation more because For more info, visit www.thyca.org. temporary thing, so I was ok there were people
Thyroid Cancer
12 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
There are about 12,000 podiatrists in the United States, according to the Department of Labor, and Clifton podiatrist Thomas Graziano is one of only six who hold both a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) and a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree.
Pre-operative
Post-operative
As a foot and ankle specialist, my main goal for all my patients is to find caring solutions that last a lifetime. I won't just treat the symptom; I'll strive to correct the problem... Permanently. When you combine effective treatments with my genuine concern for your well-being, that's a powerful combination. -Thomas A. Graziano, MD, DPM, FACFAS GOUT TOE Feeling like your big toe is about to explode? Gout can be an extremely uncomfortable pain in the toe. It most often attacks the joint of the “Great Toe” although other joints could be affected. Photos here are of a mass which Dr. Graziano removed, illustrating how the healing begins. Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Having Surgery? We Can Help. HAVING SURGERY? You are not alone. Every day at our center, dozens of your friends and neighbors have surgery. Most operations are not emergencies and are considered elective surgery. The physicians at Clifton Surgery Center want you to learn about your operation and we also want you to be active in your health care. From procedures, to anesthesia to recuperation and your follow up, even issues regarding insurances and payment—don’t be afraid to ask questions! OUR DOCTORS WELCOME QUESTIONS That means having a conversation. If you do not understand the answers, ask the doctor to explain them clearly. Bring a friend or relative along to help you with your questions and answers. We believe that patients who are well informed about their treatment are more satisfied with the results.
If you are facing surgery that is not an emergency, we want to help you and your family understand more about your surgery. Your doctor or nurse also can help you understand what is being done and why. HOW LONG WILL RECOVERY BE? Our staff can tell you how you might feel and what you will be able to do—or not do— after surgery. Knowing what to expect can help you get better faster. How long it will be before you can go back to work or exercise again? Follow your surgeon’s advice to make sure you recover fully as soon as possible. WHY CLIFTON SURGERY CENTER? Recently, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC/Accreditation Association) distinguished Clifton Surgery Center for providing a safe work environment and the highest quality of care to its patients. AAAHC accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality by third-party payers, medical organizations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies and most importantly, you—our patients—neighbors and health care professionals. Status as an accredited organization means Clifton Surgery Center has met nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care. It is a story our staff and physicians are proud to share.
Dr. Terry McSweeney
Dr. Zina Cappiello
Chiropractic
Podiatry
Dr. Ramon Silen
Dr. Kazimierz Szczech
Dr. Jeffrey Miller, DPM
General Surgery
Pain Management
Podiatry
14 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Dr. Eugene A. Batelli, DPM
Podiatry
Schedule your surgery at Clifton Surgery Center. We are a three room state of the art, nationally accredited, physician owned facility. Smaller and more service oriented than hospitals, patients and their families benefit from the convenience and lower cost. PODIATRY Thomas Graziano, DPM, MD 1033 Clifton, Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-473-3344 Jeffrey Miller, DPM 1117 Route 46 East, 2nd Floor Clifton, NJ 07013 973-365-2208 Eugene A. Batelli, DPM 1117 Route 46 East, 2nd Floor Clifton, NJ 07013 973-365-2208 Zina Cappiello, DPM 886 Pompton Ave, Suite A-1 Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 973-857-1184 Glenn Haber, DPM 140 Grand Ave. Englewood, NJ 07631 201-569-0212
Call your physician about scheduling your surgery at Clifton Surgery Center. Matthew Welch, DPM 6506 Park Ave. West New York, NJ 07093 201-662-1122 Anas Khoury, DPM 235 Main Ave. Passaic, NJ 07066 973-473-6665
PAIN MANAGEMENT Ladislav Habina, MD 1117 Route 46 East, 2nd Floor Clifton, NJ 07013 973-357-8228 Kazimierz Szczech, MD 1033 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-473-4400
ENDOSCOPY
UROLOGY
Piotr Huskowski, MD 1005 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013
Daniel Rice, MD 1001 Clifton, Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-779-7231
973-778-7882
CHIROPRACTIC Michael Gaccione, DC 26 Clinton St. Newark, NJ 07012 973-624-4000 Terry Mc Sweeney, DC 600 Mount Prospect Ave. Newark, NJ 07104 973-485-2332
ENT Stephen Abrams, MD 1070 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-773-9880
OPHTHALMOLOGY Charles Crowley, MD 1033 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-472-6405
GENERAL SURGERY Kevin Buckley, MD 1100 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-778-0100 Edwin Kane, MD 1100 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-778-0100
John Mc Evoy, DPM 152 Lakeview Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-340-8970
Binod Sinha, MD 1117 Route 46 East, 2nd Floor Clifton, NJ 07013 973-777-5444
Kevin Healey, DPM 152 Lakeview Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-340-8970
Todd Koppel, MD 721 Clifton Ave. Clifton, NJ 07013 973-473-5752
Dr. Kevin Buckley
Dr. Thomas Graziano, DPM, MD
Charles Crowley, MD
Dr. Daniel Rice, MD
General Surgery
Podiatry
Ophthalmology
Urology
ORTHOPEDICS Kent Lerner, MD 17 Jauncey Ave. North Arlington, NJ 07031 201-991-9019
Ramon Silen, MD 1117 Route 46 East, Suite 301 Clifton, NJ 07013 973-779-4242
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles who were so limited and here I was, complaining where I was at.” “When I finally was able to start doing the stuff I normally do at the gym later on, that was pretty cool,” Tumminia continued. “I learned it’s not so bad after all. I thought it would be two weeks and I’d go home and be fine. I definitely learned how to be very patient.” Besides the physical therapy, the most arduous part of recovery was the radiation therapy, which came in the form of a highly concentrated, single pill dose so strong that Tumminia was required to be isolated from all others for two weeks. “They make you clasped your hands and put them out and they dump it right in with tongs,” she said. “Then he backed away, watched me take it and left.” For the next 14 days, Tumminia was permitted to one hour of contact with others per day. “I thought it was funny at first. They tell you to flush the toilet a couple of times, have your own toiletries, your own bed sheets—everything,” she explained. “I ended up staying at a friend’s house all by myself. I didn’t want to put my dog, Ares, or the people I lived with at risk.” After completing her treatment and therapy, Tumminia returned to Clifton at the end of 2011, and
has been seeing doctors for follow ups. Tumminia has become active with the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association (thyca.org) and I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation (stupidcancer.com). “From hearing other people’s stories, how they found out accidentally, I’ve realized there’s more that can be done to bring awareness,” she explained. “By participating in these groups, it just makes me want to share and talk about it more. It makes me comfortable. I’m not the only one dealing with this and people should know that there are organizations out there.” Tumminia has been particularly involved with Stupid Cancer, attending karaoke fundraisers and planning to run in an upcoming marathon. Talking with others from these groups has motived the Cliftonite to return to school. “Nursing has always been an interest and this is pushing me to learn more about my body,” explained Tumminia, who worked as a phlebotomist prior to being diagnosed. “It’s definitely a push going through this experience. It showed a different side of me, how strong I can be. I had been putting off the nursing and now it’s time for me to get that going. If I can overcome this, I can definitely push myself back into school.”
Ever Hear of a Diabetic Foot? Your health is our concern
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by irregular blood sugar (glucose) levels, which damage the nerves, affects the circulation and body’s ability to heal, stiffens the joints and causes “foot ulcers”, which makes patients more prone to infection. Affiliated Foot and Ankle Specialists invite you to come in for a consultation and discuss your path to freedom and mobility.
We now have three convenient locations:
Dr. Jeffrey Miller, DPM, FACFAS Dr. Eugene Batelli, DPM, FACFAS
Clifton Office 1117 Rt. 46 East 973.365.2208
Teaneck Office 751 Teaneck Rd. 201.238.1595
Sayreville/Parlin Office 2909 Washington Rd. 732.727.5502
Visit our patient education center online & make your appointment today!
www.ipodiatry.com 16 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Teacher of the Month
Beyond the Three R’s Teacher John Silva Aims to Keep Kids Physically Fit Photos and Story by Carol Leonard
PE Teacher John Silva presenting a Thumbs Up Award to Emily Majowicz at School 5 on Valley Rd.
During his four years as an exercise instructor for a corporate wellness program, School 5 physical education and health teacher John Silva worked with his share of out-of-shape and overweight adults, many with elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and other markers of deteriorating health. When he decided to make a career change into teaching, Silva said he was motivated by the opportunity to have an earlier impact on the lives of kids, including the importance of setting fitness goals that he hopes they will follow for life. A Clifton native, Silva attended School 1 and what was then Christopher Columbus Junior High. He went on to Clifton High School, where he was an All-County Mustang football player and Record newspaper Athlete 18 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
of the Week. He graduated from CHS in 1987 and enrolled as an exercise science major at William Paterson University. Although his father had been a teacher in Clifton for 34 years, teaching math and serving as the AVA (audiovisual aides) supervisor at Christopher Columbus, the younger Silva initially didn’t plan to get a teaching certificate. “I was more interested in working with adults at the time,” he said. After completing his degree, Silva was hired by American Corporate Health Programs, a firm that contracted with businesses to run onsite fitness centers. He served as an exercise instructor at a site in Clifton sponsored by PSE&G for its employees, and later as a coordinator for several sites that the company ran.
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Teacher of the Month When he decided to make the switch into education, Silva enrolled in an alternate route program to get his teacher certification. He worked for two-and-a-half years in the Newark Public Schools under the supervision of a mentor, while completing the additional coursework and passing the Praxis exam required by the state. “It was a very tough, but I thought it was fantastic experience,” Silva said of his time in Newark. “The circumstances required you to be very creative at times. Some schools didn’t have a gym, so we had to use whatever space was available. I even taught deaf kids.” While still working in Newark, Silva served as a volunteer coach with the CHS football team and, in the fall of 1997, he was hired for a physical education opening at School 13, where he spent more than 10 years. He also taught briefly at School 14 and has been at School 5 for the past three years. Silva is very passionate about the value of what he teaches. He views physical education class as more than just a time for playing basketball, volleyball or other traditional sports. Instead, he tries to engage his students in a variety of activities that he hopes will peak their interest in something that will keep them physical-
20 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
ly active for life. “Staying fit isn’t just about athletics,” he said. “You don’t have to be a star athlete or even involved in a sport to stay physically fit.” To help his students become aware of their fitness levels and to motivate them to do better, about 10 years ago, Silva initiated the use of a computer software program at School 13 known as FitnessGram. The program has since been adopted by all the schools in the district. FitnessGram enables physical education teachers to measure the levels of their students in several areas of fitness, including aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility, and it can also calculate body mass index, another important health marker. After performing a series of fitness tests, such as push-ups, abdominal curl-ups, trunk-lifts and others challenges, the students’ results are input into the computer. The program then provides a report for each student comparing his or her results to what are called Healthy Fitness Zones. The research-based standards are set for boys and girls of various ages to reflect the levels of fitness needed for good health. Silva uses FitnessGram to assess each of his students
in grades three through five at the beginning of the school year and repeats the tests again in the spring to see what progress has been made by each child. “We spend time going over the report so they understand what it means,” he said. “Then we set goals for how they can improve their results when we retest. It helps them know what areas they need to work on.” Silva takes every opportunity he can during his physical education and health classes to explain to his students how taking care of their bodies Third graders with School 5 PE teacher John Silva by keeping physically such as following the rules of a game or exhibiting active can help them to not only stay healthy but also good teamwork, are related to these character traits. perform better in the classroom. “I always tell them, “He’s a great role model,” School 5 Principal Dr. your brain needs a healthy place to live,” he said. Fran Parker said of Silva. “With the distraction of comHe also rewards them with certificates for their puters and video games, it’s important for kids to learn progress throughout the year in meeting certain benchthe importance of physical activity. He provides them marks, and periodically gives out a Thumbs Up Award with the skills and values that they don’t always get to a student for good effort during an activity and posioutside of school.” tive behavior in class. When Silva leaves School 5 at the end of the school Since he only sees each class two days a week, Silva day, he puts on his other hat and travels to Clifton High reminds his young charges that he expects them to conSchool where he serves as supervisor of the weight tinue to engage in some kind of physical activity every room. He runs an organized strength and conditioning day at home. Over the recent February vacation week, program five days a week for CHS athletes as well as he provided each of them with a log sheet to record students who just want to work out and stay in shape. He what they did every day to stay physically active for at holds certification as a strength and conditioning specialleast 60 minutes. ist from the National Strength & Conditioning Aside from his goal of keeping kids physically fit, Association. Silva also views his classes as a time to instill in his stuAt home, Silva and his wife Michele, who teaches dents what he calls the six pillars of character: caring, middle school art in Montville, are involved with the responsibility, trustworthiness, citizenship, respect and activities of teenage daughters Heather, Amber and fairness. He takes the time at the end of each class to Jenny. review with the children how their actions in class, Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Teacher of the Month He also enjoys getting together with his parents, Joe and Joan, as well as with his sister, JoAnn, and brother, Joe, and their families. Many in town may remember the elder Joe Silva as the “Eyes of the Clifton Mustangs” during the days when he would videotape all the football games at Clifton Stadium. Joan was also well known in town, serving for many years as director of the Senior Citizen Outreach Center. John and Michele Silva with Jennifer, Heather and Amber with grandparents mom Joan and Joe.
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Immedicenter Dr. Michael Basista, Medical Director of Immedicenter 22 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles
The Invisible Invisible Wound How a near fatal accident led Chief Gary Giardina to become an advocate for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. By Joe Hawrylko
24 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
On March 10, 1984, just past 3 am, Police Officer Gary Giardina responded to a call about an altercation involving occupants from two vehicles. He stopping both cars on Route 3 East near what is now Clifton Commons. Officer Carl Zoecklein arrived as backup. Routine stop. Standard procedure. But as any officer knows, even the seemingly normal scenes can quickly turn deadly. “Do you remember the Batman series on TV, when the lights spin when someone got hit?” laughed Giardina. “That’s all I remember from getting hit, just lights spinning around. The next thing I know, I’m lying on the ground, looking up.” Giardina, who was at the driverside door of the vehicle he pulled over, turned around to the lights of a speeding sports bearing down on him. He was clipped in the right leg, thrown violently into his partner’s cruiser before smashing into the pavement. Paul Ogden, patrolling nearby on Passaic Ave., was the first to respond after hearing Zoecklein’s frantic officer down call blast over the radio. “I knew I was going into shock. I felt my body slowing down. Then (Ogden) covered me with a blan-
ket and stayed with me there,” recalled Giardina. “I remember lying on the highway and I knew something was wrong with my arm. It was lying there like this across my chest and it was comfortable... except when I look down at my hand it was palm up.” The driver, who never stopped, hit Giardina with such force that he spun around and smashed his arm on fellow officer Carl Zoecklein’s cruiser, shattering his right elbow. Giardina’s right leg, which took the brunt of the collision in the thigh, did not suffer any breaks, but deep internal bleeding caused it to swell to more than twice the normal size. Once admitted to St. Joe’s, doctors were immediately concerned with the injury to the leg. To reduce pressure, it was popped with an incision, spraying blood everywhere just moments before Giardina’s wife, Cindy, rushed into the ER. “I had just gotten married. Just under a year married and the phone rings at 3 am,” he recalled. “To tell you the truth, I don’t really remember any specific thoughts because the pain was so intense every time they moved me. I don’t think I had any thought that I was dying. I was alert, I was young. When
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Medicine & Miracles nizing experience was the rehab that took place folyou’re young like that, mortality doesn’t come into lowing the removal of Giardina’s cast two months play.” later. With the swelling subsid“I was living in an apartment ing, Giardina was prepped for at the time and I did a lot of reconstructive surgery on his rehabbing on my own,” he elbow, which took place later recalled. “For one exercise, I’m that morning. Surgeons insertlying on the floor in the living ed a large screw to allow the room and my wife, she actually bone to heal, and placed him in had to sit on my chest to hold a cast for six to eight weeks. me down for this. I had a can of Giardina spend the next week soup or peas or something, and under observation in the hospiI’m on my back trying to curl it tal to make sure there was no and the pain was so intense that further injuries or complicaI kept trying to cheat and pull tions. A few days into recovmy body up.” ery, another serious wound Today, the only visible remwas discovered. nants of the injury is a circular “They were giving me a scar on his thigh, a linear scar sponge bath and my wife is in stretching a couple inches on the the room and just yells, ‘Oh elbow, and a slight bend in the my God, what is that?’” he On previous page is a photo of Gary Giardina recalled. On his buttock was a (center) in the hospital with his wife, Cindy, arm which creates a very minor and cousin, Mark. loss in the range of motion. large red mark that a doctor misIn total, the surgery, and takenly diagnosed as a the painful rehab exercises staph infection. that Giardina did from “The pain was so home kept him out of work intense there it brought me to tears,” said Giardina. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is severe for six months, and the When it became worse anxiety that can develop after experiencing or wit- pain lingered for a couple after discharge, he went to nessing a near-death injury or other traumatic event years after returning to the his wife’s physician and such as assault, domestic abuse, rape or war. PTSD job. But the accident also left him with wounds that learned that it was actually can occur at any age in both genders. a third degree burn. At the PTSD symptoms fall into three categories: reliv- were not of the physical time of the accident, ing the event (flashbacks and nightmares), avoid- variety. “Years later, I was diagGiardina had a can of mace ance (emotional numbing or feeling detached) and on his belt, which exploded arousal (difficulty concentrating or anger manage- nosed with Post Traumatic when he hit the ground. ment issues). For near-death experiences like Stress Disorder (PTSD),” The The remnants of the mace September 11, survivor guilt is common. Those Giardina recalled. Chief estimates that he was and can shards created a who suffer from PTSD may also have issues with diagnosed between three third degree chemical burn alcohol or dug abuse, depression or other medical and five years after the accithat was made worse by the issues. dent. “Many times, people cream prescribed by the Diagnosis is done by a psychiatrist who looks for hospital physicians. don’t realize they have it. certain symptoms. In PTSD, these are present for at But as intense as the least 30 days. Strong support from family and friends The way I was diagnosed pain was from the burn and and trained professionals can help defeat PTSD. was because my wife had it. the surgery, the most agoAt the time, I under-
What is PTSD?
26 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles stood she was going through something, but I didn’t understand what.” “People don’t realize that traumatic injuries not only affect the injured person, but the immediate family as well. Thirty years ago, no one spoke of PTSD. It was really an untalked about issue,” he continued. “I was talking to the psychiatrist that my wife was see-
28 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
ing, and she was asking me questions about the accident... she’d ask me, what are your feelings about this, are you having any nightmares? I remember in the beginning, I had a few, but really nothing other than that. In other words, I was in denial. Years later, the doctor said to me my answers to these questions, not having any
stress about it, these were all red flags indicating to her that I was indeed suffering from PTSD.” In retrospect, Giardina said the symptoms are now obvious: angry outbursts, decreased patience level and other sudden changes. “Someone on the outside can recognize something faster than the person going through it,” he said. “It’s mood swings, anger issues... things would stress me out that would not normally do so. Professionally and at home. This whole job is nothing but control. You have to control emotions when you’re responding to a scene. If you’re emotions get out of whack, that’s an indicator of PTSD.” Initially reluctant, Giardina began attending sessions with the same psychiatrist, and began seeing results after opening up. “It’s very difficult (speaking with a psychiatrist). We hide a lot of ourselves behind doors,” he said. “When trying to deal with this, in your mind it’s difficult to open these doors to get in touch with your emotions associated with the trauma. We try to protect ourselves, but we actually hurt ourselves.” “Back then, I didn’t tell anybody about it. I didn’t tell the department and I paid for all the treatments by myself,” the Chief continued. “Back then, you didn’t talk about that. So really, I went through it with my family alone. Back then, you didn’t want to risk losing your job.” Privately, some of his colleagues knew of his battle, but Giardina mostly kept to himself. He became a vocal advocate for awareness about PTSD after
watching a fellow cop struggle with it later in his career. “Probably about 10 years ago, an officer in Clifton was involved in a shooting,” explained Giardina. “I recognized he was having difficulty processing. PTSD can sometimes take years to manifest. It’s like a pot with water, and it keeps boiling until it boils over.” At that point, Giardina was already in adminstration, and due to increased awareness about PTSD on a national level and ability to influence change, he set out to install programs to address the issue in the CPD. “In the beginning, I think I was looked at skeptically by some people when I first started to bring this up,” recalled Giardina. “Having the military recognize it helps. Congressman Bill Pascrell calls it the closed wound or the invisible wound. He talks about it all the time.” “I was very hesitant going in,” he continued. “It was painful, I’ll tell you that having gone through it, but it was definitely well worth it. I used to tell people who were hesitant that no one goes in and comes out worse. You go in and come out better. It’s a long, slow process, especially for police officers who by nature are skeptical. You have to create a trust with the person you’re dealing with to touch on these issues.” The Chief said that strides in awareness, both locally and on a larger scale, have brought attention to a very real problem for cops. “A normal person is going to be so enraged, so disgusted with some of the things we see, but a police officer has to contain that
while they’re dealing with it,” explained Giardina, who was appointed Chief on March 1, 2010. “What happens is that contained emotion over time is the problem. That part, everyone has to be cognizant of.” “Life or death situations, super traumatic scenes like the death of a child... anything like that can set it
off,” he said. “I was very instrumental in trying to bring it to the forefront in our department. But a problem has developed—and this is in my opinion—that some people are using this now to take advantage of pensions.” “I’m a firm believer, being that it happened to me, that it is treatable if you want to be treat-
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles ed and cured. And it is very real,” he said. “There are cases where someone is so traumatized that they cannot return to the service. That goes for military, firemen, EMT, police. People are so traumatized by certain circumstances and it’s real, they will never be able to return to the service and I understand that. It’s a known fact. What I am saying is that there is another small percentage that are using it as a golden parachute.” The Chief gave examples of egregious claims from across the state: an officer who filed after accidently stapling his finger at a firing range, a cop falling out of a chair and a fireman falling out of bed at a firehouse. “You no longer need a traumatic event,” said Giardina,
30 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
explaining that a ruling a few years ago changed the pension process. Giardina said his goals are to create awareness, see that proper channels and resources are available to those suffering from PTSD, and to push for legislation to restore balance to the pension plan laws and punish those who take advantage of the system. “If anybody reads this and recognizes themselves in this story, then they need to get the help they need and deserve,” explained Chief. “They need to not be afraid. On the flip side, I don’t want it to be abused either. My experience and 33 years in law enforcement has assisted me in dealing with people, and assisted me to do this. Because of my position, I have a bigger platform to get this out there.”
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Carousel Café Your Neighborhood Eatery 64 Market Street
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Chef Paulyne Wang brings back delicious food and reasonable prices to her landmark luncheonette. Old memories of The Carousel Café? Forget them. Long gone. New owner and chef Paulyne Wang brings to Market St. a new eatery, from menu to decor. And it is all done in great taste. “We’re still the same neighborhood luncheonette but cleaner, prettier and with an awesome menu,” says Wang, a grad of the French Culinary Institute. She honed her skills at the noted La Grenouille on East 52nd St. in NYC preparing classic French cuisine and making spontaneous creations. Cliftonites who enjoy fresh food, flavors and flair in their meals will savor her new menu. “Restaurant quality food is at the heart of what we do. We have traditional burgers... but I’ve added Angus beef, serve it with fresh guacamole and salsa... Want hearty? Try our new turkey meatloaf... I do a lot of Chinatown style food. It offers great value and it is so healthy!”
Those looking for some simple morning fare—eggs, pancakes and more— or an afternoon lunch that is either healthy or hearty—sometimes both!— will still find that at The Carousel Café. But with a smile and a hearty laugh, Paulyne wants people to know that The Carousel Café offers much more than breakfast and lunch. “At night,” she continues, “we dim the lights and patrons can dine, relax and enjoy a beverage with our great food in a friendly eatery. Who says a dinner night out has to be expensive and dressy? Not us! Come and enjoy...” Hours are Mondays from 10 am to 9 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays 7 am to 9 pm and Sundays 7 am to 3 pm. Chef Wang and her staff can also cater a party at home or an office. Stop in and sample the food and take home a menu.
See complete menu on facebook
Our staff: Alicia, Juan, Anna Lee. 32 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Bowtie Pasta w/ Roasted Mixed Vegetables asparagus, crimini & button mushrooms, onions, red pepper, & tomatoes sauteed in roasted garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and olive tapenade $8.25
Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate and Rosemary slowly cooked short ribs with bacon, onions, shallots, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, red wine, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, thyme, rosemary and house-made chicken broth. $17.95
Cheesesteak Sub with 3 mixed cheese melt roasted garlic, carmelized onions & peppers $7.50
Grilled Jumbo Shrimp Kebabs marinated in olive oil, garlic, thai basil, fresh lemon juice, wrapped with proscuitto and grilled $15.95
Crab Cakes in Lettuce Wraps Hawaiian inspired crab cakes. fresh crab, panko crumbs, cayenne, jalapeno, shallot, carrot, red pepper, cilantro, coconut, soy sauce, lime juice, mayo, red wine vinegar and honey. $8.95
Seared Scallops w/ Jack Daniels Coconut Sauce large scallops are seared in shallots, garlic, Jack Daniels, coconut milk & house -made chicken stock $16.95
Fried Chicken Chicken leg deep fried with buttermilk, cayenne, paprika, garlic, oregano, thyme & adobo. $6.95
Steamed Mussels in Coconut Curry White Wine Sauce mussels sauteed in olive oil, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes; curry powder, coconut milk, splash of white wine for added flavor. $10.95
Grilled Cajun Chicken marinated & sauteed in special cajun spices $6.95
Poached Salmon in Parchment salmon, asparagus, leeks, carrots, orange & lemon slices, white wine and fresh herbs baked in individual paper parchment packets. $17.95
Mac & 3 Cheeses with Carmelized Shallots & Onions Baked elbow macaroni, mix cheeses, carmelized shallots & onions and splash of hot sauce $6.95
Wonton Noodle Soup
Orange-Ginger BBQ Shrimp on Skewer marinated in orange, ginger, bbq sauce, honey and black pepper. $9.75
chicken & cilantro filled wonton wrappers in house-made chicken broth; served with sauteed bok choy $6.95 Beef Stew Noodle Soup
Pan Seared Pork Chop boned-in chop sauteed & smothered with onions, green peppers and mushrooms $7.95
beef cubes slow-cooked in beef stock with garlic, ginger, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, chili, star anise & five spice powders $7.50
Panko Chicken Parmesan w/ Baked Ziti coated with house-made panko seared to golden brown, baked with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce; served with baked ziti $7.95
Asian Inspired Noodle Soups
Chicken & Wonton Noodle Vietnamese inspired soup. white meat chicken, wontons, green onions, garlic, ginger, shallots cilantro, basil, mint, bean sprouts, fish sauce, house-made chicken stock $7.25 Roast Pork or Roast Chicken Noodle Soup choice of chinese roast pork or roast chicken $6.95 add wontons-$7.95
Salads Caesar romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, fresh crotons, caesar dressing $5.95 Caprese mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted red peppers & basil dressed with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette $6.95 Greek romaine lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, red onion and greek dressing $6.95 Grilled Veggies mixed greens, asparagus, zucchini, red peppers, red onion, string beans, tomatoes, red potatoes, eggplant, balsamic vinaigrette $7.25
Mixed Greens greens tossed with sauteed button mushrooms, bacon, sliced egg $5.95 Nicoise boston lettuce, green beans, capers, grape tomatoes, black olives, hard boiled egg, and chopped parsley & basil $6.75 Three Bean Salad mixed greens, cannellini, kidney, garbanzo beans, celery, red onion, rosemary, and olive oil & apple cider vinaigrette $6.95 Add Chicken $2.50 Steak $3.75 Fish or Seafood $4.25
Penne with Pesto Sauce house-made pesto sauce dressed over penne pasta. pesto: basil, olive oil roasted garlic, parmesan cheese and pine nuts. $7.25 Penne Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil and Marinara Penne pasta topped with house-made marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil $7.50 Philly Steak Egg Rolls thin sliced beef with 3 mixed cheese melt, roasted garlic, carmelized onions, and peppers in egg roll wrapper and deep fried $7.50 Roast Chicken Breast bone-in chicken breast seasoned with cayenne, paprika, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper roast to golden brown $7.95 Stuffed Pepper baked green pepper stuffed with ground beef, rice, house-made marinara sauce, parmesan cheese and topped with melted mozzarella cheese $6.50 Turkey Steak Hero sliced turkey with cheddar & mozzarella cheese melt, sauteed onions, peppers and mushroom $7.50
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medical Miracles
lko By Joe Hawry
At the age of 19 years old, the doctor’s diagnosis was like a death sentence. Sitting nervously with his parents, John Nelson watched as the doctor walked into the room, slapped an MRI on the board, pointed to a white blob and coldly remarked, ‘There’s a mass in your head, and it needs to come out.’ On that afternoon in February of 2004, John Nelson, average college student, turned into John Nelson, cancer patient. He promptly dropped out of the University of Maryland, and returned home to Clifton wait out the next four weeks until his surgery date and ponder his fate. Doctors explained that the mass could not be identified until it was extracted, but Nelson had done enough amateur research of his own to worry himself sick for entirety of the month of uncertainty. 34 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Would doctors be able to reach the mass? Would he awake with brain damage? Would he awake at all? After a successful but painful surgery, his worst fears were realized: the mass was diagnosed as Chordoma, a slow growing but resilient form of brain cancer that carries a high rate of reoccurrence. A strikingly high number of patients suffer a relapse within 18 months. The average life expectancy is seven years. Nelson is now in year eight of being cancer free. But while no longer present, the prospect of reoccurrence weighed heavily on Nelson for many years. “Chordoma survivors, we basically live in six month increments,” he said. “We live MRI to MRI. The average life expectance was seven years, so I started to plan around those statistics.”
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Medical Miracles Determined to remain stoic instead of being controlled by his emotions, Nelson adhered to this mantra until he passed the seven year benchmark in February 2011. Around that time, he had an epiphany: he was thus far victorious in the physical battle on his body, but cancer was winning the war on his mind. “I realized I had lived differently because of Chordoma. Everyone always says, ‘Don’t let cancer define you,’ and that always pisses me off. It’s nice, but it does drastically change your life,” he said. “Meanwhile, it’s been seven and a half years and I’ve not even had a reoccurrence. You don’t know what’s going to happen and to change your plans... I really thought I was doing the rational thing, but I spent seven years of my life planning or waiting for something that didn’t happen. I did live as if it defined me.”
The first indication that something was wrong was in February 2003, when Nelson, when a senior at Clifton High, was walking home from school. “It was actually close to winter break and my eye was acting weird, though I thought I just needed glasses or something like that,” he said. “It felt like I had double vision out of the corner of my right eye.” However, after undergoing a battery of tests at Clara Mass Hospital, doctors determined—incorrectly—that he was suffering from mononucleosis and a sinus infection, and he was given steroids. When the symptoms returned about one year later, Nelson realized that the doctors had not only misdiagnosed him, but incorrectly
recorded answers regarding his medical history. “It was bad enough that when I got the medical records back, it said I had blurry vision, not double vision,” he said. “And, according to them, I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and never drank alcohol. I never smoked, and would sometimes drink on the weekends.” Nelson was once again put through a battery of tests. Doctors originally suspected multiple sclerosis before noticing a small mass, roughly the size of a walnut, near the base of his brain. “When they told me I had something that had to come out, I was relieved,” said Nelson. “When you’ve been misdiagnosed for so long, you’re just happy that they get it right. But they also didn’t project the severity of it. Generally, saying it has to come out is not a good explanation because it makes it seem like it’s a straight forward operation. But as you get more second opinions, it becomes a lot worse experience.” “At the time, there was a lot of new techniques,” he continued. “Not everyone had the same thing. Of the four doctors I went, they each had four entirely different opinions on the correct technique.” Each of the proposed surgeries carried great risk and lasting consequences: One, the surgeon would enter through the top of the head, with great potential for brain damage. Another wanted to go behind the ear, with a 10 percent chance of total hearing loss. A third doctor wanted to remove his cheekbones to enter through the sinuses, a procedure that would allow for much greater field of vision, at the cost of Nelson’s sense of smell and taste—permanently.
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Medical Miracles trol really sucks. That part just scared me. The surgeon Ultimately, Nelson chose the surgeon who offered a is there to do his job and this is my job to just show up. transsphenoidal surgery. “They basically cut through my Spending four weeks at age 19 thinking I could die is mouth in front of my teeth—canine to caine basically— pretty awful. then go into the There really is no sinuses— the other emotional back through the memory of the clivus,” he Chordoma is an extremely rare and aggressive type of cancer that is experience.” explained. “My thought to form from the remnants of the notochord, which becomes the “When you get tumor was in the there, it’s actually clivus. The only spinal cord at birth. Chordoma can be found in the skull base or anynot a waiting room thing that was where in the spine. It is extremely rare, with only 300 people being diagnosed each year in but a staging area, physically differwhere the other ent after the sur- the United States, meaning research is limited. There are no approved people having gery my smile. It drugs for Chordoma, but new studies are under way. The typical treatment is surgery. Radiation is an option, but due to the proximity of vital processneurosurgery are,” changed a bit he said. “There’s because of the es in the brain, surgery is generally prefered. Radiation treatment on the little dividers and scar tissue under brain greatly increases the chance of other cancers later on in life. The age at diagnosis can vary, but patients who suffer from a skull whenever it is time my lip and the base Chordoma are typically aged 49; spine Chordoma patients are usuto have surgery, fact that they cut you walk with some of the mus- ally 69. Following surgery, there is a high chance of reoccurrence within 18 months. The average survival rate following diagnosis is seven them. It gives the cle.” very distinct feel“It’s weird. years—a number that is greatly enhanced if the patient is young, healthy ing of walking to You kind of and has a successful surgery. The Chordoma Foundation is the foremost authority for information, the guillotine. detach yourself a awareness and fundraising. Visit www.chordomafoundation.org. They have you lay lot. The first guy on the table. I said it’s got to remember them saying, ‘ok, we’re going to knock you come out and it’s clear that all the things it can be are all out,’ and I said ‘OK, do a good job.’” really bad,” Nelson continued. “My way of handling it was to find the best surgeon and get through that part. But then suddenly it becomes much more real when you’ve picked and they set a surgery date—this is actually happening. Those four weeks were basically a black hole. People tried to take me out and all that, but I kind Four hours later, surgeons completed the job and of wasn’t there.” Nelson was wheeled to the recovery room, coming to in The day before the surgery, Nelson went to Columbia a groggy haze. Presbyterian Hospital for tests and prep work. Fiduciary “I remember waking up, not in that much pain and just markers were glued onto his head so doctors could genthinking, ok, I made it. Then three hours later, the aneserate a 3D image of the brain to guide surgeons the folthesia wore off and I was in an insane amount of pain, and lowing morning. my face really, really hurt,” he recalled. “I looked like “I slept like a baby the day before. I have no idea Shrek. I had nasal backing, probably about six inches of why,” he said. “At 5 am, my parents and I left for New gauze back in my nose. There was a lot of cutting in the York. It was a very quiet car ride.” sinuses, so they did it so it can heal closed.” “It was a bad way that I approached it. I just figured Most painful of all was the spinal drain that was that if something went really wrong that I obviously placed in between two vertebrae at the base of his back. wouldn’t have to deal with it. That’s the way I was Part of the Chordoma was close enough to the thinking,” Nelson added. “It’s just that having no conspine that surgeons breached the dura, which
What is Chordoma?
38 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Medical Miracles encases the highly toxic spinal fluid, and the drain was put in place to relieve pressure. “Every minor moment in my back sent pressure waves to my head,” explained Nelson. “I had that in my back, draining for the whole week that I was there. You get the worst headache from it.” Towards the end of his stay in the hospital, doctors performed another MRI to see if the surgery was a success. However, due to swelling and the aggressive nature of the disease, a proper diagnosis could not be achieved for another 12 weeks. “I started to feel better, but then I think, three months from now I’ve got to get another MRI to see if they got all of it,” he recalled. “That was probably the hardest thing. That was the most painful thing I’ve ever gone though, and I knowing that you have to get another MRI and if it’s not clean, you have to deal with all of this again... it’s insanely hard to deal with.” There is an additional one week wait for the results— still a major source of stress for Nelson even after eight years and 35 MRIs. “That first three month one, that was the only one that I had to go into the office for the results. That was another trip where we are not saying much in the car,”
The Nelsons. Top left, clockwise: Lynnette, Bruce, Liz and John. Bruce is a board member of the Chordoma Foundation.
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ervices at the Allw s & s re ood o t s For Retail or Office Leasing Cir at e r cle G Call Jamie Wohr @ 973-591-5222 x 16 “ Our mission is to serve God and the community by educating people on how spinal correction releases the body’ s natural healing abilities, in order to prevent sickness and disease, state Chiropractors Dr. Joseph Paz (left), Dr. Jacqueline Paz-Schimmel and Dr. Lou Schimmel. “ We are dedicated to providing the highest quality chiropractic care in a caring and supportive environment.” Among their services: Specific Chiropractic Adjustments, with multiple techniques CBP, Gonsted, Diversified, Activator, Postural Rehabilitation, Trigger Point/Neuromuscular Therapy, Extension Traction Therapy and State of the Art Facility with on site High Speed X-Ray. Call and schedule your first FREE consultation! Contact us at 973-777-6995 or go to chiropractorsclifton.com. For the right fit in eyewear, optimized vision, a huge selection— and outlet pricing— Cystal Optics is a one-stop shop for discount prescription eyewear. Located next to Dunkin Donuts on the lower level and open 7 days, visitors will find professional optical experts and hundred of designer frames, sunglasses, bifocals and contact lenses. At crystaloptics.net, choose from a selection of name brand eyewear and shop at your convenience.
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Medical Miracles he recalled. “The surgeon comes in and just starts putting up the slides. He says that looks like scar tissue and it does look like we got it all. That was honestly the first time my parents and I relaxed in five months.” While at home recovering, Nelson began looking up support groups and research funding for Chordoma, and was surprised to find that there was little information or awareness beyond some online communities.
“I made a website about my experience with Chordoma and listed ideas we needed for a foundation,” explained Nelson, who has background in programming. Soon, his site was the top search engine listing for the disease. “Four months after surgery, I was getting calls from one or two people a day. It became clear that there was an obvious need.” After laying the ground work, Nelson got his parents, Bruce and Lynnette, to help him set up a foun-
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dation and raised a significant amount of funding for Chordoma research. In 2005, Nelson met a fellow survivor, Josh Sommer, through one of his support groups, and the foundation began to grow. “Josh’s mother is a general practitioner,” he explained. At that point, Nelson had returned to school and began to focus more on his studies. “A MD is a huge advantage in getting to see researchers. After a few months and some conversations, I just said, ‘you guys take over everything and start a new foundation.’” In 2006, Nelson transfered all of his funding to the Chordoma Foundation, where he remains involved to this day. The following year, he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in finance. But even after overcoming cancer and receiving his diploma, Nelson continued to living in six months increments. Mentally, he was bound to the statistics that surgeons dictated to him. “If someone asked, ‘We’re you depressed?’ I would say no, not at all. Generally, I have a very stoic approach to this thing. I actually think it was wrong of me to do, but I did it up until a year or two ago,” he explained. “I started my foundation and wanted to change this outcome, but chose to not engage it emotionally as much as possible. I didn’t approach things positively or negatively. I approached it as an engineering problem. It worked for a while, but then it didn’t.” “There really was no point that I was telling anyone that I was scared or anything like that. I just thought, this has to happen, why worry about it,” Nelson continued.
“It’s actually an emotional coping mechanism, just not one that I was recognizing at the time. It’s called denial actually.”
In February of 2011—the seven year anniversary of his surgery— Nelson had his regular MRI and waited. After an agonizing week, he was confirmed as cancer free. “I’m way past the averages now,” he said. “The longer you go without having a reoccurrence, the higher probability you won’t have another.” In the best shape of his life due to exercise, a good diet and intermittent fasting, he began to reflect on his life since surgery. “I realized there are a few really big opportunities that I passed up, and it all basically dawned on me at that point,” Nelson recalled. “I basi-
cally wasted seven years of my life in a way. I would have done things very differently. I regret the way I had acted.” What stood out most of all was a relationship with a girl at graduate school. “Basically, I avoided dating since surgery, because it makes things harder. The idea of getting sick again is bad enough, but the idea of getting sick again with someone who really cares about me watching is pretty terrible. It’s hard enough knowing my family and friends have to deal with it,” explained Nelson. “I had a really bizarre relationship with Kate, but I still pushed her away and rejected the idea of dating her until she finally gave up. It took a long time, but I really regretted that, and it caused me to rethink a lot of things.” Following his epiphany, Nelson, who has been living in Washington,
D.C. since 2008, rededicated himself to his studies. In the Fall of 2010, he enrolled in a course in Computational Social Science at George Mason University—a six month program. However, after receiving the clean MRI in February 2011, Nelson applied and was accepted to the school’s CSS PhD program. “Originally, I was doing it because I thought it was an interesting program and I thought it would help me find people interested in the same thing for projects to work on,” he said. “It was not a long term thing at all. I was still thinking that I should not live another six months.” “But I like this school. The stuff I have been building, that’s exactly what this is,” continued Nelson. “It will take at least three or four years, which is well beyond that window of comfort. But you know what? I’m enjoying what I am doing.”
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles
Infiltrator By Joe Hawrylko
Heroin addiction is a problem that is often associated with the more urban cities in Northern New Jersey. But according to John Alexander, it’s a very real issue in middle class communities—including Clifton. The gateway to this drug epidemic might just start in your medicine cabinet. “Oxycodone and OxyContin (the brand name for oxycodone), they’re basically the most popular street drugs out there,” explained Alexander, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and certified drug and alcohol counselor who primarily deals with individuals aged 18 to 27. “Street pharmaceuticals are very accessible, and it’s easy and very conducive to addiction,” he continued. “In other words, it’s not a socioeconomic deal. It’s not like one kid growing up in a school yard in poverty using drugs. A lot of times we associate drug addiction with the inner city. This is infiltrating middle class families with a history of addiction.” Medicinally, these synthetic opioids are used as robust pain killers. However, recreational users prize this pill for its potency, and the lack of social stigma that comes with heroin and morphine—two powerful opioids—or other strong drugs that must be injected, snorted or smoked. And unlike other street drugs that are diluted with chemicals can dull a high or be fatal, oxycodone tablets are pure and each dosage is labeled. “If I give you a pill at a party, it’s a lot easier than going into the ghetto and saying, ‘Here’s a needle, here’s a match book,” said Alexander, who received his LCSW Master’s from Rutgers New Brunswick, and has been practicing for two decades. “Ironically, that’s where many end up.” But just like heroin, oxycodone carries life-altering side effects: crippling addiction, sickening withdrawals 44 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
John Alexander, a licensed LCSW, mainly treats individuals aged 18 to 17 who are addicted to drugs.
and a physical dependency that can influence the user to go to desperate measures to get a fix. It is this dark side of the prescription pain killer addiction that drives an infrequent user to its much more dangerous cousin, heroin. “With the street’s ebb and flow, sometimes oxycodone is available and sometimes’s it’s not. And it’s expensive. You can spend up to $160 a day on the habit,” explained Alexander. “What happens is kids can no longer get the drug, they go into Newark to use
o
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s ” o Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Medicine & Miracles which, while useful for heroin, and get three or four dime bags to alleviate their relieving withdrawal withdrawal symptoms.” symptoms, is equally as “Ironically, it is cheaper to addictive and prone to shoot dope. And when a kid abuse. gets desperate, he goes and “Oxycodone, heroin does it,” he continued. “It’s and then Suboxone. I’d easy to graduate to street say I see that about 60 heroin. It’s in Clifton, Nutley, percent of the time,” Bloomfield—it’s definitely a said Alexander. “It’s the middle class problem.” Methadone of this genEven if the individual has eration. It sedates the the support and the resources addict.” Patients freto seek out professional help, quently use Suboxone to the road ahead is anything but mask the effects of consmooth. tinued drug usage, mak“Here is a typical scenario: ing it seem as if they’re You’ve got a 23 year old kid on the road to recovery. addicted to street pills, narAlexander explained cotics, and he goes through a that the best rehabilitafour or five day detox at tion is 12 full months of Bergen Regional and is reftotal sobriety: a residenKnow someone who may have a drug problem, or ered to intensive outpatient tial treatment program looking for help yourself? There are many different treatment that may last up to that and detox to break resources, both private and public, that can help four months,” explained the behavioral and physwith any type of addiction. Here are a few recomAlexander. The patient then iological patterns, folmended by John Alexander: gets group therapy, counsellowed by outpatient Sober Solutions: 888-762-3730 High Focus Centers: 201-291-0055 ing and psychiatric help. treatment and NA. Bergen Regional Medical Center: 201-967-4000 “Then he is discharged and “The problem here For information and videos about drug abuse and that’s where the problems is we don’t get a year,” addiction, visit www.hbo.com/addiction. begin.” he said, alluding to Alexander estimated that financial or insurance some 25 percent of patients limitations. “People have dual diagnosis—they are who are straight for a addicted to a drug and suffer from some form of a menyear, about 77 percent of them will do for the rest of their tal disorder, which can something like Narcotics lives. Those who don’t follow up after treatment, your Anonymous an unbearable experience. odds are around 33 percent. No treatment at all, we’re “This is where the treatment gap comes in for a lot of looking at 7 to 10 percent recovery rate.” people. It’s not a given that they make this connection To tackle that treatment gap, Alexander has been with the NA or AA,” he said. “And it’s not always the speaking with his peers about holding affordable group client’s fault. We tend to blame the client if they’re not sessions at The Boys & Girls Club or other community going to meetings, not following structure. But we’re centers that would be willing to donate time. discharging people that are neurologically vulnerable. “We need to start thinking creatively,” he said. They haven’t learned how to cope without drugs.” Alexander hopes to have a plan in place in the near Another issue for recovering addicts is that doctors future. “A lot of young people die because of this and will sometimes perscribe Suboxone, an opioid blocker, continued follow ups need to be done.”
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48 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
POLICE UNITY TOUR
We Ride For Those Who Have Died.
Congressman Bill Pascrell and Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik and those pictured on the following pages helped us kick off the 2012 Clifton PUT Fundraiser at Bliss.
Our 16 man team leaving Clifton on May 9 in the Police Unity Tour has an arduous task ahead of them... besides the 300 mile bicycle trek to Washington D.C. The group must also raise more than $28,000 to help build a monument and museum in the nation’s Capitol. The Police Unity Tour is an annual bike ride to Washington D.C. in memory of fallen officers. Nearly 19,000 cops have given their lives in the line of duty, and their names are etched on the National Law Enforcement Officers Monument and Memorial in Washington D.C. Each name represents a sad story of an officer from Officer John Samra across the U.S. killed in the line of duty, including Clifton Police Officer John Samra, who lost his life while serving on Nov. 21, 2003. Go to www.cliftonpba36.com and click on Police Unity Tour to donate. To help out or for more information, call Clifton Police Officer John Kavakich at 973-470-5897 or Tom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.
How Can You Help? ATTEND A FUNDRAISER:
March 16, 2012
Pub Night Fundraiser at Pub 46 May 6, 2012 • 4 - 8pm
Pasta Dinner at The Boys & Girls Club of Clifton BUY A RAFFLE TICKET:
Win a TV or a Bike MAKE A CONTRIBUTION:
Officer John Kavakich 973-470-5897 Tom Hawrylko 973-253-4400
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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50 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
2012 Clifton Police Unity Tour Members Riders: Andrew Alvarez Robert Bais Randy Colondres Richard DiBello Brain Fopma Tom Hawrylko Daniel Ishak John Kavakich Charles Kazimir Motors: Darren Brodie Derek Fogg Gary Giardina Vincent LaRosa Support: William Frank Gary Giardina Jr. Michael McLaughlin
Our thanks to Joey Barcellona of Bliss Lounge who hosted a benefit on Feb. 17 to kick off the Fundraiser for the Clifton members of the 2012 Police Unity Tour.
Next fundraiser @ Pub 46 on March 16, 8pm
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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52 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Business & Commerce
Creating Opportunities PCCC Offers Training in Emerging Careers, Links Grads & Workforce Opportunities Photo & story by Carol Leonard
When Dr. Steven Rose (above) took over as dean of enrollment at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) 25 years ago, the Paterson-based institution had only 2,000 students. Today, PCCC serves more than 13,000 adults of all ages in a variety of degree and non-degree programs offered at its main campus and three satellite sites in Wayne, Wanaque and Passaic. This includes more than 1,450 Clifton residents enrolled in various programs for which they will earn associate degrees, as well as many others involved in certification, continuing education and retraining programs. A native of Monmouth County, Dr. Rose also served as vice president of academic affairs for a number of years before taking the reigns as president of the college 15 years ago. During that time, he has seen an
enormous expansion of the role of, not only PCCC, but community colleges in general across the country. “In the history of higher education, the community college is a relatively new entity,” he said. “Fifty years ago, the typical college student started right out of high school at age 18, went to school fulltime and graduated with a bachelor’s degree four years later. Back then, there was no place for the 50 year-old or even the 35 year-old who found himself in an obsolete field and wanted to go back to school to train for a new career. There was no place for the kid who didn’t have the money to go to college full-time or for the single working mom who wanted to get a degree so she could earn more to support her family. Now, community colleges fill all of these needs. We’ve opened the door to college for all of these folks.” Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Business & Commerce In response to changing demographics and economic conditions, community colleges started to spring up around the country starting in the late 1960s. PCCC, which is one of 19 community colleges in the state, opened in 1971 with just a handful of students. Today, PCCC offers more than 60 different associate degree, certificate and certificate of achievement programs. Associate in arts and associate in science degrees in a variety of major subjects are usually pursued by students who intend to transfer and continue their education for a bachelor’s degree at another institution.
A statewide transfer agreement enables community college students in New Jersey to transfer their academic credits to any public four-year college or university in the state. The college also has transfer agreements with a number of other private colleges and universities. “We’ve had students go on to Ivy League and other prestigious schools,” Dr. Rose proudly boasted. PCCC participates in the Rutgers Dual Degree Program and the Thomas Edison State College Degrees Pathway Program. The former program offers selected
The beaming college president said he realized the extent to which PCCC has made an impact on the local medical community when he fractured his shoulder after a fall in the parking lot last year and was taken to St. Joe’s. The associate in applied science degree provides an opportunity for direct career entry into such fields as nursing, x-ray technology, graphic design, information technology, early childhood education and numerous others. Career Certificate programs offer training for a variety of careers that can be entered after one year of study, such as those in criminal justice, fire science and medical coding. In most cases, credits earned, usually 30-36, may also be applied toward related degree programs. Shorter certificate of achievement programs of less than 30 credits of study are also offered. These are designed to meet the business needs of the community and lead to immediate employment in fields requiring specific skills. PCCC’s Public Safety Academy at its Wayne site offers training for virtually all of the county’s fire fighters, including the opportunity to practice on a simulated burning building.
Affordable and Flexible According to Dr. Rose, two of the most important strengths of community colleges are affordability and flexibility. With tuition and fees for a year of full-time study at around $3,000 at PCCC, as compared to upwards of at least $10,000 at any of the four-year state colleges or universities, “many middle class families have figured out that we’re a great deal and are sending their kids to us for the first two years,” he said. 54 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
New Jersey High School graduates who enroll as firstyear students at PCCC a guarantee of admission to Rutgers University upon completion of an associate degree and achievement of a grade point average of at least 3.0. Through the latter program, PCCC graduates are able to transfer immediately and complete one of five bachelor’s degree programs through Thomas Edison without leaving home. They can do this through guided study and on-line courses, portfolio assessments and classroom participation at other state colleges. According to Dr. Rose, the college awards $600,000 a year in scholarships and also participates in various federally-funded financial aid, work-study and grant programs. Students who graduate in the top 15 percent of their high school class may qualify for the NJStars program, which awards scholarships for tuition at the community colleges. NJStars students who go on for a bachelor’s degree at any of the state colleges or universities may qualify for continued scholarship assistance under NJStars II. Aside from providing a more affordable path to a degree or certificate, PCCC offers on-line classes and the flexibility in scheduling that many students, particularly older adults who are returning to school to pursue degrees or training for new jobs and those who are working full-time need. “We have classes from early in the morning to late at night and on Saturdays,” Dr. Rose said. “Some
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Business & Commerce people take up to 10 years to graduate, but that’s okay. This kind of flexibility is what many people are looking for.”
Workforce Development PCCC maintains a close relationship with the business community and other employers in the county to develop programs that will lead to new or continuing employment. “Business leaders serve on our advisory committees and they help shape the curriculum,” Dr. Rose said. The college periodically surveys businesses to learn what their needs are for new employees. The results of their most recent survey led to the development of a program in computer graphic design. Through its Center for Business Training the college works with local businesses on a request-for-service basis to provide customized training for employees as determined by the company’s needs. Staff members from this program also assist employers in the application process for customized training grants offered through the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The college is in its second year of a $4.6 million
three-year federal grant to train underemployed workers for more sustainable employment in healthcare professions. To this end, it has partnered with Walgreens and other major pharmacies and regional firms to train current employees in low paying jobs to step up the pay scale and become pharmacy techs and phlebotomists. “Too many people are stuck in jobs with unsustainable wages,” Dr. Rose said. “Programs like this enable them to move from a job paying $8 an hour to one paying $15 or $20 an hour. All of a sudden, they’re making a living wage.” Similarly, through PCCC’s Culinary Arts Program, low skilled workers can train for jobs in the food services industry. The 30-week non-degree program provides real time in a commercial kitchen, where trainees receive an overview of the industry, including sanitation and safety, basic cooking and baking, catering techniques, nutritional awareness and food costing and ordering. According to Dr. Rose, successful graduates of the program are hired for jobs in hospitals, restaurants and catering halls, such as The Brownstone in Paterson. “It’s a stepping stone,” he said. “We’ve had some go on to open up their own restaurants.”
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In his new budget, President Obama proposed an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund to help train two million workers for well-paying jobs in high demand industries. The money would be used to bolster partnerships between community colleges and businesses, such as those in which PCCC has become involved.
Healthcare Opportunities As the country’s economy continues to recover from the recession, healthcare is an area in which the number of jobs is expected to continue to grow. At PCCC, students can study for a variety healthcare related careers. These include jobs as nurses, x-ray technologists, phlebotomists, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and pharmacy technicians, as mentioned earlier, as well as related positions in medical records and health information technology. PCCC’s well respected nursing program was relocated from the Paterson campus to Passaic when the new site was opened two years ago. The state-of-the-art facilities include a nursing lab with the same electronic medical records system that is used at St Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center.
“A good portion of our nursing graduates end up getting jobs at St. Joe’s,” Dr. Rose said. “We decided to buy the same system that they have, so they will be ready to use it if they go to work there.” The beaming college president said he realized the extent to which PCCC has made an impact on the local medical community when he fractured his shoulder after a fall in the parking lot last year and was taken to St. Joe’s. “Everywhere they took me, from the ER to the XRay Department, I had people on the staff coming up to talk to me and work on me who were our graduates, he said. It was very impressive.” In addition to the recent opening of the Passaic site, PCCC is planning to double the size of its Wanaque campus in the coming years and hopes to expand the scope of its degree programs. “Our growth has been constant for the past two decades,” Dr. Rose said. It is a testament to the emerging role of schools such as PCCC. “We had a five-year plan for enrollment and a year-and-a-half in, we had already reached our goal.” To learn more about PCCC and its programs, visit the college website at: www.pccc.edu.
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Business & Commerce
Healthcare Training Rewarding for Both Grads & Employers
Pharmacy technician and HCTI grad Layla Hammudeh with Julia Kim, Rph (foreground), and Lorena Jojic, RPh at Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Fair Lawn.
The grant-funded Passaic County Multi-Skilled Healthcare Training Initiative (HCTI) at Passaic County Community College, established to train qualifying candidates for jobs in the healthcare industry has been a success for both graduates who landed good jobs and employers looking to hire skilled workers. “The success of our graduates proves that due to the challenging economic times, employers will turn to proven programs like HCTI to find the skilled workers they need to fill positions,” said Carol Adelson, Job Placement Coordinator for HCTI. The HCTI program is funded by a three-year, $4.5 million federal grant to provide no-cost training to qualifying applicants in the skills needed for employment in 58 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
the healthcare industry, which is predicted to become the largest employer in the County over the next five years for skilled workers. PCCC is one of only 55 training programs across the country to share in the prestigious grant which funds not only skills training, but also job placement services. According to Adelson, so far over 39 HCTI grads from PCCC have been placed in jobs with leading healthcare employers, including Walgreens, Aculabs, Community Blood Services, the American Red Cross, Quest Laboratories, Bioreference and CVS Pharmacies. “I am extremely grateful to the HCTI grant program,” said David Matrille who graduated in Fall 2010 from the HCTI Phlebotomy Technician training pro-
gram and was the first HCTI student to take the National Phlebotomy Certification Exam (AMT). “I love my position at Quest,” said David, who is now employed in a doctor’s office for Quest Laboratories and has already won company awards for his job performance. Nihad Sherifi, a graduate of the HCTI Pharmacy Technician program landed a job with a local CVS Pharmacy. “Thank you for getting me into CVS. I really like my job,” Nihad told Adelson, whose job placement services assisted the graduate. According to Adelson, the pharmacy was so impressed with Nihad’s work ethic and knowledge that they increased his salary even before his training had ended and already promoted him to more advanced duties. The HCTI program has been beneficial for employers as well, simplifying their task of finding well-trained workers to fill good jobs. A number of them have hired HCTI graduates and were so pleased with the results, they asked to interview others when new job openings came up. “Our partnership with PCCC has been a smart business decision for Community Blood Jermel McKay, an HCTI grad and phlebotomy tech at Services,”said Colleen Hurley, vice president of Community Blood Services, prepares donor Lisa Greco. Human Resources at the not-for-profit organization that supplies blood and blood products to James Ward, a district pharmacy supervisor for more than 30 hospitals in the NJ/NY region. “The phleWalgreens, arranged to have HCTI students do their botomy students that have participated in our externship rotation requirements at the stores. “Walgreens is very program have all been professional, reliable and techniexcited to be working with PCCC in supporting their cally competent; many of them have been offered positechnician training program in Northern New Jersey,” tions with the company. We look forward to a long-lastsaid Ward.” It is very rewarding to see their students ing partnership with PCCC,” Hurley added. spending time in our stores enhancing their skills while To date, four HCTI graduates are currently working in the program, then graduate, and go on to becoming at CBS. In addition, the company has offered invaluable pharmacy technicians in our stores, assisting Walgreens 180 hour externships to two current HCTI phlebotomy pharmacists in enhancing patient care. We look forward students. to offering continued support in this program and proJulia Kim, a registered pharmacist at the Walgreens viding experiential opportunities for PCCC students." pharmacy in Fair Lawn, was equally enthusiastic about People interested in job training or employers seekhiring Layla Hammudeh, a graduate of the HCTI ing placement services through HCTI can get more info Pharmacy Technician training program. Layla did her at www.pccc.edu/hcti or by calling 973-684-5663. clinical rotation requirement at the retail store. “We Employers who would like to interview skilled phlewere so impressed with her work that we hired her,” botomists, front office or electronic health records staff said Kim. “Layla’s training in the grant program helped and pharmacy technicians, should contact Carol prepare her for the job. Her performance is excellent and Adelson at 973-341-1617. She will match HCTI gradwe are happy that we hired her.” uates to a firm’s hiring needs. Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Home Improvers
Outdoor Living Athenia Mason Supply & Cambridge Pavingstone Offer Free Outdoor Living Room Idea & Color Guide
60 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Thanks to a whole new crop of outdoor living conveniences, homeowners can now have all the comforts of indoor spaces — only outdoors in their yards. Athenia Mason Supply, Cambridge Pavingstones with Armortec® and Cambridge Wallstones offers a comprehensive line of products for outdoor lifestyles that combine unmistaken quality, natural beauty and value with design versatility. Cambridge offers all-inclusive, pre-packaged design kits on all outdoor living products. For example, ready to install fire pit kits are complete with grilling grates, optional fire screens and galvanized, stainless steel covers. The outdoor fireplaces have dimensional cast stone surround options in a choice of colors. From fireplaces and patio plans to outdoor kitchens as well as pool and spa scapes, visit Athenia Mason Supply for your free Outdoor Living room Idea & Color Guide. Spring is right around the corner...!
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Home Improvers
Shaping Ideas Front doors & windows, kitchen cabinets and more, CBS can supply items for every room of your home.
If you're looking for a relatively safe place to invest some money these days — how about your home? This is a particularly good time to do some renovations, even though logic might dictate otherwise, since the housing market is still in flux. Fixing up is still cheaper than trading up, observed Ralph Bartnik, owner of Clifton Building Supply.
“And when your home improvement project is done, you’ll have exactly what you want,” he added. “Why buy somebody else's remodeling headache when you know what your home needs? If you have the great ideas, come in and let’s talk. Our job is to help your great ideas take shape and make them a reality. And we can do that with your budget and we can professionally install whatever we sell.” Today's historically low interest rates mean most home-equity lines of credit are a great deal. If you already have a home equity line of credit but have not tapped it yet, the rate on the credit line could be in the 3 percent range. 62 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The kitchen is always a great place to start and offers the greatest return on your investment, said Bartnik. “Let's say you're replacing or upgrading a kitchen — you’re going to earn a good portion of your investment back there,” he continued. As technology advances, so do kitchens' design and efficiency. “Our cabinets are all wood and come with self closing drawers,” said Bartnik. “And even with smaller areas, we see more flexibility in the positioning of the kitchen cabinets, appliances and sink to make open plan kitchens and dining rooms a reality.” “You think you can’t afford it, but it pays,” said Bartnik. “We can take you through every step of the process, from idea to finished job, designs to details.” Clifton Building Supply is located across from city hall on Colfax Ave. Ralph and his team of experts will help guide you through the home improvement process. Stop in and see their showroom and take a hands on tour of the products. Personalized service and quality products are what to expect when you shop at Clifton Building Supply.
Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Home Improvers
64 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Since 1960
NJ License 13VH00726700
When Richard F. Knapp started his roofing business in 1960, he wasn’t only constructing an umbrella of protection that would ensure the people of Clifton a solid home environment, he was laying a foundation of trust and honesty that has lasted until today, in his passing. “Richard was honest with the people,” said Dorothy Knapp, Richard’s widow. The couple would have celebrated their 52nd anniversary on Feb. 27. “We always stand behind our work. That’s the way Richard started it and now my sons are doing it. We’re keeping up the honesty.” Richard Knapp passed away in 1991. That’s when the Knapp boys, Richard and Donald, took the reins of the business. They had been working with their father since their teens and knew the job. Mrs. Knapp said people who had work done by Knapp Roofing decades ago are calling again on for work on either the same homes or new homes. That’s how a strong tradition of dependability is built. What better testament to the honesty of a business whose first priority was and still is the best interests of the customers?
“There was an older gentleman whose roof needed some repairs,” recalled Mrs. Knapp. “His wife was bed-ridden. Richard didn’t charge him. He told him to buy his wife some flowers. That’s the kind of things he did. He was well-liked. If a roof didn’t need to be done he’d tell them. He didn’t push anyone into unnecessary work.” R. F. Knapp Roofing is fully insured and licensed by the State of New Jersey. More importantly, generations of residents have had work done by the Knapp family and stand as references. To schedule a free estimate of your job, call Mrs. Knapp at 973-777-1699. It’s interesting to note that the Knapp’s usually do not take deposits, Mrs. Knapp said her husband didn’t believe in deposits. His sons carry on another of his honorable traditions. “When the job is done and the people are satisfied,” said Mrs. Knapp, “then we’ll get paid. “We are a family business, started and still run by the same family. We are committed to continue the reputation of my husband’s work,” said Mrs. Knapp. “Richie and Donny carry on that tradition. They are kind and respectable and all of us appreciate our customers.”
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Home Improvers It does not matter if you are planning to cash out your Clifton colonial and move on or if you are ready to move up to Montclair Heights (or any other section of town). The time of the year is here for home improvements and there is now better place to start then with the contractors found on these pages. The information and advertisers within this magazine will be helpful. The folks featured herein
Where to Start?
Any Questions? Before you renovate a room or hire a contractor to build a deck, permits are likely needed. Below are some names and numbers you can contact before you started... are trustworthy, local vendors and trades people.
How Much Homeowner’s Insurance is Needed? Every day people ask themselves, “How much homeowner’s insurance do I need?” The answer varies, depending on each person’s situation. Usually you should insure your home for its whole value, the actual This story prepared for Clifton’s State Farm® building and all of its Agents Bill G. Eljouzi and Tom Tobin contents. In order to find out exactly how much your home is worth, you should have it appraised. You can have an appraiser, builder or insurance agent give you an estimate on its value. However, if you ever remodel or add on to your home, its value will increase, and you will then need to purchase more coverage. For any valuable possessions you have, you can purchase extended coverage, to ensure those items are covered as well. The best thing to do is take a room-by-room inventory of your valuables then keep this list somewhere outside the home, for example, a safe-deposit box. To determine if valuable possessions, such as TVs, stereos or computers are covered, or if you have any other questions about homeowner’s insurance, contact your State Farm insurance agent.
I say that because I know most of them personally. Please patronize these Clifton craftsmen as well as our local Realtors. And remember—before beginning any project, be sure to get the proper city permits. Here are some numbers at city hall to get you started... The Engineering Department issues permits for curb/sidewalk construction, street excavation, tree planting and driveway widening—973-470-5793. The Planning and Zoning Office can answer questions on pools, decks, fences, additions and other issues regarding new construction—973-470-5808. The Building Department issues permits for plumbing, electrical, fire safety, elevators and other types of construction. The department also issues permits for demolition work, oil tank removal, asbestos and lead abatement—973-470-5809. by Tom Hawrylko Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Home Improvers
(973) 472-5762
• Clean-Ups • Planning & Design Serving Clifton • Foundation Planting for 31 years • Weekly Lawn Maintenance and counting
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Clifton Milestones
From Botany to St. Brendan’s The 50 Year Priestly Journey of Frank Weber Continues By Tom Hawrylko
“I said my first mass in Latin, with my back to the people,” recalled Father Frank Weber. “That’s where I started from.” That starting point was a fine May day in 1962 at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church when a young man began his journey from parishioner to priest. Located on the corner of Hope Ave. and Harrison St. in Passaic, Holy Trinity was Father Weber’s home parish, and the center of the community for many Botany folks. Holy Trinity was where he was baptized, received First Holy Communion and likely the house of worship where he will make his earthly exit. Indeed, much has changed since he began that journey. The Tridentine Mass—the Roman Catholic Liturgy celebrated in Latin in which the priest turned only to the faithful when he offered Communion—is history. Old Clifton neighborhoods such as Botany where he grew up or Lakeview where he has lived for nearly 30 years have changed too. “What really remains the same?” he asked. “Memories, perhaps.” Father Weber’s memories and his priestly journey of 50 years will be celebrated on May 20 at the Brownstone in Paterson by his parishioners at St. Brendan’s RC Church. For tickets and info, call Roseanne Schultz at 973-449-4862 or Peggy Quinn at 973-772-1115. 72 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Father Weber in a current photo and as a young priest.
The 77 year old was born and raised in Clifton, attending the long gone School 7 which was on Parker Ave in Botany. Following his 1952 graduation from CHS, Weber focused his ambitions on the burgeoning industry of electronics. “It was a new and exciting field. They still had tubes, not even transistors yet,” he recalled of his studies at a school in Paterson. “It was what interested me at the time and I followed my dreams.” He studied there for two years. During that time, he also worked as an usher at the Hyway Theater on Broadway in Fair Lawn. At 20 years of age, he was socially active and began dating his coworker. “Her name was Betty, and we had slowly started forming some plans,” recalled Weber.
Pretty average stuff. Like most of his generation, Weber was a practicing Christian. He’d attend services at Holy Rosary, stayed active in spiritual and social events offered by the parish. And while he does not recall a specific epiphany, he does cite the steady influence of his two priests, Father John Morris and Father McGinley. “The more we talked, little by little I got more focused on the decision to become a priest,” said Father Weber. “Then one day, bam, I just jumped on it.” Weber entered Seton Hall University in South Orange for three years and attended Darlington Seminary in Ramsey for six years. He took his vow in 1962 at St. John’s Cathedral in Paterson by Bishop McNulty.
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Clifton Milestones These days, Father Weber is officially retired and his title is “Pastor in Residence.” Over the last weekend of February, he blessed and officiated a wedding, a few days earlier he presided over a funereal for a family friend and on Ash Wednesday he was placing signs of Christianity on the foreheads of the faithful at 7 am, 4 pm and then after a 7 pm Liturgy at his parish, located at the corners of Lakeview and Crooks Aves. That’s retired? “We do what we have to,” he shrugged. Facts about the changing church tell a story. “When I came here in 1981, we had three priests connected to the parish and two of us who lived here and helped out,” he recalled. “We used to have 13 sisters here,” continued Weber. “No we have none. It’s all lay people now. It’s a whole new world out there now Years ago, a girl could get an education through the convent. Now she can do it on her own.” The demographics of St. Brendan’s also changed in the three decades that he has been at the helm. “We have many Muslim neighbors and there are two mosques within walking distance,” explained Weber. “Our population that is here is very mixed.”
At Holy Trinity in Passaic in May 1967, Father Weber giving his mother, Pauline, the Sacrament of Communion.
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The Lakeview neighborhood has also seen a growth in the Hispanic population and a growing number attend services at the parish. Father Weber says the beacon of the community is St. Brendan’s K-8 School. Enrollment has actually increased because of the quality of the facilities and education, he said, adding the closure of other parochial schools in the region show the school’s viability. A strong youth community is the key to the growth of any house of worship. When Father Weber looks back at his career, he said that nurturing the next generation was one of the cornerstones of his priestly life. Following his ordination in 1962, his first assignment was a assistant pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Dover, and as a parttime teacher at Morris Catholic. One year later he became the assistant pastor at Holy Cross Church in Wayne and had the opportunity to teach part-time at DePaul High School for three years. During this same time, Weber returned to school to further his education, attending Manhattan
College for his masters in theology and religious education. He later obtained a second masters degree from Manhattan College in counseling, and began teaching full time at De Paul. Looking back at the 1960’s and 1970’s, Father Weber recalled another changing social landscape. He attended courses at the New Jersey School of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark studying a new phenomena and in 1970 he was certified as an instructor for Drug Abuse Prevention. Afterwards, he helped to create and implement a curriculum regarding drug abuse and preven-
tion for all Catholic High Schools in the Paterson Diocese. Another milestone was being named the first Executive Director of the Passaic County Big Brothers/Big Sisters in 1972. Weber arrived at St. Brendan’s in 1981, after spending time at St. Gerard’s in Paterson and then nine years at Our Lady of Consolation. While he has officially retired, he stays active ministering to the community, still living in his hometown. And in many ways, the May 20 celebration brings his career full circle. It started in Botany and ends in Lakeview—all taking place in Clifton.
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Clifton Mystery
Papers and Photos Found in a Suitcase, Puts us on a Search for
Photographer Joseph Bellanca 76 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Lonely and contemplative but also sexy and inquisitive, these are photographs taken by Joseph Bellanca, which were found in a suitcase left behind in the old Hotel Passaic. Ann Simpson, who works at Deluxe Cleaners, found the photos while cleaning out the Hotel Passaic on Henry St. The contents were found in Room 208 four years ago and turned over to us this past month. So what happened to Joseph Bellanca? We have some clues. Bellanca, born July 7, 1930, was a self employed photo journalist with a resume that included spreads in Vogue and other prestigious publications. He served in the Army from 1951-1954, and received the Korean Service Medal. His discharge papers state his address as 228 Parker Ave., Clifton, while a resume from the mid-60s lists it as 13 Van Riper Ave. We’re not sure if the photo at facing page bottom is of him...Can you help us solve this mystery? To give us a lead on Bellanca, call 973-253-4400 or email tomhawrylko@optonline.net. View the full album of photos at www.facebook.com/clifton.merchant.
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Music & Arts CHS 2005 grad Bowen Walsh will compete in the National Trumpet Competition, sponsored by the National Trumpet Guild. Currently a senior at Montclair State, Walsh was one of 37 chosen in the graduate division to compete in live rounds at George Mason University in Virginia from March 15 to 18. From the 37 players selected nationally, the group will be whittled down to five to decide the winner. Walsh is in his final year of his trumpet performance Master’s degree at MSU and is now in his 15th year of playing the instrument, including four years at Clifton High with the Marching Mustangs and the CHS brass band.
Bowen Walsh takes his trumpet and his chops to Virginia on March 15 in a national trumpet competition. Director Elizabeth Eisenmenger with cast members Bhavin Shah (center) and Jennie Sekanics of “All Shook Up,” this year’s student musical at CHS. Photo by Alli Green.
All Shook Up is the annual Clifton High School musical, with performances on March 16 to 18. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 pm, and the Sunday matinee starts at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 and $7 for seniors and students. Director Elizabeth Eisenmenger, who headed the past seven musicals, described the show as a light-hearted rendering of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ set to the music of Elvis Presley.” The production team includes Christina Paulin as vocals coach; Marius Sorbello conducting the pit band; choreographer Lois Manzella; and set designer Julie Chrobak. Ken Kida is the master set builder, Mike Carofine serves as the stage electrician and Joe Christiani is the sound technician. Paulin directed the CHS Madrigal singers during the recent holiday season. 78 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
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Music & Arts
The Clifton Association of Artists opens Sunlight/Starry Night on March 7. At left, an authentic replica of The Shroud of Turin is exhibited at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Passaic March 3-17.
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 217 President St., Passaic, will display an authentic replica of The Shroud of Turin from March 3 to 17. This is the 9th replica of the Turin Shroud sanctioned by the Vatican. The image on the shroud is commonly associated with Jesus Christ, his crucifixion and burial. The unveiling is on March 3 at 4:30 pm followed by Divine Liturgy. The 14 foot long linen shroud will be displayed in the church. Visitors can see it from March 5 to 16 from noon to 3 pm and 6 to 8 pm. Confessions will be heard from 5 to 6 pm daily. A closing service will be held on March 17, beginnign with an 8 am Liturgy, followed by a Rosary Hour and Closing Prayer at 10 am. For info, or to arrange for a group tour, call 973-473-7197 or email stnicholasucc@gmail.com For info, visit www.stnicholasucc.org. 80 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The Clifton Arts Center presents Sunlight/Starry Night, a diverse show by members of the Clifton Association of Artists. The exhibit— featuring works in oil, acrylic, pastels and mixed-media by professional and amateur artists— is up March 7 to 31. A reception open to the public is on March 10, from 1 to 4 pm. Admission is $3 for non-members. The gallery is open Wed. through Sat., 1 to 4 pm. Call CAA Show Chair Eugenia Gore at 973-7739721or go to www.cliftonnj.org. The Theater League of Clifton presents Lethal Lecture, a murdermystery dinner theater. Show dates are March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 at Mario’s Restaurant, 710 Van Houten Ave., Clifton. Tickets are $35. Call 973-928-7668 or go to www.theaterleagueofclifton.com. TLC is auditioning for California Suite on March 10 and 12 with performances in May.
Blue State Productions, in residence at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 380 Clifton Ave., Clifton, stages the comedy-drama Mass Appeal which focuses on the conflict between a Pastor and an idealistic young seminarian. Performances are March 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and seniors). Opening night special is $10. Call for group tickets. A free wine and cheese reception will be held on March 17 after the show. Info: 973-607-1924 or visit www.BlueStatePRoductions.com. The Garden State Opera presents ‘Il Consulente Matrimoniale’ (The Marriage Counselor) on March 30 at 8 pm at the Allwood Community Church, Chelsea and Merrill Rds. Tickets are $10. On April 14, the GSO presents ‘Il Consulente Matrimoniale’ in Hawthorne. For details, call 973-685-9972 or visit www.gardenstateopera.org.
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Events & Briefs The Art of Membership, a competition of words or art to celebrate the North Jersey Federal Credit Union, is now open. Entries will be judged in three age categories: under 14, 14 to 21, and 21 and over. There is no limit on pieces entered or medium used, and all submissions must be rated PG. Deadline is April 19 and winning entries will be displayed from April 19 to May 3 at the NJFCU Totowa lobby at 711 Union Blvd., and from May 4 to 19 at the Paterson branch, 126 Market St. For more info, visit www.njfcu.org. ‘The Way It Is’ is a competition open to middle and high schoolers, sponsored by Action Theatre Conservatory Studios in Clifton. Info: dios3@gmail.com. Deadline is March 15. Passaic County History and Tourism Board members made a presentation about the 175th anniversary of the founding of Passaic County at a recent Freeholder meeting. The goal of the board is to promote tourism in the county through education. Two events that are planned are a luncheon on May 11 at Lambert Castle and the Passaic County Fair July 18 through July 22 in Garrett Mountain Park. For more info, visit www.passaiccountynj.org. The Eighth Annual Passaic County Film Festival, an exhibition of student and independent filmmakers’ work, is on April 14 at The Fabian 8 Theater in Center City Mall, Paterson. Free. Call 973-569-4720. 82 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Artie Veale, Johnathan Nourse, Andrew Zintilli and Brian Reilly were sworn in as Clifton Firefighters on Feb. 9. The four are now training at the Morris County Fire Academy and will next attend Passaic County EMT school. By summer, the new recruits will be on the line with experienced Clifton Firefighters, serving mostly on the ambulance crews.
Free Guided hikes of the Morris Canal Greenway are being offered by the Canal Society of New Jersey. On March 24 at 10 am, visit the Clifton location at 1101 Broad St., and visit the park and take a two hour tour to learn about the history
of the canal. On April 14 at 10 am, tour of the canal from Woodland Park through Little Falls. Meet at Woodland Park Library, 7 Brophy Ln. Contact Jennifer Gonzalez at jenniferg@passaiccountynj.org or at 973-569-4040.
Edward Smyk, Passaic County Historian and Mark Auerbach, City of Passaic Historian, point to the new Historic Sites of Passaic County poster designed by the Passaic County Planning Department during a recent presentation at the Freeholder meeting concerning the 175th anniversary of Passaic County.
The Passaic County 200 Club breakfast scheduled for March 13 has been canceled. However, the public is invited to a joint event with the Bergen County 200 Club on March 7 featuring Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. Held at The Seasons Restaurant in Washington Township, the event begins with coffee at 7:30 am. Tickets are $45. For details call Passaic County Club President Christine Schultz at 973-225-0696 or email pc200club@aol.com. The 200 Club is an organization whose members have pledged to honor and support law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical services personnel and other public safety personnel. The 200 Club will also assist the surviving spouse and children of those killed or severely injured in the line of duty. For more info about the club, visit pc200club.org.
The St. Philips Knights of Columbus and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza have teamed up for a fundraiser to benefit those with intellectual disabilities on March 6. The event will run from 5 to 9:30 pm at the pizzeria, inside The Promenade Shops. Call or see John Filippone (973-772-7959) for a flier that must be presented to the server when paying to have 20 percent of the check, excluding tax and tip, go towards the KofC cause. See John Filippone to see how you can help out his March 6 fundraiser.
Passport Day is March 10, and from 9 am to noon the Passaic County Clerk’s Office will provide information, accept applications and offer a free passport photo. For info and details, call 973-225-3690 or visit www.travel.state.gov.
The Rosary Society of St. Paul’s R.C. Church host a Fish-N-Chips Dinner on March 8 at 5 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $6.50 for children under 12. Open seating in the church basement at 231 Second St. Take-out orders available but tickets must be purchased by March 5. Call 973-340-1300 or 973-478-2605.
Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin Precision Motors Athenia Mason Pub 46 Century 21 Sign-A-Rama Tom Siso, Sr. Smith Sondy Coldwell Banker Clifton St. Mary’s Hospital Frances Rosado Styertowne Shopping Center Gina Torres The Diamond Agency Pina Nazario Carlos Cortes Corradino & Papa Christine Romanelli Downtown Clifton Frank Cortes Fette Ford Stanley Gottlieb Genardi Contracting Inc. The Salt Cavern Neglia Engineering Associates Thomas Graziano MD, DPM North Jersey Vito’s Towing Federal Credit Union Weichert, Realtors Paramus Catholic High School Passaic County Community College Passaic County Elks Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center
Get one at any advertiser or visit our office at 1288 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Events & Briefs On Feb. 13, and then again on Feb. 27, Clifton teachers demonstrated in front of the Board of Education building on Clifton Ave. to bring attention to their still unsettled contract. Some 1,300 teachers have worked without a contract for nearly three years.
Boy Scout Troop 74 of Clifton will host a Pancake Breakfast on March 3 at the First Presbyterian Church of Clifton, 303 Maplewood Ave., from 8 am to noon. Tickets, all you can eat style, are $8 ($6 for child 10 and under). For info, contact pharris@panynj.gov.
The Young at Heart Senior Social Club celebrates St. Patrick’s Day on March 12 with a trip to Camp Hope. Tickets are $11. Meetings are the first and third Tuesday of the month at the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church, Maplewood Ave., at 11 am. Call 973-779-5581.
School 16 Home & School Association’s Tricky Tray is on March 29, 6 pm at the Valley Regency. Tickets are $45 and include buffet and dessert with a packet of tickets. Prizes include Coach bags, home goods, electronics and more. Call Michelle Genardi at 973-417-2704.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 380 Clifton Ave., will host Market Fair, a sale of items and collectables, on Saturdays, 8 am to 4 pm, over the next few months. Dates are March 3 and 17, April 21, and May 5 and 19. Vendors space is $25. For info, call 973-546-5020 or email carlgin@yahoo.com with the subject Market Fair.
School 5 HASA’s Beefsteak is April 18 from 6:30 to 10:30 pm at The Brownstone, Paterson. Tickets are $45 and include cold antipasto, pasta, beefsteak, beer, wine, soda and coffee, DJ, a raffle ticket for a chance to win a $50 gift card and door prizes. Cash bar. Call Susann Leishman at 973-881-0321 or Danielle Petti at 973-6535795 or email dani12170@optonline.net. Tickets are only sold til March 26; no door admission. The Clifton Clergy Association will host an Ecumenical Lenten Program of prayer and preaching, modeled on Anglican Evensong, at several churches on Wednesdays during Lent. The program will allow participants to experience worship in various Christian traditions. Masses, will be held at the following locations: March 7, First Presbyterian Church, 303 Maplewood Ave.; March 14, Hope Reformed Church, 308 Burgess Pl.; March 21, Allwood Community Church, 100 Chelsea Rd., and March 28, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 380 Clifton Ave. 84 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton hosts its 5th annual Tricky Tray on May 11. All of the proceeds from this event will go directly to the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton and the 5,000 youth served annually. Cash and gift donations are needed. Contributions will be acknowledged in the event program. Call 973-773-2697 ext 43 with questions. The Daddy Daughter Date Night is at the Community Recreation Center on April 20, from 6 to 9 pm. Dads and their daughters will enjoy dinner at elegant dining tables, followed by music, games and dancing. There is the option for a photo for a fee. Pre-registered couples are $5; at the door the cost is $10. Additional daughters are $2. Call the Clifton Rec. Dept. at 973-470-5956. Mail listings to tomhawrylko@optonline.net and we publish information as space permits.
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Events & Briefs Msgr. Peter J. Doody Scholarship Chair Dennis Fitzpatrick, District Deputy Ray Lill, Grand Knight Jack Jaeger, Dr. John Houston, Fr. Paul Manning, Pastor and Chaplain of St. Philip The Apostle, and Deputy Grand Knight David Cordero.
The Knights of Columbus St. Phillips The Apostle Council 11671 held its annual beefsteak for the Mgsr. Peter J. Doody Scholarship Fund on Feb. 18. The scholarship fund donates a scholarship to an 8th Grader from St. Philip The Apostle who wishes to attend a Catholic High School, and to one other student to continue his or her study at St. Philip The Apostle. Jack Jaeger is organizing A Toast to the Class of 2012, a fundraiser for the 2012 CHS Project Graduation, on March 9 at Bliss on Allwood Rd., from 5 to 9 pm. Project Graduation is an overnight graduation celebration for CHS students at an undisclosed location, where students are chaperoned in a drug and alcohol free event. Tickets to the event are $10. The 2012 CHS Project Graduation Prom Fashion Show is March 11 at 2 pm at the JFK Auditorium. Tickets are $5 and proceeds support Project Graduation and the graduates of 2012. The Fashion Show takes place because of the generous support of sponsors. The tuxedos are from Deluxe Formal Wear on Main Ave. Clifton and the gowns were donated by Unique Designs by Vikki on Clifton Ave and Just Beautiful Boutique on Lakeview Ave., as well as The Red Carpet in Wayne, Vesa in Nutley and Group USA in Seacaucus. AGL Welding supplies the helium for balloon decorations. Hair salons participating include Infatuation on Market St., Guy Anthony on Clifton Ave, Hair Craft on Broad St., Hair Expressions on Broad St. and the Hair Spa on Van Houten Ave. However, more salons are needed. In total, there are 60 CHS senior girls and 48 boys in the show. For info, or to donate, contact Chair Maryann Cornett at 973-779-5678. 86 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
The Leisure Club of St. Paul’s meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 pm. in the church hall. Anyone age 55 and up is welcome to join and participate in all trips and events. The St. Patrick’s Day luncheon is scheduled for March 15 at the Mountainside Inn. The bus leaves the church at 9 am. Other events include trips to Camp Hope on April 18, May 23 and June 6. For information, call 973-546-7690. The Relay for Life Kick Off was held on Feb. 12 at the Senior Center, with more than 125 local residents showing up to support the cause. This year’s theme is Step Right Up and Fight Against Cancer—a carnival theme— with co-chairs Melissa Vogel and Barbara Mack. The Relay for Life is a nationwide movement that benefits lifesaving American Cancer Society research, programs and services. This year’s annual, all-night walk around Clifton Stadium will take place from June 2 to 3. For info about forming a team, visit www.relayforlife.org/cliftonnj. For info about the American Cancer Society, call 1800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. Cliftonite Tyjee Williams, a senior at Passaic County Technical Institute, signed an academic and athletic football contract with New Haven University. Williams has played football for the Bulldogs for the past four years. The co-captain was a two year starter at safety, completing 84 tackles with 37 first hits, averaging 8.8 per game. He’s defended 6 passes, recovered 1 fumble, and caused 2 fumbles.
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Clifton Mustangs
HELPING OTHERS By Joe Hawrylko
Student of the Month Rachel Ventrella and her family are all involved with the Relay For Life. They are pictured here in the 2010 event at the Clifton Stadium. From left is her father, Ralph, cousin, Michelle Rossi DeHaven, cousin Michael Rossi, her late aunt Mary Rossi, cousin Nicole Rossi, Rachel Ventrella and her mother, Nancy.
Student of the Month Rachel Ventrella has always about helping others in need. From a young age, she’s been involved with the Relay for Life charity, and hopes to one day have a career in deaf education. “I’ve been doing the Relay since I was at least five years old,” she recalled. “My cousin, Michael Rossi, I don’t know how he got involved but one day he came home and said we’re all doing the relay.” Over the last four years, Ventrella has become much more involved with the cancer charity, following the passing of her aunt, Mary Rossi, in 2010. Mary Rossi defeated breast cancer in 2009, but was diagnosed with liver cancer a year later. For the past four years, she has served on the committee with her two cousins, Michelle Rossi DeHaven and Nicole Rossi, as a part of the event chair. “Basically, we meet a couple times a year and come up with different activities to di during the relay,” she said. “It’s a 14 hour event, so we need activities and games to make it more fun. Noise marker laps, beach ball laps, stuff like that.” 88 March 2012 • Clifton Merchant
Beyond her involvement with the Relay For Life, Ventrella’s free time is mostly consumed by her job at the Allwood Library, where she works as a page three days a week, and by her academics. The Student of the Month is a member of the National Honor Society, and strives to achieve excellence in the classroom. “I’m doing the Students at MSU program and took two courses last semester and will take another two this semester,” she explained. Ventrella studied Greek mythology and speech, and will take intro to European civilization and intro to music this Spring. “I love it. I really like it a lot,” said Ventrella, who plans on attending Montclair State to study deaf education. “I took sign language for the past two years with Mrs. Lesler,” explained Ventrella. Lesler has aided the student in researching schools and careers. “She makes it fun and interesting. She’s been helping me by telling me what she thinks would interest men and what she thinks I would be good at.” Ventrella said her cousin, Nicole, was the one who sparked the interest in sign language.
“When I was younger, she used to teach me the abcs and everything,” she recalled. “I thought it was really cool, and wanted to learn more. My cousins and I grew up in the same house together and I’m an only child. They’re like my siblings.” Ventrella said that MSU does not have deaf education, so her plan would be to study speech and audiology, and
possibly pursue an audiology doctorate at the school. While ambitious, Ventrella is confident in her own skills, and that she will have the support of her parents. “My parents always pushed me to do my best in everything I did. They’ve always helped me with anything I needed help with and have always been there for me.”
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Family Super Bowl Party
Clifton
Family Super Bowl Party Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 • Photos by Kelly Hanrahan Sure the Giants won the 2012 Super Bowl and it was a great game. And for the 14th consecutive year, hundreds of Cliftonites went to the Boys & Girls Club to watch the game on big screen tvs, spend some time with family and
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friends while they munched away on pizza, hot dogs and more. In Clifton, the MVPs were the volunteers, sponsors and those who attended that made this family friendly event a success. These pages of photos tell the story...
Let’s Do Lunch! nd
2Tuesday Series @ the
Boys & Girls Club
Join us at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 11:30 am for a new topic of interest!
Hosted by: Dante P. Liberti, CFP ® - Upcoming Dates & Topics
Tuesday March 13, 2012 College Financial Aid Planning
Guest Speaker: Chuck Drawbaugh President of College Funding Associates, LLC
Dont forget it’s the 2nd Tuesday at 11:30 am Tuesday April 10, 2012
Tuesday May 8, 2012
Medicaid Planning Speaker & Details to follow
Intro to Medicare Speaker & Details to follow
Complimentary lunch is provided
Free Lunch but Suggested Donation: $5
To benefit the B&G Club of Clifton. Make check to
the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton
Please RSVP Dante Liberti at 732-734-0053
so we have enough good food for everyone!
Securities offered through Securities America, Inc-Member FINRA &SIPC. Dynasty Advisors, LLC, and the Securities America companies are not affiliated entities. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Representatives of Securities America do not give legal advice.
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Family Super Bowl Party Thanks to our sponsors, admission was a canned good which was donated to St. Peter’s Haven. The 14th Clifton Family Super Bowl Party was sponsored by... • CASA—Clifton Against Substance Abuse • Jim & Rita Haraka & Family • Rotary Club of Clifton • Tom Fieldhouse & Family • Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin • Gift in memory of Florence, George H. Trinkle, Jr. & George H. Trinkle III • Barbara Dougherty in memory of Henry Dougherty • Clifton Police PBA Local 36
• Clifton Firefighters FMBA Local 21 • St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 Knights of Columbus • JSK Landscaping /The Bassford Family • Mayor, Council, City Manager & City Attorney • Carlet, Garrison, Klein & Zaretsky • Vito’s Towing / Vito & Pete DeRobertis • Clifton Merchant Magazine
View The Giblin Report Sunday at 8:30 pm Cablevision Ch. 76 Check with your Cable Provider for Other Listings
Proud to Represent Clifton Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin 1333 Broad St. • 973-779-3125
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Think September! Register now Full-day Kindergarten
Summer Camp
A Place to Learn, Grow & Have Fun! - We’ve Moved! 66 Mt. Prospect Ave. Clifton 973-472-4912 www.newbairnschool.com
Good Neighbors, Great Rates
973-
772-8451
Roofing • Siding Seamless Gutters Additions • Alterations
Thomas Tobin 973-779-4248
Bill G. Eljouzi 973-478-9500 Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Family Super Bowl Party
Benjamin Moore Paints and much more...
Able Hardware 745 Van Houten Ave.
973.773.4997 Mon.-Fri. till 7pm Sat. till 5pm
1232
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Proudly Serving Assembly District 34... Clifton, Orange, East Orange & Montclair
Support the good work of St. Peter’s Haven. To donate food items, call 973-546-3406.
The Honorable
Sheila Y. Oliver Speaker of New Jersey
15-33 Halsted St., Suite 202 East Orange, NJ 07018 973-395-1166 • AswOliver@njleg.org Clifton Merchant • March 2012
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Birthdays & Celebrations - March 2012 James & Margaret Visconti and grandparents Krystyna & Zbigniew Lipski welcome Giovanni & Abrianna who were born Feb 1. Congratulations to Corey & Michelle Genardi, celebrating their anniversary on March 28...their daughter Bianca Eda is all smiles for her 6th birthday on March 2.
Happy Birthday to... Send dates & names...tomhawrylko@optonline.net Julie Dominick......................3/1 Meaghan Franko .................3/1 Kathleen Pocoek ..................3/1 Eric Sudhalter ......................3/1 Kenzie Lord .........................3/3 Valerie Godowsky................3/5 Alice Paxton ........................3/5
Carol Crudele......................3/6 Ted Grzybowski...................3/6 Pat Smith.............................3/8 Victoria Crudele...................3/9 Jenny Sichel.........................3/9 Pamela Culque ..................3/10 Tiffany Sabo ......................3/10
Joe & Pat Torelli celebrate their 41st anniversary on March 6. Happy Birthday to Pat Hiller on March 22. Happy 39 Years to Nina & Frank Corradino March 25. Happy 13th Birthday to Aidan Tedesco on March 27. Belated 14th B’day to Anthony Gretina on Feb. 29. He’ll be 15 in Feb. 2016! Teddy Harsaghy.................3/11 Eddie Gasior, Jr. ................3/12 Mike Pesaro ......................3/12 Victor Berdecia ..................3/13 Diego Hernandez ..............3/15 Tyler Hughes......................3/15 Laura Lee ..........................3/15 Suzanne Ciok....................3/19 Janette Hughes ..................3/19 Caitlin Lotorto ....................3/19 Colleen Murray..................3/20 Holly Sorenson ..................3/20 Nenad Vuckovic ................3/20
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Casey Hawrylko is 22 on March 2. Monica Ahmed .................3/21 George Andrikanich ..........3/22 Elisabel Reyes ...................3/24 Carmen Rivera ..................3/24 Kyle Hooyman ..................3/24 Michele Andrikanich..........3/27 Jennifer Mondelli ...............3/27 Nicholas Surgent...............3/27 Muriel Curtin.....................3/28 Francis Salonga ................3/31 Paul McVeigh....................3/31 Chris Kolodziej..................3/31
Beware the Ides of March! Elaine Sassine... Happy 63rd birthday!
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CHS Reunion Clifton High School Class of ‘82 will hold a 30th reunion on June 9, at Jenkinson’s in Point Pleasant Beach. Tickets are $85. For info, look up “The 30th is Here: CHS Class of ‘82 Reunion” on facebook, or contact co-chairs Colleen Cussick and Maria (Di Piazza) Colgero at cliftonhs82@gmail.com. On March 25, CHS Class of 2005 grad Jonathan Borrajo will take to the pitch for the New York Red Bulls for the team’s first home game in Harrison. Borrajo had spent the previous two seasons playing in Europe. Prior to that, his professional experience was in the USL Second Division, where he played for the Real Maryland Monarchs. Borrajo, 24, joined the Red Bulls after training in the Red Bulls academy with the U-19 and U-20 squads in the past. At Clifton, Borrajo was a four year standout for the Mustangs, and went on to star for George Mason University.
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The Boys & Girls Club’s Fifth Annual Mardi Gras Casino Night is March 16 at the club, 822 Clifton Ave. With the sluggish economy, the Club’s fundraising has been down, meaning this event is more important than ever as proceeds go to benefit its many programs. Sponsors and prize donations are needed, and donations are taxdeductible. Call 973-773-2697.
The Feast Day of St. Joseph—the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary—is on March 19. To celebrate the Saint of Sicily, the 82nd Geraci Citizens League St. Joseph’s Dinner Dance is on March 24 at The Brownstone, Paterson, at 6:30 pm. Coordinated by Nina Corradino, those who attend will enjoy traditional pasta, finocchi and zeppoli. For tickets, call 973-278-0356
Tomahawk Promotions 1288 main avenue Clifton, NJ 07011
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PA I D Phila Pa 191 PeRmiT No. 6438