9-22 EO

New president takes the reins at MCCC

YATES, Page

By RebeKah SChroeDer It was during a class teaching writing to college students who were almost the same age as she was that the 21-year-old Deborah Preston discovered not just her calling, but also plenty of use for her theater degree. Although she had changed her career path from acting to academia, the valuable stage skills she learned helped to shape her perspective in numerous leadership positions. Throughout more than 30 years of experience and service, Preston has studied the psychology of others’ motivations and frustrations as if preparing for a character.Asshesteps into a starring role as Mercer County Community College’s seventh president, she says wants to figure out productive solutions for both the audience and the people behind the curtain.MCCC, which has campuses in West Windsor and Trenton, announced in April that Preston would be succeeding the nearly seven-year term of previous president, Dr. Jianping Wang. After starting on July 1, Preston sat down with U.S. 1 to talk about her background and goals. Prior to accepting the MCCC position, Preston was the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. She also acted as the chief academic officer throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.According to MCCC, Preston was instrumental in the Access2Success project at RVCC, which “addressed the equity gap for students of color, first-generation students and low-income students” as part of her commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.Shesays she hopes to expand those same practices at MCCC, bringing to the position what she has learned from developing, managing and overseeing a range of initiatives in community colleges.Preston grew up in Georgia, spending most of her life in the south until she attended college and worked in other states. After being employed for 11 years at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, she came to New Jersey for RVCC. “It’s really an interesting migration for me,” Preston says. “I love it here. It’s been a much easier transition than I ever thought it wouldPrestonbe.” started out with aspirations of becoming an actress and Better Health

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EHS soccer looks to improve

PRESTON, Page 8

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During a rough, one-win season in 2021, the Ewing High boys’ soccer team scored just 12 goals as only four players found the back of the net. But one of those guys is someone a team can build around, as then-sophomore Robbie Yates tallied seven times, with all but one goal being unassisted. Yates returns as a junior along with numerous other classmates who saw action and endured growing pains last fall. Coach Dave Angebranndt feels the experience can do nothing but help in what he feels will be an improved 2022Especiallycampaign.with Yates leading the“Whenway. you have a team that’s filled with 15-year-olds who are playing against 18-year-olds, it’s gonna be hard,” said Angebranndt, who enjoyed his highest turnout of players this fall since taking over the program four years ago. “Strength is an issue, See 12

By RiCh Fisher

EHS boys’ soccer team is hoping to build around Robbie Yates, pictured above, who was the high scorer in 2021.

2  Ewing Observer | September 2022

1-800-432-LAWS Call for your free consultation The Workplace Injury Group 1-800-432-LAWS Workplace Injury and Illness Occupational Diseases Repetitive Motion Injuries Call for your free consultation The Workplace Injury Group Behind every personal injury case is a responsibility to be taken –a wrong to be righted. Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Pellettieri Rabstein & Altman. We’ve been representing accident victims since 1929. • Motor Vehicle Accidents • Slip and Falls • Construction Accidents • Product Liability • Other Accidents Behind every personal injury case is a wrong to be righted. • Motor Vehicle Collisions • Motor Cycle Wrecks • Nursing Home Negligence • Product Liability • Tractor Trailer Crashes • Slip and Falls • Construction Sites • Wrongful Death Advocates for victims of injuries involving: Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Pellettieri Rabstein & Altman. We’ve been representing injury victims since 1929. 989 Lenox Drive | 1st Floor | Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 | Telephone: (609) 520-0900 | Fax: (609) 896-1265 601 Longwood Avenue | Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 | Telephone: (856) 222-0111 • SINCE 1929 • 1-800-432-LAWS | www.pralaw.com *A description of the methodology for this award can be found at https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/methodology.aspx. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Introducing two additions to our Personal Injury Department: Richard J. Isolde Richard initially worked as a defense attorney for insurance companies. During that time, he saw that individuals were not always treated fairly. He decided to start representing injured victims. Since then, he has successfully litigated hundreds of cases to favorable settlements and/or verdicts. His efforts have resulted in millions of dollars for his injured clients.

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4  Ewing Observer | September 2022

Ewing Township and the Ewing Green Team recently inducted two local businesses into the Ewing Green Business Recognition Program, bringing the total number of Program members to 10.

An investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Hamilton Township Police led to the arrest of a Hamilton man for the murder of a Ewing woman.Harley Wildmann, 42, was arrested and

Observer Ewing EDITOR Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rich Fisher, Rebekah Schroeder, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Helen Kull AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION Stephanie Jeronis We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Ewing Observer is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood. Community News Service 9 Princess Road, Suite M Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News: news@communitynews.org Events: events@communitynews.org Sports: sports@communitynews.org Letters: bsanservino@communitynews.org Website: ewingobserver.com Facebook: facebook.com/ewingobserver Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace 17,000 copies of the Ewing Observer are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Ewing 12 times a year. TO callADVERTiSE (609) 396-1511, ext. 110 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC. © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. CO-PUBLISHER Jamie Griswold CO-PUBLISHER Tom Valeri MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION Sara Hastings ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Thomas Fritts PRODUCTION MANAGER Stacey Micallef DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL INITIATIVES Joe Emanski Trademark and U.S. Copyright Laws protect Community News Service LLC Publications. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the Publisher. A proud member of: ArounD toWn Mercerville 702 RT 33 east (Opposite Hamilton Carwash) 609-586-4596 Ewing Parkway & Olden Ave (Behind IHOP) 609-530-0055 Lawrenceville Rt 1 & Franklin Corner Rd (Across from WaWa) 609-896-3798 Open 7 days Jiffy Lube Signature Service ® Oil Change OFF Not Valid with any other offer for same service. Must present coupon at time of service. Valid at participating stores on jersey.jiffylube.com Not Valid with any other offer for same service. Must present coupon at time of service. Valid at participating stores on jersey.jiffylube.com. $ Tire Rotation OFF Jiffy Lube, the Jiffy Lube design mark and Jiffy Lube Signature Service® are registered trademarks of Jiffy Lube International, Inc. © 2016 Jiffy Lube International, Inc. No Appointment Necessary! • jersey.jiffylube.com. Score a Great Deal Oil Change Today! BX43C2 • Expires: 2/28/22 RHLF• Expi7s: 2/28/22RHLF• Expires: 9/30/22BX43C2• Expires: 9/30/22 See AROUND TOWN, Page 6 ★★ 1985 Pennington Rd Located in Trinity United Methodist Church across from www.ewingcommunitypreschool.comTCNJ609-882-1413 * State & Industry Certified Teachers * Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum * Low Student/Teacher Ratio * Breakfast, Snacks, Juice/Milk * Flexible Schedules * Enrichment Programs & Field Trips “FamilyOwnedandOperated” CallorStopinforInformationOwner/Director-MaraLamond Ewing Community Preschool ★ FAMILY DENTISTRY • IMPLANTS • ORTHODONTICS We are here in a safe and clean environment for your Emergency Dental Needs! Call 609-454-6500 Stay Safe and Healthy Businesses recognized by Ewing Green Team

Rock Paper Garden, LLC is a locally owned and operated landscape design and build firm that has incorporated sustainable practices into many different aspects of its work, including the utilization of energy-efficient double-pane windows, the addition of electric vehicles to its fleet, the installation of rain barrels to capture rainwater for reuse as supplemental irrigation, and finding creative ways to recycle used materials.“RockPaper Garden and Abiding Presence are terrific examples of the outstanding work so many of our local organizations have done to make Ewing Township a better place to live, both in the present and far into the future,” Green Team member and Program founder Evan Crumiller said. Ewing woman murdered, body burned in Hamilton

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church and Rock Paper Garden, LLC received proclamations from Mayor Bert Steinmann and the Ewing Council, and were lauded for their efforts to improve sustainability and operate with an environmentalAbidingfocus.Presence Lutheran Church is known around Ewing for the large solar panels that reside on its grounds, which serve as a symbol of the commitment to sustainability shared by its congregation and leadership. With an internal Green Team leading the way, members of Abiding Presence have greatly reduced waste by eliminating one-time-use products with their “Sustainable Hospitality” program, involvement in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, and planting of native flora in their National Wildlife Federation-certified pollinator garden, among many other endeavors.

NOTICE TO PERSONS WANTING MAIL-IN BALLOTS Dated: September 13, 2022, Mercer

• Voters who want to vote by mail in all future elections will, after their initial request and without further action on their part, be provided with a mail-in ballot until the voter requests otherwise in writing, or beginning with the 2020 general election cycle, if the voter does not vote by mail in four consecutive years, then the voter shall no longer be furnished with a mail-in ballot for future elections and the voter shall be notified in writing of the change.

• You must complete the application form below and send it to the county clerk where you reside or write or apply in person to the county clerk where you reside to request a mail-in ballot.

•

• No person may serve as an authorized messenger or bearer for more than three qualified voters in an election, but a person may serve as such for up to five qualified voters in an election if those voters are immediate family members residing in the same household as the messenger or bearer.

If you are a qualified and registered voter of the State who wants to vote by mail in the GENERAL ELECTION to be held on November 8, 2022, the following applies:

The name, address, and signature of any person who has assisted you to complete the mail-in ballot application must be provided on the application, and you must sign and date the application.

• No person who is a candidate in the election for which the voter requests a mail-in ballot may provide any assistance in the completion of the ballot or serve as an authorized messenger or •bearer.Aperson who applies for a mail-in ballot must submit his or her application at least seven days before the election, but such person may request an application in person from the county clerk up to 3 p.m. of the day before the election.

• Application forms may be obtained by applying to the undersigned either in writing or by telephone, or the application form provided below may be completed and forwarded to the undersigned. County

Clerk, Paula Sollami Covello, 209 S. Broad St., Election Dept., P.O. Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650, 609-989-6495 September 2022 | Ewing Observer5

charged on July 26 with first-degree mur der, second-degree desecration of human remains, third- and fourth-degree weap ons offenses and fourth-degree tampering withOnevidence.July26,

Detectives collected video from the area surrounding the cemetery and identified a two-tone Chevy S10 pickup truck with New Jersey registration driving past in the early morning of July 26. At approximately 1:48 a.m., the vehicle could be seen stopping for several minutes in the area where the remains were found. A short time later, a large fire can be seen adjacent to the stopped vehicle.

Juvenile arrested for Ewing homicide

police received a call at about 6:45 a.m. from someone who observed what appeared to be human remains near the St. Mary Byzantine Cath olic Church cemetery gate on Clover Ave nue in Hamilton. The victim was later identified as 39-year-old Lisa Lloyd of Ewing. The prob able-cause affidavit filed by the Prosecu tor’s Office reported that Lloyd’s body was burned beyond recognition and she had a cord wrapped around her neck.

A Trenton teen has been arrested and charged for the June 6 shooting death of Oscar Palacios, of Trenton at a deli in Ewing Township, said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri. The 17-year-old Trenton male is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery and firearms offenses. He is being held in the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center. The charges are the result of an inves tigation by the Mercer County Homi cide Task Force and the Ewing Police Department.Atapproximately 6:10 a.m. on June 6, Ewing police responded to Priori’s Deli on Hillcrest Avenue to investigate a report of violence at the location. Upon arrival, officers located two adult males suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were transported to the hos pital where Palacios, 54, was pronounced deceased. The second victim, a 57- year-old Trenton man, was hospitalized and later released. The two men are brothers and employees of the deli. Authorities said that at about 6 a.m. that morning, the victims opened the deli and shortly thereafter the juvenile entered the deli, wearing a dark mask covering his face, and ordered food. The juvenile pointed a handgun at the victims and demanded money. He then fired his gun, grazing the 57-year-old vic tim’s forehead. A physical struggle ensued between the victim and the juvenile, during which the juvenile shot the victim in the abdomen. The juvenile then fired again, striking Pala cios in the chest. The juvenile then fled the area on a bicycle. The juvenile was identified through sur veillance video from the surrounding area from the time of the shooting. On the sur veillance video, he could be seen riding a multi-colored mountain bike and wearing a black jacket and white sneakers with the word “AIR” in large letters on the side. The juvenile was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant on June 21. At the time of that arrest, detectives noticed that he was wearing the same sneakers observed in the surveillance video from June 6. They also observed what appeared to be dried blood on the juvenile’s sneakers.

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6  Ewing Observer | September 2022

On July 29, Homicide Task Force Detec tives received the results of laboratory analysis conducted by the N.J. State Police Office of Forensic Sciences that identified the blood on the juvenile’s shoes to be a DNA match to the 57-year-old victim who was shot inside the deli.

Detectives located the Chevy S10 pickup truck later that morning in the area of Chambers and E. Franklin Streets and conducted a motor vehicle stop. The driver of the vehicle was Wildmann. A female passenger was also in the vehicle. Interviews were conducted by task force detectives and the female was released. Authorities said that Wildmann claimed that he panicked and burned Lloyd’s body after she died while they engaged in rough sex.Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact HTF Detective Sherika Salmon at (609) 989-6406 or send an email to mchtftips@mercercounty.org.

Community Forum

Warehouses have been proposed to be constructed on the former Naval Air Warfare Center on Parkway Avenue. A big-box retail center is no longer seen as viable for the site due to the downturn in the commercial real estate market. project will run beyond just my district. It will exacerbate the already dire situation in downstream communities along the Millstone River, including Princeton and significant parts of Somerset and Middlesex Counties. These same towns were devastated by last year’s Hurricane Ida, which took the lives of several people and caused extreme devastation, prompting a presidential visit to Manville. Nobody can predict when the next major weather event will occur, but we can predict its effects. We have a moral obligation to do what we can to protect our citizens—both their lives and their property—against this looming threat.

By Assemblyman Anthony S. Verrelli

Ewing Township is a warehouse complex on the old Naval Air Warfare Center on Parkway Avenue—a tract where box-box retail had previously been proposed, but is no longer viable. The issue has come to the fore in Mercer County with the approval of a 5.5 million square foot warehouse complex on a 650acre site at the corner of Quakerbridge Road and Route 1. That project and others in the region have sparked significant quality of life concerns among residents and officials over the impact of the warehouses on their communities.Belowisan op-ed by 15th District Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, in which he expresses his concern about the warehouse issue. *

A contrasting example of another Mercer County warehouse development

I spent organizing and representing my fellow union members, I advocated for many new construction projects that helped keep my members employed and their families fed. But jobs are not the only factors to consider here. When someone like me— who spent their career supporting new construction—finds a project they can’t get behind, you know that it’s bad news.

In West Windsor, phase one of the proposed project alone is over three times as large. The warehousing in Robbinsville is also better located to mitigate the type of truck traffic it causes with an easy outlet to the Turnpike—a road much more suited for heavy truck traffic than Route 1.

Verrelli, a Democrat, represents New Jersey’s 15th Legislative District, which includes the Mercer County towns of Ewing, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lawrence, Pennington, Trenton and West Windsor.

I spent my entire career as a union carpenter putting up buildings and organizing people. Before serving in the State House as an Assemblyman, I worked there as a carpenter on one of its several major renovations. In my years in the field, I’ve helped build countless commercial projects in Mercer County and around the state. When you’re a union carpenter, every project, every job is temporary, and we frequently support new construction as an economic engine, not only to keep our members working but so that the wider community can benefit from new development.Inthe20years

September 2022 | Ewing Observer7

Sometimes, a project goes too far. And, in the case of Bridge Point WW LLC’s latest project, much too far. Having 126 acres of warehouse space in seven different buildings off Quakerbridge Road would permanently change the dynamics of West Windsor and irreparably alter the character of neighboring Lawrence Township, whose citizens and government have no official say.West Windsor and Lawrence Township have always been attractive to new residents and businesses in no small part because of their proximity to major traffic arteries coupled with minimal gridlock and bumper-to-bumper traffic. However, that status quo is set to be disrupted by 5.5 million square feet of warehouse, 461 loading docks, 507 trailer parking spaces, and 1,127 parking spaces forThisvehicles.would bring an unmanageable influx of vehicles to local, state and county roads. And these intrusions are only the first phase of this project. By the end, traffic in the area could increase by over 60%.One day, going to the supermarket could be a minor but manageable inconvenience. Yet another day, it could delay you or a loved one traveling to one of the many hospitals along Route 1 and I-295.The project’s negative impacts go beyond increased traffic volume. There’s a significant environmental cost the wider region will pay too. With climate change, flooding is steadily worsening in our region and the added stormwater runoff caused by this can be found in Robbinsville. The Amazon warehouse is just 1.2 million square feet, with the warehouses next door adding another 500,000 in square footage.

Assemblyman raises concerns over warehouses

Editor’s note: A number of communities in New Jersey are dealing with the impact of a proliferation of warehouse projects throughout the state. Many towns with open space are seeing development applications for new warehouses, due to the downturn in the retail and commercial officeProposedmarket.in

* *

As an Assemblyman representing the residents that would feel the full brunt of this project, I stand arm-in-arm with them in opposing final approvals. I will advocate the state Department of Transportation to deny approval for the necessary connections between Route 1 and a new road on the property. I will also advocate for the state Department of Environmental Protection to use its full regulatory might to protect constituents in my district and beyond to ensure that no drop of runoff is added to an already stressed watershed. Once these warehouses are built, the traffic and environmental impacts are here to stay. In America, the government’s responsibility is to serve its residents and protect their quality of life. The people who oppose this project deserve our attention, but more importantly, we must listen to them. I am proud to amplify their voices, echo their concerns, and say, “No!” to Bridge Point West Windsor’s proposed development. It’s simply a bridge too far.

Like most Ewing residents, Ron, Colleen, and Will are deeply dissapointed in the current admisistration and the direction that Ewing Township is taking. As your elected officials, they will:

As president, she realized she could combine her love of both teaching and connecting with students, so Preston took on more responsibilities. Following her work in Georgia, Preston served as the dean for visual arts, performing, and media arts at Maryland’s Montgomery College, then came to RVCC.

Ron Prykanowski for Mayor

-Ensure that Trenton Water Works upgrades their infrastructure to provide safe, drinkable water to the Township -Provide supervisory oversight to the contracted private solid waste hauler to make sure that the garbage is collected when it is supposed to be -Find ways to lower taxes for all the residents and businesses in the Township Paid for by Friends of P,D, & A

earned a bachelor’s degree in theater from Florida State University. Although she “accidentally” finished in only three years, Preston no longer felt content painting sets or doing vocal exercises in the highly competitive atmosphere. She wanted to try another field, one that was steadier and more reliable. As a 21-year-old college graduate, Preston returned to FSU for a postgrad uate degree as a way of “buying myself some time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up,” she says. Preston chose to pursue a master’s degree in English, and the program required an assistantship in teaching English composition. That was where she fell in love with teaching in front of a room of students who should have been, age-wise, her peers.

She was also selected to be an Amer ican Council on Education Fellow in 2004, where as “one of only two commu nity-college administrators in her class,” she had an “eye-opening” experience. The program empowers participants to consider future leadership roles like col lege president, another title that Preston had not initially envisioned for herself.

                                                                           8  Ewing Observer | September 2022

“Honestly, I think one of the reasons I started thinking about a presidency was that during the pandemic, as the chief academic officer [for RVCC], I had a

PRESTON continued from Page 1

Even though Saturday courses tend to attract adults or non-traditional students, she continues, the readiness was appre ciated, and she was “hooked” on commu nity colleges since. “On a day-to-day basis, you have a chance to make a difference in students’ lives,” Preston says, citing a desire to impact them and grow their potential. It was never her objective, but she has thus spent all of her higher education career in community colleges. So it was only natural that Preston ended up wearing many hats in her 14 years at Georgia Perimeter College — now known as Perimeter College at Georgia State University — in Atlanta. She went from adjunct to tenured profes sor, then department chair and campus provost.Preston says that she learned some thing important in every one of the dif ferent positions she has held as she moved up. “It gives you a broader perspective of what’s going on across campus, so that when a division is struggling with something, you can relate to it in some way,” she says. “I think there’s a lot to be said for really understanding how a col lege works from top to bottom. If you’re going to be the leader, I think it makes you a more compassionate and innova tive leader in a lot of ways.”

Preston then moved on to receive a doctoral degree — also in English, specifically dramatic litera ture — from Tulane University in New Orleans.Oncefinishing the “rapid succession” from her college career to professor, Preston returned to Georgia, figuring that it might be worthwhile to apply for a job at the local community college, she says. Preston had no intention of staying in that space, especially because of com mon misconceptions and grad school Deborah Preston is the new president of Mercer County Community College. pressures, but she started as an adjunct. Her first challenge was a Saturday morning English 101 class, where, based on her previous experiences with stu dent participation, she feared the worst. But as Preston led the diagnostic writ ing assignment, informing everyone that they needed to take out writing materi als, what unfolded was the opposite of herThereexpectations.wasno “moaning, groaning, digging through the backpacks, and the borrowing of the pens,” she says. Rather than letting the odd day and time of the class affect their enthusiasm, the stu dents picked up their pens to work — because they genuinely had a desire to learn how to write, Preston says.

Colleen DiPastina and William Andres for Council

“A member shared what is called a ‘policy audit’ where you go through your policy manual, and for every single policy, you ask yourself, ‘Does this policy hurt anyone, and why is it there? Could it be friendlier?’” she explains, giving library fines as an example. Many libraries are retiring fines, Preston says. “They find that they don’t actually change the rate of book return — with or without the fine — and they just See PRESTON, Page 10

“The first thing I’m going to look at is, ‘what is everything that’s going on, and is everybody really moving in the same direction,’ because that’s the only way you get real change,” Preston says. Last year, Preston was appointed to the American Association of Community College’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which has provided her with ideas on how to serve students accordingly.

At Montgomery College, Preston met her husband, Dr. Ben Nicholson, the former math professor and department chair of mathematics, statistics, and data science for 21 years. When she started at RVCC, Nicholson stayed behind to continue teaching in Maryland.

Now, after years of living in different states, Preston and her husband are getting settled together in Lawrence Township, with Nicholson currently looking for new job opportunities.

“I truly believe that the JKC campus can and should be a really important part of the revitalization of that whole area of Trenton,” she says. “I’ve seen it happen with other types of businesses. I don’t see why it can’t happen with a college. In fact, I think we’re probably uniquely positioned to really bring about positive change working with other constituents in that community.”

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“I’m incredibly excited about the JKC campus at Trenton,” she says. “I think that is just a diamond in the rough. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do to build up that campus” with structural, aesthetic and programming improvements.Aheadofher first day, Preston says that she had conversations with many people who were entirely unaware of the Trenton campus’ existence, then assuming that it must have been a recent addition to MCCC. But the original school began on Trenton’s North Broad Street, later merging and acquiring its current name, as well as opening the West Windsor location, around the 1960s to ’70s. Upon learning the history herself, Preston says she feels more empowered than ever to help give JKC “a clear purpose.”

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Preston says that she tried to find a property halfway between the James Kerney Campus in Trenton and the campus West Windsor, but ended up closer to Trenton, which matches her interest in that campus.

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New MCCC president Deborah Preston is looking to build up the James Kerney Campus in Trenton, pictured above. huge role in pandemic management figuring out how we were going to deliver instruction, try to keep people safe, communicate what we were doing, and train the faculty,” she says. “It’s interesting because everything everybody knew was sort of out the window. We were just sort of making it all up fresh. I realized that if I could do that, I could be a president.”Then,she began the search for job openings, “applying selectively” to remain local. “I knew people who’d been at Mercer and had a real affection and a lot of good things to say about the college community and the faculty,” she says, sensing that the institution cared. When she was selected, Preston says that she felt like she was “learning a new college, learning a new county, but not learning a new state.” That comfort gave her the confidence to see what she could accomplish, as well as the ability to establish a new home in Mercer County.

To continue this, Preston says she wishes to get acquainted with the diversity, equity and inclusion plans on campus, noting there is “awareness around what we can do to make sure we’re a safe and friendly and socially just college.” One of the elements she wants to maintain is having a “strategic coordination” of these resources.

Another issue could be the act of “put ting holds on student records for park ing tickets,” because as the president asks rhetorically, “do I really want to not let the student come to college because they can’t afford their parking ticket?”

“Like any institution, there’s so many things we do because we’ve always done them, and nobody’s really stopped to say, ‘but do we have to?’ That’s what I think is important about a policy audit,” shePrestonadds. took on a similar task of reviewing and updating academic prac tices as the co-chair of Montgomery Col lege’s steering committee, which devel oped the school’s first Academic Master Plan.“The other piece that I’m really pas sionate about in terms of DEI work is that for years, we left all the DEI and social justice work up to Student Affairs, so if students weren’t doing well, [they would say] ‘well, let’s get them a mentor, let’s give them better orientation.’” She continues: “But at the end of the day, the learning happens in the class room, and if the classrooms aren’t designed with an equity and social jus tice lens — if you are teaching material in a way that alienates your students, or does not feel inclusive to your stu dents — if you are not thinking about your content matter in ways that engage students and help them to see them selves in a particular class or discipline, then all the mentors in the world aren’t going to fix that. You’ve really got to put equal weight on what happens in the classroom and what happens out of the classroom.”Preston,acknowledging the JKC cam pus specifically, is thinking of other ways to shift MCCC’s approach to positively benefit, incorporate, and highlight the voices of surrounding communities.

“We know some things, and that’s good, but we have to combine what we know with what the community says they want and need, because otherwise, I don’t see us having that much impact. It’s got to be a partnership.” That camaraderie leads into the impor tance of an understanding environment.

“We’ve got to build relationships and talk to the community about what they need,” she says. “There’s a long, sad history of white liberals deciding what other groups need or should want, with out really listening to what they need or want. As a higher ed institution, I don’t want us to fall into the trap of always thinking we know best.

“Ideally, you would want the college to be a place where everybody feels they belong, everybody feels valued, and everybody feels like they are either mak ing a positive contribution, or they are getting something positive out of their interaction,” Preston says, expressing that inclusion and appreciation are impor tant, but not unique to schools.

Another issue that Preston wants to

PRESTON continued from Page 9 10  Ewing Observer | September 2022

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Mercer County College’s West Windsor campus. discourage people who can’t afford their fines from coming back to the library.”

“We have to have that third layer, which is something positive is happen ing — either I’m making a contribution, or I’m getting something valuable from my interactions with the faculty,” she explains of the distinction.

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tackle is post-pandemic enrollment. Stu dents might be hesitant to return to col lege because of the current job market, where retail and restaurants may offer $20 an hour in what the president calls “a short-term solution” to the bigger problem.“Goahead and get your $20 an hour, but also, come to college! Let us get you set up for something better down the road,” she says. “I think people are tired, traumatized, and depressed from the pan demic. It’s hard to think about working and going to college. But we’re going to do as much outreach to students as we can and make it as painless as possible to come to

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Preston adds that there are already plans in motion to “harness” the positive energy of these interactions, and what she looks forward to the most is becom ing part of the community. But with so many people keen to celebrate the oppor tunity for collaboration, Preston is not alone in having “a lot of optimism” for what’s to come.

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Prestonschool.”saysthat

although service jobs might feel like they pay well, college “can help them get to something that’s more of a life-sustaining wage,” especially for people who want to have a family down the“Peopleline. think they can’t afford col lege, and that just breaks my heart, because you can absolutely afford to come to Mercer. Even if you think you can’t afford to come to Mercer, we can help you afford to come to Mercer,” she says, with flexible options for each stu dent’s“Youjourney.don’thave to go for a full two years. You don’t have to transfer. You can and we will help you do that, but you don’t have to,” Preston adds, say ing it “kills” her that some might avoid enrolling based on misinformation about expenses. “Between state aid, fed eral aid, and foundation aid, there’s just no reason for a student not to come to Mercer.”Those can range from New Jersey’s Community College Opportunity Grant’ for residents with an adjusted gross income under $80,000 to the MCCC Foundation’s scholarship programs — tuition plus, urban JKC, and president’s completion fund — which address the different socioeconomic backgrounds of students.Asthe end of summer means a return to school, Preston is happy to greet stu dents when the fall semester officially begins on September 6. Inspired by the enthusiasm of local officials, leaders, and other representatives who have given her a warm welcome, she reciprocates their feelings about embarking on MCCC’s promising new chapter together.

“I think I was pretty good on defense,” Yates said. “But as time went on I think I realized I could be pretty good at scor ing goals. I don’t remember exactly how it happened but at around eight or nine I was moved up.” Yates has usually been his team’s leading scorer at every level he’s played. He and most of his teammates moved on to the Next Level Soccer Academy (NLSA) in Pennington. After playing for the Ewing JV as a freshman, Yates made varsity last year and showed his potential by scoring a hat trick against Nottingham in a Sep tember contest. He went on to score in four other games but, ironically, the Devils lone win came without him scoring as Thomas Buecker and Dan Armstrong tallied in a 2-1 win over Pennsauken.“Ithinkguys like Buecker and Arm strong and Tony Genovesi are going to have a few more opportunities to score this year just because they’re older,” Angebranndt said. “They’re all juniors now. There were seven or eight sopho mores in the starting lineup last year. All those kids will be starting again. They’re all NLSA kids, they’ll bring another spring and summer of club ball to the program.

Yates started his career as a defender for the Ewing Force at age six, and most of his teammates from back then are still with him on the Blue Devils. His play in the back did not last long, how ever, as he moved up within two years.

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“He still seemed to do a really good job. Even if he wasn’t scoring, he was distributing and creating chances. It was just, when he’s the one creating chances nobody else was putting the ball and player feel that the Robbie Yates moves the ball up the field during a game last season. situation may improve this year with so many players having been through the wars.“I think we’ll definitely be much improved from last season since we got varsity experience last year, Yates said. “It was very frustrating last year. We just had a lot of games where we could have won but we didn’t take our chances and we weren’t good enough. But I think we have solid players up there who can also do stuff to help the team.”Angebranndt felt that if other players watched what Yates did and maintained it within their minds, they would be bet ter off when it came to scoring.

Bothaway.”coach

YATES continued from Page 1 12  Ewing Observer | September 2022

“People started to understand who our scorer was when they saw in the paper that Ewing lost 5-1 and Robie Yates had the goal, and Ewing lost 7-1 and Robbie Yates had the goal,” Ange branndt said. “Then it got harder for us to get him the ball because if he’s get ting double teamed in transition, who else is gonna get the ball?

“I think he leads by example because all the kids could see that shooting the ball, scoring the ball comes easier to him,” the coach said. “I think guys will see that and start to emulate his mind set. They’ll start to see he’s able to do certain things with the ball at his foot that maybe they will be able to do or at least aspire to do.”

“A few of the guys will have to step up. Some will be in different positions from last year based off what we lost but my core program is gonna be the same.”Asfor Yates, he will likely fill the

Angebranndt agrees with Yates’ sum mation of his skills.

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Yates plays competitive soccer with NLSA, he finds one of the things that help his skills most is play ing by himself. “I just go in my backyard and do my stuff,” he said. “I have a goal out there, I can shoot, dribble around, whatever. It definitely does help. If you’re not touch ing the ball for a long amount of time you might lose the touch of it. So just to get out there and get touches definitely helps.”Asked to evaluate himself, Yates said, “I think that my best attribute would be my dribbling, I’m good in tight places and can get past people. I think once I’m in position to score, I can. I can score from far out and I think I’m pretty fast.”

“I wasn’t surprised at what I did,” Yates said. “We didn’t have many upper classmen, so I thought if we were gonna do something someone had to step up.” As this season approaches, Yates looks to step up even further, and feels the rest of his teammates are ready to do“There’slikewise.no point giving up,” he said. “I know over the years we’re gonna improve. The majority of us were in 10th grade last year and were playing 18 year olds so I just know it’s gonna get better.”

Angebranndt noted that “I had Rob bie on the left side because he’s left footed. I played more of a 4-3-3 and had him as a triple headed offensive guy. “I wanted to put him in the middle of the field,” the coach continued. “But I had nobody on the left side, I had no left foot. I was in a situation where I’d rather have him up top and be put in the mix more and I moved him to my cen ter striker. He played a little better with his back to a defender receiving a ball from the midfielder. Once I moved him he became even more of an offensive threat, even though he was from the left side.”Although

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“He’s probably one of the faster kids we have and just the sheer power he has in his foot is definitely something impressive for a junior,” the coach said. The coach feels one of Robbie’s big gest assets is his desire to score. “You gotta have the hunger,” Ange branndt said. “You could be the quick est guy in the world, you could have the best footwork. But if you can’t put the ball in the back of the net there’s no point in putting you up top. You gotta be that guy who can fight, make moves around guys or just keep the ball in open“Asspacea14, 15 year old kid he has that desire to get into open space and put the ball in the net. He just shoots the ball more. He’s 25, 30 yards out and he’ll shoot it, where other guys have to start getting into that mindset that you don’t have to be within the 18 yard line to score. Take it 20 yards out and put the ball on net and see what hap pens when the goalkeeper fumbles it. They all want that ESPN Top-10 Upper 90 goal where they dribble it around 15 guys. Just put the ball on the net.” Yates says his urge to score just comes from wanting to contribute to the cause.“Whenever I go out there I try to give my all and want to help the team,” he said. “That’s what drives me to score and do better. I’m confident in my abil ity. The confidence has probably grown with me as I’ve gone on.” It was an attitude he needed on last year’s young team.

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Why the name lanternfly? As the story goes, Maria Sibylla Merian of Germany, a naturalist and scientific illustrator (search her name; she did beautiful work) identi fied a number of insects in the taxonomic family known as Fulgoridae. These insects, Merian noted, had snouts which inflated andCarlglowed.Linneaus apparently accepted the observation as fact, and that’s how the tax onomy evolved. When I reached out to a Virginia Tech professor who has written about spotted lanternflies to verify this, he sent me to Wikipedia. (yes, I know). Let’s moveTheon.invasion of spotted lanternflies to North America now requires us to become amateur entomologists so we can also play predators.Spotted lanternflies are in the taxonomic order known as Hemiptera--true bugs. There are approximately 80,000 species in this order; you know well many of the spotted lanternfly cousins including cica das, aphids, stink bugs and bed bugs. This order contains what are called “true bugs” because as the Amateur Entomologists’ Society notes: everyone — entomologists included — tend to call all insects ‘bugs.’ The true bugs often have long antennae divided into a small number of segments, and the front wings can be somewhat hard ened. Some bugs resemble beetles, but beetles have wing covers that do not over lap, unlike the bugs. True bugs have a three-stage life cycle: egg, nymph, adult. But the spotted lantern fly nymph goes through what are called instars--interval developments--before becoming an adult. So for the spotted lan ternfly, the life cycle is eggs, instar 1, instar 2, instar 3, adult. So how did we get to this moment? Philadelphia, 1784 and the tree of heaven

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Left: a tree infested with spottled lanternflies. Right: a spotted lanternfly egg mass.

The scourge of the spotted lanternfly: how we got here

It’s not a lantern; it emits no light. It’s not even a member of the fly family. Yet, if there were an insect fashion show with a runway, the spotted lanternfly might be the envy of what are called true bugs, because of the fashionable mix of colors, spots and hidden bright red underwings designed to chase awayButpredators.don’tbetaken in by the bug’s beauty; the spotted lanternfly has eyes on our gar dens, intending to suck the life from vari ous trees and vines. And all of this because of two human errors. The first error hap pened in 1784, the second error in 2014. The taxonomy of lanternflies

In 1979, Chinese-born Harvard Univer sity Botanist Shiu Ying Hu wrote about the journey of the tree of heaven, a plant native to TheChina.story begins with a Jesuit priest, Pierre d’Incarville, who studied botany at Paris’ famed Jardin des Royales Plantes.

By Sue Ferrara

Pennsylvania, 2014 and a shipment of stone

The U.S. National Invasive Species Information Center has been monitor ing the spotted lanternfly since its arrival in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. However, a posting by Cornell Univer sity’s College of Agriculture and Life Sci ences notes the spotted lanternfly arrived in Oregon in 2012 as egg masses on stones shipped from China. It was the shipping of that stone to Berks County, Pennsylvania which brought the spotted lanternfly to its favoriteKristenrestaurants.Wickertis a co-author of a 2020 study on the spotted lanternfly. She works as an entomologist and plant pathologist at the West Virginia Department of Agri culture; she also serves as the state’s spot ted lanternfly coordinator. When National Geographic asked about the spotted lan ternfly invasion and the tree of heaven, she noted: “They’re both from China, so they’re reconnecting with their native species.”Butwhat many of us are learning, espe cially fruit farmers and wineries is this:

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The priest later traveled to China in 1740 as a missionary where he gathered vari ous kinds of seeds to send to his mentor in Paris.Hu noted in the mid-18th century, botan ical-minded individuals in Europe were interested in obtaining plants of economic importance in eastern Asia for introduc tion to their colonies of comparable climate in the D’IncarvilleAmericas.took great interest in what was known as the Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum)--a tree whose sap is used to make the coating for lacquerware.Thetreeof heaven (Ailanthus altissima) gets its common name from its enormous height, as if it were growing to heaven. In China, the indigenous ailanthus silk moth (Samia cynthia) dines on the leaves in order to produce a coarser kind of silk called Shantung silk. The Chinese lacquer tree looks much like the tree of heaven. In fact, Hu wrote, Chinese scholars had recorded the dif ficulty in distinguishing between the two trees. From a distance, noted scholar Hu, the two trees look similar because of the color of their bark and the shape of the leaves on the trees. But it was the lac quer which attracted d’Incarville and he believed he had sent the seeds of the lac quer tree to his mentor in Paris. But no. The Jesuit priest had sent the seeds of the tree of heaven to Paris. And in what became a viral moment, without the help of Facebook or Twitter, word spread as well as the sharing of seeds and sap lings. The seeds went from Paris to Britain, and in 1784, William Hamilton of Philadel phia found himself putting the seeds of this exotic plant in his garden. William Hamilton lived on a 300-acre estate, located on the west bank of the Schuylkill River from 1745-1813 known as The Woodlands (woodlandsphila.org). Referred to as an amateur horticulturist and botanist on many sites, Hamilton nur tured his tree of heaven along with many other plants unusual to America, includ ing the Ginkgo biloba tree, another plant native to China. And again, word of the tree of heaven went viral. By 1830, one can find ads for nurseries selling the tree. The tree was adored for its height and the amount of shade it could cast. The tree didn’t attract insects like native trees did, so sitting under them was pleasant. In Washington, the U.S. government decided to line areas of the Congressional burial grounds. In reality, the tree of heaven, also some times referred to by its genus as the Ailanthus tree, could be more adequately described as the tree from Hell. Accord ing to the Penn State Extension Service, female trees produce 300,000 seeds each year. The tree can grow eight feet in its first year, and three feet each year after that. A century-old tree can stand 70 feet tall. A National Geographic story noted: The notorious plant wipes out native species with its dense thicket and toxins it excretes into the soil. It also emits a bad smell from its flowers; has no natural predators; and serves as a sanctuary for destructive inva sive insects, such as the spotted lanternfly. That odor the tree emits became the topic of many published opinion pieces in 1850.But, by the 1850s, the tree of heaven had taken hold quite nicely. In a June 17, 1854 letter, published in the Alexandria Gazette, B.B. (Benjamin Brown) French, commis sioner of public buildings in the District of Columbia, wrote: the ailanthus tree is now growing both in the public grounds around the Capitol, the President’s house in this city, and the public streets, as an ornamen tal tree in considerable numbers. Many of those in the Capitol grounds, from their appearance, must be more than twenty years old. As commissioner of pub lic buildings, Brown was responsible for the care of federal buildings at the time, including the Unfortunately,Capitol.William Hamilton’s deci sion to plant the Tree of Heaven in Phila delphia in 1784 meant when the spotted lanternfly landed in America 230 years later, its diner of choice for comfort food was well established.

While the world may be upside down at the moment with debates raging about vari ous political issues, American ingenuity is still alive and well as evidenced by some of the creative ways people are ridding their properties of spotted lanternflies. And from now until November, these pesky creatures that started mating in July, will be egg laying. Consequently, there are two fronts to needing attention. A Fly Swatter. A friend had me laugh ing about his Dad who goes out daily with a fly swatter for recreational spotted lan ternfly swatting. And that is one way to get these insects. Since they hop, stepping on them is sometimes difficult. WIth the fly swatter you can aim to where the insect will hop and get it.

spotted lanternflies have a sweet proboscis. That’s the part of the lanternfly which can pierce the bark of a tree, or vine, allowing the insect to merrily feed away.

Viking Pest Control in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland offers homeowners a free removal card and video instructions on how to remove the egg masses. The Viking video notes that the egg masses are about one inch long and ¾ of an inch Lookingwide.like swatches of mud, these masses are usually found on the under side of branches. Viking’s informa tion and directions for getting a scraper can be found here: spotted-lanternfly-egg-removal.vikingpest.com/

Expires: 9-30-22 Expires: 9-30-22 Expires: 9-30-22 LANTERNFLY cont. from Page 17 FALL IS FOR PLANTING! BRING IN YOUR POTS & PLANTERS FOR PLANTING Mums • Pansies • Ornamental Peppers Vegetable Plants • Herbs • Pumpkins Ornamental Kale • Cabbage Perennials • Trees • Shrubs & much MORE! Sept (StartingMon.-Sat.hours:9-5Sunday10-4Sept11) $25 OFF Anyoverpurchase$200 Must present coupon at time of purchase. Valid for in-stock material only. Not valid on landscaping services or any bulk products. Cannot be combined with any other o ers. Expires 9-30-22. $5 OFF Anyoverpurchase$50 Must present coupon at time of purchase. Valid for in-stock material only. Not valid on landscaping services or any bulk products. Cannot be combined with any other o ers. Expires 9-30-22. 10 WOOSAMONSA ROAD, PENNINGTON www.jacksnurseryandlandscaping.com Come Check out our Specials!Fall Hopewell Valley Car WashRt. 31 Rd.Woosamonsa JACK’S NURSERY investors Bank 609-737-0224 GREENHOUSE & FARM Jack’s plantsandtrees@icloud.com Free Trees! Buy 1 tree and get 1 for free with the purchase of planting for both trees Deciduous trees only. Valid on in stock material only. Valid for containerized deciduous trees only. Free tree must be of equal or lesser value. Can not be combined with any other o ers. Must present coupon at time of purchase. Expires 9-30-22 18  Ewing Observer | September 2022

Vacuum cleaners, water bottles and sticky tape

It’s not too early to look for egg masses on your trees, and know that merely scrap ing the masses off the trees to the ground will not kill the eggs. Penn State Exten sion warns, egg masses need to be perma nently submerged in rubbing alcohol to kill them. Eggs that have been scraped onto the ground can still hatch, so it is impor tant to follow all recommended steps of egg removal!Spotted lanternflies don’t survive the winter, but their egg masses have no prob lem weathering the cold, snow and ice; the egg masses are viable from October to July. Each mass can contain 30-50 eggs. There seems to be one method, and it is labor-intensive--search, scrape with a card or plastic scraper and destroy in rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.

Start with learning how to identify the masses. Search, “What Should You Do With Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses + PennExtension.” This page has excellent pictures so you know what you’re looking for.To find video instructions from PennState Extension, search, “How To Remove Spot ted Lanternfly Eggs - Penn State.” The video notes that spotted lanternflies like to lay eggs on flat surfaces, so that can include rocks in your garden, benches, or other ornamental items. Make sure to check campers, patio furniture and wood piles.

The proboscis is like a straw. But that’s not all, the PennState Extension FAQ site notes, when the spotted lanternfly feeds, it excretes honeydew, or sugary water on and around its feeding site. This sug ary substance encourages the growth of black sooty mold, which is not harmful to humans, but can damage plants and make outside recreation areas unusable.

The Water Bottle Method. Collecting spotted lanternflies in a water bottle almost feels like a sport. Google, “capturing lanter flies in water bottles,” and you will find sev eral videos demonstrating the how-to. The method takes advantage of the hop of the lanternfly. When it sees the bottle coming it jumps and you are ready to have it jump right into the bottle opening. Cap the bottle between snares or the spotted lanternflies will crawl up the bot tle the way they crawl up trees. One per son using this snare puts the bottle in the freezer and then dumps the flies back on the earth for compost. Sticky Fly Paper. Here’s a method from the Lancaster Conservation District in Pennsylvania, the phrase to search is: “Bug Barrier Tree Band for Spotted Lan ternflies: How to Set Up.” This will take you to a YouTube video where Amanda Goldsmith, Spotted Lanternfly Technician demonstrates the BugBarrier Tree Band. Here, the trap has a sticky adhesive facing inward which reduces the chance of wild life getting stuck. Amanda tells viewers that this method is being used at the Phila delphia Zoo. Homemade traps. Put this search term into the browser window: “Teen’s clever trap for spotted lanternflies” and learn how to make the trap 14-year-old Rachel Bergey of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania made to snare Lanternflies so she could take back her favorite maple tree. Searching, “How to Build a New Style Spotted Lanternfly Circle Trap,” will take you to a trap option designed by the folks at PennState Extension Services. Vacuum them up! Yes, that is a method. I think my Dad—who once vacu umed wasps out of the stone wall at our house—would love this idea. Google, “Trap Spotted Lanternfly using vacuum cleaner PhillySpecial.”Theinstructor in the videos notes lan ternflies don’t seem bothered by the sound of the vacuum and sneaking up behind them pretty much ensures you’ll get them. Honestly, I think there are some kids who would happily become hunter/gatherers using this method. Scramble the eggs

The Ewing Public Schools

Teacher of the Year Recipients are Honored of Perestroika. His policies reopened churches, released political prisoners, and lifted bans on previously censored books.

Parkway Teacher Leigh Cline Named as Mercer County Educator of the Year!

Adopt-a-Survivor Program BeginsatEwing

Have a Happy Summer!! GoodNews will resume with the September issue of the Observer

The recipients of the 2005 Teacher of the Year Awards were honored at a luncheon on April 29th. Jan Fay, 2004 Mercer County Teacher of the Year, was a guest speaker. 1st row (L to R): Joan Zuckerman, Principal Antheil; Sharon Solomon, Lore; Jan Fay, 2004 Mercer County Teacher of the Year; Inetta Emery, Principal Parkway; Danielle Miller, EHS; Superintendent Ray Broach. 2nd row: Darrell Jackson, Principal FMS; Donna Andreas, Antheil; Don Barnett, FMS; Betsy Turgeon, Parkway; Rodney Logan, Principal EHS. Nearlysixty years since Alliedforcesliberated the Naziconcentration camps,the now elderly survivors ofthe Holocaust are turning toa new generation topreservetheir testimony about their wartime experiences for futuregenerations. Holocaust survivors are steadilydwindling in number. Manyhavemadeittheir mission toeducate the world thatanti-Semitism and racismeasilylead tomurder, and tospeak about the horrors theyand their familiessuffered. Withthe passing oftime, ithas becomeurgenttofind a new generationtocontinue the survivors’mission and telltheir stories after the survivors can MelysaWilson.JenCurtisFornarotto,TylerliberationofAuschwitz.venueathetellthestudentswillbeabletorepresentbefore,withthemorestudents.PolandandwereoriginallyfromGermany,Lewin,RuthLubitz,survivors—MoshebytwelveEwingHighSchool.programOnAprilnolongerdoso.12,theAdopt-a-Survivor(AAS)wasintroducedtotheTrentonareaatEwingSixHolocaustsurvivorswereadoptedHighsophomores.TheadoptedGimlan,VeraGoodkin,MarionCharlesRojerandJackZaifman—Czechoslovakia,Belgium.TheAASprogrampairsasurvivorwithoneorThestudentsembarkonajointjourneysurvivorthroughdiscussionsaboutlifeduringandaftertheHolocaust.Participatingthesurvivorandsurvivor’sstorywithaccuracyandfeelinginyearstocome.Inaddition,eachstudentmakescommitmenttotellthesurvivor’sstoryinapublicintheyear2045,ahundredyearsaftertheThetwelvestudentadoptersareDaveAngebranndt,Barnes,AnnieCook,LizDunham,EmilyEverett,VildanaHajric,DevonJones,Meade,BillyO’Callaghan,NikytaSharmaand

Ewing High Students Attend Gorbachev Presentation Whitney Lewis, EHS Freshman

HighSchool

The 20th anniversary of Perestroika was one of the essential themes of Gorbachev’s presentation. The policy’smain goal was to make the Soviet economic system more efficient. Perestroika involved the transfer of control from the government to the business owners. This policycontinued on page A2 continued on page A2

Welcome Back to School!

SUMMER LEAGUE TITLE

The Moody Park Summer Basketball League is known around the state for having one of the most competitive and challenging brand of summer hoops. Teams from around the area travel to the Ewing park to hone their skills for the upcoming indoor season. This summer, Ewing Boys Basketball completed a tremendous undefeated season at Moody Park Summer League Basketball with the championship win over a tough Pennington School team in the title game. After a tight first half, Ewing’s defense, a trade mark under EHS coach Shelly Dearden, led the way capture the championship. A balanced offensive attack from Ewing helped propel them to the win.

On April 18, 2005 Ms. Chiavuzzo, Mrs. Walker and 30 Ewing High School freshmen joined several Mercer County high school and college students, and politicians to hear a presentation given by Mikhail Gorbachev at the Sovereign Bank Arena. Gorbachev was the last communist leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. During his term he instituted various policies including his political policy of Glasnost and economic policy

"This seems to be the start of something special for this group," EHS Athletic Director Kyle Kamin skas stated. "They play very hard and are a selfless group. We are excited about the upcoming season for both boys and girls hoops!"

Ewing Summer Team Roster/Coaches: Nas ear Adams, Darnelle Forrest, Grady Griffin, Naire Preston-Woodall, Kenneth Rankin, Jeffrey Ayin denaba, Dahmyr Edwards Chew, Dariyon Doggett, Jalen Green, Nijay Manning, Joel Cineus, Cameron James, Darly (DJ) Haynes- Injured, Shelly Dearden (Coach), Paul Jones (Coach)

Parkway Elementa ry School teacher Mrs. Leigh Cline has been honored as the Mercer County Educator of the Year for the 20222023 school year! Cline, a second grade teacher at Parkway, was awarded this presti gious honor by the New Jersey Department of Education after a highly competitive, rigorous pro cess involving all the educators who were selected as Educators of the Year from their schools throughout all Mercer County school districts. Starting her 19th year of teaching at the Parkway School, Educator of the Year, Leigh Cline is the consummate “mover and shaker”. She is a teacher who is consistently ready and willing to learn new things, always a team player and never without a kind word for a student.

“I love teaching because every day is different but every day can make a difference," she added. "I love the chance to teach multiple subjects each day and integrate social emotional learning into so much of what we do. My favorite thing to do with my students is to make connections with them and learn about them as individuals so I can cheer them on and help them to grow.”

Mrs. Cline received her Bachelor’s degree in Ear ly Childhood Education and Psychology from The College of New Jersey and a Master’s degree in Ele mentary Education from The College of New Jersey. Always a force for change and compassion, Mrs. Cline has been the torch-bearer for many positive de velopments at Parkway School. She originated Jr. Paws and the Jr. Paws Council, co-wrote a grant to benefit Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, which garnered Parkway School a Promising Practice award from Character. org, and was instrumental in bringing “mindfulness” to Parkway School with a PLC book study. In the classroom, Mrs. Cline will champion a stu dent’s efforts while giving them constructive feed back so that she encourages growth in their selfesteem, accountability and critical thinking skills simultaneously.“WithLeigh’s ‘go and get it done attitude’ and her ability to make students feel comfortable and valued in her classroom, it is no surprise that one who began at Parkway School as a student-teacher became Parkway’s Educator of the Year and now is the Mercer County Educator of the Year,” Principal Michelle Conway stated.

“In addition to teaching, I also participate in many committees at Parkway as well as help with clubs and special events," Cline shared. "I am the secretary for the Ewing Township Education Asso ciation, and I volunteer with Mount Laurel Baseball Association, the Parkway PTO (in Mount Laurel), and the New Jersey Alliance for Social Emotional and Character Development.”

June 2005 Due to budget restraints NO Summer School Programs will be offered by the Ewing Public Schools during the Summer of 2005. Safety Town June 30 - July 11 Contact: Jean 609-538-9800Conradx1302forapplication

The Ewing Public Schools

September 2022 | Good News19

EWING BASKETBALL CLAIMS

“I have wanted to be a teacher since I was four years old. From my visits to my dad's middle school art classroom as a little kid, to playing school in my basement, and tutoring a blind student in high school; teaching was always my dream," Cline shared.

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/TheEwingSchools 2022September GOODNEWS

"We are very proud of Mrs. Cline's impressive ac complishment and the Ewing Schools Community joins together in celebrating this achievement," Su perintendent Michael Nitti stated. "It is an honor for the Ewing Schools to have the Mercer County Edu cator of the Year on our team, and it is a testament to Mrs. Cline's abilities and dedication to her students."

EHS Students Complete The Early College Experience at TCNJ

“This recognition is confirmation of the outstand ing work done by School Business Administrator Dennis Nettleton and his dedicated staff,” Superin tendent Michael Nitti stated. “They work very hard in support of our students and programs, and Mr. Nettleton’s priority is always transparency, accessi bility and effective communication. We are greatly appreciative of their efforts.”

The Board of Education released a Superinten dent posting/advertisement that was widely dissemi nated. The district also put together a superintendent search survey to give the opportunity for the school community to share thoughts and ideas regarding the search. Mr. Gialanella will also visit Ewing to meet with stakeholders and host a community forum regarding the process and desired characteristics of the next school district leader. A "Superintendent Search Update" page has be created on the district website, and community members are encouraged to refer to it for updated information.

The Board of Education accept ed the resignation due to retirement of Superintendent Michael Nitti, effective November 21st, 2022. Nitti has been the Superintendent of the Ewing Schools since 2009, and has been with the school district since 2004. He was approved by the Bristol Township School District in Pennsylvania as its next superintendent on July 21st. Nitti will remain with the district until Novem ber 21st and assist with the transition and the planning for an effective opening of the 2022-23 school year.

“The COE’s mission is to promote and recognize excellence in financial reporting,” ASBO International Executive Director David Lewis says. “The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report informs stakeholders about the financial and economic state of the district, making it an important communications tool for build

"Hiring a superintendent may be the most impor tant responsibility of a Board of Education," Mr. Messina stated. "We are excited to work with Mr. Gialanella and move aggressively to bring on an outstanding successor to Mr. Nitti."

By participating in the COE program, school dis tricts demonstrate their commitment to financial transparency. Applicants submit their ACFR for re view by a team of financial professionals who pro vide feedback to improve future documents. If the report meets the requirements of the program, it may receive the Certificate of Excellence. A district’s participation in the COE program can facilitate bond rating and continuing bond disclosure processes.

The school district earned the Certificate of Excel lence for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended 2021.

Ewing High School Senior Jade Smith College Keynote Student Speaker

The Ewing Public Schools

The Board of Education is moving quickly and decisively with an approach to have a new superin tendent in place on or around Superintendent Nitti's date of departure. During the meeting, the Board approved the hiring of veteran educator and expe rienced superintendent search consultant Thomas Gialanella to assist, advise, and counsel the Board during this process. Gialanella has led many suc cessful superintendent searches throughout the state.

As exciting as the summer was, the program does not stop there! This year, these students are slated for an additional college course, co-taught by our faculty members, Mrs. Amy Stevens and Dr. Joanna Papdo poulous, and TCNJ faculty members specializing in the areas of Engineering Design and Digital Media, respectively. Notably, these courses are also tuitionfree, college-level courses that will count as general education courses, whether these students attend TCNJ or another college. Our Ewing High School summer participants are: Zy’Yonnah Dully, Quincy Grant, Jayla Green, Shontice Hendryx, Reego JohnAnnaselvan, Kennedy Jones, Wael Majdoul, Aryan na Morales, Jade Smith, and Sanaa Wesley.

ing trust and engaging with the school community.”

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/TheEwingSchools

“The Board and Ewing Schools Community are greatly appreciative of Mr. Nitti’s many years of dedicated service,” Board President Anthony Messi na stated. “Mr. Nitti leaves us as the longest tenured superintendent in Ewing Schools history since our initial superintendent, and as we like to say around here, ‘Once a Blue Devil-Always a Blue Devil’.”

The summer experience culminated with rising EHS senior, Jade Smith, delivering an eloquent and inspirational speech as TCNJ’s early college key note student speaker. Jade shared how meaningful the summer experience was, as friendships were developed and strengthened within the EHS OMIC cohort, and across the other schools’ student partici pants from Trenton Central High School, Willing boro High School and Foundation Academy. More over, from this experience, students have earned tuition-free credits on their college transcript for the course they took this summer!Ashburn, VA – 2022 –

This summer, ten Ewing High School students completed The Early College Experience at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)! This experience included a readiness-building writing course and an array of so cial and emotional and academic learning activities, culminating in original action research completed by each EHS student. Research inquiries included explo ration into sociocultural identity, issues of racism, the dynamics of the immigration experience and much more. EHS teacher, Mrs. Kelly Hammer, and school counselor Mrs. Leena Fadel were instrumental in the recruitment and implementation of this program, a partnership between the Carver Foundation, the Ew ing Public Schools, and The College of New Jersey.

The Association of School Business Officials In ternational (ASBO) an nounced that the Ewing Township Public Schools has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Finan cial Reporting (COE). ASBO International’s COE recognizes districts that have met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and transparency.

Ewing Schools Awarded for Outstanding Financial Reporting Save the Date! Superintendent Search Community Meeting September 13, 2022 @ 6:30PM Fisher Middle School Auditorium 20  Good News | September 2022

Ewing BOE Accepts Superintendent Nitti's Resignation; Successor Superintendent Search to Commence

The Public Schools

Senior Spotlight: Meet Hazel Penner

Select members of the Fisher Middle School Chorus performed the National Anthem at Trenton Thunder Stadium on August 4th accompanied by their FMS music teacher Ms. Jennifer Dinan.

Ewing High School Peer Leaders traveled to the Poconos this summer for their annual retreat. Peer Leaders kicked off the 2022-2023 school year by helping with the EHS Freshman and New Student Orientation on August 31st held at the high school.

O’Brien Academy: Sep. 14th • 5:30pm Fisher Middle School: Sep. 14th • 6:30pm Ewing High School: Sep. 15th • 6:30pm (Freshman & Sophomore Parent Meeting with Guidance: 5:00pm) Antheil Elementary School: Sep 20th • 6:30pm Parkway Elementary School: Sep 21st • 6:30pm Lore Elementary School Sep 22nd • 6:30pm

Do you have any ‘words of wisdom’ to share with your classmates as we begin the 2022-2023 school year? My advice would be to cherish every moment. High school has gone especially fast for me since I missed out on a lot of things while being virtual. I never expected that I would have so little time in a normal high school setting. What is your advice to freshmen just starting their high school career? My younger sister, Sadie, will be a freshman this year and I have heard all types of pan ic from her and her friends. My advice to her, along with the rest of the freshmen is to not stress about starting out in high school. There is a lot of unneces sary build-up about high school, but you are not going to get lost in the halls or anything like that. Truly, just trust yourself and focus on what is important to you. What activities do you participate in school? I am the Captain of the Girls Varsity Soccer and Lacrosse teams at school, and the Basketball Manager for the Girls Basketball Team. I am a part of many clubs including Student Council, Key Club, and the Yarn works Club! I am also a member of the Honors Choir program and the International Thespian society, in volved in the musical’s tech crew as a co-costume master. I am also the President of the National Honor Society at our school. Lastly, I am a Peer Leader and super excited to work with the freshmen this year! What accomplishments are you most proud of? I am most proud of being selected to be a Peer Leader and Captain of the soccer team. One thing I value most about myself is the ability to make others feel comfortable. By having the position as a peer leader and captain, I feel that I can better reach more peo ple, especially freshmen, who might need guidance or just someone supporting them along the way.

Ewing Public Schools students thrived during the Ewing Summer Learning Program. Below are pho tographs of various STEM projects student were excited to complete.

Students who attended Ewing Township Public Schools in 2021-2022, who were eligible for Free or Reduced Price Meals in June 2022 via a meal app or Snap approved, will continue receiving those benefits for the first 30 school days of school through October 20, 2022, or until a new applica tion is determined. Please note that kindergarteners or other new students will NOT automatically be extended the free or reduced price benefits for their household. Parents/guardians should plan to com plete a new application or contact the Food Services Office before the opening of school. Please visit the Food Services Office website at www.ewing.nj.k12.us for the link to the application and additional information. If you have any ques tions, please call the Food Services Office at (609) 538-9800 X7106. TO

us on twitter:

September 2022 | Good News21

What is your favorite memory of high school to date? My favorite memory of high school was my first chorale performance this past winter. This con cert was the first time we performed in nearly two years and I sang my first solo. Who is your favorite teacher or coach and why? My favorite coach is Ms. Pederson. She has always believed in me, while pushing me to my best. She is here for me in every aspect of my life, along with all the other girls on the soccer team. I am so grateful to have a coach who works so hard and sacrifices so much for us. We are her family and she is ours. Who or what has impacted your life in a posi tive way? The decision to switch into choir and meeting one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Minter impacted my high school life very positively. When I first joined choir a couple days into my freshman year, I was terrified of singing by myself and was feeling really alone at school. Upon walking into the choir room, I instantly felt supported and loved. Mr. Minter taught me how to believe in myself, for which I will forever be grateful. What are your plans after you graduate from Ewing High School? After I graduate from Ewing High School, I intend to go to a four-year college and study psychology. I am planning to attend grad uate school and become a therapist. What is your favorite quote or book? My favorite book is “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut.

SCHOOL NIGHTS

Ewing

Free and Reduced Price Meals

Follow www.twitter.com/TheEwingSchools

BACK

The Ewing Township Board of Education hereby notifies all parents, students, employees and staff that the activities required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) 40 CFR Part 763.93 have been fulfilled. These requirements include the Three Year Re-inspection and assessments of the asbestos containing materials located within the facilities comprising of the School District. A copy of the updated AHERA Management Plan document is currently available for review at the Main Office of each school and other facilities within the Ewing Township Board of Education. Please direct any further questions to Ms. Kristen Masotes at 609-392-4200. Future projects may include: Classrooms each at AES, EHS, and FMS for tile removal.

These scholarships or grants could not be possible without the con tinued generosity and support through personal donations from indi viduals like you as well as corporate donors. Please visit us at www. epef.org for information on how to make a donation so we can continue our mission in supporting our students in the Ewing Public Schools.

Jordan Everett – The Wayne Staub Presidential Scholarship Funded By Church & Dwight$1,000 Nicholas Canavera – EPEF Leadership Scholarship Funded By Church & Dwight - $1,000 Za'Niya Mims – EPEF Aca demic Excellence Scholarship - $1,000 Kyle Delutis – Church & Dwight Community Service Leadership Scholarship - $1,000 Bella Latini – Church & Dwight Academic Excellence Scholarship -$1,000 Jakiyah Hagins – Church & Dwight Academic Excellence Scholarship - $1,000 Kenric Davis – The Vincent J. Sciarotta Athletic Leadership Scholarship - $1,000 Cassidy Clugston-Brecko –Church & Dwight Community Service Leadership Scholarship - $1,000

Mr. Anthony F. Messina, Mrs. Deborah A. Delutis, President Vice President Mr. Daniel L. Angebranndt Mrs. Jennifer L. Miller

AHERA MANAGEMENT PLAN

22  Good News | September 2022

The Ewing Public Schools 609-538-9800 ext. 1102 thullings@ewingboe.org www.ewing.k12.nj.us For questions or information, please contact the Superintendent's Office: Design and Layout by Daniella Crescente GoodNews is an official publication of The Ewing Public Schools. ©2022 GoodNews September 2022 Schedule in Ewing Schools Sep 1 Staff Development Day Sep 2 Building Meetings – Elementary Schools Kindergarten & New Student Orientation Sep 5 SCHOOL CLOSED – Labor Day Sep 6 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Welcome Back! Sep 13 Superintendent Search Community Meeting @ 6:30pmFisher Middle School Sep 14 O’Brien Academy - Back to School Night @ 5:30pm FMS - Back to School Night @ 6:30pm Sep 15 EHS - Fresh/Soph Counseling Department Parent Night @ 5pm EHS - Back to School Night @ 6:30pm Sep 16 EHS - Start Strong Testing ELA (Grades 9 & 10) & Science (Grades 9 & 12) Sep 19-23 Antheil - PTO Fall Book Fair Sep 19-22 EHS - Start Strong Testing ELA (Grades 9 & 10) & Science (Grades 9 & 12) Sep 19 BOE Meeting @ 7pm (Public Session @ 8pm) - EHS Auditorium Sep 20 Antheil - Back to School Night @ 6:30pm Sep 20-23 FMS - Start Strong Testing ELA & Math (Grades 6-8), Science (Grade 6) Sep 21 Parkway - Back to School Night @ 6:30pm Sep 22 Lore - Back to School Night @ 6:30pm Sep 23 Antheil - PTO Welcome Back Carnival @ 6pm-8pm Sep 24 Ewing Township & TCNJ Ewing Community Fest @ TCNJ Antheil10am-4pm-PTOCaptain Pauls’ Fire House Dogs Fundraiser 12pm-4pm EHS - Homecoming @ 2pm EHS - Homecoming Dance @ 7pm Sep 26 SCHOOL CLOSED - Rosh Hashanah Sep 27-30 Antheil, Lore and Parkway Start Strong Testing ELA & Math (Grades 4 & 5) Sep 30 FMS - Picture Day Parkway - PTA Family Picnic @ 6pm REGISTRATION Did you move? Do you have a change of address and need to update your address with the Ewing Public Schools? If so, please contact the Central Registration office at 609-538-9800 extension 7181 or bring proof of your change of address to the Central Registration Office located at 220 Ewingville Road, Ewing, New Jersey, Monday-Friday from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. No appointment is necessary. Thank you.

2022 Ewing Township Board of Education

Dr. Channing C. Conway Mr. Michael S. Miller

2022 EHS EPEF Scholarship Awardees

Thank you, EPEF Trustees

ANNUAL NOTIFICATION

Mrs. Nicole NW Harris Mrs. Stephanie F. Staub Ms. Lisa A. McConnell

There’s no better time to be 65+ years old, and there’s no better place to experience it than at the Better Health Program at RWJUH. This complimentary program will engage your mind, encourage you to move and help you reflect. To register for a program below or to learn about complimentary member ship call 609-584-5900 or visit rwjbh.org/ HamiltonBetterHealth.

Lunch and Learn Parkinson’s Disease, Dr. Farmer, MPS, Ed.S, Ed.D. 12:30 to 2 p.m. Eating a healthy diet, participating in phys ical exercises, using essential oils and par ticipating in mind-body practices are ways to help ease Parkinson’s Disease. Learn all about the natural therapies and remedies to be able to manage Parkinson’s disease while continuing to live your best life.

ThURSDAY, SEPTEmbER 15

Lunch and Learn: Dive Into the Innovations of Wound Care. Noon to 1:30 p.m. Let Reza Shah, DO, FACOS, FACS, FAPWA, CMET, comedical director, guide you through the latest services and technology provided at RWJBH-Hamilton’s Wound Care Center, hy perbaric oxygen therapy unit. Lunch will be provided.

Fall Prevention Awareness Day 2022. 10 to 11:30 a.m. In honor of Fall Prevention Awareness Week, join physical therapist, Maureen Stevens, PT, DPT, GCS, Cert. MDT and occupational therapist, Sarah Masco, OTD, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, for an informative lecture on the many risk factors that con tribute to falls, how they can be prevented, and what you can do to stay safe in your home. Using Crystals for Emotional Well Being. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Crystals are a gift from Mother Earth and hold sacred healing properties. Learn about crystals that offer soothing en ergy to help regain emotional balance and support positive well-being. Donna Swee ney, IET Master/Teacher, Reiki Master. Fee $15.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey—New Jersey’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center—provides close-to-home access to the most advance treatment options, including clinical trials.

TUESDAY, SEPTEmbER 20

For Women Only, Dr. Dalal, MD, OB/GYN. 10 to 11 a.m. Can we speak frankly? We can and we will in an educational conversa tion of the symptoms and challenges not just after menopause, but as women age. Learn about treatments and procedures designed to help you reduce the symptoms and continue to live your best life.

September 2022 | Ewing Observer23

DoctorThe

mONDAY, SEPTEmbER 19

FRiDAY, SEPTEmbER 16

Asset Protection - Wills - Living Wills - Trusts - Power of Attorney - Probate - Real Estate Closing - Divorce Kathleen Scott Chasar, Esq. DON’T TAKETHELETSTATEYOURESTATE (609) 882-2200 • 903 Parkway Avenue • Ewing, NJ 08618 Elder and Family Law Kschasar.law@gmail.com Understanding good prostate health for cancer prevention

Take Home Colorectal Screening. 10 to 11 a.m. Learn how to use a simple take-home test to detect early colon cancer. Registra tion required. Patti McDougall, BSN, RN.

section pgs

and 7

Discussions with Sara I. Ali, MD. 1 to 2 p.m. Dr. Ali will lead a gentle, kind, and com passionate conversation about your care options as we tackle illness and aging. Ex plore your options without the emotion that a crisis often brings.

TUESDAY, SEPTEmbER 20

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEmbER 28 Metabolic & Bariatric Nutrition Support. 6 to 7 p.m. Common complaints after sur gery include nausea, GI problems, and dizziness/headaches. The struggle of get ting enough protein, vitamins, and water is real. Wherever you are in this journeycome hash out concerns with a dietitian and leave with a plan. Alyssa Luning, RD, CSOWM. Safety and Security Awareness in Today’s World. 1:30 to 3 p.m. Learn about cyber security, internet scams and how to pro tect against identity theft, personal safety at visit rwjbh.org/heroes And please, for them, stay home and safe.

ThURSDAY, SEPTEmbER 22

Dr. Yogarajah home, in the community and in the work place. Robert “Bob” Field, Jr., is the Assistant Vice President of Support Services, Safety and Security, at RWJ Hamilton. He is a re spected security professional with over 35 years of military, federal law enforcement, and private security experience. He has ex tensive knowledge and practical experience in physical and personal protection.

workers here and across America. To share your thanks or to support our Emergency Response Fund,

TUESDAY, SEPTEmbER 13

RWJ Barnabas Health Audiology Depart ment Open House Event. Through Sep tember 15. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Better hearing solutions for your needs. Come and learn about the new advancements in hear ing technology. We will be providing FREE HEARING SCREENINGS and trials to quali fied patients. Lorraine Sgarlato, AuD. Call 609.245.7390 to schedule your appoint ment. The event will be held at: RWJ Bal ance & Hearing Center, 2 Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton.

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Better Health Programs

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEmbER 28

Coming up this month at RWJU Hospital Hamilton For more information, call (609) 5845900. To register for a program or for sched ule changes go to rwjbh.org/events.

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Eat with Kindness—Virtual. 11 a.m. to Noon. Health is NOT just diet and exercise. Learn the importance of being kind to yourself in effort to support a healthy mind and body with Psychotherapist Caitlin Siekerka, MA LPC of The Better You Institute.

The American Cancer Society estimates about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Men and their loved ones should be proactive about prostate health all year long by being aware of prostate cancer symptoms and learning how to maintain good prostate health.Meera Yogarajah, MD, Medical Oncologist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of ComprehensiveonlyJersey—NewNewJersey’sNCI-DesignatedCancer Center, shares more about prostate health. What is the prostate and what does it do? The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. It is located between the bladder and the rectum and sits around the urethra, which is a tube the carries urine from the bladder to the penis.The prostate secretes fluid that is part of semen. Normally the size of a walnut, the prostate can grow larger as men get older. Not all enlargement of the prostate is related to cancer, as the prostate can enlarge due to a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). What are the symptoms of prostate cancer and how is it detected? In many cases, prostate cancer is found in men without symptoms. A blood test called PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which is often ordered by primary care providers as part of routine cancer screening, can often be the first sign of prostate cancer. Some prostate cancers can be detected by an abnormal prostate exam or by trouble with urination (frequent urination, trouble passing urine, sudden urgency to pass urine). Symptoms such as weight loss or bone pain can occur in men with advanced prostate cancer. However, the majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer have disease that is limited to the prostate. PSA screening can detect cancers early, before any spread has occurred. What is your advice to men to help maintain good prostate health? For all of my patients with active prostate cancer or at risk of recurrence of prostate cancer, I emphasize the importance of overall healthy lifestyle. This includes regular activity, ideally a structured exercise regimen, as well as maintaining a healthy importantintakeattentionbeverages.fatsamountswholeofincludesgoodminutesexerciserecommendationsSocietyAmericanweight.Cancerguidelinesincludeforatleast150perweek.Makingeatingchoicesadietwithlotsfruits,vegetablesandgrainsandlimitedofsaturatedandhighcaloriePayingtooverallcalorieisincrediblyaswell.Torequestan appointment with one of New Jersey’s top cancer specialists, call 844-CANCERNJ (844-226-2376) or visit rwjbh.org/beatcancer.

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Welcome to Capital Health OB/GYN. Find a doctor near you at CapitalHealthOBGYN.org how far would you go for a doctor who really listened to you?

Visit capitalhealth.org/diabetes to find a list of upcoming sessions and to register online or call 609.537.7081.

Diabetes Prevention Class

Are you newly diagnosed with diabetes? Learn the basics of your diabetes care and have your questions answered.

Informal, hour-long classes are offered on a regular basis, free of charge, as part of the Novo Nordisk Family Resource Center at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell. These classes are currently being held virtually using Zoom.

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Spend an hour with Laura Moran, our registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist, to get answers to any questions or concerns you have related to your diabetes care.

Where you spend more time talking through your concerns, than you do feeling concerned that you don’t know the “right way to ask.”

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It’s a different approach to women’s health. One that we’ve been taking for over a hundred years. And that’s supported by a collaborative network of doctors, and a history of innovation, technology, and expertise.

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Mercer | Bucks | Burlington

Speak with the Dietitian: Meal Planning for Diabetes Led by Mindy Komosinsky, our registered dietitian/certified diabetes care and education specialist, this class will focus on how foods affect your blood glucose as well as meal planning strategies.

24  Ewing Observer | September 2022

We continue our exploration of the “ribbons” that are Ewing’s western boundary, and comprise the Delaware Scenic Byway—the river, the canal, the towpath, railroad and road. But, what’s the deal with a canal running alongside a river? Isn’t the river sufficient?Farremoved from its heyday carrying goods and freight, we in the 21st century largely see the canal as a lovely, quiet, idyllic waterway, and are hard pressed to imagine the transportational and commercial significance of this ‘idyllic waterway’.ButtheDelaware and Raritan Canal was of national and economic prominence in the 19th century, as it connected not only the Delaware and the Raritan rivers, but also the growing cities of New York and Philadelphia, New England and the South, and vast quantities of Pennsylvania coal, and goods and materials with coastal, commercial markets. It was, very succinctly, a big thing. Roads in Colonial America were basically dirt trails. They were adequate for travel via horse, but could be difficult and dangerous for horse-drawn carriages, especially when wet and muddy. Transporting goods and materials was challenging. The Revolution exacerbated the issue, having to regularly move men and equipment across the landscape to the next battle or defense location. After the war, it was clear that better modes of transportation were needed to allow the development of the new country. Canals had been used successfully in China and Europe to connect rivers and other bodies of water for centuries. William Penn in the 1670’s had actually recommended that a canal or waterway be cut across “New Jarsey.” But it wasn’t until the War of 1812, during which time the NJ coast, and NY and Philadelphia harbor access, was blockaded that the benefits of a canal across the state was seriously appreciated.Surveyors thus began earnestly measuring the land to determine the “lay,” and the best locations for canals, to keep them as level as possible. The early 1800s could be considered the nation’s “canal craze days,” as there were many many canals dug to connect waterways and enable easier, more direct and less expensive transportation of materials. This was a time when the steam powered engine was in its infancy, and sails and mule-drawn barges were the primary manner of water transport.

Helen Kull is an adviser to the Ewing Town ship Historic Preservation Society.

Ewing Rec Dept. On Saturday, October 29th, Ewing Recreation will host Trunk or Treat starting at 3:00pm. Also, Ewing Green Team Scarecrow Contest will take place the same day and start at 2:00pm. Activities include pumpkin decorating, arts and crafts, food, music and more. Both events will be held at ESCC, rain, or shine. Treaters and Trunks need to register on Registrationcommunitypass.net.isbeingaccepted online for the fall for youth tackle football and soccer. For football go to ewingjrbluedevils.com. Football games and practices are held at Moody Park and the program starts in early August. Soccer games and practices are held at Municipal Soccer Fields, next to Town Hall. The program starts in August and games start in mid- September. Go to ewingunited. com to register. Ewing Little League is accepting registration for Fall Ball online at ewingbaseball.leagueapps.com.EwingRecreationDepartment is taking applications for picnic area permits at the following parks, John Watson on Upper Ferry Rd., Banchoff on Mt. View Rd., Higgs Park on Summerset St., ESCC Picnic area behind building. Contact the office for more information. For room rentals call Hollowbrook Com munity Center, 883-1199 and ESCC 8831776 for small groups to large parties. For more information on these or any other programs you can contact the Rec reation Office at (609) 883-1776, online at www.ewingnj.org/communityaffairs.

The Ewing Recreation column is paid content provided by Ewing Township. Clothing Road, NJ 882-2404 GreetingExcludingCards 9-30-22

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Registration for ERBL Basketball League and Ewing Rec Wrestling will open on com munitypass.net on Thursday, September 15th.Ewing Recreation Basketball League (ERBL) is now taking registration for the 2022-23 season. Register online at Commu nityPass.net. The league is open to boys and girls in grades K – 8. It is mandatory for all new players to provide proof of grade, school and residency. The league will have the following divisions this season, Instructional for grades K – 1. Boy’s leagues are grades 2-3, 4–5, 6–8; Girl’s leagues are grades 3 – 5 and 6 – 8. Everyone makes a team. Registration deadline is November 4th. Games are played on Saturdays at Fisher, and Antheil. Check out the league website at www.leaguelineup. com/erbl for additional information. The Ewing Recreation Wrestling program will start its’ winter season November 15th. Registration deadline November 18th. Practices are held at Fisher New Gym on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, evenings for children in grades K-5. No experience is necessary. Registration is online at communi typass.net. For more info visit the website at BikeTeamwww.ewingrecreationalwrestling.com.EwingRecreationandEwingGreenarerunningthe7thannualFallSpinRideonSaturday,September24start ing at Campus Town and benefit Mercer St. Friends. In person registration starts at 8:15 am. Pre-registration can be done online at communitypass.net. Riders can register the day of the ride starting at 8:45am in the parking area. For more information go to ewinggreenteam.org/ewingfallspin or call

The NJ Legislature first appointed a commission to gather some data and study the possibility in 1816, and brought in a man named Canvass White who was also involved in the Erie Canal. By 1820, the D&R Canal Company was chartered, and was authorized to sell $800,000 of stock.Unfortunately, the money was not raised. A few more attempts failed as well, with opposition coming from the stagecoach and tavern operators, who feared the canals would put them out of business.However, the successful opening and use of the Erie Canal occurred in 1825, and there followed another attempt in 1828 to start such an epic project. Canvass White again headed the engineering plans, with Ashbel Welch of Lambertville assisting. The Main Canal was proposed along the most level route between New Brunswick (on the Raritan) and Bordentown (on the Delaware), 40 miles long. This was dug out from the ground; they did not use existing waterways, as they would be susceptible to flooding.

Ewing,

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The most important issue would be the source of water for the canal, since there is a constant loss of water at the locks. Thus, a Feeder Canal also had to be dug. That is the portion of the canal that passes through Ewing, and parallel to the Delaware. River water enters at Bull’s Island, and flows 22 miles downstream (downhill) to Trenton, where it enters the Main Canal. The estimated cost had now increased to more than $1,000,000 - and would eventually cost more than $3,000,000!Therewas still difficulty raising the funds, until canal proponent Robert Stockton of Princeton (grandson of the “signer” Stockton) and family put up half the shares. Then Pennsylvania had to agree to the river water diversion. Eventually the NJ Legislature passed the enabling act in 1830, and work could begin on what soon became known as “Stockton’s Folly.”

HELEN KULL EWiNG ThEN & NOW A Man, a plan, another plan and finally a canal

Ewing SeptemberRecreation2022

10% OFF Gifts & School Supplies

September 2022 | Ewing Observer25

TICKETS

1400 Parkway Ave. Ewing, NJ (609) 883-4033 Mon,Wed,Fri: 8 - 6 Tues & Thurs: 8 - 8

open to the public Club A– Off Site; Live Wires, 1am (2nd Thursday of the month); Busy C’S, 11am (3rd Tuesday of the month); Club D, 11am (1st Thursday of the month); HB Seniors, 1pm (2nd Friday of the month ) Mercer County Nutrition: Seniors 60 and older or anyone married to a person 60 and older is welcome to participate in the nutrition program. The program is located at Hollow brook Community Center. A person is asked to donate a $1. Your donation is confidential. A delicious balanced meal is

ILENE BLACK bETTiNG ON bLACK

THURSDAYS, 1:00-2:00 PM SENIOR EXERCISE CLASS-KAREN MARTIN @ HB MONDAYS, TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, 10:00 AM LINE DANCING-JOANNE KEEPHART @ HB (ESCC week of 9/12) FRIDAYS, 9:30-10:15 AM-BEGINNERS, 10:15 AM-11AM-ADVANCE CHAIR YOGA - LISA CARUSO @ HB (ESCC week of 9/12) FRIDAYS, 11:00 AM CARDS/PINOCHLE @ ESCC THURSDAYS, 12:30 PM CROCHETT/KNITTING @ HB (ESCC week of 9/12) WEDNESDAYS, 9:30-11 AM RUMMIKUB @ ESCC THURSDAYS, 1 PM BINGO @ ESCC TUESDAYS, 12:30 to 2:30 PM MAH JONGG—CHRISTINE KAMPH @ HB WEDNESDAYS, 2-4 PM. JEWELRY/CRAFT @ ESCC MONDAYS, 1-3 PM ADULT COLORING @ ESCC WEDNESDAYS, 10:30-NOON TECH FOR SENIORS (BASIC COMPUTER CLASSES) @ HB 1ST & 3RD MONDAY OF THE MONTH NOON-2 PM (REGISTER SENIOR DEPT 609-883-1776) BILLIARDS @ ESCC MON-FRI, 8:30-5 PM ( SATURDAY’S 9:45-4:45 PM)

SeniorSeptemberCorner2022 (HB: HOLLOWBROOK COMMUNITY CENTER, ESCC: EWING SENIOR & COMMUNITY CENTER)

BALANCE CLASS-BOB KIRBY @ HB (ESCC week of 9/12)

K K KEITH’S EITH’S K K KUTS UTS UTS Barber Barber Shop Shop “Serving Ewing since 1953” Keith A. Hill Sr. Owner/Barber Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri: 8 - 6 Saturday: 8 - 2 Wednesday: Closed 1410 Parkway Ave. Suite G • Ewing, NJ We aim to serve three generations of your family! Bradford C. Miller Owner/Barber Barber Shop 609-883-4033

I ask for so little. I don’t want a mansion. I don’t want a fancy car. I don’t want a huge closet filled with designer clothes. I don’t want tons of money. Wait. On second thought, maybe I DO want tons of money. Anyway, you get my drift. I do not ask for much.Ido require one thing, though. I NEED peace and quiet while I have my morning coffee. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to participate in any activities. In short, and with all due respect, leave me alone. I like to sit, sip my coffee, breathe, think about the day ahead and all the tasks I can get away with not accomplishing. This is sacred time for me. Weather permitting, from roughly April through October, I enjoy my morning coffee out on the back patio. I watch the birds, I watch the squirrels, I just chill out and guzzle caffeine and postpone getting dressed and adulting.EnterPeaches, stage left. Peaches is one of our two dogs. She is a Jack Russell terrier/chihuahua mix. She weighs 8 pounds soaking wet and is way too cute for her own good. Peaches likes to join me while I drink my morning coffee. I have no objection to this. She sits on the wicker loveseat with me and surveys her turf. VeryButtranquil.Peaches is a terrier. Terriers were bred to hunt foxes. They also have a very strong prey drive. So besides stalking squirrels, which takes about 98% of her outdoor time, she also hunts for insects and other small invaders in “her” yard. Lately Peaches finds that the morning is the most convenient time for her to perform this task. I find myself, between sips of coffee, yelling at Peaches to stop hunting, or “hoovering,” as I call it. If you’re one of our neighbors, you are hearing this at about 7AM: “PEACHES! Peach! Peach! Peach! Get over here! Peaches! Peach! Leave it. Drop it. Come here now!” And Peaches listens.Yeah.Eventually.Shecomes. BUT….. she brings her “friends” with her. I’ve been presented with bugs (most often cicadas) and other critters, on a regular basis. She is extremely proud of the gifts she gives me. Her tail wags, her hind part wriggles, and she waits for my praise. Sometime she makes a little early morning game out of it. She holds the critter in her mouth while staring up at me with adoration and refuses to drop it. So I have to get up, pick her up, and pry the still kicking cicada from her mouth. I am not a very squeamish person, but when you’re trying to start your day peacefully and you find yourself with cicada guts all over your hands and the clock has barely struck 7AM ……. you understand. Today was a banner day. I was sitting on the loveseat, a fan whirling about 12 inches from my face (because it was 197 degrees out with a dew point of one million), sipping my coffee. Peaches is sniffing around the foundation of our house and all of a sudden I hear squeaking right next to the loveseat. I look down and she has TWO MICE lying on the patio. Peaches is VERY pleased with her discovery, wagging her tail and looking at me as if to say, “Look what I got you! Aren’t I the best girl in the world?”Oneof the mice was lying perfectly still, either suffering a massive coronary or dead. The other one was lying on its side squirming and squeaking. Peaches was VERY EXCITED. Her tail was going and she was prancing around. New playmates! I grab the mice by their tails and toss them over the fence into our side yard. I was thankful that the mice were fully intact at the time of the tossing. I have had to toss…um….not whole mice over that fence in the past. After scrubbing my hands, I go back out to my now-cold coffee. There’s a gnat floating in it. A gnat, drowned in my magic elixir.Somuch for starting my day peacefully. Maybe tomorrow. Ilene Black has been a resident of Ewing for most of her life and lives across the street from her childhood home. She and her husband, George, have two sons, Georgie and Donnie.

26  Ewing Observer | September 2022

FREE WEIGHT ROOM @ ESCC (REGISTER SENIOR DEPT.) MON-FRI, 8:30-NOON BID WHIST @ ESCC THURSDAYS, 1-6 PM MEXICAN TRAIN @ ESCC WEDNESDAYS, 12:30-3 PM WATERCOLOR/ADULT COLORING WEDNESDAYS, 11-1 PM EWING SENOR CENTER PICNIC, THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, NOON-2 PM. $5 per person. ARE AVAILABLE AT THE SENIOR OFFICE. Senior Citizen Advisory Commission (SCAC) 3rd Thursday of the month—-General Body 10 am—Meeting is served. Contact Ms. Wanda (609) 883-4150 Ewing senior center looking for: Substitute van driver. Must have CDL/P Certification—Contact- senior department 609883-1776.

MUST CALL TO REGISTER FOR ALL PROGRAMS QUESTIONS: 609-883-1776. COVID-19 PROTOCOLS WILL BE FOLLOWED. Senior Corner is paid content by Ewing Township.

PLACEMILLER'S

Of coffee and Peaches

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