The Ewing Public Schools

Adopt-a-Survivor Program BeginsatEwing HighSchool Teacher of the Year Recipients are Honored

Ewing High School Seniors: Starting to Make Their Move to Successful

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.

Ewing Senior Similolu Olubamowo Accepted to West Point Military Academy

As seniors are receiving admissions decisions to a host of colleges and universities, one proud senior has received and accepted an offer of admissions to one of our nation’s esteemed military academies, The United States Military Academy at West Point. The United States Military Academy at West Point’s mission is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country, and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."

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 nolongerdoso.

OnApril 12, the Adopt-a-Survivor(AAS) program was introducedtothe Trenton areaatEwing HighSchool. Six Holocaust survivors wereadopted bytwelveEwing Highsophomores. The adopted survivors—Moshe Gimlan, VeraGoodkin,Marion Lewin,RuthLubitz, Charles Rojer and JackZaifman— wereoriginallyfromGermany, Czechoslovakia, Polandand Belgium.

Similolu Olubamowo, known by friends as Simi, plans to study Civil Engineering, a natural avenue considering his exemplary academic accomplishments in his Science, Mathematics and Technology coursework at Ewing High School. Mr. Halpern, teacher of Physics, captured Simi's breadth of scholarly interests by noting, “Simi has a desire to know and understand as much as is available to him. He is not afraid to ask questions that others might be. His excitement and enthusiasm for new ideas constantly impressed me.”

Notably, Simi connects his future pursuits to his time at Ewing High School. Reflecting on his West Point acceptance, Simi shared how he found out about this happy news while he was in Mr. Hammer’s classroom. Experiencing waves of disbelief, joy and pride, Simi recalls sharing his acceptance with his teachers and counselors, many of which helped him with his application, according to Simi. Sharing how deserving Simi is to receive this honor, counselor Ms. Signore observed first-hand the thought and precision that Simi gave to his West Point application, as well as everything else he takes on at EHS!

In addition to the significant relationships he has formed with the educators of the Ewing Public Schools, Simi also credits the cadets and officers of West Point with helping him envision a future at West Point Military Academy.

While Simi looks forward to his transition to West Point, he does not want to rush things. For right now, he wants to enjoy his official acceptance and the rest of his school year!

EHS Student Lina Abtouche Princeton University Bound

The AAS program pairs a survivorwithone or morestudents. The studentsembarkona joint journey withthe survivorthrough discussions about life before, duringand after the Holocaust.Participating studentswillbeabletorepresent the survivorand tellthe survivor’sstory withaccuracyand feeling in the years tocome. Inaddition, eachstudent makes a commitmenttotellthe survivor’sstory ina public venue inthe year2045, a hundred years after the liberationofAuschwitz.

On December 15, 2022, Ewing High School senior Lina Abtouche prepared to receive lifechanging news. She gathered her family around the dining room table and opened a message from Princeton University. “When I opened my decision and saw that I got accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in the country, I was overjoyed and honored.” had visited Princeton’s campus regularly, but began to consider it more seriously in recent years. “It was only after I was accepted into PUPP that I was able to gain insight about the experiences of the university’s students. This past summer I was given the opportunity to partake in enriching classes on Princeton’s campus during the PUPP summer institute, which only served to solidify my decision to attend.”

Ewing High Students Attend Gorbachev Presentation

by assessing equity over political gain.” Lina has been an empathetic and confident student leader while attending Ewing High School, and she is sure to make a strong impact at Princeton University next year. We look forward in the next few months to hear what the future holds for our additional Ewing High School seniors! Their future is so bright, you might just have to wear shades!

of Perestroika. His policies reopened churches, released political prisoners, and lifted bans on previously censored books.

The 20th anniversary of Perestroika was continued on page A2

The twelvestudent adoptersare DaveAngebranndt, Tyler Barnes, Annie Cook, Liz Dunham, Emily Everett, CurtisFornarotto, Vildana Hajric, Devon Jones, Jen Meade,Billy O’Callaghan,NikytaSharmaand MelysaWilson.

For Lina, the accomplishment was something to share with her family, particularly her parents. “My only hope is that I can begin to repay their sacrifices with this achievement. The moment we found out the news, our hands enveloped in each others’, I felt the calluses and warmth permeate through my being up into my soul where the voices of my ancestors uttered a singular phrase: you made it.”

Lina is ranked in the top ten percent of her class at Ewing High School, and has participated in the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP) for the last three years. Growing up in Ewing, Lina

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

Lina has also benefited from the support of her teachers in Ewing. She notes, “Many of them have known that Princeton was my dream school and celebrate with me in this milestone. I am proud to represent all of Ewing High School at Princeton University and showcase what I have acquired from my four years here.”

While attending Princeton, Lina will be a student in the School of Public and International Affairs. She hopes to participate in conducting research about educational disparities and contemporary ethnic genocide. Lina sees herself as a catalyst for change. “It is incumbent that as a generation, we dedicate our efforts in ameliorating the oversight of our predecessors