4-24 LG

Officals talk about challenges crafting the LTPS budget

INTERVIEW BY BILL SANSERVINO

It’s no secret that increased costs have impacted almost every sector of the economy over the past few years.

Municipal governments and school districts are no exception, and in some respects, it’s even more difficult for them.

Not ouly are there a number of regulatory requirements imposed by the federal and state governments, they are also tasked with the responsibility to make sure there is as little impact as possibile on a community’s taxpayers.

A lightly edited version of their talk appear in the Q&A below. Other topics discussed will appear in appear in subsequent issues.

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Lawrence Gazette: Things are tough economically for everyone these days. for school districts, costs are up, just like everybone’s costs are up. Can you tell me a little about the budget process and how it’s coming together.

BY RICH FISHER

If a person can’t get excited about the Lawrence High baseball team this season, they might as well get an excitement gene transplant.

The Cardinals return seven everyday players from a team that went 21-7 and reached the Central Jersey Group III cham-

pionship game, and also bring back six pitchers who coach Jim Maher says “can all pitch in college at some level.”

Leading the way are Division

I commits Robert Kelly and Kellen Moore. Kelly, the Cards shortstop and bullpen closer, is bound for Monmouth. Moore – Lawrence’s No. 1 pitcher and designated hitter – is headed for Lafayette.

It is the first time in Maher’s four decades of coaching that he enters a season with two players already locked up by D-1 schools.

“You’ve got the Colonial Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year back, who’s pitched some really big games for us and gave us

See BaSeBaLL, Page 12

The Lawrence Gazette recently say down with Superintendent Robyn Klim, Business Administrator Thomas Eldridge and Sean Fry, the director of personnel and administrative services to tlk about issues confronting the Lawrence Public School District.

Topics addressed in this month’s issue include the 2024’25 budget, the suprintendent’s goals, and a potential reconfiguration of grades currently attending the elementary schools and the Lawrence Intermediate School.

Robyn Klim: So I’d actually prefer to default to our business administrator, Tom Eldridge, who is our budget manager. While we work as a team, certainly this is this is his working department’s focus.

Thomas Eldridge: Our budget is built, with guidance from our board goals, and I’m sure Robin is going to cover those. Without our board goals, I think we would be—I don’t want to say the word “lost,” but I think we need the goals to guide us.

They they set the vision of what’s important for us. So there are so many things important, but our our goals are our priorities. And so we focus on them

See SCHOOLS, Page 5

Lawrence High School baseball players Connor Moore (left) and Robert Kelly.

NOTICE TO PERSONS WANTING MAIL-IN BALLOTS

If you are a qualified and registered voter of New Jersey who wants to vote by mail in the Primary Election to be held on June 4, 2024, the following applies:

• You must be registered as a Democrat or Republican by no later than May 28, 2024 to be able to receive a mail-in ballot.

• 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.

• 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 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.

• 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.

• A person who applies for a mail-in ballot must submit his or her application so that it is received 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• If you are currently signed up to receive mail-in ballots, but wish to now vote at the polls, either on Election Day or before, in accordance with NJ’s new “Early Voting” law, you must first opt out of vote by mail by notifying the county clerk in writing at the address below. You may find a form for removal from the permanent list on the Mercer County Clerk’s website at https://www.mercercounty.org/ government/county-clerk/elections.

Dated: April 9, 2024, Mercer County Clerk, Paula Sollami Covello, 209 S. Broad St., Election Dept., P.O. Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650, 609-989-6495

ArounD toWn

Authors set to speak on social justice issues on April 26

Join three authors, Alex Counts, Debbie Frisch and Sam Daley-Harris, for a panel discussion on critical issues of social justice at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System. The event takes place on Friday, April 26 from 2– 4 p.m.

Counts, the founder of the Grameen Foundation, authored Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind, a Forbes-recommended read for nonprofit leaders.

Frisch, who opened HelloBaby, wrote Hello Baby: Building an Oasis in a Play Desert, a tale of community development in urban play deserts.

Daley-Harris released Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy, a guide to advocacy and change, offering an antidote to election-induced despair.

The event will be moderated by thw program librarian, and feature a Q&A session and book signing.

Advanced registration is appreciated for all events. For more information

about the library’s programs call (609) 883-8292, e-mail lawprogs@mcl.org or visit mcl.org.

For more information about the Friends of the Lawrence Library, stop by the Lawrence Reference Desk.

The Friends of the Lawrence Library help support programs such as book sales, book clubs, contests, crafts, events (such as this one), guest speakers, parties and workshops for adults, as well as character greetings, crafts, entertainers, events, parties and more for youth at the Library.

Man charged wih theft of $400K worth of SpaceX satellite terminals

A Newark man has been arrested after allegedly buying hundreds of SpaceX Starlink terminals using a stolen credit card and having them shipped to an address in Lawrence Township.

Lawrence Township Police charged Kelvin Rodriguez-Moya, 35, with second

LAWRENCE GAZETTE

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Lawrence Gazette 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.

Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104)

Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)

Christine Storie (Ext. 115)

CO-PUBLISHER

Jamie Griswold

MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION

Sara Hastings

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Thomas Fritts

CO-PUBLISHER

Tom Valeri

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Stacey Micallef

OF

degree receiving stolen property and second degree trafficking stolen property, The terminals are devices used to provide high-speed internet access via satellite, police said.

In December 2023, the Lawrence Police Department received information that there was a suspiciously large number of shipments being made to a residence on the first block of Roxboro Road.

A three-month investigation by the department’s detective bureau revealed that 675 SpaceX Starlink terminals were purchased online using stolen credit card accounts and were shipped to the residence.

Police said the location was being used as a shipping/storage point for the stolen items that would later be picked up and transported to an area in northern New Jersey.

As part of the investigation, detectives conducted surveillance on Roxboro Road and observed the devices being loaded into a vehicle. A subsequent

motor vehicle stop was conducted and detectives recovered 223 of the terminals, which were confirmed to have been stolen. The total value of the 675 terminals was estimated at $400,000.

On March 4, Rodriguez- Moya was taken into custodyand charged with the above crimes. He was lodged at the Mercer County Corrections Center awaiting a detention hearing.

Police said that SpaceX CFO Bret Johnson stated that he was happy to see the stolen “kits” being retrieved and “fraudsters” being held accountable. SpaceX Director of Payment Risk & Fraud, Bennett Woo confirmed that this is SpaceX’s “largest fraud recovery to date by an order of magnitude.”

Police continue to investigate, and anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Kevin Reading at (609) 8447128 (kreading@lawrencetwp.com), Sgt. Daniel Gladney at (609) 844-7107 (dgladney @lawrencetwp.com) or Det. Sean Kerins at (609) 844-7121 (skerins@lawrencetwp.com).

Community News Service

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Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Phone: (609) 396-1511

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Website: lawrencegazette.com

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Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace

15,000 copies of the Lawrence Gazette are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and

of Lawrence 12 times a year.

TO adVerTiSe

call (609) 396-1511, ext. 110 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org

A

Community Forum

Many thanks to Lawrence first aid responders

I am a 68-year-old retired medical editor and writer from Lawrenceville. On Monday, February 19, I was entering the Stop & Shop supermarket on Denow Road in Pennington when I tripped and fell, striking my head on a concrete pole.

Immediately, I was surrounded by seven or eight of my fellow citizens, who

checked me for injuries, then helped me to my feet and into the store. (A subsequent hospital examination via CT scan of my head showed no internal damage.)

EMTs from the Lawrence Township Emergency First Aid Squad assessed for any signs of confusion or concussion and found me OK to drive home. One of the good people who helped me even bought me a bottle of water! The worst part of

the experience was my embarrassment at taking a public pratfall.

We hear so much in news media and online commentary about how politically divided a country we are. But when I needed emergency assistance from my fellow Americans, none of them asked who I am voting for in this year’s election. They simply came to my aid. And staff at Stop & Shop were also very kind and helpful. I would like to publicly thank them all for their decency.

Gazette, January 2024 ) is a sad exception. There was no impartiality in many of your questions, which read more like opinion pieces.

For example, you say, “some people have been against it” (the TrentonMercer Airport expansion), but “a lot of people are in favor of it.” Was there a survey of residents on which to base your opinion of “some” versus “a lot”? Why didn’t you simply begin the question with “Can you tell me how you helped...”?

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Jeffrey R. Jones Lawrenveville

Disappointed with Hughes interview

I look at every issue of the Lawrence Gazette and find that generally it fills a niche, offering Lawrence stories not covered anywhere else. The lack of local reporting — especially hard news — in our state and country only gets worse it seems, so I appreciate your efforts in that regard.

Your interview with former County Executive Brian Hughes (Lawrence

Another example is in the next question. You say the “rigamarole that is involved with flying out of” big airports like Newark and Philadelphia. Your bias for the airport is so obvious. Like my previous example, you editorialize before asking the real question: What is the timeline for airport construction?

With Hughes leaving office, it’s not surprising you would allow him to blow his own horn in an interview. But the Gazette’s editorial integrity has dropped significantly for me.

Fran Hulette Lawrenceville

because we have no shortage of competition for resources.

There’s never any shortage for good ideas. There are the the board’s goals and the superintendent’s. I’m sure Robyn will talk to those.

When we build the budget, we try to channel our limited resources to achieving those goals. The budget is built from the ground up by the budget managers, which for the most part are our principals. Our principals identify their needs not just at budget time, but throughout the year.

The budget is a time for us to focus on all our needs for the next year. It’s something that we think of all the time, not just that budget season. We’re focusing on ways to achieve those goals, which are usually multi-year goals. How we refine those goals is often impacted by what’s happening in the broader environment.

For the current year, we began our budget process by meeting with our principals, making sure that our goals were clear, hearing what they were going to do to capture the synergy between them.

The HR department—Sean Fry (director of personnel and administrative services— was there listening to what their future needs would be, and to ensure that they met the board’s goals and the superintendent schools. He’s there when we’re talking about things that are non-personnel related, and we’re all there together listening.

The group of people that come together for the Central Office administration — and we’re all looking, and we’re not siloed or pigeonholed into one area — are looking to find a way to bring the resources to bear to meet those goals.

Back to the principals. The principals meet with their parents on a regular basis to bring in community involvement. We have any number of PTO meetings or community conversations where we invite people to tell us what means something to them. We have a number of predefined prompts in those conversations so that if people don’t bring something to the table, we’ll prompt

them to say, “How are we doing about this or that?”.

Jen (Baldassari) is instrumental in making sure that that happens to get people talking so that we can explore what’s meaningful to them so that the budget managers— whether they’re the principals, supervisors, our curriculum people, HR or myself — are finding ways to reflect the values that people express in that budget.

So, 79% of our budget is salaries and benefits. The rest of the slices — the big pieces at any rate —are our transportation costs, our services costs, our energy costs, and perhaps our out of district tuition costs. Those types of things are the major components of our budget after the 79% that salaries and benefits.

Those things within that 79% of salaries and benefits and those services that make up the remainder of the pie — even though those are the things we buy — need to be channeled somewhere, and they’re channeled to our vision of what we want to achieve based on what we heard our constituents —meaning the parents —say they want. That typically falls along the lines of things that you want for your child.

We put all of that information into the budget. We assign numerical values to those things. We try to make sure that those taxpayer resources —in the way of dollars — are channeled to those goals. We always find ourselves with scarcity. Always. There are never enough dollars to meet all the good ideas and the goals.

Oftentimes we’re selecting amongst multiple good ideas, but not every good idea has the maximum efficacy for reaching that goal. So, we find ourselves and I started this conversation — at least my response to your question — with saying, “Without our goals, we’d be lost.”

It’s when we evaluate the competing good ideas that we reach back to our goals because we all, for the most part, see the value in all these good ideas. And they are usually good ideas, but we only have limited resources. So this budget that we’ve built so

See SCHOOLS, Page 6

far has a tax impact of about, we’ll rounded out, to $55 for the average assessed homeowner. And with that, we’re funneling those funds towards making sure that what’s meaningful to you as a parent is sustained in the district.

LG: That’s $55 annually?

TE: Yes.

It’s small. And the reason why it’s small is because when we talk about the budget, we typically talk about our operational budget. That is, what are our household expenses for the next year. What helps us in the current year is that our debt is going down. So the reduction in our debt is offsetting what we need, because it’s a combined tax rate between the two.

Overall, our total amount of taxes collected all told — our debt budget plus our operational budget —is at 2.6% (increase). That is the budget that we developed. That is the budget that the board adopted last week. What we’ll do with that now is will submit it to the Mercer County Department of Education, which is a satellite of the state, and they will review it not for performance but for propriety.

They will evaluate it and try to make sure that we also didn’t forget anything. They’re also collaborators with us in trying to help make sure that we have a quality product, and they will give us their approval, or they’ll send it back to us for usually only minor modifications, if there are. I don’t expect any.

Then we’ll advertise that budget (in the newspaper), and then we’ll hold a public hearing on May 7. The hearing will look similar to what we already did at our March meeting. If it’s passed — which I suspect it will be — by our board again, that will be the final hurdle. At that point, we certify the tax rate, and we implement our budget. That was a long answer, but I hope I hope it

was sequential and step you through it.

LG: As you know, state law mandates a 2% cap on tax increases in municipal and school districts. Is it a struggle to stay under that? Or is it a goal that you look towards to make sure you stay under it?

TE: It’s a struggle to stay under it. Most people think of education from the lens of what occurred back in the 80s. Education is not that industry anymore. It is a marketdriven industry. So, it is about supply and demand. Our primary resource, and our most precious resource, is our kids. But the primary source we use to deliver services is our staff, which is another precious resource.

But staff is now a function of supply and demand, and it is very difficult to attract staff. And so those things changed, and it started to change in the 1990s. It has been the primary driver in terms of market and education for at least the last ten years, and we’re seeing it fulfill itself to become more and more of a market economy with respect to attracting talent. So, to stay under the 2% (cap) is a struggle. Not only are you battling inflation, but you’re battling supply and demand.

LG: Are you also also battling the potential for reduced state aid?

TE: We’re lucky enough to have had increases in state aid in the last of five years. But even with the increase in state aid, we find it difficult to stay, under 2%. But the state aid has helped.

LG: A number of school districts, Robbinsville for example, have struggled with the amount of state aid they’re getting and they’re pushing for increased help for every community to get more money from the state for their school districts.

TE: Well, let’s combine the two largest cost drivers and just look at those two and

see if we can capture them in 2%. If 79% of our budget is salaries and benefits, let’s take salaries and say it’s now a market economy to attract people based on supply and demand. Let’s couple that with inflation and let’s understand that we still have demand, but we have a decreased supply for a number of reasons. Theres also the fact is our inability to go outside of New Jersey to hire teachers due to residency laws.

Let’s go to the other side where we’re talking about health benefits. I don’t know of any place that stays under 2% for their benefits costs. So, if 79% of our budget is governed by salaries and benefits, and we have those two industries impacted nationwide, it’s hard to stay under 2%.

LG: Dr. Klim, Tom mentioned, the district’s goals and priorities. Can you talk about that?

RK: Absolutely. We are year tier year two of our strategic plan. My goals are derived straight from that plan. My focus coming in as a new superintendent as of Sept. 1 was connections and curriculum pathways and really assisting our Office of Instruction with rolling out their curriculum changes. We’ve had a new curriculum to write over the course of the summer into this school year, which we’ve implemented.

The second piece is building community connections, and that’s really an extension of our student wellness and belonging. It was very important to me to establish community conversations and get out there and listen to our constituents, and to understand what’s happening, operationally speaking, in the township and after school activities and programs that are run. And what does our infrastructure look like? Who’s coming to our fields on the weekends to play?

The third huge thing was preschool expansion. We were awarded grand funding from the governor’s plan for universal preschool. We had a late award notice in

the middle of January, and we opened two classrooms as a result under that extension, which we’re very proud of. One is at the high school, Cardinal Kids. That runs almost in conjunction with a (high school) early childhood growth and development course. (For more on the program and Klim’s biography, see her column on page 19).

Mr. Eldridge alluded to growing the pipeline of teachers. We are essentially utilizing the kids’ classroom as the student lab site. So, they get to go in and kind of learn about early childhood. They’re learning about curriculum. They’re learning about interaction and what’s appropriate developmentally, which is just awesome for the high school students. And the kids love having the older students in there. We’re sort of servicing the younger kids while also growing the pipeline of our educators, hoping that they leave us and come back and work in Lawrence.

The second classroom is going to open after spring break at Eldridge Park. And then our plan extends to Slackwood (Elementary School) the following school year for September, which means that we’ll have at least one preschool class in all our four elementary buildings, providing access and some choice to students and an opportunity to go to school in your home school. So, your neighborhood school that you grew up in. These kids will have the opportunity at three years old to go through our school system at no expense to the parents. So those are sort of the three pillars.

We’re also looking at a longer-range plan of potential reconfiguration, which would move our middle school to a (grades) 6th to 8th model. Currently we have 7th-8th, and then, of course, our 9th-12th at the high school. There’s been some concerns, not globally speaking, but in terms of inefficien-

See SCHOOLS, Page 11

BI-MONTHLY NEWS FROM CAPITAL HEALTH

U.S. News & World Report Recognizes

Capital Health on Best Hospitals for Maternity List

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, home to the most complete maternity facility in the Greater Mercer County, New Jersey area, was named among the best in the nation for maternity services, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for Maternity list. Capital Health is one of 19 hospitals in New Jersey and the only hospital in the Greater Mercer County area to earn this recognition.

To be recognized among the Best Hospitals for Maternity, Capital Health’s Maternity Services Program excelled on multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, C-sections, whether births are scheduled too early in pregnancy, how successfully each hospital supports breastfeeding, and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures. “High Performing” status, the highest ranking U.S. News awards for that type of care.

For the very first time, U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care evaluation recognized “Maternity Care Access Hospitals” across the nation. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell was one of 73 essential hospitals to earn this designation by providing quality care to expectant parents who wouldn’t otherwise have access to maternity care and serve communities that would otherwise be maternity care deserts. This new category is based on a number of measures including geographic isolation, number of obstetric providers per 10,000 births and hospital quality.

“We’re extremely proud to have earned two important designations from U.S. News & World Report for our Maternity

Services Program,” said Kira Przybylko, medical director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Capital Health. “For the outstanding teams at our Josephine Plumeri Birthing Center, being named a high performing hospital validates their commitment to providing the highest level of care to expectant mothers. On an organizational level, the ‘Maternity Care Access’ recognition goes a long way to demonstrate our broader commitment to the community by assuring growing families in Trenton and other nearby underserved neighborhoods that we’re here to help them get off to the healthiest and safest start possible.”

“Hospitals that receive a High Performing designation as part of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care meet a high standard in caring for parents with uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals have C-section rates that are 26% lower, and newborn complication rates that are 37% lower than unrecognized hospitals. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals’ performance metrics for free at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby.”

The Maternity Services Program at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell makes up the most complete maternity facility in the area. From routine deliveries to high-risk needs, staff at the Josephine Plumeri Birthing Center provide a full range of prenatal, obstetrical, postpartum, and neonatal care options so newborns have the greatest chance for a healthy start. The designated Regional Perinatal Center provides neonatal care, including Mercer County’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for at-risk births. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/maternity.

While you can’t completely avoid allergens, being aware of these facts can help you prepare:

… Tree, grass, and ragweed pollen surges during seasons of warm days and cold nights.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS… AND ALLERGY SEASON

… Pollen counts are higher on warm, windy days, and in the spring, they are generally highest during evening. Rainfall offers temporary relief, but pollen counts often soar afterward.

… Molds thrive in high heat and humidity.

While it’s exciting to see trees, lawns, and flowers begin to stir, spring fever can give way to “hay fever,” or what is commonly known as seasonal allergies. The itchy eyes, runny noses, and coughing that come with seasonal allergies can stop the most enthusiastic optimists in their tracks.

The main cause of seasonal allergies is pollen from plants, the yellowish, powdery grains released by male plants as part of their reproductive process. “There is a lot of pollen in the air this time of year, and if you’re allergic, your body’s immune system releases histamine to fight it,” said DR. KATHRYN HAMILTON, a board certified family medicine physician with Capital Health – Virtual Primary Care. “This can cause inflammation, overproduction of mucous and other common symptoms of allergies. Allergens like pollen, mold, and dust mites are everywhere, but the severity of symptoms can vary, depending on the person and the location.”

… Look to local news and weather outlets for daily pollen counts.

… Keeping windows and doors shut at home and in your car on high pollen count days can help reduce exposure.

“Millions of adults and children live with seasonal allergies, so you’re not alone,” said Dr. Hamilton. “If you’re not sure what’s causing your allergies, schedule a visit with your doctor to identify your triggers and develop a plan for treatment.” Nasal sprays or rinses can ease symptoms, but your doctor might suggest anti-histamines or steroids. For more long-term relief, allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy, may be recommended. Spring is a season for new beginnings, so don’t let seasonal allergies hold you back. Contact your primary care provider to develop a plan that will help you spring forward to better health. Capital Health Virtual Primary Care is a team of more than 35 primary care providers who can address a wide range of health conditions, including (but not limited to) seasonal allergies, the common cold, flu, symptoms of COVID-19, upper respiratory infection, and more. For details, or to request an appointment, visit capitalvirtualcare.org.

Wednesday, April 10 to May 29, 2024 | 4 – 5 p.m.

Location: Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists

100 K Johnson Boulevard N., Suite 201, Bordentown, NJ 08505

Connecting with others who have also experienced a loss can be comforting and helpful. Join Licensed Clinical Social Worker Meredith Kudrick as she leads you through an in-person eight week support and psychotherapy group.

To sign up, call 609.689.5725. This group therapy program will be billed to your health insurance.

Understanding Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is one of the most common forms of cardiac arrhythmia, a range of cardiac conditions in which the heart beats in an irregular way (either too fast or too slow). AFib is indicated by a rapid heart rate due to uncoordinated electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart. While a normal heart rate is around 60 to 100 beats per minute, a person with AFib can have a heart rate that ranges from normal to extremely rapid.

AFib can be caused by many different issues including heart conditions or other contributing causes such as high blood pressure, pneumonia, obstructive sleep apnea, infections from viruses, thyroid problems, high alcohol intake or other drug use, and age. AFib symptoms can include fatigue, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

“In addition to its underlying causes, AFib also increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications,” said DR. SCOTT BURKE, medical director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and a board certified, fellowship trained cardiac electrophysiologist at Capital Health Cardiology Specialists. “Anyone having any symptoms of atrial fibrillation should make an appointment with a cardiologist to get a diagnosis and learn more about which treatment option is right for them. Medication is typically the first line of therapy, but the highly trained physicians in our Cardiac Electrophysiology Program also offer the latest minimally invasive options when more advanced care is needed that result in less pain, shorter hospital stays, and less risk for complications.”

The Watchman device is an option for people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, which can lead to blood pooling and forming a clot in a part of the heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA). In a minimally invasive procedure, the Watchman device is guided through a narrow tube inserted into a vein in the patient’s leg and implanted into the LAA to permanently close it. During recovery, the patient’s own heart tissue grows over the Watchman device to prevent clots from developing in the heart and dramatically reduce the risk of stroke for certain AFib patients.

A pacemaker is a small device usually implanted in the chest with thin wires (or leads) that connect to the heart through blood vessels to monitor and deliver electrical impulses that stabilize the heart’s electrical system. Capital Health cardiac

electrophysiologists offer leadless pacing options, which eliminate the wires and allow a miniaturized device to be placed directly into the heart and perform like a traditional pacemaker. Catheter ablation is the elimination of electrically active abnormal tissue that uses recording, imaging, and mapping tools guided through thin catheters into the bloodstream to allow physicians to localize the sources of cardiac arrhythmias like AFib. After the specific location is revealed, the area triggering the arrhythmia can usually be treated with radiofrequency ablation (heat energy) or cryoablation (cold energy).

To make an appointment with one of the cardiac arrhythmia specialists at Capital Health, call 215-860-3344 or visit capitalhealthcardiology.org for more information.

Mindful Yoga

Register by calling 609.394.4153 or register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. Please register early. Class size is limited. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 | 6 p.m.

Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

Join certified yoga instructor Marsha Rudolph to experience a gentle, slow yoga practice that links breath and body awareness to increase calm, promote peace of mind, and lift your mood along with many other health benefits. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat or large towel and two yoga blocks (if you have them) for additional bliss.

Fitness Options for Aging Well

Monday, April 15, 2024 | 6 p.m.

Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

There are many exercise options available as we age. The important thing is to learn how to do them safely and to find out what type works best for you. Cheryl Ann McGinnis, manager of Rehabilitation Services at Capital Health, will demonstrate how to properly stretch and review options for fitness programs that are individualized to each person’s needs.

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS:

THE SHOULDER: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

NUTRITION TIPS FOR THRIVING AS YOU AGE

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

STROKE: PREVENTABLE, TREATABLE, BEATABLE

Thursday, May 16, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR KNEE AND HIP PAIN

Monday, June 3, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

Find the “fund” in celebrating a cause with a night out at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Art People Party, then “raise” a glass to the glamor of galas, benefi ts, and more, page 2.

Photos courtesy of Tamara Gillon, above, and Ooika, right.

Get Your Gala On: Parties Pay it Forward for Spring

By Sara Hastings

Sample galas and benefits galore with a look inside the staple event of the nonprofit spring calendar, which previews upcoming parties hosted by the area’s arts and cultural organizations, as well as social service providers, that support programming.

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Arts Council of Princeton

The Arts Council of Princeton hosts its annual Art People Party on Friday, April 5, from 7 to 10 p.m. The evening features food, drink, music, and dancing, as well as a tombola, or Italian-style art lottery. Works of art, each valued at more than $350, have been donated by local artists.

Participating guests will each receive a number and select an artwork to take home with them when their number is called. All entrants are guaranteed to go home with something.

Being honored this year is architect J. Robert Hillier of Witherspoon Streetbased Studio Hillier.

The firm’s many Princeton-area projects include work on private homes as well as faculty housing at the Institute for Advanced Study, an addition to the Lawrenceville School’s Kirby Math and Science Center, and renovations at the Princeton Marriott and YWCA Princeton

Signed copies of “Hillier: Selected Works,” a recently published monograph of projects undertaken by the husband-and-wife team of J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier during the last 25 years, are for sale as part of registration for the party for $50.

Proceeds from the party benefit the Arts Council’s Anne Reeves Artist in Residence Program and other outreach initiatives.

Tickets are $150, with sponsorship opportunities starting at $500. Tombola entries are $350 each.

Arts Council of Princeton’s “Art People Party” returns on Friday, April 5, from 7 to 10 p.m.

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Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. 609-924-8777 or artscouncilofprinceton.org.

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at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts building,

Witherspoon Street, in honor of Studio Hillier architect J. Robert Hillier. Photo of 2023 event courtesy of Tamara Gillon and the Arts Council of Princeton.

Bohren’s (an agent of United Van Lines) Moves Into Its Second Century of Operation

Family-Owned Robbinsville Company Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

The moving and storage industry has changed dramatically in the last 100 years since Bohren’s Moving & Storage Company opened for business in 1924 with one Model T Ford truck based at a small warehouse on Chambers Street in Princeton. But through four generations of family ownership, the company has demonstrated its resilience, savvy and foresight, looking for new opportunities while also adapting to many changes over the past century.

In this 100th year of operation for Bohren’s United Van Lines, President Denise Hewitt and her father, Chairman of the Board Ted Froehlich, are grateful for their overwhelming success in the moving category. They are also thankful that decisions made over the decades to diversify the brand have allowed them to keep up with the times.

Hewitt, an Allentown, N.J., resident, and Froehlich, a Princeton resident, intend for 2024 to be a year of celebration and sharing with their employees, customers and the public. Over the year they’ll look back over the decades but also keep an eye on the future, an approach that has kept the business successful for so long.

In the beginning, E.L. Bohren delivered baggage for Princeton University students and did small moves with his Model T truck. By the second generation, Bohren’s son-in-law Warren Froehlich expanded the business and in 1955 became an agent of United Van Lines. His grandson Ted began working for Bohren’s every day after school when he was 12. By the time he was 17, he was driving trucks on routes from New York, Boston, or Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. on a regular basis.

When Ted Froehlich was 27, his dad passed away. Ted had three brothers, but none were interested in running the business. Ted was intrigued, even though his experiences at that point were limited to being a dispatcher, a claims adjuster and, of course, a truck driver. Seeing an opportunity to take on and shape the business, he stepped into the CEO role. He immediately hired management consultants to help him make the business more efficient and professional, the first of his many strategic and prescient decisions.

Another important key step to expanding and increasing the profitability of the company was to become a stockholder in United Van Lines (UVL). As a part owner of UVL, Froehlich and his business became eligible to make moves across the 48 states as well as Canada and Mexico. This made Bohren’s a major player in the moving and storage business as the firm moved families and commercial entities across the country. Throughout this period of growth, excellent service was always his top priority. Froehlich said it took 12 service members in a variety of jobs, from customer service, to sales, to crews, to provide outstanding customer service for every single household move.

Over time, he noted, a shortage of long-haul drivers was becoming a major issue for the industry. It forced Bohren’s to re-evaluate some of

the long-distance moving capabilities. Local and tri-state moving and storage still remain a specialty today.

In 1985 and 1989 respectively, Ted’s daughters Denise and Louise joined the business. Louise managed the Human Resources Department and served as Vice President until her departure in 2021 to pursue other interests. Denise worked in virtually every position in the company before she became President in 2002 and Ted became Chairman.

Denise and her father quickly realized the benefits of Bohren’s being a woman-owned and operated business at that time, welcoming the opportunity to become certified as such by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council the following year. That certification gave the company access to hundreds of corporate clients and government agencies providing a percentage of contracts to women- and minority-owned businesses.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Denise focused on increasing efficiency and expanding new opportunities. One example of that came as Bohren’s customers with residences in the Hamptons and Long Island inquired about the transport and storage of their art collections. Denise recognized the unique need for a trusted, reliable vendor and capitalized on the company’s strengths in those areas. Bohren’s Fine Art Transportation & Storage was created to handle the personal collections of their residential clients but quickly grew to service major art galleries and museums.

In the past century, Bohren’s has expanded from its original humble warehouse in Princeton to as many as five locations in New Jersey and Florida. But again, Froehlich’s instincts told him at a certain point that consolidation would make sense, and in 1999 the father-daughter team brought it all into one 12-acre facility at 3 Applegate in Robbinsville, where they operate today.

One hundred years in, Bohren’s has morphed from a single-owner shipper to Bohren’s Companies, encompassing three divisions: Bohren’s Moving & Storage, Bohren’s Fine Art Transportation, and Bohren’s Logistics. Their services range from household and commercial moving and storage, to trade shows, to transport and storage of art as well as high-valued electronic and medical equipment. Bohren’s has moved and/ or stored everything from microwaves to Elvis Presley memorabilia, Andy Warhol art to Apache helicopters, and RCA communications satellites to Rothko sculptures.

The company is looking forward to what the leadership of the fifth generation will do to expand the future of Bohren’s into the next century.

More information: www.bohrensmoving.com. See ad, page 16

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Community News Service Ad-high res.pdf 2 3/19/24

Louise Froehlich (left) and Denise Hewitt (right) pictured with Ted Froehlich (seated).

on Saturday, April 6, at 6 p.m.

The evening starts with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by an awards presentation and live entertainment during dinner. Silent auction winners will be announced before the evening concludes at 9 p.m.

This year’s honorees include Maria Richardson, Patron of the Arts Excellence Award; Phillip McConnell, Outstanding Emerging Artisan Award; and Wise Intelligent & Culture Freedom, The Poor Righteous Teachers

Richardson is the City of Trenton director of recreation, natural resources and culture and the acting director of health and human services. A statement from Passage lauds her as “a good friend to the theater, to the arts community in Trenton, and to Trenton youth and families. For over three decades of service, Maria has been a tireless advocate in municipal government, the private sector, and academia.”

Passage materials explain that McConnell is a “multidisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker, writer, and spoken word artist,” with a focus on glitch art, “the aesthetic of digital errors, created by corrupting the data of pictures…Phillip ultimately wants people to see that thinking abstract or dis-

cussing emotions within art should be a normal thing for a black creative and that fellow black creatives shouldn’t have to always discuss trauma within their work.”

Wise Intelligent and Culture Freedom of the Poor Righteous Teachers, a hip hop group originally from Trenton, have been center stage at Passage this season with their music serving as the backdrop for the world premiere of “Ghetto Gods in Divineland” earlier this year.

“Apart from launching his own record label — Intelligent Muzik Group (2007) — for nearly 25 years, Wise Intelligent has leveraged his business sense and recognition as a hip-hop pioneer into social entrepreneurship, activism, youth advocacy, and the development of educational and entrepreneurship programs that train and inspire from the unique vantage point of hip hop culture,” Passage materials state.

A Trenton native, “Culture Freedom, along with his wife, were youth ministry leaders for 15 years.” He “has experience publicly speaking to various groups,” including at-risk students involved in organizations from Trenton to California.

Initiative hosts its “Spring Luncheon” benefitting the

Dreams” children’s

Passage Theater, Trenton’s only community theater, has a stated mission to create and produce “socially relevant plays and arts programming that deeply resonate with and reflect our community. Through professional productions, educational programs, and community engagement, we present diverse voices that inspire audiences and invigorate the art of live theater.” Proceeds from the gala support its continued programming.

The Trenton Country Club is located at 201 Sullivan Way in West Trenton. Tickets are $125. Registration is available online or in person at the box office on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call ahead at 609-392-0766. HomeFront’s

Passage Theater, Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, Trenton. passagetheatre. org/2024gala.

American Repertory Ballet

American Repertory Ballet celebrates its 70th anniversary with a Platinum Jubilee Gala on Saturday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Jasna Polana in Princeton.

Reporter Dan Aubrey explained the journey that led to the nonprofit dance company’s founding in a 2013 article marking the 50th anniversary of “Nutcracker” productions at McCarter Theater:

“One dreamer was Audree Estey, the Canadian-born founder and director of Princeton Ballet Society that, after a few name variations, became the professional American Repertory Ballet (which maintains the Princeton Ballet School).

“After a typical nomadic dance experience — studying in Winnipeg, performing with a Hollywood dance company, touring the vaudeville circuit, and dancing for Fox Films — Audree Phipps married Lawrenceville School English teacher Wendell ‘Bud’ Estey and moved to the Princeton area in 1933.

“Here she began providing classes at the Lawrenceville School and seemingly any place she could use, including the garage of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. She also continued her study, including in the early 1950s with prominent choreographer Antony Tudor at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts. It was then that she began to dream of creating her Princeton company.”

Princeton Ballet School was founded in 1954 to offer dance classes; American Repertory Ballet, the professional dance company, was established in 1963 as the Princeton Ballet Society.

The black tie-optional celebration features dinner and remarks by current ARB trustees Nancy S. MacMillan, Penelope Lattimer, and Susan Croll in honor of the evening’s honorees, the chairs of ARB’s board from 1954 to the present. The festivities also include live music, dancing, and a

silent auction.

Jasna Polana is located at 4519 Province Line Road, Princeton. Individual tickets are $300. Sponsorship opportunities range from $2,000 to $20,000.

American Repertory Ballet, 301 North Harrison Street, Princeton. arballet.org.

HomeFront

Lawrence-based nonprofit HomeFront’s Women’s Initiative holds a celebratory Spring Luncheon that spotlights the goals and impact of HomeFront’s children’s programming as experienced by and expressed through the voices of the families it serves on Sunday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton.

The event includes coffee, cocktails, and mocktails followed by a buffet brunch. Tickets include access to view the sculpture grounds. All proceeds benefit HomeFront’s Joy, Hopes & Dreams educational and cultural enrichment programming.

The mission of HomeFront’s Women’s Initiative, as stated on its website, is “to mobilize a group of 1,000 caring and committed women of all ages who will lend their expertise and support to help alleviate family homelessness in our community.

The Women’s Initiative works in concert with HomeFront’s rich array of programs and services. Through these efforts, we strengthen our community, making it a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Grounds For Sculpture is located at 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton. Tickets cost $75 per person or $750 for a table of 10. To register or for more information, call 609989-9417, extension 107, or email PaulaA@ HomeFrontNJ.org.

HomeFront, 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville. 609-989-9417 or homefrontnj.org.

United Way of Greater Mercer County

The United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) board of directors hosts its fourth annual United in Impact Awards on Tuesday, April 30, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Grounds For Sculpture.

The annual event celebrates community champions who demonstrate leadership, passion, and a commitment to a thriving and equitable community in their everyday life. This year’s community champions are:

Patrick L. Ryan, president and CEO of First Bank, Live United Corporate Award; Ida Jackson Woods, assistant vice president and chief diversity officer for ETS, Advocate Award; Denise Mariani, civil trial attorney at Stark & Stark, Community Quarterback Award; and Edward W. Bullock, president of the board of trustees for The Trenton Literacy Movement,

Eugene Marsh Community Impact Award. Brenda Ross-Dulan, founder and managing principal of the Ross-Dulan Group, serves as the event’s mistress of ceremony. Proceeds from the event directly provide food, rental assistance, health insurance access, tax preparation services, children’s books, school supplies and other resources to help individuals and families get ahead. There are more than 60,000 families in Mercer County struggling to make ends meet.

Tickets are $150 and sponsorship opportunities are available.

More information: uwgmc.org/ unitedimpactawards. See PARTIES, Page 6

Isles

Trenton-based nonprofit Isles hosts its spring celebration on Saturday, May 4, at 6 p.m. at the Social Profit Center at Mill One in Hamilton.

The event features locally sourced springtime cuisine, fun cocktails, and music at the historic mill that Isles renovated into a community hub for nonprofits, social impact offices, and artists, as well as its own headquarters.

Being honored at the event are U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat representing the 12 Congressional District, and Stacy Denton, director of TRiO Upward Bound at Mercer County Community College, a program for high school students from low income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree to encourage completing a high school diploma and pursuing post-secondary education.

Proceeds from the event benefit Isles, the 43-year-old community development and environmental organization with a mission to foster “self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities,” according to its website.

Mill One is located at 1 North Johnston Avenue in Hamilton. Tickets for the event are $125. A commemorative Isles tote bag is available for an additional $50. The bags were created by Inspired Threads, a Hamilton-based nonprofit that employs people with disabilities to create ecofriendly, upcycled products from discarded fabric scraps.

More information: isles.org.

The Jewish Center Princeton

The Jewish Center celebrates 75 years — its diamond jubilee — on Saturday, May 4, with a cruise-themed gala.

The event, titled “Sail the Chai Seas!” will turn The Jewish Center’s Nassau Street campus into a cruise ship along with two excursion destinations.

Guests will be welcomed to the event along the “gangplank,” purchase duty free goods from promenade shop vendors in the lobby, enjoy cocktails in the Lido Bar and Lounge, gamble the night away in the Atlantic Deck casino and Sky Deck sports bar, enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and dancing to the tunes of DJ TY in the grand ballroom, lounge in the Empress Deck piano/karaoke bar, be entertained by mentalist Ben Seidman, and take excursions to both Paris and the Islands. The cruise will set sail at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton’s first Jewish congregation emerged in the mid-1920s, and a growing Jewish population led to the formal cre-

ation of the Jewish Center in 1949. In 1958, the congregation moved to its current Nassau Street space, which underwent additional expansions in 1983 and 1990.

Tickets for the event are $175 per person, with raffle tickets available for an additional $100. Sponsorship packages, which include multiple event tickets as well as recognition in print, online, and with a carved brick in the Jewish Center’s courtyard, range from $540 to $75,000. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact executive director Joel Berger at jberger@thejewishcenter.org

Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton. 609-921-0100. thejewishcenter.org/diamond-jubilee.

Housing Initiatives of Princeton

Housing Initiatives of Princeton holds its spring garden party and fundraiser on Sunday, May 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Princeton home of Tibbie and Greg Samios. The event includes light fare, drinks, and a presentation by John N. Robinson III

Robinson is associate faculty in American studies and assistant professor of sociology at Princeton University. He studies the racial underpinnings of money and markets, with emphasis on housing and credit policies. Robinson’s current book project explores the ongoing rise of the affordable housing industry in the U.S. and its intersections with racial and economic inequality.

The event benefits the nonprofit founded in 2001 to assist local individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity build toward a sustainable future via stable housing, better employment, and a network of support services.

HIP provides services including transitional housing and temporary rental assistance and engages in advocacy efforts to raise awareness of insufficient housing options and challenges facing the working poor.

Individual tickets are $90. Sponsorship opportunities range from $150 to $1,000.

More information: housinginitiativesofprinceton.org

Capital Harmony Works

Capital Harmony Works, the Tren-

The evening of music and

Capital Harmony Works, the Trenton nonprofit behind the Trenton Children’s Chorus, Trenton Music Makers, and Music for the Very Young, holds its “One Voice Many Sounds” gala on Tuesday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Cooper’s Riverview in Trenton. Photo courtesy of Capital Harmony Works staff.

hosted by Bradd Marquis, a Trentonborn singer, songwriter, and producer. The evening starts with cocktails and appetizers, followed by dinner and live entertainment from the Trenton Children’s Chorus and Trenton Music Makers.

Proceeds from the gala benefit the organization’s decades-long history of providing free music education to children and families in Trenton.

The Trenton Children’s Chorus, founded in 1989, is a nationally recognized group that has performed at the White House and the United Nations. In addition to choral music education, the program provides instruction in drumming and keyboard, music theory, and assistance with school work, standardized tests, and college admissions.

The Trenton Music Makers, part of the El Sistema program, teaches the values of leadership and teamwork through instruction in violin, viola, cello and bass instruments, as well as musicianship and composition.

Music for the Very Young is a program that incorporates music education into Pre-K classrooms in Trenton.

Cooper’s Riverview is located at 50 Riverview Plaza, Trenton. Tickets for the gala start at $150 per person. Sponsorships are available at levels ranging from $1,000 to $25,000.

Capital Harmony Works, The Social Profit Center at Mill One, 1 North Johnston Avenue, Suite A209, Trenton. 609-3948700 or capitalharmony.works.

McCarter Theatre Center

The biggest party of the year at Princeton’s McCarter Theater is its annual gala, taking place Saturday, May 11, at the theater and under the stars.

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The centerpiece of the evening is a cabaret performance by Tony Award-winning Broadway star Laura Benanti. Prior to the show, guests enjoy a cocktail reception and three-course dinner featuring topshelf wines. Drinks and dancing follow the performance.

Benanti first rose to fame as a teenager playing the role of Maria in Broadway’s “The Sound of Music.” She has starred in 10 subsequent shows, including a Tony Award-winning performance in “Gypsy.”

Her latest film roles include Sony Pictures’ “No Hard Feelings” and Netflix’s “Worth.” She can also be seen in Max’s “The Gilded Age” and Hulu’s “Life & Beth.”

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Most recently, she created, wrote, and starred in “Nobody Cares,” an original musical comedy show for Audible.

Proceeds from the gala benefit the nonprofit theater’s programming, arts education initiatives, and community engagement activities.

Tickets start at $300, which excludes dinner service. Individual tickets including dinner range from $600 to $2,000.

McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, Princeton. 609-258-2787 or mccarter.org.

Morven Museum & Garden

Morven Museum & Garden’s annual Morven in May spring garden party takes on special significance this year as it also launches anniversary celebrations for Morven’s 20th year as a museum.

The party is happening rain or shine on Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the museum grounds.

Peonies will be in full bloom for the party, which also includes food, drinks,

See PARTIES, Page 8

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Ooika Matcha ‘Teas’ Up for Lawrenceville Opening

By George Point

Matcha, the finely ground powder of specially grown, uniquely flavored green tea leaves that are at the heart of “chanoyu” —the traditional Japanese tea ceremony— is now available at Ooika, a cozy tea house on Lawrenceville’s Main Street dedicated to offering high-quality matcha in its many forms.

Ooika opened its doors on February 27.

“Ooika” is a Japanese word that represents the aroma from the high-quality, shaded matcha offered at owner Joann Lui’s establishment.

According to the Ooika website, Lui “grew up in a family of tea enthusiasts.” Her father is from Chaozhou, China, a city “renowned for Gongfu cha,” described as “the skillful art of tea brewing.”

She eventually met Marc Alexandre, Ooika’s miller, who had apprenticed under tea expert Shunan Teng before his journey led him to Japan, where he discovered heritage matcha.

As continued on its website, Ooika invites its customers to savor “...the unique experience of single-origin heritage matcha from the most celebrated multigenerational family farms across Japan in Uji, Yame, Hoshinomura, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and more, freshly ground inhouse with traditional Japanese Ishi-Usu stone mills.”

Lui wrote the following on her Facebook page:

“Ooika’s commitment to traditional matcha cultivation and production techniques helps to preserve this ancient art form for future generations to enjoy, while also making matcha more accessible to a Western audience.”

“If you’ve ever had bitter, yellow matcha here in the U.S., that’s because most matcha sold here are months, if not years old.”

“But matcha is meant to be consumed fresh, just like coffee, with a vibrantly green color,” she continued. “That’s why we’re obsessed with stone-milled singlecultivar matcha to bring you the unparalleled freshness that we can’t find here in the U.S.”

A rotating selection of hot and cold matcha-based beverages are available, ranging in price from $3.45 for hot Binchotan Hojicha—a charcoal roasted green tea that is absent matcha’s vegetal green flavor and is caffeine free—to $9.95 for a strawberry matcha parfait.

Patrons are invited to specify the desired level of sweetness; this reporter enjoyed a sugar-free hot matcha latte ($6.85) made with freshly ground matcha and steamed Oatly oat milk.

Ooika also offers a selection of matcha and teaware available for purchase from its website, ooika.co

Membership in their Matcha Mill Club is also available, giving subscribers the opportunity to “explore Japan’s rare, sin-

Joann Lui is the owner of Ooika Matcha, the new tea house now open at 2661 Main Street in Lawrenceville, which grinds the green tea into fresh powder using in-house Japanese stone mills. Photos courtesy of Ooika.

gle-origin matcha shipped to you within 24 hours of stone-milling every month.”

In one of the bolder mission statements put out by any establishment, Ooika promises “to preserve heritage Matcha across the historic terroirs of Japan by making uncompromised matcha accessible to the U.S.”

Why not drop by and decide for yourself?

From PARTIES, Page 7

music, and the chance to see the special exhibit “Morven Revealed,” showcasing rarely exhibited objects and photographs of the mansion and its notable residents through the years.

Morven was built by Declaration of Independence signer Richard Stockton in the 1750s on property granted to his family by William Penn in 1701. After a fire, it was rebuilt and named Morven in 1758.

Four subsequent generations of Stocktons lived in the home before it was leased to General Robert Wood Johnson in 1928.

From 1945 to 1981, it was home to five governors as New Jersey’s first governor’s mansion. The property was restored and

reopened as a museum and garden in 2004.

Proceeds from the garden party support the continued upkeep of the property and the museum’s exhibitions.

In addition to celebrating its 20th anniversary, Morven is also preparing for special programming in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

Tickets for the garden party range from $250 to $20,000.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. 609-924-8144 or www. morven.org. * * *

And guess what? You’re invited.

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Ooika, 2661 Main Street, Lawrenceville. Currently open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.ooika.co

Hours are subject to change during the soft opening period, with a formal opening planned in early June.

Morven Museum & Garden’s “Morven in May” spring garden party blossoms in recognition of the museum’s 20 years in operation on Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the its grounds in Princeton. Photo courtesy of Morven Museum & Garden.

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Blend Bar & Bistro

Bringing Together Food, Cocktails, and People

When Antonio Carannante, coowner of Hamilton’s BLEND Bar & Bistro, is asked how his team came up with the name Blend, he explains, “Blend is all about bringing it together, whether it’s people or ingredients, to share something creative with each other. Pick up a bottle of your favorite wine, beer, or spirit and more often then not you see the word blend or they will list ingredients they use to Blend together. There’s Blended whiskeys, beers, vodkas, wines and more. It’s a word you can’t get away from. But also mainly just the idea of the word has a positive vibe. We like the idea of blend to bring food, cocktails, and people together.”

Indeed, “blend” is something this establishment does very well. In addition to a modern American cuisine concept, the restaurant also offers dishes that represent other global influences. “We have chicken pot

You’re Invited

dumplings and Ahi Poke Bowl, but we also have nachos, quesadillas, and empanadas, as well as gnocchi. Some popular grilled items are our Bone-in Ribeye, Porkchop and handmade never frozen angus burgers served with our very popular handcut fries ,” explains Carannante.

“So we offer a good mix of different flavors and flair to make sure everyone is happy while providing a fun environment and a family friendly dining experience.

In additional to offering both large and small seasonal dishes, more than 100 spirits, 20 draft lines, and a variety of wines, the restauranteur also offers catering, for both on and off-premises. Blend caters at multiple venues in the area including but not limited to Sayen Gardens, Grafton House, Nottingham Ballroom, and also has a dining room for private events that can seat 50 people. They have curbside dining with their outdoor patio, featuring heaters throughout.

Our events include weddings, rehearsal dinners, baby and bridal showers, bachelor parties, retirement

dinners, and much more.

Many of our off premises events are branded under a branch we call, New Jersey Weddings and Events, a catering and event planning company, that we target the more formal events off premise . “We are one-stop service in that way. If a customer chooses to, we can coordinate their entire event, with flowers, music, whatever they desire. We are always happy to make recommendations for what vendors to use as well.”

The Carannante Family originally started and still includes, Brother’s Pizza on Route 33, allows them to offer a variety of pizza-themed parties for customers, including wood-burning pizza ovens for backyard parties and cocktail hours for any special event. Blend consistently holds special events at the restaurant, like wine pairing dinners and happy hours, as well as fundraiser events and holiday parties, but one of its biggest events is the Mercer County Central Jersey Beer and Wine Festival. At the next festival, on Saturday, September 28, from noon to 6 p.m., guests can taste hundreds of different beers and wines

while listening to live music, meeting brewers, and enjoying food vendors. Find tickets at www.cjbeerfest.com, Use Code: CJBEERFEST Antonio Carannante is the event coordinator that executes this production which it attracts thousands of people together for live music, food and drink.”

Now that spring is here, Carannante notes, “it’s time to start thinking about your upcoming special events through summer and fall. It’s always good to pencil in your dates ahead of time!”

Blend Bar & Bistro, 911 Route 33, Hamilton. 609-245-8887. drinks@blendbar.com. planner@ NJweddingsandevents.com. See ad, page 12

K’s Event Decorations and Rentals

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At K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, we understand that every occasion is unique and deserves personalized attention. Our team of experienced designers will work closely with you to understand your style, preferences, and budget. Whether you envision a romantic and elegant wedding or a fun and vibrant birthday party, we have the expertise to bring your vision to life. Our wedding and event design services encompass every aspect of your special day. From selecting the perfect color palette and theme to creating stunning floral arrangements and tablescapes, we pay attention to every detail to ensure a cohesive and visually stunning event. Our team will work closely with you to create a design concept that

You’re Invited

reflects your personality and creates a memorable experience for you and your guests. In addition to our design services, we also offer a wide range of event rentals to enhance your occasion. From elegant table linens and chair covers to stylish centerpieces and lighting options, we have everything you need to create a truly unforgettable event. Our extensive inventory ensures that we can accommodate events of any size and style.

At K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, we understand the importance of quality and reliability and that is why we only work with trusted vendors who share our commitment to excellence. Our team will coordinate with these vendors to ensure seamless execution of your event, allowing you to relax and enjoy your special day. We take pride in our exceptional customer service and strive to exceed your expectations.

Our team is dedicated to providing prompt and professional assistance throughout the planning process and on the day of your event. Antonia James is the CEO and creative

designer who found her purpose designing and creating memorable experiences through life’s momentous celebrations. Antonia has worked in the service industry for more than 22 years and her belief that customer service is the number one priority carries over into everything K’s does. She prides herself in providing the best service with integrity and hard work, starting with an initial consultation that sets clients on the right path to turning their dream event into reality.

We believe that every client deserves personalized attention and we are committed to making your experience with us enjoyable and stress-free. Whether you are planning an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, K’s Event Decorations and Rentals is here to make your occasion truly unforgettable.

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation and let us help you bring your vision to life. Allow our enthusiasm and expertise to craft your unforgettable occasion.

K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, LLC, 966 Kuser Road, Hamilton. 609-341-8724 www. kseventdecorations.com. See ad, page 11

You’re Invited . . . to Camp

Ewing Recreation Department

Camps & Pools

The Ewing Community Pools System offers two pools for seasonal members and daily patrons. The pools have shaded areas, pool furniture, changing rooms and shower facilities and ESCC has a snack bar. The Hollowbrook Pool located at 320 Hollowbrook Drive, is scheduled to open on weekends & Memorial Day on Sunday, May 26. Operating hours are Sunday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays can be rented for private events, email Raquel at rince@ ewingnj.org to schedule an event. The ESCC pool will open on weekends & Memorial Day starting Saturday, May 25, and both pools will open full time starting on Monday, June 17, from noon to 8 p.m. Swim lessons start with evaluations on Saturday, June 15, and space is limited. Senior Swim and Senior Water Aerobics start on Monday, June 17; seniors needing assistance registering can register at the Senior

Office for these programs. Online registration for seasonal memberships, swim lessons and Senior Swim/ Water Aerobics is required at communitypass.net. Labor Day is the last day that the pools will be open.

The Ewing Recreation Summer Camp will run from June 24 – August 23 for grades K – 5 and is held on the grounds of the Fisher School and Ewing Senior & Community Center (ESCC). The hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. Early hours are from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and late hours are from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Online registration is required at communitypass.net. Teen Travel will be for grades 6 – 8 and will run from July 1 – August 16. The camp will travel four days a week and stay in Ewing the other day. Campers can participate in day camp on weeks Teen Travel is not being held. Camp also offers a Counselor in Training program for children entering 9th grade.

For more information on these programs call the Ewing Recreation Office at 609-883-1776 x6203. You can also go to ewingnj.org, Community Affairs. See ad, page 10.

Gra on House

Once home to the First Sheri of Mercer County, NJ, the recently renovated Grafton House can accommodate a variety of functions and special gatherings. This historic jewel quietly hides behind the Hamilton Marketplace in rural, south-east Hamilton Township, just minutes from the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate 195 and State Highway 130. The house was bestowed the name “Grafton” after a historic plantation located near where the home sits today!

110 Edgebrook Road Hamilton, NJ 08691

quisite and memorable…

The Sayen House & Gardens is available for a variety of functions and gatherings. The House serves as an elegant, out-of-the ordinary setting for wedding receptions, showers, holiday parties and much more. The Sayen House is nestled amongst 30 acres and serves as the perfect backdrop for your outdoor ceremony and photos!

155 Hughes Drive Hamilton, NJ 08690

Program Coordinator at (609) 890-3874 or PKrzywulak@hamiltonnj.com

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FOR SALE

Don’t miss out on our spectacular estate and garage sale! Join us on April 6th & 7th for amazing deals on

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Home Contents Sale

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cies, with having a 4th-6th building in this district. You’re essentially running an upper elementary model alongside a 6th grade schedule, which is, mired to a 6th-8th grade band of educational standards and testing standards. And social emotional needs look a little bit different as they get older.

So we’re looking to potentially grow in the area of resetting and having it be a preK-2nd, a 3rd-5th, a 6th-8th and the high school (9th-12th). We worked with our board and our leadership team to serve up the best, most educated thoughts around, what’s evidence-based and what’s appropriate for student learning socially and emotionally, academically. We’re starting to map out, at least financially, what it might look like to add 6th grade onto the middle school. And then we would push the grade levels forward to put preschool in their neighborhood schools. So, we’re really excited about that.

LG: What is your timeline?

RK: I’m going to be writing and working with this team on a five-year operational plan over the summer, hopefully to furnish it this fall so that the board and the community are very aware of the steps in the process. Our timeline, globally speaking, would be—we’re mapping out the architectural plans and obviously we need to get a price point to our constituents.

We might be looking at a bond referendum—a vote—as early as next April. We wouldn’t dare slide that into a presidential

another cafeteria. You might need an extra field. Space is opportunity for our students, and so we want to thoughtfully go through this process, partnering with our community, partnering with our administrators and our leadership team. It will be over the course of five years. I don’t envision us being moved into the reconfiguration until year five. Next year would be year one.

LG: What are what are you looking at in terms any other capital costs or improvements, within the district in the next couple of years.

TE: Right now, what we’re doing is we’re looking to see instrunctionally how we need to reshape our buildings to meet Doctor Kilm’s vision. Our architect is doing that right now. As we’re doing that, we’re also identifying other things. We may replace some roofs on some buildings. Things of that nature.

We have already done all our windows in the district. We’re already in a paving schedule. Many people think that we’re going to have to build for preschool. We may, but we may not. We have to see. We may be able to find community providers.

I think that there may be some capital maintenance projects there. There may be a couple of roofs in there, but other than that, we have already completed the replacement of all our major heating cores and our major HVAC. We have one boiler room, I believe, left to do, and that’s the Intermediate School. Really, our facilities are in great shape. We have minor capital

“We would like to bond this amount of money for these types of things.” Whatever they’re being asked for, there would be a question, and then what we call an “interpretive statement,” and that statement would say, in practical terms, what we want to do. We haven’t determined fully what that statement would be, but we absolutely know from an educational perspective what we want it to be. Hence, the architect is helping us identify what it looks like in bricks and mortar.

This is an important distinction that I’m going to make next. It’s a huge distinction, and I’m going to speak plainly. This is a transparent administrative process at this point. Everything you heard is our administrative due diligence.

We are not at the point where we’re asking for feedback yet. I just want to make that clear. People will absolutely have the ability to tell us what they think. We’re just trying to shape our thoughts right now based on our educational mission. We still have to present it to you and say, “What do you think about these things, and what do you think is most important now?”.

There’s been, I guess, 12 miniature community conversations in the last 14 months. We’re constantly in the cycle of listening. But right now, what we’re saying transparently is that administratively, we’re letting you hear what we think. So, you’re listening to what we think and we’re always taking in feedback to close the loop. Just so that we don’t have that mixed up with, “Why haven’t you asked me.” We’re letting you know what we’re thinking we’ll have miniature community conversations, and we will go on a purposeful focused conversation for feedback.

We’re fleshing out the parameters of our own thinking, but we want people to be informed about it. We’ve never done this before. We’ve never been so transpar-

ent where we’re letting people hear our thoughts and what we’re thinking this far in advance. Normally what happens is that we announce that we’re going to go and do this. So yes, we have an architect contract for $40,000. That’s all we have. But he doesn’t have a contract to build. He has a contract to listen.

RK: We are still in the infancy stages of thinking. What’s cool is that because we’re so transparent, this leadership team, to be honest, has started to put out crumbs of information so that people aren’t hit all at once with this idea that comes to fruition. Our board’s committee meeting minutes have included discussions such as this, and so have my superintendent’s reports. We had a board work session where the minutes were posted to talk about this idea that we were moving forward with a reconfiguration plan.

When people read our minutes, they’re asking questions, we’re responding. We’re setting up meetings in the community in addition to the community conversations. My goal was to be as transparent as humanly possible.

We invite people in to ask questions while we’re developing our thinking. We’ve even pivoted on some thoughts because of better informed understandings of, “Well, have you thought this? Have you thought that?”.

We’re building our operational plan. Just as recently as last night, I was sitting at the Intermediate School and somebody was talking about busing and the concern they have about how jammed up the one school gets for drop off. And if we do a 3rd5th, it’s less likely that we’ll have walkers. We’re probably going to have more cars dropping off. Have we thought about XYZ? When parents are helping us build our plan, whether they know it or not, formally, or informally, which is what we want.

quality outings every time out, and you’ve got a great defensive player who’s also our closer,” Maher said. “They’re both tremendous athletes. And with them going to play Division I, it’s good for our guys to look at them and say ‘Hey, with hard work it’s possible to go play Division I.’ It’s nothing but pluses.”

One of the biggest pluses is that they set the tone in preseason after understanding what Maher wanted during his first season last year.

“The other day a kid had his hat on backwards,” Maher said. “Right away they said something. Now they know what I expect. There are certain things we gotta do, and we have to act the right way and handle it the right way. I feel like when your leaders handle those things, that’s when you become a program.”

Other senior leaders are Riley Rivera (.383, 3 doubles, 3 triples), who’s headed to Moravian, Danny Dryzga (.278), who’s still looking at colleges, and Toby Mitchell, “who may find a role somewhere in the outfield for us.”

Returning underclassmen are sophomore standout defensive catcher Drew Dobkin (.281), sophomore first baseman Aiden Crowly (.283), sophomore infielder pitcher Deacon Moore (.463, 19 RBI) and junior infielder/pitcher Teak Toto (.449, 5

doubles, 3 triples, 27 RBI).

“If Crowley hits, he’ll stay at first base, if he struggles, Kellen will be over there,” Maher said. “But if things go as we hope, Kellen will be a DH and pitcher.”

Moore can do both effectively. He batted .286 with 23 RBI, two doubles, two triples and a home run. On the mound he went 7-1 with one save and had a 1.10 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched. He completed four of his nine starts, won two state tournament games and had regularseason victories over solid Allentown and Robbinsville teams.

“He’s gotten stronger,” Maher said. “He’s touched 90 in a couple workouts in the off-season but he’s got command of three or four pitches, which is big in high school. He’s got a great two-seam fastball, a lot of movement, a plus change-up. He’s got a good breaking ball and he throws strikes.

“He’s learned how to compete. Last year he didn’t have a lot of experience pitching in big games but he won two state tournament games and pitched a great game in the county tournament (a 3-2 loss to Allentown). He’s pitched in a lot of big games, which makes it easier for us this year. Obviously he’s gonna get the ball in big games.”

Moore said he spent ample time in the weight room during the off-season and

focused on getting stronger overall.

“I’m building a better body to increase stamina and strength on the mound and on the pitching side of things I’ve been working with Total Arm Care in North Jersey,” he said. “They’re into high tech advanced analyzation of pitching. I’ve worked with them on some specific things in my delivery and there are things they find to make me a better pitcher and throw harder. I’m sitting at 88 and 89 and getting up to 90 a couple times.”

With a nice array of pitches, Moore feels the key to success will be mixing them up to keep hitters off balance.

“I have to be able to throw all three pitches on any count,” he said. “Just make sure the hitter doesn’t know what’s coming. Keep them guessing.”

And while he has the ability to go seven innings every time out, Moore is happy Kelly is available to save games for him.

“If I’m able to get us in a position to win I have full confidence to turn it over to Robrt at the end of the bullpen and he can give us one or two strong innings,” Moore said.

Conversely, Kelly is not sure how often he will be needed in games that Moore starts.

“I can see him going the distance a lot,” Kelly said. “He’s a great pitcher. One of our many talented pitchers we have. Honestly there’s a lot of times I won’t be needed. I

have a lot of faith in the guys ahead of me.”

That doesn’t mean Kelly won’t be playing, as he is entrenched at shortstop. His defense is unquestioned but Maher is looking for some more offense after Kelly hit .306 with 17 RBI last year.

“I’ve talked to Robert about this several times,” Maher said. “He’s an elite defender, he’s an elite baserunner, he’s got an elite arm. He’s gotta make some changes offensively to be a big-time player.”

Kelly is well aware of that and dove into off-season training.

“I worked on keeping my head on the ball, going the opposite way,” he said. “Last year I didn’t do bad but I have room for improvement. Hopefully I’ll be more compact and stay through baseballs more and hit the ball the opposite way.”

Maher felt an added bonus for him getting the college of his choice is the fact he can throw a few innings if necessary. In 2023 he was 2-0 with four saves, 23 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA in 13 innings.

“He’s got as good a breaking ball as you’ll see in the area,” the coach said. “His trouble in the past was command, but last year he had great command for the most part (just 8 walks). When he throws strikes he’s very hard to hit. He’s upper 80s, with a hammer breaking ball.

“Monmouth has seen him throw, there is the possibility he could be a dual guy

there who plays some shortstop and pitches a little bit. When they came to see him throw they were like ‘Wow!’”

Folks have the same reaction when they watch Kelly field. He is smooth and it all looks so natural, but it comes from years of repetition of taking ground balls hit to him by his father.

Sean Kelly was actually the manager of the 2018 Lawrence Little League 12-yearold All-Stars that won the league’s first District 12 championship in 42 years. On his coaching staff was AJ Moore, who is Kellen’s father.

Thus, it’s not surprising the two boys have been close friends since childhood.

Aside from LHS and LLL they were middle school teammates and are currently together with the Diamond Nation Diamond Jacks travel team.

“We’ve been close since a young age,” Kelly said. “We always had that one person who wasn’t family that you could go to and ask anything. If I need help with baseball I’ll ask him, if he needs help with academics he’ll ask me. It’s good to have somebody like that.”

Their help with each other has paid off. Both players made their choices based mainly on academics and, fortunately, the baseball aspect of it was also inviting. They will finally be in separate dugouts but their experiences together have helped them

thrive on the field.

Each feels their District 12 success has carried over into high school.

“That gave us a ton of confidence, especially at such a young age to get accustomed to a winning condition like that,” Kelly said. “We definitely knew we could take that to a higher level in middle school and even high school and build winning programs after experiencing it when we were such young kids.”

Moore agreed, saying “That provided us a foundation to know how to win and we knew we had the potential to do some pretty impressive things when it comes to baseball and competing. We’ve taken what it means to be successful and applied it to high school and working with coach Maher. We were able to bring a winning culture here.”

It was a long time coming as Lawrence enjoyed its first winning season since 1997 and got to the sectional finals for the first time since 1974.

With nearly an entire team back –including a pitching staff that includes standout hurlers Aiden and Connor Crowley, Dryzga, Deacon Moore and Aiden Poot – optimism is high but guarded.

“I’m super excited, I can’t wait,” Maher said. “Last year is over. We all got a lot of accolades, we set school records, we did things the school’s never done. That’s

over. But, we’re sitting here and not many high school teams can say in your team meeting that you have a legitimate shot to win your division, your county and a state championship. Whether that happens, you never know, but we have a legitimate shot at all three.”

Maher’s leaders have bought into the philosophy.

“This team definitely has the ability,” Kelly said. “We have a great young core, a great returning core from last year. The freshman class is looking good. Last year was last year. We’re not gonna think about that. We’re gonna focus on what’s ahead of us and what games we have coming up and go from there.”

“It’s really important we start with a clean slate,” Moore said. “Last year is last year and we really can’t focus too much on that. We know we have a target on our back and teams will give us their A game every time. What’s really important is focusing on this new year, building a team with the new players and really working hard to replicate our success without dwelling on the success of last year. We can start fresh and hopefully bring in another year of success.”

Seeing as it’s their last year as teammates after a lifetime of playing together, rest assured Kelly and Moore will be laser focused on having nothing but success.

New screening options for current and former smokers

Ask

The Doctor

See our ads in SIX09 section pgs 5 and 7

Many current and former smokers are unaware of a lung cancer screening that can save lives. “It’s a quick screening that can result in early detection,” says Benjamin Medina, MD, a thoracic and vascular surgeon at the Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Hamilton. “Updated screening guidelines may mean you’re newly eligible to receive the test.”

How are lung cancer screenings done?

They consist of an annual, low-dose CT scan. You lie on a table while an X-ray machine takes images of your lungs. The scan only takes about five minutes, is very low dose and is very safe. Insurance covers recommended lung cancer screenings in most cases.

What happens after images are taken?

A radiologist looks for small lumps

called nodules. These are not necessarily cancerous, but they can become cancerous over time. Depending on a nodule’s size and characteristics, your doctor may recommend having a biopsy; undergoing another CT scan in three to six months to see if the nodule has grown or changed; or waiting and having it reassessed at next year’s screening.

What if the test finds lung cancer?

Lung cancer is easier to treat or even cure when it’s detected early. If part of a lung has to be removed, earlier detection means the excised area will be smaller than if the cancer were found later. Taking out less lung helps preserve lung function. Early detection also means there is less chance the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. When lung cancer spreads, survival rates become much lower.

the past 15 years. They also should have a 20 pack-year history or more of smoking. A pack-year is equivalent to smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes a day for a year. So, if you smoked a pack a day for 20 years, that’s a 20 pack-year history—and so is having smoked two packs a day for 10 years. These guidelines were updated in 2021.

Why did guidelines change?

To increase screening opportunities for people who are at highest risk of lung cancer and reduce disparities. Broader eligibility should especially enhance early detection at younger ages among women and Black adults, who are likelier to develop lung cancer after less cumulative tobacco exposure.

tor of Occupational Medicine, Corporate Health and Travel Medicine; Week 3 — Sara Ali, MD, Geriatrician and Palliative Care Specialist; Week 4 — Maureen Stevens, DPT; Senior Physical Therapist; and Week 5 — Patricia McDougall, BSN, RN; Integrative Therapies Nurse.

THurSday, aPriL 11

dinner With a doctor: Healthy Bones Club. 6:30 =8 p.m. Internal Medicine Physician, Anjali Bhandarkar, MD of RWJ Barnabas Health Medical Group and Primary Care Express will be discussing the diagnosis, risk factors and treatment for osteoporosis. Also included, insight on the treatment of Vitamin D deficiency and when to measure Vitamin D levels. Dinner provided.

MOnday, aPriL 22

Brain Health-Learn Proven Ways to Keep your Brain young. 10 –11 a.m. With so much information out today on brain health what methods really work? Join Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. to learn more about how to keep your brain young and turn back the clock on your aging brain.

THurSday, May 2

Who should undergo lung cancer screening?

Patients should be 50 to 80 years old and currently smoke or have quit within

Through RWJBarnabas Health’s Institute for Prevention and Recovery, we offer a 12-week program in which you’ll get a personalized plan, free nicotine patches and behavioral therapy that can help you manage challenges and prevent relapse. Someone will call you regularly to go over your goals and keep you on track. “It’s a wonderful program,” says Dr Medina. For more information about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Lung Cancer Screening Program, call 855.RWJ.LUNG (855.795.5864).

RWJBarnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Cancer Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to its cancer center, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.

For more information, call 844. CANCERNJ or visit wjbh.org/beatcancer.

Coming up this month at RWJU Hospital Hamilton

For more information, call (609) 5845900. To register for a program or for schedule changes go to rwjbh.org/events.

TueSday, aPriL 2

Spring Mini Medical School: “The Science of Longevity.” Also on Tuesdays, April 9, 16, 23, 30. 6-7:30 p.m. Focus on the science of longevity: the extension of human life, and well-being. This approach may prevent chronic disease and extend long-term health. Changing your view from “lifespan” to “healthspan.” Week 1 — John DiBiase, MD, orthopedic surgeon, Clinical Instructor; Week 2 — Javier Villota, MD, medical direc-

Take Control of your Health/ Chronic disease Management Program. Also May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6. 10 a.m.–Noon. Take Control of Your Health/ Chronic Disease Management Program (CDSMP) is a cost effective evidence-based health promotion program for people with any ongoing health condition, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and similar conditions. During the course participants will learn how to problem solve, set goals, and relaxation techniques to help manage chronic conditions. It is expected that participants will attend all 6 classes.

Better Health Programs

Registration required for all programs. Must be a Better Health Member. Call (609) 584-5900 or go to rwjbh.org/events. All events at RWJ Hamilton Fitness & Wellness; 3100 Quakerbridge Rd.

TueSday, aPriL 16

Hospitals and Our aging Community. 1011a.m. Should hospital care change as we age, and if so, what does it look like? Join us to delve into this important topic about how hospitals may be able to better serve our aging population. Program’s Medical Panel includes: Lisa A. Breza, Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Hamilton, Dawn Hutchinson, Chief Nursing Officer, RWJUH Hamilton, and Sara Ali, MD, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, RWJUH Hamilton.

Breakfast and Learn — Healthy aging for Senior Women. 10-11:30 a.m. Sara Ali, MD, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, RWJUH Hamilton, will lead a focused conversation on some concerns for women as they age, discussing gynecological cancers, bone health, sexual health and more.

WedneSday, aPriL 24

For Men OnLy! 1-2 p.m. Ashish Desai, LCSW, VA New Jersey Health Care, will lead this open discussion with flexible topics that will be suggested by the members and what is of interest to members. This group will meet quarterly.

Dr. Benjamin Medina

LHS Field Hockey Wins

Mercer County Tournament!

APRIL 2024

Download our new district app!

LHS Field Hockey Wins

Golden Heart Week at SWS

A Night with the NJ Devils

LHS Field Hockey Wins

Mercer County Tournament!

Mercer County Tournament!

The Lawrence High School (LHS) Cardinals defeated Princeton Day School (PDS) 5-4 in sudden death overtime to become the 2021 Mercer County Field Hockey Championsthe first county championship for the Cardinals since 1983!

Lawrence Township Expands Preschool Under New State Aid

Students learn the art of Rangoli

Senior completed a pass to freshman Caroline Rotteveel, who scored the tie-breaking goal.

Congratulations to the team and coach Megan Errico on this well-earned win!

The Lawrence High School (LHS) Cardinals defeated Princeton Day School (PDS) 5-4 in sudden death overtime to become the 2021 Mercer County Field Hockey Championsthe first county championship for the Cardinals since 1983!

e LTPS mobile app is a free tool that will help you stay informed about what’s happening in our schools throughout the year. Access important phone numbers, view news stories, grades, calendars, lunch menus and more!

The Lawrence High School (LHS) Cardinals defeated Princeton Day School (PDS) 5-4 in sudden death overtime to become the 2021 Mercer County Field Hockey Championsthe first county championship for the Cardinals since 1983!

Slackwood Elementary School (SWS) recently ended their Golden Heart Week. Students gathered in an amazing heartshaped formation to cap off the week of valuable character education.

LTPS projected to serve nearly 500 new preschoolers by the end of ve-year rollout

Lawrence Township Public Schools is thrilled to unveil a signi cant expansion of its preschool program, marking a milestone achievement fueled by the successful application for Preschool Expansion Aid (PEA) funding from the New Jersey Department of Education. is initiative, driven by the collective mission of the Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Robyn Klim, is designed to ensure the success of all Lawrence children by providing high-quality, universal preschool at no cost to families.

Students learn the art of Rangoli

It’s Time to Register for Kindergarten!

Senior freshman the tie-breaking goal.

Senior Talia Schenck completed a pass to freshman Caroline Rotteveel, who scored

She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one of only eight players in the country to accomplish that feat!

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. Students must be ve years old on or before October 1 in order to enroll in Kindergarten for September 2024. Registration will close on August 2, 2024. Visit ltps.org/registration, email registration@ltps. org, or call (609) 671-5453 to get the process started!

“ is preschool expansion is a wonderful example of Lawrence Township Public Schools’ commitment to equity and access for all students,” emphasized Dr. Klim. “ e aim is to remove barriers and provide equal opportunities for families, an e ort that aligns with our strategic plan.” e expansion was set into motion with the opening of the rst new class on February 20, a revamping of the existing Cardinal Kids program into a ve-day a week, full-day preschool program hosted at Lawrence High School. is expansion not only caters to a larger demographic of three and four-year-olds but also opens the doors for more high school students to enroll in the popular “Early Childhood Growth and Development” course. is course, serving as a real-world “laboratory” setting, enables students to apply theoretical knowledge and plays a pivotal role in cultivating a pipeline of future educators.

Mrs. Shanbhag, mother of Ben Franklin Elementary School 3rd grader Reema Cyrus, visited Mrs. Leventhal’s and Mrs. Smoots’ class to teach about Diwali and how to create a Rangoli with colored sand.

Mrs. Shanbhag, mother of Ben Franklin Elementary School 3rd grader Reema Cyrus, visited Mrs. Leventhal’s and Mrs. Smoots’ class to teach about Diwali and how to create a Rangoli with colored sand.

Dr. Robyn Klim, Superintendent of Lawrence Township Public Schools, expressed enthusiasm about the long-term impact of the Cardinal Kids program at LHS, stating, “Our oldest and youngest students in the district will have the opportunity to learn and grow from one another.” For more information about the LTPS preschool program, please visit www.ltps.org/preschool.

Also this season, Talia Schenck made history by being the first NJ field hockey player to score 100 goals in a single season! She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one

out with the NJ Devils! Come to the Rock on November 9 and watch the Devils take on the Florida Panthers.

LTPS Administrator and Board of Ed Awarded Top Recogni�ons for Suppor�ng Music Educa�on

Discounted group tickets are $40 eachthe PTO receives 15% of each ticket sale. We will all be seated together in the same section and they will broadcast our school’s name on the scoreboard. Everyone that attends gets a special gift! Purchase your tickets on the PTO website at lmslhspto.com/fundraisers

Discounted group tickets are $40 eachthe PTO receives 15% of each ticket sale. We will all be seated together in the same section and they will broadcast our school’s name on the scoreboard. Everyone that attends gets a special gift! Purchase your tickets on the PTO website lmslhspto.com/fundraisers

Also this season, history by being the first NJ field hockey player to score 100 goals in a single season! She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one of only eight players in the country to accomplish that feat!

e Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education received the 2024 New Jersey Music Educators Association’s (NJMEA) Outstanding School Board of the Year, and Eldridge Park Elementary School Principal Mrs. Amy Amiet earned the 2024 NJMEA School Administrator of the Year Award. Mrs. Amiet has served as the district Music Supervisor since 2019. Both Mrs. Amiet and the LTPS Board of Education attended the awards ceremony in Atlantic City on February 23 to accept their awards. Lawrence Township Public Schools is fortunate to have administrators like Mrs. Amiet and a Board of Education who value and support music education. Congratulations to the LTPS Board of Education and Mrs. Amiet for their welldeserved recognition, showcasing their commitment to fostering a vibrant music education environment within our district.

Lawrence

Lawrence Township Public Schools Explores Evidence Based Restructuring for Op�mal Educa�onal Development

The Lawrence High School (LHS) Cardinals defeated Princeton Day School (PDS) 5-4 in sudden death overtime to become the 2021 Mercer County Field Hockey Championsthe first county championship for the Cardinals since 1983!

Senior Talia Schenck completed a pass to freshman Caroline Rotteveel, who scored the tie-breaking goal.

Slackwood Elementary School (SWS) recently ended their Golden Heart Week. Students gathered in an amazing heartshaped formation to cap off the week of valuable character education.

Lawrence Township Public Schools is exploring a strategic restructuring of grade level distributions to create a more developmentally and academically appropriate environment for all of our students. is evidence based initiative involves a ve-year vision to transition to grade bands of third through h, and sixth through eighth, aligning our district with the State Department of Education recommended model. Research consistently shows that this grade level distribution better aligns with the cognitive and social-emotional development of students, providing an environment where they can thrive academically and developmentally. Lawrence Township Public Schools recognizes the importance of these transitional years and believes that this structure better prepares our students for the academic challenges ahead. Furthermore, by embracing true “upper elementary” and “middle school” models as opposed to the current hybrid, quasi-middle school approach, we address our families’ wish to keep our kids “young” by housing our students in an elementary building longer. is move also enhances the educational experience by providing additional resources, specialized facilities, and extracurricular opportunities that are developmentally appropriate for each age group, such as intramural and school sports for our sixth graders, as well as banding the mandatory state tested grades together. e district is excited about the positive impact this restructuring will have on students, fostering a seamless educational journey that nurtures their growth and development. Lawrence Township Public Schools is embracing these changes with a vision of fostering an educational environment where every child can thrive.

Students learn the art of Rangoli

Lawrence Township Public Schools Celebrates Diversity at Black History Month

On February 24, Lawrence Township Public Schools proudly hosted “Black Resilience: Upward and Onward,” an educational and inclusive celebration that paid homage to the resilience and achievements of the black community. e day of culture, joy, remembrance, and celebration featured dynamic keynote speaker Rev. Charles Boyer, cultural tasting, the Trailblazer Awards, musical performances from district ensembles, and over 30 vendors! e free event was hosted by the LHS Arts and Humanities Academy and sponsored by the Lawrence Township Education Association (LTEA).

Join the LMS/LHS PTO for a special night out with the NJ Devils! Come to the Rock on November 9 and watch the Devils take on the Florida Panthers.

Discounted group tickets are $40 eachthe PTO receives 15% of each ticket sale. We will all be seated together in the same section and they will broadcast our school’s name on the scoreboard.

Congratulations to the team and coach Megan Errico on this well-earned win!

is plan is in the infancy stages and the community can expect a ve-year operational plan to be furnished this fall.

Upcoming Fundraising for Alcohol and Drug Free Post Gradua�on Party for Lawrence Grads

Please come out and support Project Graduation on April 6th at “JashN 2024,” a familyfriendly celebration of Indian culture and diversity in honor of the upcoming Asian American Paci c Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. e fun evening includes art, music, dance, a fashion show, delicious food, ra es, a 50-50 and more!

If you can’t make JashN 2024, fear not. You have a second chance to support Project Graduation at our 3rd Annual Casino Night, an adult only event on April 20th at the Lawrenceville Armory on Eggerts Crossing Road. Enjoy light refreshments, a silent auction, a 50/50, a tricky tray and a cash bar. You don’t need to know how to play casino table games to attend. e professional casino dealers at each table will teach you all there is to know to not only have fun, but also to ‘win’ big!

Also this season, Talia Schenck made history by being the first NJ field hockey player to score 100 goals in a single season! She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one of only eight players in the country to accomplish that feat!

Mrs. Shanbhag, mother of Ben Franklin Elementary School 3rd grader Reema Cyrus visited Mrs. Leventhal Mrs. Smoots class to teach about Diwali and how to create a Rangoli with colored sand.

Proceeds from these two events go to the LHS Project Graduation, a special all night post-graduation celebration at Lawrence High School where the entire school is converted into a giant party zone with games, food, DJ/karaoke, ra e prizes, special show, and more. Proudly boasting a participation rate of over 80% from Lawrence High School seniors in previous years, Project Graduation has maintained a awless safety record since its inception in 1989. “ e success of Project Graduation depends on the support of the community,” urged Jayshree Kalwachwala, the Project’s organizer. “Together, we can make this a safe and memorable graduation experience for our seniors.”

For more information or to buy tickets, please email LTPSProjectGraduation@gmail.com or visit lhsprojectgraduation.org

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Exci�ng News and Events from Lawrence Township Educa�on Founda�on (LTEF)

Giglio Named New Execu�ve Director

Golden Heart Week at SWS

e Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) announces Bonne O’Flanagan Giglio as its next Executive Director. Giglio will be responsible for fund- and friend-raising, event planning, grant management, communications, and administrative functions of the LTEF. “ e mission of LTEF is particularly close to my heart,” shared Giglio. “As a parent of children at Lawrence Intermediate School and Lawrence Middle School, I am keenly aware of the rigorous academic program our school district provides and I understand the amazing experience our students receive when our community comes together to support our schools. I look forward to increasing community involvement to fund programs that will have a substantial and lasting impact on us all.”

Slackwood Elementary School (SWS) recently ended their Golden Heart Week. Students gathered in an amazing heartshaped formation to cap off the week of

Spring Grants Awarded to LTPS Teachers

Also this season, Talia Schenck made history by being the first NJ field hockey player to score 100 goals in a single season! She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one of only eight players in the country to accomplish that feat!

e Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) is pleased to announce it has awarded $26,632 in support of 14 innovative programs throughout the Lawrence Township Public Schools for its Spring 2024 grant cycle. From new books to music therapy classes to outdoor classroom expansion, the LTEF is committed to supporting excellence in education. Since 1992, the LTEF has awarded more than 1,100 grants for new programs and projects throughout the seven Lawrence Township Public Schools. ese grants support diverse learning styles, stimulate critical and creative thinking, bring new technologies to our schools, and allow teachers to engage in meaningful professional development. During the 2022-2023 school year, the LTEF provided $136,000 for 48 grants spanning all schools in the district. Grants were provided in the following areas: Arts & Cultural Enrichment, Classroom Tech & Resources, Equity & Inclusion, and STEM training & programming.

Slackwood STEAM Center Wins NJSBA School Leader Award

e Slackwood STEAM Center is a recipient of the New Jersey School Boards Association’s Annual School Leader Award for recognized program! Huge kudos to Principal Jeanne Muzi and all the Slackwood educators who have worked so hard on the STEM/ STEAM initiatives, and the LTEF, who saw the potential, funded and supported Slackwood so the STEAM Center could transform from a dream to reality!

Lawrence Has Talent - April 11

e LTEF is excited to announce Lawrence Has Talent, a new community wide event coming to Lawrence Township on April 11, 2024! Lawrence Has Talent will be a unique showcase of 15 amateur acts of all ages from within the Lawrence community. e acts range from singers, dancers, guitarist, pianists, drummers and a Chinese yo-yo performance. is will be the must-see family event of the year and guaranteed to be a sell-out success. Tickets can be purchased at: https://events.humanitix.com/lawrence-hastalent. All pro ts from this event will go toward our mission of enhancing educational excellence for every student in every Lawrence Township public school. Please contact director@ltefnj.org with any questions. For additional information or to donate, visit www.ltefnj.org.

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ASPIRATION 1

LTPS Strategic Plan Aspira�ons and Goals

Wellness

Middle School Principal Mindy Milavsky Awarded NJ Visionary Principal of the Year

Golden Heart Week at SWS

Congratulations to Lawrence Middle School Principal Dr. Mindy Milavsky for being selected as NJPSA’s Visionary Principal of the Year (Secondary) as well as being selected for the NASSP National Distinguished Principal of the Year. Dr. Milavsky has spent her entire professional career as an educator, rst as a teacher, then as the assistant principal at Lawrence High School, and for the past eleven years as the principal at Lawrence Middle School.

Slackwood Elementary School (SWS) recently ended their Golden Heart Week. Students gathered in an amazing heartshaped formation to cap off the week of valuable character education.

Students learn the art of

Meet our newest administrators!

LTPS Educates Community at Safety and Security Summit

A Night with the NJ Devils

LTPS hosted a Parent and Community Summit regarding safety and security in schools and online. More than 200 community members came out to hear from Special Agent Marc Leshnower, from the U.S. Secret Service present about online safety and digital citizenship, including cyberbullying, inappropriate online content, sex tra cking, privacy, and practical tips for keeping kids safer online. Other presenters that evening included Amy Argiriou from the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction and Bob Sensi from the NJ Department of Education O ce of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning. An exit survey a er the event revealed that 100% of respondents would like to see more presentations like this (and gave good suggestions on topics), so stay tuned!

Here are some key points from the event to help keep our students and our community safe:

• Monitor what students are doing online, on their cell phones, and in their rooms

• Limit screen time

Lawrence Township Public Schools is experiencing an exciting restructuring with familiar faces in new roles and new minds altogether. We're eager for these leaders to make a positive impact in the lives of students in our district!

At LMS, Dr. Milavsky has focused on students’ social emotional well-being, character education, and leadership and community building. Implementing the NJDOE Social and Emotional Learning Competencies, Milavsky’s goal was to create a school community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. e three-house system she put in place supports the students’ feelings of belonging, helping them meet their goals and enriching the students’ educational experiences. rough schoolwide mantras, assembly programs, and curriculum changes, Dr. Milavsky has made “LMS Nation” a place where students and sta work together to grow and learn. Dr. Milavsky is a true advocate for her students, and sets the highest standards for her school community.

Brenda Eke, Assistant Principal at LHS

Megan Errico on this well-earned win!

1. All students are provided the health and wellness support they need to be ready to engage in learning.

2. All students and staff feel that they belong.

3. All staff are appreciated and valued as professionals.

ASPIRATION 2

Student Achievement

4. All students read at grade level by the end of Grade 3.

Brenda Eke is excited to join the Cardinal family as an Assistant Principal at Lawrence High School! Before transitioning to her current role, Ms. Eke served as a special education English teacher at New Brunswick High School. Ms. Eke earned both her Master of Arts in Teaching degree and bachelor's degree in English from Montclair State University.

Her philosophy of education centers around student experience and advocacy Ms Eke truly believes that students should be able to see themselves represented in the curriculum that they are being taught. When students have a voice in their educational experience, the level of engagement and appreciation for learning greatly increases. Ms. Eke is a proud New Jersey resident from an even prouder Nigerian family.

5. All students are prepared to take Algebra in Grade 8.

Mrs. Shanbhag, mother of Ben Franklin Elementary School 3rd grader Reema Cyrus, visited Mrs. Leventhal’s and Mrs. Smoots’ class to teach about Diwali and how to create a Rangoli with colored sand.

Robyn A. Klim, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

Rajneet Pimmi Goomer Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction

Tom Eldridge Business Administrator/ Board Secretary

• Involve students in school/community related activities

Join the LMS/LHS PTO for a special night out with the NJ Devils! Come to the Rock on November 9 and watch the Devils take on the Florida Panthers.

Lawrence Township Board of Education

Kevin Van Hise, Esq , President

• Keep open lines of communication with the school (teachers, counselors, sta , and administration)

Michele Bowes, Vice President

Pepper Evans

Jo Ann Groeger

Patricia Hendricks-Farmer

• Encourage your child to report unusual or concerning behavior

Gregory G Johnson, Esq

Discounted group tickets are $40 eachthe PTO receives 15% of each ticket sale. We will all be seated together in the same section and they will broadcast our

Michelle King, Ph D

Amanda Santos

Joyce Scott

6. All students have defined personal goals and a personalized learning pathway.

ASPIRATION 3

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

7. The performance disparity between racial, ethnic, and gender groups will be eradicated.

Also this season, Talia Schenck made history by being the first NJ field hockey player to score 100 goals in a single season! She's the third field hockey player in State history to score 200 career goals and is one of only eight players in the country to accomplish that feat!

8. Staff diversity will mirror student diversity.

www.ltps.org

Sean M. Fry Director of Personnel

Gregg Zenerovitz is entering his 22nd year as an employee in Lawrence Township Public Schools Before becoming an Assistant Principal at Lawrence Intermediate School, Gregg was the district’s Director of Athletics for the last four years, where he earned recognition from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) as a Certified Athletic Administrator. Prior to being Athletic Director, Gregg taught Health and Physical Education at LHS for 17 years.

Vanessa Bekarciak

Assistant Superintendent for Student Services

Cli on J. ompson, III Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Jennifer Baldassari

Communications & Operations Manager info@ltps.org

Zenerovitz is a product of northwest New Jersey’s Sussex County The Wantage native and graduate of High Point Regional High School lettered in soccer, winter track and golf After graduating high school, Zenerovitz went onto earn his bachelor’s degree (2000) and master’s degree (2007) from The College of New Jersey

#ltps1

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Ross Kasun, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Andrew Zuckerman, Ed.D.

Gregg Zenerovitz, Assistant Principal at LIS

Expansion coming for the LTPS preschool program

ROBYN KLIM

dr. Klim’s Korner

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I reflect on my first seven months as Superintendent of Lawrence Township Public Schools. My journey with LTPS and its amazing Board of Education has been nothing short of transformative, filled with collaboration and support to ensure the success of our students. As we move into the future of Lawrence together, I want to take a moment to introduce myself to the public I have yet to meet, and share some significant initiatives that have unfolded during this short but impactful period.

My name is Dr. Robyn A. Klim, and I am honored to serve as superintendent here in Lawrence. With a soctorate of education from the American College of Education, my research has centered on addressing educator needs and developing curricula that support the social and emotional well-being of all students. Having spent over a decade as a school administrator, my commitment to optimizing the opportunities for students in our community has been the guiding force throughout my career.

This expansion aligns seamlessly with our strategic plan, showing our commitment to equity and access in Lawrence. Over the next five years, we are excited to welcome 500 new preschool students into our district. This expansion plan is being implemented gradually with careful consideration of our community’s needs.

Our expansion began just in February with the transformation of the in-house preschool program at Lawrence High School (formerly known as Toddler Town and then Cardinal Kids) into a five-day a week, full-day preschool program. This move not only broadens our reach to a larger demographic of three and four-yearolds, but also enhances opportunities for our high school students, enrolled in the popular Early Childhood Growth and Development course.

I am proud to be a part of a community that values innovation, equity, and student achievement.

I began my professional journey in mental health as a licensed clinical social worker, advocating for mental health awareness and working in various capacities, including as a supervisor for DCP&P contracted programs. Transitioning to education, I served as a member of the Child Study Team, anti-bullying specialist, and director of pupil personnel services, among other roles. Now, as superintendent, my primary focus remains on cultivating a learning environment that fosters student voice, agency, and well-being. I consider students my primary stakeholders and they will always be my “why.”

It is with this background that I am excited to announce Cardinal Kids, the significant expansion of our preschool program here in the district. Through successful collaboration and a strategic application for Preschool Expansion Aid funding from the N.J. Dept. of Education, Lawrence Township Public Schools is excited to be rolling out high-quality, universal preschool at no cost to families.

The hands-on experience in this class allows high school students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real-world laboratory setting while serving as a pivotal component in building a pipeline of educators.

Building our preschool universe continues this month, with the opening of another Cardinal Kids preschool in Eldridge Park Elementary School (EPS), marking the first time EPS has ever housed a preschool in its building. Slackwood School will be the fourth and final elementary school to gain a preschool class this September.

For the following school year, we look to expand by exploring partnerships with existing preschools in the area. The partnership would allow the schools to keep their current staff and location, while implementing the LTPS Cardinal Kids curriculum, complete with professional development with the school district.

I am proud to be a part of a community that values innovation, equity, and student achievement. As we look ahead, let us continue to build a future where Lawrence Township Public Schools stands as a model school of excellence in education. Together, we will empower our students with learning that extends far beyond the classroom. In Lawrence Township Public Schools, we lead, succeed and achieve.

Dr. Robyn Klim is superintendent of the Lawrence Township Public Schools.

RWJUH Hamilton April Healthy Living / Community Education Programs

SWEET SUCCESS SOCIETY: A DIABETES GROUP

Monday, April 1, May 6; 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Monday, April 8; 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

A group for anyone with diabetes or caring for someone living with diabetes. Learn and discuss healthy ways to manage diabetes alongside peers and Taryn Krietzman, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

SPRING MINI MEDICAL SCHOOL: “THE SCIENCE OF LONGEVITY”

Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Focus on the science of longevity: the extension of human life, and wellbeing. This approach may prevent chronic disease and extend long-term health. Changing your view from “lifespan” to “healthspan”.

Week 1: John DiBiase, MD; orthopedic surgeon, clinical instructor

Week 2: Javier Villota, MD; Medical Director of Occupational Medicine, Corporate Health and Travel Medicine

Week 3: Sara Ali, MD; Geriatrician and Palliative Care Specialist

Week 4: Maureen Stevens, DPT; Senior Physical Therapist

Week 5: Patricia McDougall, BSN, RN; Integrative Therapies Nurse

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

Tuesday., April 2; 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Learn what wonderful fruits and veggies are up to this time of year and how to make them shine! Enjoy being an in person studio-audience member as Taryn Krietzman, RDN does a live taping or join us from

your home via our live zoom.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: SPRING BREAK(FAST)

Thursday, April 4; 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

With the kids having a day off from school, take advantage of a great way to get them out and interested in healthy eating! Empower kids with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to become their healthiest selves! For children 5 years and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Taryn Krietzman, RDN. Fee: $5 per person DANCE

IT OUT!

Friday, April 5; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

With the kids having a day off from school, take advantage of a great way to get them out and moving in a fun activity for all ages.

Monday, April 15; 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

When in doubt, dance it out! Find your rhythm and ease the everyday stresses of life with movement.

TAPPING FOR STRESS RELIEF

Monday, April 8: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Stress creates blockages in the body that impedes healing. “Tapping” uses the same meridian system as used in acupuncture to help restore the body to heal itself. Patti McDougall, BSN, Integrative Therapies Nurse.

UP, UP, AND AWAY: EXPRESSIVE ARTS FOR OUR WISHES AND INTENTIONS

Wednesday, April 10; 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. We make wishes on birthday candles and shooting stars! Let’s take a look at wishes and intentions,

Better Health

*Registration and free Membership

to attend the Better Health Programs

and formulate how they could be expressed in this workshop. We will read relevant, heartfelt poetry and create a beautiful collage on canvas of a hot air balloon over our thoughtful journaling. We’ll send those wishes and intentions up, up, and away! Rochelle L. Stern, expressive arts facilitator. $15

DINNER WITH A DOCTOR: HEALTHY BONES CLUB

Thursday, April 11; 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Internal Medicine Physician, Anjali Bhandarkar, MD will be discussing the diagnosis, risk factors and treatment for osteoporosis. Also included, insight on the treatment of Vitamin D deficiency and when to measure Vitamin D levels. Dinner provided.

CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND IMMERSION

Monday, April 15; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sound healing uses instruments like singing bowls, gongs, drums and chimes to create an atmosphere promoting deep rest, nervous system rebalancing, and emotional release. Sit or lay while the practitioner takes you on a sound journey for mind, body and spirit. Bring a yoga mat, blanket, pillow or anything that makes you comfortable. Adriana Hansen, RYT200, SHA1 of the Learning Collaborative. Fee: $15

NUTRITION, FEEDING, AND SWALLOWING AFTER STROKE

Wednesday, April 17; 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Join dietician Taryn, Oc. Therapist Sarah, and Speech-Language

DR. ALI, BREAKFAST AND LEARN, HEALTHY AGING FOR WOMEN

Thursday, April 4; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Ali, Board Certified in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, will lead a focused conversation on concerns for women as we age discussing gynecological cancers, bone health, sexual health and more.

TAI CHI CLASSES

Thursday, April 4 &18; 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

A SENIOR SOCIAL GROUP

Wednesday, April 3, 10, 17, 24; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Please join us for our ongoing program “A Senior Social Group,” gathering in a collaborative setting to exchange thoughts, feelings and experiences amongst peers. This is a safe-zone designed to be welcoming and understanding of all attendees while exploring this season of our lives.

Pathologist Ashley to discuss management of nutrition and eating after stroke. Learn how to adjust food choices throughout the recovery process for optimal nutrition, frequently utilized adaptive equipment for self-feeding, and common strategies to manage swallowing problems after stroke.

HEALTHRYTHMS® DRUM CIRCLE

Wednesday, April 17; 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Drum your cares away with our monthly Drum Circle. It’s lots of fun and a great stress reliever. Drums provided. Mauri Tyler, CTRS,CMP $15

BRAIN HEALTH-LEARN PROVEN WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG

Monday, April 22; 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. With so much information out today on brain health what methods really work? Join Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. to learn more about how to keep your brain young.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH

Thursdays, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Take Control of Your Health/ Chronic Disease Management Program is a cost effective evidence-based health promotion program for people with any ongoing health condition, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and similar conditions. Participants will learn how to problem solve, set goals, and relaxation techniques to help manage chronic conditions. Participants must attend all 6 classes.

YOGA CLASSES

Tuesday, April 9 and 23; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

MEDITATION CLASSES

Tuesday, April 9 & 23; 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

CHAIR YOGA

Tuesday, April 9 and 23; Noon to 12:45 p.m. Krystal Loughlin, certified RYT, is introducing Chair Yoga to our Better Health Program. Using a chair for seated poses and also for balancing poses, this class is perfect for those who haven’t moved their bodies for a while, recovering from an injury or have mobility/balancing difficulties. A great place to start practicing yoga to help boost your flexibility, find inner peace, unwind and stretch.

ART THERAPY & HISTORY FEATURING GEORGIA O’KEEFE, “THE MOTHER OF AMERICAN MODERNISM.”

Thursday, April 11; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tapping into your creative side is

a great way to de-stress, improve mental outlook, and simply have some fun. Lisa Bayer from Always Best Care Senior Services, created this program that combines art history with an art project based on the works of artist, Georgia O’Keefe. Using pastels, you will draw your own oversized flower and learn the techniques to layer and blend the pastels.

HOSPITALS AND OUR AGING COMMUNITY

Tuesday, April 16, 2024; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m Should hospital care change as we age and if so, what does it look like? Join us to delve into this important topic about how hospitals can better serve our aging population. Panel includes: Lisa A. Breza MSN RN NEA-BC, Chief Administrative Officer, Dr. Sara Ali, Board Certified Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, and Dawn Hutchinson, MSN, RN, PCCN-K, NEABC, Chief Nursing Officer

CATCH SOME ZZZZZ’S!

Monday, May 6; 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Insomnia affects your mental as well as physical health, making prone to heart disease and other serious illnesses. Join Patti McDougall, BSN, Integrative Health Nurse to learn more about how we should spend a third of our life.

ORTHO 101

Monday, May 6; 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Join Orthopedic Program Coordinator, Denise Berdecia, MSN, RN, ONC, Lead Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists, for an in depth discussion on total knee replacements. These experts will explain preventative treatment, talking to a surgeon, decision for surgery, hospital expectations, and recovery with outpatient therapy.

DESIGNER BAG BINGO!

Friday, May 10; 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

This popular event is a great way to get out with your friends for a night fun with many Designer Bags up for grabs. Admission ticket includes 12 rounds of Bingo, Tickets will be $45. For more information or to purchase tickets email CommunityEdHAM@ rwjbh.org.

*All programs require registration and are held at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Rd., Hamilton, NJ, unless otherwise noted.

FOR MEN ONLY!

Wednesday, April 24; 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Ashish Desai, LCSW, from VA NJ Health Care System will lead this open discussion with flexible topics that will be suggested by and of interest to you! This group will meet quarterly.

HERBAL MOCKTAIL PARTY

Tuesday, April 30; 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Amanda Crooke, Herbalist and Owner of the Locust Light Farm in New Jersey will teach us how to craft delicious herbal mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) using a variety of infusion and blending techniques. You’ll sip and sample these refreshing drinks as we explore herbal extractions, flavor pairings, and ingredients. You’ll make your own tasty oxymel and receive delicious mocktail recipes to take home