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‘Safe and secure’ New Jersey joins growing list of states that are conducting elections by mail

BY MICHELE ALPERIN

Dick Fitzpatrick, long-time educator in the Hopewell Valley school district, with Toll Gator, the Toll Gate Grammar School mascot, in 1996. Fitzpatrick is being honored for his positive impact on the district with a scholarship in his name.

New scholarship program to honor legendary principal’s lasting legacy Dick Fitzpatrick taught Toll Gate, Stony Brook students to ‘Reach for the Stars’

BY JOE EMANSKI

Marcie Boucher has vivid memories of Dick Fitzpatrick’s first day as principal of Toll Gate Grammar School in 1994.

She remembers the red balloons he had placed all around the entrance to the school.

And she remembers his “patented, get-attention clap.” He

greeted the students with a smile and a handshake, getting to know each of them by name starting on day one.

“The first day of school is always exciting, but this was at a new level,” Boucher says.

She was a parent of a Toll Gate student then, but would go on to work closely with Fitzpatrick both there and later at Stony Brook Elemen-

School board election coverage starts on page 8

tary School. “He brought a whole new energy. He made you want to get on board and participate. It was just a very uplifting, encouraging time.”

Fitzpatrick’s career in education spanned half a century.

He spent just 10 of those years working in Hopewell Valley, but that was all the time he needed to have a lasting impact on the students, parents and teachers of Toll Gate Grammar School and Stony Brook Elementary School.

Two years ago, suffering from headaches, Fitzpatrick went to the doctor. Tests revealed that he had glioblasSee FITZPATRICK, Page 6

In an atmosphere rife with misinformation and political divisiveness, confusing messages have spawned concerns about mail-in voting—a process that has proven safe and secure in the several states where it is now the norm.

The western states of Utah, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Colorado have for years conducted their elections entirely or mostly by mail-in ballot.

New Jersey will join them for this year, after Gov. Phil Murphy issued Executive Order No. 177, mandating all active registered New Jersey voters receive a mail-in ballot with prepaid return postage for the Nov. 3 general election. Mercer County began mailing ballots to voters in the last week of September.

This switch has not sat well with some, and disinformation about the process and safety of vote-at-home elections started to spread as a result.

One piece of disinformation— one that could land voters in jail—came from President Donald Trump, who suggested to North Carolina citizens on Sept. 2 that they vote twice, once by mail and once at the polls, to test the security of the system. Anyone who follows the president’s suggestion would be committing voter fraud, a crime that could

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lead to a felony conviction.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes, in a Sept.

18 email, called Trump’s suggestion “absurd.” In the same email, Hughes offered reassurances about the safety of voting by mail. “Don’t be distracted by baseless claims that seek to undermine the voting process,” he wrote.

“Studies have shown that voting fraud in the United States is extremely rare, and states where voting now is done almost entirely by mail are said to report very little fraud.”

In fact, New Jersey compares signatures on mail-in ballots to those on file in the Statewide Voter Registration System. The Board of Elections also flags ballots for voters who are not registered, have passed away or do not live in the county or state.

“So we can set those aside for investigation and if need be rejection,” Board of Elections chairman Anthony Francioso, a Republican, wrote in an email.

Mercer County clerk Paula Sollami Covello, who is responsible for issuing vote-by-mail ballots in the county, said there has never been an incidence of fraud in Mercer County involving vote-by-mail. In fact, the number of voters who wish to permanently vote by mail has grown “markedly” in recent years, Sollami Covello said.

Voting fraud is exceedingly rare in the United States, whether for mail-in ballots or otherwise. Conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, which maintains a database of fraudulent voting incidences, found 204 cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots among See VOTE, Page 3

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Notice of Vote-by-Mail Election November 3, 2020 General Election The November 3, 2020 General Election will be conducted primarily via vote-by-mail ballots, which will be sent to all “Active” registered voters without the need for an application to receive a vote-by-mail ballot.

P.L. 2020, c. 72 requires you to sign the certification affixed to the margin of the flap on the inner envelope of the ballot notwithstanding the fact that you may not have applied for this ballot, but instead received this ballot automatically.

You will be provided a postage paid envelope for the return of your ballot through the United States Postal Service. You are not required to attach a stamp. You may also choose to deposit your ballot in one of the secure ballot drop boxes located throughout the county, return your ballot in-person to your County Board of Elections, or deliver your ballot to your assigned polling place on Election Day. Please contact your Board of Elections at 609-989-6522 or www.mercercounty.org/boards-commissions/board-of-elections for convenient ballot drop box locations.

Only you, the voter, can bring your ballot to your polling place on Election Day. If another person will be mailing your ballot, bringing it to a secure ballot drop box, or delivering it to the county Board of Elections, MAKE CERTAIN THAT PERSON COMPLETES THE “BEARER PORTION” ON THE ENVELOPE ADDRESSED TO THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS BEFORE THE BALLOT IS TAKEN FROM YOU. No person who is a candidate in this election is permitted to serve as a bearer. No person is permitted to serve as a bearer for more than three qualified voters in an election. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR ANYONE EXCEPT YOU, THE VOTER, TO MAIL OR TRANSPORT YOUR BALLOT UNLESS THE OUTER ENVELOPE IS SEALED AND THE “BEARER PORTION” IS COMPLETED. A PERSON MAY BE FINED AND IMPRISONED AND MAY ALSO LOSE THE RIGHT TO VOTE UNTIL RESTORED BY LAW if that person attempts to vote fraudulently by mail-in ballot, prevents the voting of a legal voter, certifies falsely any information, interferes with a person’s secrecy of voting, tampers with ballots or election documents or helps another person to do so.

If you would like to learn the status of your ballot you can call 1-877-NJ-VOTER or go to TrackMyBallot.nj.gov 2  Hopewell Express | October 2020

VOTE continued from Page 1 the 250 million votes cast by-mail ballot nationally. Of these, 143 resulted in criminal convictions.

According to the database, New Jersey has seen 16 instances of voter fraud since 2003, with 9 criminal convictions.

Another piece of disinformation comes again from the president, who claimed in April that if the United States switched to all-mail voting, “you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” In an Aug. 26 article in Science magazine, Warren Cornwall reported on two independent studies that refute this claim. The studies found no statistically significant difference in voting levels by Democrats versus Republicans in states that had switched to mail-in ballots. *** If voting by mail feels overwhelming, be reassured that all you have to do is complete the ballot by carefully following instructions and then choosing one of several ways to ensure its arrival at the Board of Elections.

Below is a guide to voting in Mercer County in the Nov. 3 election. We explain the process and providing details on how to register or update your registration and how to check to ensure your ballot has arrived.

Who can vote? To vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years old on election day, and a resident of Mercer County for 30 days before the election.

New Jersey citizens on parole and probation may register and vote in all elections, although currently incarcerated individuals may not.

Make sure you are registered.

Voters in the Nov. 3 election must be registered by Oct. 13. Active, registered voters began receiving mail-in ballots the week of Sept. 28.

But what if you are not an active voter? “Inactive voters”—those for whom official election mail was returned to election officials or those who have not voted in two consecutive federal elections—are still considered registered. If you do not receive a ballot, contact the Mercer County Clerk’s office at vote@mercercounty.org or by phone at (609) 989-6465. Alternatively, complete a provisional (paper) ballot at your polling place on Election Day. To register to vote (or to submit a name change, an address change, a signature update, or a change in political party affiliation or non-affiliation), you must either complete a paper voter registration application and return it to the Superintendent of Elections, 640 S. Broad St., PO Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650, or register online at voter.svrs.nj.gov/register, where you can click on “Register to Vote!” to access both of these options.

Sollami Covello also advises residents to update or verify their voter registration information with a current physical address. If a voter will be away between late September and See VOTE, Page 4

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As such, our staff sets out to make our region a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

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VOTE continued from Page 3 Election Day, apply to vote by mail ahead of time, noting the special temporary mailing address required.

Complete your ballot carefully and on time. Along with your mail-in ballot, you will also find an outer envelope with prepaid postage that will allow delivery to the Mercer County Board of Elections and an inner envelope with a detachable flap (do not detach this flap but be sure to sign it; election officials will detach it later as part of the secure counting process).

After you complete your ballot and sign the flap, you will place your completed ballot inside the envelope that has the flap; the last step will be to insert the entire inner envelope inside the outer envelope.

Make sure to use only blue or black ink when filling in the circles by the candidates of your choice—because the computer scanner that reads the ballots and tabulates the votes will only read blue or black ink; it does not read red ink or pencil.

Submit your ballot or vote in person. After completing your ballot, you have four options for submitting it: 1. Mail it via the U.S. Postal Service; check mail pick-up times on the post-office box where you submit your ballot, which must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, to be counted; however, the ballot will be counted as long as it is received by Nov. 10.

2. Drop it in a secured drop box (monitored 24/7 by camera) by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 at one of 15 Mercer County

locations. A complete list of drop box locations appears on page 9.

Audrey Kline, national policy director for the National Vote at Home Institute, says drop boxes are important because some voters are concerned about recent reports that the U.S. Postal Service is not as reliable as it once was. “They get that confidence level a little higher,” she says.

3. Hand-deliver your ballot to the Mercer County Board of Elections at 640 S. Broad St. in Trenton. This option will not be available initially, but Francioso said the board will accept in-person drop offs at their office closer to Election Day. 4. Hand-deliver your ballot to your polling place on Election Day. The Board of Elections will mail residents the location of their polling place via postcard at least a week prior to the election; each municipality will have at least one polling place open on Election Day. If none of these options work for you, you may go to your polling place on Nov. 3 and complete a provisional (paper) ballet between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Provisional ballots will be checked against the records of mail-in ballots to ensure that people do not vote twice.

Ewing councilwoman Jennifer Keyes-Maloney said there is a need for matching signatures—both because of potential fraud but also because double voting may be unintended.

“My father had Alzheimer’s,” she said. “I could see him filling out voteby-mail and then he knows he needs

to vote on Election Day and goes to [his polling place],” she said.

If you’re voting in person, check to make sure where your polling place will be; there will be fewer polling places this election, Keyes-Maloney says, both because the election is mostly by-mail and because poll workers, who are often seniors, have been harder to come during the pandemic.

If you have a documented audio or visual impairment, voting machines will be available as an accommodation under the the Americans With Disabilities Act. What if your signature has changed? Sollami Covello recommends that New Jersey voters make sure the signature they registered with looks the same as the one they use today. If you are concerned that your signature has changed over time, you need to update your signature on file by submitting a voter registration application and checking “signature update” on top of the application.

If your ballot signature does not appear to match the one on file, the Board of Elections will inform you of this by mail and give you a chance to correct your signature—but you must complete and return their letter within the permitted time frame.

Track your ballot online via the Public Access system. If you are worried that somehow your ballot might get lost either in the postal system or in a drop box, you can ascertain online whether your ballot has arrived where it belongs. But this requires a

little advanced preparation.

Before you can register for the Public Access, where you can check to ensure that your ballot has been received and recorded, you will need your Voter ID number if you registered before 2005 or you will need either your driver’s license number or social security number if you registered after 2005. To get your Voter ID number, contact Catherine DiCostanzo at (609) 989-6750 or cdicostanzo@mercercounty.org.

To register for the Public Access system, go to voter.svrs.nj.gov/auth/ sign-up, where you will need to provide your name, date of birth, as well as the ID number appropriate for you.

The system will also allow you to see your election history, mail-in ballot history, and provisional ballot history, as well as information about your polling place, upcoming election dates, voting district information, and county election officials.

Counting the votes. The Board of Elections and an outside vendor supervise the scanning of ballots, according to Francioso. The board asserts that “the scanning system is a secure and private system.”

First, the Board of Elections ensures that your signature on the flap of the inner envelope matches the signature contained within the Statewide Voter Registration System.

Only then is the flap detached, saved and archived, and your vetted ballot is placed with other ballots, grouped by municipality. This ensures that your

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vote will remain anonymous.

The mail-in voting process still has the potential for problems, although New Jersey has taken steps to avert these. Princeton University computer science professor Andrew Appel, an election security expert, has explored the vote-by-mail process and what might go wrong in three posts on the Freedom to Tinker website, hosted

by Princeton University’s Center for Technology Policy.

New Jersey, which is facing its first general election using largely vote-bymail ballots, has had to adjust its laws, Appel writes, to allow processing of the envelopes in the weeks before Nov. 3.

This is critically important to ensure that all ballots are counted safely and on-time. States facing large numbers of mail-in ballots, Appel writes, “can’t process all the ballot envelopes on Nov. 3—it’s just too labor intensive.”

Early processing of ballots allows some problems to be fixed; for example, if the signature on the envelope flap does not match the signature on file, the voter can be contacted and allowed to fix the ballot.

At a time when postal service has been unusually slow, New Jersey will be counting mail-in ballots that arrive through Nov. 10, as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. States that do not accept ballots that arrive after Election Day—even if they are postmarked by Election Day—“may disenfranchise many voters,” Appel writes.

On the other hand, he adds, states like New Jersey that do count ballots

Mercer County ballot drop boxes (with opening dates) East Windsor Police Station, 80 One Mile Road (Sept. 28).

Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive (Oct. 5).

Hamilton Golf Center, 5 Justice Samuel A. Alito Way (Sept. 28).

Hamilton Municipal Building, 2090 Greenwood Ave. (Oct. 5).

Nottingham Fire House, 200 Mercer St., Hamilton (Oct. 5).

Hightstown Fire House No. 1, 140 N. Main St. (Oct. 5).

Hopewell Township Administration Building, 201 Washington Crossing Pennington Road (Sept. 28).

Lawrence Township Municipal Building, 2207 Lawrenceville Road

north side (Oct. 5).

Princeton Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon St. (Sept. 28).

Robbinsville Municipal Building, 2298 NJ-33, rear parking lot (Oct. 5).

Mercer County Courthouse Annex, 209 S. Broad St., Trenton (Sept. 28).

Trenton City Hall, 319 E State St., Trenton, in rear (Oct. 5).

Henry J. Austin Center, 321 N. Warren St., Trenton (Oct. 5).

Trenton Central High School, 400 Chambers St. (Oct. 5).

West Windsor Municipal Building, 271 Clarksville Road (Oct. 5).

as long as they arrive before a preset date may face a different type of problem if the late-arriving ballots shift the election to a different candidate.

These are issues states will have to work through. Kline suggests that mail-in voting may be the way of the future. “There’s been steady growth [in vote-by-mail] for about 20 years,” she said. “And then you’re seeing, especially this year, exponential growth, and it’s really incredible to see what we were expecting for 2020 versus what’s actually happening.”

In West Coast states, which have used mail-in ballots more, Kline says, “People like it. It is seen as a convenient option. It’s seen as good government.”

Once a state shifts to 60-70% usage of mail-in ballots, it becomes more effective to proactively mail ballots to all voters, Kline says. Both Montana, where any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot, and Arizona, where any registered voter may make a onetime request to get a ballot by mail for all future elections, reached this level of mail-in voting before the pandemic.

Voting by mail is also very costeffective, Kline says, noting that Colorado saved $6 per vote when it switched to a full vote-at-home model.

In Nevada, election law states that any registered voter may request an absentee ballot for a particular election or may ask to receive an absentee ballot for all elections at which they

are eligible to vote. Kline said she spoke with a member of the League of Women Voters in Nevada after the state had done a mostly vote-by-mail election for the first time.

“Little hiccups here and there because everybody’s learning how to do it in their own state, where every state has quirks, and people are just doing it for the first time,” she said. “But generally, they’re doing really well.”

To further guard against fraud, Kline’s organization recommends statistical audits that were piloted in New Jersey in several county-level elections in 2019. The audits were piloted as one measure to force New Jersey to abandon its decades-old, paperless touchscreen voting machines in exchange for a voting process that included a more secure method of voting and a paper trail. Election security experts, like Appel, have been raising the alarm about New Jersey’s voting machines for 15 years now, and urging the state to move to a process that produces a paper trail and can be audited.

Thought it isn’t what anyone envisioned when the year started, the state’s vote-by-mail 2020 general election does just that: produces results with an auditable paper trail.

“Vote-by-mail is very secure,” Kline says. “We have the most data for places like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington that have been doing it for a long time...I heard somebody say from the Brennan Center…that you’re more likely to get struck by lightning than to commit voting fraud.”

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FITZPATRICK cont. from Page 1 toma, an aggressive form of cancer.

He was 71 and still doing what he loved, but the diagnosis eventually led him to step down from his position as superintendent of the Upper Freehold Regional School District.

This year, a group of parents, educators, friends and family of Dick Fitpatrick got together to come up with a way of recognizing Fitzpatrick for his contributions to the Hopewell Valley community. The discussions led to the creation of the Dick Fitzpatrick Education Fund and a scholarship for one college-bound Central High School senior who attended either Toll Gate or Stony Brook. The fund will be managed by the Hopewell Valley Education Association.

The way the group sees it, the scholarship is a perfect way to honor Fitzpatrick for the profound impact he had on the people he met during his years in the Valley.

“He was a gift to all of us,” says Carolyn DiMuzio, a 4th grade teacher at Stony Brook, who was there when Fitzpatrick was the principal. “It was a gift to be able to work with him, spend time with him, and be affected by his leadership.”

Megan Domaracki, Fitzpatrick’s daughter, says that being a principal and a superintendent meant everything to her dad. “Yes, his family brought him joy, but school really was his whole life, and I think the hardest thing for him now is that he had to walk away from it,” she says.

“He remembers all the students and all their accomplishments and talks about them all the time. *** Dick and Jane Fitzpatrick moved to Hopewell Valley from the Boston area in 1994. Fitzpatrick had already been working in schools for more than two decades as an elementary school teacher and principal when he took the job at Toll Gate. Jane was also a teacher who had left the workforce to take care of their seven children.

Most of the Fitzpatrick children — Matthew, Colleen, Katie, Sean, Judy, Kara, and Megan — were grown by 1994, but Domaracki was five at the time and a student at Toll Gate.

She remembers the feeling that she was sharing her father with her classmates.

“So many people to this day tell me things they remember my dad doing, or ways in which he impacted their life,” she says. “Even small things, like ‘I remember when your dad juggled oranges in the cafeteria at lunch time,’ or times when he helped them solve a problem.”

Another lasting memory for Domaracki is the long hours her father worked. “I spent so much time at school with him, I spent so much time in his office. His car would be out in front of that school until the wee hours of the morning,” says Domaracki, who works for Harvard University today, doing alumni engagement. “The day before school would start, I think he was at school all night. He was really dedicated.”

6  Hopewell Express | October 2020

Dick Fitzpatrick with youngest daughter, Megan, when he was the principal and she was a student at Toll Gate Grammar School.

Boucher initially got to know Fitzpatrick as a member of the Toll Gate Parent-Teacher Organization. She was a nursery school teacher at St. Matthew’s Preschool across the street when Fitzpatrick hired her at Toll Gate as a kindergarten teacher’s aide.

They also got to know one another better because they taught CCD classes together, through St. James Roman Catholic Church in Pennington.

“I can remember he would write messages on the white board every day, very encouraging and informative messages, and I remember thinking, ‘I wish someone would write a message for me every day when I come downstairs for breakfast!” says Boucher, who moved to California in 2006 before settling in Pittsburgh, where she is now retired.

At Toll Gate, Fitzpatrick worked to instill a sense of community togetherness with his R3 philosophy: Respect for each other; Responsible for words and actions; be Reasonable and fair.

“He was somebody who cared about what was in someone’s head, but also their hearts,” Boucher says.

“He cared about them being good citizens and good people.” *** When the new Brandon Farms development necessitated the construction of a new elementary school in Hopewell Valley, the district asked Fitzpatrick to be its first principal.

“I think it was a really difficult decision for him,” Domaracki says. “He was so happy at Toll Gate, but the idea that he could build it from the ground up and make his ideal school was exciting to him. He interviewed every single teacher they hired.”

Fitzpatrick asked Boucher to go with him as his secretary. For a year they shared an office in the administration building. Fitzpatrick was involved in every aspect of the new school, from the layout and interior design of the school to its theme: Reach for the Stars. R3 became 3.

At the heart of the new school would be a celestial mural of a twilight sky. Boucher says the rotunda repre-

VOTE BY NOVEMBER 3 FOR

EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP

Megan Domaracki, center, at her wedding in 2018, with parents Jane and Dick Fitzpatrick. sents the concepts Fitzpatrick wanted the school community to embrace: search for truth, appreciate beauty, demonstrate goodness.

“Everything from the height of the desks in the office to student desks and equipment was chosen with what was best for students,” she says.

Stony Brook Elementary School opened in 2001. DiMuzio, who had been with Fitzpatrick at Toll Gate, rejoined him at Stony Brook. She says he had a remarkable ability to inspire others.

“He knew every student. He would greet them in the morning with their name,” she says. “He added a personal touch to the entire school population.

He knew parents, he knew grandparents, he had an incredible ability to greet them personally. He was able somehow to instill a love of learning in every student and teacher that he came in touch with.”

Fitzpatrick always had a flair for creating traditions and memorable events in his schools. Sixth-grade graduation — fifth-grade graduation after the sixth grade moved to Timberlane Middle School — is one example.

“He made such a special night of that night and he had such attention to every detail,” Di Muzio says. “He wanted the balloons to be a certain way and the flowers and tables a certain way. It was so important to him that he could create something like that would be a memory for the class that was graduating.” *** While he was working at Stony Brook, Fitzpatrick was also working on earning his doctorate degree in education. In 2004, he left Stony Brook to become superintendent of the Colts Neck School District.

“That was a really difficult decision, because he loved what he was doing.

He loved the teachers and his students,” Domaracki says. “But he felt

like he was ready to take the next step and be a superintendent, and the Colts Neck opportunity came up.”

After a few years he moved on to the Upper Freehold school district and worked as superintendent there.

He was still there, more than 50 years into his educational career, when he received the cancer diagnosis that made it necessary for him to retire.

In March, a group of people including Boucher, DiMuzio, DiMuzio’s husband, Tom, and Phil Volpe started formalizing their plan to recognize Fitzpatrick with a scholarship to be awarded in his name. Domaracki says her family was touched by the gesture.

“We were all just really blown away,” she says. “My dad, more than anything, devoted his whole life to education and trying to make an impact for kids. So the idea of creating a scholarship to enable kids to continue their education in his name, I can’t think of a better way to honor him.”

When Domaracki was in college, her parents moved to Newtown, Pennsylvania. But Jane is still involved in the Pennington community, where she teaches at St. Matthews Preschool.

And Dick is forever in the hearts and minds of the people of Hopewell Valley who got to know him when he was their principal.

“I don’t know how he did it,” Boucher says. “He has this large family and he was always involved in his kids’ lives. He is just a remarkable human being with all that he was interested in and all that he could do well.”

Those interested in contributing to the Dick Fitzpatrick Education fund can send a check to the Hopewell Valley Education Association, 425 S. Main St., Pennington NJ 08534, with “Fitzpatrick scholarship on the memo line. For additional information about the scholarship program, email Tom DiMuzio at thomasdimuzio@hotmail.com or Phil Volpe at 44volps@gmail.com.

Kevin Kuchinski (Former Mayor)

Michael Ruger (Deputy Mayor)

We've made tremendous progress in Hopewell Township under Democratic leadership.

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We've reduced average tax levy Increases from 6.3% in 2013-15 to 2.3% 2016-20.

✔ We've fought against the ✔ PennEast pipeline.

We've expanded open space & preserved farmland.

Let's keep moving forward together.

To learn more, visit www.didyouknowht.com

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Kevin Kuchinski & Michael Ruger for Hopewell Township Committee Paid for by Kuchinski and Ruger for Hopewell Township P.O. Box 863, Pennington, NJ 08534, Leslie Kuchinski, Treasurer

October 2020 | Hopewell Express7

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Election 2020 5 candidates for 3 seats on HoVal school board Three three-year terms on the school board in the past year.

Ross Gordon, 33, is a 7th grade Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education this fall, and social studies teacher in Willingboro. only one incumbent, Adam Sawicki, is He has a bachelors degree from Rutrunning for re-election, meaning there gers University and a master’s degree will be a minimum of two new school in early childhood education and development from Kean University. board members come Jan. 1.

All five candidates responded to He is married to Meghan Carroll and questionnaires sent by the Hopewell they have two sons, Myles, 4, and Express. Except for Sawicki, none has Lincoln, 4 months. The Staten Island ever run for elected office. Not run- native moved to Titusville six years ning for re-election are board mem- ago. Gordon says he has attended around 50% of school board meetings bers Alyce Murray and Sarah Tracy.

Brief biographies and their held in the past year.

Incumbent Adam Sawicki, 54, responses can be found below.

Andrea Driver, 45, teaches 5th is a technical fellow in mechanicalgrade in the Robbinsville public structural engineering at the Boeschools. She has a bachelors degree ing Company. He has bachelors and in sociology and elementary educa- master’s degrees in aeronautics and tion and a master’s degree in educa- astronautics from the Massachusetts tional administration from Rider Uni- Institute of Technology and a master’s in business adminversity. Driver is married istration from Villanova to Kevin Driver and has University. two daughters: Hailey, The 23-year resident is 19, a student in the vetmarried to Michele Ruiz, erinarian assistant proa dentist, and has four gram at Mercer County children: Grace, a senior Community College, and at Cornell University, Brooke, 16, a junior at Erik, a sophomore at RutCHS. gers University, Emilie The lifelong Hopewell Sawicki, an 11th grader resident attended at CHS and Christopher, Hopewell Elementary, also an 11th grader at Timberlane Junior High CHS. The family lives on School, and CHS. She Caroline Drive. lives near the Pennington Sawicki has been Circle and says she has Driver board vice president the attended about 50% of the past two years, and says school board meetings he has attended 100% of school board held in the past year.

Anita Williams Galiano, 54, is meetings in the last year.

Hopewell Express: Tell us about operations executive and partner for OnPacePlus. She has a bachelors the moment when you decided degree in communications from the to run, or run again, for school University of Iowa. The Brandon board.

Driver: I made the decision to run Farms resident hails from Jacksonville, Illinois and has lived in Hopewell for 20 for school board when I realized our years. She says she has attended less community, state, and country were in than 50% of the school board meetings a state of yearning for change. I struggled to determine the role I could play held in the past year.

Jacqueline (Jacquie) Genovesi, in order to help make and influence 51, is vice president of the Center for positive change. I care deeply about my STEAM Equity at the Academy of community and felt compelled to get Natural Sciences of Drexel University. involved. I strongly believe the route to Genovesi has a doctorate in educational change is through education. Coming leadership and technology from Drexel from generations of lifelong commuUniversity, a master’s in environmental nity members, as well as a professional studies from the University of Pennsyl- educator, running for school board vania, and a bachelors degree in biol- appeared to be the most logical choice.

Williams Galiano: Mid-summer ogy from Rider University.

Genovesi, who is from Ewing, has following conversations with local lived in Titusville for 20 years. She friends, months of Covid quarantining, and her husband, Rocco Genovesi, Jr., and as many months of professional have three children: Katie, 20, a CHS work related to healthcare technology graduate who is a junior at Eckerd and monitoring, I realized that there College; Michael, 17, a senior at CHS; was life and professional experience I could bring to bear on the historic and Joseph, 14, a freshman at CHS. Genovesi says she has attended less moment we collectively were living. than 50% of in-person meetings but I recognized, my professional experinearly 100% of online meetings of the ence, a mid-recession business clo-

on the school board are reasons that voters should elect you again?

Sawicki: I have chaired four of the five board committees and served on all five, so I have a breadth of experience in all key board and district focus areas. Examples of the initiatives that I have championed include increased access to advanced courses and cocurricular activities, our homework policy, our STEM curriculum, the Performing Arts magnet academy, 1:1 learning, full-day kindergarten and our referendum projects.

During my current term, I have had sure, and mapping a new path forward focused involvement on policy matters, would be of valued service. In addi- student/staff conduct, equity initiatives tion, there was the national conversa- and social-emotional learning. I’ve also tion on race. It was clear that we could worked to improve our budget developnot disregard the related conversation ment and communication processes. forming in the Valley and helping our While I prioritize school community children understand, be heard, and wellness and student achievement, I feel safe again was a responsibility I have also worked hard to match the District’s budgetary needs with what felt called toward.

Genovesi: I decide to run after a our taxpayers can afford.

HE: For non-incumbents, what friend suggested that I run because of my extensive experience working experiences in your life or profeswith the teachers, administrators, sional career make you qualified students, parents and the community to ser ve on the school board?

Williams Galiano: Nearly 30 years of the School District of Philadelphia.

My children have benefited from the of business experience between coninitiatives like increased AP and Hon- sumer healthcare operations and business management has ors classes; the STEM been spent working programs; the improvewithin teams, as well as ment in special educaleading teams. I have tion; and the homework coached, consulted, and policy. in the process honed lisHopewell has given so tening for problems and much to my children and collaborating for viable our family and I would solutions within a budbe honored to serve on get. I have co-led Sixthe school board.

Sigma projects assessing Gordon: I want to and redesigning product help our district follow and service delivery sysan all-inclusive educatems, much like a school tion, and in turn serve system. In addition, I as a role model to other have travelled internadistricts, improving the Williams Galiano tionally and understand education of children the profound gift we have across the state. Learners need to be met where they are, as a school district and community, pushed to follow their passions, and while knowing what it looks like to pregiven a chance to pursue their inter- pare our children for a global stage.

I am uniquely qualified to listen for ests. I don’t think the district is on the wrong path, but I would like to diverse needs and voices of stakeholdhelp lead students to see themselves ers while being unflappably focused in what they are learning. Students, on the primary constituency, our comteachers, and the greater community munity of children.

Genovesi: As a leader of a diverse all need to feel they are part of the educational system. This will give our department in a large complex instistudents the best chance possible to tution, I have developed skills that are directly transferable to being an succeed in life.

Sawicki: I decided to run again in effective board member. These skills late June when the board began review- include financial planning and expering reopening plans for 2020-21. While tise (which is even more critical durI have great respect for my fellow board ing this challenging financial time) members, it struck me that next year and understanding the national landall other Hopewell Township represen- scape in education while being able tatives will be serving their first term. to contextualize the needs of our comMy experience and institutional knowl- munity. My formal training in diveredge will help the district navigate the sity, equity, inclusion and collaborachallenges posed by the Covid-19 pan- tion is paramount to who I am and how demic. In addition, I would like to facili- I will view my role as a board member. tate several district curricular and infra- I excel at finding creative, unique solustructure initiatives that were slowed tions that focus on local needs and due to the pandemic. An experienced speaking not for myself or a small leader can provide beneficial insights outspoken group but for the entire and help the Board avoid repeating community.

Gordon: I have been a teacher for costly mistakes.

HE: For the incumbent, what the last 8 years and my experience, accomplishments from your time See SCHOOLS, Page 10 A note about our election coverage: all races for township committee or borough council in Hopewell Valley feature candidates who are running unopposed.

That being the case, the Hopewell Express is focusing solely on the contested HVRSD Board of Education election in this month’s issue.

We will have coverage of the council and committee races on our website, communitynews.org.

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time. Virtual instruction was an issue SCHOOLS continued from Page 9 starting from a teacher’s assistant, in the spring. During this time, issues being a sub, and finally, classroom that were raised were addressed. But teacher, has allowed me to learn the what about the parents and students importance of what teachers can add who didn’t know how to raise issues? I to the running of their district. My strongly feel that the policies and procedures were not equiexperience in various table during the beginpositions in schools gives ning of the pandemic. me an inside knowledge When you look at past of where improvements self-evaluations of the can always be made in a board, they acknowlschool. edge the need to work Driver: I bring a lot of on transparency. Workexperience that would be ing on transparency and beneficial to the board of communication with an education. I am a comeye on equity is somemunity member, and thing that could be hanhave been my entire life. dled better. TransparI am a parent of a school ency enhances equity age child, who attends by ensuring all students Hopewell Valley Cenand parents are aware tral High School. I am Genovesi of supports and what a teacher with 23 years might be unwritten but of teaching experience.

And I am an alumnus of Hopewell Val- is possible.

Gordon: The school board has done ley Regional School District, as are my husband, daughter, parents and many fairly well with the pandemic, but there of my extended family members. As was also room for improvement. This such, I am a stakeholder and have a comes back to listening to both the vested interest in the success of our community and the teachers and walkschool district and its students and ing that fine line to make sure all parties’ needs are met. Making sure that graduates.

HE: Grade the current school there are options for those who are not board and administration on how comfortable, teachers, and students it has handled education policy alike, and ensuring that nothing is moving too quickly. A slower more stable during the pandemic.

Williams Galiano: The school introduction back to in-person learning board and administration deserve high would have put us on a stronger footing marks for the time put into preparing in the face of Covid.

Sawicki: Overall our superintenfor a virus-free environment that was, at best, an erratic target. The creative dent, administrators, staff and othsolutions for outdoor classrooms, mod- ers on the Reopening Committee did ified teaching schedules for health con- a commendable job preparing us for cerns, and sourcing and staging PPE the current school year. Despite the state’s delay in providing guidance, were well thought out.

The most noticeable opportunity planning progress was well commuwas in the realm of communication. nicated to the Board and community.

Final deliberating and changes to plan- Our reopening plan incorporated ning during the final planning phase expert guidance provided by the diseither missed conveying new data/ trict’s physician and our local Departnew information that shifted the think- ment of Health. Cleaning and safety ing, or better measurements for deter- precautions were exemplary.

Remote instruction last spring mining whether to “go” or “no go” were not present. The moment was encountered some challenges and fraught with complexity, and it left key we have improved current offerings stakeholders feeling unheard, and the and approaches. Looking forward, we need to be diligent in assessing our work in preparation overshadowed.

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return-to-school timeline, the decision equity and social-emotional learning to reopen under the well-researched will also be a major issue in the complan which provided both hybrid and ing year.

Our students, parents, staff, adminremote instructional options was istrators and community are dealing correct.

Driver: The current school board with unprecedented challenges that and administration have handled are affecting our emotional and social the education policy during this pan- well-being. Ensuring we have the supports in place will make demic as well as could Hopewell a stronger be expected. These are healthier community. unprecedented times Additionally, there are with no road map or past current and future iniexperiences to guide tiatives that we need to us. The board and the ensure are not neglected administration actively including: aging infrasought out advice and structure; environmeninput from parents tal greening activities; and students on what and ensuring our gradwas working and what ing and second chance wasn’t. They took feedlearning practices are back, questions and equitable. comments, and criticism Gordon: Two of the on a regular basis, all biggest issues coming while trying to maintain Gordon up will be the safety and the integrity of our chilsecurity of students, dren’s education. This and the inclusivity of the curriculum. was not an easy task.

HE: What are two of the biggest Children are in a space that is meant issues facing the school board in to make them feel safe. Anything that makes a student feel unsafe, or adds the coming year?

Genovesi: In looking ahead, the anxiety to an already tense situation, impacts that Covid-19 are having on should be avoided at all costs. We our schools will by necessity take need to make sure plans are in place, precedence the coming year. It will guidelines are followed, and protocols be important to assess the impact on exist to keep everyone safe. It is also student learning and have the ability important to update our curriculum to effectively balance curricular needs to make all students feel accepted, against Covid-19 mitigations such regardless of race, creed, sexuality, or as staffing, cleaning, transportation, gender.

Opening up the curriculum to technology, etc. Our work around

include students of all backgrounds, will make them feel more a part of what they are learning, and give them a chance to thrive.

Sawicki: Physical and mental health wellness were the primary factors which influenced the district’s hybrid reopening plan. In the coming year, we must continue to focus on staff and student wellness. Beyond its impact upon instruction, the pandemic has accentuated preexisting socialemotional challenges. Our administrators need to study our post-March experience with later start times, outdoor education, and different counseling techniques, and incorporate their benefits as we progress back towards normal full time in-person instruction.

We also face continued budgeting challenges, given higher-than-cap rate increases in health insurance along with the expense of maintaining our aging infrastructure. During this time of declining district enrollment and record per-pupil costs, we must be vigilant in stabilizing expenditures relative to this year’s budget plan, while remaining flexible in adapting to the course of the pandemic. We should thoughtfully consider the significant savings realized while buildings were closed before increasing taxes to address facility needs.

Diversity, in terms of race, culture and income, is a big issue across the nation in general, and in the Hopewell Valley specifically. This is your space.

Tell our readers your thoughts on race See SCHOOLS, Page 12

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SCHOOLS continued from Page 11 and diversity in our school community today. Where are we headed as a district? Where should we be headed?

Driver: The two biggest issues facing the school board this coming year are the social emotional health, and the safety of the students and staff.

Prior to the pandemic shutting down school, we were already in a crisis regarding health and safety. Suicides were at an all time high amongst young people. Because our school district is the entity which connects our smaller communities, we have an obligation to be the driving force to effect change.

The school board and the administration should create programs, curricula, supports and resources so staff feel supported and the students are safe.

I know they have already begun this work; however, we need to continue to make this a priority.

Williams Galiano: Hopewell Valley School District is blessed with staff and leadership profoundly committed

12  Hopewell Express | October 2020

and passionate about delivering qual- difficult, candid conversations about ity education. The school board will be equity in our schools and community.

Driver: Diversity often is viewed as challenged to partner with the district and the Valley community to transition a negative word. However, diversity from hybrid course delivery to full in- makes a community rich. Exposure school sessions. The transition, lean- to diversity isn’t enough. We need to ing heavily on the learnings from the believe in the benefits of diversity. We fall of 2020, will undoubtedly include need to celebrate and embrace divermanaging logistics, but equally impor- sity. This can be done by teaching our tantly, will be designing and maintain- students many perspectives through ing a safe environment and (re)defin- our curriculum, by having our staff reping a sense of physical and emotional resent the students we educate, by providing resources for the security for our staff and staff and students that district Families. depict a diversity of charAll this will demand acters, settings, environaccomplishing this comments. Changes need to mitment in the midst of be made over time. But a negotiating a new concommitment to making tract with our district those changes should be teachers. My profesimmediate. sional training project Williams Galiano: management and facilitaFrom curriculum tion will lend itself well to development to staffworking with the board ing, HVRSD currently as a team to blend multiexplores many opportustakeholder input with nities to represent our complex and potentially community through the competing objectives.

Sawicki lens of diversity. RepHE: Diversity, in resentation within the terms of race, culture and income, is a big issue across books and within the body of indithe nation general, and in the viduals who serve and teach our chilHopewell Valley specifically. Tell dren is critically important. That said, readers your thoughts on race and we can miss understanding diversity beyond statistics and curriculum. diversity in our schools today.

The undervalued dynamic of Gordon: Diversity is more than a word that tells us we are different. It is diverse perspectives for problema chance for us to all share experiences solving, learning methods, and learnfrom different lenses and learn from ing of/from various cultural icons that one another and see things in a way we have framed and transformed the very may never have seen before. As time ground we live on can prepare HVRSD moves on, more and more people from students uniquely.

A real breakthrough on this front different backgrounds will come to our community, and we should embrace would be acknowledging that we have and welcome these changes and put unaddressed bias-based treatment plans in place so we are ready for all stu- and bullying issues. Training and credents who will join our family. By open- ating a network of readily available ing our hearts to all different people, diversity and inclusion resources in we can learn about ourselves, where each building to advocate for students the world is going, and better ourselves who feel unsafe. Providing ways to and our knowledge. The more diverse address and repair harm for students opinions and ideas we bring together, contributing to an unsafe school envithe better off we are, and the further ronment would allow learned behaviors of resolution over punishment. we can all move together.

Genovesi: This is a complex, emoSawicki: Much remains to be done in addressing our equity and cultural tionally charged issue. My children competency issues. Current events and I have witnessed the long-standhave helped our nation become bet- ing challenges. The district is committer informed about the historical ted to directly addressing these issues causes of inequity and the challenges and has implemented new curriculum, still faced by people of color, women town halls and training for staff. This and LGBTQIA communities. I see summer’s incident reinforces that this time as an opportunity for more more, much more needs to be done. rapid progress in our schools and the Together we will decide where we are headed and the best way forward. broader community.

I have the personal and professional The district can serve as an example for local engagement and discus- experience help make our schools and sion. For example, current practices community more IDEAL (Inclusion, focus on education and restorative Diversity, Equity, Access and Leaderjustice when confronting cases of ship). I’ve worked to understand my racism, bigotry and harassment. We own implicit biases, my privileges, and reviewed and upgraded textbooks and how I can listen and be a better ally. I novels to better reflect our vision and have participated for the past three remove biased language and concepts years in a research-proven IDEAL from instruction. Assistant superin- teaching and facilitation program. I am tendent Dr. Rosetta Treece works with the staff lead of the Academy’s IDEAL staff to reduce implicit bias, and with Board Committee, internal staff IDEAL local leaders Elaine Buck and Beverly working group and co-chair of Drexel Mills to ensure our history is accu- University’s Anti-Racism Task Force rately reflected. Lastly, superintendent on professional staff recruitment, hirDr. Thomas Smith leads ongoing, ing, promotion and retention.

HEALTH

OCTOBER 2020

@capitalhealthnj

HEADLINES

B I - M O N T H LY N E W S F R O M C A P I TA L H E A LT H

CAPITAL HEALTH BECOMES REGION’S

FIRST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN ROBOTIC SURGERY Capital Health confirms its role as a nationally recognized health care leader with world-class expertise and advanced technology.

In August, Capital Health Medical Center- Hopewell was designated a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery”by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). The Center of Excellence accreditation distinguishes Capital Health as having met rigorous, internationally recognized standards in providing the safest, highest quality of care and surgical capabilities.

“Capital Health’s designation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery affirms our commitment of providing patients along the Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York corridor with access to the most advanced medical technologies, expert physicians, and world-class, patient care close to home,” said DR. CATALDO DORIA, medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center and physician director of the Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery.

Robotic-assisted surgery — sometimes referred to as highprecision surgery — may be an option to traditional surgery.

Considered minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery is known for its many benefits including smaller incisions, lower risk of infection, less pain, and faster recoveries. It can be used to as a treatment for many cancers, including colon, gynecologic, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancers.

Under the direction of Dr. Doria, expertise within the hospital’s robotic surgery program has grown dramatically. In 2019, Capital Health’s surgeons performed more than 550 robotic surgery

cases, making it the leading hospital in the country for single robot cases. The surgical team has also expanded to include surgeons with highly specialized expertise including: … ASHLEE GODSHALK RUGGLES, MD, colorectal surgeon … ERIC MAYER, MD, director, Urologic Robotic Surgery, Capital Health – Urology Specialists … JOYCE VARUGHESE, MD, FACOG, medical director, Gynecologic Oncology … AFRICA F. WALLACE, MD, director, Thoracic Surgery As part of Capital Health’s commitment to provide the highest level of quality care and expertise, it recently invested in a dual console for its da Vinci® surgical platform to provide for a wider range of surgeries and its growing roster of surgeons with minimally invasive surgical experience. The dual console also enables a second surgeon to assist in surgeries and serves as a conduit for future surgical training.

To learn more Capital Health’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, please visit capitalhealth.org.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Hopewell Express13

CAPITAL HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP ADDS THREE FELLOWSHIP TRAINED RHEUMATOLOGISTS TO SPECIALTY PRACTICE Capital Health Medical Group recently welcomed DRS. WILLIAM TORELLI, SEHRIS KHAWAJA, and RISHI PATEL, fellowship trained rheumatologists, to its Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists practice. With this expansion, Capital Health continues to meet an important need for diagnosing and treating autoimmune conditions and diseases that affect the joints, muscles and bones that cause pain, swelling, stiffness, and deformity.

William Torelli, DO

The new providers join Dr. Sajina Prabhakaran in the medical office building at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, located at Two Capital Way, Suite 550, Pennington, New Jersey 08534. New offices will also open soon in Newtown, Pennsylvania and Bordentown, New Jersey.

“Rheumatology is a very complex area of specialization, and we’re pleased to have Dr. Khawaja, Dr. Patel and Dr. Torelli join our team,” said Dr. Joshua Eisenberg, chief medical officer of the Capital Health Medical Group. “Their training and experience add great depth to the services that are available at Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists, and we’re pleased to offer the residents of our community a growing team of specialists to accurately diagnose these complicated conditions and develop personalized treatment plans that are carefully coordinated with referring physicians.”

DR. TORELLI received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed his internal medicine residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. He was fellowship trained in rheumatology, including training in musculoskeletal ultrasound, at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Torelli is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association.

DR. PATEL received his medical degree at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed his internal medicine residency at Cooper University Hospital/Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. He completed his rheumatology fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center, part of Northwell Health/Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University in Great Neck, New York.

Fluent in English and Gujarati (and conversant in Hindi and Spanish), Dr. Patel is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians.

14Hopewell Express | Health Headlines by Capital Health

Rishi Patel, MD

Sehris Khawaja, DO

DR. KHAWAJA received her medical degree at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was fellowship trained in rheumatology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., during which time she also provided care for patients at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Khawaja is a member of the American College of Rheumatology, American College of Physicians, and the Association of Women in Rheumatology.

Appointments with Dr. William Torelli, Dr. Sehris Khawaja, and Dr. Rishi Patel can be scheduled by calling 609.303.4360. For more information, visit capitalrheumatology.org.

The team at Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists treats conditions that include (but are not limited to) rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psoriatic arthritis, enteropathic arthritis, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, vasculitis, and scleroderma. With cutting-edge testing and imaging technology conveniently available under one roof at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, the rheumatology team provides diagnoses and care plans tailored to each patient, which can include medication such as steroids, disease modifying agents, or biologics (genetically-engineered from human genes).

Other treatment options may include therapeutic ultrasound-guided joint aspirations and injections offered on an outpatient basis to help relieve pain and pressure. Through prescriptions and careful monitoring, the team at Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists works with patients to reduce immune responsiveness, control the symptoms of their disease, and help prevent potential long-term complications.

Capital Health – Rheumatology Specialists is part of the larger Capital Health Medical Group, an extensive network of care with more than 400 primary and specialty care providers across three counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit capitalmedicalgroup.org.

Capital Health Earns

NATIONAL LGBTQ HEALTH CARE EQUALITY LEADER DESIGNATION Capital Health has earned designation as an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader in the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) 2020 survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. HEI is the national LGBTQ benchmarking tool that evaluates health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) patients, visitors and employees. To earn this designation, Capital Health received an overall survey score of 100.

“Capital Health’s designation as an LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader affirms our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the care we deliver to our patients,

our relationship with the communities we serve and the support we provide for our employees,” said DR. ERIC I. SCHWARTZ, vice president of Community Health and Transformation and executive director of Capital Health’s Institute for Urban Care.

“We believe our diversity is our strength, and programs like our Pride Initiative help ensure that we provide a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees, patients and visitors.”

Every year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recognizes the health care facilities that participate in the HEI survey for their dedication and commitment to LGBTQ inclusion. Of the 765 health care facilities that participated in the 2020 survey, Capital Health was one of 495 to earn top honors as an LGBTQ Health Care

Keeping It Real With VIRTUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR EXPECTING PARENTS In the best of times, preparing for the birth of a child can be a time of joy and anxiety. In the midst of a pandemic, the experience may seem overwhelming. To safely provide guidance and instruction during these uncertain times, Capital Health now offers virtual childbirth and parenting education programs on the popular Zoom platform.

“Capital Health is an established health care leader with a long history of helping families get off to healthy starts in Mercer, Burlington, and Bucks counties,” said Meredith Coronato, coordinator of Capital Health’s Childbirth and Parent Education Program. “The health and well-being of our community is always our top priority, so we’re taking our childbirth and parent education programs online in response to the COVID-19 crisis to make sure expecting parents safely get the information they need to keep their growing families on the road to good health.”

Capital Health’s Childbirth and Parent Education Program offers a range of classes to help prepare expecting mothers and partners to be the best parents possible by teaching them about the process of birth, how to care for their infants, and how to access sources of support following the birth of their babies. Classes are taught by experienced, certified childbirth educators and board certified lactation consultants using the remote Zoom format.

For a complete listing of program offerings, or to register for a class, visit capitalhealth.org/childbirth.

Equality Leader designation. Capital Health upholds a model of equality and respect for the LGBTQ community by providing a welcoming environment for LGBTQ clients, consumers, patients and staff; offering training opportunities to all employees to better serve the LGBTQ community; and implementing the Pride Initiative to demonstrate its commitment to inclusion to the community at large.

To learn more about Capital Health’s commitment to providing equitable health care to all patients regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race or religion, visit capitalhealth.org/pride.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL CHILDBIRTH AND PARENTING EDUCATION PROGRAMS BABY CARE BASICS VIRTUAL CLASS October 13, 2020 at 6 p.m.

November 10, 2020 at 6 p.m.

November 24, 2020 at 6 p.m.

December 8, 2020 at 6 p.m.

December 22, 2020 at 6 p.m.

Taught by an experienced, certified childbirth and parent educator, this class helps prepare first-time expectant parents to care for their newborn.

ASK THE LACTATION CONSULTANT AND CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR Second Thursday of the Month at 2 p.m.

An opportunity for expectant parents to ask any questions they have about their upcoming birth experience at Capital Health.

UNDERSTANDING BIRTH ONE-DAY CONDENSED PREPARED VIRTUAL CHILDBIRTH CLASS October 10, 2020 at 9 a.m.

October 24, 2020 at 9 a.m.

November 7, 2020 at 9 a.m.

November 21, 2020 at 9 a.m.

December 5, 2020 at 9 a.m.

December 19, 2020 at 9 a.m.

Class is taught by an experienced, certified childbirth educator, this is an intensive day to prepare the expectant woman and her labor support person for the birth experience.

VIRTUAL NEW PARENT SUPPORT GROUP Mondays at 1 p.m.

The free support group for new parents with babies under one year old is facilitated by a board certified lactation consultant from Capital Health’s Lactation Center.

VIRTUAL PREPARED CHILDBIRTH 4-WEEK SERIES Beginning October 6, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Beginning November 6, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Beginning December 2, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Taught by an experienced, certified childbirth educator, this series consists of four weekly two-hour classes to prepare the expectant woman and her support person for the labor and birth experience.

UNDERSTANDING BREASTFEEDING VIRTUAL CLASS October 19, 2020 at 6 p.m.

November 2, 2020 at 6 p.m.

November 16, 2020 at 6 p.m.

November 30, 2020 at 6 p.m.

December 7, 2020 at 6 p.m.

Taught by a board certified lactation consultant from Capital Health’s Lactation Center, this class is taken before the birth of the baby.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Hopewell Express15

Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists is now scheduling appointments in Bordentown (1 Third Street), but will eventually move to the new, state-of-the-art Capital Health – Bordentown facility (pictured above). Appointments are also available in Hamilton.

NEW OFFICE IN BORDENTOWN FOR CAPITAL HEALTH

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists, part of Capital Health Medical Group, is now scheduling appointments at a new office location at 1 Third Street, Bordentown, New Jersey 08505 (just off Park Street). Current and new patients can now see DRS. CHRISTI WESTON and ARVIND BHASKER, as well as licensed clinical social workers KRISTIN CARDONA-COCCIA and CHELSEA HOAGLAND, at the new secondary location. The phone number is 609.689.5725 and office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“During these unprecedented times, many people are facing a variety of mental health challenges,” said Dr. Christi Weston, medical director of Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists.

“We’re happy to expand our presence in Burlington County and make access to this important area of specialization more convenient to those who need it most in that part of Capital Health’s service area.”

As part of Capital Health’s expansion into Burlington County, construction of its multi-specialty Capital Health – Bordentown facility is nearing completion. Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists will eventually relocate to this new, state-of-the art building, which is currently home to Capital Health Primary Care – Bordentown and specialists from Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.

According to the National Institutes for Health, more than 44 million adults in the United States are living with a mental health issue, yet less than half of them receive treatment. Addressing the need for behavioral health services in our community, the team at Capital Health Behavioral Health Specialists provides compassionate psychiatric care and counseling services in a warm, calming environment. The team of highly skilled psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and advanced practice clinicians use innovative treatment modalities to help people overcome obstacles and lead healthier, happier lives. They diagnose and treat a broad range of behavioral health conditions and offer a variety of psychotherapy groups that provide safe, comfortable and non-judgmental spaces to help people connect with others who share similar struggles and together learn skills to improve their lives.

To schedule an appointment with a Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists provider at their Hamilton or Bordentown locations, call 609.689.5725 or visit capitalhealth.org/behavioralhealth for more information.

16Hopewell Express | Health Headlines by Capital Health

Therapy for Adults Experiencing Depression SHIFT: Group Thursdays | 2 p.m. | Location: Zoom Meetings* Facilitator: Kristen Cardona – Coccia *You will receive Zoom meeting details after registration is complete.

SHIFT will teach you new, healthier ways of thinking, feeling and behaving while you gain new perspectives on how to manage your depression.

Group therapy provides benefits that individual therapy may not. Psychologists say, in fact, that group members are almost always surprised by how rewarding the group experience can be. Groups can act as a support network and a sounding board. Other members of the group often help you come up with specific ideas for improving a difficult situation or life challenge, and hold you accountable along the way.

Regularly talking and listening to others also helps you put your own problems in perspective. Oftentimes, you may feel like you are the only one struggling — but you’re not.

It can be a relief to hear others discuss what they’re going through and realize you’re not alone. … Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day SYMPTOMS … Feelings of worthlessness or guilt of DEPRESSION almost every day may include: … Impaired concentration, indecisiveness … Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day … Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others) … Restlessness or feeling slowed down … Recurring thoughts of death or suicide … Significant weight loss or gain (a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month) The time to SHIFT to a healthier, happier you is now.

To sign up, call Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists at 609.689.5725. This group therapy program will be billed to your health insurance.

cRoSSWoRD

PuzzleJunction.com

Community News Service - Hamilton/Ewing/Hopewell Crossword - 10/20

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2 Buffalo Bill’s surname 3 Threesome 4 One-dish meal 5 Trust in 6 Implore 7 Parches 8 Small intake 9 Dress 10 Away from home 12 Maui dance 13 Aussie pals 15 Folklore fiend 23 Welcome 25 Falcon’s picker-upper 26 “To do” list 27 Evergreen 28 King topper 29 Dead letters?

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Puzzle solution is on Page 19

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October 2020 | Hopewell Express17

Kudos to Hopewell Valley schools LISA WOLFF NATURE IN THE VALLEY

Embracing Nature at School was the title of my August Column, which featured administrators from public and private schools throughout Hopewell Valley stating how they intended to use outdoor learning in their respective school opening plans.

Since one is far less likely to contract Covid-19 outdoors than in, it followed that outdoor learning was a responsible option for promoting a healthy

school environment.

This school year, the private schools have reopened in-person instruction using strict safety protocols, and HVRSD is offering a choice between fully remote and hybrid. The majority of families chose the hybrid model, which is also the recommended approach from both the Department of Education and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as the district’s own return-to-school committee.

The private schools and the HVRSD hybrid model employ outdoor learning. I interviewed the superintendent, Dr. Thomas Smith, assistant super-

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intendent Dr. Rosetta Treece, and 2019-2020 Mercer County Teacher of the Year Helen Corveleyn, and all reported that outdoor learning has had a tremendously positive impact on school reopening and the benefits extend far beyond a pandemic response.

Dr. Smith said that students get outside every day for curricular learning or simply to get a “mask break.”

Dr. Treece shared that outdoor learning fits nicely in the district’s ongoing efforts with mindfulness and social emotional learning.

Ms. Corveleyn stressed how important sunshine and nature are to a child’s “developing brain.”

The video of my interviews is available at fohvos.org.

Students have only been back to school a couple of weeks and the families I have spoken with report that their kids are thrilled to be back. The high school had a couple all remote days to allow for sanitation after a positive Covid case, but has recovered for the time being. One high school parent said to me, “My daughter was fine last spring with the remote learning, and while I read about people experiencing sadness and other issues from being isolated, I thought she was weathering it quite well. But apparently she missed it more than I knew. I was really surprised how effusive and appreciative she was to be back with people her own age again.”

While well-deserved fanfare abounds for the teachers and administrators that are on the front lines with students, the unsung heroes are the facilities team that make the schools safe for returning and the board of education members that bucked the all-remote trend.

Tom Quinn is the HVRSD director of facilities. Prior to the pandemic, he

Families I have spoken with report that their kids are thrilled to be back in school.

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oversaw the referendum-supported school updates. His team work tirelessly to assure student safety and security by following strict cleaning protocols. They’ll drop everything at a minute’s notice to ensure the welfare of our community. The transportation team, led by Heather Van Mater, also has unique challenges to address.

While the entire school board had approved the current return to school plan, there was a last-minute attempt to delay in-person instruction in favor of an all-remote opening.

The delay was proposed for several reasons, including recommendations from the NJEA and in response to neighboring districts choosing an allremote start.

The final vote was a narrow 5-4. Those voting to allow hybrid in-person learning with a fully remote option included board vice president Adam Sawicki, retiring board member Sarah Tracy, and the board’s newest appointed board members Jess Grillo, Bill Herbert, and John Mason.

Herbert said. “Now is the time to go back to school, when cases are low and we have a solid plan in place. We don’t know what the future will bring, and cases may spike in the winter; if that happens, we may have to make the decision to close schools again.”

Neighboring districts Princeton and Ewing began remotely and plan to have all of their schools offering a hybrid option on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, respectively.

While it’s impossible to overstate the importance of the HVRSD staff educating our children, let’s not forget the people that literally made it possible. Adam, Sarah and the newest BOE members made a courageous choice that all of the hybrid participating families I spoke with greatly appreciate. Including an all remote option provides a selection to best fit individual family needs.

Hopewell officials have a long history of marching to their own beat and bucking the local trends —- most recently when state and county parks closed, and Hopewell Valley municipal leaders opted to keep our open spaces open so community members would have healthy outdoor options in times of a pandemic.

We are so fortunate to live in area with wealth of green spaces that taxpayers and local leaders prioritize to keep our community healthy and green.

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20  Hopewell Express | October 2020