Lawrence High School girls’ soccer midfielder/forward Slavina Dusichka, a sophomore, moves the ball during a 6-0 win against Nottingham at LHS on Oct. 17, 2024.
Reflecting on 100 years—and counting—at Adath Israel
By MicheLe ALPeriN
A centennial is more than a milestone; it is a testament to the adaptability and ingenuity needed to survive in a changing world.
For Lawrenceville’s Adath Israel Congregation, founded on October 15, 1923, in Trenton, N. J., its 100th anniversary year has been an opportunity to delve into the synagogue’s history, to honor its strengths, and to develop new approaches to
ensure a thriving future.
Rabbi Benjamin Adler, celebrating his 10-year anniversary at Adath, used his 2022 Rosh Hashanah sermon to prepare his congregation for its hundredth anniversary, using history to shed light on present challenges and future opportunities.
The congregation laid the cornerstone for its first building, at 715 Bellevue Avenue in Trenton, designed by Louis Kaplan, the architect of the Trenton War Memorial. The building was
sold on January 1, 1989.
Jews in 1920s Trenton worried about Jewish survival into the next generation, despite their thriving religious and secular Jewish community: with delis, bakeries, kosher butchers, synagogues, funeral homes.
The 1920s, Adler says in his 2022 sermon, were a time of “deep anxiety for American Jews.” The explosion of Jewish immigration to the United States in the preceding 40 years meant
See ANNIVERSARY, Page 8
Artist John Rounds gives new meaning to creative license
By EMMA FerschWeiLer
One could scan over John Rounds’ garage and constantly see something new. Directly in front of his make-shift workshop is a collage of descended trees in different seasons, to the left are framed wine boxes, and a cut-out of New Jersey made with license plates takes center stage, reflecting light off its sharp corners.
All these pieces in his workshop were recently featured at
two local events last month— Lawrence Township Community Fun Day on Oct. 5, and Lawrenceville Main Street’s Fall Arts Festival on Oct. 19.
Rounds is a retired carpenter who dabbles in unique craft art. He got the idea for his first piece in 2013 after having his knee scoped and being put on the carpentry disabled registry.
While staring at some old license plates he never turned into NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, he wondered if he could
make a map of the Garden State with all of its counties.
“The next day the sun came up and it’s shown off all those windows, and it reflected over here, and you can see how it catches the aluminum ... And it just exploded with light. And I went, oh gee, that was a good idea,” Rounds said.
It took around 80 to 90 hours to make his first piece, including designing, cutting, and assembling the plates. To shape the
See ELEcTION, Page 4
RWJ Full Page
NEWS BrIEFS
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.
EDITOR
Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104)
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rich Fisher
AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION
Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Christine Storie (Ext. 115)
Community News Service
9 Princess Road, Suite M Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Phone: (609) 396-1511
News: news@communitynews.org
Events: events@communitynews.org
Sports: sports@communitynews.org
Letters: bsanservino@communitynews.org
Website: lawrencegazette.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CommunityNewsService X: x.com/_CommunityNews_
15,000 copies of the Lawrence Gazette are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Lawrence 12 times a year.
TO ADVERTISE
call (609) 396-1511, ext. 110 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org
BRANCH
ROUNDS continued from Page 1
metal, he uses aviation snips with right and left cuts to get the counties’ precise curves and edges.
Most of the license plates are collected from flea markets and garage sales at around $2 apiece, but he also looks on eBay. In addition to large license plate maps, Rounds makes smaller maps, refrigerator magnets, and printouts of the art. People have commissioned him to do other states and New Jersey counties as well, including Texas, Vermont, Kentucky, and multiple Mercer County signs.
Most of his signs feature the iconic colors of New Jersey’s past three license plates from vintage black and cream to discontinued cream and blue to current goldfinch yellow. He said you can’t use just any license plate. It needs to have the right letters, spacing, and coloring to create one coherent artwork.
“It’s all about color coordination and it’s all about the different letters that represent the counties,” Rounds said.
It is no wonder why he has about 700 to 900 plates. None of which, he prefaced, are stolen.
The lifetime Mercer resident has always had a thing for maps. He majored in history at Quinnipiac College and has a vast map and flag collection, including a Betsy Ross flag hanging on the side of his garage.
“I really think that maps are artwork in and of themselves,” Rounds said.
Artistry runs in the family with three of his four brothers in artistic pursuits mostly encompassing music and one visual designer.
His artistic inclination came in handy when Rounds not only won first place in the 2018 Mercer County Senior Art Show for his category but took home “Best-InShow” for the non-professionals division.
Upping the stakes, he entered into the NJ State Senior Citizen Art Show, which gets more than 300 entries. Rounds’ artwork “New Jersey – County Map No. 4” won first place in the craft category, making him an award-winning artist. Both of these contests were the first time he ever entered into a show.
Mercer County residents can recognize another one of Rounds’ artworks that exhibits the famed Mercer Oak throughout every season. After a blizzard in 1996, Rounds took a picture of the Mercer Oak then went back the following April to get the tree in spring bloom. It took another year to complete the set with summer and fall making the entire display a two-year project.
Rounds may be the only person to have photographed the Mercer Oak in all four seasons since three years after completing the set, the tree fell. This piece of his is shown all over Mercer County from the county administration building to the Princeton Municipal Government Building to the Thomas Clark House.
“I’m very proud of New Jersey and
Artist John Rounds with a map of New Jersey created from discarded license plates.
are a hugely fun, creative process, not too many customers buy them because they can be expensive. A few of his smaller license plate signs cost in the $800 to $900 range which he said is a lot of work for not a lot of money. The biggest signs can even cost upwards of a couple thousand dollars because of the time, resources, and care that goes into one piece, but a Rounds needs the time for other
Along with his brothers, he helps care for his mother, who just turned 100. Rounds also welcomed a new member to the family a few years back who needs ample love, attention, and doggy daycare, a three-year-old Australian Shepherd. Even though balancing artistry with life is a lot of work, Rounds said it feels great going to the shows and making all forms
“I have been asked many times, so what is that? That’s not sculpture, but it’s not flat art. And I kind of like to think of it as sort of bas-relief … It’s got depth. It’s got some sharp edges, but it is what it is,”
TO see more of Rounds’ artwork and for find out future events where his work will be on exhibit, go to his company website, Mercer Art, LLC: mercerartnj.com/
Wherever your child’s life takes you, we’re there.
With NJ’s highest ranked pediatric orthopedics and urology programs.
We are nationally ranked in pediatric orthopedics at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and in pediatric urology at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, and Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. And we’re also New Jersey’s largest provider of children’s healthcare.
From primary care to specialized treatments and therapies and in partnership with Rutgers Health, our Children’s Health network provides outstanding care, advanced research and teaching from renowned physicians and clinicians, with an emphasis on the social determinants of health that help to improve the health and well-being of every child in every community. Learn more at rwjbh.org/ChildrensHealth
that “many were looking for ways to create a new life and were not interested in Judaism. … Jews wanted to be American.”
Evidence of the anxiety of Trenton Jews appears in a November 2, 1920, letter in the Adath Israel archives that proposes a meeting to discuss creation of a Conservative synagogue in Trenton.
This letter sounds like it could have been written today. Signed by 18 concerned Jews, it asks a series of questions including: Do you not feel deep concern over the fact that Judaism is declining in your community? Are you not chagrined when, on Yom Kippur, more young Jews are in the theatres than in the synagogues?
gogues or social clubs, Adath Israel has also created MOSAIC, a center for arts, culture, and ideas, with a twofold purpose. One, Adler says, is “to reach out to people who are not necessarily interested in membership,” including both Jews and non-Jews. The center also encompasses another role of a synagogue, beyond religious school and worship services. “It is a place to learn and grow as adults,” Adler says.
Renew Masonry
Half Page V
For the letter’s writers, the solution to their angst is a Conservative synagogue. Adath Israel’s founders, Adler says, “felt that the answer to the problem of Jewish apathy and rapid assimilation was a modern, contemporary synagogue that would appeal to Jews of Trenton in the 1920s.” They were looking to create “an intermediate synagogue,” between the highly observant Orthodox and the far less traditional Reform synagogues, where, for example, men and women could sit together, and prayers would be in both Hebrew and English.
Just as these 1920s Jews resolved their problems with “a new [Conservative] synagogue that would pray in a different way,” Adler suggests that the 2022 Adath needed self-renewal and increased relevance.
To do so, Adath Israel has instituted changes a number of changes over the last few years.
For the year leading up to Adath Israel’s hundredth anniversary, Friday night services based on the synagogue’s history, two decades at a time, reflected timely music and snacks as well as sermons based on material from the synagogue’s archives that “focused on the struggles and triumphs of the community for those decades; what was going on in the world and how did that affect Adath; and what we can learn because today we are going through struggles similar to theirs,” Adler says.
Another change has been a monthly, more intimate service in the round featuring young musicians who are teaching the congregation new melodies and, Adler says, “working with us to build a sustainable model so that we can evolve our services ourselves even when [they are] not here.”
Because many people today are reluctant to affiliate with institutions like syna-
Some new programs focus specifically on “finding multiple avenues for young families to be part of the Jewish community,” Adler says. The poster for two new biweekly educational programs this fall for children 0 to 2 and 2 to 4 ½ years olds promises: “Your children will learn to love being Jewish through music, art, cooking, puppet shows, and food.”
The synagogue is also trying to make it financially easy for young families to join, with half-cost memberships for the first two years. In addition, children of all members pay no tuition to attend religious school.
The synagogue has also changed organically over time under the influence of different rabbinical leaders and changing needs.
Although a condition of the synagogue’s formation was that men and women would sit together during services, its first full-time rabbi, Samuel Rosenblatt (the son of the cantor who played himself in “The Jazz Singer”), did not approve of men and women sitting together during services and left after one year.
In 1951, Ruth Sugarman, whose father was the synagogue president, wanted to have a bat mitzvah. The rabbi, trained in Orthodoxy, studied the issue and could not come up with an objection. As a result, the synagogue became egalitarian, and women celebrated bat mitzvahs and were counted as members of a minyan, the quorum of Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations.
After more than 60 years at Adath’s building in Trenton, in 1986, the synagogue made the decision to move out of Trenton and purchased the Lawrenceville property. Despite the sadness of leaving its longtime home, Ruth Sugarman, now chair of the development committee, said in an article in “The Times of Trenton”: “It has to happen. The congregation has to go where the people are.”
The synagogue suffered an antisemitic incident early on. A sign that announced its move to the Lawrenceville property with the heading, “Future Home of Adath
Rabbi Adler
Israel Congregation,” was defaced with Nazi graffiti. But the other Lawrenceville religious institutions quickly stepped in and added their own sign next to the original one: “The Religious Communities of Lawrence welcome our new neighbor.”
In 1988 Rabbi Daniel T. Grossman, who served for 25 years before Adler’s arrival, became Adath Israel’s rabbi, bringing with him a commitment to inclusion for special needs children and access for people with disabilities. He guided the design of the new, barrier-free synagogue building in Lawrenceville. The sanctuary of the one-story building includes a ramp to the bima (prayer platform) and special cradles that allow someone in a wheelchair to take out the Torah scroll. “Our tradition is that everyone uses the ramp, not just the people who need it,” Adler says, adding that Grossman was able to use American sign language during services.
Responding to special needs — whether learning issues, behavioral challenges, or developmental disabilities — continues to be a hallmark of the Adath religious school. “We’ve always been a place for kids who didn’t fit into other religious schools,” Adler says.
Inclusiveness at Adath also comprises welcoming of new congregants, as it did with the March 2010 merger with Ahavath Israel synagogue of Ewing. Part of the official welcoming campaign, called Beit Echad (One House), was a musical celebration where members of Ahavath Israel walked into the Adath Israel sanctuary under a huppa, like a bride being brought to her groom.
One additional step toward increasing inclusivity has been a change in by-laws to allow non-Jews to become members. This change brought another one, still in process, where Adath has designated a part of its Fountain Lawn Cemetery section for interfaith burials — not traditionally allowed in a Jewish cemetery.
Adler grew up in a Conservative synagogue in San Antonio, Texas, but it was Camp Ramah in California that, he says, was “the transformative part of my Jewish journey.”
“I loved being in this very intense Jewish environment where we were praying every morning, saying the blessing after meals, Jewish learning, and singing — all that was really energizing for me,” Adler says.
In 1997 Adler graduated from Columbia University and started working in the programming department of B’nai Jeshurun in New York City, which describes itself as “a non-affiliated, egalitarian, inclusive synagogue community focused on the power of prayer and music, rooted in love and social justice.”
Having grown up in a synagogue where musical instruments were not part of prayer services, he says, “It was my first time with not just instruments, but a band and really beautiful music that was so different than what I was used to — the experience of being at Shabbat services where there are thousands of people and everyone is singing and dancing. And afterwards, the scene on the steps outside, hundreds of young people talking, shmoozing, and meeting people.”
See ANNIVERSARY, Page 10
An image from the archives shows a 1946 Passover seder at Adath Israel’s Trenton synagogue.
Celebrate the Holidays at
He met his wife, Lisa, at B’nai Jeshurun, where she was teaching religious school and also attending services. They married in 2000 and have three children: Ronen, 21, is studying economics at the University of Michigan; Jonah, 19, started at Yeshivah University this fall. Miya, 15, is in tenth grade at Lawrence High School. Lisa, a social worker, is now chief development officer for the Center for Modern Aging in Princeton. She worked previously at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County and for the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey.
As Adler worked at Adath Jeshurun on adult education, the weekly newsletter, and other administrative tasks, he soaked in its very contemporary approach to synagogue life.
At the same time he was contemplating becoming a rabbi. But before committing to a career as a Jewish professional, Adler investigated the “for profit” world and worked for two internet companies in New York during the dot com bubble.
“It was an interesting and exciting time to be in that industry, but it wasn’t very fulfilling for me,” he says. So he decided to pursue the rabbinate and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2007.
Adler’s first congregation was the White Meadow Temple in Rockaway, New Jersey, in Morris County, which he describes as an “interesting and quite beautiful community on a lake,” yet “somewhat isolated.” But after seven years he was looking for a change: “I wanted a place with a little bit more opportunity to grow my own rabbinate and to
try new things. Adath, being much more of a regional synagogue, pulling from different communities in different towns, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, has been a wonderful place for the last 10 years.”
That also goes for Bernice Abramovich, the congregation’s first woman president. If you include her extended family, affiliation with Adath Israel covers an entire century. Her great uncle, Harry Siegel, was active at the synagogue’s founding. When her parents married, “they wanted an egalitarian synagogue where they could all sit together, so it seemed logical to come to Adath,” Abramovich says. Then she and her husband joined 45 years ago when their oldest son was starting kindergarten.
Growing up in Trenton, Abramovich remembers a tight Jewish community. “All of our friends went to the Hebrew school; we would all walk from Junior 3 to the synagogue and stop on the way at the delis on Hermitage Avenue,” she recalls.
“We all lived close together. On holidays, the synagogue was an extension of our celebrations.”
For Adler, looking back on his decade at Adath, he highlights the importance of his connection with the congregation’s children and particularly being there at their bar and bat mitzvahs. “I’ve seen them grow up from being babies to young adults. It’s special for me. I’ve taught them in religious school. I see them at the bus stop to the JCC [Jewish Community Center] camp. I see them in the rest of town. It’s fun; it’s one of the great things about being a rabbi.”
Adath Israel Congregation, 1958 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville. 609-8964977
Boggs steps up as playmaker, leader for LHS girls’ soccer
By Rich Fisher
It was 10 minutes into the 2024 opener when Amber Wood went down with a season-ending torn ACL. The forward led Lawrence High’s girls’ soccer team with 12 goals last year as a sophomore, and in an instant it looked like it might be a bleak campaign.
But Becca Boggs begged to differ.
“I knew from the start of our season that we were going to have a successful year,” the junior forward/midfielder said. “Losing Amber was heartbreaking for all of us but everyone has stepped up. I am really proud of this group because we know what we need to do to get the results we want. Our team chemistry is unmatched.”
Boggs has been one of the highest steppers. Through the Cardinals 9-6 start, she was second on the team with 10 goals and led in assists with 15, prompting coach Emily Palombo to say “I think she has stepped up particularly well.”
Moving from wing to center-midfield has aided Boggs’ production. She was centermid in travel and welcomed the chance to do it in high school.
“I need her to touch the ball,” Palombo said. “I talked to her about playing in the center and she wanted that role and that opportunity at this level. That opened up a lot for her to assist people.”
Even without Wood, Boggs has teammates to look for who can find the back of the net. As of Oct. 14 senior Michaela Little had 11 goals, sophomore Ava Donnelly tallied eight and junior Caelyn LaFlamme had seven.
them somewhere in the vicinity of Little’s head.
“She hits her corners fantastic,” Palombo said.
“I always look for Michaela,” Boggs said. “She is able to track the ball very well, which has helped us score. I think we have like, five goals off corner kicks.”
And although she has scored her share of goals, Boggs considers herself a playmaker who scores rather than a scorer who distributes.
“I have made it a goal for myself to contribute to every game by having a goal or an assist,” she said. “I feel like I am a playmaker and distributor who scores goals because my teammates are always making runs giving me the opportunity to set them up.”
Boggs’ attachment to Cardinals soccer runs deep. Her father, Dave, was the program’s first coach (and only one of three, along with Dana Williams and Palombo). He serves as a historian for Palombo, informing her of significant “firsts” for the team and any records it might be setting.
about the game to help me grow and get better as a player.”
She also credits brother Owen, who is three years older, for “helping me grow so much as a player. I grew up always going to his soccer practices and the boys always challenged me, which helped me continue to get better.”
Boggs began playing travel with Matchfit Academy and is currently on Penn Fusion. She started as an outside midfielder but would occasionally drift to the center of the field. “My coach finally decided to give me the opportunity to play center midfield and that’s where my love for the position began.”
Thanks to the family lessons she learned coming up through the ranks, Boggs was a fairly polished player upon arriving at Lawrence. She made varsity as a freshman and collected four goals and two assists, followed by a sophomore season of seven goals and nine assists.”
“Moving to center-midfield has given me the opportunity to find the ball more and hit my teammates’ feet who are moving off the ball,” Boggs said. “I’ve been able to check to the ball, support my teammates more, and then switch the field.
“I love playing central midfield, especially when Michaela is playing forward. I think our chemistry has grown a lot since my freshman year. She always knows where I’m going to play her the through ball.”
The two also have a strong connection on corner kicks, with Boggs usually delivering
Becca was only 1-year-old the last season Dave coached Lawrence, but he has still made an impact on her.
“My dad plays a huge part in my soccer career,” she said. “He was my first soccer coach and has been coaching me since I was three. He is one of the reasons I’m out there on the field succeeding.
“My mom and dad put their lives aside to take me to late practices and games, and are always supporting me. After games my dad and I will always chat and he asks me what I think I can work on. He gives me tactics
“I’d been hearing about Becca for a long time because of travel and her dad has kept me in the loop about things,” Palombo said. “She’s just so skilled, you could see the potential in her. Sometimes freshman year is hard but she’s just blossomed and gained confidence with each season.”
Center-midfielders are often referred to as a team’s maestro, and Boggs is certainly that as she has an uncanny ability to direct on the field.
“Beck’s soccer IQ is one of the best I’ve seen,” Palombo said. “She has incredible vision, it just allows her to create opportunities for her teammates and for herself as well. She’s very skilled at one on one situations.
Junior Becca Boggs has been a top performer for LHS girls’ soccer.
“Her vision is incredible. She’s so much fun to watch. She always knows where someone else is gonna be or sees a play developing and she’s able to have a sweet through ball and thread the needle during the game.”
When it comes to scoring, Boggs feels she is most dangerous in 1-v-1 situations, and welcomes it when her teammates can find her feet.
“‘She isn’t scared to take somebody on,” Palombo said. “She can create chances, beat somebody and rip a shot. A lot of her goals have been from 25 yards out. She’s a lefty with a strong left foot.
“She also defends pretty well. She knows we have some high expectations of her making sure she re-defends.”
With offensive success, of course, comes attention from the other team.
“People know who she is so she’s getting marked,” Palombo said. “We’ve been trying to get her to work, checking north to south and varying her runs so she can get open.”
Although just a junior, Boggs is one of the team’s older players as Lawrence has just two seniors on the roster, including Wood. When Wood went down, Becca knew she had to do more.
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself, but we’re trying to tell her she just needs to play the game because she’s so good,” Palombo said. “When she’s moving and creating for herself she also creates chances for every-
body else because she’s so skilled on the ball.”
Aside from her playing ability, Boggs is also trying to serve as a leader.
“I realized I am now an upperclassman,” she said. “ I have been trying to make the younger girls feel comfortable since I have some experience. I am focused on setting a positive example by encouraging my teammates, working hard at practice as well as on the field during games. My coaches have encouraged me to be more vocal and I have been trying to fulfill that role.”
Palombo feels that Boggs has come a long way since her freshman year in terms of being a good teammate and taking responsibility. She has gained some leadership experience working at her dad’s Boggs Barrett Soccer Camp and the Bob Smith Soccer Academy, saying “I’m trying to make an impact on the future of youth soccer.”
A former member of Lawrence’s DECA club, Boggs now focuses on academics and soccer in hopes of playing in college.
“I have been in contact with some coaches, but I am still exploring my options,” she said.
“My dad played soccer at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and my aunt played at North Carolina State. Having these two as role models encourages me to work hard each time I step on the field. Playing college soccer is something I strive for, following in their footsteps.”
Old Mill Society
Dawn:
Mark:
Mark:
dawnmonsport@verizon.net mcutaneo5@gmail.com
dawnmonsport@verizon.net mcutaneo5@gmail.com
dawnmonsport@verizon.net mcutaneo5@gmail.com
The Lawrence High School girls’ soccer team defeated Nottingham 6-0 at LHS on Oct. 17, 2024. Pictured above are photos of the action. Top: Caelyn LaFlamme. Middle: Ava Donnelly (left) and Michaela Little. Bottom: Emma Skinner.
Bromley Full Page
Are you a candidate for pulmonary rehabilitation?
Ask
The Doctor
personal physician to obtain information.
Exercise
Along with education, you will also participate in an individually tailored exercise program designed to help you increase your tolerance for daily activities.
See our ads in SIX09 section pgs 5 and 7
Are you short of breath? Do you have a lingering or constant cough? Do you have a history of lung problems? Did you ever smoke?
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJUH Hamilton), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, may be able to help and offers patients an educational and supportive program monitored by trained medical professionals.
Nutritionists, physical therapists, and licensed clinical respiratory care personal form a team dedicated to better breathing through pulmonary rehabilitation.
Education
Educational topics related to your individual needs will be discussed and reinforced at each session. Our aim is to aid you in using the tools available that will allow you to live more comfortably within your breathing limitations. Nutritional counseling, stress management and pharmaceutical support is also available.
The Program is designed to aid people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (C.O.P.D.), such as Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, Bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis, and Long COVID, to help improve exercise tolerance, decreases dyspnea and improves quality of their life measures.
Arthur Pacia, MD
Sessions
Patients will attend 36 education/exercise sessions, lasting one (1) hour, 2 times a week. Upon completion of all the components of your monitored pulmonary rehabilitation program at RWJUH Hamilton, you will have the option of continuing rehabilitation in the Supervised Program.
How Do You Enter the Program?
You can:
Arthur Pacia pulmonary disease doctor and director of pulmonary rehabilitation at RWJUH Hamilton explains the overall goal and benefit of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and the components and individualized treatment plans available at RWJUH Hamilton.
“The program is far better than any other COPD therapy,” adds Dr. Pacia.
What are the components of pulmonary rehabilitation?
The components of pulmonary rehabilitation are evaluation, exercise and education. Each component is designed to help you breathe easier, and maintain and improve the quality of your life.
Evaluation
The gathering of appropriate medical information is essential in assessing the extent of your disease, in goal setting and in designing your personalized program. Upon your first visit, an individual assessment is performed to help plan your customized program and tailor your rehabilitation goals. Staff will also work with your
• Discuss your needs with a pulmonologist or your primary care provider to determine if pulmonary rehabilitation will benefit you and your condition.
• Your provider can refer you to the program and will continue to be a part of your care team.
• RWJUH Hamilton’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team, consisting of Certified Respiratory Therapists, can help coordinate your admittance, which is dependent upon necessary medical requirements.
• RWJUH Hamilton’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program center is located inside the hospital, located at 1 Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton, NJ 08690.
To make an appointment or for more information, call 609-689-7086.
Learn more at rwjhb.org/Hamilton.
Programs at RWJU Hamilton this month
The following programs are open to all, and registration is required. Programs are sponsored by RWJUH Hamilton Community Health/ Community Education and Better Health Program, a FREE membership program for anyone 65+ years old. All programs take place at the Center for Health & Wellness located at RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Rd., Hamilton, unless otherwise noted. View the calendar of programs available online at rwjbh.org/hamiltonprograms, or for more in-
formation, call (609) 584-5900.
SchEDULE AN ANNUAL mAmmOGRAPhY
(RWJUH Hamilton) At The Women’s Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, 1 Hamilton Health Place, Outpatient Building #5, Ground Floor. Appointments are required and appointments can be scheduled by calling the Mammography Department at 609-631-6832 and press “3” when prompted to schedule an appointment. Early detection of breast cancer saves lives. Learn more at rwjbh.org/mammo.
ThURSDAY, OcTObER 3
Dinner With Doctors—Breast cancer awareness event (Community Education). 6 to 7 p.m. Join us for “In Your Breast Interest;” FREE* dinner with doctors program featuring our physicians: Firas G. Eladoumikdachi (Eladou), MD, FACS, Breast Surgical Oncology; Rachana Singh, MD, Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology; and Meera Yogarajah, MD, Medical Oncology. Learn the facts about breast health, myths about breast cancer, the latest treatments, and the importance of early detection and annual mammograms. *Registered attendees will be offered a wellbalanced and healthy dinner; registration is required and space is limited; first come first serve basis. This event will be held at RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, Center for Health & Wellness, 3100 Quakerbridge Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619. For more information or to register, call 609-584-5900. Learn more on-
line at rwjbh.org/hamiltonprograms
TUESDAY, OcTObER 15
Breast/Chest Health (Community Education). 5 to 6 p.m. Join Cecilia Gomez, BS, Community Cancer Control Specialist, RWJ Barnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, for this presentation that covers the basics of breast cancer. We will discuss screening guidelines, health disparities, diet and lifestyle and genetic counseling
WEDNESDAY, OcTObER 16
Dinner With a Doctor—Common sleep disorders (Community Education). 6 to 7:30 p.m. Join Kevin Law, MD, member of RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, RWJUH Hamilton, on in depth discussion on common causes of poor sleep and day time sleepiness as well as sleep disorders, and learn if you need to schedule a sleep study at RWJUH Hamilton Sleep Care Center. Dr. Law has over 25 years of experience and is board-certified in critical care, pulmonary disease and sleep medicine. *Registered attendees will be offered a well-balanced and healthy dinner; registration is required and space is limited; first come first serve basis. This event will be held at RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, Center for Health & Wellness, 3100 Quakerbridge Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619. For more information or to register, call 609-584-5900. Learn more online at rwjbh.org/hamiltonprograms
Bag of Bones
Distraction-free classrooms: Reclaiming student engagement
Dr. Klim’s Corner
Robyn A. Klim, Ed.D., LcSW
As educators, parents, and community members, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that every child in our district feels supported, understood, and equipped to thrive. In today’s fast-paced world, however, the challenges our young people face are more complex than ever before.
Recent studies, including those in The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, highlight the mental health crisis among today’s youth. Haidt’s text is an urgent and persuasive warning about the “rewiring of growing up” through phone-based childhoods and a decline in play, which are contributing to higher levels of anxiety and depression in our students.
At the same time our children are facing the distraction, disconnection and isolation that non-stop technology contributes to, educators are tasked with the vitally important work of ensuring effective, intentional, relevant learning is taking place in our classrooms everyday.
But here’s the good news: by address-
ing student anxiety and adopting research-backed strategies from books like The New Classroom Instruction That Works, we can support our students’ mental health as well as reclaim precious instructional time for deeper engagement and learning.
The mental health crisis: Why we must act
Haidt’s research reveals that the prevalence of anxiety in today’s students stems from a variety of sources—constant connectivity through technology, pressures to achieve, and fear about the future, particularly due to environmental issues. Many of our students come to class burdened by these stressors, which impedes their ability to fully engage in learning. If a child is overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, they’re less likely to focus, participate, or retain information.
As a district, we are committed to ensuring that every student feels a sense of belonging and mattering. Through our intentional efforts to address social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental health, we can reduce the anxiety that students bring with them to school, freeing up
time and energy for what we all want—more engaged learning in the classroom.
Instructional strategies that work
In tandem with supporting mental health, we must also ensure that classroom instruction is effective and engaging. This is where The New Classroom Instruction That Works, a powerful guidebook on research-based teaching strategies, becomes a critical tool for us.
The authors of this book, Bryan Goodwin and Kristin Rouleau, provide a roadmap for instructional practices that increase student achievement. Their research outlines six phases of learning along with 14 teaching strategies that support and maximize student learning and classroom productivity. These include:
Students in a Lawrence High School classroom engaging in distraction-free learning.
• Guiding students to become interested in learning by using Intellectual engagement, cognitive interest cues and activating prior knowledge;
• Helping students commit to learning by guiding them to set goals so they can learn to use success criteria;
valuable time lost to disengagement, behavioral disruptions, or lack of focus. When students feel emotionally supported and confident in their learning, their brains are primed for higher-order thinking and problem-solving.
• Focusing on new learning through vocabulary development and high level language acquisition;
• Providing tools that enable students to practice skills and reflect upon their growth by reinforcing effort and providing recognition;
• Supporting students to strengthen their Thinking Skills (visualizing, planning, reflecting, refining, creative problem solving); and
• Utilizing brain-based practices including retrieval, scaffolding and targeted practice
By integrating these proven strategies, we create a learning environment where students are actively engaged, better organized, and able to manage their learning process effectively. Most importantly, these strategies help us use classroom time more efficiently, allowing students to focus deeply on the content while fostering greater academic success.
How mental health support and instructional strategies work together
By reducing student anxiety and promoting engagement through the application of these strategies, we can reclaim
In this way, addressing mental health is not a separate concern but directly tied to how we instruct and manage our classrooms. By combining Haidt’s insights on student well-being with Goodwin’s research-based instructional strategies, we can create an environment that not only supports our students emotionally but also engages them academically.
This holistic approach to education— where mental health and instructional excellence go hand in hand—empowers us to build classrooms where every minute is spent in productive, meaningful learning. As we promote mental wellness and instructional effectiveness, we provide our students with the tools they need to succeed, both inside and outside the classroom.
Moving forward
Through the study and integration of these two important works into our curriculum and instruction, I am proud of the work we’ve done so far in Lawrence to support our students’ diverse needs. We know there is more to do. We will continue to make strides in ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed academically and thrive emotionally.
Dr. Robyn Klim is the superintendent of the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Booking a classified ad has never been easier! Simply scan the QR code or visit www.communitynews.org/place_an_ad.
Questions? Call us at 609-396-1511 ext. 132.
FREE UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS
Register by calling 609.394.4153 or register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. In-person class size is limited. Please register early. Zoom meeting details will be provided via email 2 – 3 days before the program date. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.
Dementia: Recognize the Signs
Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 9:30 a.m.
Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534
Is forgetfulness a sign of underlying dementia or just a normal part of the aging process? Join DR. AHMAD FAROOQ, a geriatric medicine doctor and medical director of Capital Health LIFE (a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), to discuss this common question and the cognitive issues we may encounter as we age. A light breakfast will be served.
Maximizing Brain Health
Monday, November 18, 2024 | 6 p.m.
Location: Zoom Meeting
If you’re concerned that you are not as sharp as you used to be, there are steps you can take right now to reduce cognitive decline. DR. RAJIV VYAS from Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists will share strategies to keep your brain sharp and reduce memory loss.