Hall Of Fame Inventor, STEM Mentors Meet Students

TOMS RIVER – Fifth-grade students from Walnut Street Elementary School were recently given a chance to discover all the ways that curiosity can be their superpower.

The students traveled to the AT&T Labs and Innovation Museum in Middletown, where they participated in hands-on activities that explored the processes of design, prototyping, reverse engineering, and even patenting their inventions.

The field trip and site visit utilized curriculum from Camp Invention, the district’s STEM-based summer program, called Open Mic to learn about the modern-day microphone invented by National Inventors Hall of Fame member James West.

“This experience was designed to open students’ eyes to the inventing process and expose them to potential future careers in STEM fields,” said Walnut Street teacher Benjamin Kleiner.

During lunch, each group of students was able to meet with a leading engineer in their respective fields. This opportunity was not lost on the students, and they picked these mentors’ brains on how to become famous inventors and engineers themselves.

As a special surprise, students had the opportunity to meet National Inventors Hall of Famer Dr. Victor Lawrence. A prolific inventor, Dr. Lawrence’s work is widely regarded as a primary reason for advances in speech, audio, and digital videos.

“We would not be able to enjoy things like Youtube, Netflix, or even video games without the contributions of this legendary innovator,” said Kleiner.

Partnering with Walnut Street in this effort was New Jersey Teacher of the Year and Camp Invention director Christine Girtain, as well as High School East teacher Dylan Langford, and student volunteers from TCNJ, Johns Hopkins, and Stevenson University. The leadership team from IEEE Region 1 helped funding this extraordinary opportunity for students.

Sports:

Continued From Page 11 be an opportunity for children and students of all abilities to compete – to genuinely participate in athletics in ways that general population students do, through sanctioned events and against their peers and other schools,” said Kane. A High School North teacher full time, Kane is also the father of Gavin, who experienced a traumatic brain injury at a young age and who inspired his father to create the Field of Dreams, which debuted in 2022 after years of relentless work and fundraising. Aligning the district with Unified Sports was the next step in Kane’s vision for an inclusive utopia, particularly when it comes to play.

“Team sports bring people together,” reads the Specials Olympics’ website.

“Special Olympics Unified Sports teams do that, too and much more. About 1.4 million people worldwide take part in Unifi ed Sports, breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way.”

Count Toms River Regional Schools students among those 1.4 million. And this latest venture in genuine inclusivity through team sports has been, appropriately, a team effort.

High School East teacher and coach

Danielle Foran has played a critical role, hosting Unifi ed Sports practices every Friday since March. The school’s Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Colleen O’Donnell has partnered with Dr. Alex Stribing from Kean University to run a sports training program at the complex.

“This has been an all-hands-on-deck initiative,” said Superintendent Mike Citta, “from our administrative support, to Christian’s work obviously, to the many meetings among many dedicated teachers and coaches, to community partnerships and parental support. And it’s all in the interest of making sure every student, of every ability, has the same opportunity to compete. That’s a truly beautiful thing.”

OHI Summer Carnival Fundraiser

NEW JERSEY – Ladies and gentleman! Boys and girls! Come one, come all to Ocean Health Initiatives’ annual summer fundraiser at D’Jais Bar in Belmar where exciting times await!

On June 28, OHI is hosting a carnival themed fundraiser to continue its mission of providing high-quality primary and preventive care services to the residents of New Jersey, regardless of who they are or their ability to pay.

They’re kicking off the summer with a real extravaganza down by the shore that includes carnival games, virtual rides, and a rich selection of everyone’s favorite noshes and morsels from the boardwalk.

As always, there will be a live DJ to keep the vibes going all night long, as well as an open bar, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle.

With your generous support and donations, OHI intends to invest in better medical equipment, community outreach, educational materials, vaccinations, health awareness, and much, much more.

A wide range of sponsorship opportunities are available! Your participation of a tax-deductible sponsorship or donation will be used to increase OHI’s dedication and commitment to serving the population that is reached by our Health Centers and beyond.

Purchase tickets online at ohinj.square. site . Purchase sponsorships online at ohinj.square.site

Berkeley Lady Seniors Upcoming Trip

BERKELEY – The Berkeley Lady Seniors are going by bus to Hunterdon Hills Playhouse to see “Remember Me” staring Joyce DeWitt on July 26. Tickets are $110 for your diner, the show and the bus. They leave at 9 a.m. from Berkeley Recreation Center at 630 Route 9 in Bayville. For tickets call Marge at 239272-6857 or 732-341-0726.