Town Topics Newspaper: Back to School 2015

Office and School Supplies and Much More Can Be Found at Hinkson’s, The Office Store

FAMILY BUSINESS: “Customer service is the reason we are one of the few independent stores still in operation. Customers know they can count on us, and on the quality and value of our product line — including our focus on office and school supplies, and so much more.” John Roberto (left) and Andrew Mangone, co-owners of Hinkson’s, The Office Store, are proud of their long-time family business. pany doesn’t distribute to everyone, and the toners and cartridges are very big items for us. We are also an authorized FedEx shipping center, Customers can drop off items, and we will pack them up and ship them. We do a lot of business with this, and it really draws people to the store.”

In fact, lots of things draw customers to t he store.

Shoppers like the down-toearth and warm atmosphere,

with the owners on hand to help with information. The friendly environment also includes Sasha, the black cocker spaniel, always ready to greet customers.

“I always like to come to Hinkson’s because I can find what I want, and there is always a very friendly atmosphere,” says a long-time customer.

Adds another, “If you need your basic office and paper supplies — pens, pencils,

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markers, post-its, reams of paper, staples, tape, etc.

— Hinkson’s is where you should go. The prices are reasonable, and they have a great selection of merchandise.”

Hinkson’s also has a number of items not found in other places, the owners point out. “We have things that you won’t see at Staples and other Big Box stores,” says Mr. Mangone. “We carry the

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The business changes all the time, and we always want to stay on top of it. The huge change in the business is the technology. Compared to 20 years ago, it is so different.”

In addition to the Princeton store, Hinkson’s operates a thriving on-line business.

“The commercial end of our business is primarily orders placed on-line,” he adds.

“You can find our Office Solutions Catalog on-line, and we have more than 40,000 items. Everything you need for the office — furniture, file cabinets, technology, computer software, toner cartridges, flash drives, paper products, water and coffee machines, etc. We ship across the country, and our on-line customers are from all across the U.S. “We see our home office commercial business continuing to grow, and we look forward to it becoming even bigger.”

Down-To-Earth “We are also an authorized partner of HewlettPackard,” adds Mr. Roberto.

“We have their Inkjets and toner cartridges. The com-

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Stationery. Later purchased

by William Sinclair, the business took on his name. Then in 1919, Harold Hinkson became the owner, followed in 1960 by Bert Roberto.

Family Business Today, the family business continues under the ownership of the late Mr. Roberto’s son, John Roberto, and Andrew Mangone, his nephew.

In 2005, the business moved to 28 Spring Street.

The current owners — and cousins — really grew up in the family business, says Mr. Mangone. “I helped out in the store after school and on weekends, and I sold newspapers outside the store in the 1960s. I started working full-time with Bert in 1972.”

Learning about the business firsthand at a young age has helped both Mr. Mangone and Mr. Roberto adjust to a changing business format, with the increasing emphasis on technology and new ways of doing business.

“We are very good at what we do,” points out Mr. Mangone. “It’s very important to keep our name out there.

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here aren’t many left anymore. Those familiar family-owned, independently-operated businesses that used to line Princeton’s downtown and streetscape are now largely part of its past, not its present.

For tunately, Hinkson’s, The Office Store, continues to thrive. Quality products, personal service, a helpful, knowledgeable staff, and loyal customers are all part of the Hinkson success story. Its tradition and reputation have truly stood the test of time.

Adapting to the changing world of business and the demands of technology, while retaining its emphasis on personal service and quality products has served the store — and the customers — well. Its continuing presence as a familiar favorite contributes to the vitality of Princeton’s shopping scene.

H i n k s o n’s h a s i n d e e d been a Princeton tradition.

Originally opened in the late 1800s at 74 Nassau Street (the Upper Pyne building), it was known as Rowland’s

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TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 • 10

BACK TO SCHOOL

1225 State Road Princeton, NJ 08540 609-454-2024 digitaldoc.com/princeton

mailing envelopes and labels, sketch books, clip boards, organizers, printer paper, or greeting cards, you will find it all at Hinkson’s. And as for pens and pencils, look no farther! Every style, size, and color are in stock. As one customer pointed out, “As I write a lot of notes, I like to have a nice selection of good pens at hand, and Hinkson’s has all sorts of pens, including Sarasa,

Pilot, le Pen, and all kinds of colors too. This is definitely Continued from Preceding Page a shop to go to when I want high quality Clairefontaine to get a little something to and Moleskine jour nals, cheer up my desk!” planners, and notebooks, Different Generations which are very popular. Quo “People really like to walk Vadis and Rhodia are other in the store and buy somespecial brands. We also have thing,” reports Mr. Mancustom rubber stamps, and gone. “The retail business we make copies for people, is important here, and we including color copies.” have lots of regular customWhether it’s legal pads, ers, many of long-standing. comp os it ion noteb o ok s, We have a very good local customer base, and they are all ages — from students to It’s time for Pre School at retired people.

“I really enjoy interacting with the customers. We’ve had different generations in the same family, and they have become friends.”

The store offers a very w i d e pr i c e r a n g e, w it h Not-for-profit and independentNot-for-profit since 2007 and independent since items from $1 on up.2007 And as Mr. Roberto emphasizes, Not-for-profit and independent since 2007 Not-for-profit and Not-for-profit and independent since2007 2007 International Baccalaureate World School Candidate &independent Accredited bysince MSA-CESS “We are very competitively Not-for-profit and independent since 2007 Pre-School ● Elementary ● Middle School ● Summer Camp priced and want people to International Baccalaureate World School Candidate & Accredited

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Learn the benefits of immersion education. ● about ●Sat., Aug ●8Summer – 10AM Both Mr. Mangone and Mr. Sat., Aug – 10AM Roberto are very pleased Parent info29 sessions: Parent info2 sessions: Fri., Oct – 9:30AM with the Spring Street loSat., Aug 8 – 10AM cation and look forward to Or schedule a tour.

Sat., Aug 8 – 10AM being a mainstay at that adSat., Aug3329River – 10AM Road dress. “We love it. It’s very Sat., Aug 229– –9:30AM 10AM NJ convenient, and this is a Fri., Oct Princeton, (609)375-8015 great area with lots of activFri., Oct 2 – 9:30AM Or schedule a tour. ity. We also feel very proud info@yhis.org of carrying on the tradition Or schedule a tour.

33 River Road of our family business. This Princeton, NJ 33 River Road is important to us and to our customers who count (609)375-8015 Princeton, NJ on us.” info@yhis.org (609)375-8015 Hinkson’s is open Mon33 River Road day through Friday 8 a.m. info@yhis.org Princeton, NJ to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 to 5, and starting in Septem(609)375-8015 ber Sunday 12 to 4. (609) 924-0112. Website: www. info@yhis.org hinksons.com.

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TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 • 12

It’s Back to School Time for All Students, Including the Growing Number of Twins

“T

h e y a r e e ve r y where today!” exclaims a Princeton elementary school teacher.

Adds another: “We have had many twins come through over the years, with a whopping five sets of twins in kindergarten last year!”

And it’s not just in Princeton. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in the last 20 years, the number of twin births in the U.S. has risen by 75 percent!

With so many of these look-a-likes around, the question of the best way to provide twins’ the optimum learning environment has become an increasingly hot topic.

Best Policy To separate or not to separate is a subject of debate for parents and schools, especially in the elementary school years, and kindergarten, in particular. Parents, school officials, and the twins themselves weigh in on this, and according to many experts, the best policy can be no set policy.

A lthough a number of schools have a program of separating t w ins, others employ a flexible approach, taking into consideration parents’ wishes, twin personalities, dependence on each other, and other factors.

It is best explored as a group decision, including parent, child, and school on a case-by-case basis, believes educator and twin

expert Nancy Segal, author of Indivisible By Two. “I really believe if you pay attention to the children, in their own way, they will let you know what is best for them.”

Strong points of view exist on both sides of the question, however, and both have supporting evidence.

Many twins have distinct individual personalities and different interests, abilities, and behavior.

Others, in particular, identical twins, can be much more alike — not only in appearance, but in nearly every way.

Together or Separate There are benefits both in keeping twins together and in separating them. When making decisions, consider the following points evidenced by experts.

• How well do the twins do in making friends independently?

• How dependent on each other are they?

• How stressed are they when separated?

• Have they been separated in nursery school or preK? • How do they handle comparison?

Some advantages of separation include: • Fewer comparisons with each other.

• Increased independence and perhaps less competitiveness.

• Fewer opportunities for twins to cause interfer-

ence for one another.

• More chances to develop their own friends.

• Twins, particularly if they are identical, may use their similarity to confuse teachers and enter tain other children, and this can be distracting and disruptive.

Tighter Kinship Marlilyn Jardin, who retired last June after teaching kindergarten for 24 years at Littlebrook School, points out that twins are typically separated at Littlebrook, and frequently exhibit different personalities and abilities.

“More often than not, one is generally stronger academically than the other. But each has their own strength in other areas. Also, most often, they make new friends, but will ‘touch base’ with each other. And there does seem to be a tighter kinship with the twins.”

Ms. Jardin adds that a number of the twins she has taught have been identical, but that “after 24 years of teaching kindergarten, I can only recall two sets of identicals that were so similar in speech pattern, social behavior, academic achievement, and strong dependence on each other. In both cases, they were girls.”

Another Littlebrook kindergar ten teacher, Leigh Salle, has been teaching 15 years, and she agrees that many twins are very different socially, academically, and personally.

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“I have to say that twins behave very much like their own individual people. Each twin has his or her own personality and likes and dislikes. Sometimes, they are very, very different. Often, it seems as if one twin excels in one area where the other twin does not. For example, over the years I have noticed that one twin was very artistic and the other was very analytical/math oriented. In another set, one twin was athletic and the other was very academic. In many sets, one twin is very good socially at making friends and the other is very quiet and shy. If they are foreign, sometimes one picks up English quicker than the other. They are so unique and different.”

Ms. Salle adds that in many cases, kindergarten is the first year the twins have been separated, and in her experience, they adapt very well. “It is a fantastic year of growth and development.

Usually in the playground at lunch recess, they are very happy to see their twin, although I have had cases of one twin tattling on the other. So, in short, there is probably more that is different about twins than you might think.”

School Experience In the case of Rebecca Johnson’s six-year-old twin boys, the differences and similarities have added spice to their school experience.

As she explains, “In pre-K, when they were four, we had the boys in separate classes, and they did amazingly well. They loved school, had very few behavioral issues,

and progressed quite nicely throughout the school year with very few setbacks.”

When the boys were ready for kindergarten, however, the family moved, and the closest school had only one class per grade. “We thought this would be perfect,” continues Ms. Johnson. “They’ll be together, it’s a seven minute walk from our front door. What could go wrong?

Everything, apparently!

“They started out quiet as new kids do, and went straight to misbehaving in class with each other and other students. They feed off each other, causing disturbances in class and diminishing their own academic success. Worsening test scores, requiring more help, and not seeming to care. When one would misbehave or have a bad day, the other would follow suit.

“In hopes that we can counteract the twin shenanigans before they get so out of hand, that it’s uncontrollable, their father and I have decided to go back to separated classes. They’ll go to another school and be attending two separate first grade classes in September.

The hope is that they will thrive better apart, as they did in pre-K. “A ls o,” cont i nu e s M s.

Johnson, “my boys, as far as interests go, are a world apart. One loves to figure out how things work — what happens and why and how. My other boy couldn’t care less about this but he wants to know everything about everything, and has a thirst for knowledge. As far as academic ability, they aren’t equal. One just thinks differently than the other. It

took one longer to learn to write and to do homework. I think he actually works better when his brother is not around, and that contributes to the problem of their being in the same class.

Many Ways “It’s really almost as if one is noticeably the big brother and the other the little brother. They bicker and fight, and share, but 90 percent of the time, they love each other — not that they would ever admit it!”

Ms. Johnson adds that one son had clearly been behind the other in many ways.

“Really in everything, from pregnancy issues to weight and height to academics.”

This is not unusual, explains Dr. Harris Lilienfeld of Delaware Valley Pediatrics in Lawrenceville. He often sees twins in his practice.

“Not only can twins have differences in personality, but also in size and medical issues. The causes can be environmental, and also in utero conditions can be factors in accounting for differences. And these differences can be seen in identical as well as fraternal twins.”

Of course, differences can be especially obvious if the twins are a boy and girl.

Melissa O’Donnell, kindergarten teacher also at Littlebrook is the mother of boy and girl twins who will enter kindergarten in September.

“My boy/girl twins are very different,” she points out.

“My son is social and active but probably a bit behind academically. My daughter is not nearly as social but much stronger academically.

I have noticed a huge improvement with her during play dates over this summer, however. I am so happy they will be separated this year in kindergarten.

13 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015

Back to School Time

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Place to Shine “When we do little casual games that are more academically related, my son gets frustrated because his sister always has the answer before he does,” continues Ms. O’Donnell. “Again, good to have them separated for this reason as well. Physi-

cally, he is much stronger.

Much! This can be upsetting to her. We even put them in different soccer classes this summer to eliminate her feeling as if he is always the best in sports.

“So this is a mommy’s perspective on her twins going into kindergarten. I’ve never had the chance to separate them prior to this since there was always only one class of

each age before. I’m thrilled they will finally have their own place to shine!”

In another case of boy/ girl twins, each has attended different schools. 13 now, the girl is enrolled at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and her brother goes to Montgomery Middle School.

“From the time of preschool, they have always

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been separated in class. It’s good for children to have their own independence,” explains their mother. They have very different personalities and interests, and have had different friends, she adds. “My son is strong in math and also very artistic, and both of them are very creative.”

Although they have separate interests and in a sense,

separate lives with their friends and school experiences, the twins are very close, notes their mother.

“There is a unique bond between them. They are very close, and even though they are competitive, they have always gotten along and look out for one another. I think they are glad they are twins, and will always have a friend of the opposite sex.”

Friend Groups As twins move forward through their school careers, they will experience continued separation, as their curriculum and class structure changes. Princeton High School counselor Kristina Donovan, who has met with a number of twins, adds that three families she worked with requested Continued on Next Page

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different teachers and classes for their twins’ freshman year.

“T he concer n was so cialization as well as the competitive nature it could encourage. Also, the twins were very close, but each had completely different friend groups. I was told that when they were younger, elementary-aged, they were far less likely to have different friend groups. I can also say that each twin performed differently academically, and seemed to work independently.”

On the other hand, Ms. Donovan points out that they typically liked the same subjects, which sometimes made the request of separating them more difficult.

Differences among twins can occur even in the case of identicals, notes a Princeton mother of eight-year old identical boys. “They have been separated with different teachers starting as three-year-olds in nursery school,” she explains. “Behavior is much better apart, and it helps them form their own identities and friendships. They socialize with other children but typically do so together. At recess at school, they play together in the same big group of kids, and they identify all of the same kids as their friends.”

With identicals, there are generally more similarities than differences, In this case, the boys do equally well academically, although “one rushes through his work more than the other one, who is more meticulous in his writing and answers. They like to do similar projects, and typically, they find the same things interesting, and they like to read the same types of

books from the library.

“They do like the same TV shows, same video games, same movies, same sports, same foods, same jokes. On the other hand, they do differ sometimes. They have personality differences. One is more easygoing, and the other is a little more sensitive. One is slightly more social, and the other is happier playing independently.”

Best Friends She adds that a third boy, four years old, is also part of the family. “He worships the twins, and never mixes them up. All three are quite close.

That said, identical twins do have a unique bond: they are the very best of friends!”

Best friends is certainly what Patti Adamski and her identical twin sister Ruth Constantine are and have always been. Adults now, they grew up in a Philadelphia suburb and were always separated in classes at school.

“We established individuality in class, but the bond between us continues to be strong. We were very close and liked the same things.

We did equally well academically, and had similar interests at school. We were both cheerleaders, and we also had the same friends, although in high school, we began to have different friends.

“We also liked the same boys,” she adds, “and in fact, we actually dated the same boy at different times.”

As identical twins, the temptation to confuse friends and teachers was at times irresistible, Ms. Adamski remembers. “We did switch seats in our eighth grade class, the only one we ever had together. The teacher called on Rut h, and I didn’t answer even though I was in her seat.

We got caught, however!

“We also had an uncle who told his neighbor that he had a niece who was a very fast runner. Ruth hid in the back yard behind the house, and I was in the front with my uncle and his neighbor. He said, ‘Watch how fast she can run. Ready, set, go!’ I ran around the side of the house, and Ruth ran from the back to the front in record time. The guy was amazed at the speed, and it was very funny when he found out there were two of us!”

Youngest Ages The twins’ bond has continued as adults, and they even married best friends. they also both became event planners, and now own a business together, Inn-timate Events LLC. Similarities and differences between twins are

noticeable even at the very youngest ages, reports a mother of two 27-month old girls. “They are in day care, and have been in the same classroom. The school only has one classroom per age group, so there really wasn’t a decision to be made. As a parent, I was glad they were together so that they could help each other out if they were sad.

“When they first started school, they really did not socialize much with other children. I think that they h av e c e r t a i n l y b e c o m e more social with other kids now, although they still tend to play independently from what I can see. They talk about other children when they come home from school, so I know they have friends.”

The girls have similar interests for the most part, and appear to be progress-

ing at the same rate, adds their mother. “Since they are so young, we don’t get academic report cards, but they seem to be equal. One is a little more vocal than the other, but they appear to be developing at the same rate. They have the same interests for the most part, and most times, they are best friends.”

In the Princeton area, most schools — and parents — seem to opt for separating twins in class, There are benefits to keeping them together, however, and this debate will continue. Strong opinions exist on both sides of the argument.

As one mother of twin girls who shared the same classroom, noted, “They’ve done wonderfully together.

They have been great partners helping each other, even studying for tests together.”

Another mother had a different opinion regarding her boys. “I feel they are individuals, and from the time my boys were in the second year of nursery school, I had them separated. For them, I just think it’s healthier.”

Above all, twins are individuals, and each case, should be looked at individually.

Points out a Princeton elementary school teacher, who has observed many twins in school: “Our district’s policy is to put twins in separate classrooms, although I do remember a set of boy/girl twins whom the parents requested be kept together throughout their years in elementary school. I don’t know the reason for that, but they grew up to be successful and talented young adults.”

—Jean Stratton

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