The Westfield Leader Newspaper
The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

Concepts &Thought Desktop Computer Grand Prize For WHS Project Graduation

WESTFIELD – A Gateway 550 desktop computer with 17inch color monitor will be the grand prize for the Westfield Project Graduation – Bash 2000, the allnight, substancefree party for Westfield High School (WHS) seniors on their graduation night.

“The monies for the computer, a $1,500 value which will be awarded at the breakfast at the end of BASH, came from donations by the Westfield Service League ($ 1,300) and the Optimist’s Club,” noted project chairman A. Donald Pray.

The Optimist Club was one of the founding cosponsors of Project Graduation of Westfield along with the WHS ParentTeacher Organization and the Westfield Recreation Department.

“This is the 11th year for Westfield’s graduation party and we are delighted to again have a computer as the grand prize; an ideal gift for a collegebound graduate to use at both school and home,” said Mr. Pray.

Signup for Bash 2000 began on May 25 at WHS. It is anticipated that over 90 percent of this year’s 323 graduating seniors will attend the event.

Graduation at WHS is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, and the Bash will

take place after graduation from 10 p. m. to 6 a. m. at Ricochet Racquet in South Plainfield. The theme for the party is “Scooby Doo.”

Alumni Association Announces Winners of Scholarships

SCOTCH PLAINS – During a recent meeting of the Scotch PlainsFanwood High School Alumni Association, Robert Carboy, Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, announced that Kelly Church and Colleen Sellers were each awarded $1,000 scholarships from the Association.

Other committee members included Diane Carboy, Jo Perrucci, Oakley Pandick and Kristi Hawkins.

The Association is an organization consisting of former graduates of the high school, aiming to encourage schol arships, sportsmanship, and education in

students. Meetings are announced for the third Tuesday in September, November, January, March and May, and usually include a program of interest.

Former graduates are invited to attend. A nominal fee of $5 per year is requested. The group also accepts spouses of graduates as members and welcomes new members as well.

For more information, please call (908) 3223829 or visit http:// SPFHS. SPF. k12. nj. us.

Vanderbilt University Announces Dean’s List

Edward Littleton Stoner of Westfield and Heather Christine Post of Mountainside have been named to the Dean’s List at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. for the spring semester 2000.

Edward is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Stoner and Heather is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jay R. Post.

SPF School Board Sets Special Meeting Wednesday, June 14

SCOTCH PLAINS – The Scotch PlainsFanwood Board of Education has scheduled a Special Public Meeting on Wednesday, June 14, at 8 p. m.

An open public form for input on the scope and contents of the district’s anticipated bond referendum will be discussed.

These bond projects include: an addition to Terrill Middle School, and renovations to Park Middle School, the elementary schools and Scotch PlainsFanwood High School (SPFHS).

Architects will be present, including Faridy Thorne Fraytak for the projects at Terrill, SPFHS and Coles Elementary School and Potter Architects for projects at Park, Brunner, Evergreen, McGinn and School One.

Westfield High School Slates PTO Meeting

WESTFIELD – The Westfield High School (WHS) PTO will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 14, in the WHS cafeteria, replacing the meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 7.

This will be the PTO’s final meeting for the year during which new officers will be installed.

All parents are invited to attend.

Annual Spring Festival Set By Mountainside PTA

GEARING UP FOR A FESTIVAL… Spring Festival Chairwomen Sue Wells, left, and Maureen Goense promise a funfilled time for all at the Mountainside Parent Teacher Association’s Annual Spring Festival 2000, to be held on Saturday, June 10, from 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. at Deerfield School.

MOUNTAINSIDE – The Mountainside Parent Teacher Organization (PTA) will host its Spring Festival 2000 at Deerfield School on Saturday, June 10, from 11 a. m. to 4 p. m.

Deerfield School will be transformed into a Festival Frenzy with food, games, D. J., rides, amusements, pony rides and Father’s Day crafts.

Children can enjoy the Moonwalk, “Trackless Train,” “The Bungee

Run,” “The Airborne Adventure,” and other rides. Face painting, tattoos, a trickytray auction and music with Platinum D. J. will also be on tap.

For the Father’s Day craft, children are asked to bring a 4inch by 6inch photograph of their father in order to create a framed scrapbook page.

All are invited to attend. For more information, please call Sue (908) 7898629 or Maureen (908) 6547262.

GETTING ORIENTED… Jefferson Elementary School held its kindergarten orientation on May 24. Future students met with teachers in a classroom environment similar to what they can expect in September. Parents met with Principal Jorden Schiff and other staff and faculty for presentations in the gymnasium. Pictured, above, are: teacher Jessica Vierschilling and incoming kindergartners.

VoTech SharedTime Program Offers NoCost, Dual Education

SCOTCH PLAINS – Each year, hundreds of high school students from Union County, in addition to gaining an academic education are also becoming skilled in a technical trade at the Union County VocationalTechnical Schools (UCVTS).

Barbara Kaczmarek, Admissions Recruiter, noted that many more high school students would participate if they were aware of this program and the opportunity that it represents.

“Moreover,” Ms. Kaczmarek stated, “parents and guardians should realize that technical education is free of charge to all high school juniors and seniors. In addition, each high school district is responsible for transportation to and from the UCVTS Raritan Road Campus in Scotch Plains.”

According to the admissions counselor, high school students who attend UCVTS do so on a “sharedtime” basis, spending half of the school day at their high schools and the other half at UCVTS schools.

Successful completion of the dual studies will lead to the awarding of two diplomas – one from the high school and the other from UCVTS.

Students may choose from a variety of technical trades including: A/ C Heating and Refrigeration Technology; Auto Collision; Auto Technology; Baking; Carpentry/ Construction; Commercial Art; ComputerAided Drafting and Design; Culinary Arts; Electrical Technology; Electromechanical Technology; Graphic Communications; Law Enforcement; Machine Technology; Maintenance Mechanics; Office Systems Technology; Telecommunications, and other programs.

UCTVS continues to have one of the highest jobplacement rates in the state. Free placement assistance is available for all students upon graduation and anytime thereafter.

In addition Tech Prep options in a number of programs are offered for sharedtime students to obtain free college credits.

Ms. Kaczmarek noted that growing numbers of UCVTS graduates are opting to continue their education at twoand fouryear colleges.

Sharedtime applications for the 20002001 school year are currently being accepted. Full information and application forms may be obtained from the Office of Admissions at (908) 8892999. Guidance counselors at area high schools throughout the county may also obtain details about the program.

Ankur Dalal Honored For Participation In Special Program

SCOTCH PLAINS – Ankur Dalal, a Fanwood resident and student at Scotch PlainsFanwood High School, was one of 11 teenagers to serve on the editorial board of SEX, ETC. The publication is published by the Network for Family Life Education of Rutgers’ School of Social Work, recognized by Governor Christie Todd Whitman for efforts in teen pregnancy prevention.

Ankur was presented with a “Teen Voices” certificate of appreciation for his work in helping to educate his peers about sexuality.

Please send all Education News to: michelle@ goleader. com!

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Proposed New Math Program Draws Concern from Parents By LAWRENCE HENRY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD — At the regular Tuesday meeting of the Westfield Board of Education, a group of a halfdozen parents, several of them ParentTeacher Organization officers, showed up to express concern with the board’s plans to adopt a new elementary school mathematics curriculum.

The new proposed curriculum, Everyday Mathematics, is one version of what is sometimes called “Chicago Math,” or “progressive math.”

Carrie Mumford of Birch Avenue said parents were most concerned with the difficulty of helping their children with math homework. Takehome materials, she said, seemed to be inadequate or nonexistent.

The teaching system was not readily understandable to parents, she added.

She urged the board to adopt an experimental program to involve parents.

“We as parents should test the materials to be provided to parents,” Ms. Mumford said. “If my child can be a guinea pig, let me be a guinea pig, too.”

Ms. Mumford also cited Everyday Math as being “controversial because of how it teaches (or fails to teach) math drills and memorizations,” and for an organizational process called “spiraling.”

In “spiraling,” teachers move through a wide selection of subjects, rather than building in a straight line from one subject to another.

The “skills and drills” inadequacies, according to Ms. Mumford, “can be easily corrected. Spiraling is not so easy to correct.”

In response, Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley said, “We’re talking pilot here. There’s a presumption (on the part of concerned parents) that we’re ready to go” with Everyday Math.

That presumption “is not so,” according to Dr. Foley.

Dr. Foley and School Board President Darielle Walsh emphasized that the board and the district staff “have been talking about these issues, too.”

Board Member Annmarie Puleio, who chairs the Curriculum Committee, assured parents that the district is not simply buying an offtheshelf textbook.

“This is a curriculum we’re developing here,” she said. “Frankly, if we don’t have the support of parents,” added Dr.

Foley, “this is not going anywhere.” Parent involvement groups will be in place at the beginning of the new school year, the board promised.

In other business, the board heard a report on technology from Director of Technology Darlene Nowak.

The district’s 200plus new computers have begun to arrive, said Ms. Nowak.

“The first truck rolled in this afternoon,” she stated. “Most of the computers will be in by next week. We’re in very good shape.”

Nearly all of the district’s schools will be Internetwired by the fall, Ms. Nowak said.

Mrs. Walsh also announced the selection of a Citizens Advisory

Committee (CAC) to examine the expansion plans for Westfield High School.

The CAC’s members are: Barbara Bagger, John Cioffi, Cyndi Cockren, Vivian Cook, Faye DeGoff, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Janie P. Edmonds, Amy Green, Jim Hely, Ginny Leiz, Douglas MacNeil, Nancy Musat, Anita O’Neal, Westfield High School Principal Dr. Robert G. Petix, Carol Phelan, Westfield Education Association President Michael Seiler, Anita Curran Smith, Robert Swadosh, Julie Walsh and Marty Zervas.

Jessica Wyckoff Receives Scholarship from Comcast

WESTFIELD – Westfielder Jessica Wyckoff has received a $500 scholarship from Comcast through the cable operator’s Comcast 2000 College Scholarship Program. Comcast, awarding scholarships to 71 New Jersey pupils recently, offered financial assistance in the form of onetime grants totaling $100,000, to collegebound high school seniors.

Jennifer is a graduating member of Westfield High School’s class of 2000.

This year, nearly 300 students applied for Comcast’s scholarships, which are now in their 18th year and open to all high school seniors who live within Comcast’s 143 municipalities throughout New Jersey.

The students were chosen in part for their outstanding academic achievements, SAT scores, personal essay, recommendations, participa tion in extracurricular and community

activities and financial need. All students who applied for the scholarships received a customized CD wallet for their interest in Comcast’s program.

AN UNDERGROUND EXPERIENCE… Fourth grade pupils from McGinn Elementary School in Scotch Plains recently visited the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg. They spent their day underground, learning what it was like to be a miner in New Jersey’s last zinc ore mine.