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MAPLEWOOD, NJ — For the third straight year, an enthusiastic group of Jefferson Elementary School fifth-graders have participated in the “Pencils for Ethiopia” program, as part of a community service project. This year, 20 students chose to devote their time to collecting pencils for the cause.

The service project teaches children about the hardships faced by their counterparts in rural Ethiopia, encourages them to share what they have learned with others and inspires donations of both pencils and money that directly benefit those less fortunate in East Africa.

Jefferson School parents Krystina Mahoney and Gwen Dixon are supervising this year’s effort, but, as Mahoney said in a phone interview with News-Record, “The kids have been the drivers of the project. We used their ideas. We are merely the facilitators.”

First, the fifth-graders learned about the challenges facing students in rural Ethiopia. Most schools there have no electricity, and many students walk more than an hour on rough terrain just to get to school. And all too often, a lack of basic supplies prevents children from receiving any education at all.

Emmebeth Mischel grew up in an orphanage in rural Ethiopia and is a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ethiopia’s Tomorrow, Jefferson’s partner in the project. She said the lack of supplies that children in South Orange and Maplewood may take for granted can be a deciding factor in the education of children elsewhere in the world.

“Something as simple as a lack of a pencil can stop rural Ethiopian children from receiving the schooling they deserve,” Mischel told the News-Record at the meeting at the school.

Armed with this new knowledge, Jefferson’s fifth-graders were determined to do something. They met, brainstormed and took action. They began to spread the word for their cause April 27, when they hung posters throughout the school, informing their fellow students about “Pencils For Ethiopia.” The worked together to paint a large Ethiopian flag and a 4-foot-long pencil to show solidarity and to make an impression on their fellow students.

The fifth-graders sent student ambassadors to every classroom in the school to discuss the project, and even visited Marshall Elementary School to involve the younger students in the effort. Fliers were sent home with each student to inform families of the venture, and bins were placed in each classroom to collect the donated pencils and change. As an added incentive, the students introduced a contest: The biggest donor class will win a pizza or ice cream party.

On Monday, May 2, the “Pencils for Ethiopia” squad met again. With the donation bins from each Jefferson classroom collected, some students set about counting pencils and change while others created eye-catching signage for Marshall Elementary School to continue the effort.

At the meeting, several students shared their thoughts about the project and what it means to them to be helping children on the other side of the globe.

“At first, when my mom told me she signed up for this, I asked why,” Keira Mahoney, Krystina Mahoney’s daughter, told the News-Record during the meeting. “She explained that there was a drought in Ethiopia and the kids often had to stay home. Even if they went to school, they still had no pencils to write with. I am really proud that we are making a difference.”

Classmate Neve McGowan called her favorite part of the effort “just knowing that we will make a change in the Ethiopian kids’ education.”

And Walker Szczecina said that he “was surprised to learn that in that area there’s only one school and the kids walk a long way with no shoes.”

“Then they don’t even get an education,” Walker added. “We are looking to change that. It’s a big, amazing thing we are doing.”

The May 2 totals included 4,200 pencils and $300, all of which will be distributed by Mischel directly to the students and faculty of St. Mary’s-Medagdu School, located in the rural mountains of Ethiopia.

“Special thanks go to The Lichtman-Rabney Group at Keller Williams Midtown Direct for their sponsorship and generous donation of $125 to the cause,” Krystina Mahoney said.”

Fran Lichtman, a Realtor at the Lichtman-Rabney Group, responded: “We are thrilled to be a part of this inspiring project.”

Krystina Mahoney is also glad to be participating in such an endeavor.

“It’s a lot of work, but it is easy to do,” she said. “These kids are awesome, and every time I work with them, I learn a little bit more.”

She and the students are just pleased to see their hard work pay off with tangible benefits.

“It worked!” Krystina Mahoney said. “I’m so happy — it worked!”

To make a donation to “Pencils for Ethiopia,” visit Jefferson Elementary School at 518 Ridgewood Road in Maplewood. Donations will be collected in a specially marked bin outside the main school office until May 11.

Photos by Cynthia Burks

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The atmosphere was somber yet uplifting at Congregation Oheb Shalom Sunday, May 1, as the South Orange-Maplewood community united to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to pledge to work for change to prevent similar atrocities.

The South Orange / Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Committee held its 39th annual Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service, a staple event in the community. This year’s service was unique, however. Not only was the usual preceding ceremony and march from Spiotta Park canceled — the ceremony was instead held out of the rain inside Oheb Shalom — but participants, who were joined by Boy Scout Troop 118, met at Kol Rina on Valley Street in South Orange, two hours before the interfaith service began, to make signs for the march.

The signs — with phrases such as “All lives matter,” “Connection,” “Diversity,” “Grace” and “Hope” — were beautifully decorated and eye-popping, drawing attention to their messages of unity and tolerance. After receiving feedback that the march would be more powerful with a concrete theme, committee member Margie Freeman suggested making signs beforehand to transmit a message.

The theme of the preservice ceremony and march this year: We must provide care and support for the many refugees in our world.

“Here today, we wanted to devote the gathering prior to the service at the march to the plight of refugees,” Rabbi Mark Cooper of Oheb Shalom said, before stepping back so that participating clergy could speak. The clergy members shared personal words of wisdom, personal narratives and poetry with the assembled residents, each of whom carried a handmade sign.

“Welcome is a choice we can all make,” the Rev. Rick Boyer of Prospect Presbyterian Church said.

His words were echoed by the Rev. Gayle Taylor from Edinburgh, Scotland, who had previously attended the 29th annual Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service. She explained that she had found the original service incredibly moving.

“We are so connected as human beings,” Taylor said. “As far from home as you may be, a welcome gives you a feeling of belonging and a feeling of connection.”

And rather than reflecting on past tragedies, the religious leaders looked to the future.

“What is it to be a human being? Something in us is the victim, something in us is the perpetrator and something in us has the power to change,” Martha Gallahue, representing the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, said. “In the face of so much suffering, nothing less than our own transformation is called for, a transformation to make things better.”

And the clergy members agreed that things need to begin to be rectified now.

“We come together to mourn so many who were murdered because they were different,” Rabbi Jesse Olitzky of Congregation Beth El said. “Today the world faces the largest refugee crisis since World War II.”

The struggles and triumphs of refugees were the focus of this year’s remembrance service. Keynote speaker and survivor Ilona Medwied addressed not just the horrors that occurred during the war, but also the trials of living in a displaced person camp, being unsure of one’s future.

“I think that most people innocently think that the camps were liberated and that we survivors just moved on,” Medwied said. “For those of us who lost everyone and everything, it was difficult to figure out what was next for us.”

Medwied was born in Czestochowa, Poland, in 1936 and, when she was just 3 years old, the Germans invaded her home and forced the Jews into ghettos. In 1942, everyone in Medwied’s family, except herself and her mother, was deported to the Treblinka extermination camp.

“The Nazis stole my childhood,” Medwied said.

Shortly after the deportation, Medwied’s mother and other Jews remaining in the ghetto smuggled Medwied outside the gates to a gentile woman who made Medwied part of her family. Not long after she left the ghetto, her mother was sent to a labor camp.

“I am one of the hidden children of the Holocaust,” Medwied said, saying that she lived with this gentile woman, Kazimiera Berczynska, and her family until the war ended. During this time, the Berczynska family moved eight times, both to find work and to keep Medwied safe.

When Medwied was 9, she and her mother moved back to Czestochowa for a year. Prior to the Holocaust, there had been approximately 30,000 to 40,000 Jews in the city, but only 1,500 remained afterward. At first she was hesitant to go with her mother, as she had grown very close to the Berczynska family, but she eventually did go.

After their year in Czestochowa, where they remained because Medwied fell ill, mother and daughter eventually ended up in a displaced persons camp in Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart had been heavily bombed during the war, leaving behind streets with nothing but rubble, but Medwied still described the DP camp as “the best time of her young life.”

While in Stuttgart, Medwied was finally able to go to school and make friends. Her mother remarried and had a son, giving Medwied a little brother.

“For the first time I was able to attend school and actually feel like a kid. I was able to admit I was Jewish without being afraid,” Medwied said. “My best friend was a young girl named Hadassah, who had lost both her parents.”

In the DP camp, Medwied grew to love dancing, saying that “maybe it was an expression of my newfound freedom” as it was a “distinct contrast to hiding.” And she remembers that when Israel declared its independence in 1948, “I thought I would burst with happiness.”

Still, the path forward was not easy. Living in the DP camp could only be temporary until a more permanent home solution was found. Eventually they were able to board a ship and two weeks later arrived in New York. Medwied joked that she “had to learn English real fast” when she was enrolled in middle school in New York, a difficult experience as the English lessons she and her mother had received in Stuttgart consisted of only trite phrases like “hello,” “goodbye” and “how are you?”

“I wanted to assimilate,” she said. “As hard as I tried to forget, certain memories were embedded in my brain.” She added that for many years the sounds of thunderstorms frightened her.

Today Medwied lives in San Diego with her husband, Bill, and the two will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary later this year. The couple has three daughters and seven grandchildren.

But the memories still live on. Cooper said in his opening address that memory and history are different and that, for Jews, history takes a backseat to memory.

“For Jewish people, Passover concluded yesterday. It has been said that Passover for the Jewish people is not about history, but about memory,” Cooper said during the service. “Jewish history is not about what happened to someone else; it is about what happened to our family.

“Holocaust Remembrance Day is not about history; it is about memory,” he continued. “In remembering, we link ourselves to the past and we open a door to the future.”

A main part of the service was the lighting of the memorial candles. It is a Jewish tradition to light yahrzeit candles on the anniversary of someone’s death and at other times in the Jewish calendar.

The number of candles lit varies among Holocaust memorial services, with some lighting six candles to represent the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis and others lighting 11 candles to represent the total 11 million killed in the camps, including Jews, Roma, gays, blacks, political dissidents, the disabled and others. This year’s SOMA service lit 21 candles on three menorahs because, according to Cooper, recently released documents from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum show that through the more than 42,500 forced labor camps and ghettos, more than 15 million people were murdered.

The candles were lit by Holocaust survivors Helen Paktor, Gerda Bikales, Norbert Bikales, Hedy Brasch, Danuta Koslowski, Gina Lanceter, Jean Gluck, Nessa Ben Asher, Robert Max, Paulette Dorflaufer, Hana Kesselman, Olga Meczer, Krysia Ejcner Plochocki, Adele Rapaport and Nusha Wyner; Marsha Kreuzman was absent.

The final candle was lit by Medwied.

After Medwied spoke, Barbara Wind was presented the Sister Rose Thering Holocaust Education Award on behalf of Pearl Randall Lehrhoff, who received the award in 2012. Wind has served as director of the Holocaust Council of Greater MetroWest since September 2000 and was a close friend of Thering.

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Wind said she believes Holocaust education is vital, as it can lead to a better future.

“When my parents were growing up in Poland and Romania, they never imagined that their lives would be disrupted the way they were,” Wind said, explaining that her parents had met in a DP camp and were unsure for a long time of their next move. While they wanted to move to Israel, they knew it would be a very difficult life — too difficult for Wind’s grandmother, who was 70 at the time. Still, she is amazed by the Holocaust survivors who did move to Israel and join the army to fight in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.

“My parents taught me that one need not be afraid of people who are different,” Wind said, adding that each week on the Sabbath, her family would sing Psalm 115, which refers to “God-fearers,” the meaning of which eluded her for many years. “What it means is those who believed in God and believed, through their belief in God, that all mankind is made in God’s image and deserves respect.”

In addition to the stories told at the service, there was a great deal of music, ranging from uplifting to solemn. The candle-lighting ceremony was underscored by cellist Marty Steinberg, who donates his time to the service each year. In addition to piano accompaniment by David Davis, the interfaith choir sang psalms and prayers; the choir was led by Cantor Erica Lippitz of Oheb Shalom. Cantor Perry Fine, of Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston, also sang a moving solo.

Event photos by Yael Katzwer

Black-and-white photos courtesy of Sheryl Hoffman

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The 200 Club of Essex County presented Valor Awards to South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll, second from left, and Det. Steven Davenport, third from left, for their foot pursuit and capture of an armed suspect. The ceremony took place on Thursday, May 5, at Nanina’s in the Park, Belleville. On hand to congratulate the brave officers were, from left, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, Business Administrator Barry Lewis Jr. and 200 Club President Lori Hennon Bell.

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Lynch

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Sophomore Ryan Skolnick represented Seton Hall University in the first ever statewide collegiate business model competition and came home with a win. Skolnick, who competed against student teams from universities throughout the state, was awarded the second-place prize for AVEHO, which aims to teach students foreign languages in a video-game format. The first-place prize went to Princeton University for BoxPower, a business idea involving providing Indian reservations with portable, inexpensive diesel engines where traditional energy sources are scarce. Montclair State University’s team snagged the third-place prize for Karuda, a business idea to develop a new line of natural cosmetics.

The contest gave students an opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial skills before a panel of judges with diverse business backgrounds in return for cash prizes and business services. Skolnick will receive $1,000 and business services, and a coaching breakfast with Mario Casabona, founder and managing director of TechLaunch, New Jersey’s investor-led technology and business accelerator.

The top three finalists will also receive a $2,500 scholarship to Draper University’s summer program.

The competition was sponsored by the New Jersey Collegiate Entrepreneurship Consortium, which represents the entrepreneurship education programs at New Jersey’s four-year colleges and universities. Teams from 11 universities competed in the inaugural competition.

Students were judged by serial entrepreneur and astronaut Greg Olsen; Caren Franzini, formerly with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; Betty Manetta of Argent Associates and Seton Hall University regent; Anthony Frasier of The Phat Startup; and Marty Johnson of Isles Inc.

“We are very proud of Ryan Skolnick for representing Seton Hall University in UPitchNJ,” Susan Scherreik, founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Stillman School of Business and chairwoman of the UPitchNJ Planning Committee, said in a press release. The prime aim of the competition, she added, “is to showcase the terrific entrepreneurship on our college campuses and provide our students with a forum that will help increase their odds of success.

“We see UPitchNJ as a network for students to meet each other, make new friends and sow the seeds for future business collaborations.”

Skolnick is a member of the Stillman School of Business’ Gerald P. Buccino ’63 Center for Leadership Development and is majoring in management, marketing and information technology. He studied six foreign languages in elementary and high school, and named his business AVEHO for the Latin word meaning “to carry” a language with you. He previously won $6,000 as the first-place winner in Pirates Pitch last year.

Photos Courtesy of Seton Hall University

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange invites the public to a Shabbat, Scholar and Supper program featuring guest speaker Joshua Block of The Israel Project on Friday, May 13. The Friday night service will be held at 6 p.m., followed by a community dinner at 7 p.m. with Block, a foreign policy and political strategist who will discuss “Israel and Advocacy: An Insider’s Perspective.” Block will share insights into the current landscape of Israel advocacy and offer ways that American Jews can best strengthen their connection to Israel and support the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Attendance to the dinner is charged. Advance registration for the dinner is required; reservations and information are available online at https://www.tsti.org/calendar/shabbat-dinner-with-joshua-block.

The Israel Project is a non-partisan, global leader in providing facts and policy insight to the media, policymakers, diplomats and the general public on issues vital to the U.S.-Israel relationship, Middle East policy and Israel’s place in the world. Prior to joining TIP, Block was the spokesman and director of strategic communications of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange. For more information, visit www.tsti.org.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On their way from Florida to the Playstation Theater in New York City earlier this week, Trivium, a heavy metal band, drove its tour bus onto the campus of Seton Hall University for a takeover and interview on WSOU 89. FM. The band discussed its latest album, social media trends, the challenges of having to play shorter sets at festivals, and it hinted at an upcoming headlining tour with songs the group has not played live in a while.

The complete interview is now available at https://soundcloud.com/wsou/trivium-live-in-studio-interview-with-steve.

“This was the second time I had the pleasure of interviewing Trivium live in-studio here at WSOU,” WSOU DJ Steven Varsanyi said in a press release. “(They are) four of the nicest and hardest guys in metal with a large passion for fine cuisine.”

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race has partnered with local visual and performing artist Ahmondylla Best to launch the 2016 Shekere Maker Project. The inaugural series will enable residents to learn the unique process of making a West African shekere instrument from start to finish, as well as how to play it. The experience will come full circle for the students on Saturday, July 16, at the XRootsFest in South Orange, where they will be invited to play their instrument during a drum circle.

“The free Shekere Maker workshops are part of our 2016 Integration through the Arts program, which establishes quality art experiences for residents and collaborative associations with professional artists,” CCR Program Director Audrey Rowe said in a press release. “In addition, it creates a platform that fosters interactions between our culturally and socially diverse neighbors.”

Best is a world-renowned percussionist who has performed in Africa, Europe and across the United States, and has designed shekeres for colleges and art organizations, such as Williams College and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. During the Shekere Maker workshop, she will teach students how to clean out their own California-grown gourd and create a colorful skirt design with beads and netting. Best will also lead participants through basic hand positioning and finger movements used to play the instrument in the Nigerian style. Together, they will create a composition that will be shared during the XRootsFest drum circle, which is open to the community.

“Making the shekere instrument not only leaves you with something beautiful, but also allows you to express yourself through the process, which involves hand-eye coordination and creativity and further develops fine motor skills,” Best said in the release.

Register to participate in the Shekere Maker workshop as space is limited. Classes will be held at the Baird Center craft room at 5 Mead St. in South Orange,  from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 17, May 24, May 31 and June 15.

Interested adult residents of South Orange and Maplewood are invited to register by completing the “Contact Us” form on the website and typing “Shekere” in the body of the message or by calling 973-761-6116. To learn more, visit www.twotowns.org.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Congregation Beth El has announced that Danielle Hartwig will join the congregation in July as the next director of the Thelma K. Reisman Preschool. Hartwig joins Beth El from Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, where she most recently served as the curriculum and program coordinator in the synagogue’s Early Childhood Center, including management of its extended day program. Hartwig brings to Beth El more than a decade of experience and a wealth of classroom, curriculum design and administrative expertise, having taught at preschools and religious schools in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Israel, according to a release from the Beth El.

Beth El will hold a “Pops on the Playground” open house to introduce current and prospective preschool families to Hartwig on Sunday, May 15, from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m., rain or shine. The event will include ice pops, playing on Beth El’s playground and an outdoor classroom, and is free and open to the community.

Hartwig graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor’s degree in human development and she received her master’s degree from California State University/Northridge with an emphasis in early childhood education. In 2013, she was selected to the prestigious Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute, a collaborative study program that provides intensive professional development to Jewish leaders across the country.

“Danielle’s knowledge and experience, combined with her passion for Jewish early childhood education, and her warm and approachable style, make her a perfect fit for our community. We’re thrilled to have her at Beth El,” Beth El President Marilynn Jacobs said in the release.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Among Seton Hall’s Class of 2016 is Andriana Fragola, who will graduate with a degree in environmental studies and minors in psychology and anthropology. Her time as a Pirate has been marked by the discovery of her passion for protecting the environment and opportunities to put her environmentalism into practice.

“I originally came to Seton Hall for psychology, but realized I was not passionate about it in the way I have always been passionate about the environment and the amazing animals that share the planet with us,” Fragola said in a press release. “I switched over to the environmental studies program and am incredibly happy that I did. I have always been enamored with the planet, and in the last three years I’ve learned so much and have come a long way with the help of my professors and my own self-teaching.”

“Andy has helped me as a volunteer on research projects in South Mountain Reservation; she’s an enthusiastic and knowledgeable ambassador for the environmental studies program and during events for prospective students,” biology professor Marian Glenn said in the release.

Fragola has been active both on and off campus. As president of the Ecology Club, she has been instrumental in organizing Seton Hall’s Eco-Fest, a weeklong multifaceted effort to educate the campus community on the imperatives of environmental activism and raising awareness about how students can contribute to a sustainable planet.

“I think everyone should want to do their part in preserving the planet. We need as much help as we can get and strength definitely comes in numbers,” she said. “You can make a difference on an individual level by being an aware consumer and voting with your dollar by purchasing more sustainable products, learning what can and cannot be recycled, or even turning off the lights or water when you are not using them.”

Fragola’s activism extends beyond the campus. Last summer she traveled to Indonesia with the non-governmental organization Barefoot Conservation, where she took part in research dives and taught English to natives.

“I had the opportunity to work on my own investigation while I was overseas. I examined two different coral reef sites: one that was disturbed and had human influences on it — a fish farm and boating materials (such as) cables and large anchors — and one that was undisturbed and did not have any of these contaminants present,” she said.

Her efforts have paid off, this summer she will be presenting her research at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Hawaii, a gathering of more than 2,500 coral scientists and policymakers.

“Andy serves as a great example of how to make the most of your undergraduate experience. She took an active role in seeking out academic opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, that reflected her interests and goals, and then pursued them with enthusiasm,” professor Michael Taylor said in the release.

As a resident of Miami, and a true lover of the oceans, Fragola is never far from the sea. At the age of 12 she became a certified scuba diver, and is currently a certified rescue diver and will be pursuing her master diver classification this summer. Fragola expressed concern about the pace of climate change and her desire to make an impact.

She explained that her biggest passion is the preservation of sharks. “Sharks are under great threat because of many stressors such as pollution, longline fishing threats, but primarily because of the shark fin trade,” she said. “Without sharks, ocean ecosystems would be extremely unbalanced and further problems would ensue. This is a cause I would love to dedicate my life to.”

Fragola intends to pursue a graduate degree in ocean conservation specializing in tropical marine ecosystems.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Pop Ups — a pop duo that delights young children with their hand-painted sets, cardboard props and puppets — are bringing their unique show to Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel on Sunday, May 15, with a concert at 11 a.m. Brooklyn musicians Jason Rabinowitz and Jacob Stein, who have been nominated twice for Grammy Awards, play to sold-out audiences across the United States and have toured with “Yo Gabba Gabba Live.” Youngsters and their families from throughout the area are invited to attend the lively concert at the South Orange synagogue, located at 432 Scotland Road.

Tickets, available on Eventbrite at thepopups.eventbrite.com, are charged; admission is free for children under age 1. Proceeds from the show will support the science, technology, engineering, art, and math programs at TSTI’s Iris Family Center for Early Childhood Education. Activities in the STEAM Room are designed to broaden and deepen children’s critical thinking, problem solving, investigations and “tinker thinking” while embracing independence, curiosity, flexibility, innovation and creativity.

“The concert will enable us to add to our room with a host of materials in a child-centered, highly experiential environment,” early childhood Director Carol Paster said in a release.

The concert is being sponsored by The Kate Elliott Team at Coldwell Banker in Maplewood and the Modern Family Center at Spence-Chapin.

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MAPLEWOOD, NJ — If you were a die-hard fan of independent music during the mid-1980s and you are the kind of person who scours local clubs in search of the next cool band to tell your friends about, then there is a good chance you’re familiar with the Cucumbers. The Hoboken-based power pop group was a favorite of the New York-area music scene, at its height even gaining national exposure with videos on MTV and favorable reviews in Rolling Stone and People. But despite critical acclaim and a cult following, the Cucumbers never managed to attain the mainstream success they would have liked, and eventually the core lineup of the group’s heyday dissolved.

While the Cucumbers never truly went away — two of the band’s founding members, South Orange native Deena Shoshkes and her husband Jon Fried, occasionally record singles under the Cucumbers name — the core mid-’80s combination has not played together as a unit since reuniting for Maplewoodstock in 2008. But that is about to change.

On May 13, the Cucumbers’ best-known lineup of Shoshkes, Fried and Maplewood residents John Williams and Yuergen Renner will reunite for one night only at the Woodland to benefit Rent Party, a local nonprofit dedicated to fighting hunger in the South Orange-Maplewood area. As if that is not enough to please fans, the group is promising to play only the songs off of its early releases from Fake Doom Records — 1983’s “Fresh Cucumbers,” 1985’s “Who Betrays Me and Other Happier Songs” and 1986’s “All Shook Up” — which have just been released in digital format for the first time as part of The Fake Doom Years collection.

Being in the middle of a Cucumbers renaissance might seem overwhelming for musicians who have been largely removed from the group for so long, but singer-guitarist Shoshkes said it has been a joy to revisit the music with her old bandmates. And if rehearsals for the Rent Party show are any indication, the Cucumbers have not lost a step.

“We had to dust off the cobwebs, but it came back really quickly,” Shoshkes told the News-Record in a May 5 phone interview. “I think it sounds better than ever because we’re all better musicians now than we were then. And we played those songs so much back then that it’s sort of like riding a bike. You get back on and it feels really natural.”

Fried, who happens to be the son of famous film and television composer Gerald Fried, agreed that the group members got back in sync almost immediately. As a result, although they have not played some of their early songs since they were first released in the ’80s, he said capturing the essence of fan favorites such as “My Boyfriend” and their take on “All Shook Up” was both easy and enjoyable.

“We were young and we were hyper and we were a little frenetic,” Fried recalled in a May 5 phone interview with the News-Record. “And it’s fun to play that music again, to get to that place again.”

What undoubtedly helped the process was the fact that this particular group of musicians knows one another the best, having played together all over the world. Shoshkes, Fried, Williams and Renner toured nationally, playing in hundreds of college campuses and music clubs including New York City’s legendary CBGB’s. They even recorded their 1987 self-titled album in London for Profile Records, the label best known for introducing the world to Run-D.M.C.

With this time spent together came plenty of fun moments that the bandmates still remember to this day. That includes the time when the Cucumbers opened for the Replacements at a show in Nebraska, only to find that their dressing room had been “redecorated” by their headline act. More precisely, the Replacements had trashed the place — but not in a malevolent way. As Shoshkes recalled, the famous alternative rock group infamous for its hard partying turned the room into a precise disarray, doing things like overturning chairs in their place as a prank.

Fried remembered another show in Alabama when a drunken crowd had demanded that the Cucumbers continue performing despite the fact that they had already played through their entire set. Not knowing what to do, Fried returned to the stage and started playing the Surfaris’ 1963 hit “Wipe Out,” with Shoshkes and Williams joining in. Renner, originally from Germany, was unfamiliar with the song and eventually started to play along on drums, only to be surprised when his bandmates stopped playing upon reaching the iconic drum solo portion of the song. Realizing that he needed to play without knowing exactly what the drumming was supposed to sound like, Renner let loose with what Fried described as an insane solo of his own that had the crowd going wild.

Sharing moments like those forged a unique chemistry among the band members that exists to this day, according to bassist Williams. He told the News-Record in a May 5 phone interview that the bond is why this particular iteration of the Cucumbers both plays well together and likes being around one another so much.

“We spent a lot of time in the van driving around and seeing the country,” Williams said. “We were a second family.”

Reunion aside, that close relationship continues to this day. All four band members ended up living close to one another — Shoshkes and Fried live in Millburn, just a few miles away from Williams and Renner in Maplewood — so they have always remained friends even after Williams and Renner left the Cucumbers in 1989 and 1992, respectively. In fact, Williams said their children practically grew up together.

But even though the Cucumbers always kept in touch and will soon be performing together again, a permanent reunion does not seem likely.

“Nobody talked about it, and I don’t really foresee it at this stage,” Renner told the News-Record in a May 6 phone interview, explaining that Shoshkes is busy with her own solo career, Fried is pursuing fiction writing, and Williams and himself both are involved with bands of their own. “I would like to play. Now, after all these years it’s really fun to play with them. It’s always been fun, and now that we’ve come back together you realize how much fun it actually was and how good they are as people. It’s a real friendly situation. So from that standpoint I’d love to do some more, but I would probably believe it’s not happening.”

Even if the Cucumbers never reunite for good, fans can take solace in the fact that they can listen to the group’s first three releases in a digital format, as they had previously only been available on vinyl. Renner said he is happy to see the music finally available in a format that can allow longtime listeners to relive the past while also introducing new generations to the band. Plus, he said the remastering was exceptional because the sound quality of the songs is excellent.

Fans can also enjoy the Cucumbers reunion at the Woodland, thanks to Rent Party co-founder Chris Dickson. Speaking with the News-Record in a May 5 phone interview, Dickson said he has worked with various members of the Cucumbers in the years since starting his concert series of local acts raising money for local food pantries at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Oheb Shalom synagogue in South Orange and St. Joseph’s Church in Maplewood. He even co-wrote the Rent Party theme song with Shoshkes and Fried, who perform it whenever they play a show for him.

Yet until now, the Cucumbers have never played collectively for Rent Party. The fact that they are willing to reunite for his organization means a lot to Dickson, who estimates that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for the area food pantries since the nonprofit was founded in 2009. Also significant to him is the fact that so many people in South Orange and Maplewood have embraced the concert series, which has allowed it to expand into creating a food garden at the Elks Lodge No. 1154 and establishing its BackPack Pals program that gives backpacks filled with food to children for weekends when they do not receive free school lunches.

Nothing Rent Party has been able to do would be possible without the people of South Orange and Maplewood’s generous support, Dickson said.

“This can’t happen just anywhere,” Dickson said. “We live in a community that, for lack of a better way to put it, gets it. The people here care about the people in their community.”

And as happy as the Cucumbers are to play for a great cause, Fried said they are also grateful to Rent Party for providing an opportunity to get together one more time.

“We’re going to be having fun, and I hope it rubs off on whoever’s there too,” Fried said. “It’s going to be one of the most fun 40 minutes of my life.”

For more information about the Cucumbers’ Rent Party show, which will also feature performances from Bern & the Brights and the Thousand Pities, visit http://rentpartylive.com/wp/. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The uproarious Steve Solomon is performing his hit comedy “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy!” at the South Orange Performing Arts Center through May 22 and he is leaving the audience in tears — tears of laughter.

The wildly successful one-man show has been enjoyed by almost a million people in several countries and in more than 100 cities around the world since 2003, making it one of the longest running one-man comedies of all time. From 2006 to 2008, Steve performed the show on Broadway, winning Broadway.com’s Best New Play Award and BroadwayWorld.com’s Audience’s Favorite Play Award. The show continues to run on tour in multiple cities to this day.

The 90-minute laugh fest explores mixed marriage, familial relations, generation gaps, religious customs, ethnic stereotypes, the aging process, sex education, child-rearing, modern technology, airplane woes and much more, all against a backdrop of Solomon waiting for his therapy appointment to begin.

Where does Solomon get all his varied and hilarious material?

“I lived this every day,” he said during a phone interview with the News-Record, “and one of my gifts is memory. I’m a member of Mensa, and I can go back to specific conversations from when I was 3 years old.” Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world.

Solomon, a Brooklyn native, grew up in the culturally diverse neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay.

“From the time I was a tiny kid, I could imitate different voices and characters,” he said. During his very early years, for example, he used his “old man voice” to imitate his father in order to get out of trouble for skipping school. Later, when delivering Chinese food, he would announce his arrival in a thick Chinese accent, only to deadpan, saying, “the other guy just left” in his normal voice when the customer opened the door.

Solomon continued to develop his talent for humor throughout his youth. He constantly wrote jokes and funny stories, worked on brilliant imitations of accents and dialects, and also taught himself how to vocalize a wide variety of sound effects. His parents initially discouraged him from pursuing his dream of being a comedic entertainer, urging him instead to follow a “safer” path that he could “fall back on,” like teaching.

The comedian became a physics teacher and eventually also an assistant superintendent of schools on Long Island, but his comedic drive showed no signs of slowing down. He delighted students and sometimes irritated school administrators with his irreverent brand of humor for years. However, after eventually growing disenchanted with some aspects of the educational system, he decided to leave teaching to pursue his dream of being an entertainer.

“My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy” is one of the side-splitting products of his pursuit. The show stays current because it evolves with the times.

“I try to update it as much as I can,” Solomon said of his process. “Sometimes, I change it show-to-show. I try new material three times. If it works, it stays. I also listen to others performing my show and then edit from there. The most important thing is that consistent quality is maintained.”

Consistent quality was certainly maintained last Saturday evening, May 7, with Solomon frequently bringing the packed house at SOPAC to near-hysterical laughter. And he certainly appreciates his audiences as much as they appreciate him.

“The South Orange audience has been delicious,” he explained. “I love Northeastern audiences. They’re sharp, they get the double-entendres and they really understand the jokes.”

As for criticism? “I do not mind constructive criticism,” Solomon said, “as long as the critic is qualified.

“The biggest problem that some critics have is that I don’t care about the critics; I care about the people,” he continued. When his show is called “politically incorrect,” Solomon confidently responds, “They’re right. My whole family was politically incorrect,” reiterating that he does not care.

When asked what he likes the most about being an entertainer and performing the show, Solomon warmly explained, “It’s not the joy I bring to the audience, it’s the joy that they bring to me. That’s the gift that the Lord gave me.”

And quite a gift it is. Not only does Solomon continue to perform “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy,” but he has also written three successful sequels. The latest of these, “Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt … The Therapy Continues,” will open on Broadway in 2018.

“My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy” runs through May 22 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 SOPAC Way. To purchase tickets, visit the box office or the website at www.sopacnow.org. Group discounts are available for groups of 12 or more by calling 973-313-2787.

MILLBURN, NJ — As one of the nation’s leading regional theaters and producing partners for Broadway, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for the Great White Way. The theater will be the recipient of this year’s Regional Theatre Tony Award. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey.  Among the early nominees and winners are Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway, Tony Award winners Laura Benanti and Nikki M. James, Tony Award nominee Rob McClure, and Olivier Award nominee Jared Gertner.

The 2016 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards, presented at the Investors Foundation ceremony, will take place at Paper Mill Playhouse on Tuesday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., featuring presenters from Broadway and beyond. The ceremony will be broadcast live on television and online through Paper Mill Playhouse video partner, Hometowne Television, of Summit.

Among the top nominated high schools are Summit High School with 18 nominations, followed by Union High School with 12 nominations, Westfield High School with 11 nominations and Columbia High School in Maplewood with 10 nominations.

“We are very excited to celebrate excellence in high school musical theater with the students of New Jersey,” Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill’s producing artistic director, said in a press release. “For many New Jersey schools, the prestigious honor of a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nomination is the culmination of their hard work in a high school musical. Many of our Rising Star nominees and winners are now working professionally and have won esteemed industry awards while working in theater and film.”

Paper Mill Director of Education Lisa Cooney explained: “What’s happening in high school musical productions here in New Jersey and around the country is remarkable. Programs like the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards raise the bar and create opportunities for student performers and theater technicians to be recognized for their achievements, while giving them access to thousands of dollars in scholarships and professional training. We consistently hear from top-tier colleges and casting directors that a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award is a significant accolade for an aspiring theater artist.”

The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation are modeled after the Tony Awards, and Paper Mill Playhouse’s program serves the entire state of New Jersey, with nearly 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. Paper Mill Playhouse conceived and created the awards in 1996 to give schools the opportunity to showcase their musical arts programs on a statewide level. The musicals are adjudicated by Paper Mill Playhouse throughout the spring by a group of 70 evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations.  Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Musical and Leading Actor/Actress nominees perform at the event, and award recipients are presented with an engraved crystal award from Tiffany & Co.

“We are proud to support the 2016 Rising Star Awards,” Investors Bank President and CEO Kevin Cummings said in the release. “All of the nominees put in a tremendous amount of time and hard work into their productions, and it has certainly shown with all the amazing shows put on this year. Best of luck to all the nominees!”

Paper Mill Playhouse also awards $5,000 in scholarships at the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards.  Five $1,000 cash scholarships are given to outstanding individual students who plan to continue studying theater performance or technical theater in college. Paper Mill Playhouse will also award a prize of $500 to a school receiving the 2016 Educational Impact Award, which acknowledges a school that successfully connects the musical to the district’s curriculum, using the production as a teaching tool for the greater student body and local community.  Through the Rising Star “Theatre for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award and a partnership with VSA New Jersey and The Cultural Access Network of New Jersey, a project of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Paper Mill Playhouse will present a cash award of $1,000 to a school to recognize excellence in the promotion and practice of creative inclusion of students and adults with disabilities as performers, designers, musicians and production staff. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize and reward a school that takes steps to ensure their performances are accessible to audiences with disabilities.

Lastly, students receiving final nominations in the lead and supporting acting categories receive a scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse’s competitive Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory, a professional training program, which, along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform onstage at Paper Mill Playhouse in the season finale concert,”New Voices of 2016: Everything Old is New Again!” on July 29 and 30.

The 2016 Rising Star Awards are also supported by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and MetLife Foundation. Rising Star scholarships are made possible by Ruth Bedford in memory of Jane Burgio, Walt Santner in honor of Janet Sovey, and the Douglas Michael Krueger Scholarship Fund Trust.  The “Theatre for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award is supported by VSA New Jersey and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is grateful for generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals.

The following are the 2016 Rising Star Awards nominations and honorable mentions:

• Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical — final nominations: Academy of the Holy Angels for “Children of Eden”; Columbia High School for “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Fair Lawn High School for “Chaplin the Musical”; Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School for “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Summit High School for “Mary Poppins”; Union High School also for “Mary Poppins”; and Westfield High School for “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Morristown-Beard School for “Pippin”; Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan for “How to Succeed in Business”; and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for “A Chorus Line.”
• Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role — Haneefah James as “Dorothy” in Cicely L. Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts’s “The Wiz”; Claire Wolfson as “The Baker’s Wife” in Delaware Valley Reg. High School’s “Into the Woods”; Mollie DeFilippo as “Gertrude McFuzz” in James Caldwell High School’s “Seussical”; Makenzi Schaefer as “Lucy” in Morris Hills High School’s “Jekyll & Hyde”; Najah Hetsberger as “Mary Poppins” in Rahway High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Kathryn Mazza as “Ariel” in Red Bank Catholic High School’s “The Little Mermaid”; and Claire Fitzpatrick as “Mary Poppins” in Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and — honorable mentions: Taylor Bera as “Olive Ostrovsky” in Christian Brothers Academy’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”; Alysa Finnegan as “Ariel” in Mater Dei High School’s “Disney’s The Little Mermaid”; Nicole Tsarouhas as “Dolly Levi” in Moorestown High School’s “Hello, Dolly!”; and Caroline Scobee as “Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood” in Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”
• Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — final nominations: Nick Berninger as “Father” in Academy of the Holy Angels’ “Children of Eden”; Trevor Braun as “Charlie Chaplin” in Fair Lawn High School’s “Chaplin the Musical”; William Taitel as “Jekyll/Hyde” in Morris Hills High School’s “Jekyll & Hyde”; Sean McManus as “Bert” in Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Jonathan Duvelson in Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Caleb Hafen as “Usnavi” in West Morris Central High School’s “In The Heights”; and Tony Peer as “The Baker” in Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Dylan Coker as “Bert” in Franklin High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Michael Akakpo as “Bert” in Rahway High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Dominick Gonzalez as “Henry Higgins” in Vernon Township High School’s “My Fair Lady.”
• Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role — final nominations: Ashley Diana as “Ursula” in Mater Dei High School’s “Disney’s The Little Mermaid”; Alyssa Shoemaker as “Eponine” in Morris Knolls High School’s “Les Miserables: School Edition”; Jasmin Palmer as “Fraulein Schneider” in Pingry School’s “Cabaret”; Samantha Siriani as “Ursula” in Red Bank Catholic High School’s “The Little Mermaid”; Sara Miller as “Angela Prysock/Princess Puffer” in Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Catie Floegel as “Winifred Banks” in Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Emma Kothari as “Diana Morales” in West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s “A Chorus Line”; and — honorable mentions: Jillian Coleman as “Hedda Hopper” in Fair Lawn High School’s “Chaplin The Musical”; Jenna Craig as ”Cosette” in River Dell Senior High School’s “Les Miserables: School Edition”; and Rianna LeHane as “Little Sally” in St. Joseph Regional High School’s “Urinetown.”
• Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — final nominations: Neil McCaffrey as “Lord Farquaad” in Chatham High School’s “Shrek”; Grant King as “Lumiere” in Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Thomas Short as “Charlemagne” in High Tech High School’s “Pippin”; Ross Turkington as “Cookie McGee” in Montclair Kimberley Academy’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It”; Brett Jones as “Ryan Evans” in Sayreville War Memorial High School’s “Disney’s High School Musical”; Keegan McManus as “George Banks” in Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Frank Guerriero as “Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf” in Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Michael Moore   as “Sir Robin” in Absegami High School’s “Spamalot”; Bill Fitzpatrick as “Cain/Japheth” in Academy of Holy Angels’ “Children of Eden”; and Joseph McDonald as “Officer Lockstock” in St. Joseph Regional High School’s “Urinetown.”
• Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role — final nominations: Jack Broderick as “Nicely-Nicely Johnson” in Bernards High School’s “Guys and Dolls”; Nicki Kissil as “Hannah Chaplin” in Fair Lawn High School’s “Chaplin the Musical”; Max Vigotov as “Scuttle” in Madison High School’s “The Little Mermaid”; Liam Gerard as “Duke Mahoney” in Montclair Kimberley Academy’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It”; Lisette Serrano as “Miss Andrew” and Crystal Wright as “Mrs. Corry,” both in Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Eric Judson as “Paul” in West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s “A Chorus Line”; and — honorable mentions: Hunter Kovacs as “Cogsworth” and Matthew Lintern as “Lefou,” both in Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; and Julianna Belles as “Asaka” in Morris County School of Technology’s “Once on This Island.”
• Outstanding Performance by a Featured Ensemble Member — final nominations: Greg Lobo as “Big Jule” in Bernards High School’s “Guys and Dolls”; Dylan Kelly as “Lurch” in Clearview Regional High School’s “The Addams Family”; Kenneth Steimle as “Grantaire/Bamatabois” in River Dell Senior High School’s “Les Miserables: School Edition”; Jenny Greener as “Emma Parker” in Rumson-Fair Haven Reg. High School’s “Bonnie and Clyde”; and Daniel Pokras as “Kyle” in Secaucus High School’s “Legally Blonde”; and — honorable mentions: Ed Nowak as “Carl” in Christian Brothers Academy’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”; Andrea Shlesinger as “Girl in the Water” in Mount Olive High School’s “Big Fish”; and Erik Dannenberg as “Lurch” in Ridge High School’s “The Addams Family.”
• Outstanding Performance by a Featured Ensemble Group — final nominations: “Peron’s Mistresses” in Bergen County Academies’ “Evita”; “Silly Girls” in Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; “Mansion Trio” in Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; “Secretaries” in Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan’s “How to Succeed in Business”; “Sweeps” in Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and “Sweeps” in Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and — honorable mentions: “Duloc Performers” in Chatham High School’s “Shrek”; “Mersisters” in Madison High School’s “The Little Mermaid”; and “The Poor” in Pascack Valley High School’s “Urinetown.”
• Outstanding Performance by a Chorus — final nominations: Academy of the Holy Angels for “Children of Eden”; Columbia High School for “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Cranford High School for “Fiddler on the Roof”; Rahway High School for “Mary Poppins”; Summit High School for “Mary Poppins”; Union High School for “Mary Poppins”; and Westfield High School for “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Morristown-Beard School for “Pippin”; Princeton Day School for “The Boyfriend”; and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for “A Chorus Line.”
• Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra — final nominations: Fair Lawn High School for “Chaplin the Musical”; Mount Olive High School for “Big Fish”; Rahway High School for “Mary Poppins”; Summit High School for “Mary Poppins”; Ridge High School for “The Addams Family”; and West Morris Central High School for “In The Heights”; and — honorable mentions: Franklin High School for “Mary Poppins”; Hillsborough High School for “Into the Woods”; and Westfield High School for “Into the Woods.
• Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside Director — final nominations: Katie McSherry for Academy of the Holy Angels’ “Children of Eden”; Tricia Benn and Bethany Pettigrew for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; John Giresi for Fair Lawn High School’s “Chaplin the Musical”; Matthew Capodicasa for Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Anne Poyner for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; James Mosser for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Daniel Devlin for Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Susan Speidel for Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; Susan Van Buskirk for Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan’s “How to Succeed in Business”; and Marilyn Magnone Stoddard for West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s “A Chorus Line.”
• Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction — final nominations: George Croom Academy of the Holy Angels’ “Children of Eden”; Jamie Bunce and Peter Bauer for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Ben Krauss for Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; Janine Nehila and Amy Wilcox for Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan’s “How to Succeed in Business”; Jan Allen and Durand Thomas for Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Wayne Mallette and Steve Rapp for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and James Mosser and Laura Muller for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and — honorable mentions: Nick DeGregorio, Mark Baron and Lynn C. Berry for Cranford High School’s “Fiddler on the Roof”; Robert Van Wyk for Rahway High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and David Westawski and Jesse Argenziano for West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s “A Chorus Line.”
• Outstanding Achievement in Choreography and Staging — final nominations: Ariane Ryan for Academy of the Holy Angels’ “Children of Eden”; Tricia Benn and Bethany Pettigrew for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Marci Lee Moriarty for Perth Amboy High School’s “The Addams Family”; Kelly Mott-Sacks for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Yasmin Maher for Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy’s “West Side Story”; Jennifer Williams for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Marilyn Mangone Stoddard for West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s “A Chorus Line”; and — honorable mentions: Jim ruttman for Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; Ann Robideaux for Princeton Day School’s “The Boyfriend”; and Alison Dooley for Rahway High School’s “Mary Poppins.”
• Outstanding Scenic Achievement — final nominations: Annette Murphy, Steve Maietta, Nicole Cole and Celia Gollub for Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan’s “How to Succeed in Business”; Robert Vendetti for Passaic County Technical Institute’s “Man of La Mancha”; Jason M. Stewart for Ridge High School’s “The Addams Family”; Jeffrey Allen for Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Travis McHale for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Diane Esquivel and James Mosser for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Roy Chambers for Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Jon Zaccone and Vance Entertainment for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Clifton Chadick for High Tech High School’s “Pippin”; and Ron Kadri for West Morris Central High School’s “In The Heights.”
• Outstanding Lighting Achievement — final nominations: Tara Marie Abbondante for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Mark Reilly for Cranford High School’s “Fiddler on the Roof”; Andrew Scharwath for Fair Lawn High School’s “Chaplin the Musical”; Dave Kern for Ridge High School’s “The Addams Family”; Coby Chasman-Beck for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; Catherine Scanlon, Emily Scanlon and Jeff Bettencourt for Vineland High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Sharp Edge Lighting Design for Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Zach Pizza for Madison High School’s “The Little Mermaid”; Nicholas Marmo for Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; and Jeff Christian for Mount Olive High School’s “Big Fish.”
• Outstanding Costuming Achievement — final nominations: Janet Adamo, Victoria Peru and Terry Thiry for Bergen County Academies’ “Evita”; Barbara Fertakos for Chatham High School’s “Shrek”; Paul H. Canada and Beth Holland for Gill St. Bernard’s School’s “The Boyfriend”; Deb Sugarman for Princeton Day School’s “The Boyfriend”; Joanne Sprague for Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; Katherine Winter for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and James Mosser, Jennifer Williams and Leslie Laurino for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and — honorable mentions: Kathy Nye, Carol Rutledge, Suzanne Roganchi and Barbara Canace for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Jeffrey Meek and Lyric Theatre for Mount Olive High School’s “Big Fish”; and Donna Dolby for Northern Valley Reg. High School at Old Tappan’s “How to Succeed in Business.”
• Outstanding Hair & Make-up Achievement — final nominations: Stephanie Cooperman and Julie Edwards for Chatham High School’s “Shrek”; Celine Lockman, Fiona Kniaz, Alex Salvitti, Angela Colo and Gina Freshcoln for Clearview Regional High School’s “The Addams Family”; Kim Shriver, Suzanne Roghanchi and Skye Tyson for Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Merielle Lupfer for Pascack Valley High School’s “Urinetown”; Hope Ammidon and Matthew Kuenne for Princeton Day School’s “The Boyfriend”; Rebecca Arnold for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; and Allie Safonov for Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods”; and — honorable mentions: Julia Papas, Perri Easley and Adelyn Berrocal for Morristown-Beard School’s “Pippin”; Meghan Reeves for Perth Amboy High School’s “The Addams Family”; and unlisted persons for Union High School’s “Mary Poppins.”

There are 20 finalists for the Student Achievement Awards and 10 recipients will be announced. The 20 finalists are stage manager Kayla Williams, hair and makeup designer Makiyah Baptiste, and costume designer Darnisha Thomas, all for Cicely L. Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts’ “The Wiz”; scenic painter Adela Llagami and assistant set designer John Hartmann, both for David Brearley High School’s “Aida”; stage manager Gabrielle Cascio for Delaware Valley Reg. High School’s “Into the Woods”; student director and choreographer Kaitlyn Esposito and stage manager Emma Nafz, both for Morris County School of Technology’s “Once on this Island”; graphic designers Alexandra Fielding and Julia Halasz for Morristown High School’s “Once Upon a Mattress”; stage managers Taylor Jaskula, Grace Hromin, Nicolette Larson and Liza Leever for Morristown-Beard High School’s “Pippin”; student director Dominic Hendrickson and student choreographer Kara Byrnes, both for Mount Olive High School’s “Big Fish”; lighting designer Ryan Dent for River Dell Senior High School’s “Les Miserables: School Edition”; props mistress Sydney Giusto, student direction Katherine Recio and the costume crew, all for Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins”; graphic designer Val Pellington for West Milford Township High School’s “Young Frankenstein”; and stage manager Devyn Tibbals, costume designer Madeline Kevelson and assistant technical director Sarah Morton for Westfield High School’s “Into the Woods.”

Final nominations for the Educational Impact Award are Butler High School’s “Willy Wonka”; Columbia High School’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”; Mount Olive High School’s “Big Fish”; Passaic County Technical Institute’s “Man of La Mancha”; Perth Amboy High School’s “The Addams Family”; Princeton Day School’s “The Boyfriend”; Ridge High School’s “The Addams Family”; St. Joseph Regional High School’s “Urinetown”; Summit High School’s “Mary Poppins” and the Pingry School’s “Cabaret.”

Final nominations for the Rising Star “Theatre for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award are Bernards High School’s “Guys and Dolls”; Moorestown High School’s “Hello, Dolly!”; Morristown High School’s “Once Upon a Mattress”; and the Pingry School’s “Cabaret.”

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Oheb Shalom Congregation will host a celebratory LGBTQ Pride Shabbat on Friday, June 3, with a community Shabbat dinner at 6:30 p.m. LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer. At 7:30 p.m., a special musical Shabbat service will feature “Sharing Our Trans & Gay Stories,” in which several members of Oheb Shalom will speak about their LGBTQ life experiences. Speakers include Cecilia Cranko, a transgender woman, parent to two boys, and an architect of more than 15 years, who will share her journey and insights — highs and lows — of her transition of the past year from male to female; Jordan Aronson, a gay man, who has been a part of the Oheb Shalom community since birth, who says, “Oheb has been my home for 27 years. I can express my whole self: both my gay and my Jewish identities. This is what Oheb Shalom has always been to me”; and Alyson Slutzky, a straight woman, and parent of two adult transgender children, who will share her thoughts and feelings experienced during this journey.

The 7:30 p.m. service and reception is free and open to the community, but the dinner, sponsored by the Slutzky Parenting Center of Oheb Shalom Congregation, is charged and requires advance reservations at www.ohebshalom.org. Further dialog with the speakers will follow the service, at a festive reception. Members of all faiths are welcome.

Oheb Shalom Congregation is located at 170 Scotland Road in South Orange.

NEWARK, NJ — The Essex County Division of Senior Services hosted the 10th annual Essex County Older Americans Heritage Month Celebration on Wednesday, May 11, in The Priory restaurant in Newark. During the ceremony, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. presented Essex County Legends Awards to East Orange resident Inez Rosalie Alick Elliott and South Orange resident Nan Samons. May is recognized as National Older Americans Month.

“Older Americans Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the tremendous contributions our senior citizens have made to shape and mold today’s community, and bring attention to the contributions they continue to make on a daily basis to improve our quality of life. Active in all aspects of life, our senior population is proving that you don’t slow down after you reach a certain age,” DiVincenzo said in a press release. “Our honorees have exhibited a tremendous amount of responsibility by advocating for and providing assistance that is helping their fellow seniors to remain active and continue living in our community.”

The award winners were nominated by social service agencies and community organizations that work closely with the Essex Division of Senior Services and were chosen because they are positive role models for the younger generation, have worked tirelessly to assist fellow seniors and made tremendous contributions to improve the quality of life.

East Orange resident Inez Rosalie Alick Elliott is known as “Rose” by family and friends and as the de facto recording secretary of the Bethany Senior Citizen Center in Newark because of her impressive memory. At 99-years-old, Elliott overcame an accident in which she suffered nine broken ribs and had to learn how to walk again. At the senior center, she enjoys reading and playing dominoes. Her nomination from Bethany states: “Even though she is basically quiet, with a straight face, she has a strong presence that radiates admiration…. Mrs. Elliott’s secret to living healthy is her faith in God, staying calm and laughing as often as she can. Her contagious laughter makes you want to join her in the joke. With almost a hundred years of life, we salute Rose for setting an example of grace.”

“It is an honor to be here today and I hope that many of you will continue to do something worthwhile for your community,” Elliott said at the event.

South Orange resident Nan Samons was nominated by the JCC MetroWest Kosher Congregate Nutrition Program. She was one of the founders of the Playhouse Cooperative Nursery School 65 years ago, which is still going strong, and owned her own business, Needlepoint and Stitchery, in West Orange. Now 90-years-old, Samons remains involved in community affairs by making life better for fellow seniors. Two years ago, she started South Orange Seniors, which has established a townwide discount card for seniors, coordinated intergenerational programming with Seton Hall University, hosted an annual senior gala and established a snow-shoveling service to assist elder residents. In addition, Samons worked with SHU students to produce a documentary highlighting the lives of six South Orange seniors, organized computer literacy classes for her peers, worked out an arrangement with the South Orange Performing Arts Center to provide free tickets for seniors and worked with the South Orange Advisory Committee to hold senior citizen forums.

“I really am very proud and honored to be a recipient today,” Samons said at the event. “I would like to share this award with everyone in the room. Each of us know the benefits of volunteering — we learn new skills, feel a sense of purpose and contribute to the success of our community.”

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Aspiring Kindness Foundation, which raises money for first responders, emergency service providers, and fire prevention and education programs, will hold its fourth annual Charity Golf Outing at the new Montclair Golf Club at Rock Spring in West Orange on Monday, June 20. Reflecting the origins of the charity that was formed in the aftermath of the Seton Hall University dormitory fire, the organization hopes to raise $25,000 to benefit the university’s fire prevention programs.

Aspiring Kindness Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit public corporation, was created by childhood friends of Aaron Karol, one of three freshmen who died in the January 2000 Boland Hall fire. Borrowing his initials in giving their philanthropic effort a name, the AK Foundation raises money as a tribute to Karol and the other young men who died: Frank Caltabilota and John Giunta. The charity golf outing is the foundation’s biggest annual fundraiser.

During the past three years, the event has raised more than $35,000. Last year $20,000 was donated to Seton Hall’s Housing and Residence Life Department. In 2014, proceeds of $12,000 supported the university’s health and counseling services, and new uniforms for South Orange Rescue Squad in 2013.

“It’s incredible how each year the support grows for our foundation and this golf outing. The public’s strong support speaks volumes to Aaron Karol’s legacy, Seton Hall University, the community and the significance of this cause,” Aspiring Kindness Executive Director Jason Tarantino said in a press release. “We are proud to name Seton Hall as the benefactor for the third consecutive year. This grant will be used to support a robust fire prevention campus program.”

The Boland Hall fire ushered in a new era of fire safety at Seton Hall, which makes fire prevention a priority, and at colleges and universities throughout the nation.

“The Housing and Residence Life staff is grateful for the passion and commitment of Aspiring Kindness as we work to enhance our current students’ knowledge of the history of the Boland Hall fire. What is especially important is strengthening our students’ ability to make good choices about fire prevention and safety on campus and throughout their lives,” Tara Hart, director of housing and residence life at SHU, said in the release. “These collaborations keep the memory of Aaron, Frank and John alive today on campus in an extraordinary way. We feel blessed to work with Aspiring Kindness.”

The charity golf outing is a day-long event that includes a round of golf with cart, use of the practice facilities, breakfast, lunch and dinner including an open bar, beer and non-alcoholic drinks in coolers throughout the course in addition to a beverage cart, an Aspiring Kindness Foundation memorabilia gift, and contests and prizes. Longest Drive and the Closest to the Pin contests are scheduled, and the awards include First Place Scramble and Second Place Scramble, among others. The Montclair Golf Club at Rock Spring is home to an 18-hole par 71 championship golf course that has hosted numerous PGA and USGA events.

Register for the golf outing online. Entry fees are charged. For more information, visit the Aspiring Kindness Foundation website or email info@aspiringkindness.org.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange and Maplewood students will perform in Vanguard Theater Company’s Broadway Buddy Mentorship Cabaret on Sunday, May 22, at South Orange Middle School at 7:30 p.m.

The cabaret will also showcase Broadway professionals from shows including “Hamilton,” “Aladdin,” “School of Rock” and “The Color Purple,” among others, who, through Vanguard’s Broadway Buddy Program, have served as mentors to the aspiring young musical theater artists. The professionals have met with students to provide show business advice, personal stories and one-on-one performance coaching.

This year’s Broadway Buddy Mentorship program includes 20 Broadway professionals and 23 students. Local participants and performers include: Maplewood Middle School student Ally Salort mentored by Eva Agathis of Far Hills; SOMS student Claire Sullivan mentored by Elizabeth Ward Lane of Maplewood; Columbia High School student Jacob Tall of Maplewood mentored by Robert Dusold of Maplewood; and mentors Stephanie Kurtzuba of Maplewood, Dwayne Clark of South Orange, Suzanne Hevner of South Orange, Michele Pawk of South Orange, Joanna Young of Maplewood and Mandy Gonzalez of South Orange.

“Through the Broadway Buddy Mentorship Program, the professionals have and will continue to serve as resources and advocates for the aspiring performers,” Vanguard co-founder Janeece Freeman-Clark of South Orange said in a press release.

“We are excited to see the culminating performances on a local stage,” co-founder Daryl Stewart added.

The proceeds from the cabaret will be used to fund scholarships for deserving students to attend Vanguard’s Kid’s Camp in August.

For tickets and information, visit www.vanguardtheater.org.

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Despite approving the use of banked cap at the March 21 meeting, the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education was unable to avoid some substantial cuts, including 15 full-time staff positions.

At its May 2 meeting, the board voted to pass the 2015-2016 school district budget on second reading with a vote of 7-2; board members Johanna Wright and Donna Smith voted against it. Smith had voted for the budget on first reading March 21, though she had voted against using the $409,103 in banked cap.

With revenue sources such as local taxes, state and federal aid and programs, debt service, tuition, fund balance and capital reserve — and now the addition of banked cap — district business Administrator Cheryl Schneider said the proposed revenue for the 2016-2017 school year is $125,740,404, which is $2,145,624 more than that of the current school year.

The $125 million school budget will raise taxes by 2.43 percent. Under state law, local taxes cannot increase more than 2 percent for the operating budget. This of course leaves the frequently used loophole that it can exceed the 2-percent cap for other areas of the budget.

At a 2-percent operating budget, the tax levy cap would be $111,317,574, but with the added debt service of $3,844,298 and the banked cap, that percentage bumps up to 2.43, according to Schneider. At this estimate, based on 2015 figures, the average Maplewood household would pay approximately $226 more per year in taxes, while the average South Orange household would pay approximately $249 more, though Schneider explained in February that these numbers would likely equalize after the appeals process. According to the district, the average Maplewood home will be paying approximately $15 more per year than the 2-percent cap, and the average South Orange home will pay about $18 more per year.

Earlier in the budget process, Superintendent John Ramos had said that using the banked cap would be a “painful option” for the district, as it would add to the operating budget — an addition that would likely need to be maintained the following year without that banked cap on which to rely. The $409,103 of banked cap from the 2013-2014 school year, if the board had not decided to use it, would have disappeared after this year, as there is a three-year limit on banked cap.

Despite raising taxes and using banked cap, there are still some drastic staffing cuts coming. While the district had originally been discussing cutting 19 or 20 staff members, the banked cap was able to save some of those jobs, specifically at the elementary school level. Nevertheless, the district is planning to reduce its workforce by 15 positions.

At the districtwide level, two supervisors and one secretary will be cut, while a learning disabilities teacher consultant is being added to deal with increased number of special education referrals; this leaves a district net reduction of two positions. At the elementary school level, one instructional coach is being cut, but three classroom teachers and one special education teacher are being added, leaving the elementary level with a net increase of three positions. At the middle school level, two teachers and one media specialist are being cut, with one behavioral specialist being added; this leaves a net reduction of two positions at the middle school level.

And, at the high school, there will be no additions, however there will be a net reduction of 14 positions, including one guidance counselor, one media specialist, one dean, two deans’ secretaries and nine teachers — two math, two science, one English language arts, one social studies, one physical education and two world languages.

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall University recently honored its 2016 cohort of Faculty Researchers of the Year, recognizing six faculty members from the South Orange and Maplewood area for their leadership and courage in the pursuit of new knowledge.

This year’s local Researcher of the Year honorees include:

• Charles Sullivan of Maplewood and Timothy Glynn of South Orange, both of the School of Law, worked as a team on an article concerning the Federal Arbitration Act, which used the conceit of a mythical Supreme Court case. They also collaborate on a textbook of employment law and publish widely individually and with other legal scholars.
• The Rev. Thomas Guarino of South Orange and of the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, with a colleague recently published a book reflecting on 20 years of conversation between Catholics and Evangelical Christians. Guarino has already contributed to a podcast, guest lectures at other institutions, and journal websites discussing his book and the topic in general.
• Maplewood resident Alisa Hindin and Warren resident Mary Mueller, both of the College of Education and Human Services, were nominated as a team and recently collaborated on a well-received book about involving parents in school boards, which has also been the topic of co-authored articles.
• South Orange resident Weining Wang of the College of Arts and Sciences has developed a state-of-the-art solar cell library and publishes on the effectiveness of solar cells in top journals of materials science.

The other side of research is teaching, and the University also awarded Faculty Teacher of the Year honors and recognized Faculty Adjunct Teachers of the Year.

The local Teachers of the Year honorees include:

• West Orange resident Thomas Rondinella of the College of Communication and the Arts, who was honored for his teaching in introduction to visual theory, digital cinema production and others; and
• Bloomfield resident Jillian Guinto of the College of Education and Human Services, another Adjunct Faculty of the Year honoree noted for her teaching of dance fundamentals.

Among the benefits of both awards are a development fund from which faculty can draw to attend conferences on teaching or research, to obtain equipment or publications relevant to their specialties, and other support purposes.

Photos Courtesy of Brian Bozzo

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Students from the Thelma K. Reisman Preschool of Congregation Beth El personally delivered a donation of $150 to Beth Halliday of South Orange Public Library in honor of the library’s 150th birthday. On Sunday, May 15, at 1 p.m. the library will officially open the in-house timeline, which places the library’s history in context of events in South Orange, the nation and the world. Children and adults are invited to share their ideas of the library for the future.

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Kopecky