Seasonal transitions occur in most areas of the world, especially in the North Eastern region of the Unites States. The visible changes become tangible evidence that time continues to push onward even if we are unable to grasp the complex theory of time entirely. Understanding the importance of seasonal changes is important when using them as guidelines for emotional and physical well being. Four primary seasons are usually recognized. However, late summer or Indian Summer, should be recognized as a fifth season for its importance and the changes it brings into our world, even though it is …

Ryan Sebastian of the Elie Swim Club places 1st at the NJ USA JO Championships Fourteen year old Ryan Sebastian, swimming for the Elite Swim Club of Summit placed first overall in the High Point Award Race (13-14 age group) at the 2011 NJ Short Course Junior Olympic Championships held March 18 though March 20  at Rutgers. Sebastian took home the gold in the 200 & 400 Individual Medley, 100 Backstroke and 200 Butterfly. He placed second in the 200 Backstroke & Breaststroke. And placed third in the 100 Butterfly, 100 Breaststroke and 500 Freestyle. Five of his swims were "Sectional Qualifying …

CONGRATS, HILLTOPPERS! The Summit High School Junior Varsity girls basketball team won the Union County Championship against A. L. Johnson, 29-24. The finals were played at Kean University. TWENTY YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE SUMMIT FIRST AID SQUAD Ken Herr received a plaque recently commemorating 20 years of volunteer service to the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad from President, Steve Mortenson. Herr is currently a Crew Chief for the Thursday night shift. During his years of active service, Ken has also served as both treasurer and President of the Summit Squad. “Ken’s dedication to the Squad …

Estelle Fournier Brings "Joie de Vivre" to Summit, Giving of Her Time and Talents, Making Summit A Better Place to Live Estelle Fournier came to the United States from France (via Spain) and brought her “can do” attitude with her. As a young woman, she didn’t think her parents would allow her to head off to America, so she enrolled in a Catholic school, the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain, majoring in journalism, knowing they would support that endeavor. Purely by coincidence, she met her future (American) husband Alberto, in Spain while he was in medical school, and her desire to …

About Town - Changing to a Weekly Column To my faithful followers, the format of the About Town column is changing. Instead of daily, the column will now appear once weekly, on Tuesdays.  All the great human interest photos and stories will still be the main focus, along with a comprehensive look, or "feature" if you will, of one of our Summit residents or employees. Feel free to send me your suggestions and continue to send me your photos and stories to post. Look for next week's About Town where I will showcase one fabulous woman! Franklin Elementary School Puts on "Guys and Dolls" Last …

LAST DAY TO VIEW LEGO CREATIONS IN COLDWELL BANKER WINDOWS Can you imagine the historic landmarks of Summit created in Legos? Well you don't have to imagine what that would look like–go see for yourself in the windows of the Coldwell Banker Office downtown, 401 Springfield Avenue. For the fifth year, Coldwell Banker sponsored the event to benefit the Historical Society, where residents were invited to use 60,000 legos to recreate some of Summit's most recognizable and historic buildings at Washington School. The buildings are on display through today until 5 p.m., so see them before they …

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS RAISE FUNDS IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL RYDER The Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School Hoops for Heart event, held at the school during physical educaton classes January 20, raised $3,245 for the American Heart Association. The event was coordinated by physical education teachers Anthony Ferrate and Lorie Zuchowski. The funds were donated in memory of the late Michael Ryder, who had been the industrial arts teacher at the school. Students reached out to friends and family for donations to sponsor their Hoops for Heart activities. "Both Mr. Ferrante and I would like to thank all …

PUNXSUTAENEY PHIL'S 125 PROGNOSTICATION Coinciding with the Catholic holiday of Candlemas, the Celtic celebration of Brigid (St. Brigid in the Christian Church) and the neo-pagan celebration of Imbolc, February 2 marks the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. As such the date marks a time of purification and initiation before the advent of technology when past experience and animal behavior, such as that of the badger and later the groundhog, were used to predict the future and guide human activities. The celebration of Groundhog Day …

RACE TO NOWHERE OR TIGER MOM? Dr. Cheryl Moretz, Principal of Brayton Elementary, along with the Brayton PTO, organized  screening of "Race to Nowehere" at Summit High School last night for the greater public as its content hits a lot of "hot" buttons and is earning recognition across the country. However, this week the "Tiger Mom" has been in the news a lot as well, so with which side do we align? Are we putting too much pressure to succeed on our kids, emphasising the almighty grades and test scores as markers for achievement? Or, are we Westerners too soft with our children, not strict …

WinterFeAst Photos from Twin Maples The Connection for Women and Families thought "outside the box" this year for its annual fund raising effort to benefit its Scholarship Fund. Due to construction, the Connection could not be the venue for the annual party. Instead, the committee, chaired by Gina Owens and Elizabeth Fagan, decided to ask individuals to host private parties and ask for donations that would directly benefit the Connection. Over three weekends, there will be 13 individual parties with various hosts, venues and themes, where all proceeds go towards the Scholarship Fund. This …

"PACK THE RINK" Saturday, February 5 at Union Sports Arena Cheer on our Summit hockey team as they face Chatham, a fierce rival. "Pack the Rink" on Saturday, Feb 5, at 6:20 p.m. at Union Sports Arena (USA), 2441-A Route 22 West. Teen Arts Festival Submission Deadline Approaching Attention all student writers, artists, and performers: It's time to consider your entry into the 39th annual Teen Arts Festival. This year's festival will be held at Governor Livingston High School on March 4 and 5. Remember, the festival is not only for visual arts such at painting, photography, and ceramics, but …

ALL SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE IS CANCELLED TODAY Today is a good old fashioned snow day! If you do get out, don't expect business as usual. The Connection is closed for all classes and activities. The YMCA is open though, except for the evening Zumba class. The screening of the movie, "Race to Nowhere," has been rescheduled for Monday, January 31, at 7 p.m. at the Summit High School auditorium. The screening is completely sold out, so the school is encouraging people to carpool as there will not be adequate parking for everyone. If and when you get shoveled out, enjoy …

SUMMIT SQUAD JUNIOR RECOGNIZED AS A HERO Greg Vartan, a member of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad Junior Program, was presented with a hero honoree award at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service celebration last week. The honoree award was based on an essay submitted by Liam Dwyer, a Summit Middle School student. In his winning essay on heroism, Liam described Greg's courageous efforts to revive beloved middle school teacher, Mike Ryder, during the annual Stokes retreat last fall. “Greg deserves recognition for stepping up in a very difficult situation," said Squad Captain Kari …

Atlantic Health has just been selected for FORTUNE magazine’s 2011 “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the third year in a row. As a result, Chief Executive Officeer Joseph Trunfio, was one of a group of CEOs from companies who joined FORTUNE and The Great Place to Work Institute to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. FREE PROGRAMS FOR SUMMIT TEENS According to its website, the Department of Community Programs has established several creative collaborations with local organizations and has made these exciting programs available to Summit’s youth for FREE!  …

HAT TAVERN OPENS TO THE PUBLIC TUESDAY, JANUARY 25 Located in The Grand Summit Hotel, The HAT Tavern is South Florida Celebrity Chef Tony Sindaco’s latest new concept, scheduled to open January 25, 2011. Sindaco, former Chef and Owner of Fort Lauderdale’s critically acclaimed Sunfish Grill, has developed an exciting new menu for the HAT Tavern, concentrating on the perfect hamburger, according to the restaurant's website. The name HAT captures the rich history of the hotel as the original owner’s name HATT was immortalized in brick on the front façade of hotel. The subsequent owner, real …

COULD A SEED MAKE YOU HEALTHIER? An avid exerciser and mother of four, Amy McCarthy assumed it was natural to feel exhausted by the end of the day. However, a friend encouraged her to try a natural food product, a seed called Mila, and her life has improved greatly. She has more energy and finds herself not longing to retire for the evening at 8:30 p.m. After much research and due diligence, Amy was so impressed with the results of her findings, and the way she felt, that she wanted to share it with her family and friends. Educating people about the benefits of Omega-3's was not too difficult…

J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS! Mayor Jordan Glatt extended his good wished for the New York Jets and their Hilltopper coach Rex Ryan at Tuesday's meeting of common council. Take a listen to what he had to say. Oh, and there will be a send-off pep rally in Florham Park on Saturday for the team. MARK JONES MAKES HISTORY The Summit High School winter track team competed in the Group 2 State Relay championships this past Sunday. The boys placed seventh overall and Mark Jones made history by clearing 7 ft. in the high jump, only the ninth athlete in state history to accomplish that feat. Jones is …

BAR METHOD OWNERS GIVE BACK WITH THANKS Bar Method owners Angie Comiteau and Jen Hedrick wanted to thank their loyal clients this year during the holidays so they decided to donate to a local charity on their behalf. “This holiday season we decided to give a gift to a local organization," said Comiteau. "We chose Bridges because they're so close to home and so close to our heart. Our kids have made brown bag lunches for Bridges and we know many friends/neighbors who have driven to Newark to deliver them. We love the message and the local outreach of Bridges. We love that they make a …

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLVES, ER–SWIM TEAM The Summit High School swim team, and apparently many of the other sports teams, get together for pre-meet, or pre-game dinners, the evening before. Who hosts this you ask? Parents of course! The host parent provides a substantial main course, usually a stick-to-your-ribs type meal, like pasta. Then, other team members fill in the rest of the meal with salad, side dishes, bread, dessert, and drinks. This "team bonding" meal goes a long way to "pump you up for your competition," states swim team member Catie Currie. Typically the JV and varsity swim team …

SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION: LACROSSE Don't miss the registration for the Summit Lacrosse Club's recreational, intramural and travel lacrosse programs.  According to the SLC website: The season is in the spring with sign ups in the late fall. We offer a 6 week clinic for boys and girls in first grade, lacrosse instruction for boys and girls in grades 2 - 4, and teams with games played against other town teams for boys and girls in grades 5 - 8. Registration for the 2011 season is open through January  30. Registration for the 2011 spring season for Summit boys and girls in the first through …