About Town: New Format Starting Next Week

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 weekend the Franklin School PTA presented a three day performance of "Guys and Dolls." More than 112 children from Franklin participated in the show, either on stage or behind the scenes as part of the technical crew. The school had only six weeks to get the performance together and had to withstand many challenges with the weather. The production was a resounding success. Many thanks to all the children who participated and to the director, Kathy DePhilips, musical director, Jayne Myers, choreographer, Nicole Blomfield, and producer, Patricia Michaels.

Summit Students Heading to Syracuse University

The following area residents are among the approximately 3,600 new students who have enrolled at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY, for the 2010-11 academic year. Syracuse's new students are studying from among the more than 200 majors offered at the institution. 

Chartered in 1870 as a private, coeducational institution of higher education, Syracuse University is propelled by the bold idea of Scholarship in Action —education that is not static, but the living expression of insight that drives change. As a leading national research university of more than 19,000 full- and part-time students from all 50 states and 90 countries, it is a place where students become leaders, teachers, and collaborators and where the community is continually impacted by the energy of new ideas.

Congratulations to the following Summit students:

• Sarah Bern enrolled in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

• Benjamin Bondy enrolled in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

• Griffin Dottle enrolled in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

• Anna Kuskin enrolled in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

• Christopher Meier of Summit, NJ 07901, enrolled in SU’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

• Carolyn Steinberg enrolled in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts and School of Education.

Summit students make the dean’s list at Quinnipiac University

The following Summit students made the dean’s list for the Fall 2010 semester at Quinnipiac University:

• Alyssa Fine
• Robert Hendricks
• Joseph Marmorato.

Well done, Hilltoppers!

PLANNING HAS BEGUN FOR LCJSMS FAMILY FUN NIGHT

April Fool's Day is the date of Family Fun Night this year at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Planning has begun to set the stage for fun for the hundreds of kids and parents who attend the PTO's largest fundraiser of the year. One of the signature events is the Tin Can Raffle. Items are gratefully accepted, or donations can be made to offset the purchase of items from the following wish list:

iPad, iTouch, Apple TV, Apple laptop, Small flat-screen TV, Nerf products, Oakley sunglasses, Uggs, Vera Bradley accessories, Coach items, Flip camera or video camera, Tickets to the theater or to sporting events, Gift cards (Short Hills Mall, Summit downtown stores, restaurants, iTunes, Gamestop), Boys & Girls LAX equipment, Baseball anything

There is a box in the middle school main office where you can drop off donated items, or contact Sarah Kaplan to arrange for pick up at sarahf@panix.com. If you would like to make a cash donation, please make your check out to: LCJSMS PTO and indicate "Family Fun Night Raffle" on the memo line.  They would like donations in by February 28th. Many thanks for your time and effort. 

Introducing the Oratory Prep Summer Academy Mobile Classes

Oratory Prep Summer Academy will offer top notch educational, recreational, and athletic programs this summer open to all students. Since the program is open to the local community, they are able to offer more exciting courses.

The Academy will run during the weeks of June 27, July 11, 18, and 25, as well as August 1. Both OP staff and local organizations will team up to offer athletic camps in soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. They will also offer traditional, online, and mobile "on the go" courses for every type of learner and interest. 

For Students Entering Grades 7-9:  Washington D.C. Trip: Partnering with the Close Up Foundation:   http://www.closeup.org/

This course runs from June 27-July 1, 2011, and will be taught by experienced OP educators. Classes in Democracy and Government will be held on OP Campus on June 27 and July 1.  The D.C. experience is from June 28-30, 2011

Students partake in hands on civic education programs and workshops in Washington D.C. OP teachers will accompany the students to D.C. 

Students view our Democracy “in action” with visits to the Capitol Building, White House, and other legislative buildings. There will be exciting visits to all D.C. monuments, buildings, and memorials. Dinner and lunches are planned across D.C. and Virginia. This is not a “sightseeing tour.” Students will be interacting with other students from across the country and Puerto Rico, and participating in numerous activities relating to our democracy/government.

There will be an information session for the Washington D.C. Experience with Lindsay Greenberg of the Close Up Foundation on February 15, at 7:00p.m. at OP. 

There will be another information session on the Oratory Prep Summer Academy on March 10, at 6:30-8:30p.m.

Early Bird Registration Discounts will be awarded those evenings. The Summer Academy is co-ed for students entering grades 5-12.

For more information, contact Matthew Klarmann or Bill Martin, Academy Directors at Oratory Prep at summeracademy@oratoryprep.org.

Art Center Announces 2011 Youth Summer Programs

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey announces its 2011 summer camp and programs for kids and teens. Registration can be completed online at or in person at the Front Desk or the Registrar.

This year the Kids Art Camp is now open to children ages 5-12. Children develop an appreciation of the visual arts through a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. One of four themes will be investigated during each of the eight summer camp sessions: Imagination Exploration—new for 2011—encourages kids to bring creative thoughts to life; Mini-Masters asks students to develop art projects based upon styles of well-known artists; Art & Nature—also new for 2011—explores the natural world through eco-friendly projects; and Art Around the Globe takes students on a journey to understand how different countries celebrate and create art.

Teen Art Camp is for ages 13-15 and is led by instructors experienced working with young people. An appealing array of creative projects, including landscape painting, portraiture, wheel thrown pottery, digital imaging using Photoshop, and mixed media collages are geared toward enhancing the skills of the maturing artist.

Both Kids and Teen Art Camps run in 1-week sessions from 10 am-3 pm for 8 weeks, beginning July 5 and ending August 26. Friday exhibitions of the campers’ artwork will be displayed throughout the Art Center’s first and second-floor strolling galleries for family viewing. Since a different program is offered each week, parents may register their children for as many weeks as they wish. 

For children unable to attend the weekday camp, a Summer Saturday Art Camp for ages 6-9 will be offered July 9-August 27 from 10 am- 1 pm. During the eight sessions, campers will create two projects per day based on projects completed during the previous week of Kids’ Art Camp.

Teens may also participate in Portfolio Development Intensive, a four-week program for students ages 16-18 who wish to develop their entrance portfolios for submission to fine arts colleges. Beginning July 11 and ending August 5, this program is based on the curriculums and portfolio requirements of the leading fine arts schools. Each session runs Monday-Friday from 12-4 pm and covers a specific topic: perspective and spatial illusion; still life; figure studies and life drawing; and modern painting techniques. Demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and art history lessons complement studio instruction. Each session concludes with a class critique to which parents/guardians are invited. Attendance at all four sessions is not required. 

More at the VAC...

 On February 10, 7:30-9 pm, is the third Thursday Evening Salon Series event:

Why Does The Music Sound Yellow? Adventures in Synaesthesia

Presented by Kevin Kiddoo, Adjunct Professor of Art History, College of St. Elizabeth

Synaesthesia is the experiencing of feelings in one sense while a different sensory area is being stimulated, such as associating sounds with different colors. This sensory phenomenon has profoundly impacted modern art. Kevin Kiddoo will explore this extraordinary commingling of the senses from the paintings of Hockney to the experimental films of Fischinger to the music of Schoenberg.

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Call (908) 273-9121 to reserve a seat.