In this issue . . .
- HMHS Alums in the NY Times
- HMHS Beautification Project put on Hold
- Haddonfield Schools Adapting to Home Instruction
- Upcoming Events and Reunions
HMHS Alums in the NY Times
It is not often that a school can proclaim that two of their alumni were prominently featured in the New York Times on the same day. HMHS can today, 3/25/20. Check out the work of Josh Katz and Matthew Milliner below:
 Josh Katz is a graphics editor for The New York Times, where he covers politics, sports and culture for The Upshot. He is the author of "Speaking American: How Y’all, Youse, and You Guys Talk," a visual exploration of American regional dialects, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2016. Josh studied political science and philosophy at Drew University and earned his master's degree in statistics from N.C. State University. Josh joined The Times in 2013. He has been tracking the corona virus and his graph will update daily.
Click here to view the graph Josh Katz is updating daily.
 Matthew Milliner is Associate Professor of Art History at Wheaton College. After serving as Director of Youth Ministries at Media Presbyterian Church (Media, PA), he received an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from Princeton University. His forthcoming book is The Last Madonna: Origin and Insight of a Global Icon, and he is a current member of the Curatorial Advisory Board of the United States Senate.
Click here to view an article Matthew Milliner wrote.
Beautification Project Slated to be Completed April 19 stalled by COVID-19
The “Stadium Courtyard/Legacy Walk” at the entrance to the stadium on Sylvan Lake Avenue was scheduled to be started and finished during spring break, April 10-19. Michael Catalano, Assistant Business Administrator explained that, “The project had gone out to bid in early February and the bids were opened in early March. While the contractor is ready to go, the vendor supplying the engraved pavers was forced to stop production due to the coronavirus”.
While we won’t be seeing the finished project on April 19th, an illustration of what this area will look like can be found on the HET website (figure 2). In addition to engraved brick pavers, this area will include plants and benches and will be a much more attractive and welcoming entry to the field and stadium. Approximately $200,000 has been raised by the HMHS Beautification Committee to complete this project, renovate existing gardens and create new spaces at the high school.
“The original idea for an HMHS Beautification Committee was proposed by Maureen Eyles, Haddonfield parent and former member of the Board of Education,” said Joe Serico, president of the Haddonfield Alumni Society (HAS) and current chair of the committee. “Near the completion of the 2016 referendum, she looked around the high school rounds and thought, ‘The referendum plans spelled out for our facilities are fine, but there are a few other places that need improvement that are not included in those plans.’”
Eyles convened a committee and helped get the project started with a Thanksgiving fundraiser.
Fundraising has been the focus of the committee for the past two years, and many individuals associated with both the HAS and the Haddonfield Educational Trust (HET) have sustained these efforts. Major projects included two HET Golf tournaments and two Alumni Pig Roasts. Serico noted, “The pig roast was a great social gathering for the alumni and the community. We are so blessed to have such generous alums like Brad Spence, Dan Smith, Brian Needham, Drew Perry, John Dalsey, Lisa and Chris Wolschina, Tom, Carolina and Michael Alberico, all of whom contributed to the success of this event.
The HAS has raised some $45,000 through these first two annual pig roasts. Some of that funding has been dedicated specifically to purchase pavers on the “Legacy Walk” in recognition of the 108 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients honored over the past 26 years by the Alumni Society. Other significant alumni contributions were made by track and field alumni who raised money for the project and in the process honored Coaches Nick and Maureen Baker and individual alumni contributors who supported the courtyard gardens and the “Legacy Walk”’.
The HET has contributed $50,000, raised through their golf tournaments in 2018 and 2019. Those funds are dedicated specifically for an upcoming project to be named in honor of alumna Sarah Tarditi Gallagher. The Committee is continuing to work with the school district administration to determine the location of that garden. The original plans were put on hold as the district had to do some additional construction in the area intended for the garden. The Beautification committee is particularly grateful to alumna Chrissy Nelson Del Duca for her efforts in co-chairing the tournament with former Mayor Jack Tarditi.
“One person in particular deserves special recognition for her dedication to these projects, and that is Lynn Raus, landscape architect and Haddonfield parent,” said Serico. “She has been the designer of the hardscape project, the main courtyard gardens and the gardens at the front of the school. She has also been a point person with the engineers and contractors leading up to the bid process. Indispensable would not be an exaggeration of her importance to the project”.
We will continue to update you as the construction project takes shape. If you are interested in commemorating someone on the Legacy Walk or would like to explore other sponsorship opportunities to support these efforts, please use the link below to find additional details.
Click here to help support the Legacy Walk.
Haddonfield Schools Adapting to Home Instruction
Some of you may be curious about how your alma mater is adjusting to the threat of COVID-19. As you might imagine spring sports are on hold, dances and social activities have been postponed, and the usual excitement of the final days of high school has certainly been curtailed for seniors. If there is a bright side it might be in the brilliant and resourceful way that teachers, students and parents have responded to the crisis. The note below is from a very recent update to the community from the school district.
Perhaps better than any other school district in the area, our community has reacted quickly and enthusiastically to the complexities of remote teaching and learning. With only one official day of training, Haddonfield teachers have converted their daily instruction to a virtual format. Parents responded to the crisis by creating at-home learning spaces, following daily schedules, and actively supporting their younger students. At every level and in every department, we have consistently risen to challenges we never expected to face.
In fact, during our first week of remote instruction, many different members of the Haddonfield community and our district staff have commented on the positive messages, photos and videos shared on social media. We have posted morning meetings, dance competitions, jokes of the day, principal challenges, our physical set-ups for homeschooling, completed projects, theme days, faculty meetings, daily schedules, and so much more. We have shared ideas for academic lessons, enrichment activities, physical exercise and organizational plans. Individuals have held free online Zumba classes and art lessons. We have been working together to help one another and to remain connected, albeit virtually.
It certainly seems encouraging and perhaps this may spur some greater innovation on the part of faculty and students. Well done all.
Reunion Planning and Class Organization
Are you tasked with communicating and organizing your class or reunion? Here you will find everything you need . . .
- Contact us if you are the primary contact for your Class to gain access to update the news, events, and pictures on your Class page, as well as to be able to send email blasts and create profiles. We already have contacts for many classes.
- You can also post a discussion about your reunion in the message boards (look for your Class forum) under Class Notes, Reunions and Get-Togethers.
So what are you waiting for? Start planning, organizing and sharing your event today!
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The Haddonfield Alumni Society (HAS) newsletter shares information about the alumni community and the continued good work in the Haddonfield public schools.
Update: Eighty-two alumni are now listed as class coordinators to help get information out to you about reunions, events and news. If your profile doesn't have an agent icon, let us know to add you.
