Student honors

Hillsborough students receive awards

from county school officials group
By:Sally Goldenberg
Jeff Pagano helps feed local poor
   Jeff Pagano has spent days before Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter over the past three years assisting the township Social Services Department with food drives. To recognize his community service, the Board of Education awarded him the Somerset County School Boards Association annual Student Recognition Award.

   Jeff, an eighth-grade student at Hillsborough Middle School, worked on community projects and school fundraisers during his three consecutive years on the student council executive board, advisors said.


Jonathan Schwarz earns
high marks in all endeavors



   When Jonathan Schwarz was in second grade, he was placed in a special education program at the Amsterdam School in Hillsborough.

   Inaccurately diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder before his parents learned he was afflicted with Asperger Syndrome, Mr. Schwarz spent his first few years in the district school system in special education classes, said his mother, Sandy Schwarz.

   But next month the Hillsborough High School senior will receive a diploma after completing four years of mainstream education in the high school with a 93.8 Grade Point Average.

   "That is something I am extremely proud of," he said, referring to his GPA, which the Board of Education recently recognized. Mr. Schwarz was the Hillsborough High School recipient of the Somerset County School Boards Association annual Student Achievement Award, which is offered to two students in each district.

   Asperger Syndrome, which some researchers refer to as "high-functioning autism," is a neurological disorder manifested in social and communication skills, according to an article titled "What Is Asperger Syndrome" by Barbara L. Kirby.

   "Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest," according to the article.

   Learning difficulties plagued Mr. Schwarz’s youth, particularly in mathematics, Ms. Schwarz said.

   "Jonathan always had a learning disability. He was a little bit slower to learn things. He had to be kind of redirected. The focus would go," she said.

   But special education courses and the accessibility to tutors in the high school resource room have given him the tools to excel academically, she added.

   "I thought he was very well prepared by the time he moved into a regular class," she said.

   Shannon Tunney, a high school math teacher who taught Mr. Schwarz for four years, noted his progress.

   "In working with Jonathan, I have found him to be an extremely motivated and hardworking student. Jonathan’s consistent hard work and determination is reflected in his grade reports," Ms. Tunney wrote in a letter to the Hillsborough Beacon.

   Though he once saw mathematics as an obstacle, Mr. Schwarz plans to study pharmacy at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania next fall.

   Ms. Schwarz said her son’s academic progress, also marked by his enrollment in the high school National Honor Society, is only one component of his improvement in school.

   Mr. Schwarz can comfortably interact with his peers – something he did not do as a younger child, she said.

   "When he was younger, I don’t think he knew how to play. I think he kind of had to be taught how to play. He would just be in a world of his own," she said.

   These days, Mr. Schwarz said his busy schedule mixes academics, extracurricular activities, employment at the CVS on Auten Road and social engagements.

   "I’ve made major progress with that. I now have a bunch of friends," he said, noting he goes out to dinner with co-workers, attends youth group trips with his church, Mother Mary of God, and participates in the planning of Project Graduation — an all-night party for graduating seniors.

   And while he was the victim of minor bullying incidents in his early high school years, he said he is comfortable with his peers nowadays.

   "I understand it’s OK to be different," he said. "That’s one of the things that makes our world so good."

   "To look at Jeff Pagano, he seems just like an ordinary eighth grader. However, there is a side to Jeff that not many know about. This quiet, hard-working young man has progressively developed into a strong leader within our school community," read a statement written by Debra and Ed Porowski, student council advisors.

   Middle school Principal Bob DelPrete read the statement to the board at its Monday night meeting.

   Ms. and Mr. Porowski nominated Jeff for the award, which is available to one middle and high school student in every district of the county, because of his consistent dedication to the council, which Ms. Porowski called a "rarity."

   "He’s been so strong and consistent," she said.

   Executive officers are chosen collaboratively by advisors and students in the 80-member council.

   "It’s indicative of him being a really strong leader," Mr. Porowski said of Jeff’s consistent service to the council, which conducts fundraisers for the school and requires each member to participate in 10 hours of community service a year.

   Jeff said his work with Social Services, which filled the requirement, involved packing the cars of charity recipients with non-perishable food donated by members of the community.

   "I just do it ’cause it makes me feel good, and to help other people," he said.

   Social Services Director Mary Ellen Stahley said she depends on Jeff’s help during the holidays.

   He has assisted in packing food and distributing it among the cars during the three annual drives and never declines to volunteer, Ms. Stahley said.

   "He’s a very quiet kid, very unassuming. But he’s wonderful. I know I can count on him," she said.

   Jeff’s dedication is colored by modesty about his work, the advisors said. Calling him an "unsung hero" of the school, they noted his humble nature.

   "He’s sort of in the background," Ms. Porowski said.

   According to the statement read before the board, "Jeff may be in the background of many activities within the school, but it is his quiet presence that makes him stand out as one of our future community leaders."