Letters-April 7, 2005

KidsFirst

running for board
To the editor:
   I am writing in response to letters and articles detailing the decision-making processes of our local school boards and districts around different financial issues.
   My name is Megan O’Brien, and I have decided to run for school board in the New Hope-Solebury School District.
   A group of frustrated citizens within the district decided to meet and discuss our concerns. We found we shared some common ground regarding our concerns.
   At the same time, we found with our varied backgrounds of skills and talents, we approached problem-solving and decision-making from different angles, which made for effective and comprehensive discussion around the issues.
   In our district, there are six school board positions available. Five other members of the group and I have decided to run for the school board. The group includes Tamara Baldasari, Bill Behre, Maggie Depp, Amanda Elefante, Carl Glassman and myself.
   We have created a Web site where you can explore many topics presently facing our school board. We call our group KidsFirst.
   One major concern we have is how our community’s financial resources are being used within the district, including the amount of district employees’ salaries. You can view our Web site at www.nhskidsfirst.com. We welcome feedback as to how others have effected positive change in their school district as well as the problems you are presently facing.

Megan O’Brien
Solebury

Partners

in service
To the editor:
   There is a woman with a secret in your church or synagogue or maybe even next door.
   Her secret is, despite her happy demeanor, her husband is emotionally and/or physically abusing her. And you think, "Who is he talking about? Everybody looks fine Sunday mornings or Friday evenings." Even worse, she has nowhere safe to turn.
   The secret, the pain, the fear and the irony of being in a "sanctuary" go on and on.
   In a new and unprecedented effort, Women’s Crisis Services is reaching out to faith communities to seek their partnership as "Houses of Peace and Houses of Shalom."
   It is an ecumenical effort to ask faith communities all around Hunterdon County to serve as our partners in the form of "Houses of Peace and Houses of Shalom." It appears to be the first outreach of its kind in the state.
   In order to be designated by the agency as a House of Peace or House of Shalom — based on tradition, i.e. Christian or Jewish — faith communities must pledge to fulfill requirements such as refer victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to Women’s Crisis Services’ free programs, educating congregation members about domestic violence, encouraging members to teach peace in their lives and homes as well as to volunteer for the agency, make agency literature available, linking the congregation’s Web site to the agency’s and others.
   In the letter we have sent to faith community leaders, I quoted Isaiah 42:7, which says, "To bring out the prisoners from the dungeons, from the prison, those who sit in darkness."
   There are too many mothers, sisters and daughters sitting in the dark prisons of domestic violence here in Hunterdon County. This partnership will open many prisons and bring light to many lives.
   The genesis for the idea came from a strategic plan that calls for building more and formal community partnerships as well as the recognition of shared goals.
   As an agency, we realized we needed to increase the awareness about our work as well as an understanding as to how congregations can assist in our work. Several congregations have been very financially supportive. The Houses of Peace and Shalom is about partnering in service.
   We (Women’s Crisis Services and congregations) share much in common in terms of answering the call to be compassionate and to seek peace and liberation. Therefore, this type of partnership can only bear much fruit for each other.
   At this week’s services, tell your priest, pastor or rabbi about how your house of worship can become a House of Peace or House of Shalom.
   We have a beautiful vision that, thanks to this new partnership, one day soon, in neighborhoods and communities across Hunterdon County, women, children and families will have recognized "sanctuaries" to which to turn in times of crisis, and more and more families will be purposefully teaching peace in their homes.
   I am vice chairman of the Women’s Crisis Services board as well as chairman of its community relations committee. I serve as pastor of the Lebanon Reformed Church in Lebanon Borough.
   I can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

The Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Lebanon

Pageant staged

with churches
To the editor:
   The Good Friday program was presented at the First Baptist Church of Lambertville.
   I have sponsored this pageant for 48 years.
   At many churches, the pageant is done in music for each of 14 stations, beginning with Jesus becoming condemned to death and ending with his body placed in the tomb.
   It started with meditation being read by Frank Pedalino, narration being done by the Rev. Chuck Wilson of New Hope Community Church, the prayer of salvation read by the Rev. Mary Catron, the associate minister of St. Phillips Church, and ended with Tony Shiron singing "How Great Thou Art."
   Joan Chatman from the Second Baptist Church in Doylestown, Pa., led the march of 14 cast members and some of the congregation to the music of "We are Soldiers of the Cross."
   Music was provided by Sue King, Mrs. Robert King and Robert Gaydas from St. Phillips Chapel, Lucy Bartiett and Coro Johnson from New Fellowship Church, Laura Lozinski and her daughter from New Hope Community Church, Brenda Reason and Robert Gaydas from Old Rocks Church, Lew Taylor.
   Deacon George Warner from First Presbyterian in Lambertville was the pianist for the program.
   Ushers for the program included Robert Shelby, Jim Conover, Richard McDonough and Victor D. Lance.
   Guests were the following pastors and members from their church: the Rev. Roney Daniels-James from New Fellowship Church in Princeton, Sister Roberta Martin from True Servant Worship Church in Trenton, the Rev. David Errickson from Old Rocks Church, the Rev. Wilson, the Rev. Kyle St. Clair from St. Phillips Chapel, Stockton Wesleyan, Linda Stampoukas, Hunterdon Prevention Resources, Trinity Episcopal Church, Washington Crossing Assembly, Second Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, Dr. and Mrs. Heydember and son of Richlandtown, Pa., Mayor David Del Vecchio and guest of Lambertville, Lambertville senior citizens and many other guests.
   Also, Joan Randolph of C.A. Niece Lumber took time away from her busy schedule to decorate the church sanctuary with flowers from Blue Ribbons Florist in Hamilton and bows made by herself. She set the tables with refreshments in the Fellowship Hall.
   She really worked hard for this 48-year-old program. Thanks, Joan, you are OK.
   Thank you to Lambertville Police Department for a good job helping the guests across the streets. Thank you to Director Bruce Cocuzza.
   A donation of $706.62 went to the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad, and a donation was made to the building fund of the church.
   Many thanks to all the guests.

Allonia K. Thompson
Lambertville

Children need

education choice
To the editor:
   The School Report Card annually provides those who are interested in education with a wealth of information about the performance of their school in their district.
   At the West Amwell Elementary School, the cost to educate one pupil reads $10,898, which is 4 percent lower than the previous year. The corresponding South Hunterdon High School, likewise in West Amwell, needs $16,544 to educate one pupil, up by 9 percent.
   The rate of inflation and most pay increases except in the field of education ran in 2004 between 2 and 3 percent.
   The test scores at the elementary school in West Amwell showed up in the 90s, which qualified the school to be in top 10 percent in achievement of all elementary schools in that economic group in New Jersey.
   South Hunterdon district belongs to the economic group FG. All those who work and teach at West Amwell Elementary School deserve to be congratulated for their effort and continued success in the future. This includes the PTO and Board of Education at that school and not least the parents. Your very good performance did not go completely unnoticed!
   The scores at the high school unfortunately fell by at least 5 percent over the previous year. When an official in West Amwell was told about the cost per pupil and the test scores at the high school, he suggested to give the parents of every child a voucher in the amount it takes to educate a student at South. This does not represent a new idea.
   Already two years ago, a lady from Lambertville in a letter to The Beacon wrote exactly the same. Nobody in the community responded.
   This action will solve two problems: the allegedly poorly maintained building of the high school and the rather limited level of education at the high school.
   I think every parent and especially every child deserve a choice for a good education.

Gisbert Manskopf
West Amwell