School district honors key volunteers with awards

Honorees are Trish Delehey, Cathy Patnick and Jim and Ellen Lebbad

By John Tredrea
   Four school district residents who have volunteered much time, effort and expertise to local schools were honored by the Hopewell Valley school board with "You Make a Difference" awards at the board’s May 15 meeting.
   The honorees are Trish Delehey, Cathy Patnick and Jim and Ellen Lebbad.
   For the past several years Trish Delehey has been a key contributor to the business department at Hopewell Valley Central High School. Working with teacher Bob Crognale, she devised a program with volunteers from the Princeton Chamber of Commerce to help students create and market their own business strategies.
   In another popular experience arranged by Ms. Delehey, whose husband Charles is a state Superior Court judge in Trenton, students spend a full day in the Mercer County court system, sitting in on a court case, visiting the jail and meeting with key participants in the judicial system. Year after year, students have termed this opportunity as one of the most memorable experiences in their high school career.
   Ms. Delehey also has set up the "What It Means To Be 18" program with Mr. Crognale for his business law classes. A presentation by two local lawyers provides students with insights into real-life situations for those reaching the legal age of adulthood.
   For 10 years, Ms. Patnick, has been the organizer and supervisor of the Bear Tavern School Store. She has invested hundreds of hours in what has become a successful fundraiser for the school’s PTO and has helped provide students with the opportunity to learn about good consumerism as they shop for basic school supplies.
   The store’s success has resulted in a spinoff project – the Holiday Shoppe – which enabled children to buy holiday presents for family members, teachers and friends. For seven years, she ran that in addition to the school store.
   It is common for parent volunteers to lead a project for a year or two; it is highly unusual for someone to lead one for as many as 10 years, school officials said. Ms. Patnick also has been a volunteer elsewhere in the school, serving on committees whenever needed and as a room parent at various points during the Bear Tavern years of her three children.
   For the past three years they have led the Bulldog Booster Club, Jim and Ellen Lebbad have energized the club with their enthusiasm and creativity, district Athletic Director Kiki Enderle said. Because of their work in raising the club’s profile, membership has grown and relationships with coaches and parents have been strengthened.
   The Lebbads are responsible for creating and maintaining the Booster Club’s Web site, an excellent source of information and photos for supporters of all high school sports. Ms. Enderle said the Web site is better than any others of the same type she has seen. The Lebbads also have played a role in a number of new athletic traditions, including the introduction of three seasonal homecomings (fall, winter and spring) to support athletes in all three seasons, the annual Homecoming Breakfast (begun this year) and the Tailgating Homecoming Party in the parking lot at Central High School.
   The Booster Club has been a big supporter of the first annual Powder Puff game (also begun this year) and worked to schedule the annual faculty-Harlem Wizard game that is a big draw every year. They also have been strong supporters of the annual Athletic Awards Banquet.