Village residents earn scholarships
An aspiring nurse, a recent immigrant from Ghana, a cartoonist and a biology major. What do these people have in common? They are all young rising college freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors who call Princeton Community Village home. They are also all recipients of 2007/2008 JAHMA Foundation scholarships.
The JAHMA (New Jersey Affordable Housing Management Association) Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit organization that was created in 1999, and awarded its first scholarship in 2002. The foundation’s mission is to further charitable and educational opportunities on behalf of residents living at a JAHMA member “affiliated property.” It is one of the few foundations of this type in the nation.
Princeton Community Village is home to nine of 25 of this year’s scholarship recipients. The other 16 recipients came from 14 other housing sites, making PCV a standout among similar communities. In addition, one of the PCV students was awarded a national scholarship by the NAHMA (National Affordable Housing Management Association). More students from “The Village” applied for scholarships this year than from any other site in the state. Clearly the community they live in must have something to do with their success.
Susan O’Malley, PCV’s manager, is reluctant to take credit for the scholarship winners, but all of them know that her determination to provide much more than just a roof over their heads has made a difference. For the last 11 years, Ms. O’Malley has helped the residents of The Village tap into local and national resources.
For the high-school and college students, that has included encouraging them to think about going to college, and putting them in touch with organizations like JAHMA that award scholarships. Ms. O’Malley and Mary Maybury, PCV’s assistant manager, worked closely with all of the scholarship winners, their parents, and the guidance staff at Princeton High School to make sure that applications were completed and related paperwork was submitted. Both parents of college students themselves, Ms. Maybury and Ms. O’Malley understand the challenges of wading through financial aid forms, and college, grant and scholarship applications.
”Simply not being able to get through the process, or not understanding that resources are available shouldn’t prevent a qualified kid from going to college,” said Ms. O’Malley. “I can’t get every kid, but if I can help just one of them, it makes it all worth it.”
This year’s scholarship recipients will share a total of $16,000. This fall they will be attending community colleges and four-year universities, in New Jersey and out of state, majoring in, among other things, pre-med, art, nursing and speech pathology. Some grew up at PCV, others moved to The Village only recently.
In addition to there being advocates like Ms. O’Malley and Ms Maybury, PCV, which provides housing for 200 children under the age of 18 and their families, also hosts the Princeton Young Achievers after-school program. Village children from kindergarten through fifth grade benefit from a variety of enrichment activities that help them strengthen their academic skills, discover new interests and, perhaps most importantly, view themselves as successful students.
One of this year’s scholarship recipient credits the PYA program with kindling her interest in math.
Ms. O’Malley is quick to point out that Princeton has a wealth of resources available to low- and moderate-income families — the Recreation Department, public library, Department of Human Services, Corner House, and Crisis Ministry to name just a few. But navigating through the system, and matching families in need with the appropriate resources can be a challenge. Residents of The Village know that they can turn to Ms. O’Malley and Ms. Maybury for help, and that their community is more than just a place to live, it is a place to succeed.
Princeton Community Village is one of the housing developments under the auspices of Princeton Community Housing, which has been a provider, manager and advocate for affordable housing in Princeton since its founding in 1967. With 463 rental units in four communities, PCH is the largest provider of low- and moderate-income rental housing in Princeton. PCH is a non-profit organization that, in addition to public sources, receives funding from churches, associations, corporations and individuals.
PCH is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a gala birdhouse auction benefit on Sept. 30. For more information about the benefit, contact PCH’s executive director, Sandra Persichetti at 609-924-3822, ext. 15.
Hun School begins school year with annual convocation
The Hun School hosted its second annual Convocation on Tuesday to open its 94th academic year. Students, faculty, administration and members of the board of trustees were present. The academic celebration culminated with the announcement of two distinguished faculty honors.
Following last year’s inception of the Endowed Faculty Program, and the announcement of Bernard H.P. Gilroy as the Endowed Faculty Chair, the school honored its first recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award and Junior Teaching Award.
Trustee Reagan Kenyon, chair of the Educational Committee, announced that Julie Davis, math department chair, was the recipient of the Excellence in teaching Award, and Lynn McNulty was the recipient of the Junior Teaching Award.
Mrs. Davis has taught mathematics at The Hun School for 18 years, and has been the chair of the math department for more than a decade. She has taught all levels of math at The Hun School, from Algebra I to Advanced Placement Calculus. She regularly attends National Teachers of Mathematics and AP conferences in order to stay up-to-date with latest teaching standards.
Ms. McNulty, a four-year teacher of history at The Hun School, received the Junior Teaching Award. She relishes the opportunity to create her own curriculum for her World History Honors and American Studies (ESL) courses.
