The Ram Page newspaper wins press award
By Matt Nelson, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — Adrian Colarusso was one of several people recognized at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.
Mr. Colarusso, of Princeton, volunteered six Saturday mornings to provide a free Princeton Review SAT Preparation Course for a dozen Hightstown High School students.
Mr. Colarusso, who recently graduated from Princeton University, has seven years and hundreds of hours of experience as a professional tutor for the SAT course, as well as other academic subjects.
To cover the cost of providing the materials, and breakfast and lunch for the students, Mr. Colarusso collected donations from his colleagues at BlackRock, an asset management firm in Princeton.
On Jan. 19, 10 of the 12 students completed the six-week SAT preparation course.
Prior to beginning the program, students were required to write an essay and meet with Rosetta Brown, a guidance counselor at Hightstown High. They were selected based on a criteria established by Mr. Colarusso.
Ms. Brown and Mr. Colarusso worked together to help facilitate and implement the program.
In other news, the staff of The Ram Page, the student-run HHS newspaper, was recognized by board members Feb. 11. (For the picture, see Page 2A.)
The Ram Page earned first-place in overall excellence, in Division B, while its staff attended the Garden Scholastic Press Association fall conference at Rutgers University on Dec. 17.
The divisions are based on school population and Hightstown High is considered a middle size school.
Reviewing three issues of the newspaper, the category was judged through an analysis and critique.
The Board of Education also recognized individuals and businesses who donated to the East Windsor Regional School District to support events and awards at the high school.
The FIRST Robotics Team received substantial financial support in monetary donations from two donors.
Gregory Charache, of TRUMPF Photonics Inc., arranged for a $1,500 donation.
Frederick Egenolf, director of community affairs for Bristol-Myers Squibb, facilitated a donation of $6,000. Mr. Egenolf was not in attendance.
According to the district, the pair of donations had a significant impact on the competition entry fees and project development costs of The FIRST Robotics Team.
Additionally, Brian Neer gave a $400 donation to the Life Skills Scholarship of the Hightstown High. It is awarded to a graduating senior from the Life Skills program who is pursuing a higher education. . Mr. Neer did not attend the meeting.
The district said that the Red Cross Club held a holiday party for children in the community in December. It was supported by local businesses donating toys, food items, gift certificates, cash donations and beauty supplies.
Bagel Bazaar, of Monroe; Chicken Holiday; CVS Pharmacy; Hightstown Diner; Lee’s Turkey Farm; McDonald’s; Multiplex Cinema; Salad Works, of Marlboro; South Pacific Flowers; and Wendy’s were among the companies that donated.
Following these recognitions, Kurt Stumbaugh, business administrator and board secretary gave a presentation on a district budget update for the 2013-14 school year.
Public discussion and ratification of a tentative budget will be discussed March 6, and the public hearing and ratification of the final budget is scheduled for March 21.
The governor’s budget address is set to take place Feb. 26, he said.
Superintendent Edward Forsthoffer and board members Lisa Abel, Paul Connolly and Alice Weisman were not present at the Feb. 11 meeting.
The next meeting is scheduled for March 6 at the high school cafeteria in Hightstown.

