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MARCH 2004
Hermits complete perfect year - St. Augustine drops Bishop Eustace; OLMA falls in final EWING -- "Prep, Prep, Prep, Prep, Prep, Prep ... " The chant seemed to go on forever. And if the St. Augustine Prep swim team has its way, the school's first state championship won't be the last. Sophomore Owen Black won two individual events, and junior Christian Sprang had a first and a second, leading top-seeded St. Augustine to an 89-81 victory over second-seeded Bishop Eustace Saturday afternoon in the Parochial B state championship at The College of New Jersey. "Being able to do this as a team, and knowing we went undefeated, that is probably the best thing that could happen," said Hermits junior Ryan Majek, a Pittsgrove native who recorded key third places in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly. "This year was our year to prove to people we are an up-and-coming swim program. Next year, we are going forward." Saturday's win capped the best season in St. Augustine swimming history. The program began less than a decade ago, and the Hermits were state runner-up last year. This season the Hermits finished with a 15-0 record, the Cape-Atlantic League title and the state title. Additionally, St. Augustine established itself as the best team in South Jersey, defeating No. 2 Haddonfield, No. 3 Cherry Hill East, No. 4 Bishop Eustace and No. 5 Mainland along the way. "First it was East, then Haddonfield and Mainland. Now that we have beaten everybody in South Jersey, it will give people reason to believe we are No. 1," said Black, who nipped Eustace's Ian Perazzelli in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events. "Every single person on this team has been training hard all season. You really have to give it to this team's second and third swimmers and the second relays. They are the ones that scored the difference points." In a classic battle of superior inside-lane swimmers vs. superior depth, St. Augustine prevailed despite winning just four of the 11 events. Bishop Eustace (14-4) captured six of eight individual events, with junior Chris Howard winning twice, but St. Augustine out-pointed or tied the Crusaders in all but one individual event. "I thought the events (Bishop Eustace) was going to win we could still outscore them," second-year Hermits coach Ryan Sprang said after getting tossed into the pool during a raucous team celebration. "It happened a couple times. It just shows you need the guys in the outside lanes." St. Augustine opened with a winning effort in the medley relay. Freshmen Mike Joyce and Matt Fralinger combined with Sprang and Rob Hrapczinski to win the first event in a time of 1:42.56. The Hermits' B relay took third, giving St. Augustine a 10-4 lead. Zach Schiavo nipped Sprang in the 200 free, and Howard won the 200 IM, but St. Augustine moved even farther ahead in the team score, 27-19, after three events. Black and Hrapczinski went 1-3 in the 50 free and the Hermits led, 36-26, at the break. St. Augustine built a 53-41 lead after Black won the 100 free, and the Hermits put the meet away in the 500 free. Allowed to swim all out, Christian Sprang turned in a near-best time of 4:38.90 to take first by more than 12 seconds over Schiavo. Sprang's teammates, Tom Newnam and Matt Galloway, finished third and fourth, stretching the margin to 18 points at 64-46. "Since the first day of practice, this was our goal," Sprang said of the team title. "We stayed focused all year. To get here, we were so pumped up. The crowd was great. This is great." Parochial B girls final Mt. St. Mary's 126, OLMA 44 For the third time in four years, the Our Lady of Mercy Academy girls swim team ran into a juggernaut in the state championship. For the second year in a row, the unstoppable force was Mount St. Mary's. Widely regarded as one of the state's top girls swim teams, Mount St. Mary's won every individual event and every relay en route to its second consecutive Parochial B title. The Lions (8-0) swept four of the eight individual events -- 200 free, 200 IM, 100 free and the 500 free. "We got beat pretty bad, and, the scoreboard may not show it, but we swam some incredible times," OLMA senior Bridget Kleiner said. "We're excited about that. I think we deserved to be here more than anyone else in our division, and we made the best of it." Kleiner's second-place in the 100 backstroke (1:03.48) was one of the Villagers' best finishes. Fellow senior Laura Fralinger took second in the 100 butterfly; and sophomore Emily Fralinger was second in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.04) and third in the 50 free (25.91).
Read Across America - Literacy celebrated on Seuss' Birthday
Frist graders at Johnstone School in Vineland raise their new books high, after receiving them from John Lilliston.
Caila Guilford, 7 (left), and Desiree Preston, 6, students at Wood School in Millville, listen to a story read by Lakeside Middle School National Junior Honor Society member Samantha Piper, 12, during Tuesday's program.
Collings Lakes Elementary School first- and second-graders Jake Renner, Asia Dockerty, Larry Garrity, Christian Santos, all 7, Gabriella Passamante, 8, Caitlin Ashe, 6, and Sierra Rahrer, 8, celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday with a cupcakes and books by the famous author.
VINELAND -- It was Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday Tuesday, but Johnstone Elementary School students got the gifts. Local businessman John Lilliston donated about $1,500 to the South Brewster Road school to help promote literacy. Media specialist Sonia Levin parlayed the money into books for the school's 550 students to keep. Levin selected personalized volumes for each child based on their reading levels and individual interests. Students in the English as a Second Language class received books in Spanish. Lilliston stopped by to hand out the books to Dialys Rodriguez's first grade class as part of the school's Read Across America celebration. One at a time, 17 youngsters skipped forward to accept a book when each name was called. "I feel like Santa Claus," Lilliston said. Jahdai Pitre, 7, raced back to his seat and began flicking through the pages. A book is a very special present, Rodriguez told her class. "Reading is important," she said. "It helps make you...." "Smart," her students replied in unison. Another local business, Comcast, donated $500 to the Vineland Public Library's children's outreach program as part of the celebration of reading. Millville The Lakeside Middle School Junior Honor Society visited three district elementary schools to spread the joy of reading and help them fulfill the society's community service mandate. Seventh-grader Samantha Piper settled into the rocking chair in front of a first-grade class at Wood School. She read "Princess Lily" to a captivated audience. "We went to the Holly Heights, Silver Run and Wood School to read to kids," said 12-year-old Josh Hulitt. Seventh-grader Tony Vorndran, 13, shrugged off any stage fright about speaking before a class. He had a secret to keep the little ones' attention. "Read enthusiastically," he said. Buena Vista Only Dr. Seuss could be the inspiration for the zany creations that turned up Tuesday at Collings Lakes Elementary School. Taking their cues from his famous children's books, students celebrated the author's birthday centennial with green eggs and ham for lunch and cupcakes for desert. The red-and-white cupcakes were plucked from a desert tray shaped like the Cat in the Hat's striped top hat. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, wrote and illustrated 44 children's books. The National Education Association's Read Across America program emphasizes the importance of reading, Buena Regional Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said. "Reading helps form the language skills of children at a very young age," she said. Read Across America activities and events -- some themed around Dr. Seuss' books -- are planned all week at Buena Regional schools. Collings Lakes kicked off Tuesday with a brief biography of Dr. Seuss and the "Happy Birthday" song over the PA system. Guest readers Assemblyman Jack Gibson, Mayor Chuck Chiarello and DeGiacomo will be on hand today. The activities at the school will culminate Friday with a musical performance in honor of Dr. Seuss. His books are valuable reading materials for beginners because they "help make reading fun and keeps (students) interest," first grade teacher Denise Homiak said. "They're really easy to read," said Asia Dockerty, 7, a Collings Lakes second grader. "They're funny and usually they rhyme."
Buena veteran cruises into mat quarterfinals GALLOWAY -- When Buena Regional's Ricky Wilcox took the mat in the Region 8 Championships pre-quarterfinals Tuesday night, it was no special occasion. The Chiefs senior was making his third trip to the regional. The previous two years he placed third, advancing to the NJSIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships. That's why Tuesday night's first-period pin of Woodstown's Justin Bober didn't have Buena's 140-pounder overly excited. "Tuesday night, if you lose, you go home, so the less time you spend out there, the less chance you have of making a mistake and ending up on your back," said Wilcox, who needed just 1:36 to record his fall. "I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible." Wilcox made no mistake about it. scoring two takedowns before finally rolling Bober onto his back. The Woodstown senior tried to rock out of the hold, but it was to no avail. "You see a lot of upsets on Tuesday night because the pressure factor is so high," Wilcox said. "You don't want to be the guy who falls short." Wilcox (27-4) watched last year as his teammate, Jimmy Thomas, became the Cinderella story of the state tournament. Thomas was third in the regional before going on a monumental run to the state championship bout at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. Thomas eventually finished second in the state at 160 pounds. While Wilcox won't be as much of a darkhorse, he also isn't the favorite to win the region or state title, either. That, along with the fact that Buena has never had an individual state champion, drives him. "This year I want to make my run," Wilcox said. "We've had so many great wrestlers at our school, but no state champions. ... I'd like to make a mark for myself and my school." His 96 seconds of work Tuesday night was a good start.
Buena Regional: Survey shows crowded classes, fewer turnovers BUENA -- For all its elaborate charts and hefty volume, the N.J. School Report Card doesn't tell the whole story in the Buena Regional School District. "It's one little portion of what goes on on a daily basis in the school district," Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said. "According to some of the statistics, there are things we need to look at and others we should be proud of, but these are statistics and the school district deals with little human beings." The report for 2002-03 shows class sizes at Collings Lakes, Edgarton and Milanesi elementary schools are below the state average. But an average class count might not be an accurate assessment of the reality at the district's schools. "Each year (class size) varies, and each year it varies in each grade level," DeGiacomo said. And mistakes are made. For example, the report shows about 152 students per administrator at the high school, when in actuality there are two administrators -- a principal and vice principal -- for the school's 910 students, DeGiacomo said. The district did not catch the error in time, she said. And there are discrepancies. The district estimates 95 percent of the high school students who were seniors in October 2002 graduated at the end of the year. The School Report Card puts the graduation rate at 93 percent. Dropouts at the high school have declined over the last seven years, contrary to Report Card findings that show a high dropout rate, DeGiacomo said. "We don't understand that particular statistic," she said. Leonora Ellis, 31, a mother of two Buena Regional students, also warns statistics may be misleading. "Statistics bug me because they generalize a group of people and put a label on them, but when you look into it --whether it's a good or bad situation -- it may not be the way it appears," she said. But some of the statistics are more telling, and prove the district's need for greater state funding and better facilities, DeGiacomo said. For instance, class sizes at the high school and Cleary School were bigger than any school in Vineland or Millville. And the Donini and Milanesi schools had more students per faculty than the state average. Insufficient state funding restricts the number of personnel Buena Regional can hire and may increase the number of students per class, DeGiacomo said. But Vineland and Millville are Abbott districts, meaning they have the additional funds to increase personnel, she said. The Report Card did offer some good news for Buena Regional: Its high school is seeing less student turnover than in the past. The student mobility rate -- the frequency at which students enter or leave a school -- has dropped dramatically at the high school over the last several years. It's currently below the statewide average. "When the kids come to us their freshman year, they like the opportunity of being in a safe school with excellent academic and athletic programs," DeGiacomo said, "and the kids prefer not to go anywhere else."
RICHLAND -- When he was growing up, Eric Krwawecz was always the kid at recess who sank the 3-point shot better than anyone. While his bigger friends pounded inside, Krwawecz waited, unassumingly, for a kickout pass and an open shot. Now 17, the St. Augustine Prep junior is a rent check away from being grown up. And Thursday night, he realized just how little things change from the back yard to the big time. While the big boys of the St. Augustine Prep boys basketball team and the bigger boys of Paul VI spent much of their Parochial A South playoff game pounding down low, underneath the basket, Krwawecz (pronounced CRAW-WITZ) spent his time on the outside. Six times Krwawecz got one of those kickout passes. Five times Krwawecz knocked the 3-pointer down, including twice in a pivotal third quarter that propelled the top-seeded Hermits to a 71-54 win and a date with Christian Brothers Academy in Saturday's semifinals for a second consecutive year. "It's always been my forte," said Krwawecz, who scored a career high 16 points. "It's basically been my job." Lately, though, things have been different. Krwawecz began the season as the fifth starter, but was phased into a sixth- or seventh-man role as Hermits coach Paul Rodio constantly tinkered with his lineup. Krwawecz's jump shot was off and on throughout the year, too; he said he hadn't hit one since Feb. 20 against Middle Township. But he said he felt good in warmups Thursday, and his teammates reaped the benefits when he came in as the sixth man. Krwawecz made his presence felt right away. Paul VI center Vinnie Mulano knocked him hard to the ground on a driving layup attempt midway through the first quarter, but he recovered and sank 1-of-2 free throws. He popped his first trey from the top of the key with 51 seconds to go. Krwawecz also hit a baseline 3-ball two minutes before the half. But no shot was bigger than the one he hit with 4:40 to go in the third quarter. The Hermits (23-3) had entered the break down, 28-27, and watched as eighth-seeded Paul VI (13-12) rolled off a 7-0 run to open the second half. But the Hermits' Jordan Dean sank a pair of free throws and Mark Porter hit a driving layup to get the Prep back within a bucket. Then Anthony Farmer penetrated and kicked out to Krwawecz, who hit a 3-pointer to put the Hermits up for good. The score was 35-34. St. Augustine didn't even have half its points. "That was big. A big momentum shifter," said Farmer, who led all scorers with 22 points and added six assists and five steals. "The rest of the team was tired. Coach (Rodio) was telling us about somebody needing to step up, and he did tonight." Krwawecz hit another 3, and Farmer and Porter took off. Together, they scored 23 of their team's final 33 points, mostly coming off feeds to and from each other. Porter, a senior, dropped 10 of his 21 points in the final frame. "That's the way we've played all season," Rodio said, alluding to slow starts and quick finishes. Brian Wooten led Paul VI with 15 points, and Shauwn Hines added nine. Parochial A South Quarterfinals St. Augustine Prep 71, Paul VI 54
Paul VI (13-12): Wooten 14, Harper 9, Hines 9, Robinson 4, Brogsdale 7, Milano 4, Pine 3, Blumenstein 2, Alani 2. St. Augustine (23-3): Farmer 22, Porter 21, Krwawecz 16, Nwachukwu 7, Brown 3, Dean 2. Next: The Hermits host Christian Brothers Academy at 7 p.m. Saturday in the sectional semifinals.
Gold rush for Vineland, St. Aug. - Swimmers win individual and relay state titles DEPTFORD -- Vineland High School's Tiffany Malatesta and St. Augustine Prep's Christian Sprang earned gold medals Sunday at the 2004 New Jersey Individual Swimming Championships at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology pool. Malatesta, a sophomore, won the girls 100-yard freestyle event. She is the first Vineland girl to win an individual event since 1999. "I just went all out, as fast as I could," Malatesta said. Sprang, a junior, won his specialty, the 500-yard freestyle. He's the first St. Augustine swimmer to win an individual state title. "I took it out fast and didn't want to leave anything in the pool," Sprang said. Malatesta also helped the Vineland girls win all three relay titles. She teamed with Victoria Bonifield, Tia Bassano and Stevi Anderson to win the 200 medley relay. Malatesta, Bassano, Anderson and Sabrina Warren won the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. Vineland established a state record in the 200 free relay and school records in all three relays.
Plans call for pool, gym, cafeteria $15M project would generate enrollment and enhance facilities
BUENA VISTA -- With recent high school basketball and swimming state championships, high SAT scores and copious admissions to the country's best universities, St. Augustine Preparatory School is riding a wave of success. Could things get any better for the Hermits, who suddenly find themselves very much in the spotlight? The school is trying to determine just that. St. Augustine is conducting a feasibility study that will gauge support for a $15 million expansion project. Foremost would be an 85,000-square-foot, two-story building that would centralize academic, administrative, athletic and dining facilities, architect Larry Merighi said. In its present form, the building would house:
In addition, two new athletic fields near the football field -- one for soccer practice and the other for junior varsity baseball -- would round out the project. Traffic along new roads would be directed to the rear of the campus, creating a quad in front of the property to give it more of a collegiate feel, Merighi said. The school hopes to raise about $4 million through a capital campaign. The balance of the project will be financed through bank loans and mortgages. The expansion plans remain in the initial stages. Like St. Augustine's test scores, a conceptual design reviewed by township engineer Dave Scheidegg scored high marks. "The township encourages the development of St. Augustine Prep and is 100 percent behind what they're doing," Scheidegg said. He presented the plans at a Planning/Zoning Board meeting last month. There, he made a few suggestions to minimize the impact an expansion might have on residences surrounding the targeted 40-acre parcel. The expansion plan is the latest facet of the Rev. Paul Galetto's vision to offer a premiere educational institution and diverse athletic offerings. It follows the 1998 opening of the Edith Scarpa Arts and Science Building, which comprised five classrooms, a library and office space in a 14,000-square-foot structure. Other recent additions to the campus include a football field and tennis courts that debuted in the past two years. "We're making what's good, better," Galetto said. But as St. Augustine gains distinction, enrollment remains limited. The expansion would allow increased enrollment at a school where 320 applicants competed for 130 spots in the 2008 graduating class. With the expansion, the present 465 capacity for grades 9 through 12 would grow to between 600 and 650. John Mahoney, who teaches AP Psychology and AP British Literature -- vividly recalls a school open house that drew a groundswell of parents interested in sending their children there. With each class limited to a little more than 100 students, he laments that so many have to be turned away. Added enrollment also could decrease the annual tuition hike, which has been about 8 percent for the last several years. Tuition currently stands at about $7,600, Galetto said. The new classrooms created in the expansion would increase the number of academic offerings at the school, and new science labs would facilitate advanced science courses. Director of Humanities Vince Martino, 60, expects the expansion to increase the variations of world language courses and would allow the department to institute long distance learning courses. "We could offer more challenging courses and more university development courses, and our SAT scores will go up even higher," he said. With 14 varsity sports, the school's already plentiful athletic offerings would expand further. The convenience of having an on-site swimming facility would improve the team, said Christian Sprang, 17, a swimmer since his freshman year. With a pool of its own, Sprang said St. Augustine swimmers would no longer experience fluctuating practice times. The expansion also would enable the school to introduce such sports as gymnastics and rugby.
A packed Winslow
Township High School gymnasium roars with each basket.
BUENA VISTA -- Figures under consideration as Buena Regional School District officials hammer out their 2004-05 budget indicate Buena Vista and Buena residents could face tax hikes well above those which have seen defeat at the polls in recent years. The school tax rate could jump 26 cents in Buena and 33 cents in the township, according to figures confirmed by mayors of both municipalities, who were invited to participate in two budget meetings. The last of those meetings was held about 10 days ago, said Mayor Chuck Chiarello, who said he hasn't received any update indicating those figures have changed. "The increases that I'm hearing now are just excessive compared to the income and abilities of our residents," he said. But these figures aren't final, Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo warned. However, she refused to say how the final figures might compare. "As for the 2004-2005 budget, I can only confirm that at one time throughout the process the tax rate was 33 cents for the township and 26 cents for the borough," she said. "However, that changes as we continually fine-tune the budget. In budget preparations, tax rates always change." Such increases, if proposed by the board, could mean hundreds of dollars in new taxes if the plan wins voter approval. The numbers given to the mayors are about 3 1/2 times the size of a tax hike proposed by the district a year ago for Buena Vista and twice that proposed for Buena. Voters defeated that spending plan. Here's what those numbers would mean for the owner of a home assessed at $100,000: · In Buena, school taxes wold total about $1,999 -- about $260 more. · In Buena Vista, a $330 tax hike would bring the school tax bill to about $2,094. Municipal officials weighing the possible tax impact on their constituents say the latest figures are troubling. "I think it's a high tax rate that needs to be looked at carefully, and further work needs to be done to get that down for our people," Buena Mayor Joseph Baruffi said. "It's been double digits for the last three or four years, and it's becoming harder and harder for people to pay them." But Baruffi said the school district wasn't to blame. The latest figures only make a greater case for the district to gain special-needs designation and receive more aid from the state. The school district faces a particularly tough budget year. It's constrained by depleted surplus funds and uncertainty over whether a deferred $600,000 state aid payment can be factored into the budget, DeGiacomo said. "I think I'm worried that the tax numbers are going to be shocking, but we have to see," board member Doug Adams said. "We're all taxpayers. It's not like I'm sitting there making a decision that will affect someone else. They'll affect me." Board member Tobin Nilsen echoes those concerns. "I do believe it's important to reduce the budget if at all possible because as I understand it, the proposed tax increase lately is much greater than the rate of inflation, and many of our citizen taxpayers simply cannot afford a large tax increase," Nilsen said. But a third straight budget defeat could be detrimental to the quality of education, said Roger Baker, president of the union that represents the district's 230 teachers. The effect of the last two years of budget defeats can be seen in the large class sizes at Cleary Middle School, where "it's not unusual to have well over 30 (students) in a regular classroom," he said. As the budget process unfolds, Buena Vista resident Eileen Balesteri, 38, fears for the future of teachers aides at Milanesi School. Balesteri said she heard about possible cuts to Milanesi's aides when one aide at the school tearfully told her that her job might be jeopardized by budget cuts. While DeGiacomo said that's not true at the moment, she added: "Anything is possible. It's not a reality right now and I don't see that happening, but I have been wrong before." Those vague assurances aren't good enough for Balesteri. "I don't think they should even look at it as an option," she said. "The only ones that will lose are our children. It will decrease the value of their education."
Buena Regional school chief refuses to disclose changing budget numbers BUENA BOROUGH -
The school district faces one of its most difficult years so far as it grapples
with a possible tax increase that, at last count, was double the amounts voters
rejected the previous two years.
Buena Regional Board of Education 2004-2005 Budget
Buena Regional Abbott supporters start petition
Buena Vista mayor wants 2nd hearing on school budget The
mayor of Buena Vista Township has requested a second public hearing on the
school budget, saying the public wouldn't have enough time to digest the numbers
by tonight's hearing.
Buena Regional School District: Proposed tax spike
Parents lead Buena Regional's Abbot fight BUENA VISTA -- Parents aren't sitting idle as the Buena Regional School District waits for a decision on its bid for Abbott status. Instead, they filed into the Collings Lakes fire hall Monday to learn about the district's battle for more state funding and what they could do to help. "We'll squawk, we'll e-mail and if they march on Trenton we'll be on the bus to go," said Karen Fulginitti, 40, of Collings Lakes. "If we could get the Abbott package, it would help improve the children's education, be in residents' favor, and save teachers' jobs," said John Lloyd, Sr., 58, of Newtonville. But the windfall of benefits wouldn't stop there, according to the Grassroots Abbott Support Team -- a contingent of parents who organized the meeting. The additional funding would pay for a new middle school, additional teaching materials and establish more programs, they said. It's imperative for residents to voice their support, whether or not it has any impact on the district's quest for Abbott status, support team head Michelle Thomas told the crowd. The district has been for fighting for several years for additional state funding. "We're looking for some classification for poor rural school districts to receive some type of aid," just as urban Abbott districts such as Vineland and Millville do, Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said. The extra aid doesn't have to be as large in rural districts, but any additional aid would be preferable to the $14 million the regional district receives for the year, she said. "It doesn't have to be $44 million instead of $14 million, but why not $24 million or why not $20 million?" she asked. An administrative law judge ruled the district should receive the Abbott designation, but state Education Commissioner William Librera refused. The district is appealing to the state Board of Education, which could hear the case next month.
Buena Regional proposes double-digit tax hikes BUENA BOROUGH -
School officials face a difficult battle in the coming weeks convincing voters
they need to approve a tax increase that is double the proposed increases voted
down in the past two years.
District blames state for tax hike
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