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Schools

Cedar Hill Students 'Connect With Respect' With BOE

Students honored for achievements in writing contests, leadership.

Students on the  Character Education Committee shared their “Connect with Respect” Character Education message with the Tuesday night.

Eight students talked to board members and community members about Cedar Hill’s Character Education program, which was established in 1998. One student said that Cedar Hill was ranked the third kindest school in the entire state.

“The children make the school what it is,” Kathy Lindquist, advisor of the Character Education program, said. “The teachers support the students and the 
administrators support the teachers. That’s why Cedar Hill is what it is.”

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Through “Connect with Respect,” also the name for the Character Education program, students learn to treat one another with respect. They also reach out to their community and to the larger world. One thing they have accomplished this year is hosting a Veterans' Day celebration in honor of , a 2010 graduate who lost both legs at the knee in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

Globally, the group continues to support Musah Abu, a 9-year-old first grade student from Ghana that the school adopted in 2010. The students help Abu get an education by paying his room and board at school and for his food. One fundraiser, Change for Change, netted $1,600, which covered education costs and helped Abu purchase a new bed. Besides financially helping Abu, the students have made a friend, often receiving letters from Abu.

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In addition to the presentation by the Cedar Hill students, Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried, Board President Dr. Karen Cortellino and board members recognized many students for various accomplishments at Tuesday's board of education meeting.

Farrah Liu was recognized as a National Merit Scholar. Rachel Sholder and Nicholas Khalaf were recognized for receiving the Wallenberg Honors Distinction. Ethan Mersing was celebrated for his accomplishment in the “What Prejudice Means to Me” contest. Christopher Mayer was recognized for placing first in the Geography Bee for the third year in a row. of being selected for the Morris County Leadership Award. Keith Lo was recognized for his accomplishment with the Boonton Elks National Americanism Essay Contest. Reese Martinelli and Michael Sesko were also honored.

Julia Ann Bianco, Serina Renee Bsales, Brielle Amber Cool, Zoe Elizabeth Dickert, Paige Alexandra Machiski, Lindsey Marie Musto and Courtney Ellin Sonn were recognized , the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. While all seven girls are from Troop 1868 and completed their projects in the same time frame, each young woman completed a different project.

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