NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

Franklin School chorus to sing National Anthem

The Franklin School Chorus is set to perform the national anthem at the opening of a New York Liberty game at the Prudential Center on Monday, May 14 at 10:30 a.m. Ticket prices vary anywhere from $10, $15 or $26. The variance in ticket prices is determined by seating location. The season kick off will be New York Liberty facing the Chicago Sky. Dr. Armine Irving, the music/chorus director of Franklin School, says she is proud to have her kids sing for the third year.

Two North Bergen students win Gates Millennium Scholarships

Two high school seniors from North Bergen have won the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Millennium Scholarship. This scholarship will pay for all their college expenses, including tuition and housing.
Mabel Ovidio, a student at North Bergen High School, and Anhar Farag, of the Hudson County Schools of Technology’s Academy of Independent Studies, were both informed of the award last week. Both applied online and beat the odds to win this high honor.
“Mabel is one of our district’s finest students and we’re so excited to see her hard work and exceptional talent recognized like this,” said North Bergen Schools Superintendent Robert Dandorph. “No one deserves this more and we wish her the best of luck in her college career and beyond.”
Mabel Ovidio is ranked in the top five of NBHS’ senior class. She is also involved in numerous advanced placement classes, honor classes and extracurricular activities. Ovidio will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.
“We’re all very proud of what Anhar has accomplished in winning this amazing award,” said HCST Superintendent Frank Gargiulo. “She’s a wonderful example of the kind of outstanding student achievement that can be found in non-traditional, project-based schools like AIS. We wish her luck in all future endeavors.”
At AIS, Anhar participates in a personalized learning program which allows her to choose topics of study based on interest while still adhering to a full high school curriculum. Unlike Ovidio, Farag has not yet made a decision as to what college to attend in the fall.
The Millennium Scholarship is awarded to only 1,000 high school students per year out of approximately 24,000 applicants. Students are chosen based on academic achievement, financial need and several other factors. The program started with a $1 billion endowment from Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. For more information visit: http://www.gmsp.org/

North Bergen holds Annual Student Law Day

The township held its annual Student Law Day on Wednesday, May 2. The event took place at 9:30 a.m. at the North Bergen Township Hall and went on throughout the day. It also included a mock-trial in the Municipal Court and a mock Board of Commissioners Meeting.
Law Day is an annual tradition that teaches students about the vital role that the municipal government plays. Nearly 50 students have partnered with officials like Mayor Nicholas Sacco, township commissioners, Police Chief William Galvin, Township Administrator Chris Pianese and many more.

Bird Walk scheduled in the Marsh

The Meadowlands Commission’s Jim Wright will have a 90 minute bird walk at DeKorte Park which takes place during the peak of migration, on Sunday, May 6 at 1 p.m. Some of the majestic birds that will be likely to make an appearance are warblers, shorebirds, hawks, ducks. Jim is in charge of the (NJMC) New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s ever popular nature blog. He writes bird columns for local newspapers and helps to conduct guided walks with the Bergen County Audubon Society twice a month. For new comers admission will be $5 and for members it will be $4. It will be held at the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Annual Mother’s Day Walk is May 13

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, so celebrate it by taking a free two-hour walk on Sunday, May 13 at 10 a.m. It will begin at the Ridgefield Nature Center and will go around the 5.4 center. (This was once the site of the spring water for the Great Bear Bottled Water Company.) Walkers will also visit the Skeetkill Creek Marsh with a stop to view the Monk Parakeets along the way. For those who are interested, everyone will meet at the Ridgefield Nature Center at 10 a.m. Directions are provided on meadowblog.net in the left-hand column. The walk is run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) and the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS). For any last-minute weather updates please be advised to check meadowblog.net. You will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for any NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. In order to RSVP, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or at (201) 230-4983.

Seminar offered for businesses on lobbying and issue advocacy

The Hudson County Chamber of Commerce along with the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership will host a seminar for business owners as well as leaders interested in learning more about lobbying and issue advocacy on Tuesday, May 8 from 8:30-10 a.m. in Dinneen Hall on the campus of Saint Peter’s College.
The goal of the event is to provide the business community with a primer on how best to engage with policy makers on issues that affect business in New Jersey. The moderator will be the Honorable Joseph Doria, a former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and State Assembly Speaker. Doria will have a panel discussion featuring professionals that understand how to navigate policy making at a state level. The featured professionals will be: Frank Robinson, vice president of New Jersey Business & Industry Association; John B. Wilson, president of the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in New Jersey; and Kay LiCausi, president of Hoboken Strategy Group.
“Businesses of every size need to be engaged in policy making discussions and our goal at the Chamber is to help our members, and the larger business community, learn how to begin having such conversations,” said Maria Nieves, the Chamber’s President and CEO. “We hope to demystify the advocacy process and provide some concrete tips on how to effectively lobby. We’re pleased to work with the Guarini Institute on this event.”
There will be a breakfast so that business professionals can network which will then be followed by a discussion panel. The discussion panel will have a question and answer session. This event is sponsored by the Guarini Institute. The Chamber was founded in 1888 which represents more than 300 members, facilitates forums with local, state and federal officials, and provides a platform for business networking and partnerships.
To register for this event, contact the Chamber:
achinni@hudsonchamber.org

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