NOVEMBER 2025 FREE
COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
Classroom star LMS educator Jeanette Capriotti honored with the ‘Oscars of Teaching’ BY BILL SANSERVINO
Jeanette Capritti thought she was attending a routine school assembly on the morning of Oct. 15. Instead, she became the first educator in Lawrence Township history to receive the prestigious Milken Educator Award. It was a surprise that brought cheers, applause and tears from hundreds of students, colleagues and dignitaries packed into the Lawrence Middle School gym.
The national honor, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize, was presented to Capritti by Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards, and N.J. Acting Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer. Capritti is one of only 30 educators across the country selected for the 2025-26 Milken tour, and the first in New Jersey to be recognized this season. The award is widely known in education circles as the “Oscars of Teaching,” and Capritti is now the 39th New Jersey educator to earn the honor since the state joined the program in 2002. Folley lauded Capritti, and said her “exceptional dedication and passion for teaching shines in everything she See CAPRITTI, Page 5
Lawrence Hopewell Trail Lyons leads LHS football co-founders honored how far would
LHS running back James Lyons (Photo by Kyle Franko.)
you go if they with strength and heart were sick?
ball player and kid, James Lyons is your guy. He’s a really amazing guy. His mom and dad The only thing more impressive than are good people. He’s a special kid.” James Lyons the football player, is James Lyons is, indeed, a rarity. Lyons the person. When conversing with the Cardinals “He’s a great student, he’s in Peer Lead- junior running back, one would think they ership, he’s trying to get his Eagle Scout were talking with a teacher rather than a badge,” gushed Lawrence High football student. He is mature, poised, polished and Welcome toyou Capital Health. coach Rob Radice. “If had to write a thoughtful. See LYONS, Page 8 story on an All-American high school footWhen someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.
BY RICH FISHER
FROM COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
Eleanor Horne and Becky Taylor, the co-founders of New Jersey’s Lawrence Hopewell Trail, are the recipients of the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s secondannual Roger Herz Greenway and Active Mobility Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to promoting sustainable transportation and active mobility. Honoring longtime New York City bicycle advocate Roger Herz, the awards
With a collaborative structure so our doctors can craft a treatment that’s uniquely right for you. With primary care physicians who never schedule an appointment that’s less than 20 minutes. With world-renowned surgeons that are changing cancer treatment.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SPRINGFIELD,1179 MA NEWARK, NJ PERMIT NO. 142
Because you’d go to the ends of the earth for the people you care about. And we do too. Become a part of it today at CapitalHealth.org
were presented to Horne and Taylor on Tuesday during a special dinner in Princeton. “This year, we are delighted to honor the outstanding and impactful work of a dynamic duo who have committed decades to achieving transformational change in their region,” said East Coast Greenway Alliance executive director Dennis Markatos-Soriano. “Their partnership is truly inspiring, and their ability to bring the community together has creSee LHT, Page 3
Academy Dental CHILDREN & ADULTS Complete Dentistry for the Whole Family
AcademyDentalNJ.com
Currently Open for Emergency Dental Care see our ad on pg 16
See our ad on page 3