DECEMBER 2025 FREE
COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
Rooted in joy Area tree farms continue Mercerborn tradition By BILL SANserViNO
Malala Yousafzai (left) and Ava DeLeo at the 2025 N.J. Education Association Convention.
LTPS 8th grader shares NJEA how far would stage with you go if they Nobel laureate were sick?
A Lawrence Middle School DeLeo was one of just three DeLeo, asking who her favorite eighth grader shared the stage public school students selected teacher was. with one of the world’s most prom- from across the state to take part DeLeo replied, “All of them, but inent advocates for education and in the event, which drew thou- if I had to pick one, my social studpeace at this year’s N.J. Education sands of educators. ies teacher Ms. Tarasov, because Association Convention. The conversation, moderated she always pushed her students On Nov. 6, student Ava DeLeo by NJEA President Steve Beatty, to do the right thing and make the joined No bel Peace Prize winner focused on education, equity, lead- right decisions.” Malala Yousafzai as a panelist dur- ership, and global peace. DeLeo was selected for the Welcome to Capital Health. ing the convention’s opening keyDuring the panel, Yousafzai honor due to her advocacy work See dELEO, Page 3 note in Atlantic City. turned the conversation back to When someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.
For New Jersey’s many tree farms, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas bring the crowds they work toward all year — people who come not just to buy a tree, but to take part in something that feels like the official start of the season. What many don’t know is that Mercer County has bragging rights when it comes to this tradition. The first commercial Christmas tree farm in the United States took root in Hamilton Township, where William V. McGalliard began planting Norway spruces in 1901. Hoping to turn rocky farmland into profit, he instead helped spark a holiday custom that swept the nation. He planted 25,000 spruce seedlings and 5,000 saplings from Charles Black of Hightstown. When the first trees matured around 1907, McGalliard sold them for $1 each, long before choosing a tree became the family-centered excursion we know today. Born in 1857, McGalliard spent his life in White Horse, where he farmed, served on
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
local boards, and built the town’s water works. His blend of entrepreneurship and public service helped transform his community, and his unlikely gamble on Christmas trees grew into a nationwide industry. Though his farm is now the site of Kingston & Kemp Funeral Home, his legacy lives on in the thousands of tree farms across America. That same spirit of tradition thrives today at Jack’s Nursery & Landscaping in Hopewell Township, where Edward “Jack” Jackowski and his wife, Anita, have spent nearly three decades tending evergreens and greeting generations of returning families. Jackowski grows Black Hills spruce, Canaan fir, and Norway spruce — species that do well in the clay-rich soil on his Hopewell Township property. “The Black Hills spruce look like they’d hurt, but they don’t,” he said while feeling the needles on one of the trees. “Regular spruce trees bite. They hurt you. But the Black Hills don’t.” Jankowski said that while many families choose from Jack’s pre-cut selection, for parents with young children, he often recommends exploring the fields. “Kids remember running around out here,” he said. “Anybody can go to Home Depot and get a tree. But when kids come See TREES, Page 6
Academy Dental CHILDREN & ADULTS Complete Dentistry for the Whole Family
AcademyDentalNJ.com
Currently Open for Emergency Dental Care see our ad on pg 20
See our ad on page 5