M t . O l i v e’s H o m e t o w n N e w s p a p e r
MOUNT OLIVE LIFE Vo l . 1 7 • I s s u e 8
Au g u s t 2 0 2 2
Member of Mid-Atlantic Community Papers • Association of Community Publichers • Mt. Olive Chamber of Commerce AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL (CVC), ST. LOUIS, MO.
Mount Olive High School Alum is Principal Violist for American Youth Symphony
BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER
MOUNT OLIVE - For Katie Liu, Principal Violist of the American Youth Symphony, it all started in Budd Lake. The 2016 Mount Olive High School graduate and Salutatorian attended Chester M. Stephens Elementary School, Mount Olive Middle School, and MOHS, all the while honing her musical skills, especially those of the violin. “My musical upbringing was a little bit separate from the school district,” Liu says. “I started the violin when I was five years old and then kept playing it on the side basically since then.” However, she now plays the viola. “I was playing violin until my senior year of college. In the middle around sophomore year, that’s when I decided to pick up the viola and see if I could find my way on the instrument. I didn’t expect for it to stick with me this much, but it did.” For Liu, there wasn’t much difference
between the two instruments. “They’re similar enough that switching isn’t terribly difficult. There are things you have to pick up, but isn’t like completely starting new and on a clean slate.” Liu was encouraged to study music by her dad, himself a classical music fan who had never played an instrument. “He used to be a university teacher when he was a little bit a younger, so he knew how to teach, but he didn’t know music.” Liu explains. “He almost learned with me, but was able to teach me along the way. I know a lot of people get surprised that he was able to, but that’s just what he did from three years when I was about age five to eight. He taught me, and then I took private lessons once a week.” Her collegiate stop was Princeton University, where she majored in Operations Research and Financial Engineer-
ing, all the while keeping her grip on her violin. “Coming into Princeton, I sort of had the idea that I wasn’t going to do music,” Liu recalls. “I never really intended on doing music ever full-time. I think I maybe entertained the thought a few times in high school, but ultimately, I also did enjoy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) a lot when I was in high school. So going to Princeton, I knew that I wanted to do something STEM related, and my major specifically was pretty interesting to me because it was so interdisciplinary.” Liu received a certificate in Computer Science at the academics-heavy Princeton, while she juggled about six hours a week of orchestra. At the end of her sophomore year, feeling she was plateauing a bit, she switched from violin to viola, seeking a change. “I wanted to discover something new,” Liu says. “Ju-
Presents of Mind Re-Opens in Flanders
nior and senior year it sort of stuck, and I think I learned how to balance it more. Junior and senior year were when I started actually focusing on the instrument, and it wasn’t until fall of my senior year that I decided to go into music.” Liu recently received her Masters in Music from Colburn School in Los Angeles, and while she studied there, was named in February 2021 Principal Violist for the American Youth Symphony. “The orchestra is amazing, and I love all the people around there because not only do you go and you play, but I feel like there’s always such a community you build when you have experiences like this.” And is it more pleasure or pressure being principal musician? “Definitely more pleasure, I think, because I’ve had experience leading a section. I had experience being principal in the Princeton orchestra as well as the Colburn orchestra. And, when I was a violinist, I was concertmaster in high school and throughout college. It’s one of those things that the more times you do it, the more comfortable you become.” What’s in Liu’s future? “I actually haven’t (thought about it),” Liu says. “I think a lot of
Katie Liu
people will know that I genuinely don’t have a very clear sense of where I go from here. I do love music and I feel like the past few years have really aided me in both musical fulfillment and personal fulfillment in different ways than my undergraduate career, which is what I intended. And whether or not I actually continue this field as a career is not something I’m entirely sure about, also because I have so many interests. In undergrad, I was sort
of doing financial engineering, and a lot of my internships were in finance or in wealth management. I’ve had consulting experience, and all of those have also been fulfilling. Sometimes I go through phases of so many things I want to do, and right now I’m in the process of deciding how to balance that and how to maybe not pursue everything, but also give to myself the opportunities so that I wouldn’t regret not taking them.”
Mount Olive Educators Discuss Success Stories at National Conference
From Left to Right: Wei-Han Zhou, VP of Strategic Operations, Emiliedi Delgado, Stacy Coffield, Madalyn Touhey, Pamela Schindler, and Mayor Rob Greenbaum.
MOUNT OLIVE - On Wednesday July 13, Mayor Greenbaum visited Presents of Mind located at the Mall on 206 in Flanders. A Community Options Enterprise, providing employment to people with disabilities. A unique and upscale gift store that provides an opportu-
nity for hands-on skills within the community. Presents of Mind is a social enterprise operated by Community Options, Inc. Presents of Mind actively employs people with significant disabilities to gain a portable and relevant retail skill set to prepare to move on to more competitive
employment. Every dollar goes to support people with disabilities. Presents of Mind also features a full online shopping experience! Presents of Mind carries Yankee Candle, Lenox, Baby Einstein, Lolita, Seyva and many more brand name products for every occasion!
Your Chance to Win Budd Lake Diner Gift Cards with the “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest
MOUNT OLIVE - Check out our new mascot...Mr. Moe Life. Look for him in the ads in this issue and enter (no purchase necessary) to win a $25.00 Budd Lake Diner gift card. It is easy to enter. 4 Winners will be selected each month. Look through the paper
and read the ads and look for Mr. Life in the ad. He will be located throughout the paper in 6 random ads. Then go to www.mtolivelife. com scroll down and fill out the form to be entered. Winners will be notified and printed in the next issue.
Winners From May’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest
MOUNT OLIVE - The winners from July’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” are Danielle Soriano, Ella Comstock, Allison
Bahr, Wendy Ryle. Mr. Moe was hiding in the following ads: Vision Source, Mt. Olive Acupuncture, Retro Fitness,
Benitos, Centenery Stage and MO Rec. Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!
Kevin Moore, Shawnteeha Boyd, Sirajj Ziyad, Robert Zywicki, Kevin Stansberry, Sharon Staszak present at the Model Schools conference in Orlando, Fla.
MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive High School and its innovative programs shared the national spotlight at the 30th annual Model Schools Conference in Orlando, Florida. MOHS was one of just 16 schools to be selected as a 2022 Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education, an organization that supports effective instructional practices that lead to accelerated learning for all students. Mount Olive School District administrators presented an hour-long overview of successful initiatives implemented over the past several years in support of the district’s long-term plan. These included a data-driven remediation
BUY NOW SELL LATER! We can help you buy your next home before you sell your current home. www.TheTuckerTeam.com New Jersey An Innovative, Technology Based Real Estate Company
Kimberly Thomas 973.479.3178 kim.thomas@compass.com https://dougtucker.com/agent/kimberly-thomas
system which tailors instruction to meet each student’s unique needs, blended learning programs, and unique new courses in computer science, robotics, business, anatomy, social studies, and special education. Also put into place were new initiatives to address social and emotional learning, school climate and student conduct, and instructional equity. “MOHS is the crown jewel of our district and we’ve worked hard to make it even better to meet the needs of all learners,” said Superintendent Robert Zywicki, Ed.D. “Preparing the presentation was also an opportunity for us to reflect on the school’s growth and transformation as a whole.
It’s natural for people to focus on their own work and the work of their immediate colleagues, and we often miss the forest for the trees. The presentation provided a wide-angle lens that allowed everyone to see the big picture and understand how their individual efforts contribute to making MOHS an incredible place to learn and grow.” Integrated into the live presentation were videos and still photographs that took audience members into MOHS to see education in action. The videos also featured teachers discussing their roles and students candidly speaking about the impact of the new proPLEASE SEE EDUCATORS, PAGE 2
King Wok
FREE Delivery (min. $12) within 3 mls Delivery charge $1 over 4 mls $2 over 6 mls
Famous Chinese Food
We Deliver to: Budd Lake, Flanders, Netcong, Stanhope, Ledgewood, Succasunna, Hackettstown, Landing, Hopatcong
Eat In & Take Out
100% VEGETABLE OIL We Serve Quality Food OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK We Use Low Salt on Regular Food MSG We Use No Salt on Diet (Light) Food M-Th 11-10:30 F&S 1-11 100% Diet Food Lose Weight S 12-10 Budd Lake Plaza
141 Route 46 East, Budd Lake (next to Domino’s Pizza)
973-691-6988 • 973-691-8890 www.kingwokbuddlake.com • wwwnjkingwok.com
CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
FREE CHICKEN LO MEIN every order over $30 Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included. CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
2 OFF
$
any purchase of $ 20 or more
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included. CASH PAYMENT CASH COUPON
$
4 90 OFF
any purchase of $ 49 or more
Please mention coupon when ordering. Cannot be combined with other offer. (Take out/delivery) Before Tax. Mini Family & Lunch Special Not Included.