Pine Barrens Tribune June 24, 2023-June 30, 2023

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

Damage

SOUTHAMPTON—It was New Jersey’s ninth tornado of the year that downed trees and tree branches in parts of Southampton and Pemberton townships on June 16.

The tornado, according to a preliminary storm survey report released by the National Weather Service, with peak winds of 80 mph, touched down around 12:55 p.m. “near Burrs Mill Road in Southampton,

Another Major Wildfire Scorches

246 Acres in Burlington County with Lightning Deemed Cause Conflagration is Second One This Year Determined to Be Ignited by Lightning, an Extremely Rare Occurrence in State

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

WOODLAND—A 15-minute burst of heavy rain during a June 16 round of thunderstorms that passed through Burlington County apparently wasn’t enough to curtail the high to extreme fire danger the region has seen over the last several weeks following an extended period of dry weather.

See TORNADO/ Page 6 See WILDFIRE/ Page 8

Photos By Andrew King (Cherokee), John Dooley (Lenape), Skip Harris (Seneca), Tom Valentino (Shawnee), Nick Weissmann (Pemberton)

‘Failure to Communicate’ Parkway Closure Due to Fire, Causing ‘Debacle’ in Bass River, Is Communicated to Governor During Courtesy Call to Mayor Township Residents Are Told Officials Will No Longer Respond to Comments on Social Media

By Bill B onvie

Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—It was the kind of situation that evoked the iconic movie line “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate” (as a character in “Cool Hand Luke” famously put it).

That, in essence, was the problem that Republican Bass River Township Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope made a point of communicating to Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on June 2, the day that a wildfire not only scorched some 5,475 acres of Bass River State Forest, but resulted in the temporary closure of a substantial stretch of the Garden State Parkway.

Not that the transportation officials choosing to close the major thoroughfare due to the heavy smoke from the conflagration wasn’t “a correct call,” as Buzby-Cope subsequently noted at a June 5 township Board of Commissioners meeting. But what turned it into a “debacle,” as she described it to the governor when he called her around noon to see if the township needed anything, was the total failure to communicate that decision to anyone else.

As a result, the mayor said, “no one knew that the parkway was shut down, they never contacted anyone,” including the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the township Office of Emergency Management.

“I was on my way to the command post, and I heard it on the radio,” the mayor maintained. “I got there, and everybody’s scratching their heads, ‘Who shut the parkway down?’”

The resulting traffic snafu on Route 9, the only open thoroughfare in the township that morning, which “maxed out” the town’s manpower and that of the state police, was a situation that Buzby Cope wasted no time in describing to Murphy who responded that he would “take care of it,” she said.

In short order, she ascertained that he had indeed reached out to all the agencies involved when, upon meeting with OEM and New Jersey Forest Fire Service officials, she was asked, “Did you call the governor?” She was also subsequently called by someone in the state Department of Transportation, who apologized profusely, telling her, “We are so, so sorry,” and promised to look into how the situation could be improved on their end so everyone is properly notified.”

But then, “every time there is a major event that occurs, there is always a miscommunication,” the mayor maintained, adding that “in this case, it wasn’t (the fault of) anybody in this town” and “it wasn’t our

state police and our firefighters.”

Fire Chief Tom “Tommy” Wetmore said the fiasco had also created a problem for surrounding communities, making it impossible to know the routes on which emergency vehicles should be directed.

The ability of residents to efficiently communicate with municipal officials was also the focus of remarks by Township Solicitor JoAnne O’Connor, who emphasized that going forward, neither the commissioners nor the mayor would be responding to messages sent via social media on behalf of the township regarding matters that involve municipal business.

O’Connor said that from now on any such contact “has to be done through proper channels,” using either the “complaint forms” issued by the township or else by calling or emailing a member of the commission, with anyone wishing to speak directly to the mayor asked to notify the township clerk, who will convey the message to her.

“Last week I advised the mayor not to respond to any Facebook questions, comments or inquiries,” the solicitor said.

“The mayor and commissioners want to know what is going on, and appreciate when residents tell them what is going on … But if you’re waiting for a response, send an email, file a complaint; social media is not the proper forum.”

Buzby-Cope, however, noting that the nearby wildfire had generated a considerable number of opinions being “brought out and aired” by local residents on social media sites, indicated that there are “new things she learns every day” about the community from reading them.

“We’re all in this town together,” she declared. “We want to make it a better place, and there are issues that need to be addressed. If there is something that needs to be brought to somebody’s attention, and you don’t think I know about it, feel free to reach out to me anytime.”

Commissioner Nicholas Capriglione concurred, maintaining that in his 30 years in local government, there had never been a single time when he had failed to respond to a resident’s concern.

“That has been my policy,” he asserted. “There are things we need to look into.”

Capriglione, in giving his regular court report, also praised what he called “the outstanding rapport” he thought the municipal court had with the state police.

“I know it seems like a nuisance, but every time a trooper stops somebody it really helps us to know that what we have

See DEBACLE/ Page 11

Medford Resident Stephanie Hazelton Given 10 Days for Role in Jan. 6 Riot, with Two Years of Supervised Release, and Ordered to Pay $2K in Restitution Evesham Resident Also Due to Be Sentenced for Unlawful Entry to Capitol Grounds

By Bill B onvie Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Stephanie Hazelton, the anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine activist from Medford Township, who took part in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with protestors seeking to prevent Congress from installing Joseph R. Biden as president, was sentenced on June 1 to a 10-day period of incarceration, followed by two years of supervised release after having previously entered a guilty plea to two

counts: interfering with law-enforcement officers during a civil disorder and aiding and abetting such activity.

A number of remaining charges against her were dismissed on an “oral motion by the government.”

Hazelton, 50, who appeared before Senior U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates for the District of Columbia, was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000 as well as a special assessment of $100 for

See RIOT/ Page 5

Summer Concert Series Returns to Village at Taunton Forge

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

MEDFORD—After a several year hiatus, the summer concert series: The Sounds of Summer (formerly known as Friday Night Café) returns to the Village at Taunton Forge Shopping Center in Medford Township.

The name change also comes with a change in schedule.

The summer concert series will now run Thursday evenings from 7-9 p.m. (excluding the third Thursday of each month).

The shopping center will offer free live music for the community with eight bands on eight Thursdays during the summer, starting June 29. Readers can visit the shopping center’s new website at Villageattauntonforge.com to view the music calendar for the summer, or its Instagram: @Shoptauntonforge and Facebook: Village at Taunton Forge, both of which will also keep you up to date on what bands are performing and when.

“We are pleased to bring back the summer

concert series,” said Village at Taunton Forge Marketing Coordinator Mary DeFillippo.

“We hope the residents of Medford and neighboring areas will come out on Thursdays to enjoy some great bands at our center and also continue to enjoy Medford’s Main Street’s Food Trucks every third Thursday!”

She added that locals should “remember, Thursdays are the new Fridays and Medford is the place to be every Thursday during the summer.

“Your summer schedule can look a little something like this: Medford Main Street’s Food Truck Third Thursdays, and our Summer Concert Series: The Sounds of Summer all other Thursdays of the months from June 29 to Aug. 31 at Village at Taunton Forge!” she continued. “So, give us a follow! Bring your lawn chairs, relax, and listen to some great music. Our popular restaurants will also be open for you to order dinner for a family friendly evening.”

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Evesham Mayor Explains Current Limitations of Township’s Ability to Open New Pickleball Courts After Closure of Existing Ones at Brush Hollow Park

Fire Chief Tells Council Recent Wildfire Near Black Run Preserve Created Safer Conditions; Residents of Greentree Village Meadows Blame HOA for Ignoring Maintenance Complaints

By Bill Bonvie

Staff Writer

EVESHAM—The slim pickings currently available to Evesham Township pickleball enthusiasts was the issue that ended up being the primary focus of a two-and-a-quarter hour township council meeting on the evening of June 14, although it was by no means the only subject of significance taken up at the session.

Other matters brought to the council’s attention included complaints from residents who charged that their homeowners association was so negligent in maintaining the neighborhood under its jurisdiction as to require the intervention of municipal authorities, and a forthright appraisal by Fire Chief Carl Bittenbender of the effects of a recent wildfire on the safety of the community as a whole.

The shortage of pickleball courts in town, which evoked a number of comments and complaints from the public, was the subject to which Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy devoted a lengthy explanation that took up the final 12 minutes of the session.

Much of the chagrin was due to the recent closure of the courts in Brush Hollow Park—a decision that Township Manager Rob Corrales attributed to their being unsafe by virtue of sloping down at an angle so as to create a potential trip hazard, as a result of which “it just wouldn’t be good to have anybody on

there right now.”

Some of those who offered comments questioned whether township officials had done enough to accommodate the somewhat informal sport’s recent surge in popularity, especially among seniors.

Local pickleball player Andrea Richards, for example, asked whether some of the Brush Hollow courts she claimed were still usable couldn’t be kept open and the nets put back “until you have the funds and the time to actually fix them.”

An Arrowhead court homeowner who said she had lived in the township for 42 years and has been a devotee of the game for the past year, asked whether the township had applied for a grant from Burlington County to finance pickleball courts, such as those in Medford Township’s Freedom Park that she understood had been built with such grant money.

She based that question on an encounter she had with a township employee, to whom she had pointed out that playing on the reconverted tennis courts now being used, which are larger than conventional pickleball courts, was too strenuous for many seniors, who need the kind of exercise that pickleball offers.

“All we’re asking is for a few pickleball courts that maybe we can all enjoy,” she said she had told him.

See PICKLEBALL/ Page 5

Medford’s Shawnee High School Students, Principal Come to Aid of Oklahoma Namesake Devastated by Tornado, Along with Town

By Bill B onvie

Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Sometimes, unhappy events have a way of turning the sharing of the same name between otherwise unrelated places into fortunate happenstances.

Such was the case recently when the students of Medford’s Shawnee High School found out that the students of another Shawnee High School, this one in Oklahoma, had been through a disastrous EF-2 tornado (which also did major damage to the surrounding town of Shawnee where many of its students and their families reside).

That was when the “connection” between the two schools became much more than a mutual moniker, with the principal of the Garden State’s Shawnee High School, Matt Campbell, sending an email to his counterpart in the Sooner State, whose first name, quite coincidentally, is also Matt — Matt Johnson —with an offer of assistance on behalf of his students, which not only elicited a reply from Johnson, but was picked up by media serving the area ravaged by the twister.

In a subsequent letter to members of his own “Shawnee community,” Campbell explained that “in an effort to unite the communities, and the two Shawnee High Schools, the one in Medford was hosting a goods drive to support the student body of its tornado-stricken namesake.

Given how “the students of Shawnee High School in Oklahoma are in desperate need of water, school supplies, and clothing,” the letter noted that donations “would be greatly appreciated from one community to another.” It then spelled out how that could be done—either by ordering items from an Amazon Wish List and mailing them to Johnson, making a monetary donation either online or in the form of cash or check, or dropping off donated items in

bins available in the main office hallway.

“They’ve been incredibly helpful, and it’s a wonderful partnership,” Johnson told the Pine Barrens Tribune during a recent phone interview. “A lot of the town was shut down, we didn’t have power, stores were destroyed.”

The Oklahoma principal added it was impossible for some residents to get to nearby cities to buy supplies when their cars had been rendered inoperable. He also said the school itself was heavily damaged, necessitating the moving of graduation ceremonies to Norman.

Officials of Shawnee High School in Medford, he said, asked for a list of needed supplies, which they promised to share with members of their community. Those who wished to make direct contributions of those items could do so either via Amazon or through social media.

As a result of that effort, tornado victims, some of whom had lost everything they owned and were rendered homeless, were provided with essentials ranging from toiletries to clothes, in addition to which school supplies, as well as snacks, were donated to a tutoring program that had to be moved to a local church.

Campbell, for his part, when asked by this newspaper if he would like to offer a comment on the effort, emailed a reply noting how impressed he is “with our students and their desire to help others,” citing the example set by student Ben Barclay, whom he credited with the initial idea to come up with a drive to help the school’s Oklahoma counterpart.

“From there, our student body, led by our Students Actively Concerned Club, put together a plan to raise funds,” Campbell noted, with the “caring and generosity of our school and community” having resulted in more than $4,500 being raised, which he said would be used to purchase much-needed supplies for the Shawnee, Oklahoma community.

her part in the melee.

The incident is estimated to have caused numerous injuries, including those to 138 police officers, in excess of $2.7 million in damages, and to have directly or indirectly resulted in a number of deaths, including those of several protestors and a number of members of the Capitol Police force, several of whom subsequently committed suicide.

In another Jan. 6-related proceeding, Michael Gianos, of Evesham Township, entered a guilty plea on April 28 to a charge of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so; and is due to be sentenced on July 11 by federal court Judge Jia M. Cobb, also of the District of Columbia, with a sentencing memorandum due by July 11, and any responses due by July 18.

When charges were first brought against Hazelton, who also went under the alias “Ayla Wolf,” during the month following the invasion of the Capitol, her alleged offenses also included unauthorized entry in a restricted building, impeding or disrupting official functions and obstructing or impeding law-enforcement personnel and federally protected functions, as well as “aiding and abetting” such activity, and engaging in violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

However, her attorney at the time, Darryl Kipnis, called such accusations “preposterous,” telling the Pine Barrens Tribune that she was being held responsible for violent acts committed by “complete strangers” in which she had no direct part.

“Along with all Americans, Stephanie deeply regrets the violence that occurred in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, and

that people were injured and killed, but she did not participate in any violence,” Kipnis contended at the time.

According to a report filed by an FBI special agent, however, the activities in which she did engage that day included entering a tunnel where Capitol Police were being physically assaulted and directing others to do likewise while shouting, “We need more men, we need more men” and urging the crowd to “keep going, keep pushing.”

In a “statement of offense” filed last October describing Hazelton’s alleged role in the event, which appears to have formed the basis of her guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves concluded that she had “committed or attempted to commit an act to obstruct, impede, or interfere with one or more law enforcement officers carrying out their duties, and aided and abetted other rioters to do the same.”

The sentence she was given, however, was considerably less harsh than the penalty she could have received under sentencing guidelines set forth in a plea offer sent by Graves that same month to her then-attorney Nicholas D. Smith of New York City, which advised him that “your client’s estimated sentencing guidelines range is eight months to 14 months, and that in addition, “the estimated applicable fine range is $2,000 to $20,000.”

As of May 30, more than 1,000 participants in the riot had been arrested in what has been called the largest investigation of its kind, with some of the evidence against many of the detainees consisting of conversations and remarks found on social media accounts. While many of those who entered guilty pleas, like Hazelton, received lesser penalties than those sought by prosecutors, others who were convicted of engaging in violent acts have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, the longest of which so far has been 18 years for seditious conspiracy meted out to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.

PICKLEBALL

(Continued from Page 4)

Another critic of the provisions Evesham has made for its growing group of pickleball aficionados was Steven Huffnagle, who had attended a May 16 meeting on the subject with township officials and made it a point of asking whether the township was living up to the stated goal on its website of providing “first class programs and facilities for recreation” in regard to pickleball.

When the mayor noted that based on present funding limitations and location concerns, “There is no way we can provide pickleball for you right now,” Huffnagle also asked whether grant money had been sought from Burlington County’s Municipal Parks Grant Program, only to be informed by Corrales that those funds had in fact been obtained and used for playground equipment.

Huffnagle then went on to criticize the use of tennis courts with outsized nets to double as pickleball courts, asking “you wouldn’t want the hockey program to play with lacrosse nets, would you?”

Also making a point of what neighboring municipalities are doing in regard to pickleball was Huffnagle’s wife Debra, who said she had been playing pickleball for about a year, and suggested that local officials visit other facilities in the area such as Atkinson Park in Washington Township (Gloucester County), which she described as having a dozen courts and being “a beautiful facility,” and see how they obtained the funds to build them.

“I think if you could take a step back and think about the best approaches and not spend any more money on Brush Hollow — and I don’t have a problem with (the courts) being there, but I can tell you it’s not a good location, there are problems and I can tell you

Our 76th Year!

18-22

the residents have been nothing but nasty — and determine how to spend the dollars in a way that is smart, I think all of us would be really happy,” said Debra Huffnagle, adding, “and to communicate it, please.”

However, Helene Donnelly, who said her home is just 200 feet from the Brush Hollow courts (as opposed to the 600 feet she said was recommended by a club devoted to the sport), told the council she had come forward to thank the township for shutting them down, given the constant noise emanating from them and players’ cars blocking her driveway (making it difficult to get hospice care for her father) and being “parked all over the place,” and that “I don’t appreciate hearing that the residents are nasty, because honestly, I don’t think (the pickleball players) are very pleasant either.”

Donnelly said she wasn’t anti-pickleball, but just against its being played “12 to 13 hours a day, seven days a week” within earshot of her home, and that “there’s plenty of other places to do it.”

“I’ve been ripped apart on social media and so have my neighbors,” said Donnelly, who together with some of those residents had appeared at a meeting some months ago to complain about the purported disruption the courts had created in their daily lives.

After attempting to respond piecemeal to residents’ comments and questions on the matter, Veasy concluded the meeting by explaining in some detail the township’s current situation in regard to pickleball, noting that although an extensive review of township parks and recreational facilities had been conducted in 2020, based on feedback from many community meetings over the years, “I will tell you that prior to 2021 we never heard about pickleball.” Installing courts to accommodate its new devotees in municipal parks was thus not something that

See PICKLEBALL/ Page 8

TORNADO

just south of Ongs Hat Road, where some minor tree damage occurred.”

The tornado, the National Weather Service determined, then “continued east through a sparsely populated area,” ultimately crossing Ongs Hat Road” in Southampton before it continued into Pemberton, to Stockton Bridge Road.”

“A tree was found uprooted, having fallen toward the west on Stockton Bridge Road,” the National Weather Service reported. “This was the area where the tornado reached its maximum width of about 200 yards. A tree was uprooted at a residence on Ongs Hat Road, then the tornado moved into a wooded wetland where more minor

tree damage and downed limbs were found in a nature preserve along Jade Run.”

After passing through the Stockton Bridge Road area, the tornado continued east, the National Weather Service said, crossing Magnolia Road “where several large tree limbs were brought down, and a softwood tree was found uprooted.”

The tornado reportedly then largely paralleled Sheep Pen Hill Road, according to the National Weather Service, where agency meteorologists, in conducting a storm survey, found that it “uprooted a few trees and downed several large tree limbs along the edge of the wooded area to the north of the road and a large blueberry field to the south.”

It was also reportedly observed by the federal government meteorologists that a tree fell onto a power line near the bend in the road. The National Weather Service said it

believes the tornado then dissipated as it moved through another blueberry field and into a wooded area.

However, there were reported sightings of a funnel cloud as far east as the Country Lakes community in Pemberton Township, according to a National Weather Service storm report. A tornado warning had been issued by the National Weather Service at 12:55 p.m. for northeastern parts of Burlington County, including Southampton and Pemberton, as well as for northwestern Ocean County.

The affected blueberry field belongs to Haines Berry Farm, located at 98 Sheep Pen Hill Road. The tornado came just as the blueberry season was getting underway.

“So, this happened today!” said Owner Timothy Haines in posting the results of the storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service. “I don't know how, maybe because it is early and there is not a lot of ripe berries, but it did not knock many

berries off. Trees are down, Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) had to remove one from downed lines right here in our driveway. They responded quickly and we have electric back. Big thank you to them! Overall, I don’t think anyone will notice any damage or loss of crop.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune , in taking a tour of the damaged area, found a JCP&L troubleshooter examining damage to the company’s powerlines on Stockton Bridge Road. One resident pointed out to the lineman where a large tree that had fallen onto the wires.

The most extensive tree damage appeared to be located near Stockton Bridge, which was temporarily blocked off by Pemberton Township’s Department of Public Works until JCP&L could clear the area and restore downed wires.

Just after the bridge, in heading north on the

(Continued from Page 1)

Photo Provided

Surveillance camera footage exclusively obtained by this newspaper showing the moment a tornado begins touching down on June 16 near Burrs Mill Road.

Photo Provided

The direct path of the tornado as preliminarily determined by the National Weather Service.

See TORNADO/ Page 7

TORNADO

road, a rather large tree fell across a driveway. It was at that residence that a vehicle had its windshield smashed in the tornadic storm.

A smattering of properties, mostly on the north side of Ongs Hat Road, had sustained widely scattered tree damage. In one instance, a tree was observed to have crushed part of a homeowner’s white fence.

In another instance, a man was seen using a tractor to move a large tree branch that had fallen in a homeowner’s yard, before heading up the street with the tractor.

The tornado was given a preliminary EF-0 rating, the weakest rating for tornadoes, and is preliminarily estimated to have been on the ground for 3.4 miles.

Just about a half mile south of where the direct path of the tornado was preliminarily confirmed by the National Weather Service, a speed limit sign was blown down by the storm on Issac Budd Road. A large tree branch also fell on a driveway for a farm located across the street.

Further up Issac Budd Road, a road name sign for Bed Bug Hill Road, was seen off its post and laying in the ditch. A few additional tree branches were downed by the storm on Bed Bug Hill Road.

At Bed Bug Hill and Retreat roads, New Jersey State Police temporarily closed Retreat Road to traffic due to a downed tree that fell on a powerline. Crews with Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) were seen working to restore power just before 6 p.m.

Video shot by this reporter, just south of where the direct path of the tornado was preliminarily confirmed, likely represents an intense downdraft associated with the overall mesocyclone that generated the tornado. A television antenna array seen at the beginning of the first video, before the brunt of the storm came through, was ultimately toppled by the wind.

Surveillance camera footage exclusively obtained by this newspaper, with the camera’s location about a half mile south of where the tornado is reported to have touched down, shows the tornado developing in the background of a Southampton residence.

No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Tornadoes, according to Rutgers University, “are much less common in New Jersey,” as compared with other states, with “New Jersey averaging around two each year.”

However, the last several years have represented a busy period of tornado activity in the state, with nine tornadoes having occurred in 2019, four in 2020, 13 in 2021, two in 2022 and nine so far this year.

Most years from 1995 to 2019, with the exception of 2003, had two or less confirmed tornadoes in the state, according to data compiled by Rutgers and the National Weather Service. Eight years during that period, in fact, had no confirmed tornadoes. The last busy period was from 1985 to 1990, peaking in 1989 with 18 tornadoes confirmed in the state that year.

Since 2019, a number of tornadoes have been confirmed in Burlington County after a nearly decade-long streak without any having been confirmed in the county.

(Continued from Page 6)

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A resident of Stockton Bridge Road points out damage from a tornado to a Jersey Central Power and Light troubleshooter.

Photo By Douglas D. Melegari

A man uses a tractor to remove a large tree branch that was taken down June 16 by the tornado on Ongs Hat Road.

WILDFIRE

(Continued from Page 1)

In fact, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which oversees the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), said it is believed that a lightning strike from the thunderstorms that passed through late last week is responsible for igniting yet another major wildfire in Burlington County, occurring June 19 in Woodland Township, just off Route 72 in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest.

It was the state’s 12th major wildfire of the year, a designation given to any conflagration that reaches 100 acres or more in size. Dubbed the “Acorn Hill Wildfire,” it grew to 246 acres in size, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), before being fully contained.

“Lightning-caused wildfires are uncommon in New Jersey and represent 1 percent of all wildfire starts in the Garden State,” the NJDEP said in a statement. “Wildfires caused by lightning do not necessarily start immediately and can burn inside a tree for several days before escaping into the surrounding vegetation. This occurrence is known as a ‘holdover fire,’ and is what led to the Acorn Hill Wildfire in Woodland Township after a storm passed through the area on Friday, June 16.”

The confirmation that the Acorn Hill Wildfire, which threatened some Brendan T. Byrne State Forest campground structures at one point, came on the heels of another confirmation that a June 3 wildfire in Medford Township, known as the Flatiron Wildfire, was caused by a lightning strike. That fire grew to 220 acres before being 100 percent contained.

PICKLEBALL

(Continued from Page 5)

was prioritized or that the township had done any planning for, she noted.

When it was first brought to the attention of officials that pickleball was “a big up-and-coming sport” – a trend she felt was exacerbated by the pandemic – “it was a decision of the township manager and staff, seeing that we had just reviewed everything, that we had an old hockey court in Brush Hollow that could be repurposed,” she recalled.

“Whether that was a good or bad decision, that is still up for debate, and it was a good pickleball court,” Veasy continued. “I was personally excited because I felt it was something we could very quickly turn around and give to residents who had come forward and asked for pickleball courts that we had not planned for before.”

Two years later, she said, the township now finds itself in a situation where the sport has grown in popularity and officials are well aware of the need for facilities, but “we also understand that unfortunately it’s not a low-cost thing to pay for.” On top of that, she emphasized, after having used its previous parks grant money to install five new playgrounds, the township must now use the latest such funding to fix a major problem with the HVAC system at its Blue Barn recreational facility — “not fun from a council point of view … but it is a necessary thing that needs to be done.”

Having consulted with interested residents at that meeting last month, the mayor said, the options are either to repurpose the tennis courts by the Blue Barn, which, because they have been resurfaced so many times, would need to be completely ground down and resurfaced to the tune of over half a million dollars, or to build new courts, a proposal for which available space “is very limited in Evesham.”

The Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported that Washington Township officials said that a lightning strike is also the working assumption for the cause of an April 18 wildfire that threatened 37 homes in that municipality, though no official cause has been announced in that blaze by the NJFFS.

Just prior to the June 19 Acorn Hill Wildfire, Woodland Mayor William “Billy” DeGroff, who also is a NJFFS firefighter, told residents at a Woodland Township Committee meeting that “this is probably the busiest year I remember – and I grew up here – with forest fires.”

“It’s very dry out right now,” said the mayor in urging the public to remain both vigilant and careful. “It is extremely dry. We had a little bit of rain, but it didn’t really help anything. We need a lot more rain.”

According to the NJFFS, the Acorn Hill Wildfire was first reported to the agency by an aircraft enroute to Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst (JBMDL) on the morning of June 19.

Upon arrival, John Earlin, Sr., a section forest fire warden for the NJFFS, “reported an active fire burning in excess of 25 acres” in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest.

The fire grew to 246 acres before being 100 percent contained at 10 a.m. on June 20.

The Glassworks Trail was reported to be still closed from the blaze, as of press time, and at one point during the wildfire, Coopers Road and several local state forest roads were closed to motorists.

As for the other major wildfires to have occurred recently, the NJDEP announced that NJFFS “continues to investigate.”

Multiple rounds of rainfall were forecast for late this week into early next week, with officials hoping it might alleviate the wildfire threat moving forward, though some it may come in the form of thunderstorms.

“So, we are examining where we could put them,” the mayor maintained, but township officials “understand that pickleball is wanted and needed, and we’re trying to move as quickly as we can to make it an option.”

In the meantime, she said, the township is attempting to obtain some nets and make the Blue Barn available for residents to play there on a regular basis, as well as “repurposing a couple of tennis courts around town,” but must also strike a balance between activities like pickleball that appeal to seniors and is good for their health and well-being and the athletic opportunities it offers to students and local youngsters.

“So, we are working on it, we hear you, we understand the challenges,” Veasy told those in attendance. “We would just ask you for some time as we work through the planning and we will continue to update you as we can. Let us know what you like, what you don’t like, because when we do put the money into the infrastructure to build it, we want to make sure it’s done the correct way.”

Chief Bittenbender started off the council meeting by characterizing the recent wildfire that ended up burning about 700 acres of mostly private owned land in the area of Black Run Preserve, along with a smaller blaze a few weeks earlier at the junction of Braddock Mill and Kettle Run roads, as having had a coincidental positive side in that it “will really slow the spread of fires during wildfire season” and “protect us from future fires” by consuming a lot of undergrowth in the area, along with mitigation efforts by firefighters.

“So, from a prevention perspective, from a fire chief’s perspective, I’m happy that we did have those fires because it makes the community safer in general,” Bittenbender contended.

Another helpful development cited by the chief was the pending purchase of a Polaristype utility vehicle for the Office of Emergency Management” that will be equipped with a pump and offer greater maneuverability, which

See PICKLEBALL/ Page 11

Congratulations!

CHEROKEE HIGH SCHOOL

Cherokee High’s Graduating Class Told the ‘Mountains Are Waiting’ as They ‘Stand on Highest Peak of Our Lives So Far’ in Graduating

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

EVESHAM—The “mountains are waiting,” declared local rock climber and Cherokee High School Salutatorian Anton Smolyanyy in a June 16 commencement speech, advising his fellow graduates that “as you walk across the stage tonight to accept your diploma, look upwards toward your next mountain and be inspired by the climb that awaits you.”

“Take risks and don’t live your life wondering what the climb could have been,” Smolyanyy further advised his classmates. “We have all accomplished big things, and now we must dream to accomplish even bigger ones.”

Smolyanyy, who described in his commencement address having spent a lot of time as a rock climber hanging out at the “granite mountain faces of California” and “the orange sandstone of Utah,” and asked attendees to picture him as a “jacked Tom Cruise” from Mission: Impossible 2 “hanging off the edge of a cliff with one arm,” emphasized that “in many ways our high school experience, as a class, can be related to the process of scaling a towering mountain.”

“Four years ago, we arrived at the base of the formidable mountain of high school,” the salutatorian declared. “The dangerous and rocky slope ascended high into the air, toward graduation, with the daunting peak covered in snow and ice. Looking up this mountain, which seems like an eternity ago, this peak seemed unattainable, seemed distant and there

was no obvious path that presented itself amid the unknown terrain. Yet, before we knew it, months and years flew by – day by day, week by week, late night after late night with cramming sessions.

“We conquered this mountain, through a lot of studying and lucky guesses on our tests.”

As Smolyanyy looked out over the hundreds of fellow graduates wearing their caps and gowns, seated on the athletic field of William H. Foltz Stadium in Evesham Township, he further declared, “We stand on the highest peak of our lives so far, from where a breathtaking view opens up all around us.”

“We can clearly see the breathtaking journey that brought us here, as it seamlessly unfolds into a future ablaze with boundless possibilities,” Smolyanyy said. “And yet the next mountain is on the horizon. It turns out the top of each mountain we climb is only the bottom of the next one. As we celebrate the summit today, we also get to celebrate that we get to climb even higher. This is only the beginning.”

The salutatorian encouraged the Class of 2023 “not to chase the peaks or summits,” but to “learn to love the challenge itself – the fight it takes to get to the top,” as well as to “learn to love weathering the unexpected storms and obstacles that life throws at you every single day.”

“Be driven by the vision of your own summit,” he advised. “Yet be shaped by the journey you take to get there.”

Getting help along the way is something that Smolyanyy discouraged the graduates

to not shy away from, comparing “support,” which he contended is “necessary along the way,” to “the rope that catches you when you fall,” adding, “find the people you trust to catch you and support you, because falling is a natural and inevitable part of climbing.”

“The simple truth is you can’t always stay at the top, after every peak,” Smolyanyy maintained. “You have to descend. So, thrive in those moments in between the peaks, when it feels like you are going off script, because each one of those moments brings you one step closer to the next upward slope. And if you are on loose footings, climb with a rope that will support you.”

The Cherokee commencement exercise was apparently a bit abbreviated due to uncertain weather conditions, with severe weather having passed through earlier in the day and skies remaining overcast with a scattered shower having been predicted for the evening.

“Proud” Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm, of the Lenape Regional High School District, of which Cherokee is included, described her role as two-fold for the evening – “cede my time so that we can allow student speeches in this weather” and “officially certify the Class of 2023,” with Cherokee Principal Donna Charlesworth having also forgone her traditional commencement address that she was scheduled to give.

However, Birnbohm remarked, “I have had the honor and privilege of watching many of you conduct yourselves admirably during your time at Cherokee.”

“Continue to care and connect with the people you encounter,” she added. “Continue to accept guidance and love from those who have supported you,

Class of 2023

wherever you venture.”

She then acknowledged Student Council President Celeste Yeany and Senior Class President Lydia Luna in attendance at the ceremony, and presented them with their diplomas first as part of an annual Cherokee “tradition” so that they can “read their fellow graduates’ names” in handing out the rest of the diplomas to the 559-member graduating class.

After about 20 minutes had passed, the graduating class heard from its valedictorian, Daniel Hassall, who initially gave his mother a loving shoutout, at one point declaring, “you are the greatest thing in my life.”

He then asked his classmates, “Do you remember when we were all very young and the world was ours for the taking?”

“I remember all of ‘you’ – you with that crazy laugh, or ‘you’ and that steel look on your face at every at bat,” he recalled. “The way ‘you’ covered every notebook with flowers. And I will never forget ‘you’ and how your rich brown eyes shined like stars in the sunlight.

“I remember ‘you’ on hot summer mornings, and on cold autumn bus rides, making them all worthwhile. I remember climbing on those storage crates during football in the park, when we all realized, but never acknowledged, how we were all leaving boyhood behind – together.”

Each statement, it was later noted, related to a memory of a different friend or classmate and how they will continue to grow together, but in new directions. The takeaway from Hassall’s speech is that he is grateful for all that his fellow classmates offer each other, and that he loves everyone for the experience.

“For now, I give all of you, a little softly now, the truest thing I know – I love you,” Hassall declared.

Cherokee Photos By Andrew King

‘What

But Rather Advised to Ask, ‘Why Not?’ in Maximizing Possibilities

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

MEDFORD—There are an “infinite number of events” that occur in life that cause one to ask, in reflecting back on them, the question of, “What if?”, but Devin SevilleWalls Torres, president of the Lenape High School Class of 2023, advised his peers during a June 16 graduation ceremony to instead “focus on the reality of what you did, rather than the possibilities of what you would have, could have, or should have done.”

Torres explained to the 472-member graduating class that he often catches himself “contemplating two words: ‘What if?’” citing an example of when the Coronavirus pandemic began during the graduates’ sophomore year of high school, having thought, “What if COVID had died down like we all expected, and

“What if we came back on April 20 (of 2020) like they said we would (but in reality became a closure for the rest of the school year)?”

“Maybe we would have been better at studying,” he surmised. “Maybe we would have scored even higher on some tests. Maybe the economy would be better, and maybe cookies would still be 75 cents (versus $1 now). Maybe we would be a step closer to our set goals. Maybe some people we miss today would not have left our lives in the first place.”

But then, he asked of his peers, what would have happened to all the new connections made, for instance, or if those experiences of late hadn’t been experienced.

“Throw away the ‘What if?’” Torres suggested to the graduating class. “Reflect

on the past, sure, but don’t concern yourself with the idea of changing it because it got you exactly where you are today, here with your friends and family at your own high school graduation.”

Co-salutatorian Aayush J. Talreja, however, challenged his classmates to ask the question of, “Why not?”

“Why not maximize the infinite possibilities of today?” asked Talreja, warning his peers to avoid what he referred to as the “trap of adulthood,” or where livelihoods can become “cyclical” and “repetitive.”

Talreja added that the graduates “can’t sit here today and worry about the challenges of tomorrow” and in giving his advice to his peers, declared, “don’t worry about the future, just take a leap of faith today.”

His counterpart, Rohan Gawande, also class salutatorian, in describing that the Class of 2023 has arrived at a “magic moment, at a metaphorical crossroads,” described that his peers now have “two options” to choose, either “complacency” or “success,” before asking several other questions of the graduates.

“Which would you choose?” Gawande asked. “Why wouldn’t we choose ‘success?’ Why would we stay ‘mediocre’ when we could be great?”

In answering that latter question that he posed to his classmates, Gawande asserted, “We stay average because we simply aren’t willing to fail.”

“‘Success,’” he declared, “is only possible if we let go of the past and stop overthinking about the future.”

“Life stops for no one, and why should we?” inquired Gawande of his classmates. “To succeed, we need to seize every

opportunity and accept every failure.”

Gawande pointed to Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts taking a risk of failure every time that he throws the football to win the game.

“Here’s the thing,” Gawande said. “Do you think he has ever frozen in fear, worrying about what ‘could happen’ if the ball is intercepted? No, because failure is simply part of the process. Living in the moment is when failure simply isn’t a concern. And you must focus on the now.”

In pointing to there being 86,400 seconds in a day, Gawande declared there are “86,400 opportunities in a day,” and, “every second, every day, is a fleeting moment for success.”

Gawande’s speech to his peers revolved around the magical Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

“We need to use our magic, while accepting failure and living in the moment,” Gawande declared. “We need to reach for the stars. We need to experience today to the fullest, and collect every moment, every motion and look for your family, friends and supporters. These are the keys to your success.”

Torres called June 16 a “historic moment” for many reasons.

“We are the last group of seniors with class rank,” he said, alluding to a prior decision by the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education to no longer publish or release class rank, unless a waiver is granted by the district for a limited circumstance, beginning with the next school year. “We are also the last graduating class that got to experience Lenape before COVID, and before many teachers used Google Classroom (a virtual learning tool), and most importantly, before 75 cent cookies became a $1.”

The Class of 2023, the senior class

president pointed out, is also the first to graduate on the high school’s new turf field, and in pointing this out, made a pronouncement that the graduating class was making a “monetary donation for even more improvements to our campus,” though no further details were offered.

“It is “important to remember,” Torres said, “this is not the finish line,” but rather “let this graduation be a steppingstone to a bright future, filled with more graduations, more (honor) cords, more medals and more speeches.”

Sahithya Suryanarayanan, Lenape’s student council president and a graduating senior, put it this way: “Today, we stand on this first page of a new chapter in our lives,” further declaring, “every hardship we have faced over the past four years, no matter how daunting it seemed, was worth it for this very moment.”

Her advice to her peers was to “take a moment to reflect, not just on the big memories, … but every small moment we may have taken for granted.”

Suryanarayanan maintained it is “truly the smaller moments that made this school a true family” and “I know our future holds a billion more of these small moments that will make life outside Lenape that much more spectacular.”

“We will all experience new streets, new people, new food, new dreams and a whole lifetime without each other, but I know that we are all still cheering each other on from the sidelines, whether it is by saving a life, by performing brain surgery on an elderly patient, belting out a captivating performance on Broadway or scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl,” she said. “Never, ever forget your Lenape family, as the world eagerly awaits the impact you

See LENAPE/ Page G12

Seneca Photos By Skip Harris

Seneca Graduates Urged to Continue Living for the ‘Kairos Moments’, Told ‘People Who We Become Matters More Than Title We Achieve’

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—Two days prior to Seneca High School’s June 16 graduation ceremony, Principal Bradley Bauer woke up to a bit of a surprise from the Class of 2023, one of what would be the “Kairos moments” that Senior Class President Hannah Cutts urged her fellow graduates to “continue living for” as they enter the next chapter of their lives.

According to Bauer, and as also described by Cutts, members of Seneca’s Class of 2023 showed up at his house “in the middle of the night” and camped in his front yard, waiting for him to wake up so that they could surprise him.

That they did, according to Cutts, “when

Mr. Bauer woke up to discover many of us had spent the night in tents in his front yard.”

“I appreciated that guys, that is something that will live with me forever,” declared Bauer during the school’s commencement exercises.

Cutts, in her commencement speech, explained that the “Ancient Greeks, who are well known for their wisdom,” had two different words for the definition of time: Chronos, which refers to the passage of time, and Kairos, which stands for the kind of time that cannot be measured, only experienced.

Chronos, she said, “is the kind of time we measure as the clock ticks in seconds, minutes, hours, days and years,” while Kairos “is experienced in moments – where time

seems to stop, where you say it doesn’t get any better than this and that fills the soul.”

“Our days here at Seneca have been filled with Chronos time – the many hours spent in class, on the practice field, in rehearsal or studying for that big test,” Cutts declared. “However, the time that has been most special is the Kairos time –those moments we will always remember.”

She cited, among many, spending the night in Bauer’s front yard as an example of one of her Kairos moments, though she noted “each of us have our own list.” However, one thing she was confident of is that for all members of the graduating class, “this year was full of special Kairos moments, starting here on this brand-new turf field” in which the 250 graduates were seated for the commencement exercises held in Tabernacle Township.

The high school’s slogan is “Seneca

Family,” and it also happens to account for the institution’s Instagram and Twitter hashtags/handles, but Cutts declared, “‘Seneca Family’ is so much more than our Instagram name and our hashtag.”

Rather, she maintained, it represents “Seneca family staff members who always bend over backwards to help you, being greeted every morning by administrators’ smiling faces at the door, the gym erupting in cheers at a Unified basketball game, a place where everyone is supported and loved, a place where all are encouraged to be ourselves and a place where we always felt safe.”

“Seneca family is what made this place our home for the past 4 years,” Cutts asserted.

The president of the Class of 2023 noted that kids often get asked, “‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”, but See SENECA/ Page G12

SHAWNEE HIGH SCHOOL

‘Be Curious, Fail and Persevere' Are Messages Commencement Speakers Impress Upon Graduates at Shawnee’s Graduation of the Class of 2023

By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer

MEDFORD—Patrick Ryan, Shawnee High School’s Class of 2023 president, is curious about everything, impressing upon his fellow graduates during a June 16 commencement ceremony in Medford Township that “curiosity is the key to the door of opportunity.”

“Simply put, a person who does not

try to understand more about the world around them limits their perception of their world around them,” Ryan declared.

“They unknowingly put a ceiling on their own potential, stunting the possible growth of their mind.”

Ryan noted that through his own experiences, he discovered that he is “able to break my ceiling” by maintaining a single trait: “curiosity.”

Class of 2023

It was three years ago, he said, that he was listening to one of his favorite podcasts when his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to “mindlessly meander Google” to search where the podcasters went to college.

One of those podcasters, according to Ryan, went to the College of the Holy Cross, a school he hadn’t heard of until that moment.

“I can owe my discovery of this school to curiosity, and interestingly enough, I will be spending my next four years there,” Ryan pronounced.

Being curious, Ryan said, also helped to transform “some of my otherwise mundane classes into captivating experiences.”

“It is the subtle difference between apathy and engagement, and the key to being a true learner,” Ryan declared. “However, this truth exists beyond the classroom, whether it be in the workforce, at a trade school or in college: remaining curious ensures we all achieve our own full potential. Always take away more from an experience than what you just learn. Curiosity is key to the door of opportunity, whether that be college, a job, or slightly better performances at Quizzo trivia nights.”

At one point Ryan told his peers, “Asking someone a question about themselves, taking an extra minute to dig into the truth about something – these are the kinds of things that make our lives more interesting and help us understand one another better.”

“If we learned anything over the past four years, it is that there is more to

take away from experiences than simply the experience itself,” he told his fellow graduates. “We have all learned to reflect a little bit about the deeper meanings embedded in those experiences.”

In giving a brief mention to the graduating seniors’ journey through high school, the fond memories made together, and COVID, Ryan asserted, “certain things seem to matter more now” and “certain things seem to matter less.”

“I’ve learned a lot of things throughout my time in high school,” he said. “I have learned how to add and subtract chemical formulas. I have learned how to integrate and derive complicated functions. I have learned, for better or worse, how to finish physics labs the day before they are due. But all of these things collectively help reveal the most important takeaway I have gained in high school, something that was never explicitly taught to me in a class: I have learned how important it is to be a learner.”

He further noted that “no one has ever become successful by absorbing information that comes to them” and “likewise, the most scholarly and accommodating teacher in the world can only have so much of an impact on the student who does not make an effort to know more.”

After pointing out to his classmates “we are all on the precipice of our futures,” he asserted “now is not the time to decide the

See SHAWNEE/ Page G9

Shawnee Photos By Tom Valentino

SHAWNEE

(Continued from Page G8)

kind of people we are, but rather the kind of people we aspire to be.”

“When I spoke four years ago as a timid 8th grader (at Medford Memorial School’s graduation), I couldn’t have possibly imagined the things our class would come to accomplish,” said Ryan, who previously won best delegate at a Model UN Club conference and is also one of the Principal’s Award recipients. “Now, here we are again, as the 2023 graduating class of Shawnee, and I couldn’t be prouder of the distance our class has overcome. Every one of us should be proud of our achievements and the work it took to get where we are now.

“So, Class of 2023, I would like to leave us with a simple message: be curious as it makes us and the world a whole lot more interesting.”

Valedictorian Michael Haussman’s message to the graduating class is “one pinnacle failure was all it took to change my perspective – to teach me the importance of putting an effort into all aspects of my life,” as well as that “avoiding failure only leads to stagnation.”

Comfort zones, he explained, “give us a sense of shelter in an unfamiliar time and place, like the eye of a storm helping us find peace amongst chaos.”

For Haussman, his comfort zone is math as the “the beautiful logic and systematic thinking really puts my mind at ease.”

“I became reliant on it to be that one place in high school where I felt comfortable and calm in the chaos of the ever-winding halls of Shawnee,” Haussman said.

However, at one point, he declared, “it stabbed me in the back” and “left me out

to dry” with his “comfort zone becoming flooded with anxiety-inducing hostility,” the result of having failed a test.

“Most of us have failed a test or two, and in the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal,” Haussman said. “But for me, grades, especially in math class, were more than just a number. It was almost a matter of identity. When school felt weird and out of my comfort zone, I at least had my grades. But now all I had was a 47 staring back at me, taunting me, and reminding me of my failure.”

Having earned such a score on a test, Haussman asserted, “was the tipping point in my high school career – my Chernobyl, a complete nuclear meltdown.”

“If you are thinking, ‘He failed only one test, this isn’t that big of a deal,’ you’re right, and you definitely have a much healthier relationship with your grades than I do,” the valedictorian quipped. “But in that moment, I didn’t know what to do. I knew the material, at least I thought I did, and now the one place where I felt like everything was under my control, suddenly felt like a chaotic, radioactive mess I had to clean up.”

After spending “years gliding by, doing the bare minimum,” Haussman said, he was left with a choice, and “so, I put the work in like I never had before, managing to squeeze out an ‘A.’”

But it was that new work ethic, Haussman explained, that “not only helped with my academics, but also led to other things like making friends and finding my place in high school,” after an admittedly tough start as a lonely freshman who struggled to socialize, with the valedictorian adding that “I started to put myself out there a bit instead of just sitting around quietly and ended up finding a lot of interesting people,” after having put the work into his studies.

“One pinnacle failure was all it took to change my perspective to teach me the

importance of putting an effort into all aspects of my life,” Haussman added. “It was the need to overcome a setback that pushed me to a higher level.”

The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and 2021 presented another setback for students like him that had to be overcome, he noted, but “yet, here we all are, graduating – because we overcame the setback; and we are able to overcome setbacks like this because of past failures.”

“It is our failures that prepare us for setbacks that we don’t anticipate,” Haussman emphasized. “Failing teaches us how to adjust to our situation and persevere. My failure taught me how working hard can lead me to success and help me when I had to keep myself on schedule, working at home. We can choose to avoid failure, but we can’t choose to avoid the many setbacks that life throws at us. And when those come, avoiding failure only hurts us in the long run.

“… It was the many setbacks and failures that we all had that made us into who we are today. Just like how we can’t truly be happy without knowing sadness, we can’t know success without failures.”

The valedictorian said of June 16 that “although this day is meant to celebrate our great success of graduating high school,” he would also like to “celebrate all the failures along the way.”

“As good as many of the teachers are here, none of them hold a candle to the great teacher that failure is,” Haussman declared. “The greatest teachers can only do so much. Failure gives us a choice: grow and overcome, or break down and quit. So, as we take our next steps to college, the workforce, trade school and beyond, don’t fear failure. To grow, we must all fail, and in the face of failure, overcome and push forward. Avoiding failure only

leads to stagnation. So, fail, a lot – OK well try not to fail your classes, but fail boldly and learn from it, grow from it. We all have so much ahead of us. Don’t peak in high school because of fear of failure. Try new things, push the fear away, and most of all, never stop learning and growing.”

Perseverance is something that Salutatorian Isabella Christianson made a point of in her commencement address to the 367 graduates, noting it is “the main reason I have the honor of speaking to all of you today.”

“It took perseverance to stay up late every night doing physics homework or finishing a presentation,” she said. “At some point or another, everyone here has persevered through a tough time. We all made it through our freshman year and are here standing here today to accept our diplomas. I am glad we learned perseverance this early in our lives, because it is a much-needed skill for future success.”

Christianson said the graduates will once again have to persevere, whether it be through college, trade school or the workforce.

“We will need to push through not only academic struggles, but all the hardships life throws at us,” she declared. “Within the next few years, some of us will get fired, others of us will not get hired for a job or get rejected from the graduate school we want.”

“But we will persevere,” Christianson continued. “We need to remember that rigidity in the face of adversity leaves each of us vulnerable to breakage. What is important is bending and being flexible when trouble comes our way. So, choose things that add pressure and let the experience bend you into a stronger person.

“The satisfaction of succeeding after failure is enough to keep us all going. So, graduates, go – live, be curious, fail and persevere.”

PEMBERTON HIGH SCHOOL

Graduates of Pemberton High Detail How They Overcame Challenges of Pandemic as ‘Underdogs’ by Maintaining Perseverance and Grace

By Douglas D. Melegari

Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—Co-salutatorian Rachel Hussmann, of Pemberton Township High School (PTHS)’s Class of 2023, had a wellreceived message for her peers graduating on June 19: “we are the underdogs” and “do not discount the underdog when the race is not over.”

Against the backdrop of a nearly twoyear shutdown of the high school during the graduating class’s freshman and sophomore years because of the Coronavirus pandemic, various commencement speakers, including the graduates themselves, described how “even in these times of seclusion, we persevered,” as Senior Class President Destinee Goodly put it this past Monday night.

“As we cross this stage, we are yet again

stepping into uncharted territory and leaving the comfort of our homes, towns and schools behind,” further declared Class of 2023 Vice President Brianna Malave to the 272-member graduating class. “But this time we know that it is not impossible to find our way. We are not alone. We know that no matter how scary the world may seem, just like high school, if you search every classroom, seek every opportunity, make new connections and follow your dreams, you will see there is no mountain you can’t climb.”

Getting to this point, Malave acknowledged, “was not easy.” She described that she “had a plan for everything,” but now “I wish I could tell a 9th grade ‘Brianna’ nothing would go the way she planned.”

What was supposed to be a two-week

break “turned into two years of our lives being turned upside down,” the graduating class vice president described, and “we faced different trials and tribulations: death, grief and losing ourselves in the darkest of times.”

However, arising from that experience, she said, “we also came together, found a way, and learned something new about ourselves and others.”

“We learned how to find the light in our lives and not just sympathize, but empathize with each other,” Malave declared. “Because now, we didn’t have to imagine that certain kind of pain because we lived it. We could all feel it.”

The senior class vice president recognized her goals and plans “changed a little bit” from when she first entered the doors of PTHS, before asserting, “I changed. We all have.”

“And that is how life is,” she added. “Life is not to forget your past and become a new version of yourself. Life is the reflection of all that is good, showing gratitude, appreciating your past and accepting that we are all human

and life doesn’t always go as planned. We need to show grace not only with ourselves, but with one another.”

In further touching on the perseverance that led to the moment at hand, Goodly described that it was only when “we were a semester into this new adventure” of high school that “our world changed forever.”

“It spun on its axis, immediately shifting to Google Meets and drive-by birthday parties,” the senior class president said. “What began as a fun, little extension of spring break had turned into an episode of Black Mirror where everyone was trying to survive a virus, and even more strange, it kept evolving. Freshman year is supposed to be a time to find your footing, join clubs and create new bonds. I can wholeheartedly say not being able to socialize with each other affected us tremendously as a whole. Yet, even in these times of seclusion, we persevered.”

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Pemberton Photos By Nick Weissmann

PEMBERTON

It is “the determination shown by our school, as a whole to return to ‘fully normal’ that embodies the standard of perseverance we strive for here at PTHS,” she further declared.

Other words of wisdom Goodly had for her peers is that “it is OK to ask for help,” “it takes integrity to admit your mistakes,” and that “being honest with yourself and others, and owning the moments when you are not your best, embodies the strength and courage you will now carry forward for a lifetime.”

“All the memories we have had these last few years, good and bad, are just the beginning, not the end,” Goodly told the graduates seated on the field. “And we know endings can be terrifying – the idea of not knowing what is next. The fear of the unknown. All I want us to remember is that there is a point in our life where everything was terrifying. Despite the fears, anxieties and hardships, here we stand, graduating high school. As I look into the crowd, I see faces that will go down in history. Many faces I have known and had the pleasure of growing up with. I am so infinitely proud of all of us. As you go into your future endeavors, remember it is OK to not have it all figured out. We have so much time ahead of us. We did it and I could not be happier.”

Co-Salutatorian Noah Abbott, who explained that he consistently strived to become the class valedictorian, but fell short, elaborated on why he is ultimately happy, maintaining that when the COVID restrictions began to be lifted, it marked a “turning point in his priorities” in which he came to appreciate the time he could actually spend with his family and friends (something

that was in short order during the COVID lockdown).

“I found true friends who loved me,” Abbott said. “I realized that spending time with them and my family made me happy. Who would have thought? That brief satisfaction from seeing that ‘A’ on my transcript was fleeting. Two days ago, I was out with my best friends, enjoying time on the boardwalk. I will remember that experience over the time I got a 95 on my final eastern philosophy exam any day of the week.”

The co-salutatorian expressed his hope that others “will learn from my mistake” in putting an emphasis on grades over experiences with friends and loved ones.

“Make time for the people in your life that make you grow into the person you want to be,” Abbott declared. “The people who make you happy. The people who love you. You may only get someone like them once in your lifetime. Don’t mess it up. Now, I’m not saying to park your car on the side of the road and abandon work and academics. Heck, shoot for the top if that is what your goal is. Being the valedictorian and salutatorian is still an amazing honor. But hey, while you’re driving, enjoy the view. Guys, it’s June. The roses just bloomed. Stop and smell them. I stopped to smell them, and they smelled wonderful.”

The Class of 2023 valedictorian distinction went to Amelia Adams. She also recognized that “one of the biggest challenges for our class has been the pandemic.” She pointed out “most graduating classes have a full high school experience with all four years present in school,” but “for us, however, we unfortunately were stopped halfway through our freshman year, which led into our sophomore year of fully online learning.”

“While I cannot account for everyone’s experiences, I know that everyone here, including teachers and staff have been affected in one way or another,” Adams

maintained. “Personally, I was set back by the pandemic, feeling a lack of motivation toward my schoolwork and even towards my hobbies. It was hard, staring at a screen and listening to a teacher talk, while everyone was silent with a black screen.

“Once we were back in school, I am sure it took time for everyone to get acclimated again with teachers, other students, and even your friends. Other challenges for you could have been the activities or classes you participated in, such as sports, advanced courses and clubs. I know that everyone has persevered through them all, working hard to gain more experience, knowledge, and mastery of what you love. It is clear that we have pushed through, as we are here tonight with each other, and have overcome the final challenge: graduation.”

But with what she and her peers have overcome, she declared, “I’m confident that every graduate here tonight is prepared for the future, to start college, attend trade school, enlist in the military, or go straight into the workforce.”

“Everyone has something to be thankful for, and for me, I am grateful to all my friends and family who have supported me, alongside my teachers,” Adams asserted. “I hope that you all stay connected with those who have supported you and keep your friends close because you will need them. Not only should you be thankful, but you should also be proud of yourself for how hard you have worked to get here. Parents, teachers, and friends, I know that you are all proud of us and what we have become. So many people here have been inspirational to me, and so many of my fellow classmates have been amazing to watch, growing into the people they are now.”

The valedictorian implored the graduates to “strive for what you believe in” as well as “to take the opportunities that come your way.”

“Never give up, never doubt yourself, and

never undermine the accomplishments you’ve made here at Pemberton,” Adams declared.

Superintendent Jeffrey Havers, in “recognizing when we all went into ‘lock down,’” noted that the “last three months of freshmen year” for the graduates “was like nothing any of us have ever experienced –filled with numerous obstacles to overcome.”

“In order to navigate these difficulties, your ability to persevere was tested,” he said.

The challenges continued “educationally, socially and emotionally,” he noted, when the graduates entered their sophomore year, and that “once again, in order to be successful, perseverance was required.”

And then came the graduating class’s junior year, when the students “came back every day, but with masks, for most of the year, and plenty of you had to quarantine at some point,” and it “was certainly another year for you to get even better at persevering.”

“On Sept. 7, 2022, you walked through the doors of PTHS as seniors,” Havers recounted. “A few masks, some occasional quarantining, but the impact of two years of some form of isolation did take its toll on many. Ladies and gentlemen, the graduates in front of me were determined, after all that persevering, to make this a great year.”

After further recounting the various “fun-filled,” “packed” and “unforgettable” activities that the senior class partook in, the superintendent cited a relevant quote from Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist: “‘You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.’”

In pointing out that initially “your world was rocked with numerous unexpected See PEMBERTON/ Page G12

PEMBERTON

setbacks,” Havers asserted that “in the end, as is usually the case, it was your perseverance that determined your success.”

“There is no doubt that in your high school journey, you have learned how to rise!” Havers further declared.

And now once again, Havers told the graduates, “you are embarking on a new path, one that will be filled with opportunities, such as new careers created by technology, and also obstacles, such as some of the innovations of Artificial Intelligence.” But he advised for them to “make the most of those opportunities” and “when those challenges come your way, and you do encounter a defeat, which will sometimes happen, remember that you have already learned how to persevere –continue and come out of it.”

“Be sure to soak it in and be grateful for your successes,” the superintendent emphasized to

LENAPE

(Continued from Page G5)

will make.

“In the words of Dr. Suess , ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ Be kind to one another.’”

Planned commencement addresses by Principal Tony Cattani and LRHSD Assistant Superintendent Matt Webb did not occur due to the threat of inclement weather, but Webb, in certifying the Class of 2023, did briefly thank the outgoing class “for contributing to the tradition of excellence in our school district.”

Valedictorian Adithya N. Selvakumar, who remarked “the sky above is representative of the infinite possibilities we hold,” in declaring the school’s Class of 2023 “the most driven

SENECA

(Continued from Page G7)

maintained, “the better question to ask is, “‘Who do you want to be when you grow up?’”

“The people who we become will matter much more than the title that we achieve, what award we win or how much money we make,” Cutts declared. “What matters most is who we are and what we value.”

Kindness, humility, relationships, loyalty, hard work, respect, generosity, love and “doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do” were among Cutts suggestions of “some of the things we should value.”

“I truly believe that success and answering the question of who we want to be will lead to success and answer the question of what we want to be,” Cutts contended. “So, as we start this new journey, do not think of it as the journey to achieve this or that, but rather think of it as the journey to become a person we are proud of.”

The senior class president then shared a saying often repeated by her grandmother, “‘live each day to its ultimate good.’”

“As we begin this new season of life, my hope is that we each become people who live for the Kairos moments, pursuing each day’s ultimate good,” Cutts declared.

Salutatorian Julianna Zimm, in her address to fellow graduates, described “deciding to strive for academic perfection” during her high school years, “focused on short term

the graduating class. “When the road does get rocky, remember the words by Maya Angelou, and also this quote from Martin Luther King Jr., about facing struggles in life, ‘If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.’”

“Graduates, let the perseverance that allowed you to overcome the struggles from the past, be the inspiration for your determination, to overcome the obstacles of the future. Don’t be ashamed during the times you have to crawl, don’t be discouraged when you are forced to walk, remember that we all get tired when we have to run, and let your perseverance and your Pemberton Pride remind you to always keep moving forward, with your head held high.”

Hussmann, meanwhile, told her fellow graduates that “if you haven’t had one good memory from high school, let today be it – let it be known you persevered through a difficult time and still succeeded.”

And then, after asking her classmates to “not forget where you came from” and

and diverse class in Lenape’s history,” asserted “here we stand at the pinnacle of achievement, upon a veritable mountain top of academic and personal growth” and “here we stand at a long, grueling climb – a climb riddled with challenges as diverse as our nearly 500-person class.”

He then cited a “mantra from my faith” emphasizing “the four archetypes that play a crucial role in a child’s development: Matha, Pitha, Guru, Daivam.”

In referencing ‘Matha,’ which he explained is another word for mother, Selvakumar said he “would like you to think of anyone who has played a maternal role in your life” and “visualize her in your mind’s eyes and take a moment to offer her your love and gratitude.”

After pointing out that Pitha means father, the valedictorian asked his classmates to “think of men that have been father figures

goals, dedicating all my efforts to them.” An example she cited was having her “heart absolutely set on getting an ‘A’ in AP calculus.”

But in being in the midst of “profound reflection,” Zimm maintained that she realized “I demanded success from myself, and in doing so, I sacrificed too much of my life for it.”

“Even my senior year of cross country, where I would have been team captain and run varsity, was abandoned in pursuit of getting good grades,” she said. “I put my value in academics, rather than in the experiences that truly give life value.”

And now, she told her classmates, “I dare say I have a bit of regret.”

“I am hesitant to use the word ‘regret’ as I have always lived by the standard that there is no room in life for it because a lesson can be gained from every situation,” Zimm said. “But now I look back on the four years of perfect grades and wonder if it was worth everything I lost or let go of. Maybe not. Only recently have I discovered that I should have been treating my life as more of a long-distance race than a sprint. It is about the journey, not the race. Racing through your grand ‘to-do list’ also means racing through what could have been some of the best moments of your life.”

Zimm declared that “if I could give one piece of advice to my freshman year self, I would tell her to focus on what she loves.”

“True passion will take you further in life than anything else,” she shared with her graduating class, further suggesting to her peers to “don’t be the kid who peaked in high school.”

“Even if high school was the most

touching on the stigma that can sometimes be associated with Pemberton given its location and socioeconomic status, she declared to thunderous applause, “We represent the working-class families working for a better future.”

“We are the underdogs,” continued Hussmann, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd. “Do not discount the underdog when the race is not over. Our contributions to the future will be great. Maybe even better than the other towns we often compare ourselves to. To the world, Pemberton is just a spec. We are a small town in the middle of New Jersey. Most people do not know who we are. So why don’t we change that? With the brightness of our futures, let’s show the world what Pemberton truly is. Let’s change the world with our experiences, our knowledge and our determination.

“We are all going places, but my only question for you is: ‘Where?’ Where will you go to leave your mark? We cannot truly predict where we will be in the future, but know that your past actually marks the beginning of your future. Class of 2023, we have so much to look forward to, our whole lives are ahead

to you for the past four years.”

Guru, he said, is another word for teacher, before requesting of his classmates to “think of every coach and mentor who inspired you to strive for more.”

“Daivam – we all conceptualize divinity differently,” Selvakumar explained. “Muslims call it Allah, Christians call it God, and Einstein described it as a ‘harmony of all that exists.’ In my experience, it is one universal constant that unites these conceptions. It is the one thing we are all doing right, regardless of culture or race. It is a trait referencing described by Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, as an ‘unconditional positive regard.’ It is the key to self-actualization.”

Selvakumar then asked of the graduates what would be another question posed to them during Lenape’s 63rd Commencement Exercises: “Guess what

challenging part of your life so far, find a lesson in it and move on,” Zimm said. “… Now we must use everything we learned here as traction on the trail of life ahead of all of us. It is time to retire the ways of thinking that kept us in place, and pursue our passions in life and find confidence in ourselves. As long as you are putting one foot in front of the other, in pursuit of your definition of a fulfilled life, you are making progress.”

Bauer, in his “principal’s message” to the graduates, advised that “as you step out into the world, beyond the walls of Seneca, please remember that your education is not confined to a classroom.”

“The true essence of learning lies in what you brought to Seneca High School every single day,” Bauer declared. “It lies in the experiences, connections and relationships you have fostered. As you spread your wings and soar to new heights (the school mascot is the Golden Eagle), remember the importance of humility, kindness and empathy. Use your knowledge and talents to uplift those around you and make a positive impact in your communities as you have done here for the past four years.

“In just a few minutes, you are going to receive your diplomas and step into a new chapter of your lives. A time filled with uncertainty, challenges and countless opportunities. You never know what life is going to throw at you, so please take time to enjoy the little things in life. Be kind to others, don’t take your loved ones for granted, and live life to the fullest. Meet your opportunities with grit, but be guided by the character of the good person I know

of us and I know the excitement is almost too much to bear. Our future is in the palm of our hands. As Dr. Emmett Brown once said, ‘Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is what you make of it.’ Class of 2023: write your future and let the world write it in the history books.”

PTHS Principal Jermaine Blount said of the graduates that “today they leave us as mature young adults on the roadmap of their future, ready to make a positive impact in their life and in their community.”

“To the Class of 2023, there are times when you didn’t think you would make it – those critical moments where you supported each other with your frieznds, your family and your teachers,” he added. “Well, today, you made it! You met every challenge, you overcame every obstacle and we celebrate you for your accomplishments. As you set your pathway, equipped with courage, the confidence and the Pemberton pride that led you to success today, it will guide you to success tomorrow as you pursue your goals and dreams into your future.”

trait is in abundance tonight?”

“Love,” Selvakumar answered. “Unconditional love. Think of everyone who bestowed this gift and everyone who filled you with unconditional love.

“Graduates, remember that although you may be leaving these sources of unconditional love behind, the love they have borne you has become a part of you. Just as your eyes and ears guide you on a daily basis, this love too has influenced you, and will continue to influence you to become more resilient, more human, and more whole. Thus graduates, I believe it is our collective imperative to pay it forward, to become beacons of love in our new communities.”

“I hope tonight, and I pray, we become known for our intangible influence: our unconditional love.”

you can be.”

Heather Xenakis, director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD), of which Seneca is included, in certifying the graduating class, urged the graduates “to take the lessons you have learned from your time spent at Seneca, both inside and outside of the classroom, and reflect on what was, and is, important to you as a person and let your actions reflect those guiding principles as you become a contributing member of society as a graduate of Seneca.”

Valedictorian Siya Patel, declared, that “when taking a trip down memory lane, I am confident everyone in these green outfits (the color of the gowns) has experiences they wish to change and those they want to re-live,” but that “today presents an opportunity to start afresh – to seek adventures you did not have in high school.”

“Note that change is inevitable, so I call on you to embrace it,” Patel asserted. “Let the new experiences guide you as you steer through adulthood. Life will present you with countless different roads. Whichever path you may want to embark on, seize every opportunity you get. Let the next chapter be a period of growth and self-discovery.”

Student Council President and graduating senior Fabrizzio Scott’s final parting advice to his classmates was to “don’t be afraid to stick your neck out” and to “always have confidence in what you are doing and treat everything a little less seriously.”

“From classmate to classmate, friend to friend, I am so proud of you all,” he declared.

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Editor's Note: Pinelands Regional School District's commencement ceremony was scheduled to occur after press time. Check out next week's edition for complete coverage.

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he said the township has been attempting to “cobble together years of grants” to acquire, so it will be at “no cost to the taxpayer.” The acquisition was subsequently approved via a resolution that was part of the consent agenda unanimously passed by the council. Another topic raised by several irate residents of the Greentree Village Meadows section of the township was what they claimed was the homeowners association failure to maintain the neighborhood to a degree that

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passing through is legal,” he contended. “We don’t have to worry about what’s being transported through the town. …The more stops (they make), the more troopers have a chance to look at the type of people that are passing through our town in trying to keep the residents safe.”

In other business, O’Connor announced that the township had finally gotten a response from Atlantic City Electric to its request for reimbursement to correct what Commissioner Louis Bourguignon

was seriously affecting property values.

One such complainant, Lynne McLaughlin, who said she has lived on the same street, Bittersweet Court, for 17 years, maintained that there had been a “real decline in the condition of the development,” noting that trash was left lying outside by people who had moved out, along with discarded furniture and even a toilet, as well as trees removed and not replaced and “pit bulls that are loose,” including one she maintained had “jumped on a resident’s child.”

Colleen Cummings, who said she had resided on the same street for eight years, concurred, saying she found it “very upsetting to see how it has gone downhill—homes are not being kept up at all, lawns are not being cut, debris is left out all over lawns and porches, and “dogs are being tied up on the front lawns.”

As a result, she contended, “two homes on our court sold for $100,000 less than the estimated value because of the poor condition they were in.” She also claimed that one new owner, who is renting out his townhouse, “had no idea where (the tenants) were even

described to this newspaper as damage to local roads and trees the utility created two years ago when it expanded a power grid to Long Beach Island.

“This is the first positive news we’ve heard—at least they’re in contact about the situation,” Bourguignon declared.

Among the public comments posed to the commissioners by residents was a question in regard to whether Buzby-Cope would be able to stay on as mayor if she wins the position of Burlington County clerk for which she’s vying in November’s general election.

The answer from O’Connor was “no.” In that event, the solicitor said, the mayor will be obliged to step down in January with an interim commissioner appointed by the

supposed to park or what the rules are in regard to cutting their lawns or maintaining their house because the HOA never gave them a packet at settlement.”

“They actually thought somebody was going to come out and cut their grass that’s already a foot high,” Cummings added.

Both Cummings and McLaughlin contended that no help on these issues was forthcoming from the HOA board members despite their having been continually notified about the situation, nor was the township following up to enforce violation notices that had been issued.

“Everybody wants to pass the buck,” McLaughlin alleged, and “meanwhile our development is looking like a ghetto.”

Asked by the mayor to explain the rules regarding HOAs, Township Attorney Chris Orlando advised the residents that, generally, “HOAs are considered self-governing private entities separate from the municipality in terms of services like trash collection.”

“I’m not exactly sure about your HOA, but I’d be glad to look at it with Rob (Corrales),” he said, and find out if there was any enforcement action that could be taken on the part of the township. “But all the HOAs throughout the town, they’re generally responsible for managing themselves.”

Corrales, while agreeing that the township usually doesn’t involve itself in HOA matters, said it was something he would “talk to DPW

other members until the local commission election next May.

Another resident wanted to know the current status of the former Bass River Elementary School, which was finally purchased earlier this year with plans being discussed by the new owner, a Lakewood developer, to turn it into a yeshivah, which could take the form of either a religious day school or a Jewish seminary.

When Buzby-Cope said she had heard nothing since the acquisition, but that the taxes on the property had been paid, the questioner asked if the buyer was the same individual who had also purchased a nearby tract and might be planning to use it to expand the proposed facility. In that

(Department of Public Works) guys about” and that “we’d be happy to look at the issues you’re raising now and figure out where the township can intervene.”

Orlando did note that while township officials do have responsibility for code enforcement, six weeks is required for corrective action to be taken and if there is none, the matter can then end up in municipal court.

“So, it does have to run the process, which is frustrating, but it does take a little bit of time,” he said.

In her comments at the conclusion of the meeting, however, Councilwoman Heather Cooper said that as a resident of the neighborhood at issue, “I am confused with what was shared tonight—it’s not something I’ve seen.”

Cooper, a Democratic candidate for the open 8th District Senate seat being vacated by Jean Stanfield, said that she does “walk around the neighborhood with my children and we do have to pick up trash.”

“But that is in many areas, especially if you live off streets and roads that are off highways,” said Cooper, noting it is along the highways where people often “throw stuff out of their windows.”

But she added, “I’m happy to work with my HOA to help resolve any of those issues,” and would “reach out to my neighbors in whatever way I can.”

eventuality, the mayor replied, the zoning for such an arrangement would first need to be looked at, since there are a few homes in between the two properties.

One woman, who suggested that Bass River Township become part of an adjoining county, either Ocean or Atlantic, because of the inconvenience of having to obtain social services in Mount Holly, the Burlington County seat that’s a considerable distance away, was advised that county social services representatives are now once again available to local residents on the last Wednesday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We’ve got them back down here,” the mayor noted.