Lawrence Neighbors September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

Jon Dauber

Master Educator: The Art of Teaching

Cover photo by Benoit Cortet

An exclusive publication for the residents of Lawrence Township

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September 2020

Letter from the Publisher Publisher: Rachel Donington rdonington@bestversionmedia.com Content Coordinator: Catherine Bialkowski cbialkowski@bestversionmedia.com Designer: Dale Ver Voort Contributing Photographer: Benoit Cortet www.benoitcortet.com Phone: 917-597-6297 benoit@benoitcortet.com Advertising Contact: Rachel Donington Phone: 609-462-6786 rdonington@bestversionmedia.com Feedback/Ideas/Submissions Have feedback, ideas or submissions?

We are always happy to hear from you!

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To learn more about becoming an expert contributor, contact Lawrence Neighbors publisher Rachel Donington: 609-462-6786 rdonington@bestversionmedia.com.

Lawrence Neighbors

As we begin to approach autumn, it is hard not think about change.

As the leaves begin to change around us in a few weeks, we might be reminded of the changes going on in our own lives. This year, especially, we have all seen unimaginable changes to our everyday routines; in some cases, our lives may have completely shifted course.

None of us can predict the future; we cannot know what is going to happen next, or what other modifications to our routines might be in store. I hope this publication, though, can remain a constant in its dedication to sharing inspiring stories with our readers and neighbors. This issue, we feature Jon Dauber, a name you might find familiar; Jon, an expert in education, writes a column for us every month. This issue, we get to hear more about his experience as an educator.

If what we print can bring you a few moments of interest, joy, or even just distraction from stress, we have done our job correctly. Please enjoy the stories.

Publisher: Rachel Donington, 609-462-6786

Jon Dauber certainly knows education—he holds multiple degrees in the subject, and has years of experience as both a teacher and principal. It was a pleasure to hear from him about his own story, part of which takes place right here in Lawrence, and his thoughts and opinions on education in today’s world. September is often a time for back-to-school themes in publications, so it is fitting that our featured resident is an educator. Perhaps he can offer our readers, especially teachers, students, and parents, some comforting words in these unprecedented times.

Content Coordinator: Catherine Bialkowski

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L CA Y! LO DA A O IT E T BM ICL SU RT A September 2020

Business Profile

The Buxton Complex The One Stop Shop

By Peter Bialkowski | Student, Stockton University “The most rewarding part of having a local business is getting to know our community and customers,” says Kristi. “We treat everyone like family and support our local families. We love seeing them more than just a one-time purchase.”

Flexibility is important, and to The Buxton Complex, it’s what keeps the business going.

Furniture, storage, and backyard structures—while they may all seem different to the average person, they come together to form Buxton Complexes, a family-owned and operated business based in Ewing, New Jersey.

Buxton’s offers a variety of services. Founded in 1982, it began as a sawmill, known as The Furniture Mill. As the years progressed, it developed into three businesses all operating under one roof. For business manager Kristi Reading, Buxton is in her blood. “I was raised here since 1983 and started to work here as a teenager,” she says. “I began my managing position full time here in 2003. Since then, my mom, Barb Conover, and I work together to make our business the best it can be for our local communities.” Kristi’s Grandparents, Bud and Betty Lou Buxton, still help with the business and enjoy watching it transform.

The Buxton Complex has been helping the community for nearly 40 years, starting as a single sawmill business in 1982. Incorporating swing-sets, sheds and outdoor furniture in the early 90s, they began to expand. In 1999, they created their eight-building self-storage facility, known as Buxton’s Boxes. Nearly twenty years later, in 2018, The Buxton Complex closed their refining shop and opened a 5,000 square-foot showroom, now known as Buxton’s Quality Furniture.

With this final step, Buxton became what it is today.

Open seven days a week, The Buxton Complex never stops helping their customers. Being a local business, they understand their customers and treat them like family. For Kristi, it’s all about getting to know the community and helping however they can.

Lawrence Neighbors

“We call it the one stop shop! Our businesses all work well together so that customers can work with us to get everything they need in one place,” Kristi says. “From storage, U-Haul rental trucks, boxes and moving supplies, outdoor furniture, sheds, swing sets, to indoor furniture and more.”

Buxton has grown with what the community needs. With the rise of COVID-19 it has grown its outdoor department, Buxton’s Backyard Structures. While customers cancelled their summer plans, they instead worked on turning their backyards into stay-cations, and there grew their need for swing-sets, sheds, and other outdoor furniture.

“In the beginning of the shutdown, the moving and storage industry saw a huge slow-down, however, we are now seeing a bit of normalcy coming back around,” says Kristi.

Running a business is not easy, and for The Buxton Complex, the key is to distinguish themselves.

“Make sure you are diversified,” Kristi advises aspiring business owners. “Especially when COVID-19 hit, we learned that because we were diversified, we were able to keep our heads above water and weather this storm.”

The Buxton Complex continues to expand as each year goes by and has no plan of stopping.

“We are excited to see where the community takes us in the future,” Kristi says.

Being a part of the community, The Buxton Complex cares about quality service. This “one stop shop” will be sure to take care of all your indoor and outdoor needs.

Please visit the Buxton Complex website at thebuxtoncomplex.com or call 609-771-0274.

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September 2020

Spotlight on Community

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail

By Catherine Bialkowski

Countless studies have revealed the impacts of nature on mental health.

Taking a quiet walk through a forest, surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping or the gurgling of a creek, can bring peace of mind. Research has even suggested spending time in nature can lengthen one’s lifespan.

In our community, we are fortunate enough to have an abundance of natural scenery and resources, and one of these resources is the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT).

LHT Board of directors member Jennifer Peck-Nolte speaks on the importance of having such a resource within the community during the past few months, when we’ve all been stuck inside for days and weeks on end.

“I think that the Lawrence Hopewell Trail has been a real asset to our community, especially during the pandemic when people need to feel like they have access to recreation in a safe way,” she says. “What I’ve noticed is that people are very eager to access and use the trail and appreciate it.”

What most people do not realize about the LHT is that it is not a county trail; it runs across both public and private land. It is also run completely by volunteers.

As a counselor and a therapist by profession, Jennifer has seen firsthand the incredible effects nature and its awe can have. Residents of our community have enjoyed the LHT since the inception of the first trail in 2004, the same year the LHT Corporation received its federal tax exemption as a 501-c-3 corporation. The trail attracts people from all over, though, Jennifer says; on weekends, the trail’s parking lots are often completely full.

memberships for people who prefer fresh air to the recirculated, smelly air of many gyms.”

As for connections, the LHT harbors multiple: it connects people to nature via its beautiful vistas and diverse ecosystems; it connects people to other people and everything their community has to offer; and it connects people to history. “Part of our goal from the beginning was to connect Lawrence and Hopewell—both the people and the communities,” she says. “It enables children to safely visit their friends who may live on or near the trail without an adult driving them.”

Finally, the LHT represents possibilities. “One value of the LHT that we frequently overlook is its importance as an example of the many possibilities that can become realities when everyday people form a collaboration or coalition with corporate partners such as ETS, BMS, and Capital Health; nonprofit partners, such as D&R Greenway and the Watershed Institute; and local and county government,” says Eleanor.

The LHT is an asset to our community in many ways: its provision of a safe and enjoyable way to become immersed in nature, opportunities to become more involved in the community, and fun events that bring neighbors together, like the Trail and Treat Bike Ride.

“Nothing gives me more joy than seeing families using the trail,” says Eleanor. “As I watch young children enjoy the trail and know that their children will someday benefit from the LHT, I cannot help but think that the LHT is an enduring gift to the community.”

Please check out the LHT’s website, lhtrailorg, for more information or to get involved.

The Wilson Family provides affordable dignified services to the families of Hopewell Valley since 1960.

Anyone with a passion for nature and community can get involved with the LHT. Volunteers are always welcome, and attending LHT community events is an excellent way to become acquainted with the corporation’s vision and meet its incredible team.

“The idea for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail grew out of a number of conversations at Bristol-Myers Squibb in the early years of this century,” says Becky Taylor, one of the LHT’s co-founders, who led community affairs efforts at Bristol-Myers Squibb at the time. “Bristol-Myers Squibb was looking for ways to clearly demonstrate its commitment to being a great corporate resident of Lawrence and Hopewell Townships, where so many of its employees lived and worked. We recognized that our people were out on the local roadways a lot, and perhaps we could mitigate that impact by building a community amenity everyone could enjoy.”

After the idea for the LHT was born, “it became clear early on we needed a strong, strategic thinker who cared a lot about the community to help lead this effort,” says Becky. ”That’s why I turned to Eleanor Horne for help.”

Co-founder Eleanor Horne calls the development of the LHT an 18year “labor of love.” Becky called to ask her in 2002 if she would be interested in developing a trail in the community, and Eleanor welcomed the opportunity to be part of creating something that could become permanent in the community. “The trail is a reality enjoyed by more than 400,000 of our neighbors each year and will continue to exist far into the future,” she says. Eleanor points to three key ways the LHT continues to positively impact the surrounding communities: “it provides alternatives; it connects; and it represents possibilities.”

“The LHT provides a safe alternative to automobile travel for short trips, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and air pollutants that result from car engines,” says Eleanor. “It provides an alternative to treadmills and gym

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September 2020

Resident Feature ”Find ways to be patient and understanding.

We’re all human beings.”

Jon

Jon Dauber

Master Educator: The Art of Teaching

By Catherine Bialkowski I Photos by Benoit Cortet

M

ost, if not all, teachers and educators point to a passion for education as the driving force behind their career choice. For Dr. Jonathan Dauber of Lawrence, this passion is evident not only in his work history but in the ways he interacts with his students on a daily basis during the school year. With two Master’s degrees and a PhD, Jon has devoted his life to teaching. His parents, too, were educators; his father, Len Dauber, taught at Lawrence High School as a P.E. teacher from 1970 to 1976, unfortunately passing away when Jon was only four years old. Ironically, Jon had no connection to Lawrence from the time his father died up until his first job here—he did not grow up here and would not be a part of the community until he moved much later with his wife, Karen. When Jon served as principal at Lawrence High School. He walked the very same halls his father had as a teacher many years before.

Jon was very young when his father passed away, so the experience provided a unique connection from father to son. Some of the faculty and staff who had worked there long enough even knew Len firsthand.

During his undergraduate years at the University of Connecticut, Jon was not yet set on becoming an educator. Having majored in sociology with a psychology minor, he worked at the sheriff ’s department in Trenton for three years before rethinking what career path he felt most compelled to follow.

“I had always taken for granted my education,” he says. “Both of my parents were teachers.” School, to him, was just something every kid had to do. While

Lawrence Neighbors

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Resident Feature working at the sheriff ’s department, he had his eyes opened to the true privilege of his own education. “I saw people whose opportunities were different from mine.” Although he commends those involved in law enforcement, he realized then that he would not be able to make the impact he wanted to in that field.

When he thought about the people who had inspired him most throughout his life, he realized they were all teachers.

Jon attended Rider University for his teaching certificate and went on to complete two Master’s degrees there, too, in educational administration and curriculum, instruction and supervision. Afterwards, he attended Rutgers University’s doctoral program in education. If anyone is an expert in education, Jon certainly is. He has taught at two middle schools, been both a dean of students and an assistant principal, and has served as principal for three schools: Lawrence Intermediate School, Lawrence High School, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, where he works today. He is also an adjunct professor of organizational leadership at Rider University and serves on three boards: the New Jersey State Board of Examiners, Lawrence Township Planning Board, and, as many readers know, the Lawrence Township Board of Education.

During this period of confusion, anxiety, and apprehension over what the future will bring, brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, it is only natural to wonder how education will shift and perhaps even transform entirely. Programs like Zoom and Google Hangouts allow teachers and students to connect in a socially distant manner, but there is no denying that these circumstances are inherently different from the traditional school setting.

“In one word, this school year will be unique.” In a sense, Jon says, educators will be “reinventing what teaching looks like, what learning itself looks like.” He is hopeful that this time can be a learning opportunity for people, “if they’re paying attention to the bigger impact, to see what the priorities are in our own lives.”

As Jon says, “there is much more to education than content and skills.”

Virtual learning has become the new normal. There is an important fact to keep in mind, though: adults’ and children’s minds are different, especially when it comes to using online programs to teach and learn. There is undoubtedly a learning curve in the navigation of video chatting and online examinations, as students and teachers have varying perceptions of virtual learning as a whole. Things like attention span and focus are greatly impacted by the move to online learning.

“Education itself is so much about the relationship between adults and kids,” says Jon. There are certain obvious logistical challenges when it comes to socialization and connection in the age of e-learning; arguably, there is no way to reach the same level of essential interaction without human contact. But educators like Jon are doing their very best to give their students as best an education as possible. “What does communication look like?” he encourages educators to ask themselves. “There are so many things that are open-ended.” All children, of course, do not learn in the same manner. Virtual learning “forces families to be much more of a collaborative entity with schools, depending on the age of the student.”

For Jon and his family, the community of Lawrence has become both a home and a place for continued growth. “We’ve always loved the diversity in Lawrence,” says Jon. As a teacher and principal, he has found that there are lessons to be learned “that you can’t quantify with a test”—lessons about appreciating our differences and similarities, about perspective, all gained by living with people who are different from you in a multitude of ways. He and Karen, who is an elementary school teacher, are happy to be raising their children, Andrew and Kyle, in a place where they can grow up to be good people, understanding the diversity that exists in the world.

Jon offers some words of advice for all involved in education who have been thrown unexpectedly into this new and stressful territory: “Recognize the totality of our circumstances,” he says. “Find ways to be patient with each other. We’re all human beings. We’re part of something bigger than ourselves, and that thing is our community.”

Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact Rachel Donington at rdonington@bestversionmedia.com.

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September 2020

Lawrence Neighbors

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September 2020

Health and Wellness

Staying Well During Quarantine

By Catherine Bialkowski

The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, recently published research suggesting that some of the most common symptoms related to quarantine are depression, emotional exhaustion, stress, irritability, and low mood. That all-overthe-place feeling you might be experiencing, the inability to focus and perhaps even a vague, underlying panic, could be directly related to the world’s current situation. Quarantine itself, although necessary to keep us safe and prevent further COVID-19 infection, is affecting us all, both physically and mentally.

Here are five strategies to help you navigate your staying-athome experience so that you can stay as happy and calm as possible during these unprecedented times.

1. Keep to a daily schedule: Waking up at roughly the same time, getting dressed, remembering to eat on time, and stopping work at the same time every day will make you feel a sense of normalcy.

2. Take walking breaks: Weather and temperature permitting, walking around your neighborhood (if you feel comfortable) will allow you some fresh air and perhaps a few moments to clear your mind. You will also absorb vitamin D, which is essential to your overall well-being. Be sure to stretch before and after.

that backyard project, organize your bathroom shelves, or finally begin research on your family tree. It is important to try to find joy and meaning in little things.

5. Start and end your day with five minutes of meditation and deep breathing: Deep, intentioned breathing exercises can significantly lower stress and clear your mind, setting a positive tone for the day and for sleep. Add in mindful meditation (start by simply focusing on your breaths), and you can significantly improve your outlook and state of being.

Remember: Be kind to yourself. While all of these strategies are meant to manage your stress and help you feel healthy and well, it is important to remember that it is OK if you don’t come out of quarantine with a new hobby, fluency in a foreign language, and a new workout routine while also having read 20 books. A recent Healthline article suggests that the feeling of unsafety and uncertainty brought by the pandemic and quarantining lead, in some cases, to levels of trauma. If all you can do is watch TV some days, don’t guilt yourself too much.

We are all going through unimaginably difficult times, and we need to be there for each other—six feet apart and all.

3. Enjoy your showers or baths: If you don’t have time for a lavish self-care routine, allow yourself to indulge during your daily bathing ritual. Countless studies have demonstrated the benefits of both hot and cold water on the body (easing of muscle tension, clearing of nasal passages, the list goes on). You might even consider testing out essential oils like lavender or peppermint to enhance the experience.

4. Schedule time to relax and have fun: Although none of us asked for it, many of us have been given time that we might fill with new ways of enjoying or expressing ourselves.

Read that novel you’ve been meaning to forever, finish

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September 2020 7/31/20 7:19 PM

Educational Spotlight

An Open Letter to Lawrence Students as We Start the School Year Dr. Jonathan Dauber | Board Member, Lawrence Township Board of Education

The thoughts/opinions presented here are Dr. Dauber’s and do not necessarily reflect that of the Lawrence Board of Education.

Whether it is your first year of Pre-K or your last as a senior in high school, it is safe to say this will be a unique school year. With all the changes in our world in the past few months, I’ve been thinking about the notion of “education” and what that term really means for students. On one hand, it is defined as the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and habits. A second and, in my opinion, preferred definition, is “an enlightening experience.”

As important as knowledge and skills are, there is something about the enlightened educational experience that broadens your understanding.

It isn’t limited to the confines of a classroom, the content of a textbook or the small boxes of people in your Google Meeting.

It’s much bigger than that. It helps you see a greater picture of life, with these experiences shaping you for years to come.

It becomes about finding your way through the world, impressing upon you such ideals as hope, faith, trust and love for example. We have faced a lot together through these extraordinary times, and I am sure we will continue to do so in the coming months. I would ask each of you to accept the challenges and embrace the potential uncertainty of what may be a strange and Lawrence Neighbors

”Celebrating education in Lawrence with insight and inspiration; connecting readers to our students, schools and educational community.” unprecedented school year ahead. Allow for understanding and flexibility, while still doing your best to take an active part in your schooling.

It is important to remember that each of you has something to offer to improve the Lawrence

community and the greater world. The challenge is to recognize what that thing is and then act on it once you know.

As Mark Twain once said, “the two most important days in a person’s life are the day they are born and the day they figure out why.” Perhaps that second day, for you, will take place this year.

I would ask each of you to build on your understanding of self, using your heart, your courage and your vision to help heal and unite our communities and our world. As you create your own legacy as a student in Lawrence schools, work to enlighten others. Leave something for people who will come after you, or work to leave something within people who are here with you now; inspire them to be that much better tomorrow than they are today.

Perhaps most importantly, I would ask each of you this year to show a little kindness and a little love to others, to have a willingness to take care of each other. This is of value to everyone in this world because, as Bruce Springsteen said over thirty years ago, “In the end, nobody wins unless everybody wins.”

Be well, be enlightened and best of luck with your upcoming school year.

Jon Dauber

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