OUR TRUE COLORS
Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 24 ISSUE 8
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S BEST H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
MAY 11, 2020
WESTWOOD
HEAD OF THE CLASS
Pascack Valley High School has announced the Class of 2020’s valedictorian and salutatorian. SEE PAGE 15
PASCACK VALLEY
HOW TOWNS ARE COPING WITH COVID
BY HILLARY VIDERS SPECIAL TO PASCACK PRESS
The Covid pandemic has changed the landscape of just about every community in the United States. Whereas New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has put general mandates in place, the life and livelihood of each community in the state differs. To get a snapshot of what is happening in the Pascack Valley, Pascack Press feature writer Hillary Viders contacted mayors of four of the areaʼs boroughs: Mayor Danielle DiPaola of Emerson,
See COVID on page 104
Shown here, members of the Westwood Volunteer Fire Department Color Guard stand by at the bandstand in Veterans Park on Sunday, May 3. That afternoon, the men donned their masks and provided a color guard during the U.S. Army commissioning ceremony of Westwood resident Christopher Harper. This beautiful photo was snapped by Nick Ariemma, also a resident of the borough.
EAT AT JOE’S
Harper, who recently graduated from Norwich University in Vermont, participated in the R.O.T.C. program during his four years. He was commissioned into the Army as a second lieutenant. Since his initial graduation and commissioning were canceled due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Harper had to have
St. Joeʼs families joined forces to make over 5,000 sandwiches and donate truckloads of supplies for area food pantries. SEE PAGE 25
his commissioning ceremony in Westwood through a video conference. His immediate family and a small gathering of friends joined him in the park. A few curious bystanders, out for walks on that warm, breezy spring day, also watched from a distance. Everyone practiced social distancing and PPE was worn by everyone involved in the ceremony and by those viewing.
B ck in time... As our kitchen tables have now become classrooms, take a look at the inside of a Pascack Valley school as it was 115 years ago.
SEE PAGE 4