UPDATED: PEC to Present $25.6K to School Board; Ski Team 1st Again

Bernards Parents for Exceptional Children to present Board of Education with $25,600 to acquire reading program:

Representatives from BERNARDS PARENTS for EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN (PEC) are scheduled on Monday, Feb. 14, to present a check for $25,600 to the Bernards Township Board of Education. The presentation will occur during the school board meeting scheduled at 7 p.m. in the William Annin Middle School auditorium.

PEC’s donation will allow the school district to purchase and implement the Lexia Reading program, a research-proven method for students to acquire essential reading skills through interactive, phonics-based activities. The program provides instruction plus real-time assessment of students’ progress, and will be used in all four elementary schools, and at the William Annin Middle School, for students at all reading levels.

Bernards PEC is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for children with learning and developmental disabilities. The organization designated a portion of the funds raised this past November at their gala event, “A Night in Monte Carlo,” held at the Trump National Golf Course, to support the purchase of the Lexia Reading program. The program will benefit both special and general education students, according to the organization.

The mission of the Bernards PEC is to provide the support that families, educators, and community organizations need to help individuals with disabilities reach their full potential. We also strive to create an environment of understanding and acceptance for persons with disabilities within the community. We are working to close the gap between general education and special education by creating successful educational, recreational, mentoring, and community service programs.

 For more information about Bernards PEC, visit the organization's website.

Ridge boys ski team placed first in Feb. 2 invitational; placed first again on Thursday:

The Ridge boys varsity ski team again placed first when the boys and girls ski teams competed Thursday at the Independent League race held at Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Vernon. Freshman Daniele Colbertaldo again placed first for the team with a time of 3:49.27 minutes for the run, competing against skiers from four high schools. He also placed third from among all competing skiers.

The Ridge boys team placed first last Saturday at the Stephen Petro Scholar GS Invitational, held at Hidden Valley. The four Ridge skiers whose scores counted for the first place award were Connor McGeough, Alex Thompson, Colbertado and Tommy Taylor and Connor McCoy. Six skiers race for each team and the best four times are used to calculate the use the team's score.

Twelve men's varsity ski teams in NJ raced a 23-gate GS course and 10 women's varsity teams also competed. The top results for the men's varsity teams were:
1. Ridge 2:45.202

2. Vernon 2:45.483.

3. Don Bosco 2:50.064

4. Bernards High School 2:50.915.

5. Delbarton 2:54.24 

Ridge had four skiers who came in the top 20 out of 67 varsity men skiers. Daniele Colbertado placed second with a time of 39.34, earning him a medal. Alex Thompson came in sixth place with 40.64. Connor McGeough (15th) and Tommy Taylor (20th) had respective scores of 42.26 and 42.96.

Matt Nafie named to student-athlete team at Rensselaer:

Renssalaer Polytechnic Insitute in Troy, N.Y. has named 64 student athletes to its 2010-11 Liberty League Winter All-Academic Team. Matt Nafie of Basking Ridge, a sophomore majoring in aeronautical engineering, participates in men's indoor track and field. Honored student-athletes must be at least sophomores and have an athletic and academic standing with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20.  The winter sports included are men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, and men’s and women’s
indoor track and field.

Matheny Students take class trip to Sun Bank Arena in Trenton:

A group of students from the Matheny School and Medical Center in Peapack-Gladstone on Feb. 8 visited the Sun Bank Arena in Trenton. While touring the locker room, they were greeted by Dan Charleston, forward for the Trenton Devils Hockey team. From left, 17-year-old student, Vraj Desai; Charleston; and 19-year-old student, Bryan Desatnick, son of Lloyd and Edana Desatnick of Basking Ridge. The Matheny School is part of the Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a special hospital and educational facility for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities.