Also, community service project raises money for families in need
Washington Township High School held the 52nd commencement ceremony, graduating 575 members of the class of 2017, while Washington Township police officers host children and families at weekly Fishing with a Cop events. Community service projects, such as the Lantern Project, was also reported to having raised more than $4,700 for local children in need. Check out some of the top stories from the past week in the Weekly Roundup.
Washington Township High School Class of 2017
Washington Township High School’s 575 seniors were recognized at the 52nd high school commencement ceremony on June 15. Principal Ann Moore, along with Superintendent Joseph Bollendorf, township council members, Mayor Joann Gattinelli, Board of Education members and stadiums full of families and friends wished the class of 2017 well for their next chapter in life.
WTHS valedictorian shares words of encouragement and strength
Washington Township High School valedictorian Sruthi Srinivasan said she was honored to stand before her peers because she never thought she would. Srinivasan overcame many obstacles during her time at Washington Township High School, spending long hours, day-by-day, putting time and effort into her hard work. Srinivasan told her fellow students at the graduation ceremony to share their pride with the ones who supported them, who inspired them and who mentored them.
Salutatorian wishes for happiness and compassion for fellow graduates
Seana Cleary’s salutatorian speech to her fellow graduating classmates at the 52nd Washington Township High School Commencement ceremony wished for happiness and compassion as each of the 575 seniors began their separate paths. Cleary said she hopes her classmates will take the gifts they have been given and use them to choose “happiness and love” on their journeys through life. With dreams of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner and studying abroad as a nurse in Africa, Cleary is headed to the College of New Jersey to study nursing in the honors program. She said wherever life takes her, that is where she will go.
Get hooked on fishing with Washington Township police officers
Washington Township police officers are encouraging children and their families to look away from the electronic screens and get hooked on fishing. The first Fishing with a Cop event on June 8 at the lake behind the Washington Township Police Department hosted more than 60 kids and their relatives. The following week, officers hosted a pop-up barbecue, offering grilled food for those in attendance. The event gives the community, specifically children, an opportunity to spend time with all of the department’s officers while learning a new skill.
District’s Lantern Project yields $4,700 and counting
The district’s recent Lantern Project, a community service project brainstormed by Washington Township High School senior Lyndsey Ferraino, brought more than 750 students in all grades together for the creation of colorful Mason jar lanterns. The sale of the lanterns has generated $4,700. Monies will be donated to families of several children in need in the district.
Washington Township Police Department hires four new patrol officers
Mayor Joann Gattinelli and the Washington Township Police Department swore in four new police officers on Wednesday, June 14. According to Chief of Police Patrick Gurcsik, three of the hires are replacements for retirees. All of the officers, Nicholas Rojs, Matthew Barnett, Devin Bauman and Rebecca Wood, will be assigned to the patrol division, bringing the roster to a total of 78 full-time officers.
‘Build a better world’ at the library this summer
The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library will kick off its Summer Reading Program on Monday, June 26, celebrating the theme “building a better world.” The summer series will focus on making the world a better place physically, by talking about architecture and construction, as well as metaphorically, by learning acceptance and understanding for cultures around the globe.
