The Hammonton Gazette 02/19/2014 | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, February 19, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. donio, Publisher Gina Rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan Russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist MarySusan hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv Michael hozik, donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Lauren Bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Brian Morris, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. To reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. The mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, hammonton, nJ 08037. EdiToRiaLS The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 a new landmark Hammonton High School (HHS) Art Teacher John Toothman and the students of the Hammonton High School Art Club, with financial help from Wendy’s, have created a new local landmark that celebrates Hammonton: the “The History & Heritage of Hammonton, N.J.” Uptown Community Mural at Wendy’s on the White Horse Pike (Route 30). We do not use the term “landmark” very often. The new mural deserves to be classified as a local landmark, taking its place alongside the town clock (which is featured on the mural), the Reagan Rock, the town hall, our schools, our churches, Hammonton Lake Park and our other public monuments. It is an outstanding work of art, one that received a proper unveiling on February 15 at a ceremony held in front of Mayor Stephen DiDonato and members of town council, Hammonton Board of Education President Joseph Giralo and members of the Hammonton Board of Education, representatives of The Briad Group of Livingston, N.J., which owns the Wendy’s in Hammonton, Toothman and his students and members of the public. This new mural will be a cornerstone of the ongoing revitalization effort of the uptown area, which includes the White Horse Pike and Route 206. It is also a shining example of the continuing revitalization of the entire town. Civic pride is strong in Hammonton, from the renovations going on downtown, to the successes seen in the business park, to the installation of the mural this past weekend. When viewing the mural, it’s important to look at the details. The mural is fashioned after the old-style postcards that were sold to help market towns in the early-to-mid 20th century. Perhaps the most famous of those cards was the one that became the inspiration for the 1973 debut album by New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen: Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. The influence of that iconic postcard can be seen in the vibrantly-colored new mural in Hammonton, which incorporates images of the local history and culture into the letters that form the name of the town. Those images came from the book The Story of Hammonton by William McMahon, which was published in celebration of the town’s centennial in 1966, and the book Images of America: Hammonton by Gazette publisher Gabriel Donio, published in 2002. Students, under the direction of Toothman, took selected images and created a billboard-sized mural on the side of Wendy’s that is unlike anything we’ve seen in New Jersey. It’s a wonderful tribute to our town and its history. Everyone involved with this project has had a role in shaping the town’s future by honoring its past. The Hammonton High School Art Club “core” students that were instrumental in the creation of the mural were: Amy Rodio, Lindsey Rodio, Lia Gangemi, Gabrielle Rodriguez, Shanna Petersen, Vanessa Traxler, Tyler Strahan, Kaelyn Deloison, Danielle Milner, Kianna Hicks, Roxanna Saldana, Zofia Steadman, Amy Schaller, Sam Paulson, Jaeda Cooper, Celena Salvo, Dom Pontarelli, Tom Simpson, PJ Amendolia, Claire Ogden, Lucy Ogden, Autumn Vasquez, Valentina Minerva, Jacob M. Verticelli, Rafael Vasquez, Brooke Pizzi and Dave Petersen (HHS Class of 2013). We must also praise The Briad Group, owners of the Wendy’s, for their vision. Since purchasing the restaurant about a year ago, they have remodeled and improved it. Funding the mural and the art club surpassed what most owners would have done. On February 15, The Briad Group announced they would be donating thousands of more dollars toward art scholarships, in addition to the thousands they donated to make the new landmark “The History & Heritage of Hammonton, N.J.” Uptown Community Mural. We thank them for their generosity. Many wonderful ideas have come from Hammonton High School in recent years. The town flag and this mural were created by students. It says a lot about the high school — and even more about the students and their commitment to Hammonton. Take some time out of your schedule this week and see this beautiful mural at Wendy’s on the White Horse Pike. It is an outstanding new addition to Hammonton. PERSPEcTivE/SuPERinTEndEnT’S viEw Traditionally public schools in the United States have taught earth science in ninth grade, then biology, chemistry, and physics (in grades 10, 11 and 12). The sequence is illogical – because students cannot fully understand photosynthesis without knowledge of chemistry. Additionally, physics helps our students understand the mechanics of the natural world. Hammonton High School teaches Physics in ninth grade and then students take chemistry, biology, and science electives (in grades 10, 11, and 12). Certainly it was not easy to change the traditional way of teaching science. However, we focus on what is best for students. Our ninth grade physics includes a lot of algebra in the curriculum. This provides students with a more comprehensive knowledge of algebra and gives them a sense of the power of mathematics. Physics begins with everyday phenomena requiring a few new words such as: mass, momentum, energy, motion, velocity, and acceleration. The teachers at Hammonton High School teach the laws of nature. They show students the power of equations to describe a vast number of different phenomena can be taught at this level. The units are very interesting for the students. In the unit on graphing, the students learn the techniques for creating and analyzing graphs. Graphs are drawn manually and with the computer. The students develop equations for linear graphs, the meaning of the slope, y-intercept, and area. They develop 21st century skills such as communication and collaboration. Our students also study kinematics. In this unit, students relate position, distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, and time by using graphical and mathematical techniques, plus various multiple representations of motion. Students draw and analyze motion diagrams and graphs, per- To the Editor: form lab activities, as well as solve word problems using these concepts. They also examine the 21st century themes of finan ce and economics. In the unit on dynamics the students investigate Newton’s three laws of motion. Through force diagrams and problem-solving calculations, they examine the relationship between mass, acceleration, and net force. Various types of force problems will be analyzed, including tension, pulleys, gravity, and friction. They develop 21st century skills such as creativity and innovation and study economics and environmental literacy In the unit on momentum, the students study Newton’s Laws and apply the concept of impulse and its effect on the momentum of a system. The concept is further developed into the idea that momentum is conserved in an isolated system. They develop the 21st century skill that includes critical thinking and problem solving. Twenty-first century themes include civic literacy and global awareness. Work and energy is another interesting unit in which the students study work, energy, and power, as defined in physics. This differs from the “everyday” definition of those terms. Kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and elastic potential energy are quantified. The amount of work done on a system is related to its energy, and it will be shown that the total energy of an isolated system is conserved. Simple machines will be studied as an application of work and energy in a system. Twenty-first century skills include collaboration as well as creativity and innovation. Twenty-first century themes include finance and economics. dr. dan Blachford Superintendent hammonton School district LETTER To ThE EdiToR Recently, it has come to my attention that Saint Joseph and Hammonton will no longer be playing each other in football. Having spent most of my life in Hammonton, I’ve been privileged in seeing about 90 percent of the games. Today, it is anything but. The game has always reminded me of Ohio State versus Michigan: the uniform colors, the helmet designs, and the importance of the game. Hammonton, because of its sending-receiving relationship with Waterford, is now a Group Four team in football. Only a percentage of Saint Joseph players hail from Hammonton. Hammonton has taken heat for leaving the Cape Atlantic League. As a tax payer and a father of four, I believe Hammonton made the correct decision. We are fortunate enough to have professionals such as Dr. Blachford and Mr. Lancetta in our school system. I’m looking forward, as a fan, to next football season — new league, new teams. What is wrong See LETTER, Page 7 The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704-1938.  Or by e-mail to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.