National Night Out draws large crowd
HAMMONTON—During the spring of 2013, Hammonton High School junior students took the HSPA assessment test. HSPA
HHS TESTING IMPROVES
Volume 17 • Issue 33
p. 31
Boutique hotel in Stone Harbor is a must-stay
p. 37
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
www.hammontongazette.com
Troops depart for Afghanistan
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
stands for High School Proficiency Assessment. In Language Arts Literacy, Mathematics and its comparison to District Factor Groups and the state of New Jer-
Beats District Factor Group, state passing averages
sey, the district has outperformed the competition. From 2009 to the present year, passing percentages in the testing subject areas have increased steadily, whether it is for total students, special education, Hispanic or economic distribution categories, according to school officials. According to the district, the
test results for language arts literacy for total students rose from 85.4 percent passing in 2009 to 94.8 percent passing in 2013. The
See HSPA,?Page 14
HAMMONTON—On August 11, more than 100 New Jersey Army National Guardsman departed the Hammonton Armory on S. Egg Harbor Road, as the troops were being deployed to Afghanistan to begin a nine-month reconstruction mission. It was an
Bertman has worked as an attorney since ‘58
by Paul J. Macrie IV
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
emotional day for family and friends of the troops, as they gathered at the local station, right across from the Hammonton Lake Park, to say their goodbyes and well wishes. One of the troops that were leaving for Afghanistan was a Hammonton resident. Christopher Luisi, a member of the 150th Engineer Company (Horizontal), is in the crane operating field and leaves be-
See TROOPS,?Page 4
Daughter, 6, rescues mother by calling 911
See BERTMAN,?Page 10
THG/Lauren Crescenzo. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
HAMMONTON—For more than 50 years, attorney John Bertman has been practicing law in Hammonton. Bertman took a unique path to become a lawyer, but when he decided to pursue the law, he embarked on what has
ended up being a long and successful career. In 1959, Bertman moved to Hammonton from Camden. He was a Philadelphia native, and lived in Perth Amboy and Red Bank for a time before his final two stops in Camden, and eventually Hammonton. He graduated
Sgt. Christopher Luisi of Hammonton was among the men and women deployed to Afghanistan from the National Guard. His girlfriend Celina Juliano came to the August 11 ceremony to wish Luisi farewell.
HAMMONTON—On August 3, Hammonton Police Dispatcher Linda Slimm received a phone call from one of Hammonton’s youngest residents — six-year-old Alyssa Capelli. Capelli called 911 because her mother Melinda Chiappine was unresponsive. “My mom isn’t speaking,” Capelli told Slimm.
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
by Gina Rullo
School board, town working together
by Lauren?Bucci
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
“I tried to wake her up but she didn’t,” Capelli told The Gazette on August 7. After giving Slimm her address, Capelli is asked her mom’s age. Capelli clearly replies 31. She gives Slimm her name and tells the dispatcher her father is a Vineland Police Officer. Slimm kept Capelli on the phone until the police arrived. The dispatcher asked Capelli to look out the window for a police
See DAUGHTER,?Page 3
Six-year-old Alyssa Capelli called 911 on August 3 when her mom Melinda Chiappine fell and was unresponsive.
THG/MarySusan Hoffman. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
HAMMONTON—A resolution for a shared service agreement between the Hammonton Board of Education and the town of Hammonton was passed at the regular meeting of the Board of Education held August 8.
The agreement is effective August 26, 2013 through July 31, 2014 and allows the town of Hammonton’s Public Works Department to utilize the Hammonton Board of Education’s seeder at no cost to the town. The board will provide their seeder several times a year based on the school’s
See BOE,?Page 12
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