As the year draws to a close, Voorhees residents can reflect on what has unfolded throughout the township during 2017.
Whether it’s the dissolving of Voorhees Fire District №3 or painted pebbles rocking the community, The Sun has recapped the biggest events that made headlines this year.
Committee, BOE members sworn in
On Jan. 5, Mike Friedman was sworn in as a member of the committee by Lt. Gov. Guadagno.
Friedman, an attorney with Jackson Lewis P.C., thanked Guadagno and his family for their support, especially his wife and 6-year-old son Zachary, who helped him knock on doors on the campaign trail. He also thanked his nephew, Robert, who Friedman called his inspiration to get involved with local government.
“It is you kids, your friends and classmates who have served and continued to serve as the inspiration for me originally to get involved and to stay involved with local government, so that we ensure we have a town in which you can grow, flourish and reach your maximum potential,” Friedman said.
Hillary J. Garr, Bob DeCicco and Jude J. Brown were sworn into three-year terms on Eastern Regional High School District’s board of education in January. DeCicco entered his 40th year on the board, and Garr entered her 19th year on the board.
The board chose DeCicco as president for 2017. Richard Teichman was chosen to serve as vice president.
Also in January, on the Voorhees Township Board of Education, Dana Galiano and Dawn Wallace, as well as returning member John Schmus, who started his 11th term, were sworn into office.
Richard Nelson was selected as president and Bruce Karpf was selected as vice president.
Former Eastern Regional football head coach resigns
Daniel Boguszewski stepped down from his three-year position as the high school’s football coach in January. Eastern had its best record under Boguszewski in 2016, improving to 4–6 after going 1–9 the previous two seasons.
“I had a great group of guys. The biggest thing I always asked for when we tried to establish a coaching staff was loyalty, and these guys were second to none,” he said. “They were extremely supportive through thick and thin, and they were willing to do whatever for the better of the program and the kids.”
In March, Voorhees resident John Doherty was appointed as the new head coach. Doherty was the head football coach at Paul VI High School from 2003 to 2015. During his tenure, the program had 10 playoff appearances and won seven conference titles.
“I know there’s been some good things going on despite their record the last couple years,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things is trying to really get the football program to grow within the community and get more kids out for the sport. I think you’ve seen it all around the country — football is taking a hit with concussions. I just think it’s important to let people know we’re teaching football the safe way and the positives and how much you can learn from playing football.”
Residents and business honored at Voorhees Community Service Awards Ceremony
In January, Voorhees Township residents and a business were honored at the 2017 Voorhees Community Service Awards Ceremony hosted by the Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club.
Mayor Michael Mignogna was chosen as Voorhees Citizen of the Year, Fire Battalion Chief Jim Poland was chosen as First Responder of the Year, Eastern Regional High School student Veronica Alday was chosen as Student of the Year, and the Voorhees Business Association was chosen as Voorhees Business of the Year.
Brooke Mulford
In June, Voorhees lost one of its most beloved community members when, after an eight-year battle with cancer, 12-year-old Brooke Mulford passed away.
Brooke grew up in Salisbury, Md., before moving to Voorhees in 2014 with her mother Amy to be closer to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer, at the age of 4. Despite this challenge, Brooke was known for her charitable endeavors, such as her Brooke’s Toy Closet in which she would donate toys to hospitalized children.
Through many thoughtful ways, the township had been supporting the VMS student for the past few years.
The Osage Elementary School student body came together in February 2016 to arrange red and green plastic cups in the school’s front fence, spelling out the message “Osage Loves Brooke.”
Osage gave Brooke an inspiration award, and in the young girl’s honor, the award will continue at the elementary school as the Brooke Mulford Inspiration Award, given to students who model themselves after Brooke and go above and beyond to help the school and community.
One year later, in February, close to 1,000 people dined at the Chick-fil-A by Somerdale and Evesham roads. Some waited for almost an hour on that February evening, but there were no complaints. The fast food fundraiser donated 100 percent of the sales between 5 and 8 p.m. toward those medical expenses. The night raised $17,500, including $2,500 in donations outside of food costs.
Also last winter, the Camden County Freeholder Board declared Feb. 16 as Brooke Mulford Day in recognition of her battle against neuroblastoma.
“She was a ray of sunshine during that meeting, and her smile was infectious,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “You would never have known that she had endured so many medical procedures, and led such a hard-fought battle against this devastating disease. That night, she taught us all what it meant to maintain a courageous and positive attitude in the face of great adversity.”
After her passing June 16, the Osage Elementary community returned to the school’s front fence to share their love once again with their courageous alumnus.
Committee passes vote to dissolve Voorhees Fire District №3
In February, Voorhees Township Committee unanimously approved an ordinance on second reading to dissolve the fire district.
The move came after the township spent several months investigating claims of safety and fiscal mismanagement against the district, including late pension payments, failed or obsolete equipment, un-budgeted overtime, a downgrade in credit rating and owing more than $100,000 in bill payments.
Certified public accountant Oliver Walling presented his analysis and recommendations on the board of fire commissioners and estimated the consolidation would save $300,000.
This would result from an elimination of professional services, commissioners’ compensation, insurance costs and purchasing practices.
“We believe there will be a seamless transition and a seamless consolidation,” Mignogna said at the time. “We have a CFO and an administration that the fire commission did not have, so we believe that by the township taking over, it will be run more efficiently and, more importantly, more safely for our residents and for the fire company.”
Eastern school district sets budget for 2017–2018 school year
In May, Eastern Regional announced its budget for the 2017–2018 school year.
For a Voorhees homeowner with an average assessed home value at $257,866, the annual tax bill decreased about $14.22 from last year.
The local tax levy increased 2 percent from the prior year. The budget totals at $38,151,704, $25,051,830 of which will be raised by local taxes, compared to last year’s $24,560,618.
Residents of Voorhees will contribute $20,552,321 to the fund.
From the total budget, $36,779,454 goes toward the general fund, which includes costs for daily operations and capital projects, and $441,750 goes toward the special revenue fund, which accounts for grants from state and federal agencies.
Ongoing initiatives included in the budget are Camden County College Option 2, the iPad initiative and an expansion of AP courses offered.
Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club benefits food insecure students
In May, the Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club launched an initiative in the school district to help feed kids experiencing food insecurity.
For the Kids Fund program gives teachers the ability to feed kids they notice appear hungry or do not eat at snack times.
Out of 40 elementary school teachers surveyed by the club, 24 said they had kids who were clearly food insecure in their classrooms. Out of approximately 670 students at Osage Elementary School, the club found 94 were identified as food insecure.
The club ran a pilot program in spring of last year and has continued the service into the 2017–2018 school year.
Voorhees Township Public Schools set budget for 2017–2018 school year
The Voorhees Township Public Schools passed its 2017–2018 budget last spring.
For a Voorhees homeowner with an average assessed home valued at $257,866, the monthly tax bill increased about $3 from the previous year.
The budget totaled $54,194,740, which is $1,420 lower than last year’s.
The local tax levy increased 1.98 percent from the prior year, providing 84.3 percent of the total budget. This year it is anticipated to total $45,657,379, up from last year’s $44,762,136.
The district’s annual debt service dropped $1.2 million over the last two years. An estimated $1,054,400 will be paid in debt this school year.
The general fund increased 1 percent from last year. It takes up $52,285,283 of the budget.
Aside from the tax levy, 11 percent of the budget comes from state aid, and 1.6 percent comes from federal aid.
Renovation planned for M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch
In May, the Camden County Board of Freeholders signed a $359,000 contract with Settembrino Architects to design a renovated M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library.
Freeholder Bill Moen, the liaison for the library, said even though they are still in the planning phase, the county wants to see the improvements done as soon as possible.
“Patience is part of the process as well,” Moen said.
The county wants to make sure the renovation creates an atmosphere for the 21st century citizen of Camden County. It wants to make technology advances, improve the size and accommodate visitors who may want access to technology such as computers, wifi or audiobooks.
Osage shoe drive collects more than 1,100 pairs of shoes
As the 2016–2017 school year drew to a close, students of the Osage Elementary School collected 1,148 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization with the goal of providing people in need with shoes and clothing all over the world. Since its creation in 2006, it has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes.
Five students of Caitlin Peluszak’s class were involved in the process as much as possible.
Their responsibilities included going from classroom to classroom each week to collect shoes, giving reminder announcements on the morning news and counting the shoes, among other tasks.
What started as a school fundraiser transformed into a community cause, as students and teachers predicted they’d only gather about 50 or so pairs.
“I think the kids were going to be surprised no matter what, but they were shocked when the collection ended and saw our closet filled literally to the ceiling,” said Peluszak, a special education teacher.
Virtua Mobile Market aims to feed thousands
In the spring, Virtua launched its Mobile Market, striving to feed the estimated 70,000 people living in food insecure households throughout Camden County.
The new 23-foot bus rolls into underserved South Jersey communities five days a week, bringing fruits and vegetables to those who may otherwise not have easy access to fresh produce.
“Hunger never goes away, so this program is meant to be year-round, full-time so we can always be there for our communities,” Suzanne Ghee, Virtua’s assistant vice president for business growth and community health, said. “That’s why this program is so unique. There are no health systems in New Jersey doing this work, and there are very few across the country.”
The produce is purchased from Whole Foods at a wholesale rate, and then is discounted 50 percent more. A family of four can shop and fill a bag for $8. If a family is on New Jersey’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, they can get an additional 50 percent off the price, bringing the price of a bag down to $4. There are also three bag sizes to cater to different sized families.
Virtua is also working with registered dieticians to provide health education, recipe cards and nutrition information in addition to the opportunity to purchase deeply discounted fresh produce from a mobile market site.
“We’ve been seeing every week an increase in our market shoppers,” Ghee said. “It’s just growing and growing and growing. The dream is to continue to show the success of this program and be very thoughtful in our outreach, which is to serve the community and provide access to these fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Eastern Regional Vikings made history with the program’s first sectional title
In June, Eastern Regional High School girls lacrosse won their first South Jersey Group IV championship in program history, finishing the year 14–6 and advancing to the state championship game.
Their success resurrected in light of last year, which marked their worse season in a decade.
Eastern’s defense was much improved from last year. The Vikings held the opposition to 10 goals or fewer in 14 of its 20 games this season, while in 2016, Eastern allowed double-digit goals in all but five games.
With almost the entire 2016 team returning in 2017, the Vikings entered the season with a lot more confidence.
Senior defender Brittany Geis attributes that confidence both to the experienced returning players and a group of freshmen who gave the team a major boost this season. Freshman Kara Heck led Eastern in scoring, while fellow freshman Anacapri Slack became an anchor on defense.
“Our freshmen that we had this year came in confident, so they didn’t lack that confidence,” Geis said. “The whole team brought that confidence level to the field.”
Head coach Katie Lee felt the 2017 team’s success will have a positive impact on the team for many years ahead.
“This is just setting the tone in Voorhees and saying lacrosse can be as good as any other program in this town,” Lee said. “For a long time, I think people underestimated what we could do and what our potential was.”
#VoorheesRocks the Community
The nationwide treasure hunt traced its way into Voorhees this year, as nearly 1,200 people participated in the group on Facebook.
Originally, Cory Fedore, the woman who started the Voorhees-based network, only invited about 40 people to the Facebook group but the movement rapidly expanded.
The process entails painting a rock, hiding it and then posting clues online as to where it could be found. In the Facebook group, the person who finds the rock must announce where they found it and give clues as to where they re-hid it.
Even some politicians joined the pebble frenzies.
“Voorhees Rocks has been a wonderful concept for our community. This is the first summer Voorhees has participated,” Mignogna said. “Families spend time together painting rocks, hiding rocks and searching for rocks. Finding a rock has brought a smile to many residents, especially children. Many of the hidden rocks carry sentimental messages and some are simply for fun. I got involved and hid four rocks around town that have been found!”
Arts on the Boulevard brings new life to vacant storefronts
Over the summer, 29 artists from Voorhees, Haddonfield and surrounding communities displayed their work in vacant storefronts at the Voorhees Town Center through the initiatives of Sustainable Voorhees. The incentive lies in beautifying the stores and stimulating interest in local art.
Some 80 pieces of art went on display in June, and the plan was to rotate in new pieces every three months based on seasonal themes.
The program has helped Sustainable Voorhees get points toward a silver certification through Sustainable New Jersey.
The Town Center received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the art, according to Greg Kemp, marketing director at Voorhees Town Center. He said the goal is always to get businesses into these vacant storefronts, but in the meantime, the Town Center is happy to have the variety of pieces beautifying the boulevard.
“It didn’t look that [good],” Kemp said. “It’s a much nicer appeal to have artwork.”
Voorhees Township Public Schools outperform state in PARCC assessments
In the 2016–2017 school year, the Voorhees district outperformed the state in the PARCC assessments, which determine if students are learning the fundamentals for college and careers.
Voorhees elementary and middle schools outscored the state in mathematics for all grade levels. Eighty percent of Algebra 1 students scored at level four, with the state only reaching 36.9 percent in the same category.
Similar results were recorded for English/language arts, as grades three to eight all outscored the state in levels four and five. In one case, 21 percent of fifth graders in the district scored at level 5 for, with the state only reaching 10.7 percent in the same category.
Cats and Dogs displaced by Hurricane Harvey sought homes in South Jersey
After Hurricane Harvey battered the Gulf Coast, dogs and cats made cross-country journeys from Texas to New Jersey.
Dozens of shelters scattered throughout the Northeast Corridor embraced the animals affected by the aftermath of the storm, including the Voorhees Animal Orphanage and the Animal Welfare Association.
Pets plucked from the floodwater were admitted into local South Texas shelters, creating a domino effect, as the animals who were already in safe areas were transported and dispersed, making room for incoming ones.
“It is a shuffle of animals, but at ground zero,” said Jennifer Bailey, secretary of the Voorhees Animal Orphanage, which houses 65 kennels, serving more than 17 towns throughout Camden County and acts as both municipal shelter and adoption center. “We don’t want to take dogs from flood waters, because hopefully they get reunited with their families.”
Naturally, as new animals arrived from the destroyed regions, the occupying ones needed to be transported. The shuffle could continue to ripple throughout the nation for months, as people returning to their homes in Texas could find innumerable strays separated from their owners.
Buddhist temple gradually grows
Since breaking ground in 2016, the Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple, located at 1234 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, continues to bloom with bulldozers and buddhas.
Monk Muni Rath founded the Philadelphia-based temple when he relocated to the city from Massachusetts in 2003.
Since its founding 14 years ago, the temple has attracted a congregation of more than 3,500 and acts as a place of worship for many of the 20,000 Cambodians living in Philadelphia, according to the Historical Society of Philadelphia.
However, many of those visitors are from South Jersey, according to Rath, inspiring the expansion of Preah Buddha across the Delaware River and into Voorhees. This will be the township’s first Cambodian temple.
The end date is tentative, as the construction is based upon donations. Right now, the land is only occupied by four monks living in a house on the property.
Although it is intended to serve as a cultural center for Cambodians, Rath hopes people from all backgrounds can find serenity in the temple.
“Even if we don’t reach out to people about what is Buddhism, we can have this place as an example of peace,” Rath said. “The teaching of the Buddha is not really about religion but about living. Anyone can practice this, even if they are Christian or Hindu or Muslim … just to lead a good life of happy and peace.”
Voorhees adds one-year extension of free Saving Lives designated driver program
In mid-September, Evesham and Voorhees officials announced another one-year extension of the free Evesham/Voorhees Saving Lives designated driver program.
For nearly two years now, the program has partnered with Uber to provide residents of Evesham, and later Voorhees, with free rides home from nearly 30 bars and restaurants that serve alcohol in the two townships.
With the geo-location technology of smartphones, Uber is able to determine if an app user is at an Evesham or Voorhees establishment. In addition to the normal Uber vehicle options, Uber’s app will present residents at those locations with an option to use the Saving Lives Program. When Uber drivers arrive, the drivers will then only take residents to their residential address within the limits of the two townships.
The program is available every day between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
First Green Fair at the Town Center
On Sunday, Oct, 8, Sustainable Voorhees hosted the township’s first environmentally-friendly fair.
The event featured an afternoon of organic face paints, compressed natural gas trucks and T-shirts-turned-shopping-bags.
Set to the sounds of a new fusion drum ensemble, the foremost feature of the event was two greenwalks, encompassing a scavenger hunt of sustainability. Participants weaved through the Echelon Mall, while the other ventures down the Town Center Boulevard.
Before embarking on the educational journey, visitors are given “passports.” Along the paths, they approached various stores and restaurants that, in some form, partake in green practices. A restaurant, for example, might explain how it disposes of food waste.
“(The greenwalks) really feature organizations that are promoting sustainability and green practices,” Leone said.
Eastern Regional Board of Education expresses PARCC exam concerns
Administered by the state Department of Education, this is the first school year in which incoming freshmen must pass both Algebra 1 and English 10 PARCC exams by the end of their high school career to graduate. Even if students pass Algebra 1 and English 10 courses, they will not be eligible for graduation without passing the PARCC exams.
In 2017, 103 of the 516 graduating students met the PARCC requirements.
Aside from Eastern Regional, students across the state are struggling to meet the PARCC requirements.
In 2017, only 28 percent of the eighth-grade students who took standard mathematics, instead of algebra, passed the PARCC exams throughout the state. Therefore, 72 percent of students entering ninth-grade Algebra 1 could not pass basic eighth-grade math.
However, 177 students in Berlin, Voorhees and Gibbsboro, all of whom filter into Eastern Regional, took the Algebra 1 assessment in eighth grade. Some 92 percent of them scored at a level 4 or 5, compared to 40 percent for statewide ninth-grade students.
“It’s going to very interesting. We’ve created a graduation requirement in which more than 60 percent of the state’s students cannot pass,” said Robert Cloutier, Eastern Regional’s director of curriculum, instruction and professional development.
However, Phil Murphy, New Jersey’s next governor, plans to end the state’s reliance on PARCC tests as a requirement for graduation, according to his campaign platform.
Mignogna and Platt retain their seats
In November’s election, Democrats Mignogna and Harry A. Platt defeated Republican challengers Carmine D. Valentino and Lisa DeAugustine for two committee seats.
The results from Camden County’s website reported Mignogna with 3,684 votes and Platt with 3,592 votes, ahead of Valentino’s 2,020 votes and DeAugustine’s 2,031 votes.
Both Platt and Mignogna expressed their pride in one another and their plans to continue bettering Voorhees.
“It was absolutely great to be part of this campaign,” Platt said. “Mike and I have worked very hard. We try to make Voorhees a great place to live, work and to raise a family. We will continue to make our public safety services the best in the area.”
‘The Voyager’ clinches GSSPA Overall Excellence in the state
Eastern Regional High School’s “The Voyager,” an online and print publication, won 25 awards at the 2017 Garden State Scholastic Press Association Awards in October, including Overall Excellence in the state for Division A.
The assortment of achievements encompassed second place for the Distinguished Journalism Award and four first-place awards — the most top prizes ever achieved by the 52-year-old school paper.
Based upon three issues this year — March, May and June — “The Voyager” clinched 317 out of 320 points in the Coverage category, 345 out of 350 points in Writing/Editorial and 308 out of 315 points in Design.
Although the paper publishes seven to 10 issues each school year, the staff selected these three issues to represent their best work.
“We’ve always been pretty diverse in our article choices, but I think those were the editions that showcased that the most,” said junior and managing editor Srishti Ramesh.
Voorhees Ballet Theatre celebrates 30th annual ‘Nutcracker’
The local dance company, a township staple, marked three decades of sugar plums and pointe shoes, as its 30th annual production of “The Nutcracker” ran at VMS in December.
“‘The Nutcracker’ has always been my favorite ballet, so to put it on the stage was a dream come true,” artistic director and choreographer Suzanne C. Steinbach said. “And each year, we try to make something more professional about the production. Each year, I try to raise the bar, and for the most part, they get there.”
Each year, Steinbach amends the show based on the talent. This year’s 75-member cast features several middle school-aged girls, which has led to the addition of a Junior Snow Chorus.
The majority of the young ladies have been in the Christmas ballet for most of their lives. Some dancers were in the production as infants.
With a former Fritz playing this year’s Sugar Plum Fairy and a previous baby mouse now taking on the role of Clara, Voorhees Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” has served not only as a township tradition but as ritual on individual levels.
Although the story and choreography sustain every year, the girls gain a new perspective of the production with each new role they play, evolving their appreciation of the ballet as they evolve as ballerinas.
“When you get new parts and get to be new things, I feel like it’s a whole new aspect of ‘The Nutcracker.’ You never thought of it that way,” said Stephanie Bradley, who played one of the three Claras. “It’s like a different part and a whole different ‘Nutcracker.’”
Two Eastern Junior Vikings teams strive for national wins
Two EJV football teams, the 100- and 115-pound teams, ended their most successful seasons in the program’s history by playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame National Youth Championship in Canton, Ohio, a few weeks ago.
Since winning a few games in recent seasons, the teams started rigorous practices back in August, making them into determined players once games started in mid-September.
Their results were a testimony to their efforts, as the 100’s went undefeated this season with a record of 11–0, while the 115’s reached a 10–1 record.
As the season progressed, both teams went on to clinch league and regional championships from mid-November through early December.
In the league championship game against Burlington Township, the 100’s dominated their opponents, 20–0. After clinching this title, they were invited to play in the Chesapeake Regional Championship in Middletown, Del. The 100’s emerged with a 27–0 win over the Salem Rams and a 20–0 win over Paulsboro.
Concurrently, the 115’s ended their season with a league championship over Medford before also securing a regional championship title in Delaware. The 115’s out-scored teams 331–47 throughout the year. In a 10-game season, that record averages a score of 33–5 a game.
“There was so much talent on the team, it was getting the kids to be unselfish,” said Jamie Russen, vice president of the program and head coach of the 100’s. “It taught them how to be teammates and not care who got the ball, who got a touchdown, because they were going to do it anyway. When there’s a lot of talented kids, there’s only one football on the field.”
