As we prepare for 2019, let’s take a look back at some of the top moments from this past year in our schools, in the community and around Voorhees Township.
Voorhees Township saw plenty of news happen over the past year. From various school athletic and academic programs to changes at the municipal level and more, let’s take a look back at what made headlines.
Let’s take a look back at some of the top moments from this past year:
Eastern Regional girls winter track sprints for first
At the NJSIAA Group IV Relay Championship in January, Eastern Regional High Schools winter track team placed first among 34 teams for the girl’s 4×51 and a half-meter race, scoring the fastest time for Group IV, as well as the fastest time in the state with a time of 32.33 seconds.
Composed of mostly lowerclassmen, the four teammates, Jewel Ash, Jailya Ash, Abigail Brocco and Dariyah Corbett-Collier, were all relatively new to hurdles before competing in this event.
While the girls knew they were going going to give it their all, they did not expect to make Eastern history that night in Toms River.
“We expected to do well,” Corbett-Collier, a junior, said. “But we didn’t expect to come in first.”
Barry Jackson, coach of sprinters and hurdlers for boys and girls winter track, implements hurdles in all of his training, believing its influence on runners’ mobility benefits them in all realms of the sport, such as balance and coordination.
“Whether they’re new or old to hurdles, my philosophy is — everybody trains hurdles,” Jackson said. “It makes them more mobile and makes their limbs, particularly their legs, more flexible at the hips. Their hips, their legs and their cores are the more important things for a runner.”
The teammates feel Jackson helped to mend any of their insecurities about hurdling before going into the championship that day.
“It felt great to break a record. I thought (being a freshman) we weren’t going to do as much,” Jailya Ash said. “But, knowing we broke a record — that definitely feels nice.”
STEM lunches at VMS expose eighth-grade girls to emerging fields
In February, eighth-grade girls at Voorhees Middle School were hard at work to further their STEM knowledge to break the statistic that women, according to the Economics and Statistics Administration, held only 24 percent of American STEM jobs.
To stay ahead of, or perhaps influence, the ever-changing technological landscape, the science department at VMS designated weekly and bi-weekly lunches for STEM experiences.
“This is where our society is going,” said Cammy Bell, a science teacher at VMS. “(Students) see a lot of common careers, but we want them to specialize in science, technology engineering and math.”
Bell, along with science teachers Joyce Laurella and Cindy Slawski, led the lunch initiatives.
Each lunch featured a local female speaker who specializes in the STEM field, many of whom are students’ family members or VMS alumni.
Camden County Animal Shelter reaches record-breaking save rates
In the first few weeks of 2018, the Camden County Animal Shelter made headlines after it was announced the shelter saved 91 percent of felines and 92 percent of canines the previous year.
The fusion of political, medical and behavioral initiatives has led Camden County to recently achieve the highest percentage of save rates in South Jersey.
“This 90 percent rate comes at the heels of us taking every single animal that comes in the door,” Freeholder Jonathan L. Young said. “We don’t pick and choose what animals come into our shelter. No matter what the case is — we take them all and make it work.”
Since 2009, Camden County Animal Shelter has increased its save rate by 45 percent for cats and 19 percent for dogs. A total of 1,540 animals were transferred out to other rescue agencies in 2017, an increase of 37 percent or 417 more lives saved, according to the county.
Eastern Regional students walk out of mid-day classes to honor Parkland victims
Earlier this year on Wednesday, Feb. 17, Eastern Regional High School students walked out of their high school building in honor of the 17 lives taken during the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
The walkout, which lasted about 17 minutes, saw a turnout of about 100 to 200 students, according to Superintendent Dr. Harold Melleby, Jr.
“Students were well-organized and very orderly,” Melleby said. “They were voicing their concerns, which we understand. … They have the constitutional right to express their feelings, and we honor that.”
