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Boys’ Basketball: Off to a winning start

By Lauree Padgett. Exclusive to Haddonfield[dot]Today             

There are few similarities so far between the 2021–22 Dawgs season and last year’s. The biggest difference is that the season kicked off last week on Friday, Dec. 17, when the Dawgs traveled to Haddon Township High School to go up against the Hawks. Last season, which skipped the months of December and January completely due to COVID and then COVID protocols, did not commence until Feb. 6. This contest was still an away game versus Haddon Township, but this time, instead of losing by 8 points, 30–38, which hadn’t happened in literally decades, the Dawgs prevailed 37–30.

That win in and of itself is a good sign, but it also shows what happens when a team isn’t literally interacting with each other for the first time when stepping onto the court for the season’s opening game, which is what happened in the February outing against the Hawks. Paul Wiedeman, who is entering his 23rd season as the Dawgs’ head coach with a more than impressive record of 512–102, noted in an email exchange a few weeks ago what a difference it was to have practices going in full swing and knowing that there would be fans in the stands from that initial tip-off and hopefully moving forward.

Even though this season’s squad had had many practices and some scrimmages prior to the 12/17 game at the Hawks’ home court, the Dawgs still weren’t totally in sync. There were more turnovers than what would normally be expected along with a higher number of bad (not to be confused with missed) shots. Hence, quarter one did not prove to be a rousing display of offense by either team and ended with the Dawgs up by 1, 7–6. Moreover, for most of those 8 minutes, the Dawgs were trailing the Hawks. It was senior Tom Mooney’s pair of foul shots with just under a minute to go that put Haddonfield on top. The only other baskets of the quarter came from a bucket by junior Teddy Bond (little bro to Richie and Will) and a 3 by senior Matt Leming.

Both teams picked up the scoring in the second quarter. The Hawks got to inbound the ball and wasted no time going back on top by a point, 8–7. That edge was short-lived thanks to a 3 by sophomore Daire Roddy, which put the Dawgs up by 2, 10–8, with not even a minute gone in the 2nd. The Hawks would bring the contest even at 10 a few possessions later, but Tom Mooney (sorry, but in the stands, I’m still calling him Tommy) again stepped to the foul line and again put the Dawgs ahead, 12–10, at the 5:12 mark.  A pickoff by Roddy led to a drive up and in by Bond, giving the Dawgs a 4-point, 14–10, lead with 4:39 left in the half. The Hawks answered with a basket to briefly cut the lead to 2, however, sophomore Sam Narducci pushed the lead back to 4. Although two straight 2’s by Haddon Township evened things at 16 with 2:30 on the clock, Haddonfield would get the last 5 points of the game off a 3 and a 2 by Mooney, and as the teams headed to the locker rooms, the Dawgs had stretched the lead to 5, 21–15.

The third quarter scoring dipped a bit again on both sides. The Dawgs only scored three baskets, a bucket in the paint by senior Matt Guveiyian, a 2 and a 3 by Mooney, and a pair of foul shots by Leming. The Hawks matched the Dawgs with a pair of 2’s and a 3 but didn’t get any points from the foul line, so when the period ended, Haddonfield had added 2 points to their halftime lead and were up by 7, 30–23.

In the 4th, the Dawgs would again put up 9 points in the exact same way: a pair of 2’s, this time by senior Carson Wolff and Mooney, a 3 by Leming, and 2 from the line by Mooney. The Hawks would only muster two baskets, coming back to back within a 10-second span. When the buzzer sounded, the Dawgs had won 39­–27. Mooney led all scorers with 18.

The second game was the next day, 12/18, at Cherokee and was part of the Jimmy V (North Carolina State head coach and later ESPN commentator Jim Valvano, who founded the V Foundation for Cancer Research just before his death in 1993 from adenocarcinoma) Classic. The Dawgs played Timber Creek. I was unable to attend, but Vic Wiedeman, my fellow 1980 HMHS grad and bro to the head coach, texted me the halftime (27–10, Haddonfield) and the final (52–30) scores.

On Tuesday night, 12/27, I was back in the Haddonfield gym in “my” spot—about 4 rows up across from the Haddonfield bench—for the first time since March of 2020. While I had been one of the lucky fans (as a member of the press) to attend home games in the 2020–21 season, I had been assigned the corner section by the gym entrance, across from the visiting bench, out of COVID protocol. It was great to be back at center court again!

The Dawgs were hosting the Eagles of West Deptford, and the game was in essence over within the first 8 minutes, if not sooner. The Dawgs started their scoring with a 3 from Tom Mooney and built up a 13–0 lead before the Eagles landed a basket in the net with less than 3 minutes to go in the quarter. When the first quarter was over the Dawgs were up by 14, 17–3; Matt Guveiyian provided 8 of those 17 points, and the other Matt, Leming, knocked in the other 9 on a pair of 3’s, a 2, and a foul shot.

If the Eagles had looked shaky in the first quarter, the Dawgs really clipped their wings in the second. Mooney got hot and hit a trio of treys plus a pair of foul shots. Leming got two more 3’s, and Sam Narducci hit one from outside the arc as well. Senior Jon Bucci added 4 points, and  Teddy Bond also got a basket. When the halftime buzzer went off, the Dawgs were in total command of the game, up 35 points, 45–10.

Even in the second quarter, Coach Wiedeman had started bringing in players off the bench, but he also let his starters and first subs get a decent amount of playing time. The Matts combined for 13 of the Dawgs 22 3rd quarter points: Matt G. had 3 buckets in the paint, and Matt L. had a 2, a 3, and a pair from the line. Daire Roddy got 2 baskets, and Mooney got his 4th from the field. At the end of 3, the Dawgs had put 22 on the board and were cruising, 67–17.

Even though none of the starters scored in the final 8 minutes, the Dawgs still added 15 points to their totals on 2’s by seniors Evan Rohlfing and Bucci and sophomores Sam Narducci and Jack Walters. Seniors Sean Beane and Dante Del Duca each made a basket from the foul line.

When all was said and done, the Dawgs had sent the Eagles limping back to their nest, or at least their bus, with a very lopsided 82–24 victory. Matt Leming was high scorer with 22 points. Matt Guveiyian finished with 14 points, and Tom Mooney had 13.

Now let’s take a look at the week ahead. On Tuesday, 12/28 and Thursday, 12/30, Haddonfield will be hosting two events: the Haddonfield Invitational and the Haddons Showcase, respectively. The boys and girls will be playing both days. On Tuesday, the girls take to the court first at 1 p.m., going up against Moorestown High School. At 2:30, the boys match up against Clearview Regional High School. On Thursday, the boys play Egg Harbor Township at 1 and are followed by the girls taking on Moorestown Friends at 2:30.

Anyone planning to attend any Haddonfield boys or girls games this season needs to know that each host school will decide how many fans can be admitted into the host’s gymnasium. Right now, Haddonfield is not putting a cap on attendance (more on that below), but that may not be the case at all other schools. So, before you head off to any away games, you should make sure you will have access to the gym. For example, Haddon Township, which has a small gym, limited attendance; each player on both teams was allowed to have four people attend the game. I checked ahead of time and found out I would not have been able to gain access through my press pass, but that may vary with each school as well. I got into the gym because Gary Vermaat, grandfather of Matt Guveiyian, graciously gave me his ticket, as going to the first game of the season was supposed to be part of my birthday celebration with his wife Debbie, Matt’s “Nanny.”

During the Haddon Township game, the student doing the play-by-play announced multiple times that masks were to be worn by everyone in the gym. (Players not on the court are required to wear masks as well.) I was not pleased to see that several students behind the Haddonfield bench were flagrantly ignoring this safety measure, and instead of having their masks covering their nose and mouth, had them around their neck.

Haddonfield AD Lefty Banos addressed the mask mandate before the start of the West Deptford game. He went on the court, mic in hand, and told the crowd that in order for Haddonfield to allow open attendance at home games throughout the season, fans had to keep their masks on at all times. Anyone who did not do so would be removed from the gym. Some students either didn’t hear this announcement or didn’t take it seriously and were not properly wearing the masks. Fairly quickly, they were approached and told to mask up or leave. They masked up. I hope Haddonfield keeps close watch on adult and student fans for the safety of all who are at the games, both on the court and in the stands, and that fans respect and comply with the mask mandate when they are at other gyms to cheer on the Dawgs. As COVID has shown, it is still capable of upending NBA, NFL, and NHL contest even with the majority of players vaccinated. Last year, Haddonfield’s normal schedule was cut to 15 games. For the sake of the team and its coaches and all who support them, I sincerely hope all will wear their masks to ensure that this season can continue all the way into March and the NJSIAA tournament.

Alumni Society: Lifetime Achievement Awards 2021


The Haddonfield Alumni Society will hold its annual meeting and awards ceremony on Saturday, November 27, 2021 in the auditorium at Haddonfield Memorial High School. The Society will honor recipients from both 2020 and 2021. 

The awards ceremony will begin at 10am and will be preceded by a breakfast reception at 9am. All alumni are invited to attend the ceremony and reception.  

Among those being honored for 2021 are:

Bruce Lindsay ‘69 

Dr. Lindsay earned his BS degree from Eckerd College ’73 and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1977. He completed a residency at the University of Michigan. 

Dr. Lindsay pursued a fellowship in cardiology and studied arrhythmias, at Washington University School of Medicine in 1983. He became an expert on the subject.  His mentor, Michael E. Cain, M.D., Dean of the College of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo described Bruce as “… a superb clinician and highly respected at national and international levels as an authority on heart-rhythm abnormalities and their treatment.” 

Dr. Lindsay’s research interests focused on identification of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death, indications for Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, and the development of advanced technologies for ablation of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Bruce has served as the Director of Electrophysiology at Washington University Medical Center before moving to the Cleveland Clinic in 2008 where he was the Section Head for Electrophysiology and Pacing. He served as Vice Chair of Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic from 2016 to 2019 and was a member of the Executive Committee for the Heart and Vascular Institute. He retired in 2019.

During the course of his career, he has been involved in leading edge research including the implantation of defibrillators without opening a patient’s chest, the use of ablation to treat arrythmias, and treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation. Bruce has worked with Steretotaxis Inc. to develop the Magnetic Navigation System (MNS), which enables heart-rhythm experts to use magnetic fields to guide catheters to treat arrhythmias.  As a result of his indefatigable work, he has co-authored more than 150 peer reviewed publications and lectured at meetings throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, India, and China.  

Donald Chew ‘69

Don attended Lafayette University graduating summa cum laude with a BA in English. He spent the next six years doing graduate work at the University of Rochester, earning a Ph. D. in English and American Literature focusing on his three “favorites”, Melville, Conrad and Faulkner.  He later earned an MBA in finance at the Rochester’s Simon School of Business.   

In 1979, Don moved to New York City to work with the Financial Policy Division of the Chase Manhattan Bank.  Unable to find his niche as a consultant, he was instructed by his boss—Joel Stern—to start a publication called The Chase Financial Quarterly.  That publication later became the Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, which Don has edited for the past 40 years.  Made up mainly of articles written by finance academics for practicing corporate executives, the JACF aims to explain the workings of capital markets and how the executives can use the principles and methods of finance to increase the long-run efficiency and value of their organizations, whether they be for-profit, non-profit, or part of the public sector.

Linda Riefler, Chief Talent Officer at Morgan Stanley has known Don for some twenty years.  She supervised Don in his role as Chair of Client Services. She said about Don and JACF, “His journal is unique in the quality of its content and its ability to take fresh looks at market issues and in bringing academics and practitioners together to discuss and explore long term value creation. I am a deep believer in markets, but markets are not perfect, and Don’s work is seminal in helping practitioners and academics learn and focus on what matters.” 

In addition to his work at the Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Don has edited and published some ten collections of articles, two of which—The New Corporate Finance:  Where Theory Meets Practice (McGraw-Hill) and (with Joel Stern) The Revolution in Corporate Finance (Blackwell)—continue to be used in business schools throughout the world.  

Don’s leadership and influence in the world of corporate finance is not hard to discern.  His writing, editing and sharp insight have led managers, CEO’s and corporate board members to rethink their conventional wisdom on topics as diverse as communicating with investors, private equity, sustainable financial management and integrity.  His academic writings and publications for the graduate student of finance have influenced a generation of future and current business leaders.  

Laura Iavicoli ‘89

Dr. Iavicoli graduated from Boston University, earning a BA in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude in 1993.  In 1997, Laura received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Robert Wood Johnson, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  She served as resident in Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City from 1998-2001 and Chief Resident from 2001-2002.

A board certified Emergency Medicine physician with special expertise in Emergency Management, her career includes twenty years as an emergency room physician at Elmhurst General Hospital in the borough of Queens.  Over those twenty years, she has served as an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her leadership responsibilities have included Associate Director of Emergency Management, Senior Assistant Vice President Emergency Management for Health and Hospitals, and most recently, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst.   She has been at the forefront of disaster preparedness in NYC.  Since 2017, Dr. Iavicoli has given over 20 invited lectures and/or presentations on emergency management and authored or co-authored some 17 journal articles related to her field of expertise. 

During the peak of the pandemic, Dr. Iavicoli worked as an emergency medicine expert on the NYC Health and Hospital COVID-19 action team and on the front lines in the emergency room at Elmhurst General Hospital. She was involved in that included coordinating emergency efforts for Elmhurst Hospital and for the entire NYC health system as whole. Her emergency medicine experience had previously brought her face to face with several earlier crises including SARS, H1N1, and Ebola but none that matched the scale of Covid-19 pandemic.

The New York Times print edition on Sunday, 12/6/20 documents how a corner of the borough of Queens became the epicenter of the pandemic.  The article features the stories of coronavirus patients and their treatment at Elmhurst Hospital in late March 2020 in compelling detail.  Dr. Iavicoli figures centrally in this narrative.  She described her safety-net hospital as “the most magical place on earth,” with a skilled, committed staff and a diverse mix of patients who offer fresh challenges every day. At the height of the pandemic, her emergency room was seeing 400 patients per day, double its usual number.   

Laura’s extraordinary efforts did not go unrecognized. In July, 2021 she was “recognized for heroic contributions to the five boroughs during the COVID-19 pandemic with tireless dedication to New York City” and was given the Hometown Hero Essential Worker Award.  In September, 2020, she was honored with the Schneps Media Healthcare Heroes Award “for          dedication and service to the healthcare community”. She also received the NYC Health and Hospitals, Elmhurst Emergency Department, Healthcare Hero Award, for dedication and leadership at Elmhurst Hospital during the COVID pandemic.  

Lisa Weissenberger Woslchina ‘89

Ms. Wolschina graduated from Princeton University ’93 where she majored in history.  She later completed her MA in education at Rutgers New Brunswick, graduating with Honors in 1995. 

After graduation, Lisa returned to her alma mater to teach high school social studies, coach cheerleading, advise the freshman class and moderate the Interact Club.  She served at HMHS from 1994-2000.  During her tenure, she was much loved by her students and appreciated by her colleagues for her extraordinary empathy and compassion. 

 In 2000, Ms. Wolschina made some life changing decisions about balancing career and motherhood.  She chose a career in real estate where she has exemplified exceptional achievement over the past twenty years. Professionally, Lisa manages her own branch of Keller Williams Real Estate, and she has been honored with the  very highest level of achievement per the New Jersey Association of Realtors.  Lisa earned the NJAR Circle of Excellence Award  consistently from 2007-2020. She has been the perennial leader in sales production and dollar volume for all of Camden County and the leading female realtor as well.  She is nationally ranked in the top 100 realtors in Keller Williams; an organization that has over 500,000 realtors.   She is also among the top 8 realtors in the tri-state region (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware).   Shas been a platinum level producer every year since 2013 and is on track to sell over $100 million dollars of real estate by the end of 2021.  She employs a staff of 10 real estate agents, and her branch agents have consistently been recognized for their volume.  In the past calendar year, her agency has outperformed her nearest Haddonfield competitor by a more than two to one margin. 

Ms. Wolschina is among that very special group of businessmen and businesswomen of Haddonfield who are dedicated to giving back to the community.  She serves as a board member of the Haddonfield Educational Trust and the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust.  For both of those organizations she has volunteered to host fundraising events in her home on multiple occasions. She supports these events by both her personal contributions as well as her significant network of friends and colleagues. 

During the past year, Lisa’s philanthropic efforts also included sponsoring the Healthy Running Series for Kids 2021, co-sponsoring the Ndotto sculpture for HOST, and supporting the HMHS Drama Club livestream event.   She has been involved in myriad volunteer activities including cooking for the Ronald McDonald house; collecting prom dresses for high school students in need; shopping for, donating and delivering food to needy families during the pandemic; and sponsoring “Women in the Arts” for the Haddonfield Fortnightly.  Recently, she organized a fundraiser to collect school supplies for local children in need.  She does this annually working directly with school administrators so that the identities of the children are kept confidential.  Her efforts in this area are tireless and her impact enormous in our small community.

Lynn Green

Ms. Green began her teaching career as a special education teacher at Haddonfield Memorial High School in 1988.  From those earliest days she showed the compassion and empathy to high school students that would become the hallmark of her thirty-three year teaching career.

Lynn truly found her niche in the district as a Kindergarten teacher at Elizabeth Haddon.  Dr. Heather Stambaugh, a parent whose three children had Lynn as their kindergarten teacher,  wrote:  “…we realized how lucky our son was to have Lynn as a teacher.  She gave careful individualized attention to the academic and emotional needs of each of her students.  She was always at the ready with a kind word or warm hug for them.  She gave her students the foundation and tools to be successful learners.” 

As a teacher, Lynn was an advocate for developing a curriculum that was engaging yet challenging for the students. As a reading and writing specialist, she was an integral part of the Reading Recovery program at Elizabeth Haddon and was deeply involved in creating a curriculum that insured her students thrive and make smooth grade level transitions. She speaks passionately about the Reading Recovery program as she felt she made a difference in her students’ education, understanding the importance of early recognition of reading and writing difficulties in students.  Lynn was also a valued member of the School-wide committee that helped Haddon earn status as a “Blue Ribbon School”.

Dr. Stambaugh added, “At her core, Lynn is thoughtful, caring, genuine, and selfless.  Raising three talented, strong, independent daughters while both she and her husband worked full time, her dedication to her family, work and her students is unparalleled.  We have come across very few teachers over the years that have made such profound, lasting impressions on our children.  Lynn is one of those teachers that our kids speak of fondly when reflecting on grade school.”

Leaf blowers: A scourge in our community

by Mark Kram Jr

Raise your hand if, like me, you have been jarred from sleep early on a weekend morning by the deafening roar of a leaf blower. That has happened again and again.

Or: you have found yourself on your porch on a tranquil day when a SWAT team of workmen with leaf blowers shows up unannounced on your block. I once saw a crew of five hop off a truck, fire up their blowers and scatter across a yard the size of a postage stamp.

Or: say you work from home. In the Covid-19 world we now inhabit, home offices have become commonplace. But try conducting business when just outside your window, your neighborhood is under siege by a guerrilla unit of landscapers. 

When I have a book to write, I pray for rain. Or I set about writing between the hours of 10pm and 4am, not because I am an insomniac but because I can be assured an uninterrupted working environment.

As someone who has lived in Haddonfield since 1987 – ah, how peaceful those days now seem – there are days when I feel as if I am living on an airport tarmac. Leaf blowers have become that ubiquitous. Worse, you never know when they will arrive, in what numbers, or for how long they will stay. I remember one day some years ago when a three-man crew spent five hours straight, blowing leaves into piles in front of two houses on my block.

But it is not just the noise its the frayed nerves and strained feelings between otherwise friendly neighbors that leaf blowers engender. Given the pollutants that two-stroke gasoline-powered leaf blowers spew – including carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and carcinogenic hydrocarbons – they pose an existential hazard to our health. Swept up in the dust created by them can be pollen, mold, animal feces, and chemicals from herbicides and pesticides. 

Our children are breathing this crap.

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications have recently carried articles condemning leaf blowers. Just last week, The Times noted that “a two-stoke gasoline-powered leaf blower spewed out more pollution than a 6,200-pound Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck” and that “a half-hour of yard work” produces approximately the same hydrocarbon emissions as “a 3,900-mile drive from Texas to Alaska in a Raptor.”

Hearing is also imperiled. According to the Times, some leaf blowers “produce 100 decibels of low-frequency, wall-penetrating sound – or as much noise as a plane taking off – at levels that can cause tinnitus and hearing loss with long exposure.” At particular jeopardy are workers on the crews themselves, very few of whom I have ever spotted wearing ear protection.

With the world facing a grave and worsening threat from climate change, communities across the United States are stepping forward to take action. More than 100 cities have passed regulations to ban or restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. 

We are seeing a switch-over to more eco-friendly electrical equipment. In New Jersey, Princeton recently adopted an ordinance banning gas-powered leaf blowers during the winter and summer – a step forward, although it still permits their use for spring and fall cleanup.

What should Haddonfield do? I think we should talk about it. That is, if we can hear each other above the din.

_________________________

A local author, Mark Kram Jr. is a member of the Haddonfield Environmental Commission. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Commission or its other members.

Valedictorian: A year like no other

by Olivia Stoner, Haddonfield Memorial High School Class of 2021

Good evening and welcome, families, teachers, administrators, and the esteemed Class of 2021. It is an honor to be speaking before you all today. I would like to begin by saying a few personal thank-you’s. To my parents and family, I could never extend enough gratitude to you for your support and sacrifices. I love you all beyond words. Thank you. And I would next like to thank God for His blessings and provision always- all glory to Him. Lastly, I would like to thank our administration and staff for this incredible Commencement Ceremony. Mrs. McHale, Mr. Tarrant, Coach Q, and Mr. Licata, among others, you have worked tirelessly this past year to bring our senior class a sense of normalcy. Who would have thought, mere months ago, that this magnitude of a graduation would be feasible? I speak for everyone when I say thank you for your creativity, patience, and foresight in a year like no other.

Now, I would like to extend my congratulations to you all, Class of 2021. High school has truly been four years to remember. I have nothing but the utmost respect for all of you for your strength, endurance, and grace. Without going into detail, I think it’s safe to say that Clint Eastwood’s famous “improvise, adapt, and overcome” quote could very well have been the mantra of our senior class.

Looking out at all of you, I cannot help but reminisce. I remember the days back in elementary school when we all stealthily traded Silly Bands and fought against the infamous title of “Man on Ground.” I remember belting the Lizzy Haddon anthem together in the APR and comparing Justice graphic tees with each other during indoor recess. A few days ago, I had a similar feeling of nostalgia when cleaning out my room. Among the dusty HYBA participation trophies and old race bibs was a toy that reminded me of quite the formative phase in my life, and probably in the lives of many here- the American Girl Doll. 

This particular toy and phase of my life were certainly memorable, as these dolls were my creative outlet. Through them, I could present tales of princesses, Spartans, and scholars all on my makeshift bedroom desk stage. I could learn how to sew costumes and braid hair, albeit on a much smaller, doll-sized scale. However, the conclusion of this toy obsession is an even more vibrant memory for me. One day, after pulling my dolls out to play, something just felt off. I no longer experienced the rush of excitement that usually ensued. In fact, I did not feel much at all, other than the urge to put my dolls back and go do something else. Frustrated by my inability to care for these dolls that had once been such an integral part of my life, I began to cry. I cried for the end of my American Girl Doll experience, and for how much of my money I had wasted on those unreasonably-priced doll accessories, but even more so, I cried because of my fear of growing up. I thought that outgrowing this phase meant that I was slowly inching towards adulthood. To me, adulthood was a large and confusing word that most closely meant the end of my child-like sense of wonder. I thought growing up and nurturing my creative interests were mutually exclusive, and I was grieving the loss of something that had brought me so much joy.

What I offer to you, Class of 2021, is the perspective I wish I had at seven years old as I was going through that American-Girl-Doll-existential crisis. What I did not anticipate was that after I put my dolls down, I soon picked up a needle and thread, making human-sized clothes this time rather than the former doll-sized ones. My imagination kept its fervor, but it took on a different, more exciting form. 

Yes, today marks the end of quite the formative phase for all of us- tomorrow, we will wake up as high school graduates, anticipating jobs, higher education, traveling, or other endeavors. We will no longer call this school’s campus our home. But the exciting news is that our imaginations and passions do not end here; rather, we now get the opportunity to take them out onto a larger stage. We get to play with bigger, better, and far cooler toys and do so for a larger audience than we could have possibly imagined in our childhood bedrooms. Though I no longer play with dolls, I look forward to employing the same creativity I used to design clothes and costumes to someday design prosthetic limbs. Perhaps the same rush you got while playing Minecraft can be used to code the next generation’s video game experience. You may no longer decorate the hallways for Spirit Week, but perhaps you will thrive as an interior designer in a few years’ time. The same care you extended to freshmen as a Peer Leader can someday reach thousands of patients as a nurse or doctor.

Class of 2021, throughout our years here in Haddonfield, we have found the things we get most excited about. We know the topics that light up our eyes in conversations, the activities we lose track of time while doing, the interests we could spend hours down a Youtube rabbit-hole to learn about. So, although this day is sobering, marking the end of this formative phase, I am so excited for each of us to explore our interests on a larger scale. Perhaps this will later be your job, or maybe it just manifests as a side hobby, but either way, I implore you all to keep exploring the things that spark joy, keeping that child-like sense of wonder and imagination alive. My wish for each of you is that you continue to reach bigger and better stages, but always remember to bring your inner child along for the ride. Congratulations, Class of 2021!

Election result: Official

This post under this headline was updated on June 24, 2021.

  • Colleen Bianco BEZICH = 2,367 — 20.5% — Elected
  • Kevin ROCHE = 2,113 — 18.3% — Elected
  • Frank TROY = 2,092 — 18.1% — Elected
  • Adam PUFF = 1,651 — 14.3%
  • Jeff KASKO = 1,129 — 9.8%
  • Mark RUSC = 1,097 — 9.5%
  • Daniel ZHANG = 662 — 5.7%
  • Kathryn RAICZYK = 360 — 3.1%
  • Write-in = 65 — 0.6%
  • Registered voters = 10,741
  • Total voters = 4,377
  • Votes cast = 11,536

Image: Norman Rockwell, Election Day, 1944.  (Photo: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.)

Election result: Unofficial

The tallying of votes at the Borough Hall has been completed.

This is NOT the final result! Some Vote by Mail and Provisional Ballots remain to be counted.

The top three candidates, in order, at this time:

  1. Colleen Bianco BEZICH = 2009
  2. Frank TROY = 1810
  3. Kevin ROCHE = 1795

The above numbers will increase over the next day or two.

Votes per candidate, in ballot order:

  1. Frank TROY = 1810
  2. Kathryn RAICZYK = 296
  3. Colleen Bianco BEZICH = 2009
  4. Jeff KASKO = 990
  5. Kevin ROCHE = 1795
  6. Adam PUFF = 1436
  7. Daniel ZHANG = 557
  8. Mark RUSC = 920
  9. Write-In = 66

Total voters at this time = 1730

Image: Norman Rockwell, Election Day, 1944.  (Photo: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.)

Election result: Coming!

Watch the tally live: HERE.

Unofficial results for the May 11, 2021 Board of Commissioners election in Haddonfield will be posted here as they become available, likely around 9pm this evening.

The numbers posted tonight will include:

  • Votes cast in person today at the ten polling places in Haddonfield.
  • Vote by Mail ballots returned by mail and processed to date, and
  • Vote by Mail ballots deposited in one of Camden County’s secure drop boxes and processed to date.

Some voters who received Vote by Mail ballots were under the impession that they would be able to vote in person (i.e. at a voting machine) at their polling place. That was not the case. Such voters were able to cast Provisional Ballots at their polling place, if they wished. Ballots cast provisionally will be added to the tally on Wednesday and Thursday, after they have been verified, along with Vote by Mail ballots postmarked by 8pm today and received on or before Thursday, May 13.

If the unofficial result posted tonight includes margins that are extremely close, it is possible that the final result could be different from the posted, unofficial result. The Borough Clerk is scheduled to take the canvas of votes on Friday.

Image: Norman Rockwell, Election Day, 1944.  (Photo: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.)

NJPen publishes election guide

In advance of tomorrow’s Board of Commissioners election, NJPen.com invited each of the eight candidates “to tell the electorate a little about themselves ahead of the polling.”

Read the candidates’ statements and responses to NJPen.com’s questions HERE.

Correction: Vote by Mail Ballots

The Voter Guide for the May 1, 20211 Board of Commissioners election, published in the April 30 issue of Haddonfield Today, contains an error with respect to Vote by Mail ballots.

The guide lists four options for voting by mail. In fact, there are only three:

  • Mail your ballot. (Recommended as soon as possible. Ballots postmarked as late as May 11 will be counted.)
  • Place your ballot in a secure County drop box. (The nearest is outside the Haddon Township Municipal Building, 135 Haddon Avenue).
  • Take your ballot to the Board of Elections office in Blackwood.

The fourth option — taking your Vote by Mail ballot to your polling place on Election Day — is NOT available for the May 11 election. (It was an option for the November 2020 General Election, and may be in the future. But it is not an option for the 2021 Board of Commissioners election.)