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APRIL 3-9, 2013
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Interfaith Views . . . . . . . 7, 10
Police Blotter . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Going to Globals
Pond Road team wins first place in
Destination Imagination finals. PAGE 2
JOANNE DEGNAN/The Robbinsville Sun
More than 350 children had fun at PBA Local 344s annual Easter egg hunt at Pond Road Mid-
dle School on March 24. Above: Children at the starting line. Below: David Cecil carries his
daughter, Megan, 1, to the prize table. See story and more photos on page 14.
And, theyre off!
Town asks
Supreme Court to
hear land use case
By JOANNE DEGNAN
Editor
The Planning Board has asked
the state Supreme Court to weigh
in on the constitutionality of a
state law that let Sharbell convert
unbuilt senior citizen units to all-
age housing, a change the town-
ship had fought because of the
impact more students would have
on its overcrowded schools.
Planning Board Attorney
Jerry Dasti said March 25 he had
filed the required legal papers re-
questing that the state Supreme
Court hear the towns appeal of
the unanimous appellate court
ruling in the developers favor. Its
now up to the high court to decide
if it will accept the case.
We will not know for 30 to 45
days if the court will do so, Dasti
said March 25.
The Planning Board voted
unanimously on March 20, after a
closed executive session, to au-
thorize Dasti to file the Petition
for Certification with the state
Supreme Court. The board mem-
bers made no public comment
about their decision.
Tom Troy, senior vice presi-
dent of Sharbell, said March 26
this latest development in the
two-year legal battle was disap-
pointing, but not unexpected.
This does put us in a position
that we are going to have to seek
some of the many dollars in legal
fees that we have spent on this
over the past two years, Troy
said. Asked how much those legal
fees were, Troy said the company
had spent well north of
$250,000.
I dont know to what degree of
reimbursement we would be enti-
tled to of that total, but whatever
we have a legitimate basis to re-
coup, we will ask for, Troy said.
The still unbuilt Gordon-Simp-
son project at the center of this
legal dispute was approved in
2006 and included 265 residential
units and mix of retail and office
space on a 439-acre tract of land
bordered by Route 130 North and
Gordon Road. The original 265
residential units included 150
townhouses that were to be age-
restricted to adults age 55 and
over.
In 2011, however, Sharbell sub-
mitted an application to the Plan-
ning Board to convert the 150 sen-
please see COURT, page 19
2 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
Improv champs headed for global finals
By JOANNE DEGNAN
Editor
A zany five-minute improv skit
parodying child beauty pageants,
complete with little divas, pushy
mothers, and a commercial for
Honey Boo-Boos go-go juice,
launched six Pond Road Middle
School girls to a first-place finish
March 23 in the NJ Destination
Imagination State Finals.
Eighth-graders Abigail Vale-
rio, Melissa DeShaw, Bonvie
Fosam, Megan Marsala, Rachna
Sridhar and Kaeleigh Sturgeon,
aka the Hex Girls, now take their
creative talents on the road next
month to Knoxville, Tennessee
for DIs Global Finals, an interna-
tional creative problem-solving
competition where thousands of
teams from all over the world will
gather to solve various challenges
using technical, theatrical, struc-
tural, improvisational or scientif-
ic skills.
The Robbinsville School Dis-
trict had a total of 10 teams com-
peting in different age categories
in the DI State Finals, a 12-hour
marathon of challenges in which
128 New Jersey teams competed
in a battle of wits on the districts
home turf inside Robbinsville
High School. In addition to the
Hex Girls first-place finish, two
other Robbinsville teams earned
second-place and third-place tro-
phies, and RHS junior Andin
Fosam also won a $1,000 college
scholarship prize for a video she
created about how DI problem-
solving skills have helped her in
cheerleading.
Only teams that win first place
are invited to advance to the glob-
al tournament, so when the mas-
ter of ceremonies announced the
Robbinsville Hex Girls had fin-
ished first in the state in their age
category screams of joy erupted
from the corner of the RHS gym-
nasiums where the six students
and their team manager, parent
Mary Valerio, were camped out.
They began jumping up and
down for joy and then ran to the
awards table to receive their indi-
vidual medals and team trophy.
Were going to globals!
screamed Rachna Sridhar to her
teammates as tears of joy
streamed down her face.
The judges, known in DI parl-
ance as appraisers, also gave the
Hex Girls a special Renaissance
Award, commending them for dis-
playing exceptional skills in a
sensational performance from be-
ginning to end.
Pond Road teacher Anne
DiGiuseppe, who has run the DI
program in Robbinsville for 15
years, said the DI challenges are
all about teamwork.
The kids have to be able to
think on their feet and work to-
gether, DiGiuseppe said.
For example, while the Hex
Girls had practiced an improvisa-
tional skit parodying the world of
childrens beauty pageants (popu-
larized by the TV show Here
Comes Honey Boo-Boo), and
knew they would only have white
T-shirts and markers for props, it
wasnt until they were standing
in front of the judges that they
found what additional improvi-
sational elements had to be inte-
grated into their performance.
And they had only five minutes to
come up with a plan.
One last-minute Changes in
RealiTee, as the challenge was
called, was to incorporate a com-
mercial into their improvisation,
so the girls quickly decided they
would hawk go-go juice the
high-energy concoction of Red
Bull and Mountain Dew that is
Honey Boo-Boos beverage of
choice on the TV series to get
ramped up for beauty pageants.
Told at the last-minute that
their improvisation must address
a randomly selected problem of
no skis they decided their beau-
ty pageant would have a snowsuit
competition, instead of a swim-
suit competition, and that one of
the contestants would forget to
bring her skis, dooming her to de-
feat.
The girls quickly determined
on the fly who would play the
roles of contestants, who would
be the pushy mothers, who would
be the judges and who would be
the pageant master of cere-
monies, as well as who would do
what in the go-go juice commer-
cial. The result was hilarious,
with one appraiser writing in her
evaluation that she laughed so
hard she cried.
Other Robbinsville winners at
the state DI tournament included
a three-member high school
team, coached by Angie LaCase,
called Team Exes. Ninth-grader
Sarah Williams and 10th-graders
Jacob McGlew and Taylor LaCase
won a second place in their age
group for their teams In Dis-
guise challenge featuring a
mime skit.
A team of Pond Road fifth-
graders, coached by Susan Wein-
traub and Diana Brandani,
known as the Robbinsville War-
riors (Enzo Brandani, Michael
Lim, Danny Marincas, Timothy
Riley, Michael Weintraub, and
Brandon Yoo) came in third place
for their efforts in their age group
in the In the Zone challenge.
Four other Robbinsville teams
that finished in the Top 10 in their
respective age groups.
Imagination XXL, coached by
Katina Pearl-Blando, took sixth
place in the In the Zone chal-
lenge. Team members include
Jonathan Blando, grade 4 PRMS;
Griffin David, grade 3 Sharon
School; Ashrith Pagedemarry,
grade 4 PRMS; Ethan Macedo,
grade 3 Sharon School; Dhruv
Peechara, grade 5 PRMS; and
Sushank Soma, grade 5 PRMS.
Rainbow Avengers, coached by
Klaus Hofenbitzer, tied for ninth
place in the In Disguise chal-
lenge. The team members are all
seventh-graders at PRMS and in-
clude: Steven David, Connor
Hofenbitzer, Emily Marsch, Revi-
ka Singh, Mrinali Taskar and
Caedan Wallace.
The Banana Brains, coached
by Tom McEntee, took sixth place
in the Changes in RealiTee
challenge. The team, all sixth-
graders at PRMS, includes
Gillian Carr, Jordyn David, Max
Farber-McEntee, Maddie John-
son, Morgan Serra and Ethan Sil-
berberg.
Triple Threat, coached by
Peggy Fallon, took fifth place for
the Changes in RealiTees chal-
lenge. The team includes RHS
juniors Kelsey Anderson, Andin
Fosam and Shika Lakshman.
JOANNE DEGNAN/The Sun
Above, the members of the
champion Hex Girl team bound
for the Destination Imagination
Global Finals next month are
from left: Abigail Valerio, Melissa
DeShaw, Bonvie Fosam, Megan
Marsala, Rachna Sridhar and
Kaeleigh Sturgeon. To the right,
RHS students Sarah Williams,
Jacob McGlew and Taylor La-
Case, aka Team Exes, won sec-
ond place in the high school age
group in the In Disguise chal-
lenge category.
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Gymnast shines
at championships
Parker Thackston, a third-
grader at Sharon School, is the
2013 NJ Boys State Champion for
USA Gymnastics, after earning
first place AA (all around), Level
5 (age group 8) on March 16 at the
NJ Mens Gymnastics State
Championship in Colts Neck.
Thackston also claimed state
champion status on high bar with
a score of 11.2 and parallel bars
with an 11.0. He took second
place on floor with 11.1 and third
place on pommel horse, 10.1 and
vault, 10.0.
Thackstons overall score was
63.3, which was one of the top
seven scores for all age groups at
the competition (74 gymnasts),
earning him a spot on the State
Team that will represent NJ at
the USA Gymnastics Mens Re-
gional meet in Marlboro on April
27.
Thackston has competed on
the boys team for Arena Gymnas-
tics at Gymland in Hamilton for
the past three years. He practices
10.5 hours a week after school and
on Saturdays. His hard work and
dedication to this sport have final-
ly earned him this well deserved
title!
Travel softball
The Robbinsville Rampage 10U
travel softball team opened their
season with a bang in the Hamil-
ton Storm Surge Tournament on
March 23. In the opener, the girls
played in a tough defensive battle
against the Jersey Outlaws. The
Rampage were led by Emelia
Bercaw and Brynn Hopkins on
the mound, who combined on the
two-hit, 10-strikeout performance
but came up a bit short in the 2-0
loss. The Rampage broke out of-
fensively in the next two games,
defeating Amwell 11-3 and the
Lady As 16-3. Gina Mollica led the
21-hit attack with four hits, in-
cluding a 3-run home run, and
Karina Bharatiya also had four
hits. Hopkins and Bercaw added
three hits apiece. The girls are
back in action April 13 in Lincoln
Park, NJ.
Girls U9 Soccer
International Division
Robbinsville Comets 8
Haddonfield Red Bulldawgs 3
The Robbinsville Comets de-
feated the Haddonfield Red Bull-
dawgs 8-3 on March 23 to stay a
perfect 3-0 on the spring season.
The game remained close for
much of the first half until the
Comets pressure overwhelmed
their opponents. The team re-
ceived goals from Brittain Rusci-
to (5), Delanie Perrine, Yianna
Mazzella and Aleca Fotioua.
Jaimee McEntee and Becky Blitz
made a number of big saves in
goal to secure the victory.
Robbinsville Comets 4
West Deptford Firecrackers 0
The Robbinsville Comets
moved to 2 0 for their Spring
South Jersey Girls Soccer League
season with a 4-0 victory over the
West Deptford Firecrackers on
March 16. Once again the girls
fought through the cold, rain and
sleet to play a strong end-to-end
game. Brittain Ruscito tallied all
4 goals and combined with out-
standing two way play from Ko-
lette Schulz, Delanie Perrine and
Maddie Pike to lead the team to
victory. Caroline Coggins and
Becky Blitz secured the shutout
for the Comets in goal.
Robbinsville Basketball
Association Finals
Boys 3-4 Championship
Effinger Sporting Goods 23
Allied Vision 8
The Effinger Sporting Goods
boys basketball team completed
their undefeated season by win-
ning the RBA championship
game over Allied Vision by a
score of 23-8. Strong defense was
the teams greatest strength all
season and the championship
game was no different. The boys
held their opponent to just 1 point
at halftime and only 8 points in
total. Eli Zaidi led the defensive
with strong plays during the first
half, as well as contributing 6
timely points on offense. Ryan
Ammirata hit his usual outside
shots with seeming ease while
point guards Luke Aromando and
Anthony Dottino also scored dur-
ing the half. During the third
quarter, Garrett Perone and Shan
Bhatt played their usual solid de-
fense while Aromando and Dotti-
no added some more points. Dur-
ing the fourth quarter, Yash Kode
had several wonderful defensive
plays. The star of the game,
Cameron Coyle, proceeded to
score 8 of his 9 total points.
Thank you Effingers Sporting
Goods for sponsoring the team.
Allied Vision ended the regular
season with a record of 7-1-1 and
added two more wins in the first
and second rounds of the playoffs
for a final record of 9-2-1. The
championship game was against
a very tough opponent and result-
ed in the teams second loss of the
season. Allied Vision continued
with its split squad approach
using Blake Grembowitz, Chris-
tian Martini, Nick Alpert, Ryan
Schreyer, and Mannan Shukla in
quarters 1 and 3 and Brian Her-
bert, Sri Nara, Mark Plaus, Henry
Kline, and Neelansh Keshari in
quarters 2 and 4. Both squads
played aggressive and hustled
from the first minute to the last.
When the final buzzer sounded,
Allied Vision was the runner-up.
Boys 5-6 Championship
Paint Pro 29 The Bank 27
In the boys championship
game, Paint Pro came up with the
clutch win. The final score of 29-
27 doesnt do justice to the hard
fought game by both teams. As
they did all year, Paint Pro won
behind a team effort by all nine
players: CJ Ondy, Tyler Bork,
Erik Tomasko, Shawn Werdal,
Kyle Andersen, Lance Scibilia,
Cory Bork, Ethan Silberberg and
Justin Romano. This was a group
of boys who played well together
all year and their efforts were re-
warded today with a champi-
onship win. Congratulations
Paint Pro!
Girls 7-8 Championship
Donmar Business Services 32
Fairway Independent Mortgage 28
As it has been all season in the
RBA, the 7th and 8th grade girls
finals between Donmar Business
Services and Fairway Independ-
ent Mortgage came down to the
wire. The two teams split games
in the regular season with each
side winning an OT thriller so the
final game was sure to be more of
the same.
Donmar jumped out to an early
first quarter lead 10-2 as Talia
Pavese hit a 3 pointer to start the
scoring, followed by a jumper
from Paige Brower and some in-
side scoring from Donmars
leader and team MVP Kellie Hoff-
man as Alexa Lettera played solid
defense. Fairway came roaring
back in the second quarter led by
4 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
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ROBBINSVILLE youth sports scene
please see SPORTS, page 15
in YOUR opinion
Ixnay on the Easter eggs?
6 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
P.O. Box 7
Windsor, NJ 08561-0007
609-529-6611
The Robbinsville Sun is published weekly by
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NJ 08561-0007 and mailed to every address
in our community. If you are a Robbinsville
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SPEAK UP
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Include your name, address and phone
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The Robbinsville Sun reserves the right to
reprint your letter in any medium includ-
ing electronically.
PUBLISHER Dave Doran
EDITOR Joanne Degnan
By Andrew Aromando
Special to The Sun
Meet Lydia Davenport, principal of the
Heritage Elementary School in Madison
City, Alabama.
Davenport is more than a public school
administrator shaping the young minds
today for a better tomorrow. She is a fierce
protector of the impressionable children
in her flock who are more susceptible than
ever to the coarsening of our culture. To
that end, she is taking a stand of epic pro-
portions that will surely be long remem-
bered.
Yes, you guessed it: She has banned the
Easter bunny and his Easter eggs from
Heritage.
Unlike so many of her tepid peers who
go gently into that good night (with huge
pensions and comprehensive health bene-
fits for life) after wasting their careers on
futile endeavors like improving the acu-
men of elementary school students in sci-
ence and math, Davenport has chosen to
rage against the dying of her career light
by choosing a more enlightened path
(apologies to Dylan Thomas): Purging her
public school of a cultural icon borne from
pagan rituals from the pre-Christianity
13th century Europe that was brought in
the form of folklore to America in the
1700s by German immigrants.
As reported on television station WHNT,
Davenport informed teachers that no activ-
ities related to any religious holiday would
be allowed ... in the interest of religious di-
versity. This move quashed an attempt by
radical teachers with subversive plans,
brazenly hatched in the light of day, to
have a quiz bowl where students ring in
with egg buzzers and search for answers
hidden in Easter eggs.
What prompted this courageous crusad-
er to spring into action? According to
WHNT, Davenport said this: We had in the
past a parent question us about some of
the things we do here at school. So were
just trying to make sure we respect and
honor everybodys differences. The only
way to do that, of course, is to discourage
any celebration of those differences. And
this all came about, allegedly, due to past
questioning by a single parent about some
of the things we do here at school? Get the
Profiles in Courage people on the phone
stat!
Ever the educator, Davenport wasnt
through imparting her wisdom to we who
have led our children astray by dyeing real
eggs in fanciful colors and hiding plastic
ones filled with mini peanut butter cups in
gold wrappers so delicious that no human
can resist eating 50 at a time after giving
them up for Lent in backyard hunts in lo-
cations so obscure they wont be found
until September andsorrywhere were
we? Oh yeah more Davenport.
Kids love the bunny and we just make
sure we dont say the Easter Bunny so
that we dont infringe on the rights of oth-
ers because people relate the Easter bunny
to religion, she told the TV station. A
bunny is a bunny and a rabbit is a rabbit.
Indeed. And a cuckoo bird is a cuckoo bird.
In an olive branch (apologies for the reli-
gious overtones of that reference, Ms. Dav-
enport) designed to placate an outraged
community and no doubt to educate the
ignorant billions who somehow fail to
grasp how offensive a mythical hare trans-
porting colored eggs in a basket is, Daven-
port graciously decided to allow students
at Heritage to have their annual hunt.
They just cant call them Easter eggs. And
they cant use the word Easter at all. We
compromised by allowing teachers to use
other different kinds of shapes besides
eggs in the classroom, she told the televi-
sion station. Let the Vernal Equinox
Rhombus Hunt begin!
No word on what the penalties will be
for faculty, staff or students who inadver-
tently or, perish the thought, purposely
refer to them as Easter eggs, or for think-
ing that they are Easter eggs without actu-
ally saying the words. Bear in mind capital
punishment is still the law of the land in
the Great State of Alabama. Just sayin.
Think this is an isolated example of
extreme political correctness run amok in
our public schools? That there is no cul-
ture war?
That Christianity is not the object of in-
cessant attacks by an increasingly secular
and intolerant society? If you do, then, as
the Easter bunny would surely agree, the
yolk is on you.
Andrew Aromando is a Robbinsville resident
and married father of five who is still finding
Easter eggs he hid too well in backyard egg
hunts from years ago.
rville in the past lane
By CATHY ZAHN
With the recent inauguration of our na-
tions 44th president, Barack Obama, to his
second term, it seems a fitting time to
think about our townships connections to
U.S. presidents over the centuries.
We know our first president under the
U.S. Constitution, George Washington, led
the Continental Army through this area
during the Revolution. But did you know
we have had more than one presidential
connection? I know of at least three U.S.
presidents who have been to our communi-
ty.
Washington, the Revolutionary War
hero, was the rock star of his day. His trav-
els during the war took him from Trenton
to Allentown to Cranberry (as it was
spelled in those days) and back to Allen-
town before he rode off to Freehold.
Take a look at Rutgers Universitys on-
line map collection to view some of the
roads available for Washingtons treks at
http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu.
Old York Road and possibly Route 33
would have been the major roads leading to
and from Trenton and Allentown that he
used. And since the best way to get from
Hail to the chiefs
please see PAST, page 13
I Smell an Upset
By PASTOR DAN GRECO
I love March Madness. I dont
watch too much college basket-
ball during the year, but once
March hits, I cannot wait to fill
out a bracket and watch the
games. What I love most about
watching the games is that ANY-
THING can happen! Every year,
some underdog becomes a Cin-
derella story. Regardless of how
prestigious or unknown a col-
leges team is, once the game be-
gins, both have a chance to win.
And theres something about that
chance for victory that opens the
door for something absolutely
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Egg Hunt Brings Hope
Its not easy being a single par-
ent. Often the money ends before
the month does, so luxuries like
Easter baskets and candy for the
kids are set aside for necessities
like rent and groceries. Thats
where the local church has an op-
portunity to bring help and hope.
The He Cares, We Care Ministry
of Princeton Alliance Church
(PAC) in Plainsboro does this and
more for families in need.
Saturday, March 16 offered an
excellent example of love in ac-
tion as children squealed with de-
light and scampered across the
lawn at PAC, collecting goodie-
filled eggs to put in their brand
new Easter baskets.
He Cares, We Care hosted over
150 adults and children to an egg
hunt and refreshments. Chil-
drens Pastor Shaun Sass shared
the Easter story in English with
children and parents while a
translator shared it in Spanish.
He Cares, We Care is a unique
ministry in that its outwardly fo-
cused on the local community,
said ministry coordinator Joy Is-
abelle.
Some of our clients come
from within our church, but
many have never before experi-
enced church or the kind of love
and care God calls us to show
those in need.
The goal of He Cares, We Care
is simple: to bring hope to hurting
families, particularly single-par-
ent households by meeting practi-
cal, emotional and spiritual
needs.
We meet families practical
needs through our food pantry
and free, monthly budgeting and
parenting workshops. We connect
with and support single parents
through special events like our
Easter egg hunt.
And we meet spiritual needs
by praying with them, answering
spiritual questions, and sharing
the Gospel message of grace and
hope in Jesus when theyre ready
to receive it, Isabelle said.
How does He Cares, We Care
gauge the success of an event like
the annual Easter egg hunt? By
the smiles on kids faces, the tears
in their moms eyes, and the grati-
tude you feel in their hugs, Is-
abelle said.
When they hug you and dont
want to let go, you know youve
brought them hope and made a
difference.
Princeton Alliance Church
(PAC) is a Christ-centered church
of 3,000-plus (including Rob-
binsville residents) located at the
corner of Scudders Mill and
Schalks Crossing roads in Plains-
boro.
It exists to help you live life to
the fullest in Jesus by knowing
God, developing community and
bringing hope. To learn more,
visit the website
www.princetonalliance.org.
interfaith views
Princeton Alliance Church
Special to The Robbinsville Sun
Anderson Reyes (right) shows his buddy the fine art of egg hunting
as over 150 local residents gather March 16 for an Easter event at
Princeton Alliance Church.
please see CHURCH, page 10
Lifetree Community Church
Visit us online at www.robbinsvillesun.com
WEDNESDAY APR. 3
Tax help: 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. Volunteers from
AARP will help with filling out basic
tax forms. By appointment only. Call
259-2150.
Toddler Storytime: 10 a.m. & 11
a.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-
cer County Library System, 42 Rob-
binsville-Allentown Road. For chil-
dren age 2 to 3 accompanied by an
adult. Registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Preschool Storytime: 2 p.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 4
to 5. Pre-registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Robbinsville Township Council
meeting: 7:30 p.m., municipal court-
room trailer, 1117 Route 130 North.
THURSDAY APR. 4
Toddler Storytime: 10 a.m. Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 2
to 3 accompanied by an adult. Reg-
istration required at www.mcl.org or
call 259-2150.
Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-
binsville Senior Center, 117 Route
130. No registration required. Free
class under the direction of Connie
Ferrara for seniors 60 and older. For
information, contact 259-1567.
Preschool Storytime: 11 a.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 4
to 5. Pre-registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Ravens Girls Varsity Lacrosse v.
Ewing: 4 p.m., Robbinsville High
School, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg
Road. Game subject to change.
Check online at http://www.usato-
dayhss.com.
School-age Storytime: 4:30 p.m.,
Robbinsville branch of the Mercer
County Library System, 42 Rob-
binsville-Allentown Road. For chil-
dren in kindergarten and up. Regis-
tration required online at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
FRIDAY APR. 5
Kids Music Round: 10 a.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. Come sing and
dance with Miss Diane. For children
6 months and up, accompanied by
an adult. Registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Ravens Boys Varsity Baseball vs.
Ewing: 4 p.m., Robbinsville High
School, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg
Road. Game subject to change.
Check online at http://www.usato-
dayhss.com.
Ravens Girls Varsity Softball vs.
Ewing: 4 p.m., Robbinsville High
School, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg
Road. Game subject to change.
Check online at http://www.usato-
dayhss.com.
Pasta Fest Family Dinner: 5:30 to
8 p.m., a fundraiser sponsored by
the Rotary Club of Robbinsville-
Hamilton Sunrise at the Nottingham
Ballroom, 200 Mercer St., Hamilton
Square. Super 50/50, door prizes
and live entertainment. Admission
is $12 for adults and $6 for children
ages 6-12. Tickets available at the
door or by calling 609-439-3933.
This fundraiser supports community
programs, including Womanspace,
TASK, Boys & Girls Club, and schol-
arships for local students.
MONDAY APR. 8
Senior Art Club: 10 a.m., Senior
Center, 117 Route 130. Free oil or
water-based painting for seniors 60
and older with all levels of expertise.
Must bring your own art supplies.
For more information, contact 259-
1567.
TUESDAY APR. 9
Bus Trip to Longwood Gardens,
Kennett Square, Pa.: 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m., bus departs from Robbinsville
Senior Center. Cost: $30 for resi-
dents and $35 for non-residents,
includes charter bus, admission fee
to the gardens, a boxed lunch from
Dolce & Clementes in Robbinsville,
and complimentary bagels. Space
on the bus is limited. Contact Senior
Center Director Renee Burns at 259-
1567 to register.
Create a Truck: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Robbinsville branch of the Mercer
County Library System, 42 Rob-
binsville-Allentown Road. No regis-
tration necessary; drop in and cre-
ate a craft with the materials provid-
ed. For further information, call 259-
2150.
Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-
binsville Senior Center, 117 Route
130. No registration required. Free
class under the direction of Connie
Ferrara for seniors 60 and older. For
information, contact 259-1567.
Babytime: 10:15 a.m., Robbinsville
branch of the Mercer County
Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children ages 6
to 24 months accompanied by an
adult. Pre-registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Ravens Boys Varsity Lacrosse vs.
Moorestown: 4 p.m., Robbinsville
High School, 155 Robbinsville-Edin-
burg Road. Game subject to change.
Check online at http://www.usato-
dayhss.com.
Citizen CPR: 6:30 p.m., Robbinsville
branch of the Mercer County
Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. Come learn
child/adult cardiopulmonary resus-
citation and other lifesaving tech-
niques including relief of foreign
body airway obstruction, choking
and injuries. Register for this free
program sponsored by Princeton
Healthcare System Community Edu-
cation and Outreach by calling the
library at 259-2150.
WEDNESDAY APR. 10
Tax help: 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. Volunteers from
AARP will be in the library to help
with filling out basic tax forms. By
appointment only. Call 259-2150.
Toddler Storytime: 10 a.m. & 11
a.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-
cer County Library System, 42 Rob-
binsville-Allentown Road. For chil-
dren age 2 to 3 accompanied by an
adult. Registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Preschool Storytime: 2 p.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 4
to 5. Pre-registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
THURSDAY APR. 11
Toddler Storytime: 10 a.m. Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 2
to 3 accompanied by an adult. Reg-
istration required at www.mcl.org or
call 259-2150.
Chair Yoga Class: 10 a.m., Rob-
binsville Senior Center, 117 Route
130. No registration required. Free
class under the direction of Connie
Ferrara for seniors 60 and older. For
information, contact 259-1567.
Preschool Storytime: 11 a.m., Rob-
binsville branch of the Mercer Coun-
ty Library System, 42 Robbinsville-
Allentown Road. For children age 4
to 5. Pre-registration required at
www.mcl.org or call 259-2150.
Coffee Donuts and a Movie: 1:30
p.m., Robbinsville branch of the Mer-
cer County Library System, 42 Rob-
binsville-Allentown Road. Screening
the 2012 Academy Award winner for
Best Picture, Argo. Pre-register
online at www.mcl.org.
Ravens Girls Varsity Lacrosse vs.
Hamilton West: 4 p.m., Robbinsville
High School, 155 Robbinsville-Edin-
burg Road. Game subject to change.
Check online at http://www.usato-
dayhss.com.
Chronic Neck and Back Pain Dis-
cussion: 7 p.m., Robbinsville branch
of the Mercer County Library Sys-
tem, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown
Road. Dr. Ronald Gonzalez of Prince-
ton Health Care System will discuss
common causes of neck and back
pain and nonsurgical treatment
options. Registration required
online at www.mcl.org or call 259-
2150.
Special Board of Education Meet-
ing: 6:30 p.m., Robbinsville High
School, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburgh
Road. A special Thursday meeting
scheduled for the awarding of con-
tracts related to the $18.9 million
school construction referendum.
The agenda will be posted online at
www.robbinsville.k12.nj.us.
CALENDAR PAGE 8 APRIL 3-9, 2013
Heating, Plumbing,
Cooling and Fuel
SINCE 1925
Licensed On-Staff
PIumbers FuIIy Insured
16 Gordon Ave. Box 6097 Lawrence, NJ 08648
609-896-0141 IawrenceviIIefueI.net
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May not be combined w/ any other offer. Expires 5/1/13.
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Former Internal Revenue Agent
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anthonyhearn@yahoo.com (609) 306-4575
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CONSULTATIONS
Our weekly community newspaper is the place to
convey the message about your business and your upcoming events!!
HELLO
Robbinsville
How To Contact Us CALL US 609-529-6611 or EMAIL US ads@robbinsvillesun.com
By JOANNE PANNONE
AND RICHARD FINE
We are a small and welcoming
congregation at 51 Church St. in
the historic Village of Windsor in
Robbinsville.
The church and cemetery date
to the 1800s. We have antique
quilts displayed in the sanctuary.
Our motto is: Open hearts, open
minds, open doors. Pastor M.
Dwight Sweezy and the people of
The United Methodist Church in
Windsor look forward to meeting
you. We hold our services at 10
a.m. on Sundays.
10 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
owned & operated by Robbinsville resident Jim Lillis
34 Robbinsville Allentown Rd., Robbinsville NJ 08691
609-259-4388
Hours: Thurs & Fri 7-4:30pm Sat 7-4pm
B09-2BS-029B ghone B09-2BS-01S? Iax
INOOH & OITOOH IIHNITIH
2885 Rt. 206 Columbus Farmers Market
Columbus, NJ 08022
Visit us at www.jlcrafts.com
Approximately 60 New
Sheds Just Arrived!
Order your pavillions
and cabanas now!
PIG
ROAST
April 11th, 12th, & 13th
(in front of the
Amish Food Court)
Special to The Robbinsville Sun
The Windsor United Methodist Church celebrated the holidays by serving almost 60 breakfasts at its
monthly Country Breakfast and Bake Sale in December. From left are: Marion Ferrara, Lois Price and
Bertha Lawrence. The next church breakfast is 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. Non-church-
goers are welcome!
Windsor United Methodist Church
magical.
While we may never step on a
basketball court as crowds cheer
us on, we may often find our-
selves the underdogs. Whether
our task is raising kids, building
a loving and enduring marriage,
or finding financial stability, the
odds can be against us. All any
underdog needs is a chance.
The Bible is filled with under-
dog stories. Stories about people
who should have lost, yet some-
how found victory. Their secret?
God was on their team. If God is
on our team, anything is possible.
Regardless of how overmatched,
undertrained, or disadvantaged
we are, God is the difference
maker. So how do we convince
God to be on our team?
The truth is God wants to be on
our team. All we have to do is in-
vite Him to be on our team. When
we do that, we give Him a chance
to be God, and give ourselves a
chance to win. No task is too big,
no challenge is too great, and no
obstacle is too hard for Him. If
God is on your team, then Im
picking you to go all the way,
baby!
If you would like to know more
about God and what it means to
have Him on your team, please
contact us at lifetreecc@gmail.com
or check out www.lifetreecc.com.
I smell an upset
CHURCH
Continued from page 7
Send us your Interfaith Views
The Robbinsville Sun invites religious leaders of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other houses of worship serving the Robbinsville community to contribute news items and
photos for this column. Email the editor at jdegnan@robbinsvillesun.com for more information.
APRIL 3-9, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 11
Town weighs options after building nixed
By JOANNE DEGNAN
Editor
Robbinsville officials are re-
portedly considering legal action
in the wake of Roma Banks deci-
sion to cancel plans to construct a
three-story commercial condo-
minium building and sell the top
floor for $3 million to the town-
ship for municipal office space.
Roma broke ground on the
project on Route 33 in October,
but no work has been done at the
site since the Dec. 19 announce-
ment that Investors Bank was
purchasing Roma in a $452 mil-
lion all-stock buyout. The merger
should be completed by May 31
provided stockholders and bank-
ing regulators approve it.
Roma Bank officially notified
Mayor Dave Fried on March 18
that it was canceling the project
because owning real estate is not
part of Investors business model.
Township officials, who now rent
8,000 square feet at an office build-
ing at 1 Washington Blvd., were
upset to learn they might be back
at square one in their eight-year
quest to find permanent home for
municipal offices.
Mayor Dave Fried said in a
phone interview March 26 that
Roma should have put the
brakes on its deal with the town-
ship as soon as the merger nego-
tiations began last year. He also
questioned why it took Roma
nearly three months after the
merger was publicly announced
to officially notify the township
that it would not be constructing
the building.
Roma CEO Peter Inverso said
March 27 he was disappointed
to read the critical statements
that the mayor and township at-
torney made in the weekly News-
feed emailed to Robbinsville resi-
dents the day prior. Township At-
torney Mark Roselli was quoted
as saying that Romas delay had
been disingenuous and that all
legal options were on the table.
I feel we have dealt fairly and
squarely with the township, In-
verso said. I have a strong desire
to see that building built.
Inverso said bank representa-
tives discussed three alterna-
tives with township officials at
the March 18 meeting, and all
parties agreed that Investors
would flesh them out, in essence,
and wed meet again in three
weeks.
Inverso would not elaborate on
what the three alternatives were,
and declined comment when
asked if one option may be for the
town to own the entire building,
not just the top floor.
It would not be productive to
discuss options in the media, In-
verso said.
We all agreed to wait three
weeks for Investors to come back
with alternatives and were only
halfway to the three-week point,
he said March 27. Were anxious
to resolve this and hopeful the al-
ternatives will be agreeable to all
parties.
Fried, in the earlier phone in-
terview, noted the planned merg-
er with Investors had not yet been
completed and questioned why
Roma would not go forward with
the project in the interim. Inver-
so, however, said Romas hands
were tied.
The merger agreement pre-
cludes us from moving forward
with the building without In-
vestors concurrence, Inverso
said.
The Township Council last
year authorized spending $3 mil-
lion ($150,000 down payment and
$2.85 million in bonds) to finance
the purchase of the third floor of
Romas planned building. Al-
though Roma began preliminary
site work on the property last fall,
the township never issued any
bonds or made any payments to
Roma because the final contract
had not yet been signed. Then the
merger announcement in late De-
cember plunged the whole project
into limbo.
Fried said he was interested in
hearing what proposals the banks
come up with.
Right now were just waiting
to hear back from them, Fried
said, referring to the three prom-
ised options. Until they do, I
dont know at this point whats
going to happen next.
Roselli did not return phone
and email messages before The
Robbinsville Sun went to print.
12 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
Living the dream
and setting goals
By BOB NUSE
Special to the Sun
When it comes to his future in
hockey, Anthony Rosetta has a
plan pretty well mapped out.
As far as the present, the Rob-
binsville High graduate couldnt
be much happier.
Rosetta is fresh off winning a
championship in the Atlantic
Junior Hockey League as a mem-
ber of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Knights. After starting the season
with the New Jersey Titans,
Rosetta was traded midway
through the year and it all worked
out for the best.
I had stayed home and played
for the Titans since I got out of
high school, said Rosetta, a 2011
RHS graduate. I was two years
out and a little past halfway
through the season when I was
traded to Wilkes-Barre. They
were in first place, so that was ex-
citing. I left home for the first
time and it was a great experi-
ence.
After playing 21 games on de-
fense for the Titans, Rosetta
joined the Knights for the last 13
games of the regular season and
the playoffs. The Knights entered
the post-season as the leagues
No. 4 seed. They swept best-of-
three series against the Boston
Junior Rangers and Connecticut
Wolfpack to reach the champi-
onship series against the top-
seeded Northern Cyclones.
After losing the opener of the
series, 2-0, the Knights came back
to win the next two games, 9-2,
and then 3-2 in overtime to win
the title. Matt Cessna tied the
March 18 game with a goal with
22 seconds to play in the third pe-
riod, and then won it with a goal
just over four minutes into over-
time.
Rosetta hopes the champi-
onship leads to the next step in
his hockey journey. While he has
enjoyed his time in the AJHL, the
former Raven would love the op-
portunity to play on and even big-
ger stage.
Most of the kids on our team
were either 19 or 20, Rosetta said.
You can be 16 to 20 and play in
the league. Most guys will take off
after high school and play junior
hockey for a couple of years be-
fore they play in college. Thats
why on Division I and Division III
rosters the average age is 20 to 21
years old.
I would like to get into a good
school and get a good education,
he said. Ive talked to Rutgers
and Delaware and I also went out
to Arizona State. For me, educa-
tion is a big part of it. But I would
also love to play hockey after col-
lege. I realize I am probably not
going to the NHL. But there are a
lot of leagues out there and in
where there would be an opportu-
nity play.
Rosetta started playing junior
hockey as a senior at Robbinsville
and still has one more year that
he could play. Whether he spends
that year with Wilkes-Barre, an-
other AJHL team, or somewhere
else is something hell need to fig-
ure out soon.
I would like to play in a better
league, he said. This has been a
good league for me. I will try a
couple of different places, but I
might go back to the Atlantic Jun-
ior League. It is a good league that
sends a lot of kids to college, but
there are better leagues. The
North American Hockey League
has teams all over the country.
And there is also the Eastern Jun-
ior Hockey League.
Rosetta has not forgotten about
school while pursuing his hockey
dreams. Hes been attending
classes at Mercer County Com-
munity College while also taking
classes online.
I had to mix it up once I was
traded, Rosetta said. I started to
take online classes. I was already
at Mercer. I was in Wilkes-Barre
about three months. I lived in an
apartment with two kids on the
team.
It was a great experience after
I was traded, he said. They
were really welcoming. I was
traded with another kid from my
team so it was good we each had
someone to go there with.
On the ice, Rosetta has made a
smooth transition to full-time de-
fenseman after playing more of
an offensive role as a high school
player.
At Robbinsville I was a for-
ward, he said. During my sen-
ior year and first year of juniors
one of our defensemen got hurt
and my coach asked me if could
play defense. My dad and brother
both played defense so I played de-
fense for juniors and forward for
Robbinsville.
For Rosetta, everything has
been working out just right on the
ice. And hes hopeful that contin-
ues over the next few years.
Right now, Im living the
dream, he said.
DENNIS SYMONS/Special to The Sun
Anthony Rosetta, shown here in
his Ravens ice hockey uniform in
2011, is fresh off winning a
championship in the Atlantic
Junior Hockey League as a
member of the Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Knights.
The following items were taken
from reports on file with the Rob-
binsville Police Department:
Three Hamilton residents were
arrested on drug charges during
a motor vehicle stop on Route 130
near Mercer Mobile Homes at 9:53
p.m., March 24.
Patrolman Adrian Markowski
pulled the vehicle over for failing
to use its turn signal and then de-
tected evidence that narcotics
might be present. A search of the
vehicle revealed a small amount
of marijuana and drug parapher-
nalia.
The 20-year-old driver was
charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia and failure to use
a turn signal. The two passen-
gers, ages 18 and 19, were charged
with marijuana possession, as
well as tampering with evidence
because they attempted to con-
sume the marijuana.
Two Middlesex County resi-
dents were charged with shoplift-
ing at 3:55 p.m., March 24 after
they allegedly stole a dog valued
at $699 from the Puppy Palace on
Route 130.
Sgt. Eric Bakay responded to
the shoplifting call and found a
19-year-old Perth Amboy man and
a 25-year-old South Plainfield
woman near their car with the
stolen pug. They were arrested,
charged and released pending
court.
A 23-year-old Millstone woman
was charged with DWI at 2:02
a.m., March 24 on Main Street
near Route 130 North.
Patrolman Scott Kivet saw the
vehicle make a left turn without
signaling and pulled it over. Dur-
ing the traffic stop, the officer de-
tected evidence the driver was in-
toxicated and asked her to per-
form field sobriety tests, which
she failed. She was also charged
with careless driving, reckless
driving, failure to signal, and fail-
ure to stop.
A 22-year-old East Windsor
man was charged with DWI and
other offenses after a motor vehi-
cle stop at 2:37 a.m., March 23 on
Route 33.
Patrolman Colin Lockwood
saw a vehicle make an illegal left
turn and fail to maintain its lane
at the intersection of Route 33
and Main Street. During the traf-
fic stop, the officer detected evi-
dence the driver was intoxicated
and asked him to perform field
sobriety tests, which he failed.
The driver was additionally
charged with reckless driving,
careless driving, failure to main-
tain lane and failure to observe a
traffic light.
A 23-year-old Robbinsville man
was arrested on narcotics
charges after a motor vehicle stop
on Route 130 South at 6:58 p.m.,
March 22.
Patrolman Scott Kivet saw a ve-
hicle make an unsafe lane change
and pulled it over near Work Out
World. During the traffic stop, the
officer detected evidence that nar-
cotics might be present. A subse-
quent search revealed drug para-
phernalia and a powdery white
substance believed to be a Sched-
ule I narcotic, pending lab results.
The driver was charged with
possession of drug parapherna-
lia, possession of a Schedule 1
narcotic, possession of a con-
trolled dangerous substance in a
motor vehicle, and making an un-
safe lane change.
police report
Send us your Robbinsville news
Have a news tip? Want to send us a press release or photos? Shoot
an interesting video? Drop us an email at news@robbinsvillesun.com.
Allentown to Cranberry in Colo-
nial times was Old York Road,
GW definitely cantered his horse
in our town.
The next president to come
through our town was John Q.
Adams, although he was aboard a
train, not horseback.
In the 1830s, the Perth Amboy-
Camden Railroad was the first
railroad in our state and the sec-
ond in our country behind the
B&O Railroad.
New Jerseys first fatal passen-
ger train accident occurred on
the Perth Amboy-Camden Rail-
road in the fields outside of High-
tstown in 1833 and aboard this ill-
fated train was our nations sixth
president, Adams, who was tech-
nically a Massachusetts congress-
man by this time, having left the
White House in 1829.
The train derailment occurred
after the steam engines hot box
caught fire and caused an axle to
break.
Adams was riding in a passen-
ger car ahead of the one that de-
railed and he was not injured.
Eventually, he was able to contin-
ue on his rail journey south
through what is today called Rob-
binsville. (Back in 1833 we were
part of East Windsor Township).
The third president to touch
down in our town was the 41st
president of the United States,
George Herbert Walker Bush.
During his unsuccessful bid for a
second term in 1992, Bush landed
at the Robbinsville Airport two
weeks before Election Day. The
air and ground along Sharon
Road was busy with Secret Serv-
ice activity and the focus of the
world was briefly upon Rob-
binsville.
Its worth noting the funeral
train carrying Abraham Lincoln
almost came through our town in
1865. After the 16th president was
assassinated, the plan was to have
the train carrying his body travel
through major eastern cities be-
fore heading west to Illinois to his
final resting place.
The first thought was to bring
his train along the Perth Amboy-
Camden Railroad, but the plan
was squashed because another
rail line, the current Northeast
corridor of Amtrak and NJ Tran-
sit, would allow more people to
view the funeral train.
Its likely that other presidents
have traveled through Rob-
binsville. After all, the busiest
road in world, the NJ Turnpike,
cuts through our township. Who
knows which presidents have
traveled through Robbinsville un-
aware? Its something to think
about.
Cathy Zahn is a third grade teacher
at Sharon Elementary School. She
can be reached at
caseywilkz@aol.com
APRIL 3-9, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 13
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Hail to the chiefs
PAST
Continued from page 6
Fireman hurt
fighting blaze
A Robbinsville career firefight-
er needed stitches after being
struck on the head by a metal
hose coupling while fighting a
townhouse fire in East Windsor.
The pre-dawn two-alarm fire
on Madison Drive in the Twin
Rivers development on March 21
caused extensive damage to town-
house, but the resident escaped
unhurt. Firefighters from eight
communities fought the blaze.
Deputy Fire Chief Dan Schaf-
fener said the Robbinsville fire-
fighter sustained a minor injury
when a 5-inch supply hose that
was being take down from the en-
gine hit him in the head.
The metal coupling struck
him, which caused a laceration
that needed a few stitches, Schaf-
fener said. He was taken to the
ER and released a short time
later.
The injured Robbinsville fire-
fighters name was not released.
The cause of the fire is under in-
vestigation.
Send us your Robbinsville news
Have a news tip? Want to send us a press release or photos? Shoot
an interesting video? Drop us an email at news@robbinsvillesun.com.
14 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
Candy rush: Kids have fun at PBA egg hunt
JOANNE DEGNAN/The Sun
Clockwise, from top left, are Evan Polaski, 2; Alexandra Paulus, 2; Devin Davison, 4; and Matthew Polaski, 5.
By JOANNE DEGNAN
Editor
Thousands of candy-filled
Easter eggs sprinkled over the
middle schools lawn and 350
eager children added up to a
sweet time at Robbinsville PBA
Local 344s annual Easter egg
hunt on March 24.
A short-blast from a police
cars siren was the signal to go
and in a flash the children were
off and running across the grass.
The older children needed no
coaching, but a few of the
younger toddlers seemed be-
mused by the commotion.
Two-year-old Evan Polaski was
more interested in the doughnut
hole treats in his fists than the
plastic eggs at his feet, but a few
yards away 2-year-old Alexandra
Paulus was all business as she
methodically picked up eggs to
fill a Hello Kitty basket that was
practically half her size.
It took less than 10 minutes for
all 4,100 brightly colored plastic
eggs to be scooped up and
dropped into the Easter baskets,
beach pails, buckets and bags the
children carried. The youngsters,
who ranged from 1 to 12 years old,
were grouped according to age on
different sections of the lawn to
ensure everyone had a chance to
find eggs, and the littlest ones
werent trampled in all the excite-
ment.
After the hunt, the fun contin-
ued on the Pond Road Middle
School playground where the
PBA had several tables of toys be-
hind yards of yellow police tape.
Police officers pulled raffle tickets
and children with the correspon-
ding lucky tickets came up to
choose their prizes.
Among the hundreds of win-
ners was 1-year-old Megan Cecil,
whose dad carried her to the
prize table to select a gift. Megan
pointed to a baby doll in a small
stroller and smiled happily when
her dad picked it up and handed it
to her.
Patrolman Kevin Colgan
thanked David Bradley Chocolati-
er, of Windsor, for providing the
candy and filling all the plastic
eggs for the hunt.
APRIL 3-9, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 15
BREADS SOUPS SAUCES PASTAS SALADS
PREPARED FOODS CATERING DESSERTS BANQUET HALL
All foods are made on-site by Dolce & Clemente employees with no additives or preservatives.
FREE LOAF OF
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With $20 purchase.
Expires 4/30/13.
Not to be combined with any other offers.
10% OFF
CATERING
Must be booked & paid by 4/30/13.
Buy any homemade pasta sauce
and receive a complementary
pound of fresh pasta
2 North Commerce Square Robbinsville, NJ 08691
(609) 259-0072 www.dolceandclementes.com
Owned and operated by Robbinsville residents Joe & Jennifer Clemente
To register for our rewards program, use the QR code reader on your smart phone and sign up.
Megan Lekulitchs 6 points, 4 of
them from her flawless foul shoot-
ing. The score at the end of the
half was 14-10.
The 3rd quarter saw Donmar
pull away again as Hoffman
dropped in 7 of her team high 12
points most of which coming on
driving, twisting layups through
traffic. Camryn Tomao had a
beautiful head fake and drive to
the basket for 2 points and Rachel
Tierney hit a big bucket, which
was one of her 4 points. Donmar
lead 25-14 after 3 quarters.
Going into the 4th, Fairway
was bound to attack and that they
did. Sara Motusesky, as good as a
point guard that there is, hit a
basket herself and went to work
find open teammates. Lekulitch
got hot again hitting (2) three
pointers to go with her game high
20 points to quickly cut the lead to
four. Donmar then saw Pavese hit
two key jumpers from the right
corner to get a little breathing
room.
But again, with less than three
minutes to play, Fairway cut the
lead to 2 as Corinne Migliaccio hit
two big baskets down low. Then
Donmar, faced with a pressing de-
fense and the momentum on the
other side, saw Stephanie Wall (2)
and Brower (1) knock down 3
pressure packed free throws to
seal the hard fought victory 32-28.
Donmar would like to give a
shout out to Dina Seif who could
not attend the game, but who had
a good season and kept the girls
smiling all year long!
Boys 1-2 League
Triangle Copy Aztec Graphics
Triangle Copy wrapped up
their season against Aztec Graph-
ics with a great game. Jason
Testa scored late in the game on
an assist from Jordan Ammirata,
demonstrating good team play.
Luke Esposito grabbed several re-
bounds and played solid on the
defensive side.
All 10 members of the Triangle
Copy Blue Lightning have
shown great skill development
and teamwork throughout the
season and are all future basket-
ball stars.
Girls 3-4 Championship
Santinos Pizza 18
Ruserts Deli 6
Santinos Pizza and Restaurant
defeated Russerts Deli 18-6.
Brynn Hopkins led Santinos on
all fronts, pouring in 11 points,
dishing out five assists, and grab-
bing six rebounds. Shea Krebs
added 7 points, including 6 points
in a row in the pivotal 3rd quarter.
Kailey Pacifico controlled the
boards, gathering 10 rebounds to
keep the ball in their possession.
But the story of the game was de-
fense as usual for Santinos.
Kavya Velliangiri, Alyssa
Palagano, Arden Benner, and
Giana Bonfanti were relentless at
the top of Santinos zone defense -
holding down Russerts potent of-
fense with aggressive play on the
perimeter. Shae Giordano and
Kajal Vaghasia guarded the base-
line and grabbed five rebounds
each limiting Russerts second
shots each time down court.
Following a hard fought first
quarter ending with the score
tied, Santinos defense stepped up
another notch and Hopkins
scored 7 points to put Santinos
up 8-3 at halftime. Krebs six-
point run in the 3rd quarter and
tougher defense put the score at
14-4 through 3 quarters. In the
4th, Santinos withstood a furious
pace set by Ruserts and held on
for the win. Congratulations to
Santinos Pizza and Restaurant
on their win!
Robbinsville Youth Sports Scene
SPORTS
Continued from page 4
Send us your sports news
The Robbinsville Sun invites all township youth recreation sports leagues to contribute news items, including
announcements, game results and photos. Email the editor at jdegnan@robbinsvillesun.com. Submission
deadline is Tuesday for publication in the following weeks newspaper.
16 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
The weather was brisk, but that didnt dampen the
spirit of thousands of spectators who turned out to
enjoy the Robbinsville St. Patricks Day parade featur-
ing bagpipes, floats, Irish step-dancers and lots of
community pride.
The Robbinsville Irish Heritage Association, which
started the annual parade tradition four years ago,
honored Robbinsville tree farmer Greg McLaughlin as
its Irish Person of the Year. McLaughlin and the pa-
rades grand marshal, Fire Chief Chuck Petty, were
presented with official township proclamations from
Mayor Dave Fried (sporting green hair for the occa-
sion) and other municipal officials before the parade
stepped off from Washington Boulevard.
Hundreds of people packed Centro Grille in Town Cen-
ter for the parade after-party that featured the Irish
music of Bill ONeal & Friends and a childrens area
where the sale of green hair extensions and face glit-
ter helped raise funds for Missy Ferrono and Tracy
LaManna, two Robbinsville residents battling cancer.
Pictured, clockwise from top left:
Greg McLaughlin, the Irish Person of the Year, with his
son Zach
Amanda Cregan, drum major for The Pipes and Drums
of Barnegat Bay, and Mi Sun Harvey, junior drum
major
Keira Kenney, Caitlin Fernandes and Taylor Kenney
(Photo courtesy Heather Fernandes)
Tony Yodice, sporting a green mustache (Photo cour-
tesy Debra Bjorling)
IrishPRIDE
APRIL 3-9, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 17
Clockwise from top left is Colin Dzurisin
and Andrew Keris of Sweet Vita
Rince O' Chroi School of Irish Dance per-
forming at the reviewing stand
Drum Major, Doug Ranson leading the
Greater Trenton Pipes and Drums through
the streets of Robbinsville
Amy Hopwood waving to the marchers
Leading the Tir Na Nog Pipe Band is Drum
Major, Lee Talar.
The 2013 parade award winners and their
categories were: Sweet Vita (Best Musical
Expression); Robbinsville Hotrods (Best
Theme); Bills Olde Tavern Salute to Irish
Immigration (Best Float); Hamilton PAL
Twirlers (Best Youth Group); BAPS (Best
Civic Group); Pipes & Drums of Barnegat
Bay (Best Pipe Band); and Rince OChroi
Irish Dance (Best Dance Group.)
Photos by JEN HOPWOOD/Special to The Sun
18 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN APRIL 3-9, 2013
RHS robot wins big at TCNJ event
By ALLY DRAKE
Special to The Robbinsville Sun
Robbinsville High Schools
FIRST Robotics Team 2590 contin-
ued its successful 2013 competi-
tion season at The College of New
Jersey District Competition. Hot
on the heels of a district win at
Hatboro-Horsham, Team Neme-
sis clinched second place at TCNJ
on March 16 and won the presti-
gious Chairmans Award.
RHS students designed the
teams competition robot
Athena using CAD mechanical
engineering software and con-
structed it in the high schools
technology lab in just six short
weeks. Local Robbinsville busi-
nesses and sponsors custom man-
ufactured Athenas parts as per
the students design specifica-
tions.
Excitement ran high as Team
2590 arrived at TCNJ for their sec-
ond two-day district level compe-
tition of the 2013 season. As 38
other teams rolled in from New
Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and
Delaware, Nemesis prepared for a
day of Frisbee-flying, robot-
climbing fun.
Dance music blasted and teams
cheered as the games of Ultimate
Ascent began, in which robots
aim to shoot plastic discs through
targets of varying heights and
then climb a metal pyramid. The
first day of qualification matches
were played between two teams of
three randomly selected al-
liances. Athena quickly shot
ahead of the competition, accu-
rately shooting one disc per sec-
ond into the highest scoring goal.
Throughout the day, support-
ers stopped by to cheer Nemesis
on including Schools Superin-
tendent Steve Mayer, RHS Princi-
pal Molly Avery, RHS teachers
Sandy Overton and Lisa Peters.
Frederick Egenolf and Diane De-
landro from Nemesis sponsors
Bristol-Myers Squibb and
Citibank, respectively, also joined
Team 2590 in the stands, to root
for Athena. State Sen. Linda
Greenstein, D-Mercer, an avid
team supporter, dropped by as
well to see Nemesis perform first-
hand.
Team 2590 finished the day as
the second seeded team, thanks to
the excellent remote-controlled
driving by student team members
Josh Falk, Antonio Papa, and Dan
Gavrushenko, under the guid-
ance of RHS teacher and mentor
Scott Meredith.
Nemesis saw even more suc-
cess on Day Two of the competi-
tion. The team became the high-
est scoring alliance of the day, ac-
cumulating a whopping 168
points in a single match while
partnered with Team 103 Cyber-
sonics from Kintnersville, Penn-
sylvania. When the qualification
matches came to a close, Nemesis
clinched second seed with a
record of 10-2, one win behind
Team 103, the first seeded team.
Without hesitation, the Cyberson-
ics invited Nemesis to join their
alliance for elimination matches,
rounding out the alliance with
Team 1881 Gamma Elite from Pa-
terson, New Jersey.
The alliance sliced through the
eliminations, quickly securing
their place in the finals. After a
couple hard-fought matches,
Nemesis emerged the finalists of
the competitions, taking home
second place. The biggest success,
however, was yet to come.
Team members sat perched on
the edge of their seats throughout
the awards ceremony, waiting
restlessly as more and more
awards were called. Finally, it
came time to announce the Chair-
mans Award winner. The Chair-
mans Award is the most presti-
gious award given, honoring the
team that best represents a model
for other teams to emulate and in-
spires appreciation of science,
technology, and real-life rewards
and opportunities in these fields.
It also recognizes a team for an
outstanding commitment to their
community.
Nemesis waited with bated
breath until, finally, The winner
of the 2013 TCNJ District Chair-
mans Award is. .. Team 2590!
The stands erupted into applause
as team members ran to receive
their medals and the teams
Chairmans Video was played on
a large screen. The team eagerly
lined up to take a photo with their
newest addition to their growing
collection of banners.
The Chairmans Award Video
was definitely a labor of sleepless
nights and hours of editing. So
when I saw the video up on the
big screen, Im not ashamed to
say there were a few tears of joy,
gushed Karla Dimatulac, the
main Chairmans Video editor.
Following the TCNJ competi-
tion, Nemesis ranked 8th out of
1,400 teams in an unofficial inter-
national Offensive Power Rank-
ing (OPR) of FIRST robots.
Its an amazing achievement,
to be internationally recognized
as a powerful force within the
world of FIRST Robotics, said
mentor Karen Young.
Team Nemesis is now prepar-
ing for the Mid Atlantic Region
Championships. It will be held
April 11-13 at Lehigh Universitys
Stabler Arena. The team hopes to
qualify for the World Champi-
onships in St. Louis set for April
24-27.
We had proved to be a top
team at the district events, so it
will be interesting to see how we
do at the MAR and World Cham-
pionships, said member Jenna
Mollica.
Visit the teams interactive
website, frc2590.org, at any time
for updates on the 2013 season.
Sponsors of Team 2590 Neme-
sis, whose donations help pay for
the equipment needed to build
the robot and the entry fees for
the various competitions, in-
clude: Bristol-Myers Squibb,
Lockheed Martin, BAPS Chari-
ties, CCL Label, NASA, Siemens
Corp., Robbinsville Education
Foundation, SRI International,
Citibank, Skylink Technology, NJ
Chamber of Commerce, Elite
Dental, McGraw Hill, McGraw
Hill Federal Credit Union, APCO,
Gaum Incorporated, Evans Ana-
lytical Group, Gilbane, Design-
Tree, Carfaro Fencing, ShopRite,
Manninos Three, R.A.S. Process
Equipment, T-Slot and the Rob-
binsville Board of Education.
Ally Drake is a Robbinsville High
School junior and member of Neme-
sis student marketing team.
STEPHANIE KOVACS/Special to The Robbinsville Sun
Robbinsville High Schools robotics team clinched second place at The College of New Jersey District Competition on March 16 and won the
prestigious Chairmans Award.
APRIL 3-9, 2013 THE ROBBINSVILLE SUN 19
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ior units to 120 single-family
homes under the provisions of a
2009 state law that said such con-
versions must be allowed by mu-
nicipalities if 20 percent of the
units are set aside as affordable
housing for low- and moderate-in-
come families, and if other condi-
tions are met. After months of
contentious public hearings, the
Planning Board torpedoed Shar-
bells application, citing a provi-
sion in law that allowed applica-
tions to be rejected if a conver-
sion posed a detriment to the pub-
lic good.
State Superior Judge Linda
Feinberg, however, ruled the
phrase detriment to the public
good meant a projects potential
impact on adjacent property own-
ers, not the financial impact that
all local property taxpayers might
face from more children and the
need to provide more classrooms.
An appellate panel agreed with
Judge Feinberg, saying the Plan-
ning Boards focus on fiscal im-
pact over land use considerations,
had been palpably unreason-
able.
Mayor Fried said March 25 he
hoped the state Supreme Court
agrees to hear the case because
he thinks the 2009 conversion law
is unconstitutional.
It takes away the publics
right to participate in the plan-
ning process for what basically
amounts to a major zoning
change, Fried said.
In the days after the Feb. 27 ap-
pellate court ruling, Troy and
Fried both spoke about the possi-
bility of Robbinsville buying the
40-acre section of the Gordon-
Simpson property where the 120
converted units are going to be
built, and turning the land into
open space. The purchase price
was not disclosed, but it reported-
ly exceeded the $6 million in the
municipal open space fund.
Were still in dialog mode
and we havent taken the acquisi-
tion offer off the table, Troy said
on March 26.
Its my understanding that the
township is looking into financ-
ing options, but we havent re-
ceived any official response. If
that happens within a month or
so then fine but were not going
to wait forever.
Troy said Sharbell expects to
go before the Planning Board
within the next month or so for
final subdivision approval on the
other components of the Gordon-
Simpson tract project that have
never been part of the court bat-
tle.
If final subdivision approvals
are granted, that part of the proj-
ect could break ground later this
summer.
Town asks Court for help
COURT
Continued from page 1
Spring is on its way! It is time
to go outside and play.
Its good to play a sport or at
least go outside every day. You
can play with your siblings,
friends, dog, cat and get some
exercise. Its also fun to ride
your bike, go to the park, or take
a drive with the windows open
in the nice weather.
School will also be over pretty
soon, so we will have more time
to have more fun. So, go outside
and play its springtime!
Erin Doran, age 10
The Robbinsville Sun wel-
comes Kids View letters from K-12
students in Robbinsville. If your
article is published you will re-
ceive a complimentary ice cream
from Maggie Moos, 2350 Route
33, Robbinsville. Bring your par-
ents and siblings as well! Email
Kids View submissions (300
words or less) to
jdegnan@robbinsvillesun.com
and include your name, age and
phone number. Phone numbers
are for verification purposes and
will not be published.
kids view
Springtime
Send us your Robbinsville news
Email US at news@robbinsvillesun.com.
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