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No. 6 Newark East Side defeats No. 1 Seton Hall Prep for first ECT title since 1978

Richard Greco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | View the story online
newarkeastsidewinsecttournament

Box Score
Newark East Side 4
Seton Hall Prep 0
[Montclair, NJ] Thirty-eight years passed since Newark East Side played for an Essex County Tournament championship and the Red Raiders weren’t going to let the opportunity slip away.

Behind goals from seniors Tiago Da Costa, Kevin Avila and Walter Hernandez, and junior Maicol Jumbo Pardo, second-seeded Newark East Side, No. 6 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated top-seeded Seton Hall Prep, the No. 1 in the state, 4-0, in the Essex County Tournament championship at Montclair State University on Sunday.

The title was East Side’s first since defeating Vailsburg in PKs 5-4 in 1978. The victory was also the first time that the Newark Public school defeated Seton Hall Prep since Jose Pereira took over the program six years ago.

“It’s been a long time coming and a lot of hard work,” Pereira said. “They believed and that’s what it comes down to. Often times kids from Newark get overlooked and they are just the same as everyone else. Their hard work and perseverance paid off in the biggest game of their young lives.”

Da Costa got the scoring started in the the 30th minute when he put a feed from junior Thiago Duarte just inside the near post to give East Side a 1-0 lead.

“It started with Tiago (Da Costa) making that run,” Pereira said. “He is not a right back he’s a midfielder, but as a captain he does what ever it takes to get there.”

East Side built on its momentum two minutes into the second half when Hernandez sent a cross past a diving Jumbo Pardo and onto the waiting head of Avila, who beat beat Seton Hall Prep keeper Liam Bertrand – four saves – to put the Red Raiders ahead 2-0.

“It’s a great thing. It’s a great experience,” Avila said. “I’ve never played in a game like this in my life. This is actually my first game that has been so intense. As being a captain, I wanted to take this title. My three years being on varsity, we made it to the semis, but we never made it this far. The boys worked so hard in practice. The boys worked so hard during the game. I told them before this game started, ‘Hey everyone give 110-percent.’ We did it and we’re champs.”

Hernandez and Jumbo Pardo provided insurance goals in the final 10 minutes. Hernandez put home a rebound following a shot from Jonatas Barbos Pereira in the 71st minute and Jumbo Pardo sent a strike inside the far post on a breakaway to increase East Side’s lead to four goals.

Eric Silva Lopes was East Side’s rock between the pipes and made eight saves to record his fifth shutout of the year.

In preseason we saw right away (how good we were),” Silva Lopes said. “We felt good, the way that we were playing. We played well. That’s all that matters.”

Oliver Street Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

njcomA Century in the Making: New School Building Opens in Newark’s East Ward
By: Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com |Email the author | Follow on Twitter

For the first time in 104 years, there is a new school building in the city’s East Ward. School and city officials gathered Tuesday to open the new Oliver Street School, the second new school building the district opened this year. “The new Oliver Street School building represents a new chapter for the East Ward community’s families, one in which our future workforce will be educated in a modern, state-of-the-art facility,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said…The 137,000 square foot building boasts 40 classrooms, a cafeteria, media center, gym, and 21st Century learning equipment, officials said. About 850 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade will attend. The Schools Development Authority paid for Oliver Street’s $73.6 million construction, officials said. District Superintendent Chris Cerf said the new building will “not only be a positive a place for students to learn, but will also be a benefit to the community.” (NJ.com, 06/15/16)

njcomOliver Street School Unveils New Facility

Local elected officials cut the ribbon at a new state of the art public school facility in the city’s East Ward. Oliver Street School received a long awaited $73 million dollar face lift. Mayor Ras Baraka told students that no dollar amount can be put on the price of their education. “This building is only as beautiful as you are,” Baraka said. “The building is great, we’re putting it up, we put everything in it so you can have everything that you need. But the building won’t be remembered unless the people in it do something outstanding. If you do something outstanding, then people will remember the building because you came from Oliver Street School.” School Principal Douglas Petty says it’s a state of the art facility. “I have no doubt that in the 148 years of excellence and tradition that has become the Oliver way, will not only continue, but will afford students with more access and more opportunities to grow and flourish like never before.”…Walter Chambers, a 1945 alumni says he’s happy for the community. “When I was coming up at this age, we didn’t even have television and look what we have today…to hear that the students from pre-kindergarten and on up will have the devices and all just blows my mind, it’s amazing.” (WBGO News, 06/14/16)

In Case You Missed It: How Newark schools closed a $65M deficit in 6 steps

NJ.com, 2/3/16

Seven months ago, Newark’s public schools were in a state of flux.…

The state announced it would finally return control of the district to local officials after more than 20 years, and sent in a new appointee – former education commissioner Christopher Cerf – to oversee the prolonged handoff.

One thing remained the same, however. The district’s finances were a mess. Cerf inherited a deficit of approximately $65 million, and immediately began strategizing on how to close the gap while minimizing impact on the city’s already disadvantaged schools.

At a meeting of the city’s School Advisory Board last month, Cerf announced that the once mammoth shortfall had been closed.

Here’s a closer look at how the district pulled it off.

Reduction in Employees Without Placement – $25.0M:
Under Anderson, the city’s pool of unassigned teachers, or “Employees Without Placement”, had ballooned to approximately 450. The group, whose combined salaries at the time totaled an estimated $35 million, had ended up without a classroom for various reasons. Some had tenure charges or poor performance to blame, others had refused extra hours and duties at so-called schools placed in the district’s “turnaround program”, and many simply found themselves the odd man out as schools were either closed or reconfigured.

By late August, the pool had been reduced by more than half, and as of last month, it stood at just 124 – saving the district approximately $25 million in the process.

Central office “cuts” (non-salary) – $23.1M:
Shortly after being named superintendent, Cerf made a public promise to focus staff cuts on the district’s notoriously bloated bureaucracy while sparing teachers and classroom support staff. By last month, he cited more than $23 million in “non-salary” cuts from the central office, such as the elimination of already vacant positions, and refunds in aid from charter schools who failed to reach enrollment projections.

Central office (salary) – $6.3M:
Cerf cited no additional layoffs since being named school chief, but said his administration was able to find significant savings by not filling vacant salaried position in the central office, and through retirements and other attrition.

Benefits Savings – $5M:
Reductions in staff come with an added bonus – the district is no longer on the hook for providing the employees with health benefits.

Mid-year Title Funds and one-time insurance payment – $3.5M:
The district said it made conservative estimates as to how much funding it would receive through federal Title I and Title II programs, which send money to low-income schools each year. The funds distributed after July 1 were higher than expected, leading to a welcome windfall. An insurance payment from a fire that destroyed Elliott Street School in 2006 also arrived, helping to further close the budget gap.

School level non-salary – $2.1M:
The smallest dent in the funding gap was made through cutting positions in district schools, though officials said all such reductions were realized through the elimination of already vacant positions and non-salaried workers.

Newark Schools Win Award for Progress Adding Tech to Classrooms

Dan Ivers | NJ Advance Media for NJ.COM | Email the author | Follow on Twitter

TechClassroomAward
LeiLani Cauthen, CEO and Publisher, Learning Counsel and Dr. David Kafitz, Senior VP of School Relations, Learning Counsel present Joshua Koen, Special Assistant for Technology, Newark Public Schools with the 2015 Award of Excellence for Digital Curriculum & Content Strategy

NEWARK – A national education research institute has named the city’s public school district among a list of leaders for its progress bringing digital curriculum into classrooms.

The Learning Counsel included the state-controlled district on a list of 10 who had made the greatest strides toward implementing more technology into both teaching and learning. The organization, which serves as an intermediary between districts and tech companies, revealed the list at its annual Gathering and National Awards Event in Albuquerque, N.M.

In a statement, Superintendent of Schools Christopher Cerf congratulated those officials involved with pushing the district’s use of technology forward.

“Over the past four years, the district has made extensive investments in education technology and professional development to provide our children with an excellent education,” he said. “These positive institutional changes are giving our young people the tools they need to be college and career ready.”

According to district officials, it has added 3,700 wireless access points in Newark school since May 2011, upgraded its internet network using fiber optic circuits, and recently purchased more than 11,000 Google Chromebook laptops for use by students.

Last month, it began a new partnership with Google through its recently launched program Expeditions Pioneer program, which brought its new Expeditions app to a handful of city schools.

Dr. David Kafitz, the Learning Counsel’s Vice President of School Relationships and Consulting, said he hoped other districts around the country might follow Newark’s lead.

“Newark Public Schools has been a leader in integrating technology into its curriculum in a way that will transform the way we teach our young people. We look forward to seeing how their work will inspire other districts to use digital curriculum and technology to their advantage.”

Other districts honored by the Learning Counsel included Township High School District 214 in Illinois, Union County Public Schools in North Carolina, St. Vrain Valley Schools in Colorado and Pinellas County Schools in Florida.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@nullnjadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Shaq Launches Children’s Book Series ‘Little Shaq’ in Newark

Dan Ivers | NJ Advance Media for NJ.COM | Email the author | Follow on Twitter

NEWARK — Shaquille O’Neal’s resume already included NBA great, platinum rapper, actor, businessman and TV analyst. As of today, he can add another title to that list – children’s author.

The Newark native returned to his hometown Tuesday to officially launch his book series “Little Shaq” at the Cityplex 12 movie theatre on Springfield Avenue. The event included a movie showing, lunch and a reading from the baritone baller himself.

Children who attended the event also received a free copy of “Little Shaq”, the first in a three-book series published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

The future Hall of Famer has returned to his hometown on several occasions in recent years, including to co-host a basketball tournament with Mayor Ras Baraka in August.

He has also partnered with New Brunswick-based Boraie Development to help build the Cityplex 12 theater, the city’s first new cinema venue in decades, and on plans for a high-rise residential tower downtown, which is scheduled to start construction this year after a number of delays.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@nullnjadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Summer jobs are a Great Adventure for Newark students!

Barry Carter | The Star-Ledger | Email the author | Follow on Twitter

Newark students milling about in front of West Side High School were not waiting for summer classes to start this week.

It was a workday for them as they boarded a yellow school bus at 9:30 a.m. Over an hour later, they were clocking in at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson.

That’s a long way for a job, but 65 kids in khaki pants and blue polo-style shirts don’t mind. Listen to Nysira Welch, 17, and you can see why.

“This has taught me responsibility,” says Welch, an attendant at the “Kingda Ka” roller coaster.

“This has taught me independence…that I can make my own moves, make my own decisions,” she said as she politely let a parent know that his son was too small to ride.

The Urban League of Essex County has something to do with her thinking. West Side High School, which has three schools in the building, is located in the Fairmount section of Newark’s West Ward, an area the Urban League focuses on to improve the community through social and economic development. Part of that work is preparing city youth for employment and showing them what it means to have a job.

Andre Lawrence, 16, didn’t take the opportunity lightly.

“It changed me,” says Lawrence, who operates “El Diablo,” another roller coaster at Great Adventure. “I got to learn how to be a man.”

Rahman Karriem, chief operating officer at the Urban League, has to be smiling right now. And so is Andrea Jones, an administrator at one of the schools. This is what the Urban League hoped to achieve when it coordinated with the MCJ Amelior Foundation, Public Service Electric & Gas and Prudential to create a summer jobs program.

The students attended job readiness workshops, then they used those skills during interviews with Six Flags officials. They had resumes and presence. The boys wore shirts and ties and the girls put on blouses and skirts. Nervousness turned to excitement when they were hired in June to earn $8.38 to $9.88 an hour.

“We believe this is going to create a culture of success because these kids are going to be seen by other kids as leaders, getting jobs and experiences outside of Newark,” says Karriem, who wants to expand the program next year.

Until the social agency got involved, many of the kids say they got tired of rejection from retail stores and fast food restaurants. Six Flags gave them a chance when the Urban League called seeking employment for Newark’s young people.

“They were definitely an asset,” says Kaitlyn Turi, public relations supervisor for the theme park. “With 3,000 jobs to fill every season, we always need lots of folks to treat our guests to a nice day here throughout the summer.”

The students jumped at the chance to work, even if it meant getting home at 10 p.m., and sometimes 1 a.m. if an accident delayed their commute.

The job kept them busy and off the streets. It put money in their pockets and they learned something about themselves. Working with the public is not easy, but they remained patient, humble and positive.

Al-Samir Greene, 17, says he’s personable now and open to mingling with people he doesn’t know, while Anthony Pough, 16, figured out the importance of a budget after his first paycheck.

“I was broke,” he says.

Time management stuck with 16-year-olds Tyrell Moore and Stacy Tynvall. Moore says he wanted to grasp military time – the 24-hour clock the park uses for employees – so he changed the settings on his cellphone to practice.

2000 is quitting time.

“I wanted to learn it more,” he says. “That’s what they use down there.”

Tynvall was juggling school and work. She started out on weekends at the park because she was earning college credits during the week at Essex County College in Newark. When she finished class, Tynvall says she caught a NJ Transit bus from Newark to the amusement park, where she worked the cash register, cooked food and cleaned up at one of the eateries.

“After you work at Six Flags, you can work anywhere,” she says. “There’s so much to learn here and you see so many different things.”

There’s diversity in the workforce and visitors, who could be from Thailand or Jamaica.

And no day is the same.

There might be someone who faints from the heat or a pregnant woman having contractions. Animals show up when they feel like it, a sight that tickles Brianna Passmore, 16, when she comes across groundhogs and possums, gophers and geese.

“I’ll be working and they’ll just come out of nowhere,” says Passmore, a ride operator who wants to be a mechanical engineer.

The long day does end quietly. With sleep in their eyes, the students wake up when the bus drops them off at the school. A Newark police car is there to greet them with school officials. Some wait for rides, others walk home in groups.

There’s no time to waste.

Morning comes early.

View this story on nj.com.