Millstone Middle School brims with accomplishments

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

Laurie Edwards makes up Amanda Caputo for the Millstone Township Middle School’s production of the musical “Grease” on May 27. MILLSTONE — Good things continue to happen at the township’s middle school.

During the last month, Millstone Township Middle School students have accomplished a lot to be proud of, according to the school’s spokesperson, Louise SanNicola.

On May 18, Millstone Township Middle School hosted the New Jersey Peer to Peer (NJPTP) “Marches On” program.

“The Millstone Middle School was happy to host this fabulous event,” SanNicola said. “The students enjoyed this opportunity to network with other New Jersey Peer to Peer students and share their experiences.”

Millstone Township Middle School’s winners of the DARE poster contest show off their entries. Bottom row: (l-r) Kalli Qutub, Kaitlyn Kohlhepp, Tatyana Crespo and Brielle Cameron. Top row: (l-r) Kea Noyan, Erin Meyer, Kayla McCaffery and Robert Bassi. Sponsored by the Princeton Center for Leadership Training in Princeton, the event brought more than 100 students and their adult mentors from middle schools across central New Jersey to the middle school, according to SanNicola.

JENNIFER KOHLHEPP A N.J. state trooper from the Hamilton Barracks displays how he works with his bomb-sniffing dog, Reilly. “Peer leaders showcased their group’s work, networked with other peer leaders and tackled difficult topics of pharmaceutical drug use among middle-schoolers,” SanNicola said.

Along with the township middle school, Carl Sandburg Middle School in Old Bridge, Lawrence Middle School in Lawrenceville, Marlboro Middle School and Marlboro Memorial Middle School all participated in the event, according to SanNicola.

Pictured is part of the cast of Millstone Township Middle School’s production of “Grease.” About 150 students helped stage the musical on May 27. NJPTP is a statewide, school-based prevention program designed to develop leadership capacity and reduce substance abuse among middle school students, according to SanNicola. Sponsored by the Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services, the program was developed and is managed by the Princeton Center for Leadership Training.

“Using a structured curriculum, the NJPTP peer leaders meet once each week to learn and practice skills such as leadership, decision making, group facilitation and problem solving,” SanNicola said.

Once trained, SanNicola said, peer leaders lead interactive prevention activities with 50-60 of their younger peers at least five times during the spring semester.

“During the ‘Marches On’ event,” SanNicola said, “the students had an opportunity to showcase the excellent work they have been doing in their schools, and learn about prevention work that is happening in other schools.”

Students and adults also experienced a new prevention module focused on pharmaceutical drug use and abuse, according to SanNicola. The activity addressed the differences between the healthy, safe use of pharmaceutical drugs and their harmful abuse, exploring strategies for educating their peers on this timely issue, SanNicola said.

“The hardworking and dedicated Peer to Peer advisers at the middle school are Heather Savard and Audrey Ferraro,” SanNicola said.

The same week the NJPTP program took place, fifth-grade middle school students received their graduation certification for completion of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, program.

“All fifth-grade students participated in this fabulous program designed to educate the kids on the facts about drugs and the serious consequences of making bad decisions to use drugs,” SanNicola said.

This year’s DARE instructors were New Jersey State Police from Hamilton Station. They were Lt. Kathy Devlin, Sgt. Greg Herbert, and Troopers Jaclyn O’Pecko and Mike White, according to SanNicola.

“These hardworking and dedicated officers have committed many hours to this important program,” SanNicola said.

A special pair of state troopers attended the graduation ceremony, she said.

“Trooper Stein and his bomb-sniffing dog partner, Reilly, demonstrated how they work as a team to do their job,” SanNicola said.

Winners from this year’s DARE poster contest received special recognition during the ceremony.

The students who were recognized are Kea Noyan, Erin Meyer, Kayla McCaffery, Robert Bassi, Kalli Qutub, Kaitlyn Kohlhepp, Tatyana Crespo and Brielle Cameron.

Last week, SanNicola said, a student cast performed the musical “Grease.”

The PTO sponsored the production, which was directed by Laurie Edwards.

“It was a fabulous show put on by some truly talented students of Millstone Township Middle School,” SanNicola said.

“The cast included 150 students who sang, danced and worked behind the scenes to create an entertaining show for all who attended,” she said.