Middlesex County
high-schoolers honored
for community service
By SUSAN LOYER •
STAFF WRITER • May 16, 2008
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, May 14 –
Despite the obstacles he's had to overcome in his own life, Anthony Jones, 18,
still feels it's important to help others.
In fact, the New Brunswick High School senior is the leading community service
volunteer at the school, serving more than 180 hours this year alone, said
Laurie Lazovick, academic coach at the high school.
"He volunteers for every event in and out of school," said Lazovick. "He
never says no."
For Jones, who can be found volunteering at Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen, the
New Jersey Food Bank, the Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood
Disorders, Special Olympics and the Rose Mountain Care Center, it's a labor of
love.
"I like to help out in my community," Jones said. "It makes me feel
like I'm making a difference in the world."
Jones' efforts have not gone unnoticed.
He, along with 32 other Middlesex County high-schoolers, were honored for their
humanitarian efforts during the 21st annual Middlesex County Guidance Council
Caring Awards ceremony.
Held last month at Middlesex County College in Edison, the event featured
Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Robert W. Daley as the guest speaker, who
spoke to the group about the importance of volunteering.
The Middlesex County Guidance Council Caring Awards is designed to honor
students, who have made significant contributions to their schools and their
communities, said Caring Awards chairperson Shirlie A. Camp.
"We look for students who not only give of themselves, but are an inspiration to
others," she said.
Some of these students have had to overcome their own personal tragedies and
hardships, yet they have gone on to make their marks in their communities, she
said.
Camp said the search for nominees begins in January, when Middlesex County high
school guidance counselors are asked to submit the name of a student deserving
of the award.
This year's honorees include volunteers at food banks, hospitals, nursing homes,
fire departments, and religious and civic organizations. The students
organized fund-raisers for charitable organizations and have helped out at their
Each honoree received a framed certificate and a check for $100, said Camp, who
also serves as an officer with the Middlesex County Guidance Council and
educational coordinator at the Middlesex County Department of Youth Services'
Youth Shelter in North Brunswick.
Abhishek Seth, 18, a senior at East Brunswick High School, is one of those
honorees.
"Ever since I saw Al Gore's movie, "Inconvenient Truth," I felt that I had to
something to help protect the environment," Seth said. "I started
recycling and doing other things to help, but I decided that I had to do more.
I had to do something that would make other people care."
Seth's contribution is his environmental pictorial book on global warming called
"Save My World."
The book not only offers tips for protecting the Earth, but the proceeds from
the book go to the World Wildlife Foundation Inc. and other organizations that
promote social and environmental awareness.
The 2008 Caring Award Honorees are:
Kaitlyn Roche, senior Bishop George Ahr High School, Edison
Nwaamaka Obaze, senior, Cardinal McCarrick High School, South Amboy
Cassandra Castro, senior, Carteret High School
Pooja Shethji, senior, Colonia High School in Woodbridge section
Kyle Harty, senior, Dunellen High School
Abhishek Seth, senior, East Brunswick High School
Liscet Duran, senior, Edison High School
Michael Bachmann, senior, Highland Park High School
Mahawish Zaidi, senior, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Woodbridge
Aphrodite Hadjiloucas, senior, John P. Stevens High School, Edison
Alexandra Marie Cuntala, senior, Metuchen High School
Richard Prego, senior, Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and
Engineering Technologies
Michelle Eosso, senior, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School in
East Brunswick
Maria Diez, senior, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School in
Perth Amboy
April Ayers, senior, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School in
Piscataway
Raven Hernandez, senior, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School
in Woodbridge
Karen Perko, senior, Middlesex High School
Sophia Nahlee Sung, senior, Monroe High School
Gracemarie Stanko, senior, Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung
Anthony Jones, senior, New Brunswick High School
Kristen Axelsen, senior, North Brunswick High School
Rohit Dayal, senior, Old Bridge High School
Joan Fernandez, senior, Perth Amboy High School
Rukayat Majolagbe, senior, Piscataway High School
Phillip Gary, senior, Sayreville Memorial High School
Virginia Feis, junior, South Amboy High School
Kartik Pawar, senior, South Brunswick High School
Jimmy Cox, senior, South Plainfield High School
Christine Palaski, senior, South River High School
Matthew Lucid, senior, Spotswood High School
Edward Rossiter, senior, St. Joseph's High School, Metuchen
Zachary Schwartz, senior, Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison
Matthew Crimmins, senior, Woodbridge High School
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