The Week in Union County

From high school sports to anti-bullying and a Westfield attorney indicted on theft charges, here's a roundup of what made the headlines in Union County over the past week.

Westfield

On Monday it was announced by Attorney General Paula Dow that Amedeo “Matt” Gaglioti, 57, a Westfield attorney was indicted on charges of stealing funds that were to be used to pay off mortgages.

Imagine, a center for coping with loss, is scheduled to open in spring 2012. An information session was held Monday, Nov. 14 so Westfield residents could learn more about the organization. Volunteers and board members are needed.

Alan's Orchard accepted orders for farm fresh free-range turkeys and fresh baked pies this week. Pick up will be available Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 22 and 23.

Westfield High School hosted one of its largest college fairs in the history of the event. Juniors, seniors and their parents had a chance to learn more about colleges and universities

New Providence

In October, Denise Moser, an Applied Practical/Technical Arts teacher at the , challenged her 6th and 7th period CAD (Computer Aided Design) students to compete in an international program, which includes an objective of teamwork and innovation in business and technology, and tests work-place readiness. Moser’s students split into four teams and worked a week and a half on coming up with their own creative mobile apps or games, and making their designs, logistics, marketing and video commercials to go along with their products. Students from Phil Cook’s Film class also joined and were split up between the four teams, filming each team’s 30-second television commercial, which can be viewed here. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, .

Entering Tuesday night’s Group 1 semifinal at Indian Hills High School in Oakland, the New Providence girls’ soccer team not only went into the match with a five-game winning streak, but also had not trailed in any of those matches, winning all of them by shutout. So when underdog Verona, a first-time North 1 champion, scored first less than two minutes into the match, it was quite a shock to the Pioneers. New Providence came out in the second half and little by little applied more offensive pressure. Its first goal, off the right foot of senior Stephanni Perini, came with 20:15 left and pulled the Pioneers to within one. Off a corner kick from the right side by senior Emma Culleton, junior Kelly Carroll managed to get her foot on a loose ball in the box and put it in to tie the game with 6:35 remaining. Suddenly favored New Providence woke up and showed what it was made of. The Pioneers continued to attack the rest of the second half and dominated the first overtime, almost putting the game away in the first 10-minute sudden death sequence. Then just over a minute into the second and final 10-minute sudden death overtime period, New Providence leading scorer Alex Schlobohm got hold of a deflected ball and had a clear, 15-yard shot from the left side. The junior forward went with her left foot and fired a low, line-drive shot past Sprong and into the right side of the goal, New Providence’s ninth straight state tournament victory, including five last season, put the four-peat North 2 champions back in the Group 1 final where they will face South champion Haddon Township Saturday at 5 p.m. at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township.

Springfield

The Dayton Football team  this week, dropping their final game 28-14 to Verona on Saturday, Nov. 12. The ending to the Dayton Bulldogs’ 2011 campaign was indicative of their over all up and down season. Following a tough 28-14 loss to Verona, Saturday, Bulldogs head coach Joe Goerge thanked his six seniors and the rest of the team for their efforts and added there’s certainly room for improvement.    

Also this week, Springfield police increased patrols in residential neighborhoods following a . Two men in a black sedan reportedly slowed their car near a 9-year-old boy playing the front yard of a house on Cottler Ave. The car’s passenger asked the boy if he wanted a ride.

And Jonathan Dayton High School’s theater department put on their annual fall drama on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19. Following a run of comedies, the cast and crew turned to far more serious subject matter, putting on “.” 

Cranford

The believes it is important to encourage civic beauty and roadside development and to study and teach the arts of flower arranging and horticulture. One person, who exemplifies this is lifelong resident of Cranford, Frances Wismer. Wismer, a member of the Garden Club of Cranford for more than 60 years, was recently selected as the Perennial Bloom Award Winner from New Jersey and the Central Atlantic Region.

On Nov. 10, the members of the awarded two Honorary PBA Memberships to Gerry Grillo and Jeff Scotti for their efforts in assisting the men and women of the Cranford PBA after the Cranford Police Department building was destroyed during Hurricane Irene.

Have you ever wondered what municipal employees in Cranford earn for serving the taxpayers of the community? Here is a list of salaries that were approved Nov. 14 by the Township Committee:

Clark-Garwood

The fire, in the block between Miele's Greenhouse and Zion Lutheran Church, caused the Clark Volunteer Fire Department to wait on standby for PSE&G to turn off the power before they could extinguish it. Many homes in the area were without power from 2 to 4:15 p.m. 

The monument is one of 130 statues throughout the United States honoring Purple Heart recipients. The Union County chapter has funded seven monuments in the area, including the most recent installed in Garwood.

Berkeley Heights-Mountainside

The Mountainside PTA held their first meeting of the school year Tuesday night at Deerfield Elementary School, where new Chief School Administrator Dr. Nancy Lubarsky was introduced.  

A presentation on the new anti-bullying laws was also given by Deerfield Principal Kim Richards, Anti-Bullying Coordinator Patrick Keenoy and guidance counselor Heather Goldstein.

On Sept. 1, New Jersey attempted to curb one of the biggest problems the school system faces today, by passing the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which is considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation.

“We’ve always been concerned about bullying,” Keenoy said.

Dr. Nancy Lubarsky, who has served as the Superintendent of Schools in Bethlehem, N.J. for the past three years, has over 25 years of experience in education with expertise in the language arts, reading, social studies and mathematics. She said her goals are to boost the morale at the schools and improve the technology and communication.  

“You want to put technology into the classroom,” Lubarsky said.

The new Chief School Administrator said she hopes to meet regularly with the PTA and teachers, so the communication between everyone is at a high level. To enhance the technology, Dr. Lubarsky noted "we would be working toward bringing up the level of technology in every classroom." The addition of smartBoards was discussed.