MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) presented diplomas to the Class of 2019 on Friday, May 24, at Mennen Sports Arena during its historic 50th Commencement, with nearly 500 graduates participating in the 50th Anniversary ceremony.

The Class of 2019 includes approximately 1,400 students, many of who are transferring to top four-year institutions in New Jersey and across the nation to earn their bachelor’s degrees. The graduates received their diplomas in one of four degrees: Associate in Arts, Associate in Fine Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science. The graduates consisted of those who completed their studies between August 2018 and May 2019, and those who will complete their studies this coming August.

Trish O’Keefe, Ph.D., RN, president of Morristown Medical Center (MMC), served as the keynote speaker. “The day I started at MMC as a bedside nurse, if someone had told me I would become president, I would not have believed it, but it only proves that hard work, committing to your goals one step at a time, dedication, and very long hours pay off,” said O’Keefe. “I know life will present each one of you with a series of opportunities – one step at a time. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself – commit to your journey.”

Also providing remarks was Douglas Cabana, director of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. “Today, as we look back at CCM at 50, this special day is a beginning for you of many special days as you move through life, whether you choose to continue your education, begin a career, become an entrepreneur, explore new territories, or try your hand at other new experiences,” said Cabana.

During his remarks, CCM President Anthony J. Iacono spoke to the graduates about courage as he highlighted several students who completed their studies despite life’s challenges and obstacles.

Included among the students he highlighted were:

Amy Albin, of Morris Plains, who came to CCM from the Morris School District in the spring 2018 and in a year-and-a-half earned her associate degree with a perfect 4.0 GPA. A visually impaired student, she accomplished that, while “finding her way across CCM’s 220 acre campus, through more than a dozen buildings in good and bad weather.”

Paul Michael Corrente, Jr., of Roxbury, who earned his degree at the age of 15 because his mother recognized early on his advanced academic abilities and enrolled him at CCM first in the Challenger Program for high school students and then full-time as a college student.

Alejandra Linares Martinez, of Livingston, who came to CCM from Mexico on a student visa to study in the CCM’s design program. As a CCM student, she was inducted into the New Jersey All-State Academic Team for her success in the classroom and her contributions to the community.

Joaquin Mould, of Randolph, president of CMM’s chapter of the national honor society Phi Theta Kappa, who has lived and traveled around the world and “understands the meaning of courage by continuously embracing new cultures and people . . .”

“Be fearless in the pursuit of your goals and uncompromising of your values,” Iacono told the graduates. “Never stop learning and remember that success is not simply about doing things right but, more importantly, success requires the courage to do the right things. Your success is not for you alone – it is yours to help others through knowledge, skills, compassion and courage. Build a life, not a career.”

Trustee Chair Paul Licitra noted, “The awarding of your degree or certificate today is the result of your determination to live a life of meaning and contribution.”

Now-retired Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen was presented with an honorary degree for his many years of service to the community and his support of education.

Standing with college tradition, the CCM Peace Prize was awarded at commencement. Nora Anton, of Randolph, was presented with the prize for the tile mosaic she created commemorating the “Survivor Tree” found at Ground Zero. The faculty mentor for her project was Professor Dorothy Salinas, Department of Biology and Chemistry. The creator of the winning entry each year receives a $1,000 award, provided by the CCM Foundation.

This is the 18th year the college has awarded its Peace Prize, which was administered this year by Professor Laura Driver from the Department of English and Philosophy.

Included among the colleges and universities members from the Class of 2019 will be attending next are Columbia University, Cornell University, Drew University, John J. College of Criminal Justice, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology,  Rutgers University, and other top schools across New Jersey and the nation.

Along with numerous 50th Anniversary celebrations, the Class of 2019 saw many significant accomplishments at the college during their educational journey. PayScale, three years in a row, has rated the college number one in New Jersey based on the earnings of CCM graduates. Professor Venancio “Venny” Fuentes, chair of the Department of Engineering Technologies and Engineering Science, was selected as the sole recipient of the 2018 Northeast Faculty Award from the Association of Community College Trustees. The college received a Best Practice Award from the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and a Business Achievement Award from Randolph Township. Additionally, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges presented CCM Trustee Joseph Weisberg with its Trustee Leadership Award.

MORRIS COUNTY — On Thursday, May 23 Officer William Stone visited Mrs. Hirsch’s eighth period Advanced English class at Central Middle School to honor eighth grader Albin Mullan for his stellar spelling abilities.

Albin, champion speller of the 2019 CMS Spelling Bee, is on his way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee which will be held right outside of Washington, DC.

There are 565 contestants, but Albin is only one of five from New Jersey. As he presented Albin with a check from Parsippany PBA Local 131, Officer Stone said, “Albin, we want you to know that the entire Police Department supports you and is behind you 100%. We are very proud of the fact that you are representing not only Central Middle School, but the entire school district, the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills and the State of New Jersey.”

While he was there, Officer Stone also shared with the class the trading card program whereby students can obtain trading cards simply by amiably approaching police officers in town and introducing themselves. The program is designed to foster more comfortable, congenial relations between young people and law enforcement. Prizes will be awarded to those young people who have accumulated the most cards. For more information click here.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee competition starts on Monday, May 27 and will continue through Thursday, May 30. Tuesday and Wednesday’s onstage competition will be televised on ESPN 3 and Thursday’s final round will be televised on ESPN 2. Go, Albin, Go!!

Dear Editor:

My name is Ray Tahan. I have been a good friend of Heather Darling for many years and am also the President of the Rockaway Republican Club. I thought I had seen it all in politics, but the mean spirited and deeply personal attacks against Heather, by her opponent Isabella Alfano is a new low for Morris County.

I would like to set the record straight, since I was named in her attacks. Alfano’s entire campaign is nothing more than a distraction from her complete and utter lack of qualifications to be our Surrogate. From attacking Heather in a personal manner, to dragging Sheriff Rochford and myself into this, she has acted in a manner completely unbecoming of an elected official, or even a candidate worthy of consideration.

Further disqualifying her is the fact that she is also lying to the people of Morris County. She claims to have experience in Trusts and Estates by virtue of working for a specific employer when in reality she only worked in the travel department handling accounts payable. She confirmed to me she parted ways with the employer about a week before she entered the race and is currently unemployed. She has no bachelors or law degree or anything in her background that would lead a logical person to conclude that she would make a good Surrogate.

I know Heather to be a good and decent person, who is running for Surrogate to help the most vulnerable among us. She will work tirelessly and be a champion for the elderly and those with special needs and continue to be a constant presence in the community at events. I hope you will join me in voting for Heather Darling on Tuesday, June 4th.

Ray Tahan
Rockaway Township
May 24, 2019

MORRIS COUNTY — The following local residents were recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.

Amalia Zea of Boonton, was initiated at Kean University.

Sara Davidson of Boonton Township, was initiated at The College of New Jersey.

Christopher Roser of Florham Park, was initiated at The College of New Jersey.

These residents are among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”

Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization’s notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to outstanding students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Boys and girls in grades K-4, and their parents, are invited to visit a Cub Scout Camporee on Saturday, June 1, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation in Stanhope.  Hundreds of Cub Scouts from all over Sussex district and Fishawack district (eastern Morris county) will be having a full weekend of outdoor fun.

Bring your son or daughter to get a tour of the camporee and to participate in archery and BB.

Pre-registration is required by May 30 by clicking here.

Please wear comfortable, sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.  Cub Scouts have fun rain or shine.

As you tour the camporee, we will introduce you to the Cub Scout pack from your town.  Cub Scouts is open to boy and girls who will be in grades K-5 in September.  Unfortunately, pre-K children are too young to do archery and BB.  Some of our packs are still boy-only but many now accept girls also.  In those packs, boys and girls are in separate dens (but do the same Cub Scout activities).

For more information, or to find the Cub Scout pack near you, contact Al Thomas, membership executive with the Patriots’ Path Council, BSA, [email protected]; (973) 765-9322 ext. 229.

MORRIS COUNTY — Saint Clare’s Health was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Saint Clare’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care. We are also pleased to announce that our Prime Healthcare sister hospital St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark also received A Safety Grade.

“It is indeed gratifying to receive such a high recognition from the Leapfrog group twice in a row ,” said Brian Finestein, CEO of Saint Clare’s Health. “It provides the public with third party recognition that your community hospital, which has a reputation for compassionate care, is also a leader in safety measures as well,” he added.

“To be recognized nationally as an ‘A’ hospital is an accomplishment the whole community should take pride in,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error. We congratulate hospital leaders, board members, staff, volunteers and clinicians who work so hard to earn this A.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Denville Police Chief Frank Perna announce that Mr. Michael Romeo, 32, with a last known address of Sewell, has been convicted and sentenced related to a carjacking incident that occurred in the Township of Denville on July 10, 2018.

Romeo was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison and must serve five years of this sentence before being eligible for parole.  The Defendant is also subject to a five year term of parole supervision following completion of the term of incarceration.

On January 14, 2019, the Defendant entered a guilty plea to Carjacking, a crime of the first degree.  In pleading guilty, the Defendant admitted that on July 10, 2018, the Defendant accepted a ride from the victim into the Township of Denville.  When being dropped off, the Defendant admitted to putting the victim in fear of bodily injury so that he could steal the victim’s vehicle.  The Defendant then drove away from the scene in the victim’s stolen vehicle.

Members of the Denville Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit subsequently located the Defendant and the victim’s stolen car in Philadelphia, PA.  On July 12, 2018, the Defendant was arrested by the Philadelphia Police Department.  The Defendant was later extradited to New Jersey to face charges related to this incident.

Sentence was imposed by the Hon. David H. Ironson, J.S.C.  The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang in this matter.