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Recently four teachers from the Oxford Central School were recently recognized for their contributions to the school district, both in and out of the classroom.

Joy Paola was selected to be the 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year as part of the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program. After getting her degree from Rider University, Paola taught in Sayreville before coming to Oxford in 2005. Paola is a very creative teacher who has been teaching third grade students since 2005 and she continues to be a positive role model for her students and her peers.

Michael Kenney, OCS School Social Worker, was selected as the Educational Services Professional for his work with OCS students for more than 13 years. Kenney continues to be a key member of the School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support Plan in the Oxford Central School and he provides lessons on positive life choices to students in grades KG-eighth grade, both in the classroom and during Lunch Bunch periods each week.

Kenney is a graduate of both William Paterson and Rutgers. Both staff members, who were nominated and selected by a team of teachers, administrators and community members, will be eligible for county and state level awards as part of the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program.

Two additional teachers, Jessica DeWitt and Shannon Pettinelli, were also recognized by the New Jersey Department of Education as Exemplary Educators for their continued efforts in the classroom. DeWitt, the 2013-2014 OCS Teacher of the Year, was nominated by staff for her efforts both in the classroom and beyond the school day. Pettinelli, a special education teacher, has been a instrumental in developing district initiatives to promote awareness of students with disabilities. Both staff members received certificates of achievement from the Department of Education.

Robert Magnuson, Chief School Administrator added, “These four educators epitomize all that is right with education today!. They work long hours to develop the whole child: socially, emotionally and academically. They are wonderful members of our community and it is a privilege to work with them each day.”

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A trash incinerator in Warren County has been burning liquid waste for the past two years of its nearly 30-year run.

That was through a research, development and demonstration project authorized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Now, Covanta Warren Energy Resource Co. LLC is looking for a permanent permit to take in up to 32,000 gallons of liquid waste per day. The deliveries will count toward the Oxford Township facility's limit of accepting 200,000 tons of trash per year for processing, according to the DEP.

A 30-day public comment period on the permit request is open until May 5. A public hearing may be scheduled on the application if requested and "issues of fact relevant to the proposed agency action" are raised, according to the DEP.

The liquid trash is what the DEP refers to as Type 72 waste, and encompasses bulk liquids and semi-liquids. Covanta Warren's research project began March 10, 2016, and its been incinerating the liquid waste ever since via a Liquid Direct Injection system, state officials said. The research permit expires Sept. 30, according to the DEP.

Covanta Warren began operating in July 1988 and also disposes of Type 10 municipal waste (household, commercial and institutional); Type 23 vegetative waste and Type 27 dry industrial waste. That last category excludes hazardous waste like asbestos and non-hazardous pesticides, oil and chemical waste.

"The liquid waste is injected into the boilers along with regular municipal solid waste, and it's just another way to defer liquid waste out of the landfills," said James F. Regan, spokesman for Covanta Warren's parent company.

The DEP describes the source of the Type 72 liquid waste as "varied" but mainly comprising "liquids from industrial processes that may upset the biological treatment processes of a sewage treatment plant, like soapy waters.

"Some of the sources are boiler blow-down water, washdown wastes, washdown of tanks from the manufacture of paints. These wastes have a composition that is greater than 90 percent water, and they come from many different areas in the eastern United States."

Examples of potential sources of the liquid waste include a shampoo that may have failed quality-control testing or expired products, according to Regan.

"It's non-hazardous industrial liquid waste," the Covanta spokesman said. "The majority of it is water-based and things like lotions or creams, shampoo products, but it's 95 to 97 percent water with traces of shampoo and lotions and creams and manufacturing/industrial processes wouldn't want to send this material to landfill."

The liquid waste coming in to Covanta Warren for incineration passes through the weigh station at the 218 Mt. Pisgah Ave. facility. From there, it goes to the Liquid Direct Injection -- or LDI -- unloading area for "a sampling procedure to ensure all incoming material is compliant with all approved paperwork," the DEP says.

"All Waste Type 72 streams that are considered for LDI undergo a rigorous review and waste characterization by Covanta," according to the DEP. "Covanta utilizes a 'Waste Approval Flow Chart' to ensure only compatible non-hazardous liquid waste streams are accepted at the facility."

Covanta has been using the LDI process to incinerate liquid waste for about a decade at three of its other facilities, in Indianapolis, Indiana; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Niagara Falls, New York, according to the New Jersey DEP.

Covanta Warren uses two processing lines to incinerate waste at up to 752 degrees Fahrenheit. The high-temperature, high-pressure steam that is generated passes through a turbine that drives a generator to produce electricity. The Warren County incinerator produces up to 13.7 megawatts to operate the facility, with surplus power sold to the JCP&L electrical grid. Exhaust steam from the turbine is air-cooled and condensed to be recirculated through the boiler as feedwater.

The facility draws water from two offsite wells near the Pequest River. Its peak daily water demand from 2007 through 2011 was 480,222 gallons per day in October 2007, the DEP says. That's less than the original operating permit's peak demand projection of 563,200 gallons per day.

Thanks to reusing cooling tower condensate, Covanta Warren from 2007-11 averaged 7,784 gallons per day of wastewater discharged to the nearby Pequest River Municipal Utilities treatment plant -- well below original projections of 87,843 gallons per day of wastewater.

Covanta Warren's air pollution controls include spray dryer absorbers (scrubbers) for acid gas control, baghouses for particulate removal, carbon injection for mercury reduction and two systems -- one of which is proprietary -- for the reduction of nitrogen oxides.

The new waste stream is projected to "help sustain the long-term viability" of the Covanta Warren facility, the DEP says, while providing "local businesses with a local disposal option that is an alternative, less expensive and sustainable means of disposal." In addition, Warren County receives "revenue sharing that potentially benefits the local communities," the department says in a review of the proposal.

According to the DEP's review of the Type 72 permit request: "Evaluations of the traffic, noise, air and other potential environmental impacts have demonstrated that the facility has satisfied the regulatory requirements to operate the facility by maintaining compliance with the conditions of the draft permit tentatively approved by the department."

Covanta Warren does not anticipate any capital improvements or increased processing of liquid waste as part of the permanent Type 72 permit, said Regan, the spokesman.

Anyone looking to comment on the permit application may do so in writing to Anthony Fontana, Chief New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Solid & Hazardous Waste Bureau of Solid Waste Permitting, Mail Code 401-02C, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ, 08625-0420.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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OXFORD — The Oxford Tunnel "is safe" the state Department of Environmental Protection told local officials just after it installed a gate across its southern entrance.

The gate was installed before the early February snowfall and a photo was sent by the DEP to Township Mayor Gerald Norton with a note stating the railroad tunnel had been deemed safe in a 2018 inspection.

Last year the township blocked off the north entrance, or portal, to the tunnel. That entrance is on municipal-owned land.

However, the southern entrance remained open and local officials were concerned that anyone who entered the tunnel from the southern end would wade through ice-cold water only to find they could not exit through the north end.

The tunnel was built in the 1850s as a way to eliminate the grade through a gap in Oxford Mountain. Prior to the tunnel's connection, trains had to stop to engage a "pusher" engine to make the northbound climb and to provide additional braking for southbound trains on what was then the main railroad route from northern New Jersey into Pennsylvania.

The tunnel fell into just occasional use with the completion of the Lackawanna Cutoff in the early 1900s which eliminated all grades with a new line between the southern end of Lake Hopatcong and the river crossing at Columbia (Knowlton Township). The tunnel was abandoned, along with much of the railroads in northwestern New Jersey, in the latter part of about 50 years ago.

Township Committee members and residents said they were concerned there have been at least two partial collapses inside the tunnel, and fear that further collapses will endanger state highway Route 31, which crosses over the tunnel. That route is the main north-south road through Warren County, and the only road capable of sustaining heavy trailer truck traffic.

Norton said he will request an updated engineering inspection on the 3,000-foot-long tunnel's condition from the state DOT.

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The collapse has allowed underground springs to run directly into the tunnel and at the northern end water has collected due to a dam formed from collapse debris. The water that flows out has created a near-permanent creek that flows down the former railroad right-of-way to the south.

The southern entrance is owned by the DEP and is part of the Pequest Wildlife Management Area which has several miles of trails.

In January, the Township Committee wrote a letter requesting DEP find a way to close off the entrance which is on state-owned land.

Norton said the tunnel situation has come to the attention of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5, who offered his help to work with the committee to push the state's DOT and DEP to thoroughly inspect the tunnel on an ongoing basis and work to find money to make repairs.

FRANK H. CONLON/THE STAR-LEDGER

Jacob Burlas is practically living at The Growing Stage.

During the day, the 21-year-old Oxford resident is working as a camp counselor at the Netcong theater, teaching elementary school kids about music, choreography, and costumes.

At night, he’s rehearsing for Saturday’s opening performance of "The Wiz" — a production that offers high school and college students an opportunity to learn and perform during summer break.

Burlas says he’s enjoying every stressful minute.

"There’s something about this place that’s magical," he said during a rehearsal break. "It’s just a place you want to be."

The Growing Stage: The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey has been entertaining and educating young audiences for 30 years. Founded in Chester, the theater has been based in the historic Palace Theatre in Netcong since 1996. It is dedicated to nurturing a love of theater through childrens’ theatrical performances and classes.

"People who came as kids now bring their own kids, and parents who brought their kids are now bringing their grandkids," founder and executive director Stephen Fredericks said. "We’re not just going after a great moment of theater, but a memory."

The theater presents a main stage season of four productions, featuring Actors’ Equity performers. Starting in September with "Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka," the lineup also includes a musical adaptation of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," the play "With Two Wings," and "Pinkalicious The Musical."

Its educational programs offer young performers the chance to sing, dance and act with professional directors and designers.

They are nurturing the artists and audiences of tomorrow, Fredericks said, because children who are exposed to high quality theater are more likely to become audiences members as adults.

"It all feeds each other, and that’s the spirit we try to put into everything we do," Fredericks said.

Even as they celebrate their 30th anniversary, Fredericks and company are still experimenting with new programs. Last year, the company presented a new play reading series to help to develop new works for young audiences. This year’s new ideas include "Sand Box Series: Theatre for the Very Young," an hour-long program that includes watching a performance and participating in a theater activity, and the summer youth production of "The Wiz."

Fredericks said that last program was born out of a desire to offer opportunities to students who were too old for the children’s classes, but still active in performing arts in high school and college.

Incredibly, participation is free.

"We don’t charge a dime. You’re not going to encourage them to continue to participate if you charge them," Fredericks said. "It has to be financially accessible."

Some two dozen students, ages 15 to 22, travel to rehearsals from as far away as New Brunswick, Califon, Newton and Irvington. In addition, teens work as stage managers, and operate the sound and lighting boards.

Their energy and enthusiasm is inspiring, Fredericks said.

"I enjoy working with Equity actors, but there’s something rewarding about working with youth," he said. "You see the friendship, the bonds. They will be friends for life."

The cast includes Growing Stage regulars like Burlas and Matthew Fralley, 15, a Netcong resident who has been taking classes since he was 10 years old.

Others, like Cassandra Daniels, never heard of The Growing Stage until the show was announced. The 22-year-old Raritan Valley Community College student is playing the Scarecrow.

"'The Wiz' is one of the shows I've always wanted to do," the North Plainfield resident said. "I am definitely learning a lot."

"The Wiz" Where: The Growing Stage, 7 Ledgewood Ave., Netcong When: Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 4, this Saturday through July 29. How much: $12. Call (973) 347-4946 or visit growingstage.com

Students from College Achieve Public Schools attend the Summer of a Lifetime program at Princeton UniversityPhoto Credit: Brian Taylor

By College Achieve Public Charter School

PublishedAugust 9, 2022 at 2:56 PM

RED BANK, NJ — More than 120 rising 9th-12th graders from College Achieve Public Charter School (CAPS) — a network of public charter schools serving predominantly low-income and students of color in Paterson, Plainfield, North Plainfield, Neptune Township and Asbury Park — returned last week from summer school at some of the best universities in the nation as well as Oxford University in England through its inaugural summer program. Called the Summer Of A Lifetime (SOAL), the program offered students, some of whom haven’t traveled outside the state in which they live, an immersive experience on a college campus as well as exposure to travel and different cultures through its partnership with Oxford University.

“As lifelong educators in communities with high poverty, we’ve always seen bright students who excelled in high school, got into top universities, and struggled to fit or even dropped out their first year because they felt uncomfortable and out of place. We had to change that,” said Michael Piscal, CEO and Founder of College Achieve Public Schools. “Filling that social capital gap for our students is one of our main goals at College Achieve, which is why we’re sending them on ski trips, offering students internship opportunities and summer jobs and taking them to see plays at the local theater. These are all activities that are not part of their daily lives, but the exposure will help them feel less like outsiders and more like they belong everywhere that their hard work and abilities take them in life.”

For one to three weeks, students immersed themselves in the college experience. They attended classes taught by professors, adjuncts or Rhodes Scholars at the universities, lived in the dorms and experienced the typical day of a student on a college campus. They also visited sites around the schools including Stonehenge and Windsor Castle in England and the White House, the U.S. Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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Studies show that these intangible travel, cultural and life experiences help students feel more culturally comfortable on campus. In the United States, “white students at public colleges are two and a half times more likely to graduate than Black students, and 60 percent more likely to graduate than Latino students.” In fact, one in four first-generation college students do not return for their second year of college and one in three first-generation college students with parents who have no college experience drop out prior to completing a degree.

“There are so many students for whom college is not a given, who don’t have family members and friends telling them stories about their time in college. When they eat at the dining hall, sit in college classrooms, attend classes taught by professors and just spend the day on a university campus, we’re showing them that they belong at these schools, that it is possible for them to get into the best colleges in the nation and that they can be successful,” said Brian Taylor, who founded CAPS’ Princeton University SOAL program. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that for many of our College Achieve scholars, these few weeks are going to change their lives and mold their hopes for the future they want to build.”

CAPS was founded to help close the achievement gap between students of color and their White and Asian peers and to prepare students to get to and through college. They held their first graduation in May, where 100 percent of the seniors at College Achieve Central were accepted to at least one college or university and each graduated having taken at least three AP classes. Programs like SOAL will become a critical part of developing well-rounded students who are ready for university.

“We’re giving the kids a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with an experience they would never have had at this juncture in their young lives,” said Jodi Henderson McInerney, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director of CAPS. “I’ve already seen such growth in their independence after just a few short days of travel. The lessons they’re learning about themselves and how to navigate the world in a safe way that allows them to explore are priceless.”

State testing data shows their program is working. CAPS schools far outperform their neighborhood public schools. Most recently, CAPS students excelled on the Start Strong state testing that measured learning loss after the pandemic. The results from all three College Achieve schools showed their students needed significantly less support than their peers in neighboring schools in math and ELA.

“Many of our scholars had several firsts by participating in our SOAL program: the first time on a plane, the first time leaving America, and the first time visiting England, Harvard, and/or Princeton,” said Dr. Gemar Mills, Chief Academic Officer & Executive Director of College Achieve Paterson Charter School. “College Achieve school leaders know that being able to envision yourself at a top university is a critical first step in our students believing they can be successful anywhere their talents and hard work takes them.”

Similarly, CAPS plans to expand the SOAL program in the summer of 2023 due to its popularity among students and the positive impact it has already had on its participating scholars.

“We hope to send every high school student away at least one summer for the experience of a lifetime to an amazing college or university. We think it will make a world of difference,” Corri Ravare, Executive Director of College Achieve Central Charter School in Plainfield and North Plainfield.

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