Cherry Hill Sun

Author: atwiford

  • District cuts ribbon on all-purpose rooms

    Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    Board of education president Gina Winters and Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton helped celebrate the new room at Kingston Elementary.

    Among major construction work at township school buildings this summer was the building of new all-purpose rooms in six of the district’s 12 elementary schools: Clara Barton, James Johnson, Kingston, A. Russell Knight, Horace Mann and Joseph D. Sharp.

    The rooms were among projects paid for with a $363-million bond referendum passed by Cherry Hill voters in 2022. To celebrate their openings, the district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kingston on Sept. 18.

    While the all-purpose rooms have been in use by students and staff since the beginning of the school year, the ribbon cutting marked their official openings. They have a number of features that will help the schools run programs and activities for the entire student body.

    At Kingston, the new room consists of a full-size basketball court with a built-in stage accessible for those with disabilities. Its stage has a light system with different functionalities and the room has an integrated audio-visual system with Bluetooth connectable speakers, a projector and a drop-down screen. 

    It can be secured from the rest of the building using locked doors, has storage and office space for a physical education teacher and custodial staff and a single-use bathroom. 

    “It’s a game-changer in terms of a whole group assembly location we didn’t fit real well in,” noted Kingston principal Dr. William Marble. “It wouldn’t fit real well in the former APR. So to have that, and again, in a climate-controlled environment, is really phenomenal.  

    “In the past,’ he added, “we just limited that to a couple of grade levels so that we could fit them in that assembly. We can do a whole school assembly this year.” 

    Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton began the ribbon cutting with a story about how he spoke with some of the fourth graders outside for recess before the ceremony. They asked him if those who paid for the new room would be there.

    “I thought for a second and I said yeah,” Morton recounted. “And then – in a young lady’s infinite wisdom – she said, ‘My parents have to pay for this.’ And I said, ‘You are absolutely correct.’ And that’s exactly why we’re here.”

    Morton thanked people who played a role in getting the referendum passed and the all-purpose rooms built.

    “This is the story of us,” he explained. “This is the story of Cherry Hill, and who Cherry Hill is, and what we’re all about, that is a unified community which is highly supportive of its schools and of its students.”

    Board of education president Gina Winters recalled the hard work that went into getting the referendum passed. A 2018 referendum to improve the schools was rejected by voters, so when the district was drafting the 2022 measure, community members were asked why the prior referendum had failed.

    “The board engaged all corners of the community to identify our collective aspirations for our schools,” Winters pointed out. “The decision was made to do something audacious. As one former board president told me, ‘If you have a choice between safe and bold, choose bold.’”

    Current and former members of the board gathered as Morton and Winters used an oversized pair of scissors branded with school district colors of purple and red scissors to cut the ribbon.

    Kingston students play in the new all-purpose room following the ribbon cutting.

    Kingston students then made their way to the room’s basketball court.

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  • Library hosts WHYY for book banning talk

    Abigail Twiford/ The Sun One of the small groups discussing the different aspects associated with book banning during the WHYY event.

    The Cherry Hill Public Library and WHYY both aim to be channels for members of the public to share opinions and voice opposing viewpoints in a safe and respectful way.

    This was demonstrated by the library hosting WHYY for a conversation on book banning on Sept. 10.

    According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, it tracked 821 attempts to ban library materials or services last year, with 2,452 unique titles challenged. 

    While these numbers are lower than those in 2023, they are still higher than reported ban attempts before 2020, which is one of the reasons why WHYY decided on the topic for the talk.

    They began their event with moderator Brisa Luzzi Castro, a community convener at WHYY and Tony Cuffie, senior manager of community and engagement at the organization showing the group a “60 Minutes” piece of book banning throughout the nation.

    After showing the piece, the group was given a hand out outlining agreements to participate in the discussion and five questions.

    “We’re out with you today to share our perspectives, but listen to the perspectives of others, and be willing to be here with an open mind, listening to some of these, of the lived experiences of the folks who are sitting next to us,” said Castro. 

    The rules for the group included to come with an open mind, listen to learn from others, respect the other speakers, no personal attacks and an acknowledgement that facts are universal while opinions are subjective.

    “It’s all a matter of one’s perspective in terms of how they think to solve the challenge,” Cuffie said, adding there’s no right answer.

    The audience was broken into four small groups for a 20 minute small group discussion to discuss the five provided questions.

    The questions consisted of why the individual wanted to participate, the biggest challenges related to the issue, key groups or issues related to the issue that are often missed, what they feel people with opposing viewpoints get wrong and what they would like key stakeholders to change or improve about the issue. 

    Conversations featured people saying that librarians are not being defended, parents having the right over their own children’s educations but not rights over all public school curriculum, lack of respect for one another fueled by social media and the need to hear other perspectives.

    Kathy Hogan is a Cherry Hill resident and lawyer who came out to share her views and hear those of others.

    She shared similar views in attendance, noting that it is important for maintaining freedom of speech to not allow a few people to ban works based on their own views. 

    Many in the group also said that due to this similarity in views, they thought it would have been more productive to have more people with varying views. 

    “It’s so important, especially now for communities to get together,” Hogan said.

  • Library hosts WHYY for book banning talk

    Abigail Twiford/ The Sun One of the small groups discussing the different aspects associated with book banning during the WHYY event.

    The Cherry Hill Public Library and WHYY both aim to be channels for members of the public to share opinions and voice opposing viewpoints in a safe and respectful way.

    This was demonstrated by the library hosting WHYY for a conversation on book banning on Sept. 10.

    According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, it tracked 821 attempts to ban library materials or services last year, with 2,452 unique titles challenged. 

    While these numbers are lower than those in 2023, they are still higher than reported ban attempts before 2020, which is one of the reasons why WHYY decided on the topic for the talk.

    They began their event with moderator Brisa Luzzi Castro, a community convener at WHYY and Tony Cuffie, senior manager of community and engagement at the organization showing the group a “60 Minutes” piece of book banning throughout the nation.

    After showing the piece, the group was given a hand out outlining agreements to participate in the discussion and five questions.

    “We’re out with you today to share our perspectives, but listen to the perspectives of others, and be willing to be here with an open mind, listening to some of these, of the lived experiences of the folks who are sitting next to us,” said Castro. 

    The rules for the group included to come with an open mind, listen to learn from others, respect the other speakers, no personal attacks and an acknowledgement that facts are universal while opinions are subjective.

    “It’s all a matter of one’s perspective in terms of how they think to solve the challenge,” Cuffie said, adding there’s no right answer.

    The audience was broken into four small groups for a 20 minute small group discussion to discuss the five provided questions.

    The questions consisted of why the individual wanted to participate, the biggest challenges related to the issue, key groups or issues related to the issue that are often missed, what they feel people with opposing viewpoints get wrong and what they would like key stakeholders to change or improve about the issue. 

    Conversations featured people saying that librarians are not being defended, parents having the right over their own children’s educations but not rights over all public school curriculum, lack of respect for one another fueled by social media and the need to hear other perspectives.

    Kathy Hogan is a Cherry Hill resident and lawyer who came out to share her views and hear those of others.

    She shared similar views in attendance, noting that it is important for maintaining freedom of speech to not allow a few people to ban works based on their own views. 

    Many in the group also said that due to this similarity in views, they thought it would have been more productive to have more people with varying views. 

    “It’s so important, especially now for communities to get together,” Hogan said.

  • ‘Coffee and conversation, no frills’

    Abigail Twiford/ The Sun A member of the public enters Ponzio’s Diner to speak with police about community concerns during Coffee with a Cop event.

    Police departments throughout the country look for ways to connect and engage with their local communities to support better community relations. 

    One of the most common ways of doing this is with programs like Coffee with a Cop, which the Cherry Hill Police Department holds regularly.

    The most recent was held at Ponzio’s Diner on Sept. 10, with Mayor Dave Fleisher and members of the township council also taking part in the initiative.

    Councilman Daniel DiRenzo was one of those in attendance, speaking with residents and police as the two hour event went on.

    “I’ve already seen it work,” he relayed. “One officer sat down with a resident who had some questions and they talked for about half an hour.”

    The department had set up a table in the front of the restaurant, next to the case of baked goods, giving out cups, pens, rubber wrist bands and stickers, as well as pamphlets with community resources.

    Officer Anthony Amato was primarily responsible for setting up the event, which is held quarterly. 

    “We try to go to different businesses throughout Cherry Hill Township, generally speaking an establishment that does offer coffee, because that kind of ties in everything,” he shared.

    As members of the public entered, staff at the diner would offer them something to drink, while other residents would meet with the officers before getting something to eat from the business.

    Alana Palmer was one citizen that came out specifically to meet with officers after hearing of the event on Facebook.

    “I actually work for a company that gives back to police and stuff, so I was kind of just trying to find a way to connect with more of them…,” she offered.

    Businesses throughout the township have been open to hosting, allowing for the department to move around throughout the area.

    “Usually we’ve been pretty successful with the businesses,” Amato said “They’re willing to participate. They’re excited to have us come in, and it’s just, it’s great because then we get to establish the relationship with the business.”

    The main purpose of the program and other community engagement activities is to give the public the opportunity to speak with officers and bring up any specific concerns or questions they have for the officers that patrol the township.

    “The idea behind it is just coffee and conversation, no frills,” Amato said.

    “Come and meet your police officers.”

  • ‘Coffee and conversation, no frills’

    Abigail Twiford/ The Sun A member of the public enters Ponzio’s Diner to speak with police about community concerns during Coffee with a Cop event.

    Police departments throughout the country look for ways to connect and engage with their local communities to support better community relations. 

    One of the most common ways of doing this is with programs like Coffee with a Cop, which the Cherry Hill Police Department holds regularly.

    The most recent was held at Ponzio’s Diner on Sept. 10, with Mayor Dave Fleisher and members of the township council also taking part in the initiative.

    Councilman Daniel DiRenzo was one of those in attendance, speaking with residents and police as the two hour event went on.

    “I’ve already seen it work,” he relayed. “One officer sat down with a resident who had some questions and they talked for about half an hour.”

    The department had set up a table in the front of the restaurant, next to the case of baked goods, giving out cups, pens, rubber wrist bands and stickers, as well as pamphlets with community resources.

    Officer Anthony Amato was primarily responsible for setting up the event, which is held quarterly. 

    “We try to go to different businesses throughout Cherry Hill Township, generally speaking an establishment that does offer coffee, because that kind of ties in everything,” he shared.

    As members of the public entered, staff at the diner would offer them something to drink, while other residents would meet with the officers before getting something to eat from the business.

    Alana Palmer was one citizen that came out specifically to meet with officers after hearing of the event on Facebook.

    “I actually work for a company that gives back to police and stuff, so I was kind of just trying to find a way to connect with more of them…,” she offered.

    Businesses throughout the township have been open to hosting, allowing for the department to move around throughout the area.

    “Usually we’ve been pretty successful with the businesses,” Amato said “They’re willing to participate. They’re excited to have us come in, and it’s just, it’s great because then we get to establish the relationship with the business.”

    The main purpose of the program and other community engagement activities is to give the public the opportunity to speak with officers and bring up any specific concerns or questions they have for the officers that patrol the township.

    “The idea behind it is just coffee and conversation, no frills,” Amato said.

    “Come and meet your police officers.”

  • Hundreds celebrate South Jersey Pride

    Photos by Abigail Twiford. People look in on booths set up along the Cooper River Park path at the South Jersey Pride Festival.

    While the majority of pride celebrations for the LGBTQ community are held during Pride Month in June, South Jersey has its own tradition in September of each year.

    A pride festival has been put on at Cooper River Park on the first Sunday of September since 2008 when founder Erin Baskin-Bradshaw and her then girlfriend realized that though there were pride celebrations all over the country, there was nothing in the South Jersey area.

    “We were coming back from Charlotte Pride in North Carolina, we were like, ‘Why don’t we have something like this where we live?’ We’re going to all these other places, and we don’t have anything in our own backyard,” recalled Baskin-Bradshaw.

    This year, the festival took place on Sept. 7 as a rain or shine event.

    Local businesses, vendors and community organizations came out, each setting up tents along the park’s paved path that runs parallel to the river.

    The New Jersey Chapter of the AIDS Memorial Quilt was in attendance, with a portion of the quilt on display for those in attendance to see and learn more about the organization.

    The quilt was first conceived during the height of the AIDS pandemic in 1985, as a way for loved ones of those who died of the disease to document their loved one’s name and help make others understand the impact of the disease. 

    The portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display during the festival.

    Another community organization in attendance was the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, which aims to empower transgender people in the region through music.

    “We support singers at any point in their transition, whether or not they’re going through hormone replacement therapy,” explained founding artistic director Maya Kociba. “We sing classical, choral rap, pop music, musical theater, any, really, anything you can think of.”

    In addition to the various community organizations and queer-owned or operated businesses, there were also live performances, with comedian Michelle Tomko serving as the master of ceremonies.

    “What is so great about it is we see kids, we see dogs,” Tompkins noted. “We see people that are just out in the park for the day… It’s a real community builder. Anybody that wants to perform can make a lobby to be on the docket to perform, along with people that perform annually.

    “You would be hard pressed to find a more inclusive event.”

    The first of the live events was the annual voguing contest, in which anyone in attendance could sign up to participate to do their best form of the voguing dance, which is an important and recognizable part of LGBTQ culture. 

    Participants of all ages lined up at the performance area and danced across the lawn, each giving their own interpretation and spin of the dance, with some focusing more on arm movement as others used their whole body.

    Once everyone vogued, Tomko asked the audience to cheer the loudest for who they wanted to win. 

    The winner was Beau Baldyga, an attendee who dabbles in drag. Baldyga was presented with a tall, sparkly crown for their achievement.

    “It feels very rewarding being a drag performer who just came to do it so that my niece would get up,” Baldyga shared. “It was very, very fun. The crowd was very nice.”

    Several festival attendees dance to the music.

    Following the contest, Tomko started a dance party, encouraging everyone to get out on the lawn and dance to songs like the “Cha Cha Slide,” “Cupid Shuffle” and “The Wobble.”

    Drag performers Dr. Rasta Boi Punany and Mrs. Andrea LaMour entertained the crowd with performances.

    Mrs. Andrea LaMour gives a lip sync performance on the lawn during the Pride festival.

    Each one gave a lip syncing performance to different songs.

    The event lasted several hours with hundreds of people coming through the park to stop to speak with others, spend time at one of the booths or watch the performances.

  • Hundreds celebrate South Jersey Pride

    Photos by Abigail Twiford. People look in on booths set up along the Cooper River Park path at the South Jersey Pride Festival.

    While the majority of pride celebrations for the LGBTQ community are held during Pride Month in June, South Jersey has its own tradition in September of each year.

    A pride festival has been put on at Cooper River Park on the first Sunday of September since 2008 when founder Erin Baskin-Bradshaw and her then girlfriend realized that though there were pride celebrations all over the country, there was nothing in the South Jersey area.

    “We were coming back from Charlotte Pride in North Carolina, we were like, ‘Why don’t we have something like this where we live?’ We’re going to all these other places, and we don’t have anything in our own backyard,” recalled Baskin-Bradshaw.

    This year, the festival took place on Sept. 7 as a rain or shine event.

    Local businesses, vendors and community organizations came out, each setting up tents along the park’s paved path that runs parallel to the river.

    The New Jersey Chapter of the AIDS Memorial Quilt was in attendance, with a portion of the quilt on display for those in attendance to see and learn more about the organization.

    The quilt was first conceived during the height of the AIDS pandemic in 1985, as a way for loved ones of those who died of the disease to document their loved one’s name and help make others understand the impact of the disease. 

    The portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display during the festival.

    Another community organization in attendance was the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, which aims to empower transgender people in the region through music.

    “We support singers at any point in their transition, whether or not they’re going through hormone replacement therapy,” explained founding artistic director Maya Kociba. “We sing classical, choral rap, pop music, musical theater, any, really, anything you can think of.”

    In addition to the various community organizations and queer-owned or operated businesses, there were also live performances, with comedian Michelle Tomko serving as the master of ceremonies.

    “What is so great about it is we see kids, we see dogs,” Tompkins noted. “We see people that are just out in the park for the day… It’s a real community builder. Anybody that wants to perform can make a lobby to be on the docket to perform, along with people that perform annually.

    “You would be hard pressed to find a more inclusive event.”

    The first of the live events was the annual voguing contest, in which anyone in attendance could sign up to participate to do their best form of the voguing dance, which is an important and recognizable part of LGBTQ culture. 

    Participants of all ages lined up at the performance area and danced across the lawn, each giving their own interpretation and spin of the dance, with some focusing more on arm movement as others used their whole body.

    Once everyone vogued, Tomko asked the audience to cheer the loudest for who they wanted to win. 

    The winner was Beau Baldyga, an attendee who dabbles in drag. Baldyga was presented with a tall, sparkly crown for their achievement.

    “It feels very rewarding being a drag performer who just came to do it so that my niece would get up,” Baldyga shared. “It was very, very fun. The crowd was very nice.”

    Several festival attendees dance to the music.

    Following the contest, Tomko started a dance party, encouraging everyone to get out on the lawn and dance to songs like the “Cha Cha Slide,” “Cupid Shuffle” and “The Wobble.”

    Drag performers Dr. Rasta Boi Punany and Mrs. Andrea LaMour entertained the crowd with performances.

    Mrs. Andrea LaMour gives a lip sync performance on the lawn during the Pride festival.

    Each one gave a lip syncing performance to different songs.

    The event lasted several hours with hundreds of people coming through the park to stop to speak with others, spend time at one of the booths or watch the performances.

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