Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

In 1978, when about 660 seniors graduated from Livingston High School, I was asked to present the class gift in memory of my great-aunt, a respected math teacher who died that year. Genevieve Waldron continued to teach as cancer invaded her body, not willing to give up on the career that she loved. Back then, I dreamed of following in Aunt Gen's footsteps (not in math, definitely not in math), as an ordinary (and definitely nervous) kid stepped up to represent the Class of ’78.

On Thursday, I was sitting on the sidelines as 453 seniors received diplomas, impressed by the poise of the speakers, their elegance and sense of humor as they delivered words of advice and paid tribute to their retiring Principal Pamela Clause McGroarty.

The field house commencement was a fitting venue for the former Lancer coach. Valedictorian Kevin Shi challenged his classmates: “Lets embrace the uncomfortable, dive into the unfamiliar, gamble on the unproven,” Shi said. “Lets charge into this new beginning in true Lancer fashion, never afraid to rock the boat.”

We hope you are clicking onto Patch daily for news of Livingston and receiving our daily or weekly newsletter. We run half a dozen stories a day of interest to Livingston residents, covering our town and people who live and work here. We launched Local Voices, blog posts written by Patch readers, to continue the conversations we are having in our homes with a broader audience.

In case you missed it, here is a review of some of the week's top stories:

We went all out for the Class of 2011, with video, story, and photos:

: Graduation honors 453 graduates and legacy of Pam McGroarty.

: In less than 5 minutes, relive the ceremony for the Class of 2011.

 : Snapshots from the LHS graduation. We invite you to add your own or email them to marilyn.lehren@patch.com

Charter Schools

: Codey calls fight over charter schools a 'watershed moment.'

Schools

: Board of Education works to revise substance abuse policy.

: Helicopters land at Mt. Pleasant as 6th graders celebrate a drug-free life.

: Newsweek says it studied the best of the best: ‘The ones producing kids ready for college and life.’

Trenton

: Vote dragged into the evening following a day of protests in Trenton.

: Bill that increases contributions is approved by NJ Senate by margin on 24-15.

: PBA to challenge elimination of COLA for retirees, health contributions into retirement for officers with less than 20 years, and the altering of existing collectively bargained health plans.

: Surcharge on the wealthy would deliver additional aid to New Jersey's wealthiest school districts.

: New Jersey Newsroom: Livingston billionaire invests in B4Kids.

Neighbors

: Rabbinical students to get a special send-off from special need cyclists on first leg of their cross-county ride.

: Pastor hopes to share rooms with community groups.

: Township Council recognizes ‘a great beginning’ of conversation by advisory committee.

Sports

: Livingston girls break the school's distance medley relay record.

 : Frank Schwindel playing in Hamptons summer baseball league.

: Youth1 reports on the Livingston Girls U11 Soccer team's championship win.

: Anna Fredette receives Sportsmanship Award.

: Jordan Farber has a good showing for LHS.

You can find all the news on top of the Livingston Patch site by clicking on the tab for News. You can browse by Arts, Government, Business, Police and Fire, School News, Sports, Announcements and now -- Local Voices. If you're interested in blogging, email marilyn.lehren@patch.com.

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