NJ Devils Team Praised For Investing Time, Funds For Newark Students

NEWARK, NJ — They’re called “devils,” but they act more like angels, Newark public school administrators say.

The Newark Public School District recently hosted a luncheon honoring the New Jersey Devils hockey organization for their “long-standing and continued investment in Newark students.”

During the May event, Newark district administrators presented a proclamation and an award to Hugh Weber, President of the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, recognizing the organization’s significant impact on Newark students and thanking the Devils for their ongoing commitment to the local community.

According to school administrators, over the past two decades, the New Jersey Devils have made a variety of investments in athletic programs across the district, “exposing thousands of students to the sport of hockey.”

• See related article: A 'Devilish' Donation to the Newark Public Schools

For example, this past season, the Devils allowed Newark’s East Side High School boys’ and girls’ hockey teams to use their practice rink next to the Prudential Center. Additionally, back in December, the Devils donated 35 new sticks to the East Side High School boys’ ice hockey team.

Many players involved in the Newark hockey program have gone on to play at the high school level for Newark’s East Side High School boys’ and girls’ hockey teams, school officials said.

According to administers, Newark students began participating in the team’s “Street Devils” program in 2008, and the program is now expanding to 25 schools and will reach over 5,000 students by the end of the 2017 school year. The program donates sticks, balls, and other street hockey equipment to schools so that students can learn to play the game at a young age, and participate in more structured activities during physical education classes and in after-school activities.

• See related article: NJ Devils Honor Newark High School Student Hockey Stars

“Hockey is a very expensive sport to play,” said Keith Veltre, Special Assistant of Athletics & Extra-Curricular Activities at NPS and Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Coach at East Side High School.

“However, our students are now able to explore this exciting game, free of charge, thanks to the Devils’ generous investments across the district,” Veltre added. “We’ve found that once our students get a stick in their hand, they fall in love with the game, allowing them to develop the important life skills of teamwork, discipline and perseverance that they will utilize for the rest of their lives.”

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Photo: Rob Salagaj