South Orange Awards Two CHS Students

At Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting, two graduating seniors from Columbia High School were named Villagers of the Month for the month of June 2011.  Catherine Sullivan, representing the Community Relations Committee, spoke about the students before presenting the awards to the students in front of friends and family.

The first award was presented to Alyse Royal.  Royal has been active as a peer mentor, participating in the Peer Leadership Program.  She helped prepare students for the transition between Middle School and Columbia High School.  In addition to her mentoring activities, she sang with the women’s choir, participated in the Martin Luther King association and was a member of varsity cheerleader. 

“I would like to thank the Trustees of South Orange for recognizing me; I would also like to thank my family and the people who recommended me for this,” said Royal.  “As a member of the South Orange community, I would like to say, as I head out and go to college, that I will make this city proud.”

Upon graduation, Alyse Royal will be attending Howard University in Washington, D.C.  She plans on studying writing for radio, television and film.

The second award was presented to David Hoffman.  Hoffman has dedicated himself to helping neglected children around the world.  Despite still being in high school, he has already taken two trips to Africa, where he taught in orphanages in Ethiopia and Ghana.  At Columbia High School, Hoffman has been involved with the Peer Leadership program, tutoring kids with disabilities and participates in the school’s television productions.

“I’d like to thank every South Orange resident and everyone here tonight,” said Hoffman.  “I hope that I keep a good representation of South Orange and Columbia (High School) going along.  I hope you guys can see me later in life.”

Upon graduation, Hoffman will be attending Northeastern in Boston, MA, where he plans on studying International Studies.  He will also be studying for a semester in London.

Following the presentation, Trustee Deborah Davis Ford offered her congratulations to the students and expressed how pleased she is with progress being made by the school system.

“As a resident, elected official and taxpayer, I feel good about the return of investment of the 56% of my tax bill that went to support public education,” said Davis Ford.  “These two individuals are fine examples of the type of public education that we provide for residents and students in South Orange.  We need to continue to ensure that the best resources are provided to them within reason.”