As we prepare for 2019, let’s take a look back at some of the top moments from this past year in our schools, in the community and in the borough.
Another year is coming to a close, and Berlin Borough residents have plenty to look back on from the municipal and school levels, as well as community events. New and continuing trends in local schools, as well as the evolving downtown area, dominated the headlines in 2018.
Let’s take a look back at some of the top moments from this past year:
Berlin continues its revamp through 2018
Easing into 2018, Berlin aimed to maintain its ongoing initiatives to conserve open space, promote commercial business and preserve borough history.
In partnership with organizations such as the Downtown Berlin Revitalization Corp., local government envisioned the town at the beginning of the year, and continued to, as a future hub for culture, cuisine, arts and unique retail.
Straying away from typical strip malls, council is striving to resurrect Berlin’s individuality, as the borough is home to an authentic Main Street with history dating back nearly three centuries when the Lonaconing Indian Trail once weaved through the region.
“Berlin was the center of commerce for many years, and then it got overgrown by all the big-box retail,” Mayor Jim Bilella said. “We need to reinvent ourselves. We want to be unique to ourselves.”
The new year fell on the heels of council’s December 2017 adoption of an ordinance moving closer to Berlin’s Comprehensive Master Plan — a goal revitalizing and developing the borough’s downtown commercial district. The ordinance revised commercial zones and permitted uses, striving to revamp decades-old zones for a model that will promote more prosperity.
Bilella said that throughout 2018, he hoped downtown Berlin would gradually acquire opportunities for more performance arts and novel eateries, such as beer gardens.
“Those are the kind of activities that generate people coming to Berlin,” he said. “Things that are fun and different — people want to do unique things. … We need to capitalize on that.”
There are still plans in the works for commercial opportunities that will be completed in 2019, however just in the past two months the borough has already seen the grand openings of Mr. E’s Game World and Bunnycakes, small, locally-owned businesses that hope to stand out for the area.
Berlin Community School hosts first STEAM and Math Night
Marshmallows, ping-pong balls and plastic cups helped create the first annual STEAM and Math Night at the Berlin Community School cafeteria in January, helping further implement science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
As the world’s technological landscape perpetually changes, BCS teachers recognized the importance of keeping students ahead of the innovational curve.
“We want, more than anything, for our kids to be ready for college and be ready for future careers that are going to look a lot different than the careers when we were young,” said Kristin Groark, the district’s director of instruction. “We have to make sure our curriculum provides that for our kids, so they’re prepared for a different future than what we had.”
The evening kicked off with a presentation about GoMath!, an engaging and interactive approach to covering new state standards, according to the program’s website.
Using a PowerPoint, BCS teachers advised parents on how to help their children tackle alternative math skills.
Following the presentation, it was time for families to put their STEAM skills to the test, as participants were assigned a design challenge. Within 25 minutes, two teams at each lunch table had to construct a ski chair lift, utilizing the various random materials, that could safely transport a small object from the bottom of the “valley” to the top of the “mountain.”
“It’s a little ambitious,” Michael Ford, kindergarten to fifth-grade STEAM teacher and district technology coach, told parents. “But, seeing your children in the STEAM classroom, I promise you’re going to see something amazing on those tables.”
Eastern Regional girls winter track sprints for first
At the NJSIAA Group IV Relay Championship in January, Eastern Regional High Schools winter track team placed first among 34 teams for the girl’s 4×51 and a half-meter race, scoring the fastest time for Group IV, as well as the fastest time in the state with a time of 32.33 seconds.
Composed of mostly lowerclassmen, four teammates, Jewel Ash, Jailya Ash, Abigail Brocco and Dariyah Corbett-Collier, were all relatively new to hurdles before competing in this event.
While the girls knew they were going to give it their all, they did not expect to make Eastern history that night in Toms River.
“We expected to do well,” Corbett-Collier, a junior, said. “But we didn’t expect to come in first.”
Barry Jackson, coach of sprinters and hurdlers for boys and girls winter track, implements hurdles in all of his training, believing its influence on runners’ mobility benefits them in all realms of the sport, such as balance and coordination.
“Whether they’re new or old to hurdles, my philosophy is — everybody trains hurdles,” Jackson said. “It makes them more mobile and makes their limbs, particularly their legs, more flexible at the hips. Their hips, their legs and their cores are the more important things for a runner.”
The teammates felt Jackson helped to mend any of their insecurities about hurdling before going into the championship that day.
“It felt great to break a record. I thought (being a freshman) we weren’t going to do as much,” Jailya Ash said. “But, knowing we broke a record — that definitely feels nice.”
Camden County Animal Shelter reaches record-breaking save rates
In the first few weeks of 2018, the Camden County Animal Shelter made headlines after it was announced it saved 91 percent of felines and 92 percent of canines the previous year.
The fusion of political, medical and behavioral initiatives led Camden County to achieve the highest percentage of save rates in South Jersey.
“This 90 percent rate comes at the heels of us taking every single animal that comes in the door,” Freeholder Jonathan L. Young said. “We don’t pick and choose what animals come into our shelter. No matter what the case is — we take them all and make it work.”
Since 2009, Camden County Animal Shelter has increased its save rate by 45 percent for cats and 19 percent for dogs. A total of 1,540 animals were transferred out to other rescue agencies in 2017, an increase of 37 percent or 417 more lives saved, according to the county.
