ellencdonker
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES by Ilene Moreno
A family tradition with a plant-based twist Is there anything better than the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven? Growing...
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STORIES
Our stories are all about the interesting people, places and things in Maplewood.
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ellencdonker
Mar 12, 20215 min read
VOLUNTEERS HELP PRESERVE OUR HISTORIC GREEN SPACES By Adrianna Donat
You can thank the Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy Each day people stroll through and enjoy the pristine natural beauty of Memorial...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20206 min read
CHANNELING A LOVE FOR COOKING by Ellen Donker
Seth Boyden fourth grader hosts his own cooking show Jacob Case never expected to be sharing cooking videos on Facebook. After all, he’s...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20206 min read
MAKING HOLIDAY TRADITIONS SUSTAINABLE by Georgia Madiba
How to map the road to eco gift-wrap and more When you’re a child, you aren’t able to understand and appreciate each layer of your...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20206 min read
WHAT REALLY MATTERS by Elaine Durbach
Reflecting on a storied 30 years We could have been very confused. For my husband and me, coming from Park Slope and knowing only one...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20204 min read
NEED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP FINDING JOY THIS SEASON? by Adrianna Donat
SOMA’s own Angeli Elliott brings you a festival of elves Angeli Elliott has a special connection with the holiday season. In love with...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20203 min read
QUARATINE DOG by Sara Courtney
Down and out with man's best friend So you got a dog. Not just any dog. A quarantine dog. A dog to shelter in place with. A dog to...
ellencdonker
Nov 27, 20207 min read
A GAMER'S PARADISE IN SOUTH ORANGE by Donny Levit
Chris Donnell’s basement “museum” chronicles decades of electronic gaming South Orange resident Chris Donnell is comfortably seated on...
ellencdonker
Aug 14, 20204 min read
A PLACE FOR SPACING OUT by Ellen Donker
Columbia High School’s astronomical observatory is restored Humanity has long been enthralled with observing the cosmos in an effort to...
ellencdonker
Aug 14, 20206 min read
PANDEMICS DON'T COME WITH BLUEPRINTS by Donny Levit
Village President Sheena Collum and Mayor Frank McGehee forge a powerful leadership bond When President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his...
ellencdonker
Aug 14, 20204 min read
MAKING WAVES by Kristen Ryan
The CHS boys’ swim team helps to net a strong season For the Columbia High School swim team, time in the water is private, focused and...
ellencdonker
Aug 14, 20203 min read
EDUCATING KIDS ON TRASH by Georgia Madiba
A summer walk turns into a waste audit Playgrounds reopened in July after being closed due to the pandemic and, naturally, my two...
ellencdonker
Jun 19, 20205 min read
COMMUNITY HUB by Linda Beck
The Post Office is your social headquarters These days, the trek to the post office and the infamously long, slow line at the window are...
ellencdonker
Jun 19, 20206 min read
ZOOM AND THE ART OF ONLINE KARATE by Donny Levit
Shihan Durand Howard earns a new belt for distance learning On a late weekday afternoon in May, 6-year-old Aila Harris grabs onto her...
ellencdonker
Jun 19, 20205 min read
TEN DECADES OF MAPLEWOOD "SCOUTS' HONOR" by Adrianna Donat
Troop 5 celebrates a century of service and leadership For as long as anyone can remember, the mayor of Maplewood has attended the Eagle...
ellencdonker
Jun 19, 20202 min read
HONORING OUR COMMUNITY by Ellen Donker
Finding our way forward At Matters Magazine, we’ve always adhered to the purpose of sharing content that is upbeat and positive, running...
ellencdonker
May 1, 20204 min read
EVER HEARD OF DJANGO? by Donny Levit Photography by Julia Maloof Verderosa
Guitarist Stéphane Wrembel will make you a devotee At first listen, classical piano, Pink Floyd, and gypsy jazz possess vastly different...
ellencdonker
May 1, 20205 min read
TECHNOLOGY IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS by Adrianna Donat
Residents depend on their digital connections more than ever If you had to choose a day when our community made a uniform shift in...
ellencdonker
May 1, 20203 min read
WHAT IF WE ARE THE LAST HUMANS? by Abby Sher
Author Lee Bacon says that’s okay These days, it’s all too easy to get swept up in predictions about the end of the world as we know it....
ellencdonker
May 1, 20205 min read
UNDERSTANDING A DIFFICULT PAST by Gail Robyn Safian
A community celebrates African American history and freedom Revisiting history is important. It helps us understand our past as well as...
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