ellencdonker
ELECTRONIC AFTERLIFE by Adrianna Donat
One student’s effort to save the environment in SOMA – and the world. We may not be able to live without computers. But how long will...
top of page
973.763.4900
STORIES
Our stories are all about the interesting people, places and things in Maplewood.
Read some here or page through our online issues.
Search
ellencdonker
Nov 26, 20216 min read
BUILDING BRIDGES, AND SCHOOLS, IN AFRICA by Tia Swanson
Morrow Church looks to lessen the divides between rich and poor Like many congregations, Morrow United Methodist Church in Maplewood has...
ellencdonker
Oct 1, 20216 min read
THE SNOWBALL EFFECT by Tia Swanson
Changing the world, one child at a time Lorraine Kerry Barnett grew up poor in the Central Ward of Newark during the dark period that...
ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20213 min read
MY VINYL LIFE WITH THE STEREO KIDS By Donny Levit
After too many months of online learning, here’s how our family went analogue again I admit this sounds like a plot point right out of a...
ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20215 min read
PARENTS GO BACK TO SCHOOL By Malia Rulon Herman
New language program teaches more than just English For a parent in the South Orange-Maplewood School District who was born in the U.S....
ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20215 min read
SAYING GOODBYE TO ONE OF THE BEST By Cassandra Ratkevich
Beloved CHS teacher Jon Campbell retires after 25 years Visitors to Columbia High School, found Jon Campbell’s classroom easy to spot...
ellencdonker
Aug 13, 20214 min read
INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER By Adrianna Donat
How the SOMA Community Helped One Young Man Find His Wings Stanley Finlayson graduated from Columbia High School this past June. But on...
ellencdonker
Jun 11, 20215 min read
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING COLLEGE CLASSES? By Malia Rulon Herman
Maplewood author Tina Kelley’s newest book demystifies an exciting new education model Imagine being able to complete the first two years...
ellencdonker
Jun 11, 20214 min read
A HOME FOR ALL SEASONS By Tia Swanson
While the pandemic raged, houses of faith reached out to their most vulnerable members In the months before the pandemic, Ben Hack, who...
ellencdonker
Mar 12, 20214 min read
TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF EEGS AND EPILSEPSY by Malia Rulon Herman
A teacher in search of a book ends up writing her own When the doctor told Danielle Perrotta that her daughter, Bella, would need to have...
ellencdonker
Mar 12, 20215 min read
BOTH SIDES NOW By Tia Swanson Photography by Julia Maloof Verderosa
A restoration lends a carriage house purpose 125 years later When New York native Christine Llewellyn Ohemeng and her husband, Kwame...
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, 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, 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, 20206 min read
MARK MURPHY'S MUSIC SCHOOL! LIVE! FROM THE BASEMENT! by Sara Courtney
The shutdown made them bored. The music kept them connected. Just a few months ago, before masks and hand sanitizer and the words “remote...
ellencdonker
Aug 14, 20205 min read
EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS by Malia Rulon Herman
How one special-ed teacher is making a difference at CHS When Takia Logan took over teaching a small, multiage special education class at...
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
Aug 14, 20203 min read
THANKING YOUR "GREAT PEOPLE" by Linda Beck
It’s not too late to acknowledge the teachers of your past Last summer, my family endeavored to watch every Avengers movie in order,...
ellencdonker
Jun 24, 20201 min read
CHS Hall of Fame Members Contribute to Congratulatory Video
CHS Hall of Fame Encourages the Class of 2020 Message from the CHS Hall of Fame Committee: In light of extended school closure and...
bottom of page