youth

STORIES

Our stories are all about the interesting people, places and things in Maplewood.

Read some here or page through our online issues.

AN UNCOMMON HOLIDAY TRADITION by Rick Gilman

ellencdonker

Nov 26, 20213 min read

AN UNCOMMON HOLIDAY TRADITION by Rick Gilman

Some might call it ingenious When I was 12 years old, my stepmom entrusted me with the job of watering our Christmas tree. Little did I...

BUILDING BRIDGES, AND SCHOOLS, IN AFRICA by Tia Swanson

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...

WHAT MATTERS THIS SEASON by Ellen Donker

ellencdonker

Nov 26, 20213 min read

WHAT MATTERS THIS SEASON by Ellen Donker

Honoring our traditions even as they shift As the holidays are upon us, I’m looking forward to any excuse to be with family and friends...

FROM THE NBA TO FULL-TIME WRITER by Ellen Donker

ellencdonker

Nov 26, 20215 min read

FROM THE NBA TO FULL-TIME WRITER by Ellen Donker

Ken Gagne’s memoir chronicles his youth, home and family Ken Gagne’s father had a lot of pithy sayings. They were nuggets of wisdom –...

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...

PARENTS GO BACK TO SCHOOL By Malia Rulon Herman

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, 20216 min read

SOLVING A CONUNDRUM By Sara Courtney

A CHS student collaboration creates a video-game hit When Wesley Sappington got the idea to create a video game, he did what any budding...

SAYING GOODBYE TO ONE OF THE BEST By Cassandra Ratkevich

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, 20213 min read

THE JOBS OF SUMMER By Ellen Donker

They’ll have value past August This summer, my kids gave me a gift: All three of them found employment. I exhaled a big sigh of relief...

INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER By Adrianna Donat

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...

SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR HOUSE, WITH LOVE By Tami Steckler

ellencdonker

Jun 11, 20213 min read

SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR HOUSE, WITH LOVE By Tami Steckler

Thank you for these 21 years Dear House, I remember the first time I saw you. To be honest, I didn’t love you then. I thought your rooms...

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING COLLEGE CLASSES? By Malia Rulon Herman

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...

IS BASEBALL CALLING MY NAME By Ellen Donker

ellencdonker

Jun 11, 20213 min read

IS BASEBALL CALLING MY NAME By Ellen Donker

I’m learning to read the signals It’s baseball season and I think this may be the year to throw myself into the sport. That’s what...

A YEAR OF HOME LOVE By Cassandra Ratkevich

ellencdonker

Mar 12, 20213 min read

A YEAR OF HOME LOVE By Cassandra Ratkevich

Positive domestic outcomes of a time of pandemic The Year I Didn’t Go to School by Giselle Potter was once a favorite bedtime picture...

TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF EEGS AND EPILSEPSY by Malia Rulon Herman

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...

BOTH SIDES NOW By Tia Swanson Photography by Julia Maloof Verderosa

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, 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

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...