September 30, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Midland Park Midland Park Baseball Association is asking the Midland Park mayor and council and the board of education to allocate funds to fix the upper Sunset Street fields for girls varsity softball use. At present the varsity softball program shares the town’s junior baseball field, but changes in state rules are making that co-existence impossible, necessitating a new venue for softball. Baseball Association President John Artuso appeared at recent meetings of both public bodies to ask for the funds for the Sunset field upgrade. The field is owned by the board of education. Currently the boys’ farm division ages 9 and 10 play on this field. Artuso said his organization would be willing to donate some materials and manpower to the renovation project but cannot contribute any monies because it had paid for the upgrading of the men’s softball field earlier this year. Artuso said his request was prompted by a recent statemandated relocation of the high school softball pitcher’s Baseball association wants Sunset fields refurbished mound from 40 feet to 43 feet back from home plate. All high school age groups have to make this change. The town’s junior baseball program has been sharing its fencedin field adjacent to the snack bar with the high school Girls Varsity Softball team for a number of years. The problem, Artuso explained, is that baseball cannot remove the dirt pitcher’s mound to accommodate the new girls’ softball pitching distance. “This will ruin the junior field for its main use, boys’ baseball. This field has been the pride of Midland Park, and baseball communities from all over are very impressed with the care and maintaining of the field which baseball is responsible for,” Artuso said in a letter to school and town officials. “The Baseball Association has coexisted with both the girls’ high school softball programs and recreation programs for the longest time. Now with this new pitching distance the junior field is being threatened,” Artuso added. The junior field also works in conjunction with the snack bar. “The snack bar is our biggest source of income for the entire program. Without the snack bar, the baseball program will be severely impacted and we will not be able to maintain our program,” he said. Rehabilitating the Sunset fields seems to be the only option, Artuso said, urging the council to look to adding another field in the future. Ironically the Sunset fields were used for varsity softball play since the sport began at Midland Park High School. Over time, however, the program (continued on page 25) Nine students at Midland Park High School have earned the prestigious AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the Advanced Placement exams. Francesca Venezia qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on five or more of those exams. Four students, Allie Cichewicz, Steven Huang, Jeremy Priestner, and Keith Traynor qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of three or higher on four or more of these exams. Claire Lorenzo, Krystyna Makowski, Sonia Noriega, and Anthony Timpanaro all qualified for the AP Scholar Nine receive AP Scholar Awards Slim Down Now! Super October in s. Sallvfor degs! tail Ca Award by completing three or more AP exams with grades of three or higher. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP exams. About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP exams. Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides motivated and academically (continued on page 25) at DIET WEIGHT LOSE CENTER® LOSE 10-20-30 POUNDS or more! 201-652-4447 MIDLAND PARK 24 Godwin Avenue FABULOUS INSTANT SHAPE UP PLAN Get Started Now With Our CALL NOW! 1973 - 2009 36 Years of Excellence 9-30-09 DietCtr-SlimDown(color)2x3.5----ads/Diet Center-MP 2col x 3-1/2” Ester... from Nancy (rev: Janine 9/30/09) REVISED 3