Page 16 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 8, 2013 Park Windmill Night of Song set The Midland Park community of churches will sponsor its first Night of Song on Friday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held at the Midland Park Church of God at 400 Godwin Avenue. The evening will feature local bands playing songs from worship. All are invited and admission is free. For more information, call (201) 445-3814. Hotcake & French Toast Breakfast announced The Midland Park United Methodist Church will host a Heavenly Hotcakes and French Toast Breakfast on Sat- urday, May 11 from 7 to 11 a.m. at the church located at 269 Godwin Avenue. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children age 12 and under. For more information, contact the church at (201) 445-3787. Auxiliary meets to discuss Poppy Sale The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 130 will meet on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the post on Faner Avenue. The group will be finalizing its plans for the annual memorial Poppy Drive. New members are welcome. The community is reminded to support our veterans and purchase a poppy. MPHS announces Good Samaritan Awards Midland Park High School has announced its Good “The classrooms have never been so wonderful,” DeSimone said. “Having laptops at our disposal is Utopia for an educator. Before we had them we had to travel down the hall to get a computer. Kids today have iPhones and iPads and people across the nation can’t believe what the kids can do. “School is not what it used to be 20 years ago. Kids are not fooling around. That doesn’t happen at Pascack Valley anymore. I use technology seamlessly throughout the week. It’s interactive and kids learn because they are doing it themselves. Kids who have gone on to college come back to me and say they are so prepared.” The implementation of the laptop program surfaced when members of the district’s Technology Committee made the original recommendation to proceed with the 1to-1 Learning Initiative in December of 2012 following a two-year investigative process that included an initial technology survey that was distributed to students and faculty members, and two subsequent surveys for students and staff. The committee also arranged two site visits to the Pascack Valley Regional High School District and obtained additional information from various other districts that had implemented the initiative. The committee, however, postponed the introduction of the 1-to-1 Learning Initiative for the 2012-13 school year because they believed more information was needed and, more importantly, there were some infrastructure improvements that would be needed prior to a successful rollout of the program. Those infrastructure improvements included outfitting all major classrooms with projectors, increasing the Internet bandwidth, implementing a new learning management system, and establishing district e-mail accounts on Google for all students. In December 2012, Schoen confirmed that everyone was comfortable with the recommendation to the committee to move forward with the initiative. The following month, Schoen announced that the district would proceed with the 1-to-1 Learning Initiative and, in February 2013, an official presentation was made to the board of education. Samaritan Award recipients for April. Students and staff were recognized for being kind to their peers and faculty, being respectful toward others, and for looking out for fellow classmates. The following individuals were honored: Jason Delac and Alexis Gordon, and teacher Mrs. Kuperus. Anyone who would like to nominate someone may contact the guidance office at (201) 444-7400. Cooperstown Team holds Flower Sale Laptop program (continued from page 10) RIHEA President Barbara Duhig recently told the board that a survey of the association’s membership indicated that, while the members recognize the value of technology, they are opposed to the initiative at this time because they feel it would cause problems, such as being a distraction in the classroom. They also cited potential difficulties that could arise when a student forgets his or her laptop, or if and when a laptop needs to be recharged. The survey also indicated the opinion that instruction time could be lost when a student has technology difficulties and that teachers could have difficulty monitoring the student’s inappropriate use of the laptops in the classroom. Duhig also said if each student had a laptop it would limit face to face discussion, and there is potential for damage to the laptops in the laboratories. Schoen pointed out, however, that the way that students are learning in this world is changing quickly and this technology initiative allows students to keep up with those changes. “The classroom environment is changing,” Schoen said, adding that this upgrade in technology will allow students to be prepared to move on to the technology used in colleges and universities. She emphasized that not every student has a computer, and the district wants to provide one for every student just like it does with textbooks. One Wyckoff parent who teaches at the Pascack Valley High School told a different story at a recent meeting of the school board. Gloria DeSimone teaches mathematics at Pascack Valley Regional High School where she said the 1-to-1 Learning Initiative has been in effect for 10 years. She said they had all the same concerns the Ramapo Indian Hills parents have expressed and all of those issues have been addressed. The Midland Park 2013 Cooperstown Baseball Team will hold a Spring Flower Sale on Saturday, May 11. The sale will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the chapel parking lot at the Church of the Nativity at 321 Prospect Street. Proceeds from the event will help fund this summer’s trip to Cooperstown. Pool memberships available Midland Park residents are invited to join the Waldwick Municipal Pool, Crestwood Swim Club in Allendale, and Graydon Pool in Ridgewood. Waldwick is offering memberships to Midland Park residents when purchased by May 25 for $55 for adults ages 18 through 61. Memberships for children ages four through 17 are $50, and badges for seniors age 62 and up are $45. After May 25, an additional fee of $10 will apply. Children age three years and younger are admitted free. First time registrants must register in person and have their ID photo taken at the Waldwick Borough Clerk’s office at 63 Franklin Turnpike. For details, call (201)-6525300. Ridgewood is extending swim opportunities at Graydon Pool for $175 for adults and $155 for children ages two through 15. For details and online registration, visit the Graydon Pool home page at www.ridgewoodnj.net. Allendale is offering a limited number of sponsored membership opportunities for Midland Park residents to join the Crestwood Swim Club this summer. The cost is $200 for adults ages 18 through 61 and $75 for children ages three through 17 and seniors age 62 and older. Teens age 13 and up are offered an individual membership at $100. An additional cost of $200 is available for a family’s caregiver. For details, visit www.Allendalenj.gov or call Allendale Borough Hall at (201) 818-4400. Club seeks donations for Car Show The Midland Park High School Interact Club will host its Second Annual Car Show and Prize Basket Fundraiser on Saturday, May 11. This event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the high school’s main parking lot in front of the school at 250 Prospect Street. (Rain date: May 18.) The club is requesting contributions of food and drinks to be sold at the show’s concession stand. Sponsors will be acknowledged on the day of the show. Platinum ($50), Gold ($25), and Silver ($15) sponsorships are also available to help fund the event. Sponsors will be recognized on the show’s trophies. For more information, e-mail mpinteractclub@gmail. com. All donations are tax deductible. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Midland Park/ Wyckoff Rotary Club’s effort to sponsor a Gift of Life Program child. The cost to enter a vehicle in the show is $15 for those who preregister, and $20 on the day of the show. Vehicles must be at the high school parking lot prior to noon to be considered for an award. To preregister, call (201) 4447400.