The event includes a
reflection session on Station Eleven plus
a
family yoga workshop.
The Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Art of Yoga “Zen Survival Session†combines a reflection on the New York Times best-selling book, Station Eleven, with an emotional- and physical-survival, family yoga workshop that is inspired by the book. Station Eleven was selected for Jersey City’s citywide participation in the 2019 “Big Read,†an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
This
event is free and open to the entire community. A limited number of yoga mats
will be available; bringing one’s own mat is strongly recommended.
The HCCC Department of Cultural Affairs is the event host.
The
Educational Arts Team will lead the reflection on Station Eleven. The group helps urban youth improve their literacy,
increase their self-worth, discover their individuality, and heighten their academic
achievement by providing cultural, social and recreational experiences.
Jamie
Wilson Murry of Mindful Play Yoga will conduct the family yoga workshop. Mindful
Play Yoga is committed to inspiring children ages 3 -15 and families to be
curious lifelong learners.
Thursday, March 21, 12 to 2 p.m.
HCCC Dineen Hull Gallery, 71 Sip Avenue – Sixth Floor, Jersey City, NJ.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that the
City of Bayonne will hold a ceremony in March to mark its 150th
anniversary. The event will take place
on Saturday, March 9, at 2:00 p.m., in the gallery on the second floor of the
Bayonne Public Library, which is located at 31st Street and Avenue
C. Mayor Davis will serve as master of
ceremonies and will offer remarks about the City of Bayonne at 150. Mayor Davis said, “Bayonne can take great
pride in our residents’ contributions to the world since 1869. We look forward to observing our 150th
anniversary on March 9, and celebrating at other events in the coming months.â€
Jersey City Ethical Charter School 95 Broadway will honor the memory of Bayonne native Bruce Piechocki, February 28th, at a 4:30 pm at a halftime Commemorative presentation of its girls basketball team.
Piechocki passed away from Cancer on March 3rd, 2016.
Through a Memorial Fund established by Piechocki’s step-father Keith Rennar and family in 2016 and a donation made in October 2018 to Ethical Charter’s Schools Girl Basketball team; the Green and White uniforms for the girls basketball team were purchased.
The Bruce Piechocki Memorial Fund has been instumental in doing some good work througout the State of New Jersey.
Since its beginning it has sent six children to the Bob Hurley Summer Pocono Basketball Camp for a week.
Donations went to assorted groups: Newark Fresh Air Fund, Jersey City Baptist Church Christmas Help for Needy Families, Bayonne Mike Micelis Christmas Give a Kid a Smile Shopping Trip for Models and other donations.
February 20th event is open to the entire community; there is no charge for admission.            A “Playwright Lecture,†hosted by the Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Library Makerspace, which will feature a nationally acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and actor.
The lecture is open to all members of the community, free of charge.
Prolific writer and actor Martin Casella, whose plays and musicals have been staged in the United States and abroad.Â
Mr. Casella attended the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). Following his graduation, he worked as Steven Spielberg’s assistant on the films Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Director’s Cut, Used Cars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He has also written for film and television productions for Steven Spielberg, Lasse Hallstrom, Kerry Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers, ABC, CBS and HBO.
  Professor Joseph Gallo Builds a Dream Theater for Students
Hudson County Community College Opens New Black Box Theater
By Sally Deering
Hoboken
playwright and Theatre Arts Professor Joseph Gallo knows first-hand the trials
and tribulations of putting on plays. He does it as resident playwright for Hoboken’s
Mile Square Theater, and as Theatre Arts Coordinator for Hudson County
Community College’s (HCCC) Theatre Arts program, where Gallo teaches acting,
playwriting and film courses to hundreds of students who have passed through
its doors. Gallo has directed all the student productions in HCCCs academic classrooms
— until now.
Professor Joseph Gallo conducts an Acting Class at HCCCÂ Â Â (Photo:Â Brion Luetjen)
On Fri,
Jan. 25, HCCC debuted its newest addition to the college: a beautiful and
intimate, 40-seat ‘black box’ theater like those found Off Broadway and on other
college campuses. The newly-transformed space, which used to be a classroom with
Formica tables and white plastic chairs, now has 28 new theater lights, a
raised ceiling with a grid for the lights, a state-of-the-art lighting and
sound booth that’s mobile, a prop closet, a tech closet, a film screen/SMART
Board, newly-painted black walls, black curtains and gray chairs that can seat
40 theater-goers at every performance.
Ask any
drama teacher, putting on plays in classrooms and makeshift venues has its
drawbacks. That’s all changed at HCCC. Theatre
Arts students can now rehearse plays, perform improvs, and recite monologues in
a real theater space. This makes Gallo’s accomplishment – a beautiful theater
classroom in HCCCs library building on Sip Avenue in Jersey City – an
incredible feat of perseverance and dedication. Gallo never gave up on his
dream, and with his persistence, and funding from HCCCs Foundation, Gallo
gained support from HCCCs newly-installed President Dr. Christopher Reber, as
well as Vice President Dr. Eric Friedman – and they helped Gallo’s dream become
a reality.
Gerard
Carbone of Mast Construction in Jersey City, and theater designers Herb
Alicandri and Matthew Fick of Hoboken are the ones responsible for turning the
5th floor classroom into a theater.
“I’m
proud to say we came in on time and under budget,†Gallo says, leading a tour of
the theater. “We started construction Dec. 20 and opened Jan. 25.â€
Twice a
year, at the end of each semester, Gallo and the theater students hold a play festival
in the Scott Ring Room on the 2nd floor of the Culinary Arts
Building. From now on, Gallo and the students will present their end-of-semester
play festival in the new theater, and instead of one performance, the students will
put on two shows.
“This
theater takes the Theatre Arts program and elevates it to another level,†Gallo
says. “I see this as a jumping off
point for the next plateau of the program.â€
The
Theatre Arts program currently has 40 students who declared Theatre Arts as
their major, Gallo says. The new theater enhances the educational component of
the program.
“We can
be a first-stop training option for any potential theater student,†Gallo says.
“The tech will make our performances different. It’s our own space, so we can
create here and don’t have to pick up and go somewhere else.â€
The
school’s new black box theater was well worth the years of hard work to make it
happen, Gallo says, and it’s one of his greatest accomplishments.
Mayor
Jimmy Davis announced that there will be a St. Patrick’s Day Kick-Off event to
benefit the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation (BEOF), Bayonne’s community
action agency. The event will take place
on Thursday, March 14, at 6:00 p.m., at the Bayonne Masonic Lodge, 888 Avenue
C. A $35 donation to the BEOF will cover
Irish food, beverages, and musical entertainment. The live band will be The Screaming Orphans,
a popular, four-woman group from County Donegal, Ireland. The Screaming Orphans have their roots in
Celtic music, and incorporate pop, rock, and international styles into their
tunes. Mayor Davis said, “Throughout the year, the BEOF provides social
services for seniors and people of all ages who are in need. Please join us in celebrating the St.
Patrick’s season by supporting the BEOF and enjoying The Screaming Orphans.â€
The
Screaming Orphans are the four Diver sisters from Bundoran in County
Donegal. In addition to their vocals,
the group’s musical instruments include bass, violin, drums, keys, and
accordion. The band has toured in
Europe, Africa, and North America.
Their hit song, “Taproom,†was named 2017 Folk/Pop/Rock Album of the
Year by Folk ‘n’ Rock Magazine.
The
event will feature an Irish soda bread contest.
First, second, and third place finishers will win Shop-Rite gift
cards. Raffles to benefit the BEOF will
also take place at the event.
Interested parties should visit www.beof.org for information about purchasing
reservations. Anyone who would like to
purchase a physical ticket may do so at the Office of the Mayor during regular
business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that significant renovations are
underway at the former Holy Family Academy property. Mayor Davis said, “The Bayonne Economic Opportunity
Foundation (BEOF), Bayonne’s community action agency, is overseeing the
conversion of the former high school into the future location of our local Head
Start program.†Mayor Davis continued,
“We look forward to the completion of this work, which will enable this former
high school facility to serve future generations of pre-Kindergarten students.â€
BEOF Executive Director Samantha Howard Bayonne Economic
Opportunity Foundation (BEOF) said, “The staff at the BEOF have feverishly
sought and obtained several capital improvement grants to assist with the
renovation and repair of this facility. It is a very exciting time for the
organization.â€
Full asbestos remediation is taking place throughout the
property. In addition, state-of-the-art electrical upgrades are currently being
done throughout the building. Director Howard said, “These new electrical and
fire alarm improvements are all in compliance with federal and state
regulations for the health and safety of our students, parents, staff, and volunteers.
The BEOF is continuing its efforts and its joint partnership
with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program to renovate the new
school facility. Director Howard
explained, “The organization continues to seek out additional grant funding to
cover the costs of classroom updates and improvements. This includes the
replacement of all windows and doors in the school building to ensure the
safety of our students.â€
The BEOF’s Holy Family Academy (HFA) Paver Fundraiser is
still ongoing. Samantha Howard explained, “These pavers will be a complement to
the existing facility, making it more user-friendly. It is an opportunity for
members of the community to design their own historic markers to memorialize
family and/or friends, in memory of a loved one, or for corporate support,
while leaving their legacy with generations to come.â€
The BEOF hopes to house the Bayonne Head Start Program in one
central location very soon, and, with this new facility, will be able to expand
its opportunities and exceptional services to the City of Bayonne and Hudson
County.
Mayor Davis concluded, “The City of Bayonne will continue our
successful partnership with the BEOF, in order to ensure that it will provide
important community services into the future.â€
Mayor
Jimmy Davis and Library Director J.P. Porcaro are happy to announce new
programs will be held at the Bayonne Public Library. These programs are geared for children 4-6
years old. These programs will begin the week of March 12.
Beginning
on Tuesdays, Just Kids Play will
take place from 1:30-2:30. There will be Creative Movement, songs, and hands-on
activities.
Drama Play
will take place from 4:00-5:00. The children will listen to
Mother Goose rhymes and will
create dramatic art to promote literacy.
On Wednesdays, the Lapsit Program will take place from 11:00-11:30. There will be
stories, fingerplays, movement, socialization and creativeplay with toys. The
children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
We will have
Crafternoon from 1:30 – 2:30. The children will create seasonal or everyday crafts
On Thursdays, from
2:00-3:00, there will be Mother Goose Rhymes. The children will create their
own sing-a-long of rhymes. The program Oh the Places We Will Go! Will take
place from 4:00-5:00. The children will
visit communities through storytelling and will interact with community
helpers.
Registration will take place from Monday, Feb. 25, through Fri., March
1, 2019. Proof of Bayonne residency is required to register. Parents MUST remain in the build during the
programs.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that high school seniors and juniors who live in Bayonne are invited to take part in the Louis Bay Future Municipal Leaders Scholarship Competition.
The local competition is open to high school juniors and seniors who are Bayonne residents who plan to continue their education after high school. This scholarship is sponsored statewide by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, which is offering three $1,000 scholarships to winners from across the state.
The purpose of this scholarship is to advance the virtues of elected and volunteer positions in municipal government while raising awareness of municipal government in general.
The scholarship competition is named in honor of Louis Bay II, former Mayor of Hawthorne, New Jersey.
Qualified students who are residents of Bayonne need to do two things to enter the scholarship contest: 1) Fill out an application form, which is available at the Office of the Mayor. 2) Write an essay on the theme “What My Municipal Government Does Best.†The essay should be based on the student’s perceptions and experiences with the City of Bayonne’s municipal government. The essay should
consider the public contributions of your municipal government.The essay’s length should be
approximately 500 words. Essays must be submitted to Mayor Davis’s office in hard copy by Friday, March 8, 2019, at 4:30 p.m., along with the application form.
Judging will be based solely on the essay. Please do not include any other information such as transcripts or references. Judging criteria will include the appropriateness of the essay’s theme; effective articulation of the theme; originality; technical composition; spelling; and syntax.
A committee will judge the essays submitted by Bayonne resident students. The Bayonne committee will select the winning local entry. By April 1, that entry will be sent to the New Jersey State League of Municipalities in Trenton, along with a list of all other entrants, who will receive certificates of participation. In early May, the League of Municipalities will announce fifteen statewide finalists and three statewide winners. Later in May, awards will be presented to the three scholarship winners around the state.
The New Jersey State League of Municipalities helps communities do a better job of self-government through pooling information, resources, and brainpower. The League has been serving local officials throughout New Jersey since 1915. The highlight of the League’s activities is its annual conference, which is held each November at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
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