Community News from Garfield, New Jersey • A6

GG6 JULY 1,2009 COMMUNITY NEWS REALIGNMENT DADDY'S GIRL Schools like sports plan better a year later up against Hudson County schools like Bayonne. Fair Lawn officials are happier with the recent changes with the realignment for 2010-11, but still believe the school belongs in the NBIL. "We're happy with the second realignment," said Robinson. "Overall, we don't think it was necessary from day one." The NJSIAA started the 17-month realignment process last year after the state athletic directors turned down a plan to separate the non-public and public schools and place them in separate leagues. So in turn, the NJSIAA decided to realign all of the leagues.

In a recent revision, Lodi and Garfield were placed in Conference 2A with Fair Lawn and separated those teams from their old BPSL schools. After more lobbying by both Lodi and Garfield along with fellow BPSL schools, Lodi and Garfield were moved into Conference 3 and back with the BPSL schools in the finalized version. Garfield Athletic Director Frank Dawson pointed to the help of Glen Rock Athletic Director Frank Violante. "We don't have a problem playing Glen Rock," said Dawson about his school playing a dominant football team like Glen Rock during the year. "Glen Rock stood up for us (against the NJSIAA)." NICK MESSINASTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Garfield Councilman Joe Delaney presents a diploma to his daughter, Erin, at Garfield High School's commencement on June 22.

BY EDWARD KENSIK Correspondent What a difference a year makes. At this time last summer, schools like Garfield and Fair Lawn were steaming over the New Jersey State Interscholastic Association's (NJSIAA) plan to realign the North Jersey high school sports leagues. Last summer, no longer would Fair Lawn and Garfield be in with schools from the North Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) and the Bergen Passaic Scholastic League (BPSL), respectively. Fair Lawn was moved into a proposed league that included a couple of non-public schools while Garfield was taken out of the BPSL. Now, through several meetings with the executive committee of the NJSIAA and athletic directors, Fair Lawn, Lodi and Garfield appear to be content with the recent changes for the 2010-11 season although both schools would rather keep the BPSL and NBIL.

For the teams like Lodi, Garfield and Wallington, there will be no changes for the 2009-10 school year but Fair Lawn is in a division that puts Cutters' teams all the way northwest into West Mil-ford and Lakeland while the football team and some of the other squads will find themselves going Why do BRIEFS FROM PAGE 2 attitude to their personal finances, setting themselves up for financial hardship before they even get their college degree," said Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-36th), a sponsor. "We must do a better job of preparing students to be financially responsible adults." A 2005 analysis of credit card debt by student-loan provider Nel- Ml? lie Mae found the average college freshman carried a credit card balance of $1,585. That debt load ballooned to an average of $2,864 for seniors. A follow-up survey of graduate students reported an average outstanding credit card debt of $8,612.

Only 20 percent said they pay-off their balance each month. Two-thirds of respondents said they received their first credit card as an undergraduate student, with 93 percent saying they would have liked additional financial management information before starting school. Under the bill, the state Department of Education would establish a three-year pilot program to provide financial literacy instruction for high school seniors in six public school districts two each in the north, central and southern regions. The curriculum would HIRING LOCALLY Visit northjersey.monster.com for ads with ID. Enter the ID into the keyword field.

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