Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 19

Thursday, July 2li, 2(11)7 vv i 1 i CAMDEN COUNTY 50 cc News tips Call the newsroom at (856) 486-2401 to report events in your town. Inside To find out what's coming up in the next week and beyond, read the Daily Planner. Page 7B (856) 317-7821 Communities Editor Barrio Dawson StaHflenfts cieinicG honor nn top iT 4 -r. By BARBARA S. ROTHSCHILD Courier-Post Staff CHERRY HILL It isn't easy for one student from a single school district to score top honors in the prestigious Merck State Science Day competition, let alone two.

But that's what happened in Cherry Hill recently, when Cherry Hill High School East's Zhao Chen and Cherry Hill High School West's Robert Wardlow II were the top scorers on Merck's physics and biology exams, ZHAO CHEN Disney's 'High School Musical' takes the stage in Blackwood rV ft? rt Merck sponsors tests for secondary-school students in biology, chemistry and physics as well as in an integrated science category that includes earth science. The top four scorers in each category are invited to Merck's global headquarters in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, for a June awards ceremony, lunch and an opportunity to hear about how the pharmaceuticals company develops cutting-edge dings. Chen, 18, who placed fourth in the integrated science test two years ago had a perfect score this time in the physics test, which included some 1 1 rt -v't-VI 1 -J 1 1 I 't 1 Send your community news to us E-mail news from your schools, churches, club meetings any and all news that's community-related to The author's name, address and phone number must accompany all submissions. Please do not use any other software program than Microsoft Word or Notepad. News items should not exceed 200 words and should include the full names of all individuals mentioned.

Please write the phrase "Your News" in the subject line with the name of the county where the news item has taken place. Readers are also invited to submit digital photos with their news stories. All photos must be sent in jpeg format and be at least half a megabyte (500K). Please supply complete caption information, including a clear description of what the photo shows, where it was taken and first and last names of those in the photo. In groups of more than 10, the group name can replace individuals' names.

All submissions, including photos, become the property of the Courier-Post and Gannett Inc. and may be used in print, electronic or other forms. People EDUCATION Matthew Chalkley, son of Sharon Jachter and Geoffrey Chalkley of Haddonfield has re cently been awarded an all-expense-paid summer study trip to Germa ny. Chalkley was one of ap-proximately 26,000 students who competed CHALKLEY for the study trip by participating in a nationwide German testing program administered by the American Association of Teachers of German. Founded in 1926, the association is the only national organization representing German teachers at all levels of instruction.

The group is dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the teaching of language, literature and culture of the German-speaking countries. Forty-four students for one of two awards 39 regular study trips, which last 3V2 weeks, and five senior study trips, which last a month. The study trip awards have been made possible annually for more than 30 years by a grant from Germany through its embassy in Washington, D.C. Chalkley and the other winners will travel to Germany this summer to participate in the study trip, which includes excursions of cultural and historic interest. Chalkley is a student at Haddonfield Memorial High School.

Christopher Gwin is his German teacher. 'People' appears weekly in To submit a 'People' item, call (856) 31 7-7821 e-mail write to the Courier-Post Newsroom, Box 5300, Cherry Hill 08034 or fax (856) 663-2831. Photos are welcome. Include your name and a contact telephone number with each item, STAFF DIRECTORY Editor Barrie Dawson Phone: (856)317-7821 E-mail: bdawsoncourierpostonline.com Writer Frank Halperin Phone: (856)486-2920 E-mail: fhalperincourierpostonline.com courierpostonHne WEB EXTRA Find stories and photos from the Courier-Post's Sunday edition of Communities, which covers Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties, on the Communities page. 13 60 questions.

"Some of them were tricky," noted Cherry Hill East's most recent valedictorian, who will attend Harvard University this fall. Chen, who took Advanced Placement Physics with Calculus at East, racked up a string of honors in science and math during his high school years. He was the first East student to qualify for the United States of America Mathematics Olympiad when he was in 11th grade, becoming just one of 300 nationwide who took its highest-level See MERCK, Page 6BCC Grant helps CCC create info-tech partnership Thanks to a grant of nearly $150,000, Camden County College is leading the creation of an institute to streamline the transition from public education programs to employment within New Jersey's information-technology sector. The grant was provided by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Work Force Development. The Information Technology Innovation Partner Institute plans to unite key industries, state work-force development agencies and academic institutions.

The objective is to create a continuous, industry-driven ladder for information-technology careers in New Jersey by pairing an education pathway that spans secondary through graduate levels with an employment pipeline involving state companies large and small. "The design of the Innovation Partnership Institute educational ladder and articulation agreements will be based on the sector needs as expressed by experts from local IT businesses," said project director Melvin Roberts, the dean of CCC's Division of Business, Computer and Technical Studies. "Using this input, the institute will identify and close gaps between academic programs and the real world of IT." Data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the number of information-technology managers has increased 44 percent nationwide since 2001. In New Jersey and across the U.S., uiformation-technolo-gy workers are employed in all industry sectors not just traditional software and computer companies. The New Jersey Technology Council reports that there are more than 500 information technology and communications companies among its members.

These include Com- See COLLEGE, Page 6BCC a career JOHN ZIOMEKCourler-Post Is seen here with his sixth-grade "He's a great teacher and an See RETIRES, Page 6BCC Center for the Arts theater group's production of Disney's 'High was onstage earlier this month at Camden County College. In Julia Hahn, 15, of Washington Township plays teacher Ms. Dar-bus. Gentek, 14 (left), of Sicklervllle plays Ryan Evans, and 15, of Washington Township plays Sharpay Evans. Photos by AL SCHELL Courier-Post .1 ROBERT WARDLOW II sixth-grade science teacher at Rosa International and Beck middle schools.

Pivotal grade "Sixth grade is the most pivotal grade for kids," said Hoffmann, who has embraced the challenge of easing the transition from childhood to adolescence. At Beck, he also started and advised the Environmental Club, advised Student Council and coached the girls' basketball team to victorious seasons. "I just have a passion for teaching and coaching," said Hoffmann, the father of two daughters. A colon-cancer survivor who also has diabetes, Hoffmann coordinated Rosa and The Mainstage School Musical' 'the left photo, Above, Ryan Danielle Cacla, -FM Above, Lindsay Deal, 12, of Gloucester Township (left) plays pianist Kelsl Niel-son. She offers a song to Faith Williams, 12, of Berlin Borough, who plays Ga-briella Montez, and Gianni DiGabrlele, 14, of Washington Township, who plays Troy Bolton.

At right, Gianni and Faith appear In a scene. Cherry Hill sixth-grade teacher calls it I i Beck teams for the annual Juvenile Diabetes Walk for the Cure for seven years running, raising a total of $70,000. With him at the helm, Beck was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's school of the year for the past two years. Plans Italy trip "I'm retiring, but I'm not tiring of education," said Hoffmann, 61, who lives in Marlton Lakes with his wife, Sue Willis. The couple will travel a trip to Italy is planned for September and spend more time with their six grandchil-' dren.

An avid fisherman, Hoffmann will also continue on Marlton Lakes' Preservation Committee and has pledged to By BARBARA S. ROTHSCHILD Courier-Post Staff CHERRY HILL More than 39 years ago, Glassboro State College senior Herm Hoffmann walked into a classroom in Cherry Hill's A. Russell Knight Elementary School to student-teach and he left the district only long enough to graduate. In June, however, the career he has loved through five decades from 1968 through the '70s, '0s, '90s and into the 21st century came to an end when he retired from Beck Middle School. Hoffmann departed just shy of 40 years of teaching sixth grade first at Clara Barton and James Fenimore Cooper elementary schools, then as a Beck Middle School teacher Herm Hoffmann recently retired from the Cherry Hill School District.

He class and some of Its projects. participate in the annual diabetes walk for as long as he can..