The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
An Eagle Scout, a group of contest winners and two township employees were awarded commendations May 24 by the Township Council.
Montgomery resident Shaylen Amin, an Eagle Scout with Boy Scout Troop 46, was commended for the project he used to attain his Eagle rank.
Amin installed bird houses and laid grass seed at the Bunker Hill Nature Preserve on Bunker Hill Road.
Amin’s Eagle advisor is from the township, he said, and suggested the projects when Amin asked what he might do.
“I’m glad to help out another township,” he said.
Nine township students were given commendations for their work in the annual “Above the Influence” poster contest.
Through the contest, students create posters warning their fellow youth of the dangers of drug and alcohol use.
“We believe the majority of young people are not abusing illegal substances,” said Alice Osipowitz, the township’s recreation director and head of the program. “But there are a number of people who fight addiction every day.”
“We applaud these young people for participating in this poster contest that is a positive influence in the schools and in the community,” she said.
Those commanded were:
- 1st Place – Selma Mehmedagic
- 2nd Place – Deysi Marin
- 3rd Place – Nala McMullen
- 4th Place – Madison Straub
- Certificates of Recognition were awarded to Argell Santana, Rithika Vadapalli, Reyna Arya, Leysha Kumah, and Alexa Bidlack
The council also gave a commendation to two township employees, Saffie Kallon and Shonda Sanchez, for their work in promoting the airing of the documentary “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
Kallon was commended for her coordination, creative graphics design and marketing of the screening, while Sanchez was commanded for her coordination and marketing of the screening.
Both women work for the township’s recreation department. The event’s promotional poster won an award from the New Jersey recreation and Park Association.
Both women said they were amazed at the history behind the struggle of the African-American women known as the “10-Percenters” who won the right to serve in the U.S. Army’s Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do this for our community,” Sanchez said.
“I think that we don’t tend to recognize that we have a part in making history every day, Kallon said.
