Submitted by: Theresa Sowa
More than $10,000 in scholorships were awarded to ten Cranford High School graduating seniors. The College Women’s Club annual Awards Banquet was held on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at the Westwood in Garwood, New Jersey. Elaine Romano was the chairperson of the banquet committee.
The evening started with President Janet Collins welcoming the award recipients, their parents, and club members. In keeping with a banquet tradition, President Collins introduced all past presidents in attendance and presented each with a rose in recognition of their years of service to the club.
Past President Arline McCloskey presented the 2018 Linda Bristow Tribute Award to Cranford seniors Tim McSharry and Jill Valenzano. These two seniors were nominated by a faculty member in recognition of their dedication and service. The recipients must be planning on further education and must have made valuable contributions to school and community as well as being trustworthy, reliable, dependable, and loyal.
Veronica Collins, the chair of the scholarship committee introduced the recipients and presented the awards to Alannah Clarke, AmaKalafatis, Caroline Kelly, Christian Malamug, Catherine McCarthy, Maggie Roman, Katherine Ruane, Layla Serna, Katherine Stochel, and Emily Wilson.
Alannah Clarke participated in the University Program for Gifted and Talented, the Japanese Club, the Science League and the Cranford Teen tutoring program. She was a four year member and captain of the varsity track and field team. Alannah was also a YMCA track volunteer and coach. She was co-founder and co-president of the Cranford Environment Committee. She was a Trinitas Medical Volunteer and mentor. She shadowed a doctor in the ICU which was made possible by her 4.0 GPA. Alannah mentored a young girl with Joubert’s Syndrome and raised money for her genetic affliction.
Anna Kalafatis was a member of the student council for four years, She was a member and vice president of the National Honor Society, Relay for Life, the Pride steering committee, and Class President. Anna was a member of the varsity soccer team, and the Cranford High School Assistance Program. She participated in the Special Olympics and was a basketball assistant coach. Anna plans to attend St. Joseph’s University Business School with a double major in marketing and international business hoping to find a job in the business world that involves lots of traveling and philanthropy.
Catherine McCarthy participated in the Group Summer Scholars Research Program where she researched cancer malignancy and metastasis through a white blood cell called macrophage. She was a member of the Science Academy and the University Program for four years. She was a member of the National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine. Catherine volunteered at JFK Medical Center’s Neuroscience Institute as well as volunteering at RWJ Barnabas Health at Rahway in the same day surgery department. Catherine will be attending George Washington University majoring in Biology and plans to become a doctor.
Caroline Kelly was a member of the Cranford girls varsity basketball and lacrosse teams. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, the Science and History Honor Societies. She was a member of the Spanish Club, the Student Council and the Relay for Life. Caroline organized a coat drive, collected and delivered the coats to St. John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark. She volunteered at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Caroline organized Hoops for Hope which was a school wide fundraiser to benefit cancer research.
Emily Wilson plans to major in Biochemistry in college. She was a member of the New Jersey Science League and a volunteer intern at RWJ University Hospital in Rahway. Emily was a member of the Latin Club earning a silver medal in 2015 and 2016 and a bronze medal in 2017. As a member of the National Honor Society she was the treasurer during her senior year. She was a member of Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honor Society. She was a member and co-captain of the CHS varsity swim team and also a member of the Jersey Gators swim team. She was the Athlete of the Week in 2015 and 2018 and CHS Athlete of the month in March 2018. She was a swim instructor for special needs children and an assistant coach for the Special Olympics Swim Team. She was also a member of the CHS Tutoring Club and the Relay for Life.
Katherine Ruane will be working toward a Political Science degree with a double major in English and Political Science. At Cranford High she was a member of the University Program and the Science League. Dancing since the age of 3 it is an important part of her life. She has played varsity field hockey for four years. She is a member and vice president of the Math Honor Society and the National World Language/French Honor Society. Katherine is a member of the St. Michael/St. Theresa Youth Ministry. She had an internship with Tap Into Cranford for which she wrote approximately two articles per month about events going on around CHS and Cranford.
Katherine Stochel is a deacon and Sunday School Teacher at the Cranford Presbyterian Church where she is a member of the Adult English Hand Bell Choir. She was a member of the CHS String Orchestra where she was First Chair Viola. Katherine was a member of the Latin and Math League. She was a member and vice president of the PreEngineering, Robotics – Architecture and Computer Club. She volunteers at the Elmora Soup Kitchen. Katherine was the founder and co-president of the Animation Club.
Layla Serna will pursue a career in the medical field. At CHS she was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a member and president of the Spanish Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, and the Dance Honor Society Club. She was a volunteer with the Cranford First Aid Squad. She organized a service trip to the Philippines. She raised enough money to renovate a small school.
Maggie Roman was a member of the National Honor Society, the German Honor Society, and the History Honor Society. She served on the Student Council as Secretary and was the class treasurer, Maggie was a committee member of the St. Michael/St. Theresa Youth Ministry and traveled with the group to West Virginia to build homes during the Easter Vacation. She was a member and Senior Editor of the Yearbook Club. She was a captain and four year varsity member of the girl’s soccer team. She received All County and All Conference awards in her sophomore, junior and senior years. She was a four year starter and captain on the varsity lacrosse team and received All Conference recognition for those four years. She was a member of the German Club, History Club, and the NJ Math League. She participated in Relay for Life and Pride Student mentorship. Maggie was a volunteer and basketball coach for Special Olympics.
Meg Cui was honored as the highest renting senior female at Cranford High School. She participated in the Columbia Science Honors Program which she had to test int. and took various math and science courses at Columbia University in NYC. In the NJ Enrichment Academy she was a team leader competing in higher level mathematics for which she was awarded third place nationally. She also placed second in NJ in the National Science League and first place in the Math Kangaroo Competition. Meg was the president of the CHS Teen Tutoring Club. She was a three year president of the NJ Math League and a member of the Westfield Area Chinese American Association. She was a Girl Scout or 12 years and she organized events to raise money for local charities. She received the Silver Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award, Gold, in grades 11 and 12.
The College Women’s Club of Cranford meets the second Monday of the month, October through May, at the Cranford Presbyterian Church on Springfield Avenue. The meetings begin with refreshments at 7 p.m. followed by a guest speaker. All meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in becoming a member call President Janet Collins at 908-653-1452.
