Livingston Tribune

With schools opening next week, it is a good time to consider what more we can do to keep our children safe. Back-to-school season means increased automobile and pedestrian traffic. According to AAA, nearly one-fifth of all traffic fatalities are child pedestrians under the age of 15, and more school-aged pedestrians are killed between the hours of 3 and 4 p.m. – once school ends – than any other time of the day.

With these frightening statistics in mind, we implore drivers to slow down and remain alert behind the wheel. That means keeping speeds low in areas where children are most likely to be present, such as schools, playgrounds, and recreation areas. It also means driving distraction-free. Glancing away from the road for even just two seconds doubles the chance of being involved in a crash.

Summer is almost over already? Really? Well, it is if you go by the school calendar. Believe it or not, next Wednesday, September 1, is the first day of classes for Livingston Public School students. Yes, it is that time of year that harried parents cherish and children looking to squeeze every inch out of their summer vacation dreads: Back to school.

Yet, this year, we suspect, will feel better than most for students not ready to say farewell to summer. That is because, for the first time since the 2018-19 academic year, students have a chance at a fully in-person school year.

Livingston Public Schools superintendent Matthew Block called the opening of schools in September “a mindful normal” during the August 11 Board of Education meeting.

“We are still in the midst of a pandemic, while working to provide as normal a school experience as possible during the 2021-22 school year, after more than a year of disruption,” he said. “We are on target with full days of school, including lunch, beginning the first day, September 1.”

Lunch will include pre-ordered hot and cold lunches, and some grab and go items; tents will provide outdoor space in September and October; and subscription bussing has returned.

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The sundial at the center of Livingston’s September 11, 2001, Living Memorial Garden has been removed several times in recent weeks. Bunnie Ratner, chairperson of the annual September 11, 2001 ceremony at the garden discovered the sundial on the ground at the gardens. She said it has happened three times this summer, including twice in the last two weeks.

“It had never been broken in the prior 18 years,” Ratner said.

The sundial is placed on top of a piece of steel that was part of the World Trade Center on the day the towers were attacked. Ratner added that she does not believe the sundial had been intentionally destroyed.

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The Livingston Board of Education approved numerous items at its August 11 meeting, and discussed several matters pertinent to the opening of school.

The Board did not discuss Board size or committee structure that night. However, Board size will be on the agenda at a Board meeting on Wednesday, September 1, at 7 p.m. It is expected to be one of two items on the agenda that evening, according to Board president Samantha Messer.

The Board has been exploring the possibility of changing its size from five to seven or nine members, and whether to put the matter out to voters in November, for many months.

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An unlocked Range Rover was stolen from a Livingston driveway early Tuesday morning, police said.

At 1:30 a.m. on August 17, a Canterbury Road resident arrived home and observed a white Jaguar stopped on the street in front of their house.

Suspicious of the vehicle, the resident stopped a short distance away. The resident then observed a young black male with braids enter a Range Rover that was parked in the driveway. The key had been left in the unlocked Range Rover.

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Members of several community organizations – including the Living-ston AAPI Youth Alliance, Livingston Multicultural Parents Association, Sanskriti of New Jersey, and Social Justice Events – are advocating for more content about AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) in Livingston Public Schools.

The groups believe that incorporating AAPI lessons in every level of school will help all students to learn and understand AAPI culture, and end the recent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.

“You have to start all the way from kindergarten... and include Asian community history in American history,” said Xiaoshan Maggie He, a co-founder of the Multicultural Parents Association.

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Edna Mashberg, 98, formerly of Livingston, died on Friday, July 23 at Morristown Memorial Hospital.

She was born to Dora and David Dorman in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Tilden High School in June, 1940.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Arthur Mashberg, and her daughter, Debra Mashberg. She was predeceased by her son, Marc Mashberg, and her brother, George.

She moved to Livingston in 1961 and lived there for 34 years before moving to Roseland.

A funeral ceremony was held on Tuesday, July 27. Interment took place at BG William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Memories and condolences may be shared at shookfarmer.com.

Local sports fans might not have realized while watching the U.S. women’s volleyball team win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics that an LHS graduate was instrumental in the victory.

Jeffrey Liu, a 2003 graduate of Livingston High School, has been with the USA women’s volleyball team as a performance analyst for five years. As part of his major responsibilities as technical coordinator, Liu analyzes and enters match statistical data for Team USA and its opponents and contributes heavily to the overall scouting report for upcoming matches.

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FOOTBALL TEAM PRACTICE: The Livingston High School fall sports teams opened practice on Monday morning, August 16. Shown above, left, the Lancer offensive unit and defensive unit run a game situation play on the turf. At right, junior PAT (point after touchdown) kicker Giovanna Chalfin drives the football through the uprights. Don Schwartz Photos

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