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Heads of the class District recognizes top 10 graduating seniors at 3 public high schools
RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center hosts educators for a day of self-care awareness
By JOe EMANsKi
By JOe EMANsKi
Hamilton Township teachers had an unusual option available to them on their last professional development day of the school year on June 4. To students, professional development days are just random days off peppered throughout the school year. But for teachers, they are workdays, set aside for attending workshops and seminars and taking on board new methods of instruction. For the June date, the Hamilton school district partnered with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton to offer workshops and seminars with a focus slightly off the norm: health and wellness for educators. So on June 4, teachers were given the option to go to the RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center on Quakerbridge Road to one of the most important See PASSPORT, Page 9
Steinert softball players with the trophy after winning the Group 3 state championship over Morris Knolls, 8-1, at Seton Hall University in West Orange, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Amanda Ruch.)
Steinert softball adds to legacy with back-to-back state titles By Rich Fisher
Steinert softball coach Jenn Melker isn’t afraid to use the “L” word with her players. In fact, she prefers it to the “D” word. “We educate them on this program that everyone wants to call a dynasty but what I consider a legacy,” Melker said. “We tell them ‘Now it is your time to make your path in this program and to not worry about what was
done before you.’” The coach wants the past to serve as inspiration for the present. “Our coaching staff makes sure to let them know about it and that there is a standard set, but to also understand that this is their own story that you’re going to build,” said Melker, who is assisted by Michelle Walsh, her dad Mike Melker, Geri “Bear” Laird and Sam Dice.
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“They’re carrying the weight of every girl that has played in that uniform in years past with Spartans on their chest. “We try not to put the pressure on like ‘You have to live up to the expectations of what was.’ We just tell them ‘You have to play Steinert softball.’ That’s the focus every game. When they step on the field don’t worry about the game before or the See SOFTBALL, Page 14
Another set of seniors put high school behind them on June 20 when all three public high schools in Hamilton Township held their commencement ceremonies. Steinert High School and Nottingham High School held ceremonies for the Class of 2024 at Cure Auto Insurance Arena on Hamilton Avenue in Trenton. Hamilton High School West held its ceremony at the Trenton War Memorial on Barrack Street in Trenton. Most of this year’s graduates began their high schools career via remote instruction, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc in September 2020. With that period of their lives now consigned to the past, they are able to look forward. Every year, the Hamilton Post highlights the top 10 graduating seniors in each high school class. Turn to page 10 to learn more about these high achieving seniors, including their future plans. See TOP 10, Page 10
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