The Class of 2016 - Summit Speech School

Summer 2016
Founded in 1967 to serve New Jersey’s children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.
The Class of 2016
On June 21, students of the Preschool Class of 2016 were honored at a graduation ceremony at the school.
Executive Director Dr. Pamela Paskowitz, Board Chair John Thoms, and Principal Amy Ryan distributed diplomas
to Scott Bailey, Nadia Barnes, William Burgess, Brandon Castro, Rayaan Chougle, Madison Johnson, Michael
Kirby, Gabriel Reis, Zachary Robertson, Matthew Rodrigues-Colon, and Emmanuel Sanchez.
Scott Bailey
Nadia Barnes
William Burgess
Rayaan Chougle
Madison Johnson
Michael Kirby
Brandon Castro
Gabriel Reis
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Zachary Robertson
Matthew Rodrigues-Colon
Emmanuel Sanchez.
Speaking Out!
Summer 2016
Plenty of Time to Play!
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
John A. Thoms, Chair
Matthew M. Oliver, Vice Chair
Susan Thatch, Secretary
Stephen A. Bridgman, Treasurer
Douglas A. Bean
Stephen J. Deering
Lisa DiGiorgio
Cindi L. Galiher
Betty D. Larson
Susan Rubino, M.D.
Mark A. Thomas
John Tompkins
TRUSTEE EMERITUS
Walter V. Shipley
In Memoriam
Thomas D. Sayles Jr.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
skill
s off his
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s
w
Matthe e balance bar!
on th
Johnny is coming in for a
soft landing in our snowcovered playground!
This won’t
hurt a bit – Sammy
gives her Teddy Bear
some TLC
Pamela A. Paskowitz, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Pamela M. Ranco, B.S., M.A.T.
Chief Financial Officer
Bruce D. Naidoff, Ph.D.
Director of Development
Ellen K. Hansen, M.A., CCC-A
Pediatric Audiologist
Miriam Esterkis, OTR
Parent Infant Coordinator
Amy L. Ryan, M.Ed.
Principal
Dianne Robins, M.A., LDTC
Itinerant Services Coordinator
The kids are all smiles on Pajama Day!
Our sincere appreciation to Paul Lavenhar
of PL Communications for his generous
donation of design and production of the
school's newsletter.
Speaking Out is a publication of the
Development Office. Every effort for
accuracy has been made. We apologize
for any errors or omissions.
Editor: Bruce D. Naidoff
bnaidoff@summitspeech.org
www.summitspeech.org
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MOTHER’S
DAY – Shyla
and her mom
relax over
some frozen
yogurt!
Aiden is ready to fly downhill on the luge!
A Memorable Midwinter Blast!
On February 19, winter chills were forgotten as Family Fun Night brought
merriment to the halls of Summit Speech School. Parents and grandparents,
family and friends, and children of all ages enjoyed arts and crafts, face-painting,
refreshments, activities for kids and tweens – all enlivened by the comic stylings
of Andy the Clown. The ever-popular gift-basket raffle was a huge attraction for
the grownups. Thanks as always to Robin & Derek von Langen and all the great
volunteers who helped make
Family Fun Night
2016 one of the
best ever!
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Summit Speech School’s 26
- An Amazing Day and Night to Remember!
9-Year-Old Student Speaker/Musician Jake Whitenight was featured with Luncheon Keynote
Speaker Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and
Investors Bank President Kevin Cummings was Honored.
How many 9-year-olds get the chance to sing
Bruce Springsteen songs accompanied by
legendary E Street Band drummer MaxWeinberg?
It was the moment of a lifetime for Summit
Speech School student speaker Jake Whitenight,
who together with Weinberg performed
Springsteen classics “Born in the USA” and
“Jersey Girl” for an enthusiastic crowd at the
school’s Annual Spring Benefit. The event raised
over $267,000 to support programs for our deaf
and hard of hearing children.
Weinberg said, “His singing and his presence
blew me away. The Springsteens and the Miley
Cyruses of the world had better take note Jake Whitenight is coming up.”
Summit Speech School Student Speaker Jake Whitenight performing for enthusiastic luncheon guests at this year’s Spring Benefit. Accompanying Jake is Max
Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Even more remarkable: Jake has a bilateral
conductive hearing loss - he has no external ear canals and must use bone
anchored speech processors. Since he was a baby, expert teachers of the
deaf from Summit Speech School have taught him to listen and speak. His
itinerant teacher of the deaf regularly visits his elementary school in
Manville to work with Jake and his teachers, to help him succeed in his
mainstream classroom.
“I was honored to play
with Jake, who is a
true warrior,” added
Weinberg. “Some say
that adversity builds
character. In Jake’s
case, adversity has
revealed a character
that is the stuff that
heroes are made of.”
Jake was thrilled to receive a gift of autographed
These days, Jake is a
drumsticks from Max Weinberg.
thriving fourth grader
and aspiring musician
who loves to sing and play piano, swim, ride his bike, and engage in endless conversations with his family and friends.
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Max Weinberg is a renowned musician, bandleader, and author most widely recognized as
the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's
E Street Band and bandleader for Late Night
with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show
with Conan O'Brien. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a
member of the E Street Band.
Beautiful table arrangements were generously
donated by Spring Benefit Committee mamber
and owner of KDH Home Design, Kevin Huffman.
6th Annual Spring Benefit…
Spring Benefit Committee Chair Jayne Kredatus sums up the
day by saying, “This year’s event speaks directly to our ears
and our hearts! Our student speaker Jake Whitenight and our
guest speaker Max Weinberg are each in his own way a vivid
At Summit
Speech School, children like Jake gain access to
all that the world has to offer them – including music. Jake is one of hundreds of success stories - kids
example of the life-changing power of music.
who are able to pursue their dreams because Summit Speech
School was there for them.”
The Spring Benefit was a financial success for our programs largely due to the generosity of our event sponsors:
Investors Bank, Bayview Foundation, C. R. Bard, Inc., JT’s
Confections, Pluckemin Inn-Gloria LaGrassa, Sandy Hill
Foundation, Randi and David Silverstein, Judith E.
Campbell, Celgene Corporation, Diane and Robert Goldberg,
Hencar Productions, Carol and Stephen Lampf, The MCJ
Amelior Foundation, The Murphy Family, Richard and Poppy
Segal, Jo and Louis Silverstein, Tracy and Robert Crigler,
DiFrancescoBateman, Hendricks & Hendricks–Attorneys at
Law, Primary Care Physicians Group-Susan Rubino, M.D.,
The Rubino OB/GYN Group, Stella & Dot – Leslie Minsch
Independent Stylist, Chipotle-New Providence, Cochlear
Americas, Gebroe-Hammer Associates, Lanca Sales Inc., nj
good eats, Pampered Chef - Maggie Reilly, Christine and
Michael Preston, The Freeman Family, Douglas M. Pine –
Adoption Law in NJ, The Pine Family – Cory, Greg Jared &
Ellie, and Great Grandma Hattie Segal.
This is what it’s all about! Spring Benefit Committee members Lynn Hendricks Rand of Mendham, JeanAnn Morgan
Liftin of Lebanon, and Arianne Sikora of West Orange, with
Summit Speech School preschoolers Luca Jirjis and Aubrey
Troche.
Summit Speech School is grateful to our dedicated Benefit
Committee, honoree, sponsors, advertisers, auction donors,
contributors, and everyone who attended our 26th Annual
Spring Benefit Luncheon and Dinner Events!
Your support made the event a great success for our kids!
Long-time supporter of Summit
Speech School, Bob Benjamin of
Flemington Furs, was thrilled to
win the silent auction for Max
Weinberg’s autographed drumsticks and drum head!
Members of the
2016 Spring Benefit
Committee give a big thumbs up to a successful
luncheon which featured student speaker/singer
Jake Whitenight and keynote presenter Max
Weinberg. Pictured from left, Lynn Hendricks
Rand, Kara Kraeutler, Maryam McDonald,
Christine Preston, Kara Thoms, Patricia Thoms,
Chiara Maher, Jayne Kredatus, Leslie Minsch,
Jennifer DiGiorgio, JeanAnn Morgan-Liftin, Max
Weinberg, Maggie Reilly, Arianne Sikora, Michelle
Porraro, Randi Silverstein, Kathy Mangano, Lisa
Delano and Lisa DiGiorgio. Missing from photo
is Kevin Huffman.
PHOTO CREDITS: Kim Berzak, Calli Heenan and Rose Mathesius
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ALUMNI NEWS
PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEWS (high school, work,
college, sports, moves, marriages, children, and more…):
development@summitspeech.org We’d love to hear from you!
Frank Barnes, III just completed his sophomore year at Stony
Brook University, which he spent in a National Student Exchange
(NSE) program at California State University Northridge. He was
able to take courses in Hearing Science and American Sign
Language, and visit the nearby headquarters of Advanced Bionics.
These experiences helped
deepen his interest in a career
in audiology. He was able to
come in contact with many
more students who have a
hearing loss and wear a
cochlear implant. He says
“Being at this university has
skyrocketed not only my
appreciation of my assistive
hearing device and comfort
with wearing it proudly, but
most importantly being on
this exchange has elevated
my sense of self-worth individually–and also my confidence in my capabilities to
excel.”
Twelve-year-old Lucia
Mangano is in sixthgrade and thriving in a
mainstream classroom,
A few months ago, she
was honored at a Board
of Education meeting
for her academic excellence. Her Principal
Kathleen Murphy said,
"Lucia is a kind, giving,
wonderful member of
our school, we are very
proud of her."
Viral Shah, age 13, came back to
visit the school and posed for a
photo next to a picture of himself
as a Preschool student.
Veyd and Varun Shringarpur paid a
visit to the school in December to
revisit old memories. Veyd is 18. He
graduated from Mountain Lakes HS
in 2015 and is an Engineering major
at the University of Michigan. He’s
an outstanding scholar and accomplished athlete in tennis, baseball,
and soccer. His brother Varun, age
13, just finished 8th grade at
Briarcliffe Middle School in
Mountain Lakes where he excels in
math and has been part of travel soccer team and all-star baseball team.
As a special gesture, Veyd donated a
portion of his graduation gifts to
Summit Speech School!
Aidan Zagarola, age 9,
was in our Parent/
Infant Program and
received audiology services from JFK Johnson
Rehabilitation Institute
in Edison. He spoke at
JRI’s 40th anniversary
celebration in 2014 and
was recently featured in
their Center for
Audiology newsletter.
Lucia with her teachers Ms. Lora
Kaprowski and Mrs. Jennifer Donohue.
Michaela Zerbo, 19,
is a freshman at
Rochester Institute of
Technology. Recently
she sent us the
following note, which
says it all.
Delia Preston, age 12, Emer Vesey, 10, Ava Zappulla, 11, and
Eliana Milich, 12, had a mini-reunion to catch up and reminisce
about their days at Summit Speech School.
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Tributes Received - January 1 - June 30, 2016
Gifts to our Tribute Fund are a thoughtful way to recognize an anniversary, remember a friend, associate, or relative while providing needed support for the
children we serve. An acknowledgement is sent to the person or the family of the individual recognized. Your name and the purpose of the gift will be
known, but not the amount of the gift. Your gift is tax deductible. Note: Minimum tribute donation is $25.00
IN HONOR OF . . .
Giuliana Barbieri's Birthday
Adrian Barbieri
Barbara and Fred Barbieri
Helen and John Fallone
Jennifer Guggenheim and
Marc Rubenstein
Ozelle Lesser
Antonietta Phelan
Frank Barnes III
Dr. Barnes & Carter, LLC
Stephen Bodnar
Thomas V. Devaney
Brad's Wedding
Poppy and Richard Segal
Serena Burns
Katy and Christopher Burns
Allison Cabe's Achievements
Theresa and John Pallarino
Tracey Hladky
May Gold Coons
Ruhani Khanna
Rajat Khanna
Daniel Khouri
Herbert Buehler
Michael Francis Kirby
Diane Savotok
Brandon Kohn's 25th
Birthday
Susan and Stuart Kohn
Emily Lefler
Mary Ann and Andrew Aron
Jacob Lieberman's Bar
Mitzvah
Beth and Evan Kramer
Monsignor Michael Picard's
50th Jubilee
Aurelie Fritschy
Barbara Murrary
Susan Ford
Peter Murray
Gregory Oxton
Delia Preston
Carol Preston
Christine and Michael Preston
Max Silverstein
Cory, Greg, Jared & Ellie Pine
Carly Skibinski's Sophmore
year in College
Pat and John Sebok
Summit Speech School
Ernest A. Bates, M.D.
Adeline Grace Yankoski
Margaret and Gerald
McKitish
Kathy Wagner
Brian Saluzzo
IN MEMORY OF . . .
Michael Joseph Balesterri
Deborah and Michael
Balesterri
Julie and Michael Blasucci
Mary M. Burns
Margaret A. Carrigg
Ann and Steve Miller
Lois and Richard Wortman
Robert Boyd
Barbara Allison
Esophageal Cancer Support
Group of Philadelphia
Anna May Manning
Jeanne and Ed Pawick
Frances Rink
Marie and John Shaw
Bette and Dick Safford
Lillian Buehler
Herbert Buehler
Capitola Dickerson
Patricia Amyx
Susan O'Mara
Thomas Glasser
Anne Glasser
Miriam Goldstein
Helene and Paul Sarnell
Marion Golkin
Christine and Cody Mang
Janice and Jeffrey Mang
Louis Harding
Joan Harding
David Horne
Jane and Arlan Eisler
Beth and Evan Kramer
Claire Kantor
Joel Kantor
Adele Ben'Ary
Carole Nemeth
Patty and Brad Blumenfeld
Michael Karpas
Beth and Evan Kramer
Jessica and Kenneth Lesnik
Geraldine Polo
Mary Ann and Frank
DeCristofano
Charles Segal
Cory, Greg, Jared and
Ellie Pine
Poppy and Richard Segal
Josephine and Louis
Silverstein
Randi, David, Sydnie and
Max Silverstein
Neil’s 14th Annual Charity Golf Event
Once again Summit Speech School thanks our great pal Neil Kleinwaks for hosting
another successful golf event on May 11, raising more than $8,000 to support programs
for our kids! The event took place at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough, NJ on a
perfect day for golf and fun.
So much appreciation goes to INVESTORS BANK, our Platinum Sponsor, for their
generous support of this event. Some of the other major sponsors and supporters were
C. R. Bard, KPMG/Jim Simone, Abel Flores, Warren Oral Surgery, Pamela Paskowitz,
New Providence Chiropractic, Rich Lane, Royce Brook Golf Club, Raritan Valley
Orthodontics, Ideal Auto Body, Vincent DelGuercio, Inc., Dominick Battista, Chris
Paterek, William Healey, Tessuto Mens Wear, Hoboken Farms, Lisa DiGiorgio, Drew
University, TD Bank, TEST Sports Gym, Junio Teixeira, Madison Hotel, Calli Heenan,
Bruce Naidoff, J. McLaughlin Clothing Store, Tailored Image, and the NY Mets.
Many thanks to Neil and all
our golfers, sponsors, and
auction donors!
Executive Director Dr. Pam Paskowitz
welcomes Summit Speech School
alumni Carl Andreasen (left) and
Robert Donovan.
Neil Kleinwaks and his foursome enjoying
a great day of golf for a great cause! Left
to right – Nick DePoalo, Neil Kleinwaks,
John Cagnassola, Dominick Battista.
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705 Central Avenue • New Providence, NJ 07974
908-508-0011 Phone or TTY
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Our Kids are Champs!
You don’t have to go to
the Olympics in Brazil
this summer to find
out what it means to
be a champion. Our
children hit new
heights every day –
learning to listen and
talk, and succeeding as
active members of the
hearing world! It takes
a lot of hard work but
– thanks to the dedication of our teachers
and the generosity of
friends like you – they
hold their torches high!
Chasing the American
Dream 5K is Thursday,
July 28!
Attention all runners and walkers – you can help our kids
by participating on behalf of Summit Speech School!
Designate SSS as your Community Organization
Affiliation, and we'll receive 100% of your registration fee
and all the money you raise from your friends! You can
also donate in support of our team!
Our kids
need you to join their team by contributing to the
So lace up your running shoes and spread the word to
everyone you know - runners, walkers, and even couch
potatoes!
2016-17 Annual Fund! You can use the enclosed envelope or
donate online at www.summitspeech.org. Together, we can keep
the flame burning bright and give our children the gift of speech!
For more info call 908-508-0495 or email
jwhiting@summitspeech.org.