The BEF held its Annual Awards Dinner honoring Bloomfield’s scholarship winners. Along with their families, this year’s exceptional students were treated to a lovely evening of food and fun.
This year, a new scholarship was awarded by the class of ’65 to a student to carry on their career after high school.
Annually the BEF holds The Gala, an event where Bloomfield Alumni are recognized for their impeccable character and outstanding achievement along with an Educator of the Year who has gone beyond the call of duty for the students of Bloomfield. A Community Organization of the Year is also organized. This year, guests were treated to an exquisite dinner and ice cream bar. Guests also partook in a raffle, which included prizes of signed apparel from NFL Hall of Famers. It’s a night filled with excitement and fun. We hope to see you there next year!
Click the link to the right to donate to the BEF. We can’t do it without generous donations from people like you!
Richard Koscielak- Community Organization of the Year
Richard Koscielak graduated Bloomfield High School in 1975 and since then, has served as an Officer, Treasurer, and President for the Joseph Poniatowski Beneficial Association. In 1975, Mr. Kocielak began his association with JPBA to donate to the Bloomfield schools, hospitals, and churches. He also contributed to the community by starting the Family Activity Program at the Essex Manor and coordinated the Roche Foundation Grant for the Bloomfield Education Foundation.
Salvatore DeSimone- Educator of the Year
Salvatore DeSimone returned to his home town of Bloomfield to serve as the principal of Fairview School. Mr. DeSimone was raised in Bloomfield and has always been involved within the community. He’s an active participant in the Bloomfield’s Special Education Parental Advisory Council and has helped with the growth of the Home and School Association and programs for the English Language Learners. In addition, Mr. DeSimone is an adjunct Professor of Education at the Bloomfield College. His reputation as the “People’s Principal” will be forever celebrated within the Bloomfield community.
James Parker Wollner- Alumnus of the Year
James Wollner is a lifelong resident of Bloomfield. He attended Fairview School, South Middle School, and graduated Bloomfield High School in 1964 and was the President of his class of 1971 at Bloomfield College. Since then, Mr. Wollner was the President of the Alumni Association and served the US Army during 1967-1968 and has written a book on his experiences during Vietnam. James currently serves on the Alumni Council, numerous Bloomfield town boards, commissions and volunteer organizations.
Abier Abdelnaby- Alumnae of the Year
Despite being born in Alexandria, Egypt, Dr. Abdelnaby has been calling Bloomfield “home” since the age of 3. Since graduating Bloomfield High School in 1992, she’s currently double-board certified as a Colon and Rectal Surgeon in Dallas, Texas and is the Associate Professor of Surgery and the Program Director at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for the Global Health Surgical Academic Fellowship. Dr. Abier Abdelnaby is a member of numerous professional associations including Physicians For Peace, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery to Global, and the National Arab American Medical Association. She has also traveled around the world on various mission trips.
Essex Junction owner Jeremy Goldberg has presented the BEF with the first in a series of monthly checks as part of an ongoing charity initiative. For every tweet Essex Junction is tagged in that features one of Essex Junction’s “Local Legend” cocktails, half of the posted drink’s price will be donated to the BEF as part of the monthly check. Another $50 will be added to the donation if the “Local Legend” the drink was named after shares the tweet. A tenth of the proceeds generated during monthly events beginning on May 18th and held on the third Wednesday of each month will be donated to the BEF as well.
BEF board member Michael Scuerman said, “We are excited about the program with Essex Junction and our hope is that the program will catch-on and grow with Essex Junction’s guests and each month’s donation will surpass the last. Our goal is that that other Bloomfield businesses will follow Essex Junction’s lead and implement similar programs.”
Jeremy Goldberg said, “In the short time since we started the program just after opening in February, we raised $175. I’m excited to think about how much will be raised over the course of a year [or more]. If other local businesses did this too, it could be very impactful for our educational programs and greatly benefit the students of Bloomfield.”
Join us on Saturday, June 11, 2016
6 pm to 11 pm
The Park Pavilion
1807 Boardwalk, Seaside Park
ParkPavilionNJ.com
$95 per person
Casual attire! Singles encouraged to attend!
The event will include a buffet reception, open bar, Viennese hour and a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean! We’re also in the process of planning other activities for anyone who plans to be in the area for the weekend. Details will follow!
Questions or reservations
email us at:
BHSClassof76Reunion@msn.com
or call us at:
973-228-7886
My name is Max Reyes, and I’m a member of the Bloomfield Educational Foundation Web Team. The four of us (Jocelyn Harris, Amanda Tirador, Sarah Toscano and myself) are high school seniors who work with the BEF to produce content for its website as part of a scholarship and internship program. So far, we’ve covered events like the Alumni Basketball Game, interviewed board members like Joe Kliminski, and crafted content that better clarifies the mission. Being on the Web Team is an incredible opportunity, and we’re excited to be a part of it.
As members of the Web Team, we write articles, conduct interviews, take photos, and publish our work online. We learned what goes into making a website as we worked alongside BEF board members to bring this site live. Our work has improved critical communication and collaboration skills which will be essential to us after we graduate. I intend to write professionally for the rest of my life, and my time with the Web Team has helped put me on the path to doing just that. I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I hope others get to take advantage of it as well.
If you are a current Bloomfield High School student interested in joining the Web Team next year, contact the BEF at info@bloomfieldeducationalfoundation.org or contact Principal Jennings.
