Friday, January 18, 2013
The late youth wrestling program coordinator was beloved of many parents, educators and coaches in Collingswood. His viewing will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
A viewing will be held Sunday morning for the late Daniel A. Trainer, a man who Collingswood will remember not only as a pillar of the community, said high school athletic director Ronald Hamrick, but as the biggest part of its successful tradition of youth wrestling. "He’s a legend in Collingswood; he’s like a father to me," Hamrick told Patch Wednesday, his voice brimming with emotion. "I’ve known him for 29 years. How he’s influenced so many kids is pretty impressive." According to an obituary published by Foster-Warne Funeral Home, Trainer ran the youth wrestling program in Collingswood for 39 years, dedicated 50 years to the Collingswood Little League, and spent 30 seasons with the Collingswood Football program. Trainer was also the …
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Collingswood junior John Deaner is succeeding two weight classes above his original slot.
Weighing in at around 180 pounds, Collingswood High School junior wrestler John Deaner is the quite the wrestler in the the 182-pound weight class. As it turns out, he’s not too bad wrestling at 200 either. Wrestling two weight classes up at the Collingswood Duals this weekend, Deaner went 3-0, recording 4-1 and 5-0 decisions as well as a second-period pin. His efforts helped the injury-ridden Panthers place second in the tournament. “He had a really good day,” Collingswood coach Dechlin Moody said. “He stepped up big for us.” Because the Panthers have been hit so hard by injuries this season—five starters are currently out of the lineup—Deaner has spent little time in his natural weight class. The junior has wrestled at 182 just twice, …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Superintendent Scott Oswald says that behind every student who fails to graduate Collingswood High School is a story that every teacher there knows.
According to the latest report from the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE), the Collingswood High School graduation rate fell about 5 percent last year, from 86.55 in 2011 to 81.33 percent in 2012. That's while the overall state graduation rate climbed from 83 to 86 percent from 2011 to 2012. And although the figures are calculated using a new formula that Collingswood Superintendent Scott Oswald says is “probably the tightest it’s ever been” in terms of meaningful data, there are still a number of factors that come into play when a student doesn’t make it to the finish line. “Behind every single student who takes us below 100 percent, there is a story,” Oswald said, “and it’s a story that’s well known to the teachers and …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Collingswood girls' basketball team continues to surprise, improving to 8-1 with a win over Sterling on Tuesday.
With each passing game the Collingswood High School girls' basketball team provides additional evidence that it isn’t just a team that has gotten off to a hot start. The Panthers success is very real, even if caught many people—including the Collingswood players and coaches—by surprise. “We have been doing a lot better than we even thought we would, and it’s a big confidence-booster,” senior Ellie O’Neill said. “I think everyone is working even harder now because we have so much potential and everyone realizes that.” The Panthers made another statement Tuesday night with a 41-34 win over Sterling in Colonial Conference action. With the win the Panthers improved to 8-1 and 5-0 in the conference. Considering the Panthers finished just a game…
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The Collingswood High School guidance department urges students to observe upcoming deadlines for scholarship applications. The earliest is due Thursday.
In its Counselors Bulletin for post-secondary planning, the guidance department at Collingswood High School has compiled a list of scholarships for which college-bound members of the Class of 2013 may be eligible. Collingswood Patch is reprinting them here. Kids and parents, take a look. Many of these applications have upcoming deadlines; the earliest is Thursday, Jan. 10. 1. Burger King Scholars Program: BK will offer $1,000, $5,000 and $25,000 awards to high-school seniors. The money may be used for educational expenses such as tuition and fees. Deadline: Jan. 10, 2013. 2. MLK Scholarship Competition: Write an essay based on the following prompt. Trayvon Martin was killed walking to his home on February 26, 2012, by George Zimmerman, a …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Collingswood girls' basketball team is currently undefeated, while the boys' basketball and wrestling teams have also tasted some early successes.
It was a fine close to the 2012 calendar year for several winter athletic teams at Collingswood High School. Below is a look at some of the highlights from the last month of athletic action. GIRLS' BASKETBALL No team enters the new year hotter than the Panthers, who finished 2012 with a 6-0 record. Collingswood has been able to pick up a half-dozen wins thanks to a stifling defense that has held three opponents under 20 points, and hasn’t given up more than 36 in a game. Prior to the start of the season, Collingswood head coach Nancy O’Neill expressed her passion to develop players who think defense-first. “Defense is definitely my coaching staff’s passion,” said O’Neill. “We did a nice job last year and we are coming back with a pretty …
Friday, December 28, 2012
The longtime Collingswood resident was a decorated veteran, Boy Scout leader, and led the charge to erect a monument to those lost in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
On Dec. 19, Collingswood lost one of its most decorated citizens and a man who will be remembered for his three-year campaign to memorialize the war dead in the borough. Ralph H. Daugherty (March 9, 1921—Dec. 19, 2012) was 91 when he passed, according to a remembrance from Foster-Warne Funeral Home (reprinted, in large part, below). Son of the late R. Harry and Irene Daugherty (nee Eckstein) and predeceased by his older sister, Mildred Goldsmith (Robert), he graduated Collingswood High School in 1939 and went to work for RCA-Victor in Camden. Military service In October 1942, Daugherty enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. As a radio operator and aerial gunner on a B-24 liberator, Daugherty served on 40 bombing missions in the World War II …
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Collingswood school district has been invoiced for some $6,700 from investigator Edward Borden, but the inquiry is still open-ended.
It's been nearly six months since the Collingswood Board of Education was publically excoriated over its decision not to renew the contract of basketball coach Joseph McLoughlin. That choice brought with it allegations of racial bias against district administrators, a public outpouring of support for the coach who took his team to two Group II championships and reports of claims filed with the state attorney general's office by the NAACP. A lot of noise, but nothing has come since. Now, almost a half-year later, the lead investigator in the case—Haddonfield Borough Commissioner and attorney Edward Borden—has yet to complete a public report solicited by the school district. He told Patch on Thursday that there is no timeline in sight, …
Three O'Neill sisters are expected to be big contributors to the Collingswood girls basketball team this year. Their mom, coach Nancy O'Neill, says she too has to leave it all on the court.
When Ellie O’Neill and her sisters Molly and Meghan return home from field hockey practice, their mother, Nancy, is waiting for them with a host of questions about how each of them and their team is doing. When Ellie, Molly and Meghan return home from basketball practice, there are no such questions, because Nancy knows better. That’s what happens when mom is also coach. All three girls are slated to play vital roles on the Collingswood High School girls' basketball team this season, putting head coach Nancy O’Neill in the rare position of having three of the five players on the court being her own daughters. It is a scenario the veteran head coach has prepared for, but one she admits, comes with ups and downs. “Some days it’s really nice…
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Husband, father, police sketch artist ... song-and-dance man? Meet your multi-talented neighbor, Chuck Jackson.
Chuck Jackson is 24-year veteran of the Haddon Township Police department, husband to Stacey and father to Stephen, 18, Kyle, 15, and Emily, 13. Peeling back the layers also reveals a talented artist, set designer, and show business pro. This week, the 21-year Collingswood resident tells Patch how the borough nurtures his many talents. Collingswood Patch: How did you get involved in theatrical set design? Chuck Jackson: My first set was for The Wizard of Oz. I did the background piece; that was four-and-a-half years ago. I build for the Youth Theater, for both the spring and the summer shows. I also build for the Middle School and the High School. And I'm not a primary builder, but also do a lot for the Collingswood Community Theater. …
Will McGowan
3:54 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013
I would not say taxes are "way up" nor grad rates are "way down" It is so easy to see this and blame those "overpaid teachers". I wish Iwas able to ask the state to police the parents for their care as well as the state is allowed to cite educators. SO many kids that come to school unclean, up all night playing video games, parents who say, "Oh we don't go in their room! It is his/her personal … more ›