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Students honored in Essex County essay contest; James Caldwell students launch Volonteen volunteer app
Summary
Caldwell-West students won multiple placements in the Essex County PEP essay contest and district staff recognized winners; high-school students also presented Volonteen, a student-built website and app to match teens with volunteer opportunities.
The Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education recognized student winners in the Essex County PEP essay contest and heard a student presentation about a new volunteer-matching platform during Tuesday’s meeting.
Essex County PEP essay contest: District staff and a teacher volunteer, Mrs. Brock, read and announced semifinalist and finalist winners across grade levels. The district reported its best participation to date with entries from 10 grade levels; Caldwell-West placed with one semifinalist and nine finalists countywide. Staff said first-place winners and their families have invitations to an after-hours Turtle Back Zoo event and were honored at the Friends of Education banquet earlier this year.
Selected student essays were read aloud at the meeting, featuring entries from Washington School, Grover Cleveland Middle School and James Caldwell High School. Student winners included Annalia Peralta (first grade, Washington School), Madeline Renz (fifth grade, Washington School; read by staff), Caroline Cole (sixth grade, Grover Cleveland Middle School), Lila Hsu (ninth grade, James Caldwell High School) and others. Several students described influential teachers and service experiences as central themes.
Volonteen student project: High-school students Lucy Sandor and Nina presented Volonteen, a student-run website and app intended to connect teens with local volunteer opportunities and to provide a portal for non-profits seeking teen volunteers. "Our website and app are places where any student in Caldwell, West Caldwell, or surrounding towns can find opportunities to volunteer," Sandor said. The students solicited partners and invited interested students and organizations to visit volunteen.net and to contact them at njvolunteen@gmail.com.
Why it matters: Both items highlight student engagement and extracurricular pathways. The essay contest recognition showcases student writing and civic reflection; Volonteen aims to reduce barriers for younger teens seeking community-service options and to centralize opportunities year-round.
Next steps and district response: Board members encouraged the students to coordinate with school advisors and district staff to publicize the platform to clubs and incoming students. Student representatives suggested early outreach to school service clubs — Key Club, FBLA, and National Honor Society — and to local service groups such as Rotary and municipal environmental commissions to seed opportunities.
The meeting also included routine approvals and the public comment period. District staff asked community members to consult the district website for upcoming timelines, and the board said communications would continue for capital and personnel matters covered in the same session.
