Welcome Hilltoppers!

 If you are walking around Summit, NJ this weekend, expect to see a whole lot of maroon and gold! Why? Because this weekend, October 14-16, marks the first annual Hilltopper Alumni Weekend, and residents and guests alike are sure to be decked out in team colors, showing off their school pride!

Here’s just a sampling of the weekend’s events:

Friday will feature a Career Day at Summit High School, which will be open to alumni, and will be followed by guided tours of the school once classes are dismissed.  Friday will also feature the Women’s Tennis Team taking on Westfield, a pre-game tailgate party at Tatlock Park. Then fire up the “Friday Night Lights” and bring on the highlight of the weekend–the Hilltoppers will host the Highlanders of Governor Livingston High School–and kickoff is at 7 pm. End the evening at the post-game party at the Hat Tavern in the Grand Summit Hotel, or perhaps go stargazing with the Astronomy Club in Upper Tatlock Park.

The weather is supposed to be lovely on Saturday–perfect for a round of golf at the Summit Municipal Golf Course (space is limited, please call 908-343-2122 to check availability). The weather will also be perfect for a “Four Centuries In A Weekend” historical tour throughout Union County, featuring sites in Summit and surrounding towns. Also scheduled: a Centennial Garden Dedication at Brayton School, lunch at Towne Deli, Varsity Girls and Boys Soccer games, tour of Summit High School, SHS Student exhibitions and performances, and SHS Alumni Reunion parties.

Sunday will bring the weekend to a close with the Hilltopper Alumni Brunch at the Broadway Diner at 10:30 am and the YMCA 5K Walk/Run at 1 pm.

Sounds as if there will be something for everyone! And as always, Lois Schneider Realtor is proud to support our Hilltoppers and we are pleased to welcome returning alumni and guests to our wonderful community.

For more information regarding event times and locations, please visit www.hilltoppersalumni.com or join the Hilltopper Alumni Weekend group on Facebook.

The Sun Is Shining…On Summit High School

The sun is shining on Summit High School, and thanks to SHS junior Justin Cyrus, it will power several classrooms every day!  Patrick Sullivan,  a writer for SummitPatch, reported today that Cyrus was instrumental in getting the new solar panel system—and at no cost to the school board or the taxpayers! 

The $18,000 panels were donated by Sunlight Photonics, a New Jersey-based company that Cyrus worked for this past summer.  He heard they were donating a system and got them to agree to donate to Summit High School. He then worked with Julian, his older brother and engineering student at the University of Texas, to convince the school board that it was a viable project. 

Justin wanted to show that the project was good for the school and good for the community. “Summit has been really accepting,” he said.  “We did not meet any opposition and everything went smoothly.”  The panels have been attached to computers so that their operation can be monitored by the environmental science classes, creating even greater educational value.

During a week when the loss of state aid to schools and budget cuts lined the front pages of all the local newspapers, it’s great to see that our young people are looking for innovative ways to save money and be more environmentally conscious.

Living and working in the Summit, New Jersey area, we here at Lois Schneider Realtor  are especially proud when we learn about the great ideas coming out of our community. We just add it to the innumerable reasons why this is a great place to live–and now we can add one more feather in our cap–thanks to Justin Cyrus!

For more information about this story or the author, visit SummitPatch.com.

Dinner And A Show

One of the best things (and there are many!) about Summit, New Jersey, is its proximity to New York City.  Because of this, residents of Summit often take advantage of the Mid-Town Direct train line or the easily accessible major highways and head to Manhattan for dinner and a show.  But this weekend, dinner and a show can be experienced right here in town.  Downtown Summit is home to an array of wonderful restaurants, with Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and American cuisine as just a few of the international dining options.  For a more detailed list, visit the Downtown Summit web site.

After dinner, round out your evening by heading over to Summit High School to catch the show.  Last night, students from Summit High School debuted their production of the Mel Brooks Tony Award Winning musical The Producers, and performances will continue through Saturday night.  The musical is about a producer and his accountant who collaborate to create a Broadway show so bad that it is sure to flop, thus allowing them to run off with the surplus cash from their investors.  The show’s director, Anne Poyner, is quoted in an article by Rayna Lewis for Summit Patch, as saying this is one of  the “best shows we’ve ever done,” with the cast of 55 bringing energy and excitement to their roles. Poyner adds, “this is absolutely the right show for this group because we have so many talented, funny kids this year and this allowed them to shine.”

Summit High School is no stranger to great performances either.  For the last four years, Summit has been entered into the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Competition, and in 2007, the school was honored with 7 out of 18 awards, including Best Overall Production, for their production of  Titanic.  100 New Jersey high schools enter the competition, and are judged in a variety of categories.  Final nominees get to perform on the Paper Mill Playhouse stage at the Awards Gala Ceremony.  For more information, visit www.papermill.org.

Come out and show your support for our local aspiring performers.  Shows will be performed Thursday, March 4th-Saturday, March 6th at 7:30 pm.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.summit-nj-online.com or for more information, call (908) 918-2122.

Summit High School Awarded Silver Medal

As Realtors, we are always looking for information to share with our clients to reinforce the value of the towns that we serve.  We already know that Summit and the surrounding communities of Short Hills/Millburn, New Providence, Chatham, Berkeley Heights and Madison are wonderful places to live, work, dine and shop.  We know that living along the Mid-Town Direct train line is a benefit for those who work in and enjoy the amenities of New York City.  We know that the schools in many of our communities are top-rated. And now U.S. News and World Report has put it in writing and made it official.  In the December 2009 issue, U.S. News and World Report awarded Summit High School a silver rating in their annual Best High School’s report.  Nationally, more than 21,000 public high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed. Of the 299 that met ranking criteria in New Jersey, only 17 received a silver rating and only 5 received a gold rating. Along with Summit High School, silver ratings were also awarded to high schools in New Providence, Millburn/Short Hills, Chatham, Madison (including Harding Township) and Basking Ridge.

U.S. News partnered with the School Evaluation Services (SES), a K-12 education data research business run by Standard & Poor’s. To find out more about the methodologies used, please follow these links to Expanded Methodology and Technical Appendix Methodology.*

*Information courtesy of U.S. News and World Report